Chapter 8 – The Chosen One

Author's Note: In which the fight between the Skywalkers, Yoda, and Sidious comes to a close. :P There's only a epilogue left now! ^-^

~ Amina Gila

Vader knew from the beginning that the fight would be far from easy, especially with Sidious wielding words as effectively as his lightsaber. That's why he'd stressed the importance of keeping the Sith too busy to talk. And if they can prevent him from using Force lightning, that would be good too. He really, really doesn't want all his life-support equipment to short circuit. While he could have undergone the surgery to eliminate its necessity, it would have taken far too long. He wanted Sidious gone, before he could do Vader or his children any more harm.

He trained Luke to the best of his ability, but the boy is good at improvising as well, just one more thing he inherited. Leia is powerful too, and together, he is confident that they can keep Jade busy until he and Yoda have destroyed Sidious. This is what he was born for – defeating the Sith. He cannot, in good conscience, consider himself a Sith, not when he's losing his grip on the Dark Side, but he isn't a Jedi either. He just is. He doesn't need a label.

Vader has never fought with Yoda before, but he kind of wishes that he'd been given the opportunity, because they're struggling to work in sync. It would probably help if the old troll didn't keep jumping all over the place. Well, he can hold his own front, and at the very least, Sidious is struggling to fend both of them off.

He sidesteps a blow which would have taken off his arm before spinning his blade towards his former master's unprotected side. The blow is parried, and the other's saber is twisted away to block Yoda's downward strike before returning to deflect another attack from Vader. This is becoming something like a dance, and Vader can only draw on the Force and wish it could end quicker. Really, he doesn't have much time for reflection because Sidious is moving so quickly. They all are, to be honest.

Yoda blocks Sidious's blade from hitting the control panel of Vader's suit, while Vader, in turn, swings at the Sith's legs. He leaps backwards, so they continue to press the attack. Across the room, he glimpses his children dueling Jade who has been forced onto the defensive. She's going to lose, but even her anger at that knowledge isn't enough to bolster her strength.

Gathering all his loathing and hatred, Vader hurls the Force at Sidious, sending him slamming into the wall hard enough to cause injury. He retaliates, shooting lightning at them while he rises to his feet. As soon as the barrage falters, Yoda springs at him, Vader backing him up with brute strength. "You'll lose," snarls Sidious, hammering away at Vader's defenses while continuing to fend off Yoda. "Your son will Fall. Your daughter will always hate you."

Vader resolutely ignores him, refusing to let the words get under his skin. If he reacts, the manipulation will only get worse. He's spent far too many years of his life ensnared in Palpatine's web, and he won't let it continue. There are so many things he could say to that, but in the end, he chooses to say nothing. It's pointless in the end, because whatever the future can be, Sidious won't be in it. Does it really matter if Leia hates him? If he dies? And as for Luke, he has faith in his son. He won't Fall, not like Vader did.

He catches sight of Leia giving Jade a glancing blow to the arm before Luke forces his blade against hers. Leia swings again, and though Jade throws out a hand to push her back, the movement is enough for Luke to twist the purple lightsaber from her hands. She's pinned to the floor, two lightsabers pointed straight at her. If she so much as moves wrong, they'll kill her. Luke moves first, knocking her across the head with the hilt of his lightsaber, and she slumps limply to the ground. She'll be out for a while, more than enough for her master to be destroyed.

Vader doesn't even hesitate, calling her lightsaber to his hands and igniting it, using both to continue his assault. Luke and Leia join him, Luke pairing with him and Leia with Yoda. Sidious snarls in fury, yellow eyes boring into Leia. "When I'm dead, Vader will take over the galaxy," he hisses to her. "You know it to be true, so why do you fight me?"

"Because one enemy is better than two," Leia retorts, ducking a blow and swinging towards him again, though he slips aside before she can score a hit.

"Ignore him," Luke warns his sister. Vader says nothing, blocking a strike meant for Luke with the purple saber.

Sidious throws a Force wave at them, knocking Vader and Yoda back a few feet. Leia, on the other hand, catches the brunt of it and is sent flying backwards, hitting the wall. Luke stumbles, tripping to the floor, though he uses the momentum to roll back to his feet and come up behind the Emperor. Vader doesn't have a chance to see if his daughter is alright, because all his focus is centered on the Sith before him. She's still alive, but she seems to be stunned.

He lunges forward to attack, and Sidious effortlessly parries the strikes, ducking away from Yoda and Luke. This needs to end now. Luke somehow senses what Vader is planning, because they Force push the Sith back at the same time, prompting him to unleash a surprise lightning assault. It catches Luke off guard, and he falls to the floor, struggling to shake off the aftershocks, while Vader and Yoda hold off the attack.

Suddenly, he leaps over their heads, swinging his lightsaber towards Leia's prone form. Vader intuitively knows that, though she's conscious, she won't be able to call back her lightsaber in time to block him, and he can't lose her too. He throws himself forward between her and the descending blade. As the red lightsaber slices through the control panel on his chest, destroying the controls for his respirator, Vader stabs his own blade into Sidious's chest as a blur of emerald lops off the Sith's head.

He crumples to the ground, the death so sudden that the shock wasn't even able to register. But none of that matters now, because Vader can't breathe anymore, and he knows that he's going to die. He struggles to inhale, heart pounding much faster than is safe for him as he attempts to draw in much needed oxygen.

Luke's voice – everyone's voices – seem to be drowned out by his own panic. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen, but he doesn't actually care that much, so he forces himself to stop struggling so hard. His children are safe, and he's more than happy to exchange his life for theirs.

**w**

"Father!" Luke cries, kneeling next to Vader. It's obvious that the life-control panel was destroyed which means that unless they act now, he'll die.

"Hurry you must if wish you save him you do," instructs Yoda. "Quickly you must carry him to his quarters upstairs."

Luke knows that he's right, so he gives his sister a pleading look. Neither of them is very skilled at using the Force to lift objects – or people, in this case – but if they work together then they'll succeed. Leia is pale, staring wide-eyed at their father who nearly sacrificed himself to save her. She holds out her hand to Luke, and together they lift Vader's body.

The former Sith's initial panic has all but disappeared, being replaced by resignation and acceptance. No. Luke won't let this happen, not if he can help it. They hurry down the hall, Yoda following them. Luke can feel the Jedi Master drawing on the Force, probably to help sustain Vader until they can reach his quarters with the appropriate medical equipment. They enter the turbolift, and it's all Luke can do not to scream as it moves upwards.

"Calm. You must be calm," admonishes Yoda, ears twitching.

When they reach the appropriate floor, Luke guides them down the hall and into his father's quarters. They lay Vader on the bed, and while Leia gets an oxygen mask, Luke hastily detaches the helmet and mask. He's seen his father without his armor on, so he's used to his ghost-like appearance. Leia, however, is not. Her shock, bordering on horror, echoes sharply into the room as Luke fits the oxygen mask onto Vader's face.

Blue eyes slowly open landing first on Luke. Though he can't speak, Vader reaches out, touching Luke's hand gently. "What happened to him?" Leia whispers, voice barely audible as she takes in their father's pale features with numerous injuries and scars across his bald head.

Luke squeezes his father's hand, unwilling to leave his side as he meets his twin's gaze. "He fought with Obi-Wan," Luke relates, telling her the few facts that he knows. "Obi-Wan injured him gravely and left him for dead on this very planet. He was near a lava river and… and he nearly burned to death. Sidious never allowed him to have proper medical treatment which is why he's been trapped inside the armor for all these years."

"That's – that's awful," she mumbles, shaking her head. Seeming to put aside her feelings, she straightens. "I should go secure the prisoner and ensure that everything else went according to plan." Giving Vader one final look, she turns and leaves the room, Yoda following her.

After they leave, Luke moves across the room to increase the pressure of oxygen so Vader can breathe without the mask on. It's mildly uncomfortable at times, and he sometimes needs to use a respirator so he can breathe more normally, but he'll bear it if it makes his father more comfortable.

When he turns back, his father is already removing the oxygen mask and slowly, cautiously breathing without it. "How do you feel?" Luke questions, and he's definitely not fretting.

Vader's expression is mildly amused. "I am fine," he answers. "The duel was draining, but nothing that rest will not fix."

"What should we do with Jade?" Luke asks the next question which is on his mind. He doesn't really want to kill her, especially since she's still young. She seems more confused and misled than evil like the Emperor was.

"Imprison her," his father decides after a pause. "Perhaps she can be useful to us later."

"Maybe I can help her," Luke muses, thinking aloud. "She doesn't seem that old…"

"She – and all the Hands – was raised for that role from childhood," Vader elaborates. "I believe Jade is a couple years younger than you."

"Then we definitely can't hurt her!" Luke declares firmly. He looks up when the door opens again, and Leia enters, expression guarded. "There's a respirator here if you need it," he says by way of greeting. "I had to raise the pressure so he could breathe properly."

"We put her into Force restraints," Leia reports. "The clones took her down to the detention cells, and they threw the Emperor's body into a lava river." She purses her lips, clearly trying to hide her amusement. "We need to figure out what to do about the Star Destroyer which is here though. I don't think they'll wait longer than a couple more hours before sending a platoon to the surface to search for Sidious."

"I think Father will handle it." Luke glances at the elder man for confirmation, and he nods. "If Captain Piett is there, he can hold them off while we clear out. The clones already prepared for this, so you don't need to worry too much."

"Leia, are you alright?" Vader questions breaking the silence which had momentarily fallen. His natural voice is so different from the tone his vocoder gives him that she momentarily looks startled, though she quickly hides it.

She nods wordlessly, seeming overwhelmed by the sheer concern in his voice. "I – yes," she responds softly, a faint uncertainty in her brown eyes. "I'm alright… Father." The last word is so quiet that Luke isn't sure if he heard right, but one look at their father assures him that he did. Vader is staring at Leia, tears glistening in his eyes, a fragile almost non-existent hope on his face. Leia hesitates before slowly approaching him. Their gazes lock in a seemingly telepathic communication, and Luke hardly dares breath lest he fracture the moment.

"My child," their father whispers, holding out a hand towards her. Leia slowly takes it, her slender hand dwarfed by the leather glove over his prosthetic. "I love you so very much, and there is nothing I would not do to ensure you were safe and happy."

This display of emotion makes Luke's own heart clench. He knows little of Vader's history, but from what he does know, this is a monumental moment for him. On Tatooine, family is everything. Nothing matters more than family. Luke was raised believing that… and so was his father. For Leia to reject Vader so adamantly was extremely painful, and now, maybe that bridge had finally been mended.

Leia looks down, and Luke isn't sure if she's even going to reply. "I know," she says, a half-smile on her face. There's so much more which needs to be said, but that can wait until later. Luke moves closer, taking his father's other hand, and together, they sit there in silence.