Chapter 4 "If you only knew the power of the dark side!" (Darth Vader)


"The mark will change you." The voice said as the shadows grew deeper. "And not in a way you will like." The figure repeated. "It would be easier for the both of us if you just let me-"

"You think I am that naïve?" Luke snapped. "I will not trust you with that."

"I'll behave, Jedi." The voice reassured calmly, but there was a nasty edge in its eyes. It looked hungry. Eager. "Without it, I am afraid this will hurt. A lot."

"I am not a stranger to pain." Luke said with as much anger as he could afford to feel. The dark memory from that day tried to return to the forefront of his mind, and Luke let it. He needed to remember why he shouldn't feel. "But… not as obsessed with it as you are."

He noticed with a spark of satisfaction that the figure's shoulders tensed and the hands occupied with cleaning the knife suddenly paused.

"I was just stating fact." Luke said to the glare beneath the hood.

"Pain is important" The anger collected around the voice, but it was muted, like a visible scar that was already a whitened line against the skin. "It is the centre of all things. It makes you aware. Makes you focus." The figure frowned at the Jedi, finally adding with ill-disguised disgust. "Jedi are not accustomed to it. Their distance to all emotion makes them incapable of handling it for long."

"I told you before." Luke says with grim recollection. "I am not a Jedi." if he had been, then things would have gone so very different. If he had been a true Jedi, he would never have needed to step into this dark place, and he would never have had to face the monster in front of him.

"Oh but you are." It disagreed. "More so than any other Jedi I ever met." It tilted its head inquisitively. "There is no emotion there is the Force." It recited as if it was reading the words aloud from a book. "That senseless dogma the Jedi always preached. You are the embodiment of those words." It stepped around him, forcing Luke to move to keep it within his vision.

"I can sense all living things. A gift, if you will, from the dark side." It explained casually, coming to a stop beside the dead creature lying on the ground. The eyeless serpent that Luke had killed coming in here "A little experiment of mine." The figure picked the creature up "The recreation of something magnificent."

Then Luke realized the creature was not dead yet. It arched up weakly at the touch and tried to press closer. The pathetic mew that came from it caused a painful clench at his heart before he forced it away. The thing had attacked him first, but it was hard to remember as it whimpered when the cold fingers holding it stroked it gently.

"I feel more from a life as little as this one than I do from you." The figure explained looking up from the creature in its hands. "I feel nothing at all from you. It feels similar to a wound in the force, simply more contained." it looked down the creature nuzzling into his hands. "It is fascinating."

Then the figure suddenly moved fast, turned and flung the creature into the dark. Luke heard it hit the ground, and whimper in the dark out of sight.

Seconds later, that darkness came alive with shrieks of terror.

Without realizing it, Luke had reached an arm out to catch the creature. He only barely registered it before cold fingers curled around his arm and turned him away.

"Oh I am not upset about you killing it." The figure said pulling Luke with it by the upper-arm. "It was

a crooked little thing, so loyal and needy for affection. It was too weak to last." It brushed its fingers in its cloak as the shrieks became more frantic and growls rose like an unnatural rumble. "It's brothers and sister would have devoured it eventually anyway."

Luke swallowed, clenched the hands tight into fists at his side and struggled not to let the monster beside him see. He felt like throwing up. It took all his willpower not to wrench himself free of the figure's oppressing hand on his arm, and just run.

But he couldn't do that.

He had to do this

He had to

The macabre chorus faded behind them as they walked through the dark. The air felt colder, the longer they walked. When they finally came to a stop, he could still hear what was happening behind them. He had to struggle not to look back.

The figure took a heavy breath in, stood for a moment like it was relishing in the atmosphere of this place, and perhaps it was. Luke had never felt the dark side so keenly anchored to a place. There was little light, so there wasn't much to see, but he had never been so cold before.

The monument to the side was just within his vision and he instantly wished it wasn't when he saw the gruesome depiction. Then the figures hand landed on his shoulder as the other gestured in front of them. Luke could not see it from here, but he knew what was hiding in the dark.

He had known from the very beginning.

He shouldn't feel fear now.

Behind him, the shrieks suddenly snapped off. Stopped. The echoes lasted longer, thrown back against the walls fainter and fainter until it faded to nothing. Luke looked back, he couldn't help it, the ripping and tearing in the darkness behind him sounded louder now that the shrieks were gone.

"The weak will always be victims. That is the way of the universe." The figure said with little emotion. "The strong take what they want and the weak suffer at their hands."

Its yellow eyes looked down at Luke with an eagerness that made his skin crawl. "It is inevitable."


Anakin's eyes flickered from Luke to the dead Sith at his feet. His brow furrowed. The familiar blue lightsaber remained in guard position and the eyes above it narrowed. The red blade in his other hand brought back memories Luke didn't want to think about now.

It was difficult for Luke not be overwhelmed at that sight. He had only ever know his father as a man more machine than human. He had of course known that Anakin had not always looked like that, but knowing was different than staring the proof right in the face.

A heaviness fell on him. It was like watching an old dream come to life. It was almost too much to bear. The man in front of him looked nothing like Vader, didn't move like him either. Vader had had a heavy walk as if every step was a struggle, but the man in front of Luke now moved with ease and the steps were light.

Ben had been right from the beginning. Vader and Anakin were two very different people, and one of them had been dead for years.

But still…

Luke could not stop the longing that always hid in the darker corners of his mind from curling around his heart. He locked his eyes on the person that he had never gotten to know. The connection to the force unfurled slowly, driven by that old ache.

For one golden moment, he saw a strong bright light through the force.

Then agony exploded in his mind.

He twisted back from at the vicious attack that came flooding through the connection. Pain was everywhere within and without all at once. It was worst in his hands. It felt like he had shoved them into boiling water and under the scars there was… something alive twisting and turning under his skin.

He ripped away from the assault and slammed connection violently shut. His hands shook uncontrollably, the breath escaped past his lips in pants and his muscle ached to the point where it bordered on pain.

What just happened?! Was the only thought that registered through the shock. He had never experienced pain like that, not even when-

"Who are you?"

Luke snapped back into focus. He shoved the shock away forcefully and tightened his hands around the saber to make them stop shaking.

Anakin had leaned back on his heels, the lightsaber falling slightly from the guarded pose, as he looked Luke up and down. Measuring the threat. There was somehow a practised ease to how he did it. Like running into random force users was an everyday affair to him.

Maybe it was in this age.

Luke took a deep breath, steeling himself. 'Concentrate'. He told himself. 'You can end this right now.' His cloak dragged on the steel floor, making a soft sound behind the gentle hum of the lightsaber as Luke stepped to the side. Anakin sensing the change in the atmosphere leaned forward again into his stance. Both lightsaber's one red and one blue lifted into position.

There was a laziness to it though. It somehow appeared sloppy.

Unfocused.

Luke shifted the weight of his feet thoughtfully. 'He is underestimating me', Luke realized. To be continuously underestimated was a gift in situations like this, but a gift that after countless repetition had become ... irritating.

Looks could be deceiving, as his father would learn.

Luke tensed his shoulders, getting ready. He had always been lacking in physical power partially due to

his height, or rather lack thereof.

He made up for that in speed.

He saw Anakin's eyes widen in surprise, their eyes locked for a second when Luke's green blade rushed at him. Anakin ripped his blades up and blocked at the last second. Luke threw a force blast forward propelling him back out of reach of Anakin's counter attack.

Luke flew several feet back, he saw the room fly past his vision but his feet had barely touched back down on the ground before Anakin had caught up. The strike was so fast Luke only saw it as a blur. The second blow from the red blade Luke would not have seen at all if not for his connection to the force.

He blocked and sidestepped the blow going in for the attack again, keeping up the pressure. The force powered his steps, making him unnaturally fast as he flung around the blue blade coming back. To Anakin it must have looked like Luke simply disappeared, only to reappear behind him.

Anakin threw himself flat to avoid the blade going for his back. He stumbled forward. Luke collected both hands in front of him and threw a force push after his stumbling opponent. He didn't stay long enough to see if he hit his target. Luke turned on the heel and bolted in the other direction, towards his last target.

Towards the monster who had destroyed everything

He saw the glint of yellow in Sidious' eyes, and the sight of purple force lightning coming to life at his fingertips was agonizingly familiar. So was the smell of it.

But this time would be different.

He allowed himself to enjoy the fear that lighted up in the Sith's eyes. Sidious wouldn't be able to call on the lightning in time. By the look of his face, he knew that too.

The blade rushed down.

A shadow moved between them. The stroke for the vulnerable neck was cut short by a blue saber that moved in between them so fast it seemed as though it had appeared out of thin air. The block that met his was so fierce that he stumbled back.

Anakin followed.

This time he wasn't pulling any punches.

It was the single most intimidating duel since Bespin. The blue lightsaber danced around Luke, nicking him when he only barely managed to block in time. The red blade followed like a shadow, forcing Luke on the defensive.

There was no counter-attack that could get past those furiously moving blades, blocking alone was near impossible. Ben had said that Anakin Skywalker had been the best duelist he ever knew, but... reflexes like this were inhuman!

I should have gone for Sidious first.

Horror settled in his heart, when a block came too slow. The red blade rushed for the opening, straight for the heart but stopped at the very last moment when it suddenly couldn't push any further. An invisible force was locking it in place.

The force extended from Luke's lifted hand prevented it from getting any closer.

Luke grit his teeth and pushed back harder, but Anakin wasn't giving an inch. Luke could see the strain caused Anakin's tense arms to shake slightly from keeping up the pressure against that invisible force blocking his path.

But as impossible as it was for Luke to push him back, it was just as impossible for Anakin to break through. Luke curled his fingers slowly, feeling the force close tighter around the blade, but his eyes were on the second blade that was still very much a threat.

But the second strike didn't come. After a moment that seemed to last forever Anakin took a half step back. The blades made a circular motion in Anakin's hands and moved back into the now recognizable stance without removing his attention from Luke. There was a newfound seriousness in his eyes.

Luke had just become a threat.

Luke moved back to, to get his bearings. He swallowed thickly, his heart felt like it had evacuated to somewhere halfway up his throat. He almost died there. If not for that little trick, Yoda taught him so long ago, his father would have killed him.

Anakin knew that too, by the look in his eyes and Luke doubted he would fall for the same trick again.

Then without warning, the blades rushed forward again and Luke struggled to keep up.

This was nowhere near the skill his father had shown when he fought him the first time back on Bespin a lifetime ago. It was the same attack pattern, but this Anakin had not been broken by age or restricted by injuries that forced him to live all his days only through a life-support system.

He was not dueling Vader, Luke thought as he sidestepped a swing that would have taken his arm. He should have realized that already from the precision and speed Anakin had shown in that first block when he thought Luke's blade was going for him.

The only reason Luke was keeping up was because he had fought his father before, knew his movements, his attacks, knew when to block and fall back.

But it wasn't enough.

Anakin looked nowhere near winded, but Luke was struggling to keep up. He threw himself back and barely avoided an impossibly fast strike aimed at his hand.

If it had not been replaced with an artificial hand years ago, he was sure he would have felt the heat of

the blade on his skin. With sickening dread, he realized the truth.

He could not win like this.

The blue and green clashed again in another last minute block. Then there was flash of red at the edge of his vision rushing for his neck. Luke knew he could not stop it this time, he could already feel the burn of the blade against his throat. He flinched expecting the pain.

And nothing.

The red blade had stopped just short of Luke's unprotected neck.

Anakin met his eyes. "Drop it."

Luke hesitated instinctively. He did not want to be defenceless, not in front of this man. He took deep breath in. Clenched his hand at the phantom pain at his wrist.

"I said drop it!" Anakin stepped closer, and blade pulled a little nearer, close enough Luke could feel the heat of it as a painful sting "Now!"

There was a soft metallic sound as the green lightsaber snuffed out in his hand.

Luke reluctantly uncurled his fingers and with a hollow metallic sound the handle of the deactivated lightsaber hit the floor.


To be continued