Vader took his time strolling casually around the fallen bookshelf. The sounds of humming lightsabers and mechanical wheezing stole the moment.

Leia took deep breaths to calm her nerves.

The distance finally closed, Vader faked a few strikes to tease the princess. She fought back flinches, tensed for her impending doom.

"You're toying with me," she said.

Vader said nothing.

She jabbed at him, but he blocked and shoved her backward, then stepped in and swung at her. Leia stumbled back over Luke, but kept her balance. Luke groaned as Vader stepped over him, paying him no mind.

Darth Vader struck for the princess repeatedly, but she batted each strike away. Leia stepped in and stabbed at Vader's chest, but he slapped her blade away, then tapped her arm with the edge of his saber, scorching her, but not badly.

She cried out and dropped the saber, bringing Luke to full consciousness. Vader stopped and watched her sink to her knees, then reached out with his hand.

Leia clutched at her throat, the passage to her lungs suddenly sealed off. She heard nothing but a deep rumble that rattled the air around her. As she began to fade out she saw Luke rise quickly from the ground. He eased silently onto the back of the fallen bookshelf, jumped up, and kicked Vader across the side of his helmet. Vader staggered, Luke fell, and Leia passed out as her breath returned to her.

Luke rolled over toward Leia, scooped up his saber, and snapped it on just in time to block Vader's red, searing blade.

Luke took one deep breath and oozed into the force consciousness right before Vader erupted into action, his power easing Luke toward the shattered window wall. Luke let the force guide his saber to swiftly block each attempt, but at the same time it made him fully aware of Vader's even more powerful connection with the force. He realized that he would not beat Vader by trying to think like a warrior.