Spectre: Okay, so for all you guys who requested that I do the SC 38 Reimagined, here it is. Now this is the first time I'm doing it in written form, so my apologies if I was not able to give the feeling that others expect. I added because it adds feeling to Vader's character as an actual Sith Lord that could give the audience the exact reaction, not a walking old man with asthma that would probably make them laugh.
Chapter 11: For the Final Time
"Our long awaited meeting has come at last.", Vader declared, walking towards the old Jedi Master. "The circle is now complete. When I left you I was but a learner. Now I am the Master."
"You aren't, and you'll never will.", Anakin said to him with a frown.
"Only a master of evil, Darth!", Obi-Wan shot back. With an angered snarl, Vader began with a vicious strike that Obi-Wan dodged in time before he parried two of Vader's blows.
Obi-Wan turned for a counter-attack by bringing his blade over Vader's head but the Dark Lord anticipated this and forced Ben's blade down before resorting to several more slashes that Obi-Wan parried with his own blade until they found themselves in a blade-lock.
"Your powers are weak, old man.", Vader mocked as Obi-Wan broke the lock between them with the Jedi Master backing away slightly.
"You can't win, Darth.", Obi-Wan countered, with the Dark Lord gripping his blade with both hands. "If you strike me down, I will become more powerful than you could possibly imagine."
"What does he mean?", Caleb questioned though everyone could accomodate him because of what they're seeing now. Anakin, Ahsoka, Padmé and Luminara's eyes remain hopeful that Obi-Wan could best the Sith Lord in front of them.
"Then I will show you the true nature of the Force.", Vader answered back as he used the Force to levitate several objects behind Obi-Wan.
"Behind you!", Anakin called out to his master.
Obi-Wan turned around and sliced a metal crate in half. Not finished, another came towards Obi-Wan, this time a fuel barrel that caused a minor explosion. The Jedi was caught off guard until Vader emerged from the flames with a growl, delivering an upwards slash that damaged the ceiling above followed by a barrage of attacks that Obi-Wan defensively parried with his own blade.
"Whoever this apprentice is, the fight with Master Kenobi appeared to be very personal.", Plo Koon whispered, observing the Dark Lord's berserker-like behaviour.
"The Dark Side fueled his rage and hate towards Master Kenobi. If this is how he murdered Skywalker, then we should be careful in apprehending him.", Mace answered back as he observed the duel between them.
A powerful slash delivered by Obi-Wan is parried where the Jedi found an opening and attack from his side, only for the Dark Lord to block his attack by holding his blade downwards. Twirling his blade a bit, Vader opted to land another slash but Obi-Wan ducked in time to deliver his own counter-attack, a few slashes that were blocked before lunging in for a stab towards the Dark Lord, only for his attack to be blocked once more. The two continued on like this; attacking and counter-attacking at the same time but neither could get an opening.
"What do you think of his dueling style, Master Yoda?", Shaak Ti asked the green Jedi Grand Master.
Yoda observed the battle with a humm. "Channelled the power of the Dark Side, he has. Unthinkable, the rage and hate he had for Kenobi.", he mused.
"His dueling style is what intruiged me.", Kit Fisto interjected. "He primarily uses Form V in delivering powerful attacks and defensive measures while using a variant of what appeared to be Form IV due to the open area of the corridor and his way of delivering powerful strikes to overpower Kenobi at every way."
"However, from what I observed, it is quite slower. Probably because of whatever Cybernetics that they gave to Vader.", Luminara explained, and the other Masters agreed when they observed Vader's way of dueling, akin to that of an enraged berserker rather than that of concentration nor grace such as that of Maul and Dooku.
"Surely Master Kenobi can still prevail?", Padmé asked worried. Anakin likewise felt the same since he observed that his master was not at his prime as he is in the present.
Yoda shook his head. "Uncertain, we are. Know more, we should."
Making their way to an observation window overlooking the hangar, Han was relieved to see the Falcon still in once piece."There she is." he sighed, not knowing he had been holding his breath.
"C3PO, do you copy?" Luke said into the commlink.
"Yes, sir." Threepio replied.
"Are you two safe?"
"For the moment. We're in the main hangar across from the ship."
"Got it. We're right above you, sit tight."
"You came in that thing?" Leia said, getting Han's attention, "You're braver than I thought."
"Nice." Han said, taking it as a compliment, "Come on."
The quietly made their way through the halls, Han leading the way with his blaster at the ready. The turned a corner and were met with a squad of Stormtroopers.
"It's them! Blast 'em!" one of them yelled before Han shot him dead. The rest of the squad retreated down the hall, Han hot on their heels.
"Get back to the ship!" He yelled.
"Where are you going?" Luke yelled after him. "Come back!"
"He certainly has courage." Leia was forced to admit.
"What good's if he's gonna gets himself killed?" Luke sighed, as he led Leia the other way.
Han yelled as he charged after the Stormtroopers, Chewie hot on his heels. These battle-cries soon turned into shouts of terror as he rounded a corner into a docking bay filled with the bastards. Chewie soon caught up to him to see him running back around the corner, barely dodging a hail of blaster fire.
"Run, Chewie! RUN!"
The audience laughed at this charade, though some thought this was meant for comedic effect. "At least Hondo wasn't this reckless.", Obi-Wan mused.
Luke and Leia were facing similar problems. Luke laid down suppressing fire as he followed Leia down the hallway. They eventually ran into a ravine within the battle station, Luke almost falling off the edge."I think we took a wrong turn." Luke said as the troopers caught up with them. Leia closed the door behind them, but there wasn't a lock. Luke blasted the control panel, thus locking the door and solving one problem. But he had also created another.
"Well, that oughtta hold them a while." Luke said."Now we just need to get across this. Find the controls that extend the bridge." Leia said.In searching for said controls, Luke's stomach dropped. "I think I just blasted it."
Anakin facepalmed at this. "Really, Luke?"
"Can you blame him if he's your son?", Ahsoka answered back.
She looked around for another option and noticed some structures with metal beams attached. Maybe…Before he could finish his thought, a blaster bolt impacted near his foot. Another group of troopers on a ledge above them across the ravine had started firing on them. Leia took cover as Luke took pot shots at them. He managed to hit one, who screamed in an uncanny manner as he fell from the ledge.
"That was...weird", Caleb commented on the scream.
"Here," Luke said, handing Leia the blaster, "Cover me." As Leia began firing- with far more success than Luke, it should be noted- Luke began pulling out a length of wire from his utility belt. He had pulled out about fifteen feet of wire attached to a hook when the door behind them opened slightly. He tossed the hook and managed to loop it about one of the metal bars above them.
"Quick thinking, Luke!", Ahsoka cheered for her master's son.
"I see too much of Anakin already.", Obi-Wan remarked with a smile.
Leia wrapped her arms about Luke and gave him a peck on the cheek. "For luck." She explained. Luke took the win and swung across. Thankfully, the wire held and they made it across. Luke unhooked the wire from his belt and they made it into the next hallway by the time the door finally lifted.
Anakin, Padmé and Obi-Wan felt a little off. It appeared so wrong at so many levels but they do not know why.
Han and Chewie were still running from the troopers when the door in front of them started to close. Thinking fast, Han shot the control panel. He and Chewie triple-timed it and made it through just before the doors closed, leaving the troopers on the other side to impotently order the doors open.
"Close call. Even I wouldn't do something like that.", Anakin commented.
Everyone who fought alongside him looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
Meanwhile, Obi-Wan and Vader continued their duel, and this time, they made their way into a tight, corridor with little room to spare. The Dark Lord lunged for a slash that Obi-Wan dodged, only for his blade to damage one of the door panels and it sealed the entrance behind them.
Vader again lifted his blade for another that Obi-Wan parried, leading to another blade-lock as their lightsabers seared through the wall.
"There is no escape.", Vader declared, as they broke the lock between one another. The Dark Lord then began a series of attacks that forced Obi-Wan over the edge, one that nearly went close to his face. Obi-Wan dodged another slash, not before he realized that Vader began to punch him about three times. Vader then landed another slash, which was blocked, then a backhand onto Obi-Wan's face. Finding an opening, Vader outstretched his hand to deliver a powerful Force push onto Obi-Wan, sending him straight into a wall, damaging it and leaving him dazed.
The audience were taken back at Vader's assault, on how he fought like a Barbarian filled with rage towards the Jedi Master. And from the looks of it, Vader had the upper hand from most part, to the frustration and admission to everyone present.
Master Yoda and Windu watched in grim faces as the Master of Soresu was was sent over the edge by the man who wiped out the Order single-handedly. The masters likewise shared the same feeling.
Luminara watched in both worry and her fear increasing at the sight, praying that Kenobi won't be another one of Vader's victims, as he already taken Anakin away from Luke.
Anakin felt his fist tightened at seeing the Dark Lord treating his master like that, almost wanting to get there and help his master.
Vader then threw his saber towards the master, missing a few meters away from his head. Walking towards him, Vader tightened his fist.
"DUCK!", Ahsoka and Anakin shouted at the same time.
The Jedi Master knew what Vader tried to do and ducked, missing his head as the red blade went back to Vader's hand, destroying a door panel to prevent him from escaping.
Picking up and re-activating his lightsaber, Obi-Wan blocked Vader's slash over his head, their blades humming.
Elsewhere, Han and Chewie had made it back to the hangar. "Thought we just left this party." Han grumbled, seeing all the soldiers still in the hangar. He turned at a noise behind him to see Luke and Leia running up.
"What kept ya?"
"We, uh, ran into some old friends." Leia said, a little out of breath.
"The ship alright?" Luke asked, winded as well.
"Looks good from here." Han said, "Just need to figure out how to get to it, preferably without dying. And assuming the Old Man got the tractor beam down."
Ben and Vader's fight grew so loud, it drew the attention of the troops in the hangar, who ran over to watch. Seeing this, Han's eyes widened at hissupposed change of luck.
"Now's our chance, go!" Han ordered, and the four quietly hurried into the hangar proper.
"Not without, Obi-Wan!", Anakin yelled, desperately hoping his master would still make it.
"Come on, Artoo. We're going.", Threepio told the astromech droid. Threepio and Artoo met them half-way to the ship, but then Luke saw the fight.
"Ben?"
"No! Get out of there!", Anakin cried out for his son, fearing that Vader will try and get to him.
Obi-Wan widened his eyes as he figured out what his future was planning, and he silently accepted the fate that awaited him.
Breaking the lock once more, Vader attacked Obi-Wan, who was already tired, with a series of powerful strikes that the Master managed to block but he was forced on to the ground by the Dark Lord, poised for the finishing strike.Obi-Wan replied with an outstretched hand that forced Vader back from him. The Dark Lord merely looked at him, breathing out of his resparator while holding his red blade as Obi-Wan struggled to get up. As he did, Obi-Wan felt sudden memories coming back to him.
And muffled voices coming back them, though no one could understand.
That got the audience's attention, what were those voices. They all heard it but couldn't understand, but to what they could garner, one filled with regret, one filled with hate.
Master Yoda, Mace, Plo, Kit, Saesee, Depa, Shaak, and Mundi closed their eyes, both in mourning and of sadness, knowing what is to come. Obi-Wan, likewise feeling the same of what is to come, accepted this, for the good of the galaxy and of the legacy of his brother.
Anakin, Ahsoka, Padmé, Rex, Caleb and Luminara all looked with frightened eyes for the master, with the young Jedi Knight trying to hold back his tears at his master's impending sacrifice. "No, please no...", he muttered in denial, he had already seen enough of this dark future, and he couldn't bare to see Obi-Wan being taken away as well.
Ben looked over and saw Luke standing there, Han and Chewie leading Leia and the droids onto the ship. He looked back at Vader and a smile began to grace his lips, knowing he had finally done his part.
"Obi-Wan, don't do this to me...", Anakin said, feeling helpless at the sight. The same feeling when he had lost his mother coming back to him.
Memories then came back to Obi-Wan, in his arms holding the dying Duchess Satine Kryze, just as his future is now at death's doorstep. Her words flashing before him.
Remember, Obi. I love you and I always will.
He sighed, but perhaps it was for the best. He had done his part, and perhaps, he may be able to see her again once he had entered the afterlife.
"Now, you will die!", Vader declared. Obi-Wan stepped back, dropping his defenses in some form of prayer. Vader took the chance and sliced through him at the chest, but his body disappeared, leaving a sliced robe and a lightsaber.
"NO!", Anakin and Luke shouted at the same time.