Disclaimer: All characters and situations from Star Wars are properties of Lucasfilm, Ltd. and 20th Century Fox. No copyright infringement intended.

A/N: Well, folks, this is my first foray into the world of fanfiction. Please be gentle. This is basically a re-make of Alexander Dumas's The Count of Monte Cristo in the Star Wars universe. Hence the title. This story follows ESB, up until Luke's duel with Vader. Things branch off from there. Well, enjoy...


Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi watched Luke gear the X-wing's engines and begin to move away for take-off.

"Told you, I did," Yoda said sorrowfully, as the sleek fighter craft began to lift into the misty heavens. "Reckless is he. Now things are going to worse."

"That boy is our last hope," Obi-Wan said, his voice heavy with emotion.

"No," Kenobi's former teacher corrected with a knowing gleam in his large eyes, "there is another."

"But Master," Obi-Wan wondered, "you surely can't mean the girl. We've both sensed no Force potential in her."

"Our last hope, Leia is not," Yoda agreed, nodding. "But another presence, in the force I have sensed. Sensed it, you have too."

Obi-Wan shook his head mournfully. "If that really is our last hope, then you were right. Things are worse"

"So sure are you," Yoda challenged, "search your feelings."

"Well then," Obi-Wan smirked slightly, "I have a bad feeling about this."


Deep below the Cloud City of Bespin, Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker continued their duel furiously. They had entered the reactor shaft, Darth Vader stalking confidently towards the young man.

Luke moved agilely across the gantry and took refuge beneath a huge instrument panel to evade his pursuing foe. But Vader was there in an instant, his lightsaber thrashing down like a pulsating guillotine blade, cutting the instrument complex loose. The complex began to fall, but was abruptly caught by the wind and blown upward.

An instant of distraction was all Vader needed. As the instrument panel floated away, Luke involuntarily glanced at it. At that second, the Dark Lord's laser blade came slashing down across the hilt of Luke's lightsaber, cutting it, and sending the top half flying.

Luke gasped, more out of shock than anything else. He glanced at the useless bottom of his lightsaber's hilt. No, not his lightsaber, his father's. Luke suddenly felt a sharp pang of loss, as the only artifact he had of his father had now been taken away.

"There is no escape," Vader's voice brought Luke back into the moment. "Don't make me destroy you. You are strong with the Force. Now you must learn to use the dark side. Join me and together we will be more powerful than the Emperor. Come, I will complete your training and we will rule the galaxy together."

Luke refused to give into Vader's taunts. "I will never join you!"

Vader paused. Luke would obviously not be forced into choosing the dark side. Vader thought, and tried to remember back to when he was someone else, and what made him decide which path to follow. "If you only knew the power of the dark side. It can give you what nothing else can."

"I don't want anything from you!" Luke shouted. He tried to scurry back, away from the threatening gleam of Vader's red, pulsating blade.

"I can give you the truth," Vader paused, and watched Luke's reaction. He noticed Luke look up for a fraction of a second, then resume his struggle to back away from the Dark Lord. "Obi-Wan never told you what happened to your father, did he?"

Mention of his father aroused Luke's anger. "He told me enough!" he yelled. "He told me you killed him."

"No," Vader replied calmly. "I am your father."

Stunned, Luke stared with disbelief at Vader, and then pulled away at this revelation. The two men stared at each other, father and son.

"No, no! That's not true. That's impossible!" Luke cried, refusing to believe what he had just heard.

"Search your feelings," Vader said, suddenly reminding Luke startlingly of Yoda, "you know it to be true."

Then Vader swithced off his lightsaber and extended a steady and inviting hand.

Bewildered and horror-stricken at Vader's words, Luke shouted, "No! No!"

Vader continued persuasively. "Luke, you can destroy the Emperor. He has foreseen this. It is your destiny. Join me and together we can rule the galaxy as father and son." When Luke did nothing, Vader continued, "In an instant I have given you more than the Jedi ever have. I have given you the truth about your father. Your dear Obi-Wan was lying to you to try and manipulate you to follow him. Which one of us is truly evil?"

Luke's head was spinning. Everything Obi-Wan had told him had been a lie. He suddenly felt sick. Luke looked around desperately for somewhere to run. Somewhere calm, where he could rest, think, and try to tame the terrible dragon of anguish and distrust he felt roaring in his chest.

Vader could sense Luke's resolve weakening. He continued confidently, "Obi-Wan was not the only friend that has lied to you."

Luke felt the dragon grow. He had just discovered that everything he believed in had been a lie. He didn't know if he could take the next revelation, but he realized he had to know the truth. "Who?" was all he could get out.

Vader ignored Luke's question. "I sense strong emotions in you, son," Vader said, emphasizing the last word. "I sense anger, towards your former Master. But I also sense protection, and even love."

Luke looked away, ashamed. He didn't know why, of all things, he was embarrassed about his feelings for Leia at this moment, but he was.

"Ah yes, the princess," Vader said knowingly. "I too was once in love with a royal woman. It seems that we are more alike than you would like to believe."

"What did you do to Leia?" Luke screamed, his protectiveness of the princess outweighing his desire to know what Vader was talking about.

"Come with me, and I will help you attain the princess. Your Jedi friends would tell you to ignore your love, but I know better. I can let you be happy, and give you the one thing that has been denied from you your whole life. A family," Vader offered.

Luke was suddenly tempted. The dragon in his chest seemed to shrink a bit at this opportunity. Still, he would not be turned easily. "But I'm not like you…or the Emperor. I'm not evil."

"Have I been evil, Luke?" Vader wondered. "I have been trying to restore peace to the galaxy as best I can. If I could have, I would have destroyed the Emperor long ago. But thanks to Obi-Wan, I am confined to this suit. The Emperor encased me in this prison, which has greatly decreased my abilities. If you join me, we can overthrow the Emperor and bring peace to the galaxy."

Vader's words were beginning to make sense to Luke. Vader was suffering as well, doomed to serving the Empire for the rest of eternity. Luke's head started to spin again, but something Yoda had told him rang back in his ears. "You're a Sith Lord! You think only inwards, about yourself!"

"Do I, Luke?" Vader asked. "The Jedi have lied to you, and tried to trick you, to use you as a means to their own end. I am offering you want you want. I have told you the truth, and I am willing to help you," Vader reached out his hand again.

"Can we really destroy the Emperor?" Luke wondered. He was shocked when he realized he had said the words aloud.

"You and I can work together. We will bring peace to the galaxy," Vader promised. "And when the war is over, the princess will have time for other things. Other people."

Luke was about to accept Vader's hand. Everything made sense now. Vader had been tricked by Obi-Wan, just like Luke had. It was the only reason that could explain why Luke was willing to listen to Vader. Suddenly, a part of their earlier conversation returned to Luke. "Who was the other friend that was lying to me?"

Vader breathed slowly several times before answering. "Your feelings for the princess are quite clear, Luke. I believe your friends know of them," Luke merely stared at Vader. The Dark Lord took that lack of response as conformation and continued, "It seems that, on their way here, your friend, Captain Solo, chose to disregard your feelings for the princess. They have been…romantic, with each other."

Once again, Luke was completely stunned. The dragon roared. "But Leia and Han hate each other. They always fight. They couldn't have…"

Vader nodded. "The story of their union is unclear. It is possible that Solo took advantage of the princess. She may have deemed herself responsible, and subconsciously developed feelings for him to absolve herself of the guilt."

The dragon in Luke's chest unleashed a fire of pure hatred. Luke didn't know how many betrayals he could face in one day. He didn't want to believe Vader, and didn't think he was being told the truth. But after everything he had just heard, he realized that he could no longer trust his feelings. They had always been wrong before. And now that he thought about it, Han always hade been aggressive towards Leia, all the while knowing how Luke felt about her. Who's to say that, after a few weeks stuck together, Han wouldn't have taken advantage of the situation, of Leia? The dragon in Luke's chest agreed with a hearty roar. "How could he do that?" was the only thing Luke could say.

Vader nodded. "The acts of your friends have been most disturbing. Come with me, and I'm sure, together, we can find a solution to all your problems."

Numbly, Luke stood up, using Vader's hand for support. He was unsure as to whether or not he was doing the right thing. But when he felt the dragon in his chest curl away, he knew that he had chosen the right path.


Back in the swamps of Dagobah, Jedi Master and Force Ghost both felt a terrible disturbance in the Force. Yoda put his hand on his chest, and slowly sank onto a log.

"Unfortunate this is," Yoda muttered. "Told you, I did. Trained him, we should have not."

"The choice had been placed in front of Luke," Obi-Wan reasoned. "It was up to him which path to take."

"Too much like his father, he is. Complicated, things now are," Yoda said, thinking about his future course of action.

"What can we do now?" Obi-Wan asked desperately.

"Do, we will, what needs to be done," Yoda answered.

The two Jedi Masters then retreated further within the massive swamps of Dagobah. They would need to meditate to figure out how they could bring balance to the Force.