Chapter Four: Temptation
Luke pressed himself into the shadows of the low ceilinged area below the Emperor's throne. From in between the cracks of the fallen bridge he could see his father searching the area nearby, his lightsaber alit and casting sinister red light over the ground. Darth Vader moved slowly and carefully, his dark cape swirling about him and his mask swiveling slowly, as if to scan the whole area.
"You cannot hide forever, Luke," he said in his low, mechanical voice.
Luke shook his head. He knew his father was right; he could not hide forever, but he was trying to push off fighting his father for as long as possible. He could not bear to move so close to the Dark Side again; his anger at the Emperor's trap for their mission had been enough to set him off, and he had experienced what he felt like. It had been like power surging through his veins, giving him focus and strength, enticing, luring, and tempting. He knew he could not go that far again, for he feared that he would be lost like his father had been. "I will not fight you," he replied to his father.
"Give yourself to the Dark Side," Vader tempted. "It is the only way you can save your friends."
His friends. Luke's heart ached for them. He needed them now, their support and encouragement. They were his strength and focus; they rooted him down and kept him grounded. They were the ones who were always there for him, even when times had grown rough and he had begun to question his beliefs, especially after Bespin. Luke worried for them, and wondered how their mission on Endor was going. He could only pray to the Force that it would be successful, for the Alliance fleet was depending on them to destroy the shield bunker. The Force only knew if they might get another chance like this.
"Yes," Vader continued. "Your thoughts betray you. Your feelings for them are strong."
Luke struggled to close off his thoughts, realizing all too late what his father was doing. Vader's ability to read thoughts and emotions had gotten many into trouble, and Luke could not risk Vader finding out about Leia's identity.
"Especially for…"
Luke closed his eyes, anguished. No. Force, no. His father could not know…
"Your sister," finished Vader, and Luke sensed shots of confusion emanating from the Dark Lord.
Luke shut his eyes tighter, suddenly feeling nauseous. He had given Leia away. He did not know what Vader and the Emperor would do to her, but he knew that she would undergo a similar torture he was now enduring. The part that made Luke worry, however, was that he didn't know if she would survive. With no training or experience as a Jedi, would she give into the temptation of anger? She was full of fear and confusion, especially after the revelation of her parentage, and if the Sith used that fear, they might be able to twist her mind. Luke swallowed, blocking the horrible thought from his head. He could not let his father read that thought, or Vader might utilize it. …If only he had been stronger, perhaps he could have blocked his mind from Vader…
Luke sensed his father's surprise melt into deep anger. "So… you have a twin sister," Vader hissed slowly. "Your feelings have now betrayed her, too. Obi-Wan was wise to hide her from me. Now his failure is complete." He turned, and began to pace closer to Luke. He seemed to be thinking. "…And if you will not turn to the Dark Side, then perhaps she will."
Luke felt his heart drop from his chest, and suddenly hate surged in his blood, whirling around and around like a tempest. "Never!" he yelled, leaping up and lunging at his father, who he found to the root of his anger.
He brought his lightsaber down on his father's, and they clashed heavily, sending sparks flying in all directions. Luke continued the assault, his thoughts intent on driving the Dark Lord back and away from himself and his friends. Vader would not touch them. Luke would never let that happen. As long as he lived, he would do anything in his power to protect them, keep them safe from the Dark Lord's twisted mind.
Continually driving his lightsaber at his father, Luke drove Vader backwards, out of the sheltered area and towards the bridge. He found Vader's blows easy to block, and took the time to aggressively give some of his own. The farther he got, the more his mind seemed to whirl with anger, and his blood pulsed hot under his skin. He released himself into the Force, allowing it to guide his actions and push him forward. Soon, it swirled around him, powerful and driving.
Eventually, Luke drove his father to his knees. Vader clung to the railing of the bridge as if it was his lifeline, holding his lightsaber up in defense, but Luke continued to bring his blade down on it. His anger escalated, and soon his blade found the wrist of Vader. It severed the hand clean off, and both hand and lightsaber of the Dark Lord tumbled down into the abyss. Stunned, Vader let out a cry of pain and fell backwards onto the ground. Knowing that he had just won, and feeling the satisfaction of victory, Luke held his green blade to his father's neck. Vader's breaths were coming in labored gasps, and he was holding his remaining hand up, as if to calm Luke.
The Emperor's cackling shook Luke from his trance, and he turned his head to see the cloaked figure coming down the stairs from his throne. "Good!" he exclaimed, and continued to cackle. "Your hate has made you powerful. Now, fulfill your destiny. Take your father's place at my side."
With horror, Luke looked down to see what he had done, and found his father lying weak, at his mercy, on the ground. He was breathing hard; it sounded like there was something wrong with respirator, and he did not seem to have the strength to stand.
At that moment, something within Luke snapped. Is this what things had come to? A moment ago, he had been contemplating taking the life of a defenseless man. The Dark Side had not only been intoxicating, but it also had driven out all of the morals that Luke had ever lived by. And here he stood, not knowing how he got there, his blade at his father's neck. This is where the Dark had led him.
Luke pulled up his mechanical hand, clenching it and unclenching it, feeling the workings of the mechanics underneath his glove. A second realization spread through him. It was if he was standing at the edge of a cliff that he had previously been approaching at full speed, and was now looking down into the dark chasm, realizing that his father had just gone one step further and had fallen. While Luke had always believed that he was moving in the opposite direction, taking care to never follow his father's footsteps, intent on never going down the path to power, he now realized that he had been approaching the Dark Side anyway. The Dark Side was elusive and cunning, hiding in ways unsuspecting. It prayed off anger, not hunger for power, or riches, or rank.
Luke realized his father had not realized he had been starting down the Dark Path either. Like Luke, the Dark Side had snuck up on him. Like Luke, he had thought he was doing the right thing. Like Luke, he had been doing it for the ones he loved. Luke clenched his hand. He was even more like his father than he had thought, and now he was slowly becoming machine, losing his conscience and his morals, ready to give them up in order to silence the ones who he believed were evil. That was the manipulation of the Emperor. That was the trap.
Luke extinguished his blade. "Never," he said, tossing the lightsaber to the side. "I'll never turn to the Dark Side. You have failed, Your Highness. I am a Jedi, like my father before me."
Instead of the Emperor growing angry, just as Luke had expected, the Emperor just cackled again. "Perhaps, my young apprentice, you will soon change your mind when you see our guests." He clasped his gnarled hands in front of him and looked at Luke with a disturbingly knowing smile.
Luke stared at him in confusion. Guests? What could the Emperor be talking about? Torture? Did he plan on torturing Luke into joining the Dark Side?
"You see, young Skywalker," the Emperor said, "You and your father are very much alike. You share the same weakness, that same inescapable downfall. You grow too close to the ones near you."
Luke's eyes widened in horror, now unsure of what the Emperor was talking about. Was the Emperor suggesting he would use Luke's friends against him? How could he? They were still on Endor, away from the grasp of Vader or the Emperor. One of the reasons Luke had left the Sanctuary Moon was to draw his father's attention away from their Alliance mission.
Suddenly, Luke's mind clicked into place, and the dread blossomed within him. His father's words to the officer on the Endor bridge came back to haunt him: Good work, commander. Leave us. Conduct your search and bring his companions to me. Luke looked down at his father, who was slowly rising from the ground, cradling his stump of an arm. What if they had found them after all? Luke's head snapped towards the Emperor, who grinned widely at Luke's alarm.
"I think it's time, don't you, Lord Vader?" the Emperor said maliciously, although he didn't seem to expect a reply from Vader. His eyes were continually on Luke when he snapped, "Guards, bring them in."
