And so, he had the image of his young clone firmly in his mind. It had not been his real appearance at age thirty, but the science of cloning had enabled him to make all of the aesthetic modifications he desired. He opened his eyes. At first, he thought that nothing had changed. His roomy black robes were still the same. Then he slid his hands out of his sleeves. They were smooth and young. He smiled, and he could feel the difference in his face. It had worked. The youthful Palpatine met the aged Anakin’s eyes in the dimness.
“Well done,” said Anakin. “It matches your ego.”
Whatever reply Palpatine might have made was lost as Anakin hissed, “Shhhh! I saw something moving down the slope. We may have to leave in a hurry. Go and wake the others. Tell them the Jedi Legion may be close.”
Palpatine stood, and moving much more vigorously than before, he quietly felt his way back down into the darkness. Halfway down the stairs, he realized that an opportunity to hurt his enemies was upon him. He was out of sight of Anakin, and Kenobi and Yoda were asleep. He continued downwards as quietly as he could. Quickly, he decided that Yoda should be his target. He gave little thought to Yoda’s reputation as a Jedi Master; he was only a Master of the weaker light side. Besides, Force or no Force, the ugly creature would be defenseless while asleep. The diminutive alien had earned Palpatine’s wrath. How dare the little thing suggest that the Emperor could not have destroyed him? One blast of Force lightning could have reduced the pacifistic lizard to a green smoking stain on the ground. Or, if he had wanted to be thorough, a single shot from the Death Star could have annihilated whatever planet the alien had been hiding on. Sadly, he had neither weapon on hand at the moment. But primitive weapons worked just as well. There were large stones on the ground, were there not? That was just the thing to crush a wizened green head into a ruin of blood, pulped brains, and jagged shards of bone. The Jedi Legion might soon be upon them, but they would find that the Emperor Palpatine still knew how to deal with those who dared to defy him. As he died, Palpatine would be able to hold the image of Luke Skywalker’s murdered Master in his thoughts. And who was to say he could not take one or two of the Jedi Legion by surprise, and send more enemies ahead of him into oblivion?
Palpatine reached the bottom of the stairs, and padded quietly to the center of the cave. His eyes adjusted to the faint light from above, and he spotted a stone twice as big as his head, not far from where he stood. With his new young form, he should just be able to lift it. He wrapped his hands securely around the stone, and raised it from the cave floor. A few pebbles clattered, and he froze, but neither Kenobi nor Yoda stirred. Then he took careful, soft steps until he was standing over the sleeping Jedi Master.
It’s been a long time since we last met, Yoda, he thought. Was it on the Senate floor, perhaps? For the longest time, you were working to train Jedi, and what did it get you? You knew what I was, and still I destroyed all your students. All except one. And that one destroyed me. Were you proud of your young Skywalker for that? Are you dreaming of him now? Foolish little creature. You kind does not challenge me and survive. I told you I would kill you for training Skywalker, and now I am going to keep my promise. If only Luke were here to see this. Perhaps someday I will be able to tell him about it. And now, old Master…you will die…
Palpatine raised the heavy stone high, and hurled it down at the sleeping Yoda’s head. But the stone did not come down. Stubbornly, impossibly, it hung in the air, its position firmly fixed. Palpatine pulled on it with all his strength, but the stone did not budge. He had no effect on it whatsoever. Wildly, he looked down at Yoda. The Jedi Master was awake, lying on his back looking up at Palpatine.
Calmly, Yoda spoke in his gravelly voice. “Strong is your anger,” he said, “but not that strong. You do not attack me alone, Emperor, for my ally is the Force. A strong and vigilant ally it is, as you should know.”
Palpatine continued to pull on the stone, frantic, his handsome face consumed with rage. Suddenly, the stone lifted even higher, while he held tightly to it. For a moment, his feet began to leave the ground, and he was forced to let go of his weapon. The stone turned gracefully in the air, and moved into a position above Palpatine’s head. He gasped as it lowered towards his upturned face. Without warning, it was hurled at him. Leaping backwards, he avoided the missile, but landed painfully on the cave floor. The stone impacted heavily and split apart as it crashed where Palpatine had stood.
Yoda stood, his face serene, and watched as Palpatine gathered the tatters of his dignity.