him."
Obi-Wan. That name Xizor knew. He was among the last of the Jedi Knights,
a general. But he'd been dead for decades, hadn't he?
Apparently Xizor's information was wrong if Obi-Wan had been helping
someone who was still a boy. His agents were going to be sorry.
Even as Xizor took in the distant image of Vader and the nearness of the
Emperor, even as he was aware of the luxury of the Emperor's private and
protected chamber at the core of the giant pyramidal palace, he was also able
to make a mental note to himself: Somebody's head would roll for the failure
to make him aware of all this. Knowledge was power; lack of knowledge was
weakness. This was something he could not permit.
The Emperor continued. "The Force is strong with him. The son of
Skywalker must not become a Jedi."
Son of Skywalker?
Vader's son! Amazing!
"If he could be turned he would become a powerful ally," Vader said.
There was something in Vader's voice when he said this, something Xizor
could not quite put his finger on. Longing? Worry?
Hope? "Yes... yes. He would be a great asset," the Emperor said. "Can it
be done?" There was the briefest of pauses. "He will join us or die, Master."
Xizor felt the smile, though he did not allow it to show any more than he
had allowed his anger play. Ah. Vader wanted Skywalker alive, that was what
had been in his tone. Yes, he had said that the boy would join them or die,
but this latter part was obviously meant only to placate the Emperor. Vader
had no intention of killing Skywalker, his own son; that was obvious to one as
skilled in reading voices as was Xizor. He had not gotten to be the Dark
Prince, Underlord of Black Sun, the largest criminal organization in the
galaxy, merely on his formidable good looks. Xizor didn't truly understand the
Force that sustained the Emperor and made him and Vader so powerful, save to
know that it certainly worked somehow. But he did know that it was something
the extinct Jedi had supposedly mastered. And now, apparently, this new player
had tapped into it. Vader wanted Skywalker alive, had practically promised the
Emperor that he would deliver him alive-and converted.
This was most interesting.
Most interesting indeed.
The Emperor finished his communication and turned back to face him. "Now,
where were we, Prince Xizor?"
