Leia entered the corridors of Cloud City, blaster drawn, dressed in her grey fatigues. Her long, dark brown hair tied in a quick ponytail for simplicity. Leia walked through the empty hallways, attempting to be as quiet as possible as R2 followed her. "For such a large place, it appears to be completely deserted. Something is definitely wrong with this picture, I should have encountered at least a squad of Stormtroopers by now. This silence is unnerving, I'd feel better if I was shooting at something. At least then I wouldn't have this horrible anxiety." Leia turned at an opening and walked through it.
Leia continued walking, and made a turn to go down another corridor. However, she suddenly sensed a group of people coming. Concerned, Leia ducked back behind the entrance, her blaster at the ready, while she glanced around the corner. Leia watched a small group of 2 Imperial Officers, 2 stormtroopers, all led by an armored man, likely a bounty hunter, come through, with the officers escorting a strange table-like object that the girl couldn't make out.
Leia couldn't deny that the table left her uneasy, but she couldn't explain why. "What is that? They wouldn't have an armed escort for a table, and that doesn't look like a typical storage device, I wonder what it is. Perhaps it's a part of whatever mission the Empire is on here. I need to intercept it, if only to find out what it is." Leia was anxious to jump out and learn what it was, but knew she needed to control herself. "Don't go being all rash and getting yourself captured. You're a Jedi, patience is the greatest weapon in the galaxy." Leia continued watching as the group passed out of sight.
Leia, used her senses to confirm that they had indeed passed. She then exited cover and ran to the wall that looked into the corner where the group had left. She watched them move further away. Feeling that it was safe, Leia walked out of cover to follow. However, the bounty hunter re-emerged and started firing at her. Leia quickly jumped back behind the wall, thankful for her small build, since it kept her from getting hit. "The bounty hunter is good, perhaps he's that Boba Fett we've heard about. I've never seen him, but he's supposedly the best. In fact, there were rumors that he had managed to defeat experienced Jedi, a testament to his skill. I have to be careful." Leia took a deep breath to calm herself and waited for the bounty hunter's next move, while R2 pressed against her leg as she tried to calm the droid down. However, none seemed to come. Sensing that he had retreated, Leia emerged, and continued down the hall.
Leia walked down the corridor and quickly discovered a much large group of Imperials, who spotted her quickly as well. Leia quickly ducked behind cover before noticing Luke, Chewie, and 3PO amongst the group. "There they are, I have to get them out of there. I just have to take care of these Imperials first." Leia continued to dodge as the Imperials continued to fire as the Imperials attempted to retreat. "No, no, no, I can't let them escape. This is my best chance to rescue them."
Leia thought she heard Luke shout something about a trap as they pulled him into another room. "A trap, that would make sense. I suppose the trap is probably for me, I suppose that makes sense. I'm the only known force-sensitive in the rebellion, possibly the galaxy that is opposed to the Empire and might have a chance at winning. Other than Yoda, but I'm not sure he physically can. In any case, they're attempting to remove me from the board, it makes sense. They'd probably also rather do it without losing legions of soldiers. In any case, I'm already in the trap, I may as well spring it and perhaps pull off another win. We could use it after Hoth." Leia shuttered as she thought about the one-sided battle on the ice planet. She would avenge those who died. "If I can eliminate Vader here and now, all our losses at Hoth will have been avenged, along with so many. I just need to see this through. I can win, a Jedi must win, there's no other option. And then, I'll rescue my friends, and we'll all get away." Leia continued to stay in cover.
Eventually, the firing ceased as the Imperials finished their retreat. Unwilling to let them escape, Leia rushed forward, as R2 followed close behind her. As soon as she entered the room, the doors shut all around her, trapping her, and keeping R2 out. Leia gulped nervously as realization came upon her. "This is the trap. Now I must stay and take care of whatever is here. I don't have an option anymore, I'm all alone now. My friends can't help me, and Ben won't help me. I must stay strong, I'm powerful in the force, and I've been training hard. I'm not a green girl anymore, I'm a warrior." Leia looked around, trying to determine what she needed to do next, nervous yet focused on her goal.
Leia continued to glance around the room, while walking around slowly. While stepping carefully, she walked on a small circular indent. Suddenly, it began to move up, carrying the girl with it. Alarmed, Leia glanced around, but quickly realized that it was simply a lift. "Alright, so apparently they want me on the floor above. Clearly they knew exactly what path I would take and were well prepared in advance. No matter, I'm still as ready as I can be. I will spring the trap, and defeat whatever is waiting for me." Leia took a deep breath, renewing her focus, and waited for the challenge at the top of the lift.
Leia quickly reached the top of the lift and was thrust into a warm, darkened room, definitely warmer than it had been downstairs. "This place is warm, but I bet it can get warmer when it's actually turned on. All of those machines probably can give off intense levels of heat, if I didn't know any better, I'd think this was a reactor or a boiler. I've never seen a place like this before." Leia stepped off the lift and began to look around.
Immediately after stepping off, she was startled by a sudden noise behind her, and looked down, noticing that the lift became sealed. Realizing that caused Leia a small amount of amusement. "I get it, this is a trap, I don't have a choice but to stay in this room and fight whomever you want me to fight. You don't need to keep reminding me of that fact. That said, that's such an Imperial way of thinking, waste your time and resources just to prove a simple point that you could have gotten simpler and cheaper. That's one of the many reasons we'll win this fight."
Forcing the amusement down in order to focus, Leia continued surveying the room. Meanwhile, steam begins to fill the room, obscuring her vision slightly and orange lights turn on around her. Immediately the room begins to heat up more, and as she breaths, hotter air enters her lungs. "I was right, it can get hot in here. Clearly this room has a purpose in their plans for me. I wish I knew what these machines were. I'll just have to be extra careful. What's more careful than a thousand times normal." Leia almost smiled at her lame attempt at humor. Leia continued to examine the room, while slowly beginning to sweat under her jacket. Sensing something behind her, Leia turned around to look.
Sure enough, Darth Vader, one of the most vile monsters in the galaxy, stood at the top of a walkway, staring down at her. Leia gulped slightly in nervousness, before regaining her confidence. She calmly walked towards the monster that had slayed so many innocent souls in the pursuit of evil power. "There he is, the second most evil monster in the galaxy. The only one worse is the Emperor himself. However, Vader is his hatchet man, slaying all those the Emperor orders him to without a second thought. Maybe not pure evil, but he's still a monster." As she finally came face to face with him, she glared at him in disgust and revulsion.
Acknowledging her presence, Vader speaks first, his sword still undrawn, "The Force is with you, young Skywalker. But you are not a Jedi yet." Leia feels deep anger at his patronizing tone. "He thinks nothing of me, he thinks that he'll be able to swipe me like a fly. He refuses to even acknowledge me as a Jedi. I'll shove that arrogance of his down his respirator after I'm finished turning him into a scrap heap. You'll hurt no one else my lord, that much I assure you." Frustrated, and full of righteous fury, Leia ignited her lightsaber first, and waited patiently for Vader.
Vader responded by immediately drawing his own and igniting it. They stared at each other for a moment, before finally Vader made the first move, causing Leia to parry it. After that, Leia begins lunging at Vader, trying to keep him on the defensive. "He's taller, heavier, and stronger that me, there's no denying that. I'm not even 5 feet, and I'm barely 100 pounds. A straight up brawl will never work, I'll have to rely on my speed and maneuverability. That said, I also need to keep in mind that he's faster than he looks, slower than me, but not slow by any means." Leia continued to try, and drive Vader back, as sweat poured down her face from both the room's increasing heat and the stress of the fight.
While deflecting her attacks, Vader spoke again, "You have learned much, young one." Unable to resist, Leia responded, "You'll find that I'm full of surprises." However, this brief moment of over confidence quickly was turned against her, as Vader made a few quick moves, where he knocked her saber out of her hand, and knocked her down the stairs, where she noticed a small circle that looked like it opened, however she paid it little heed. Lying on the floor, Leia was forced to watch as Vader calmly walked down towards her.
Getting on her knee, Leia cursed herself. "Stupid, how could I let myself get distracted. Stay focused, I can win this, I'm sure of it. However, I'll need to be perfect, otherwise he'll strike me down." Vader spoke as he continued to advance towards the girl, "Your destiny lies with me, Skywalker. Obi-Wan knew this to be true." Defiant, Leia yelled, "No!" She refused to be taken in by his mind games. She would not falter, she couldn't, the fate of her friends, the rebellion, the whole galaxy rested on her shoulders.
Leia continued to fall back towards the hatch. Suddenly, Vader launches a brief yet fierce attack, causing Leia to stumble backwards, but to her dismay she discovered that the hatch had opened and she's now falling into a hole. "NO, how could I be so foolish. They definitely have others watching this fight, helping Vader. There's someone at the controls of this room." Her ponytail band catches on the top, destroying it as she falls down to the bottom of the short shaft. Her large mass of hair falls over her face as she lays on her back, observing where she is. Leia quickly realized that she was in trouble, and as steam rose, she used to force to propel herself into a series of tubes.
Leia manages to reach the tubing above the hole and realizes that she was almost captured. "That was close, too close. I need to be more careful. I won't let him do that to me again." In addition, the steam only made it even hotter and more humid. "At this rate, I'm going to boil alive in my own skin." While hidden in the steam, she listened to Vader gloat, "All too easy. Perhaps you are not as strong as the Emperor thought," clearly thinking that he had trapped her. However, while climbing up the pipe she made a loud noise, causing Vader to quickly realize that she had escaped. Deducing that she had revealed her escape, Leia turned towards Vader, more than a little fear in her eyes. Her hair now fell over the place, the right side of her shoulder covered in her hair as it went over towards her breast, while the rest was mostly behind her, while a little, also on the right covered her right ear and cheek, however her eyes remained unhindered while some clumps become stuck to her sweat covered face.
Leia then felt Vader's admiration at her managing to escape his trap. "Impressive... most impressive." Vader then slashed in her general direction, cutting through pipes, but she escaped by climbing further before jumping down. Before Vader could swing at her, Leia grabbed a cut pipe and shoved it in Vader's mask as steam came out, blasting him, causing him to groan and fall back. "This is my best chance, I need to get him now. I can't wait." Leia uses the moment to summon her lightsaber with the force and swings at Vader through the steam, hoping to catch him by surprise. However, Vader blocks it.
Leia continued to glare at Vader as they glanced at each other in blade-lock. Leia could feel her anger and frustration getting to her and her hatred was overpowering her. "No, control you hate. Don't let it control you. That's how you fall to the dark side. That's how you become Vader." As if sensing her thoughts, Vader says, "Obi-Wan has taught you well. You have controlled your fear." They break blades, before swinging at each other again as Vader continues, "... now release your anger." Leia panted as she considered his words, but desperately tried to keep the hatred down. Leia then swung at him again.
Vader manages to block her blade and they enter blade-lock again, and this time Vader tries to press against Leia. Leia begins to falter as her petite frame gives way to his immense strength. "His physical power is so much greater than mine. I can't win a battle of muscle, that's for sure. Even Luke would struggle and he's taller and more muscular than me." Leia attempted to banish these thoughts before managing to maneuver around the blade-lock and jumped over Vader and attempted to attack from behind, but Vader blocked. As the area around them became covered in steam, Leia launched a counter attack by swinging her blade quick and strong, forcing Vader back. This continued until Vader stumbled off the platform as he grunts in shock.
Leia looks over, even as her vision is partially obscured by her hair that sticks to her sweaty face. However, she notices that Vader has disappeared. Leia pants heavily, feeling the strain of the fight. "He's strong, stronger than I gave him credit for. Perhaps I should... No! No, I will finish him here. I will win. However, before I go, I need to readjust my hair, it's getting in the way." Realizing that she couldn't undo her ponytail, Leia wiped her hand over her face, pushing the hair back over her shoulders, as far from her face as she could. "That'll have to do, I hope it won't get in the way too much. That's the cost of liking to have long hair, I guess. Overall, I managed to avoid any major injuries so that's a good sign. I'm sure that I can win this fight yet."
Despite the lack of a clear result of the first part of her bout with Vader, Leia felt confident. "I held my own against this feared combatant. If I can hold my own, then I have a chance at winning still. On top of that, other than the fall into the hole, I had no serious issues with him. He's definitely physically superior to me, I can't hope to compare against his raw physical strength, but few could. He's a large man, and he's assisted by cybernetics, of course he's strong. But I'm faster and more evasive, he's built like a tank. I can still win his fight. I must for all who have fallen. I just hope Luke, Han, and the others can hold on." Leia then breathed, and refocused, while continuing to force her growing anger down.
Leia jumped down to the bottom of the chamber, ready to pursue Vader, her hair slightly dislodged by the fall. Leia searched around for Vader, but the Force indicated that he was in another chamber now. Leia continued searching before she found a door to a dark tunnel. As soon as she approached it, the gate opened, as if inviting her in. "Well, if that's not ominous then I'm a tauntaun." Despite her reluctance, Leia realized that she needed to enter the now opened tunnel.
Nervous, Leia cautiously entered the tunnel, expecting an ambush. Suddenly, as soon as she put one foot inside of the tunnel, the lights turned on and illuminated the tunnel, and Leia almost shrieked from the suddenness of the action. "Alright, that was my fault, I'm too jumpy. I need to stay calm and focused. That's how I win this. I can feel him on the other side, he's definitely waiting for me, so this is indeed a trap, but it's yet to be sprung. All I can do is go forward." Leia gathered her courage and continued to march down the lit tunnel.
Finally, she entered a dark room at the end of the tunnel. After stepping through, the entrance sealed itself, and the tunnel lights shut off, causing her to turn around. Leia quickly realized that she was now trapped in the dark room, the only lights being from the lit consoles and the lights coming from outside a large window. However, unlike before, she felt no amusement only unease. "This is no longer funny, honestly, I'm getting a little nervous here. I knew Vader was a skilled fighter, but this is ridiculous, he may be the best fighter I've ever heard of. Now I'm trapped in here with him….no….no, I need to stay calm. I can win, I can. I must. For the rebellion." Leia then took a deep breath and looked forward.
Gathering herself, Leia looked around the room, recognizing it as a control and maintenance room for the reactors. Leia quickly noticed how much cooler the room was, it felt a cooler than even the main part of the city, to the point that the sweat covered girl felt a little cold and couldn't help the slight shiver that ran through her body. "Oh well, I definitely like the cooler air. It was getting harder to breath in there. Plus I think the heat only fueled my anger, the cool air might allow me to calm down even more." Leia looked around and noticed two consoles, with hook like attachments over them, along with a slew of machines. However, Leia's eyes were drawn to the large window looking outside. Unable to resist her curiosity, Leia walked towards the window and glanced through it.
Leia immediately noticed the deep pit that was the reactor shaft. The sheer size of the reactor made the already tiny girl feel even smaller by comparison. Leia felt nauseous at the sight of the long drop to the bottom of the shaft, or more precisely not even seeing a hint of the bottom. She quickly realized that the shaft could easily go on for miles, considering the size of the platform in question. "I don't even want to imagine what would happen to someone who drops down that pit. It can't be something as simple as hitting the bottom, not with all those gases. They could easily be boiled alive." Leia couldn't help but shiver in fear at the thought of such a fate awaiting her. It seemed a terrifying way to die, falling slowly down, knowing you couldn't do anything, as you were slowly cooked alive in a process similar to how one would cook a dinner. It felt both dehumanizing, and utterly terrifying.
Leia could feel her courage dropping a bit as the primal fear of falling came to the front of her young mind. Realizing that she couldn't let those thoughts consume her, otherwise she would definitely lose her nerve, Leia immediately shook her head to regain her emotional control. "NO. NO. Concentrate on the mission, ignore those morbid thoughts. I need to defeat Vader, I can't weaken myself by thinking about potential deaths like that. Fear will only weaken me and my resolve. I need to focus on my destiny. That's all." Leia managed to regain her focus and continued to scan the room.
Suddenly, Leia's blood turned cold as she heard the familiar sound of the respirator. "Well I guess my time to acquaint myself with my surroundings is over. He's clearly been just watching me for a while and said nothing. He's clearly that confident in his ability to win that he's willing to let me take my time. He'll pay for that overconfidence." Leia's temper was definitely flaring from how little Vader seemed to think of her, and she was quickly losing her ability to reign it in. Ready to fight, Leia ignited her lightsaber as she once more came face to face with Darth Vader as he calmly walked towards the girl from another hallway before bringing his lightsaber to bear against her once more.
Leia continued to adjust her stance as she awaited Vader to strike first. However, to her confusion, he just stood there either observing her, or looking behind her. "What's he doing, why hasn't he struck yet. I'm right in front of him. Maybe I should….no, no, stay calm. Let him come to you. Wait for him to deliver one of those power strikes of his, then duck around and cut him from the side. Maybe, if I damage his suit enough, he'll be done for. That is a life support suit after all, while it provides him protection, it's also his greatest weakness." Leia couldn't help but feel a sense of pride at coming up with that plan. She was certain that it was a good plan, so far it appeared maneuverability was Vader's biggest downfall, one she could exploit. "I can win, I'm sure of it, I've proven to have good swordplay, I've already been holding my own. He's just trying to bait me, lure me into a sense of overconfidence and attack, where he'll be able to counter and beat me. I won't give you what you want murderer. I'm not a foolish youth you can handle easily, I'm a Jedi." Leia inched slightly closer to her opponent, trying to be in the best position to counter attack as soon as he struck.
Vader lowered his blade towards her, and she thought that he was about to strike at her again. "Alright, I'm good, now I just need him to strike and then….wait…oh no…" To her dismay, Leia suddenly sensed something dangerous. Her brown eyes widened in shock as she realized what was coming. "Oh no, behind me. He…." Leia didn't finish the thought as she quickly turned around and slashed a large piece of machinery that had been flying at her from behind, forcing it to the side of the room from which she entered. As she did that, Vader immediately came from behind her and made a slash, forcing her to around towards Vader again, and desperately parry his blow, fear and desperation in her eyes. "I was a fool, I underestimated him. I thought that he was waiting for me to launch a foolish attack, when instead he was playing on my insecurities. He's truly a master, of course he would use the force. He's clearly much better than me at it as well. I never considered using the force in such a way." Leia was forced to acknowledge that Vader was truly a brilliant combatant with both the lightsaber and the force.
Leia and Vader continued to trade blows, maintaining an equilibrium. "No matter, if I keep engaging him, he won't be able to focus. I'll keep him distracted and keep this a lightsaber duel. It'll be no problem." Leia continued to stare down her opponent, as they traded yet another blow. Suddenly, a box came out of nowhere and rammed into the top of Leia's head. The blow left Leia dazed as she ducked down, causing her hair to fall over her shoulder's back towards her face as she stumbled towards the window, before facing towards where the box came from, half her hair now haphazardly over her shoulders, and covering her ears, with the some getting stuck to her face from the sweat, a large clump on the right partially covering her mouth as a similarly sized clump on the left faced upwards towards her eye, with a large number of smaller spike like clumps dotting her face. "What…no, he shouldn't have…but he did. His concentration is so much better than mine, I need to fall back." Leia looked around, her eyes widened in nervousness.
Before long, another box flew from the same direction, flying at her left shoulder. However, Leia was fully prepared this time. Leia managed to slice it, and knock it away. "Alright, I just need to focus in, I can do this. I have the force too, he might be more experience, but I can manage it. I'm sure of it." Leia felt confident that she could defend herself.
However, as soon as she finished reacting to the second box, a third box hit Leia in the left shoulder, causing her to yelp in pain as she stumbled forward. "What, where did that came from…" Before she could fully react, a fourth box flew at her from the other direction, hitting her in the center of her back knocking her to the ground. Leia could already feel bruises beginning to form in the two spots. "They're coming from all sides to attack me." Leia then began to attempt to pick herself off the ground.
To Leia's dismay, soon even wires were attacking her as she sat on the floor. The wires were zapping at her, and she desperately tried to cover her face as she flailed her lightsaber hopelessly. Before long, the girl's uniform was torn to shreds and she became covered in bruises and burn marks, though she had managed to protect her face. "This is too much, I can't keep up. I underestimated him completely, he's a true master of the force. I can't beat him like this. Perhaps I need to rush him." Leia glared at Vader, her sweat-soaked hair sticking to her face. She then put her feet behind her and jumped up and launched herself towards Vader.
However, this was answered by her getting hit in the left ankle by another box, causing the girl to stumble and catch herself on the control panel, breathing heavily. "I was wrong, I never had a chance to win this fight. I'm too weak, I can't compete against his level of mastery. He was merely toying with me before, just to see how well I could fight. He knew he could win this entire time. This is all a sick, twisted game to him. I don't know what to do, I can't win, and I can't flee. I'm doomed." The beautiful girl was left despondent, facing towards the control panel, before she sensed another piece of machinery flying at her. Leia's eyes widened as she noticed how big it was. Quickly concluding that she couldn't slice it in half, Leia simply ducked her head into the control panel, with it just barely grazing her back. Leia felt a slight sense of relief as she realized that she got away with only minor injuries. However, her relief quickly turned to concern as she glanced behind her and saw it head straight for the window.
Leia gasped fearfully as she realized what was about to happen to her, and everything else in the room, as the pipe burst through the window and shattered a large chunk of it, destabilizing the rest of the window. Immediately, the room began to depressurize and a fierce, howling, wind swept through the room, pulling at everything that wasn't bolted down and secured well. Leia was standing up staring at the window when it shattered. As a result, her hair was pulled in front of her face. The wind immediately attempted to claim the young girl and began to drag her away. "I need something to grab onto before I'm sucked out." Scared, Leia quickly turned off and sheathed her lightsaber before she was dragged too far, and then she desperately leapt towards the nearby console that was to the left of the window, near Vader, and gripped her right hand on the support closest to the window, her left on the support to the left, causing her to lean over the console, as her right foot linked with a small button console nearby, and her left foot she dug as hard, even though her pain from being hit there went through her system like fire, as she could to try and maintain her balance.
Frightened, Leia stood there, trying to avoid being pulled away. Her hair flew away from her face, behind her and point right, towards the shattered window. Leia moaned fearfully as she struggled to maintain her grip with her sweaty hands as the winds continued to tear into her petite figure. Leia noticed Vader gripping the wall nearby, but was largely unaffected by the wind, and he simply stared at her, a fact that frightened Leia even more, knowing he could attack if he so chose to. In her mind she began to feel his urges to join him, as he invaded her mind, using her fear as an access point. He attempted to urge her to use her anger. "No, stay calm. Don't fall for his words." However, she despondently realized that she was losing both physically and mentally. He was completely overpowering her in every way.
The frightened girl continued to hold fast as objects all around the room flew towards the shattered window, some bouncing off the girl on their way out, leaving Leia at the mercy of both the wind and Vader. Meanwhile thoughts of the long drop resurfaced in her mind, leaving Leia even more frightened. "No, no, no, no, I don't want to die. I need to hold on, but it's so hard, this wind is like a hurricane. Even Luke or Han wouldn't be able to stand in it, and I'm a lot smaller than them. I'm not even five foot, and I'm barely 100 pounds. I'm not a musclebound warrior, I don't have much of muscle, it's where all the princess jokes come from. No, I need to hold on. I must." As these thoughts ran through her mind, Leia turned towards the shattered window, causing her hair to blow over the sides of her head before blowing in front of her face, completely obscuring it. To her dismay, Leia soon lost her grip with her left hand, causing it to fly wildly into the wind, with it quickly causing both feet to lose their place. Leia shrieked as she was lifted off the ground, and her small body faced towards the shattered viewport, her legs pointing towards it, as she stared in fright at the open hole as her hair continued to blow out, the only thing keeping her in the room being her right hand on the support, a hand giving way under the stress of the powerful, and having poor adhesion from the sweat.
Finally, Leia's hand gave way, and the young girl screamed wildly as she flew towards the viewport. Having an idea, she used an application of telekinesis to move herself to the left a bit, enabling her to catch the top of a console to the left. Her thin fingers desperately grasping a few indents, however she was still floating in the air, unable to bring her feet down, and she was floating level to the desk's typical writing surface, her feet once again pointed towards the window. Her left hand was gripping a corner in the front, while her right was dug into a computer screen indent. To her despair, despite her attempt, the wind remained strong, and her hands quickly began to give way. Leia's sweaty left hand quickly slid away, leaving only her right, as frightened tears streamed down the young girl's face. "NO, no, no, I don't want to die, it can't end like this." Despite her determination, Leia's grip failed her, and she began to fly towards the window, now facing as if she were standing up, her hair flying behind her. Leia screamed shrilly as her back went through the window, and the small girl was pulled into the reactor shaft.
Leia screamed wildly as she fell through the air, desperately flailing her arms, hoping to catch something before her imagined fate becomes a very real one. Eventually, her left hand caught on something, and the girl felt herself stop falling. Leia quickly studied her situation and found herself hanging precariously off the edge of a maintenance gantry, her hair covering her face as it was pulled downwards by the wind, a wind that while weaker than in the room, was quickly grabbing hold of her. Leia felt lightheaded as she looked around and knew that she was a small dot compared to what she held onto, which was a small dot on the larger structure it was attached to, which in turn was a dot in the enormous shaft. "The mere thought is enough to make me queasy. No, I need to stay strong." Frightened, yet determined to live, Leia gripped the gantry with her other hand, before futilely attempting to kick herself up. Realizing the folly of it, Leia instead grabbed the railing and pulled herself up. The frightened girl then lay on her belly and stared down at the reactor shaft, panting heavily as her hair was pulled down over her face.
Leia then sat up and crawled over to a corner and clutched a support beam with her hand as she sat there, trying to regain control of herself. Leia couldn't help but whimper softly as she recalled that she nearly died. The air was now even colder, causing Leia to shiver, before hot tears ran down her cold cheeks. "I almost died. I was almost pulled into a reactor. I had no control, I couldn't do anything. Then Han would have never…" Leia's tears intensified on thinking of her regrets. Leia then awkwardly hugged her center in a desperate attempt to control her emotions, which were uncontrollable now. "I can't win. Yoda and Ben were right, I'm no match for Vader. He was just playing with me in the initial bout, I can't possibly win. What was I thinking; a half-trained novice doesn't stand a chance against an experienced master. I'm a fool, an arrogant, stubborn, weak fool. I need to escape. Hopefully the others have somehow escaped on their own, I can't help anyone. If I hadn't let my pride get in the way, we could all be safe right now, all I had to do was cut my way out of the carbon-freezing chamber by slicing through the sealed lift door. Instead, I pursued Vader and am now stuck in a wind tunnel that I can't possibly fight in." Leia's entire emotional state and confidence was now it tatters.
Leia knew that her abilities to move would be drastically hindered not only by her exhaustion, but by the wind that, despite sitting down and clutching a support, was still having some pull on her, still trying to suck her into the shaft. "This wind still wants me, it still desires to claim me for the shaft. It's so strong, and I'm small. If I were more experienced in the force, like Yoda, Ben, or Vader I might be fine, but as I am, I don't stand a chance. I need to quietly escape this place, then head for my fighter. Then I run from this planet and rejoin the Alliance or Yoda." Regathering enough of her emotional state to agree to a plan mentally, Leia carefully lifted herself off the ground.
Leia managed to stand tall as pain was shooting up her leg from her ankle, but she managed to tough it out. The small girl made sure to keep gripping the rail, so that the wind couldn't grab her petite form and pull her to her death. "I may not win here, but I will survive. I now know exactly what I'm training towards. Having a specific goal will only make my training more successful. I have to turn this fiasco into a win, otherwise I let Vader win." Leia stood tall, her hands on the rail as she leaned towards it, and began walking forward, as her hair whipped over her face from the left as she walked forward, her left eye obscured, with her right mostly clear. Despite her precautions, the wind nearly knocked her over the railing, but the girl managed to catch herself. "This wind is ridiculously strong, who would ever come out in these conditions. I suppose they must have very sturdy workers, I definitely wouldn't qualify." Leia felt slight levity at that weak self-depreciating joke, it managing to warm her dark spots as she continued to lament her situation. Finally, she came to an opening that would lead her back inside. "Now, I need to avoid Vader and escape, that's the plan. Hopefully he doesn't sense me." Leia took a breath, pushed herself from the rail, and gripped the edge of the opening with her right hand. However, the wind quickly moved to claim her, however, Leia quickly used her leg to grip the bottom and managed to heave herself inside.
Relieved to be out of the maelstrom outside, Leia smiled and took a quick breath. The wind had dissipated, and Leia quickly took stock of her appearance, the short answer, she was a mess. Her normally straight, well groomed hair was a wild, windblown mess, sticking in odd directions, with the left side of her face covered in her hair after some of it fell lower after leaving the wind, the edge nearly in her left eye. Her jacket was in ruins, there were tears everywhere, in fact, her left shoulder was mostly exposed. "Well, it's a good thing I'm not here for a date, I look terrible. Oh well, this is a fight, not a dance."
Cautiously, Leia inched forward, keeping her senses keen for Vader's presence. However, Leia soon heard a respirator sound, and barely reacted in time to prevent from getting hit by Vader's blade. "Stang, I didn't even sense him. He's even able to hide his presence in the force. What was I thinking; I'm doomed. I can't even escape now. I must fight him and get lucky. I'm going to be forced back outside into the demon winds. I can't maneuver out there, I can barely stay on my feet. My only chance is if I get lucky and can knock him into the shaft, but so far, I've not had any luck." Leia attempted to block his attacks, even as the pain from being bombarded by boxes earlier shot through her whole body, but Vader kept delivering stronger and stronger blows, breaking through her defenses bit by bit.
Soon, the fight went back outside, and Vader continued hammering down on the weakening girl. Meanwhile, Leia was barely able to keep standing as the winds tried to claim her as her hair blew over her face from the left, obscuring her vision. Desperate, Leia attempted a blade-lock on Vader, but Vader simply knocked the petite girl to the ground, holding his lightsaber at her chest, as her face was covered with her long locks. "You are beaten. It is useless to resist. Don't let yourself be destroyed as Obi-Wan did," spoke Vader, deeming himself the victor of the fight. Leia glared up at the figure overpowering her. "How dare you mention Ben. I'll make you suffer for that." Defiant, Leia moved Vader's lightsaber away and jumped up striking at him.
The blows continued, as Leia found herself at the end of the gantry. The two traded three more blows, and Leia finally managed to slightly harm Vader causing him to yell in pain. Leia felt some pride at managing to hit him, however this was quickly negated by the fact that the wind knocked her off balance and she began to stumble towards the reactor shaft. Seeing this, Vader, instead of using his sword instead knocked Leia back, leaving her dazed, her back against the rail, but she lost her grip on her lightsaber, with it falling deactivated towards the edge. Before the girl could react, Vader knocked the lightsaber, her father's lightsaber, off the edge and into the shaft, too far away for even a master to retrieve, let alone a novice.
Leia's confidence completely evaporated, and despair and fear kicked in. "There is no escape. Don't make me destroy you. You do not yet realize your importance. You have only begun to discover your power. Join me and I will complete your training. With our combined strength, we can end this destructive conflict and bring order to the galaxy." Terrified, Leia went over the railing and crawled over to the sensor platform, managing to brave the winds.
Leia managed to stand up, using her hands to desperately grip the top. "I lost, I lost. I lost everything. This is pointless, but I can't let him touch me." Leia's feet were on the thin ring around the sensor. The wind now freely buffeted the girl unobstructed, trying to tear her away from her weak bastion of safety. Leia's hair blew over her face from the left, as tears rolled freely down her beautiful face as she managed to glare at Vader defiantly, having listened to his words. "I'll never join you," spat the girl defiant, emotion flooding her voice with no semblance of her earlier calmness and focus, now angered and frightened. Meanwhile, Leia turned around, gripping a new pipe, strengthening her grip.
Vader appeared unbothered by her defiance, clearly confident in his victory over her, and his claim over her soul, "If you only knew the power of the dark side. Obi-Wan never told you what happened to your father." His talking of her father only increased her anger, as more tears rolled down her cheeks, "He told me enough! It was you who killed him." Leia felt herself shaking from anger at the mere thought, despite never having met her father.
Vader remained unfazed, but in a calmer, somewhat gentler voice said, "No, I am your father." Leia stared at him wide-eyed as tears continued to roll down her cheeks, trying to comprehend what Vader just said. "Did he just say….no, no, I misheard, it was the wind it had to be. No, it wasn't. Vader is my father. NO! It can't be, yet I sense no deceit. He seems to be telling the truth. But that would mean….no…no…" Leia's entire emotional state began to unravel, and she could feel herself becoming hysterical from the revelation. "No. No. That's not true! That's impossible," screamed Leia, going from unnerved to screaming hysterically. In a calm, and strangely kind voice, Vader responded, "Search your feelings, you know it to be true." Leia quickly sensed Leia, and was convinced he was indeed telling the truth, and wasn't tricking her. However, this cut deeper than any blade could. Traumatized, Leia screamed "No, no, no," as she sunk her head down, sobbing with hysteric tears flowing like rivers down her beautiful face, as the wind continued to strike at her, and her face remained largely obscured.
Vader briefly attempted to reach out towards her, but Leia moved slightly back in fear and revulsion. Vader suddenly seemed slightly saddened by her action, "Perhaps too soon, daughter. You are just as beautiful, if not more so than your mother. I simply wished to help ease your pain." However, Leia only responded with traumatized whimpering. "He's my father. My father is a monster. I can't….I don't….this is too much." The sheer number of emotions felt like they were suffocating the girl.
Sensing that she wasn't quite ready to be touched by him yet, Vader withdrew his hand and spoke, "Leia. 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 daughter. Come with me. It is the only way." Vader then stretched out his hand towards her, offering her the chance, not forcing her to. Leia looked at the shaft as her hair flew over her face. Leia managed to stop crying and looked at Vader, feeling an odd assortment of emotions that she couldn't even begin to classify. However, she knew she had a choice, Vader or death. "I don't want to die, I'm barely in my twenties. I have so many amazing friends. I had a destiny, it's not supposed to end here. But the only way to live, is to join Vader. He's my father, and I can feel him. Despite what I thought, he's not pure evil, I can feel it. Despite how twisted some of it is, he does seem to truly love me, unconditionally. He is undeniably paternal right now. However, his goals are wrong. If I join, I'll simply oppress the galaxy that I'm trying to save. I won't do that." Leia took a breath and felt the calmest that she had since the window had broken and she had been sucked into this horrible reactor shaft.
Leia looked at Vader once more as her hair blew over her face, managing to regain a semblance of her calm that she had at the beginning of this fateful duel. Leia couldn't deny a desire to claim Vader's hand, she was still mortal, and power was indeed a tempting force for her. Even more than that, she couldn't deny that she wanted so desperately to live. However, she knew that she couldn't allow Vader's desires to become manifest. Her largest regret was that the galaxy would have none left to face Vader though. "It can't be helped, without me they have a chance, but with me and Vader against them, they are doomed. I'm sure that they'll find a way. Luke, Han, Chewie, 3PO, R2, and all the rest of the rebellion, I'm sorry I failed you. May the force be with you." Shooting Vader one final defiant glare, Leia released her grip from the sensor platform and pushed away. Immediately the wind claimed her as it's victim and began to drag the beautiful girl away. As Leia was dragged downwards, she sensed Vader's heartbreaking distress, and it made her feel a strange new emotion towards the armored man, pity.
The wind hungrily consumed the beautiful young Jedi, and she fell in the open space of the reactor. Leia didn't even attempt to flail, accepting that it was a futile action, and managed to come to peace with her impending demise, despite her hope. Leia, in morbid curiosity, stared at her long hair that was flying upwards as if being pulled up, despite going down. "This is strangely peaceful, I suppose accepting your death can do that." To her surprise however, she suddenly noticed here hair change direction towards the wall, and she felt her small form being dragged towards it. Leia quickly found herself pulled into an exhaust pipe.
Feeling hopeful again, Leia desperately began to flail again, trying to stop herself as she slid further down the slick pipe on her back, but her fingers found no purchase. Finally, Leia stopped on her own as she reached an indent. Leia immediately sat up, and took notice of where she was, feeling that she might finally be safe. "Where am I, is this some sort of garbage disposal. My mind is in tatters, just like my appearance. I need to sit here for a moment so I can come up with a plan." Her hair was in ruins, a sufficiently thick lock was now in the center of her face, over her nose, as the left side was covered in her hair, leaving her eye unobscured, and some from the right was stuck to her face by her remaining sweat and pointed down under her ear, and partially covered her mouth.
To her dismay, a gate opened underneath her, causing her to slide again. Leia shrieked as she learned that she would be dropped into the open atmosphere of Bespin. Leia flails desperately to no avail and is dropped out of the tube. Leia screams in terror as she is dropped out, but she manages to land on a weather vane with her ankles, as her right hand grips the central tube. Her injured left ankle feels on fire as it attempts to hold her. She falls backwards but manages to catch herself as the wind continues to buffet her. "I'm alive….I'm alive….I can't believe it. Stop, I can't celebrate, I may be alive, but I'm far from being safe. I'm on a flimsy weather vane overlooking a deadly gas cloud. I'm about as far from guaranteed to survive as I can get. I need to get back inside that tube. From there, I'll figure out what to do next." All of Leia's previous calmness about dying eroded away from being given this new hope, the girl wanted to live.
Desperate, Leia began to use both hands to climb the shaft. "Thankfully I still have both hands, I would hate to be single-handed doing this." Leia reached the top, and reached towards the open door, her hair whipping over her face, her feet where now on both sides of the extension that had held her ankles. However, her arms were still too short, so she used her ankles to assist the climb. Leia reached out towards the door and managed to touch a part. Her small fingers began to search for a grip, however the door closed before she could, leaving the girl in complete despair. "No, no, no….why…what is this, a cruel joke. I had accepted my death, but then I was given hope. Now I have it stripped away, and I can't calm myself anymore, it took all my strength to do so before." Leia wanted to scream in despair.
Meanwhile, the wind pulled at her even more, and her grip loosened, causing her to slide down the vane screaming. Leia's ankles hit where they had before, but her hands failed to grip the center and she was now upside down, as the wind continued to tear at her thin frame, blowing her in the hair, as her hair, now pointing straight down, fluttered in the powerful current. Leia was scared out of her mind, she truly wanted to live. "Ben…Ben, help me," however she felt no aid, a realization that left her in even more despair.
Feeling something that somehow felt right, Leia reached out and begged, "Luke, Luke, hear me." Hoping that he had heard her plea, Leia attempted to climb up so she wasn't upside down, but she screamed when her ankles lost their purchase, but she managed to catch them on the rungs under, as she gripped where they were with her hand, and swung them to the rungs under, the last ones before the fatal drop. Leia then hugged the center fearfully, as tears ran down her face, desperate to live. She soon heard a rumbling and noticed that the Falcon had arrived under her without her knowing, causing her to realize how exhausted she truly was. "I'm going to live." Before long, a dark-skinned man she didn't recognize emerged from the ship, however, she couldn't take the time to question, so she dropped on faith, and despite the air current attempting to claim her, the man managed to successfully grab her, and pull her into the ship. Relief flooded her system, as the last of the adrenaline wore off and she started to fade out of consciousness.