STAR WARS: AN OLD HOPE RETURNS.

PART TWO.

Anakin never turned; he was Palpatine's prisoner, Darth Vader is his clone. Freed from Palpatine, Anakin is now working with the Rebellion to defeat Palpatine and the Empire and bring freedom to the galaxy.

A huge thanks to foreverwildfire2.0, who practically wrote this chapter. Without foreverwildfire2.0's help, this chapter wouldn't have been possible. So thank you very much!

CHAPTER ONE.

"You're who?" Leia stared at Luke in shock, this was her brother? Her twin? He didn't know who she was, she could see it. But this was her brother, finally after all this time, he was here... rescuing her.

"I'm here to rescue you." Luke repeated, "I've got your R2 unit. I'm here with Ben Kenobi."

Leia leaped to her feet, "Ben Kenobi is here!" Obi-wan, her Mother had told her stories about him her whole life, stories of Obi-wan Kenobi and her father Anakin Skywalker. "Where is he?"

"Come on!" Luke lead her out of her cell, back towards the detention area_

Running into Han, Chewie and Padme. Han shook his head, "Can't get out that way."

Leia looked at him, unimpressed, "looks like you managed to cut off our only escape route." She looked at Padme and smile, "hi Mom."

"Maybe you'd like it back in your cell, Your Highness." Han snapped, sarcastically.

Padme smiled at Leia, "I'm so glad you're alright."

Luke, Padme and Leia crouched together in an alcove for protection as they began to exchange fire with troops. Han and Chewbacca were barely able to keep the stormtroopers at bay at the far end of the hallway. The laserfire was very intense, and smoke filled the narrow cell corridor.

"There isn't any other way out!" Luke cried as he stared blasting at the stormtroopers.

Han shook his head, noticing how many there are, "I can't hold them off forever! Now what?" Leia looked on at them annoyed.

"This is some rescue. When you came in here, didn't you have a plan for getting out?" She said. Han pointed to Luke.

"He's the brains, sweetheart." Luke gave a sheepish grin and shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, I didn't..." The princess grabs Luke's gun and fires at a small grate in the wall next to Han, almost frying him.

"What the hell are you doing?" Han asked as he stared at her.

Leia gave him a look. "Somebody has to save our skins. Into the garbage chute, wise guy." She then jumped through the narrow opening as Han and Chewbacca looked on in amazement.

Padme snickered a little at her actions. 'She's definitely unpredictable. And stubborn to.' She looked on as Chewbacca sniffed the garbage chute and said something.
"Get in there you big furry oaf! I don't care what you smell! Get in there and don't worry about it." Han gave him a kick and the Wookiee disappeared into the tiny opening. Luke and Han continue to fire as they worked their way toward the opening. Padme gave several good shots herself.

Han glanced at Luke,"Wonderful girl! Either I'm going to kill her or I'm beginning to like her. Get in there!"

Luke looked at Padme, "Ladies first, May." Padme smiled before jumping into the chute. After that, Luke ducked laserfire as he jumped into the darkness as well. Han fired off a couple of quick blasts creating a smokey cover, before sliding into the chute himself and was gone.

xxx

Obi-wan and Anakin had quickly deactivated the tractor beam. They both stopped in the hall as Vader stepped out from behind a corner. Both, feeling a disturbance in the force, tensed. Anakin looked at Obi-wan, and said, "Go help them, I'll handle Vader." Obi-wan looked at Anakin before nodding. With that he turned and left quickly, leaving Anakin to face Vader alone.

Vader lights his saber, in response, Anakin also ignites his and steps slowly forward. "I've been waiting for you, Skywalker. I'm still shocked you managed to escape." Anakin moved with elegant ease into a classical offensive position. The fearsome Dark Knight clone took a defensive stance. "Once you're gone, I'll deal with Kenobi." Vader was glared viciously by Anakin.

"You won't be going anywhere near my friends while I can do anything about it." The two Galactic warriors stand perfectly still for a few moments, sizing each other up and waiting for the right
moment.

Anakin seemed to be under increasing pressure and strain, as if an invisible weight were being placed upon him. He shook his head and, blinking, tried to clear his eyes. Anakin made a sudden lunge at the huge warrior but is checked by a lightning movement of The Sith. A masterful slash stroke by Vader is blocked by the Jedi. Another of the Jedi's blows is blocked, then countered. Anakin moves around the Dark Lord and starts backing into the massive starship hangar.

The two powerful warriors stand motionless for a few moments with laser swords locked in mid-air, creating a low buzzing sound. Vader started chuckling. "Your powers are weak, Skywalker. You haven't used them for so long."

Anakin gave him a hate filled look. "You can't win, Darth. I'm not going to let you." Their lightsabers continue to meet in combat.

xxx

Han tumbled into the large room filled with garbage and muck. Luke was already stumbling around looking for an exit. He found a small hatchway and struggled to get it open. But it wouldn't budge. Han looked at Leia who was near Padme and sarcastically said, "Oh! The garbage chute was a really wonderful idea. What an incredible smell you've discovered! Let's get out of here! Get away from there..." Luke's eyes widened as he realized what Han was doing.

"No! wait!"Han drew his laser pistol and fired at the hatch. The laserbolt ricocheted wildly around the small metal room. Everyone dove for cover in the garbage as the bolt exploded almost on top of them. Leia climbed out of the garbage with a rather grim look on her face.

Padme looked on at the men in annoyance.

"Will you forget it? I already tried it. It's magnetically sealed!" Luke said as he looked at Han.

"Put that thing away!" Padme warned.

Leia then shook her head."You're going to get us all killed." Han gave her a look.

"Absolutely, Your Worship. Look, I had everything under control until you led us down here. You know, it's not going to take them long to figure out what happened to us."

"It could be worse..."

A loud, horrible, inhuman moan works its way up from the murky depths. Chewbacca lets out a terrified howl and begins to back away. Han and Luke stand fast with their laser pistols drawn. The Wookiee is cowering near one of the walls.

Padme stood near Leia protectively.

"It's worse." Han said as he looked around.

"There's something alive in here!" Luke said while looking around him.

"That's your imagination."

"Something just moves past my leg! Look! Did you see that?" Luke pointed at the murky water.

"What?" Han didn't see anything.

"Help!" Luke yelled as he was yanked under the garbage.

"Luke! Luke! Luke!" As Han called out for him, all were looking for any sign of him.

Solo tries to get to Luke. Luke surfaces with a gasp of air and thrashing of limbs. A membrane tentacle is wrapped around his throat.

"Luke!" Padme almost screamed. Leia looked for something and spotted a long pipe. She quickly grabbed it and extended it toward him.

"Luke, Luke, grab a hold of this."

"Blast it, will you! My gun's jammed." Luke said as he struggled.

"Where?" Han asked.

"Anywhere! Oh!"

Solo fires his gun downward. Luke is pulled back into the muck by the slimy tentacle.

"Luke! Luke!" Han once again looks for him.

Suddenly the walls of the garbage receptacle shudder and move in a couple of inches. Then everything is deathly quiet. Han and Leia give each other a worried look as Chewbacca howls in the corner. With a rush of bubbles and muck Luke suddenly bobs to the surface.

"Grab him!" Padme yelled to Han. Luke seems to be released by the thing. Leia looked at Luke.

"What happened?" She asked.

"I don't know, it just let go of me and disappeared..." Luke was stumped. Han looked at them seriously.

"I've got a very bad feeling about this." Before anyone can say anything else, the walls began to rumble and edged toward the Rebels.

"The walls are moving!" Luke said as he looked around wildly.

"Don't just stand there. Try to brace it with something." Leia said as they scurried around. They place poles and long metal beams between the closing walls, but they are simply snapped and bent as the giant trash masher rumbles on. The situation doesn't look too good.

"Wait a minute!" Luke pulls out his comlink. "Threepio! Come in Threepio! Threepio! Where could he be?"

xx

The group exited the garbage room into a dusty, unused hallway. Han and Luke removed the trooper suits and strapped on the blaster belts. Obi-wan looked on at the group. Luckily he had gotten to them in time. C3PO had managed to stop the walls, but the door hadn't opened until Obi-wan came along and used the force.

"If we can just avoid any more female advice, we ought to be able to get out of here." Han said. Luke smiled and scratches his head as he takes a blaster from Solo.

"Well, let's get moving!" Chewie begins growling and points to the hatch to the garbage room, as he runs away and then stops howling.

"Where are you going?"

The Dia Nogu bangs against the hatch and a long, slimy tentacle works its way out of the doorway searching for a
victim. Han aims his pistol.

"No, wait. They'll hear!" Leia warned.

Han fires at the doorway. The noise of the blast echoes relentlessly throughout the empty passageway. Luke simply shakes his head in disgust.

"Come here, you big coward!" Han said as he looked at Chewie. The Wookie shook his head as a 'no'.

"Chewie! Come here!"

"Listen. I don't know who you are, or where you came from, but from now on, you do as I tell you. Okay?" Obi-wan had to suppress a smile. She was definitely her parent's daughter. Han was stunned at the command of the petite young girl.

"Look, Your Worshipfulness, let's get one thing straight! I take orders from one person! Me!" Leia looked at him incredulously.

"It's a wonder you're still alive," She looked at Chewie. "Will somebody get this big walking carpet out of my way?"

Han watched her start walking away. He looked at Luke. "No reward is worth this."
They follow her, moving swiftly down the deserted corridor. Luke, Han, Chewbacca, Leia, Padme and Obi-wan run down an empty hallway and stop before a bay window overlooking the pirate ship. Troopers are milling about the ship. Luke takes out his pocket comlink.

"There she is." Han said as he looked at his ship. Luke pulled out his comlink.

"See-Threepio, do you copy?"

"For the moment. Uh, we're in the main hangar across from the ship." C3PO replied.

"We're right above you. Stand by."

Han is watching the dozen or so troops moving in and out of the pirate ship. Leia moves towards Han, touches his arm and points out the window to the ship.

"You came in that thing? You're braver than I thought." Leia said, causing Padme and Obi-wan shrugged at each other.

"Nice! Come on!" Han gives her a dirty look, and they start off down the hallway. They round a corner and run right into twenty Imperial stormtroopers heading toward them. Both groups are taken by surprise and stop in their tracks.

"It's them! Blast them!" A trooper pointed at them. Before even thinking, Han draws his laser pistol and charges the troops, firing. His blaster knocks one of the stormtroopers into the air. Chewie follows his captain down the corridor, stepping over the fallen trooper on the floor.

"Get back to the ship!" Han yelled to the others.
"Where are you going? Come back!" Luke yelled back at him. By then, Han had already rounded a corner and did not hear. Leia looked at Luke.

"He certainly has courage."

"What good will it do us if he gets himself killed? Come on!"

Luke was furious but didn't have time to think about it before muted alarms began to go off down on the hangar deck. Luke, Leia, Padme and Obi-wan started off toward the starship hangar.

x

Han Solo and Chewbacca, their weapons in hand, lean back against the wall surveying the forward bay, watching the
Imperial stormtroopers make their rounds of the hangar.

"Didn't we just leave this party?" Han asked in exasperation. Chewbacca growled a reply, as the others joined them.

"What kept you?" Han asked them.

"We ran into some old friends." Replied Leia.

"Is the ship all right?" Luke asked looking at it. Obi-wan and Padme were deflecting and blasting more stormtroopers.

"Seems okay, if we can get to it. Just hope our friends got the tractor beam out of commission." Han responded.

xxx

Vader and Anakin continued their powerful dual. As they hit their lightsabers together, lightning flashed on impact. Troopers looked on in interest as the Jedi and Dark Lord of The Sith fight. Suddenly Luke spots the battle from his group's vantage point. "Look!" He pointed at them.

The rest looked up and see Anakin and Vader emerging from the hallways on the far side of the docking bay. Padme and Obi-wan glanced at each other. Worry showed on Leia's and Padme's faces. They tensely watched the duel. The troops rushed toward the battling knights.

"Now's our chance! Go!" Han said to the group. They start for the Millennium Falcon.

xx

Anakin saw the troops charging toward him and realized that he was trapped. Vader took advantage of Anakin's momentary distraction and brought his mighty lightsaber down on the jedi. Anakin managed to deflect the blow and swiftly turned around.

The Jedi Knight looked over his shoulder at the others, temporarily catching Obi-wan's eyes and nodded. He then, lifted his sword from Vader's and watched his opponent with a serene look on his face. Vader brought his sword down, to cut Anakin in half-

Padme screamed. "Anakin!"

But before he could be cut in half, Anakin was suddenly pulled back towards the others by Obi-wan using the force. Landing near them, Obi-wan helped Anakin up. Luke, remembering his father's name looked on in shock.

The stormtroopers turned forward and began firing at them. The droids were already moving up the ramp into the Millennium Falcon, while Luke, returned the stormtrooper's fire. Han joined in the laserfire as Vader looked up and advanced toward them, as one of his troopers was struck down. Padme shot the door locks and caused the door to close. Keeping Vader away while they got away.

x

Han pulled back on the controls and the ship began to move. The dull thud of laser bolts bouncing off the outside of the ship as Chewie adjusted his controls.

"I hope you got that tractor beam out of commission," Han said, looking back at Obi-wan and Anakin, " or this is going to be a real short trip." His gaze flicked to Chewie, " Okay, hit it!" Chewbacca growled in agreement and The Millennium Falcon powered away from the Death Star docking bay, making a spectacular turn and disappeared into the vastness of space.