Chapter Ten:
Luke blocked the Sith Lord's vicious blow, and drove the red blade to the side, kicking at Palpatine with a booted foot. Palpatine spun away, his black robes swirling. Luke followed, driving him as far from Mara as possible.
Palpatine swung his blade in a sideswipe designed to cut Luke in half at the waist, but Luke caught the attack and pushed the red blade away. Palpatine followed the drive, spun again, and drove the blade at Luke's middle.
Luke leapt back, caught the blade yet again, and swirled the blade to get Palpatine off balance. The Sith Lord let out a frustrated growl and leapt high over Luke's head, slashing as he went. Luke evaded the slice, and as Palpatine landed, he struck at Luke's unprotected back.
The Jedi Master bent his right arm behind his head and managed to catch Palpatine's saber. Luke used the momentum of Palpatine's attack to spin around, never losing his grip on the hilt of his lightsaber.
Mara watched in disbelief as the two sword-masters traded lethal blow after lethal blow. She had heard of Palpatine's lightsaber skills; had read of how even Master Yoda had not been able to defeat the Sith Lord.
But Luke Skywalker, now a much older and more advanced Jedi Master than when the two had faced off the first and second times, stood toe to toe with him. The two Masters danced a deadly dance, Luke going on the offensive more than once, and effectively driving the Sith Lord to his knees.
But Palpatine seemed to always have another trick up his sleeve. When Luke had the Sith pinned to the ground, Palpatine produced yet another red blade.
"Luke, look out!" Mara yelled.
Luke felt the warning in the Force as well as from Mara, and he leapt high and to the side. He landed and used the Force to grab at the extra weapon.
Palpatine merely sneered and pulled as well, and Luke stumbled forward a few steps. Luke struggled to regain his footing, but Palpatine jumped him before he could succeed. Palpatine drove both blades in at Luke's head, but somehow Luke managed to just duck below them.
Gritting his teeth, Luke steeled himself against the fact that he was now defending against two blades with his one.
He swiped his foot through Palpatine's feet and dumped the older man to the ground. Luke used the distraction to regain sure footing. Palpatine leapt to his feet and came at Luke again, wielding both blades in sync. Luke turned himself completely over the Force, trusting it to guide him.
Luke blocked a head strike and used his lower stance to push Palpatine back. Palpatine sneered indignantly and struck high with his left blade, while using the right to attack Luke's legs. Luke leapt and spun lithely between the two blades, and he felt them scissor around him.
Luke took advantage of the opening to kick the lightsaber in Palpatine's right hand free of the Sith's grasp, and used the Force to call it to his own. He used the double blades to catch Palpatine's next blow, trapping the single red blade between his two.
Palpatine merely twisted his hilt up, tilting the blade down, and was suddenly inside Luke's defenses. Palpatine's red blade gouged into Luke's right thigh, and the Jedi howled in anguish. Palpatine laughed in a short staccato burst, and pushed his hand forward.
Luke's head snapped back, and he flew across the space like a doll. He landed heavily several feet away, and lay still for a heartbeat as his vision cleared. Palpatine vaulted again, holding his lightsaber as if he were about to spear a whale.
Luke raised his hands, thinking his own weapons were still in them, and suddenly realized that wasn't the case. He flipped backwards just before Palpatine landed, and the lightsaber nicked his heel.
Luke hobbled back, but as he did so, he saw that Palpatine was off balance from missing his target. Luke immediately shoved at the Sith Lord with his own burst of energy and it was Palpatine's turn to fly backwards. Luke left the lightsaber where it was, watching from the corner of his eye as the blade deactivated when Palpatine's grip came free.
Palpatine lay still for a moment, and then finally rose to his feet.
"Impressive. You have grown strong since our last meeting." He complimented Luke. "You should have stayed with the Dark Side, Boy. Then you would have truly known power."
"I did taste of the Dark Side." Luke reminded him. "And I didn't care for it."
Palpatine cackled evilly, and raised his hands. Blue rivulets of energy danced across his fingertips and a burst of lightning shot across the distance toward his enemy. Luke also raised his hands and sent a salvo of his own lightning to meet the attack.
The opposing energies collided with enormous force, and now it was a holding match to see who could sustain their burst the longest.
Luke gritted his teeth as the raw power he commanded ate away at his nerves. Palpatine's onslaught was beginning to creep closer to Luke. The Jedi Master reached deep inside and pushed with all his might.
With a sudden outburst, both Luke and Palpatine were sent soaring as the Force literally exploded between the two Masters.
Luke's ears were ringing horribly, and his fingers were bleeding. He knew he had to get to his feet, but he just couldn't make his body obey him.
Luke dug deep down, drawing on the Force anew to sustain him.
…
Mara's eyes went wide when the explosion blasted both Luke and Palpatine off their feet and sent them sailing through the air. Luke landed in a smoking heap, trembling terribly as he fought the effects of the raw Force energy he had been using.
I had no idea he could do that. Mara thought in pure amazement.
When Luke did not get to his feet, but Palpatine did, Mara stood and ran to him.
"Luke?" She cried, dropping to her knees beside him. "Luke, are you okay?"
He nodded weakly. Palpatine laughed at the sight.
"How touching. Now you can die together." Palpatine hissed. "On second thought, Skywalker, you can watch your betrothed wither in your arms, and then you may die."
Before Mara realized what had happened, Luke was on his feet and charging the Sith. Even Palpatine reeled, screaming when Luke tackled and held him down. Luke held his right arm back, palm out.
Mara thought he was going to land a heel-blow to the face, but when Luke's hand did not move, she frowned.
Then something began to shimmer in Luke's open palm. Pure light was forming in Luke's grasp, and once he had a substantial ball of white energy, Luke forged it into a spear with his mind, and stabbed it into Palpatine's heart.
Palpatine's scream was a cacophony of anguished wails and curses as the blade met with his black heart.
Palpatine was not so petrified that he was unable to strike back. He drew a hand back, and, holding it like an eagle's claw, he stabbed Luke in the chest with his fingernails. Luke jerked away as though he'd been stabbed with a poisoned blade. He clutched at his chest as if to stop the poison from spreading.
"Luke!" Mara exclaimed.
Palpatine, also clenching his chest with one hand, used his free hand to unleash his most vicious salvo of lightning yet… directly into the chest wound. Luke immediately fell away, writhing.
Mara shrieked in rage, and leapt to attack Palpatine's back, but he merely stopped holding his chest, and swung his hand around. He hit her square center, dropping her to the ground. Palpatine howled with delight at the sight of both Luke and Mara thrashing under his merciless attack.
"PALPATINE!"
The onslaught stopped, and all three of them looked to see two glowing forms.
"Leave my son alone!" Anakin Skywalker ordered dangerously.
Palpatine turned, and glared openly at Anakin.
"Darth Vader. Traitor!"
Anakin shook his head. "Darth Vader is dead. I am a Jedi."
"Funny, I recall someone else telling me that on the Death Star." Palpatine jabbed. "And it looks like Daddy has come to the rescue once again."
"Not just him." Said a new voice.
Palpatine reeled, and caught sight of a middle-aged Obi-Wan Kenobi, standing just to the right. And next to Obi-wan stood the diminutive, but still commanding form of Yoda.
"To the Force, you must return, Sidious." Yoda ordered. "Or destroy you we will."
Palpatine bared his teeth at the little Jedi Master.
Mara managed to get to her knees, and located Luke. He wasn't moving.
Fear touched her heart, and she crawled to him, keeping one eye on the spectacle enfolding before her.
"And how do you plan to destroy me, Master Yoda?" Palpatine asked.
"By stripping you of the Force." Yoda said simply.
Palpatine guffawed.
"You expect me to believe that?"
"Believe what you want, Chancellor." Obi-wan stated. "But it will happen. Turn away now, or we will proceed."
Palpatine's answer was to turn back to Luke, who Mara now held in her lap. She saw him coming and hugged her fiancé tight to her.
"What did you do to Luke?" She asked.
Tears streamed down her face.
Palpatine ignored her and grabbed Luke in the Force. He pulled Luke to him while simultaneously shoving Mara far away.
"Leave him alone!" Mara pleaded, coming to her knees in surrender. "I will do whatever you want! Just don't hurt him!"
"It is too late for that Mara."
Palpatine put his hand on the same spot on Luke's chest. Luke's face had turned gray, and his body was slumped. Palpatine's hand began to glow, and Luke's chest heaved as the Sith began draw out his life force.
Anakin Skywalker immediately sprang at his former Sith master. Yoda and Obi-wan also sprang, and they formed a circle around Palpatine. All three Jedi raised their hands, and within seconds, Palpatine stopped what he was doing, and began to thrash and wail as a roiling cloud of darkness left him.
Luke was dropped unceremoniously to the floor, and Mara gasped, but did not dare venture near while the Jedi were dealing with Palpatine.
Only when a blue glowing hand touched her shoulder did Mara remember the figure that had initially appeared with Anakin. Mara's head jerked up to see…
Leia?! Mara blinked, looking more closely.
No, this woman looked like Luke's sister, but it was an older version with different eyes. And now that Mara was paying attention, she could see a little of Luke in this woman too.
Mara's thoughts were interrupted by an intensified volume in Palpatine's rants. She had to shield her eyes when an impossibly bright light drove Palpatine's oily essence into oblivion. And soon after that, Palpatine himself dissipated, no longer a part of the Force.
When the task was complete, the three Jedi lowered their hands.
Mara sprang to Luke, who still had not blinked so much as an eye. She felt for his pulse, and panicked when at first it eluded her.
"LUKE!" Mara wept. She turned to the Jedi.
"What's happening to him?"
Yoda placed his hand on Luke's chest.
"A poison, Palpatine injected." He said. "Work quickly we must."
Anakin gently but firmly pulled Mara away, so Yoda could perform a healing technique on his former student. Mara watched as, drop by drop, the slimy black poison was drawn from Luke's heart.
Yoda completed his task and the poison disappeared into the ground.
"Complete, the task is. Go, we must."
Luke's chest heaved just then, causing everyone to look. His blue eyes fluttered open, and then widened as he took in the scene.
"Ben? Master Yoda?" Luke sat up carefully, wincing as his chest pulled painfully.
"Good to see you, it is, Luke." Yoda said warmly. "But stay, I am afraid we cannot."
"Neither can you." Obi-wan added, smiling at Luke. "This plane of existence is not meant to be used by the living."
Luke nodded as though he completely understood. Mara merely frowned.
"Plane of existence?"
"This is a place created by and in the Force as sort of an in-between." Anakin explained. "Both the living and the dead can use it, but only rarely, and it can come at great cost."
Mara nodded, seeing his point. "So everything that happened to us here, happened to our bodies?"
"Yes. And if you do not return to your bodies soon, you will not return at all." Obi-wan warned.
"Thank you all." Luke stood, and turned to his father.
They embraced warmly, and when Luke turned to take Mara's hand, he froze.
Mara thought he was looking at her, but then saw that his gaze was just to her right. She again remembered the Leia look-alike.
The woman stepped forward gingerly, a happy smile alight on her face.
"Luke, I am so proud of you." She said. "I could never have imagined what a fine man you would grow up to be."
Luke said nothing, but his eyes were alight with unshed tears, and when he finally spoke, it was barely a whisper.
"Mother?"
She laughed nervously, and flung her arms around her son. Luke held her tenderly, as though he were afraid she would disappear in his arms.
"I love you Luke."
"I love you too." Luke said, not wanting to let go.
Mara gently pulled him away. "It's time."
Luke took her arm and led her back to her body.