Chapter 68- Life Decided and Shield Down
Lena felt the dazed feeling leave her as Luke lifted her up. "Are you okay?" Luke whispered softly.
"I think so," Lena said as the hum of a lightsaber filled her ears. The reddish blade could be seen from where she and Luke were hiding to reveal that their father was searching.
"Maybe we both should be glad that Father had poor aim," Luke teased softly.
"I don't think so, Luke. He missed because he didn't want to kill us," Lena said. The sound of Vader's respirator got louder as he got closer.
"You cannot hide forever, Luke, Lena," Vader said, his voice sending an ominous chill down Lena's back.
"We will not fight you," Luke said with more boldness than Lena was feeling at the moment as Leia, Han, and other friends entered her mind.
"Give yourselves to the dark side. It is the only way you can save your friends," Vader said as Leia entered Lena's mind and screamed in pain.
"Lena," Luke whispered in anguish, apparently feeling what she was feeling.
"I know. I feel it too," Lena said in a stricken whisper, sorrowful that her newly-discovered sister was hurting.
"Yes. Your thoughts betray you. Your feelings for them are strong...especially for...sister. So you both have a triplet sister," Vader said in mocking triumph.
"Oh, no, Leia," Lena said in a soft wail.
"Your feelings have now betrayed her, too. Obi-Wan was wise to hide her from me. Now his failure is complete. If you will not turn to the dark side, then perhaps she will," Vader said.
"Never!" Luke screamed, rushing at Vader with his lightsaber and fighting him.
"Luke, don't!" Lena screamed as she came out from under the fallen catwalk.
"Lena!" Talon exclaimed running to her and scooping her into his arms and pressing her face to his chest.
"Papa, please! Make Luke stop! Leia would never turn to the dark side! It was just a threat!" Lena screamed.
"All right," Talon said as Luke drove Vader to the lift and down to his knees. Luke poured all of his hatred and anger into the blows as Talon hurried to his side. "Luke, stop! Anakin is down!" Talon shouted, to no avail until Luke severed Vader's hand at his wrist.
It was then that Luke stopped. Palpatine then started to laugh. Lena ran to her brother and wrapped her arms around him. "Good! Your hate has made you powerful. Now, fulfill your destiny and take your father's place at my side," Palpatine said, biting his words.
"Luke, don't. Look what you did to Father," Lena whispered in her brother's ear. Luke looked at his gloved, mechanical hand and then at the stump where their father's hand had been. Luke took a deep breath.
Luke turned off his lightsaber. "You're right, Lena. Never," Luke tossed his lightsaber aside. "Me and my sisters will never turn to the dark side. You've failed, Your Highness. We are Jedi, like our father before us," Luke said, with tired satisfaction in his voice as he stepped away from Lena and Talon.
"So be it, Jedi," Palpatine said with barely controlled malice.
Han and the soldiers ran from the bunker, yelling everyone to step away from it. It blew just as Han jumped behind some ferns and vines and taking the satellite with it. Relief washed though Leia. Now if only her brother, uncle, and sister would get off that station before the fleet destroyed it.
"The shield is down! Commence attack on the Death Star's main reactor!" Ackbar said over the comm.
"We're on our way," Cora said as she and Lando put the ship in the path of the Death Star, where the reactor was.
"Red Group, Gold Group, all fighters follow me. I told you they'd do it," Lando ordered and then laughed happily at Nien Numb. The Sullustan laughed just as happily.
Talon watched with trepidation as Palpatine raised his hands slowly. "Luke, watch out!" Talon shouted.
"If you will not be turned, you will be destroyed," Palpatine said. Lighting flashed out of his fingers and before Talon could warn it hit Lena, knocking her back against a pillar. She screamed in agony.
"Lena!" Talon exclaimed going to his daughter.
"No, Papa! Stay back!" Lena said in breathless pain.
"Young fool. Only now, at the end do you understand," Palpatine said as lighting shot out, hitting Lena again and she screamed.
"Luke, stay back!" Lena screamed as the blue lighting went over her body, convulsing her. The lighting stopped and Lena tried to get weakly to her feet.
"You and your brother's feeble skills are no match for the power of the dark side," Palpatine bit out before hitting Lena again with lighting as Vader came to his master's side, looking down at Lena.
Anakin, please, don't let him do this, Talon thought through the Force at Vader. Vader looked at Talon and Luke briefly before looking back at Lena.
"You and your brother have paid the price for your lack of vision," Palpatine said, before hitting Lena again with lighting.
In the midst of the onslaught Lena turned to look at Vader in the middle of her agony. "Father, please! Oww! Ahhh! Help me!" Lena screamed before the lighting stopped.
Vader looked down at his daughter begging him for help. Was this how it was when her mother had died? The dreams he had while Padme was pregnant had her calling for him. Now he had the chance to save his family. Talon Orran had asked him to help Lena. Luke was looking at him, asking him to help Lena, and Lena herself had asked. If he didn't save her, Lena would die, followed by Luke. Palpatine would then kill Talon Orran and order him to murder his other daughter too. If Vader didn't know better his former master was trying to obliterate every trace of Padme left. And Orran would be killed because he had preserved the last three parts of the love Anakin Skywalker had had with Padme.
The lighting stopped. "Now, young Skywalker, you will die," Palpatine said a sinister smile on his face as he started up the lighting again. Lena screamed. At that moment Anakin returned. Anakin went to Palpatine and lifted the old despot up, turning his lighting on him, some of it going into Anakin. Palpatine screamed and Anakin felt like screaming too as the lighting hit him, but at least his girl was no longer in agony.
Talon helped Lena sit up, his arms around her shoulders. He had seen the conflict in Vader all through Lena's electrocution and he knew that Anakin was back when he picked up Palpatine. Lena and Padme had both been right when they said that there was still goodness in Anakin Skywalker. Anakin took Padme to the chasm by the lift and threw him down it. The lighting came up and over the chasm, driving Anakin to his kneees and then went back down. The way it looked Anakin looked as if he was going to join Palpatine by jumping into the chasm. Lena broke free from Talon and she and Luke pulled Anakin back. Judging from the breathing, something was wrong with Anakin's respirator, but Lena reached over and squeezed Anakin's hand and Luke smiled and squeezed his father's shoulder.