Chapter XIX - Showdown Three: Krad the Destroyer vs. Anakin Skywalker
/There is no emotion; there is peace. There is no ignorance; there is knowledge. There is no passion; there is serenity. There is no chaos; there is order. There is no death; there is the Force./
Anakin took silent comfort from these words as he strode down the halls of the Executor, S'kina at his side, Luke in his arms. Pitched battle went on around them as stormtroopers charged by him, intent on their goal, or exchanged fire with the Mandalorians that infested his ship. But he was oblivious to it as he walked on toward the medical bay.
"Krad is in the sick bay," S'kina whispered. "I feel him."
"I know," he replied.
She clutched her gaderffi. "How could he hurt Luke like this?"
"Do not let your anger overcome you," he cautioned. "That was my downfall -- and Krad's. It is the path to the dark side."
The medical bay doors slid open, and to Anakin's surprise two of the beds were occupied. At one, three stormtroopers watched over Admiral Piett, who was staring vacantly at nothing and moving one hand in front of his face. Boba Fett and Liz sat on the other, Liz holding their baby, Fett with a bacta wrap on his right arm from shoulder to elbow. And in the center of the room, staring at him with a barely contained blend of hatred and anticipation, was Krad.
"Lord Vader," he crooned. "At last we meet again."
Anakin walked calmly past him and lay Luke upon an empty bed. Immediately a medical droid set to work connecting him to various monitors while S'kina drew up a chair to sit by his side.
"So Lord Vader retains some emotion," Krad noted. "Love for his son."
"Yes," Anakin replied calmly, combing his fingers through Luke's hair before straightening and turning to face Krad. "I love him. I would rather you had killed me outright than done what you did to him."
Krad smiled smugly. "And I suppose you want to see me suffer for that, don't you?" He removed a horn-handled lightsaber from his belt. "Go on then. Do your worst. It will be nothing compared to what I have already endured at your hand."
Anakin silently grieved for the young man. He remembered glimpsing the boy as a terrified four-year-old, standing by his mother's side and clutching her robes as they waited their turn at the Imperial butcher block. How that innocence had been brutally shattered in an instant, how the dark side had hardened his heart and consumed his soul. He found he didn't hate Krad, only sorrowed at his fate and his hand in bringing it about.
"I am not here for vengeance, Krad. I am here to offer forgiveness to you. I harbor no anger toward you and forgive what you have done. I only hope you can forgive me for what I have done to you."
Krad's jaw snapped open as he was totally taken aback by Anakin's words.
"How old are you now, Krad? In your early twenties, I presume. Ah, yes. You are much like I was at your age. I, too, hated one who I felt was responsible for my pain. I, too, was filled with anger and the lust for revenge. And that anger very nearly destroyed me."
An explosion of the Force shattered the medical bay's bacta tank -- which was thankfully vacant -- and sprayed the fluid all over the room. Krad's eyes sparkled with fury.
"Don't you dare compare me to you!"
"I only want to caution you, Krad. Anger, fear, impatience, aggression, vengeance... they are of the dark side. If left unchecked, they will devour you as I was devoured."
"My anger makes me strong!"
Anakin cringed, hearing his own words coming out of the young man's mouth. "But at what cost? The dark side's power is easy and swift to obey you, but it is as seductive and addictive as spice. The farther down the dark path you stray, the harder it is to throw off the chains of the dark side. In time, it will enslave you."
Krad's chest billowed in and out, and the muscles in his face went taut as he set his jaw firmly.
"It's not too late, son of Zorn. You can be freed if you so chose. You can still rejoin the light." He offered a hand. "Let go of your hate."
There was a flicker of uncertainty in those gray eyes, and for a wildly hopeful moment Anakin thought he had managed to penetrate the darkness. But an instant later he thumbed on his lightsaber and raised the silver blade high.
"I WILL NEVER LET GO!" he screamed.
Anakin hurriedly switched on his own saber and blocked the swing, gray and blue blades grating against each other with a terrifying snarl of sound.
"You killed my mother," Krad hissed through gritted teeth. "And only when you lie dead at my feet will her soul rest."
"No, Krad," Anakin replied as calmly as if they had been discussing the matter over drinks. "She mourns for you, for the state of your soul. Her desire is for you to put away your anger."
"How would you know?" he demanded, slashing again. In his fury he was making no professional cuts or drills, only hacking madly at Anakin's defenses.
"She spoke to me."
Krad paused, confused. Another foe would have pressed the advantage then, but Anakin held back, waiting.
"I think you are lying," Krad said finally, though he didn't sound definite.
"What motivation do I have to lie to you?"
"You are cowardly and cunning," Krad snarled, "and will do anything to avoid paying for your crimes."
"I have already paid. I am paying still and will always pay. Everything I have done to someone else, I feel ten times over."
Krad surprised him with a complicated cyclone maneuver. It was tempting to wait for the expected opening and give a disabling blow, but Anakin kept solely on defense. He'd sworn not to harm Krad and had no intention of breaking that oath.
"Someone's gonna lose an eye quick," one of the stormtroopers muttered.
"Shut up, Dodger," snapped another.
Anakin knew he had to take this battle out of the medical bay before an innocent bystander was injured. When Krad took a low swing at his legs, he struck him under the chin with his saber's hilt and left him momentarily dazed. He took advantage of the moment and quickly ran into the hallway.
Krad joined him there within seconds, laughing. "Run if you want, Vader, but I'll have your blood sooner or later," he hissed, having misinterpreted Anakin's diversion. "You owe me a life, and there is but one way to repay that."
"You don't have to do this," he replied. "What will killing me accomplish? It will not put an end to your pain. It will only accelerate your fall to darkness." He paused to parry a blow. "If I kill you now, oblivion will take your spirit. But if this mortal body dies at your hand, I will live on in the Force."
He sensed the danger almost too late and fell to his knees just as a loose floor panel whizzed over his head like a guillotine. Krad's eyes went wide as the missle hurtled toward him, and he hurriedly batted it aside with the Force. Then he brought his lightsaber down on Anakin like a battle-axe, only to have a glowing rod of sapphire intercept it.
/Tell me I wasn't THIS stubborn when Luke tried to turn me back/ Anakin thought in frustration.
--------
Luke scowled at the darkness, growing irritated. For the past several hours he'd been trying to touch... something, but wasn't having much success. There wasn't so much as a glimmer of the Force responding to his entreaty.
/Calm down, Skywalker!/ he ordered. /You're trying too hard! Don't try to recover it all at once! Start small!/
Since his messy encounter with Krad it seemed as if he'd been ripped loose from reality as he knew it and set adrift in a black void, catching the briefest snatches of vision and sound. At first he had simply mourned, screaming mentally, clinging to the very edge of sanity and railing at his fate. But soon reason had overtaken sorrow, and he cast about for some means of regaining the Force.
/The Force will always be with you, Luke. Always./
Always with him? But if that were so, how could he be stripped of it so easily? Unless Krad hadn't removed it.
That had to be the answer. The Force was still there; he'd simply been cut off from it. Like S'kina's illusions, the blankness was meant to make him believe he'd lost the Force permanently. Simply a barrier, he theorized, one that he could -- hopefully -- break down.
/Father?/ he tried. /Father!/
No answer.
/Leia?/ he inquired. /If you hear me, please answer./
Only silence greeted him.
S'kina's hand touched his brow. Could he reach her? She was very close. It shouldn't be a big effort.
/S'kina!/ he called, putting all his strength behind the sending. /Hear me!/
Repeatedly he cried her name, seeking to bridge the void between them. He sweated with the effort, and squiggles of light danced before his eyes as he clenched them shut in concentration. Where he had once been able to touch a mind halfway across the galaxy, it now took all his strength to even attempt to reach someone standing right next to him.
/S'kina... I love you!/ He put all his emotion, all his strength, behind that statement.
The barrier lurched, reformed, held strong -- and shattered.
/Luke!/ Her hand tightened on his. /You have recovered! You are all right!/
A mind-touch had never felt so wonderful before.
/I love you/ he said again, more gently this time.
/And I you./
It was like being immersed in water after crossing the Dune Sea, like being granted sight after being blinded. He basked in the Force until its flow threatened to carry him away, reveling in its feel. Then he reached out -- effortlessly, it seemed -- to touch his family and Padawans.
/Luke!/ Leia sobbed. /You've recovered!/
/I'll see you again very soon, my sister. I love you./
/Master Luke!/ chorused the adult Padawans.
/How fares Mos Eisley?/
/The pirates attacked en masse, but we've beaten them back and they're retreating as we speak/ Chyna replied.
/And I doubt they'll come back/ Xna added with satisfaction.
/Master Skywalker!/ the children cheered. /You're back!/
/Sit tight, younglings. We'll all be home soon./
/Luke./ Anakin's tone was heavy with relief. /I feared I'd lost you./
/I'm pretty hard to lose./ Then he frowned at the proximity of his father's voice. /Where exactly are you?/
/Aboard the Executor, which is in orbit above Tatooine./
Luke shot bolt upright as memory returned in a rush. Anakin was fighting Krad! He had to do something! He grabbed his lightsaber and leaped out of bed, oblivious to the fact that he was still connected to life-reading monitors and dragging several down in his haste.
/If you get out of this alive, Father, I'm going to station an entire battalion of stealth troopers right next to your apartment!/
/Do that and face my landlady's wrath./
/Hold tight. I'm coming for you./
/I must tell you, Luke -- while you were unconcious.../ The thought was cut off with a jab of pain, and Luke realized Krad must have wounded him while he was distracted.
/Don't try to talk to me. Just concentrate on staying in one piece./
"Luke, your father..." began Liz.
"I know," he replied. "Which way did they go?"
"Toward the main docking bay," a stormtrooper offered.
"Thank you... ah..."
"My number is TK-577," he replied proudly. "And my comrades are TK-333 and TK- 409. At your service, Master Skywalker."
Luke's gaze flickered toward Piett, who was still staring absently at his hand. "Are you going to be okay, Admiral?"
"I think my sight's returning," Piett noted. "I'm starting to make out shadows."
Satisfied by that answer, Luke began to leave.
"Wait for me," S'kina declared. "I promised you I would fight at your side."
He smiled. "Thank you."
"We're going with you," 333 put in. "It's our duty to protect Anakin."
"As long as he doesn't go name-happy like that Krad guy," 409 muttered.
They charged out of the medical bay, only to run into a pack of Mandalorians who seemed hell-bent on leaving the Stardestroyer. Luke drew his saber, but they charged on past without pause. Several dozen stormtroopers were at their heels, herding them along.
"Wait, you six!" Luke called, stopping the stealth troopers that were at the tail end of the pack. "I want you to accompany me."
"Roger, sir," one of them agreed.
They moved on. Blaster fire echoed all around them as troopers and mercenaries warred for supremacy or mere survival. Several times their progress was halted by packs of the warriors, and several times they were forced to engage in battle themselves before they could proceed.
"This has got to be the galaxy's slowest rescue," Luke grumbled.
"Keep your robes on, sir," 409 advised. "We're almost there."
Unfortunately, a dozen Mandalorians awaited them at the hangar entrance. They opened fire immediately, and Luke and S'kina were hard pressed to block the hail of blaster bolts pouring at them like a fiery wind. Their own troops fired back, taking down the lead warrior but not doing much damage to the rest.
The ominous clang of footsteps on durasteel echoed behind them. Not more Mandalorians! Luke turned to face the new intruders. Instead of mercenaries, over fifty stormtroopers moved toward them at a jog, weapons ready. Their timing was perfect! One of their companions must have commed for reinforcements.
"Surrender," one of the newcomers ordered. "Weapons down and hands up."
"Let's make a run for it!" hissed one Mandalorian.
"I'm not going in there with the boss and Vader hacking at each other," another growled. Quite reluctantly they all lowered their weapons and surrendered to a man.
Luke saluted their reinforcements. "Thank you, gentlemen. Without you..."
But in the blink of an eye their benefactors vanished.
The stealth troopers were unfazed, knowing the Force when they saw it. But 577, 333, and 409 were agape.
"Thanks, S'kina," Luke murmured.
"Anytime," she replied with a shrug. "Let's go to your father."
"You three, comm for reinforcements, real ones this time," Luke ordered. "The rest of you follow me."
---------
Anakin leaned against the crates for support, keeping out of Krad's sight. Sweat slimed his skin beneath his armor, and a long narrow burn from left shoulder to left hip throbbed in pain. He was losing this battle, both physically and spiritually. For now it was only a matter of time before Krad mortally wounded him -- and lost his soul in the process.
"You cannot hide forever, Vader," Krad taunted, pacing before a docked TIE.
"I will not fight you," Anakin replied. "And for the tenth time, my name is Anakin."
A mirthless chuckle. "Names are merely words, labels we fix to people and things to categorize them. You can go by Vader or Anakin, but it does not change who you are."
Anakin winced as rivulets of perspiration ran into his eyes, stinging them. He wished he could wipe his brow.
"Do not think your pretty words will change my mind," Krad said fiercely. "I've awaited this moment for nearly twenty years. I've planned too much, suffered too much, lost too much to fail now."
"Exactly," Anakin replied. "You have lost too much. You have lost so much through your anger. The dark side offers nothing of value, only drains like a mynock on a power cable. If you continue to let it control you, it will drain your soul."
"Speak for yourself," Krad hissed. "You're the one who seems to have been sucked dry of your soul." He paused. "No. Not entirely dry. There is a sliver of it left. The smallest particle, but enough for you to harbor feelings for your son."
He gripped the crates for support. Krad wouldn't...
"Yes, I sense he has the Force with him again," the Kruvexian continued. "He's managed to break down the block I placed. And he comes this way. Well, I suppose if you will not give yourself to me, I will destroy Luke. A proper vengeance, I must say. A loved one for a loved one."
/No!/ Anakin thought frantically. /It's a trick. He's trying to get you to come out of hiding that he may murder you.../
There was a loud sizzle, and belatedly he realized his moment of fear had given away his location. He flung himself aside as the silver blade sliced through the stack of boxes that had concealed him. The slash angled to the side when Krad sensed his quarry had changed position. In defense Anakin used the Force to send the crates flying in every direction, and Krad tumbled to the deck.
"Good, Vader," he grinned, springing to his feet. "But not good enough." He assumed a defensive stance. "Come fight me. I'm ready for you."
Anakin stepped out of the jumble of crates. "No," he said quietly.
Krad regarded him curiously. "No?"
He deactivated his lightsaber and tossed it to the floor. "I have no wish to further harm you, Krad. And it is obvious that I cannot escape this battle through fighting. So I elect to put my weapon away." He stood at ease, hands hanging loosely at his sides. "The choice is now yours. You may kill me, a choice that may temporarily quench your lust to kill but will forever sever you from the light. Or you may put away your hatred and renounce the dark side, an option that will heal your inner wounds and, in the long run, reunite you with Zorn."
Krad stared at him a long time, expression a mix of suspicion, confusion, and consideration. Anakin waited, hopeful. He'd realized that fighting Krad was only making things worse, for Krad fully expected him to die fighting. But striking down an unarmed, unprotesting man was another matter entirely. Had he sunk to that level?
With deliberate caution he extinguished his blade and bent down to set it on the deck. Anakin watched every move and felt his guard relax a bit.
But his foe struck with lightning speed, screaming, raking his claws across Anakin's chest. Stunned, he staggered a few steps, only for a knee in the gut to bring him to his knees. Fire ripped down his back as Krad tore at him yet again.
"I don't need a weapon," he hissed. "I'll kill you bare-handed."
Anakin's eyes bulged as an invisible grip tightened about his throat like iron talons. He thrashed on the deck in panic, fighting for air. Krad's maniacal laugh rang in his ears, and darkness gnawed at the edges of his vision as his oxygen-starved lungs burned in agony.
Suddenly his attacker's laughter became a surprised howl as blaster fire crackled in the air. Anakin saw -- but strangely, couldn't sense -- a cluster of stormtroopers firing on the Kruvexian. Krad called his lightsaber to him with the Force, but it was too late.
The grip on Anakin's throat shattered, and he gasped in air. He wanted to scream for the stealth troopers to stop their attack, but he couldn't get the words out. He could only watch as first the soldiers, then Luke and S'kina attacked and overwhelmed Krad. His death scream, a cry of extreme anger and pain, would always haunt him.
He'd failed. He'd tried, but it was for naught. Another innocent had lost all thanks to his actions. He pulled himself to his hands and knees and retched violently, sick of war, sick of death, sick of his past continuing to surface and bringing violence with it.
"Father?" Luke knelt and put his arm around Anakin's shoulders. He hissed in pain, and Luke hurriedly moved his arm away from the deep scratches.
"Zorn appeared to me while you were comatose," Anakin said, continuing to gasp for air. "She wanted me to help her son back to the light..."
"And you tried," Luke replied. "But he had to choose to change. You couldn't force him."
"Luke!"
The Skywalkers looked up to see a man in a Rogue pilot flightsuit jogging into the docking bay.
"Wedge!" Luke exclaimed. "Am I glad to see you!"
The Rogue commander cracked a smile. "I don't think you'll be quite as glad when you learn why I was sent to the Executor."
"What do you mean?" demanded Luke.
"I'm sorry, Luke, but I've been ordered to place your father under arrest for violating the terms of his exile."
/There is no emotion; there is peace. There is no ignorance; there is knowledge. There is no passion; there is serenity. There is no chaos; there is order. There is no death; there is the Force./
Anakin took silent comfort from these words as he strode down the halls of the Executor, S'kina at his side, Luke in his arms. Pitched battle went on around them as stormtroopers charged by him, intent on their goal, or exchanged fire with the Mandalorians that infested his ship. But he was oblivious to it as he walked on toward the medical bay.
"Krad is in the sick bay," S'kina whispered. "I feel him."
"I know," he replied.
She clutched her gaderffi. "How could he hurt Luke like this?"
"Do not let your anger overcome you," he cautioned. "That was my downfall -- and Krad's. It is the path to the dark side."
The medical bay doors slid open, and to Anakin's surprise two of the beds were occupied. At one, three stormtroopers watched over Admiral Piett, who was staring vacantly at nothing and moving one hand in front of his face. Boba Fett and Liz sat on the other, Liz holding their baby, Fett with a bacta wrap on his right arm from shoulder to elbow. And in the center of the room, staring at him with a barely contained blend of hatred and anticipation, was Krad.
"Lord Vader," he crooned. "At last we meet again."
Anakin walked calmly past him and lay Luke upon an empty bed. Immediately a medical droid set to work connecting him to various monitors while S'kina drew up a chair to sit by his side.
"So Lord Vader retains some emotion," Krad noted. "Love for his son."
"Yes," Anakin replied calmly, combing his fingers through Luke's hair before straightening and turning to face Krad. "I love him. I would rather you had killed me outright than done what you did to him."
Krad smiled smugly. "And I suppose you want to see me suffer for that, don't you?" He removed a horn-handled lightsaber from his belt. "Go on then. Do your worst. It will be nothing compared to what I have already endured at your hand."
Anakin silently grieved for the young man. He remembered glimpsing the boy as a terrified four-year-old, standing by his mother's side and clutching her robes as they waited their turn at the Imperial butcher block. How that innocence had been brutally shattered in an instant, how the dark side had hardened his heart and consumed his soul. He found he didn't hate Krad, only sorrowed at his fate and his hand in bringing it about.
"I am not here for vengeance, Krad. I am here to offer forgiveness to you. I harbor no anger toward you and forgive what you have done. I only hope you can forgive me for what I have done to you."
Krad's jaw snapped open as he was totally taken aback by Anakin's words.
"How old are you now, Krad? In your early twenties, I presume. Ah, yes. You are much like I was at your age. I, too, hated one who I felt was responsible for my pain. I, too, was filled with anger and the lust for revenge. And that anger very nearly destroyed me."
An explosion of the Force shattered the medical bay's bacta tank -- which was thankfully vacant -- and sprayed the fluid all over the room. Krad's eyes sparkled with fury.
"Don't you dare compare me to you!"
"I only want to caution you, Krad. Anger, fear, impatience, aggression, vengeance... they are of the dark side. If left unchecked, they will devour you as I was devoured."
"My anger makes me strong!"
Anakin cringed, hearing his own words coming out of the young man's mouth. "But at what cost? The dark side's power is easy and swift to obey you, but it is as seductive and addictive as spice. The farther down the dark path you stray, the harder it is to throw off the chains of the dark side. In time, it will enslave you."
Krad's chest billowed in and out, and the muscles in his face went taut as he set his jaw firmly.
"It's not too late, son of Zorn. You can be freed if you so chose. You can still rejoin the light." He offered a hand. "Let go of your hate."
There was a flicker of uncertainty in those gray eyes, and for a wildly hopeful moment Anakin thought he had managed to penetrate the darkness. But an instant later he thumbed on his lightsaber and raised the silver blade high.
"I WILL NEVER LET GO!" he screamed.
Anakin hurriedly switched on his own saber and blocked the swing, gray and blue blades grating against each other with a terrifying snarl of sound.
"You killed my mother," Krad hissed through gritted teeth. "And only when you lie dead at my feet will her soul rest."
"No, Krad," Anakin replied as calmly as if they had been discussing the matter over drinks. "She mourns for you, for the state of your soul. Her desire is for you to put away your anger."
"How would you know?" he demanded, slashing again. In his fury he was making no professional cuts or drills, only hacking madly at Anakin's defenses.
"She spoke to me."
Krad paused, confused. Another foe would have pressed the advantage then, but Anakin held back, waiting.
"I think you are lying," Krad said finally, though he didn't sound definite.
"What motivation do I have to lie to you?"
"You are cowardly and cunning," Krad snarled, "and will do anything to avoid paying for your crimes."
"I have already paid. I am paying still and will always pay. Everything I have done to someone else, I feel ten times over."
Krad surprised him with a complicated cyclone maneuver. It was tempting to wait for the expected opening and give a disabling blow, but Anakin kept solely on defense. He'd sworn not to harm Krad and had no intention of breaking that oath.
"Someone's gonna lose an eye quick," one of the stormtroopers muttered.
"Shut up, Dodger," snapped another.
Anakin knew he had to take this battle out of the medical bay before an innocent bystander was injured. When Krad took a low swing at his legs, he struck him under the chin with his saber's hilt and left him momentarily dazed. He took advantage of the moment and quickly ran into the hallway.
Krad joined him there within seconds, laughing. "Run if you want, Vader, but I'll have your blood sooner or later," he hissed, having misinterpreted Anakin's diversion. "You owe me a life, and there is but one way to repay that."
"You don't have to do this," he replied. "What will killing me accomplish? It will not put an end to your pain. It will only accelerate your fall to darkness." He paused to parry a blow. "If I kill you now, oblivion will take your spirit. But if this mortal body dies at your hand, I will live on in the Force."
He sensed the danger almost too late and fell to his knees just as a loose floor panel whizzed over his head like a guillotine. Krad's eyes went wide as the missle hurtled toward him, and he hurriedly batted it aside with the Force. Then he brought his lightsaber down on Anakin like a battle-axe, only to have a glowing rod of sapphire intercept it.
/Tell me I wasn't THIS stubborn when Luke tried to turn me back/ Anakin thought in frustration.
--------
Luke scowled at the darkness, growing irritated. For the past several hours he'd been trying to touch... something, but wasn't having much success. There wasn't so much as a glimmer of the Force responding to his entreaty.
/Calm down, Skywalker!/ he ordered. /You're trying too hard! Don't try to recover it all at once! Start small!/
Since his messy encounter with Krad it seemed as if he'd been ripped loose from reality as he knew it and set adrift in a black void, catching the briefest snatches of vision and sound. At first he had simply mourned, screaming mentally, clinging to the very edge of sanity and railing at his fate. But soon reason had overtaken sorrow, and he cast about for some means of regaining the Force.
/The Force will always be with you, Luke. Always./
Always with him? But if that were so, how could he be stripped of it so easily? Unless Krad hadn't removed it.
That had to be the answer. The Force was still there; he'd simply been cut off from it. Like S'kina's illusions, the blankness was meant to make him believe he'd lost the Force permanently. Simply a barrier, he theorized, one that he could -- hopefully -- break down.
/Father?/ he tried. /Father!/
No answer.
/Leia?/ he inquired. /If you hear me, please answer./
Only silence greeted him.
S'kina's hand touched his brow. Could he reach her? She was very close. It shouldn't be a big effort.
/S'kina!/ he called, putting all his strength behind the sending. /Hear me!/
Repeatedly he cried her name, seeking to bridge the void between them. He sweated with the effort, and squiggles of light danced before his eyes as he clenched them shut in concentration. Where he had once been able to touch a mind halfway across the galaxy, it now took all his strength to even attempt to reach someone standing right next to him.
/S'kina... I love you!/ He put all his emotion, all his strength, behind that statement.
The barrier lurched, reformed, held strong -- and shattered.
/Luke!/ Her hand tightened on his. /You have recovered! You are all right!/
A mind-touch had never felt so wonderful before.
/I love you/ he said again, more gently this time.
/And I you./
It was like being immersed in water after crossing the Dune Sea, like being granted sight after being blinded. He basked in the Force until its flow threatened to carry him away, reveling in its feel. Then he reached out -- effortlessly, it seemed -- to touch his family and Padawans.
/Luke!/ Leia sobbed. /You've recovered!/
/I'll see you again very soon, my sister. I love you./
/Master Luke!/ chorused the adult Padawans.
/How fares Mos Eisley?/
/The pirates attacked en masse, but we've beaten them back and they're retreating as we speak/ Chyna replied.
/And I doubt they'll come back/ Xna added with satisfaction.
/Master Skywalker!/ the children cheered. /You're back!/
/Sit tight, younglings. We'll all be home soon./
/Luke./ Anakin's tone was heavy with relief. /I feared I'd lost you./
/I'm pretty hard to lose./ Then he frowned at the proximity of his father's voice. /Where exactly are you?/
/Aboard the Executor, which is in orbit above Tatooine./
Luke shot bolt upright as memory returned in a rush. Anakin was fighting Krad! He had to do something! He grabbed his lightsaber and leaped out of bed, oblivious to the fact that he was still connected to life-reading monitors and dragging several down in his haste.
/If you get out of this alive, Father, I'm going to station an entire battalion of stealth troopers right next to your apartment!/
/Do that and face my landlady's wrath./
/Hold tight. I'm coming for you./
/I must tell you, Luke -- while you were unconcious.../ The thought was cut off with a jab of pain, and Luke realized Krad must have wounded him while he was distracted.
/Don't try to talk to me. Just concentrate on staying in one piece./
"Luke, your father..." began Liz.
"I know," he replied. "Which way did they go?"
"Toward the main docking bay," a stormtrooper offered.
"Thank you... ah..."
"My number is TK-577," he replied proudly. "And my comrades are TK-333 and TK- 409. At your service, Master Skywalker."
Luke's gaze flickered toward Piett, who was still staring absently at his hand. "Are you going to be okay, Admiral?"
"I think my sight's returning," Piett noted. "I'm starting to make out shadows."
Satisfied by that answer, Luke began to leave.
"Wait for me," S'kina declared. "I promised you I would fight at your side."
He smiled. "Thank you."
"We're going with you," 333 put in. "It's our duty to protect Anakin."
"As long as he doesn't go name-happy like that Krad guy," 409 muttered.
They charged out of the medical bay, only to run into a pack of Mandalorians who seemed hell-bent on leaving the Stardestroyer. Luke drew his saber, but they charged on past without pause. Several dozen stormtroopers were at their heels, herding them along.
"Wait, you six!" Luke called, stopping the stealth troopers that were at the tail end of the pack. "I want you to accompany me."
"Roger, sir," one of them agreed.
They moved on. Blaster fire echoed all around them as troopers and mercenaries warred for supremacy or mere survival. Several times their progress was halted by packs of the warriors, and several times they were forced to engage in battle themselves before they could proceed.
"This has got to be the galaxy's slowest rescue," Luke grumbled.
"Keep your robes on, sir," 409 advised. "We're almost there."
Unfortunately, a dozen Mandalorians awaited them at the hangar entrance. They opened fire immediately, and Luke and S'kina were hard pressed to block the hail of blaster bolts pouring at them like a fiery wind. Their own troops fired back, taking down the lead warrior but not doing much damage to the rest.
The ominous clang of footsteps on durasteel echoed behind them. Not more Mandalorians! Luke turned to face the new intruders. Instead of mercenaries, over fifty stormtroopers moved toward them at a jog, weapons ready. Their timing was perfect! One of their companions must have commed for reinforcements.
"Surrender," one of the newcomers ordered. "Weapons down and hands up."
"Let's make a run for it!" hissed one Mandalorian.
"I'm not going in there with the boss and Vader hacking at each other," another growled. Quite reluctantly they all lowered their weapons and surrendered to a man.
Luke saluted their reinforcements. "Thank you, gentlemen. Without you..."
But in the blink of an eye their benefactors vanished.
The stealth troopers were unfazed, knowing the Force when they saw it. But 577, 333, and 409 were agape.
"Thanks, S'kina," Luke murmured.
"Anytime," she replied with a shrug. "Let's go to your father."
"You three, comm for reinforcements, real ones this time," Luke ordered. "The rest of you follow me."
---------
Anakin leaned against the crates for support, keeping out of Krad's sight. Sweat slimed his skin beneath his armor, and a long narrow burn from left shoulder to left hip throbbed in pain. He was losing this battle, both physically and spiritually. For now it was only a matter of time before Krad mortally wounded him -- and lost his soul in the process.
"You cannot hide forever, Vader," Krad taunted, pacing before a docked TIE.
"I will not fight you," Anakin replied. "And for the tenth time, my name is Anakin."
A mirthless chuckle. "Names are merely words, labels we fix to people and things to categorize them. You can go by Vader or Anakin, but it does not change who you are."
Anakin winced as rivulets of perspiration ran into his eyes, stinging them. He wished he could wipe his brow.
"Do not think your pretty words will change my mind," Krad said fiercely. "I've awaited this moment for nearly twenty years. I've planned too much, suffered too much, lost too much to fail now."
"Exactly," Anakin replied. "You have lost too much. You have lost so much through your anger. The dark side offers nothing of value, only drains like a mynock on a power cable. If you continue to let it control you, it will drain your soul."
"Speak for yourself," Krad hissed. "You're the one who seems to have been sucked dry of your soul." He paused. "No. Not entirely dry. There is a sliver of it left. The smallest particle, but enough for you to harbor feelings for your son."
He gripped the crates for support. Krad wouldn't...
"Yes, I sense he has the Force with him again," the Kruvexian continued. "He's managed to break down the block I placed. And he comes this way. Well, I suppose if you will not give yourself to me, I will destroy Luke. A proper vengeance, I must say. A loved one for a loved one."
/No!/ Anakin thought frantically. /It's a trick. He's trying to get you to come out of hiding that he may murder you.../
There was a loud sizzle, and belatedly he realized his moment of fear had given away his location. He flung himself aside as the silver blade sliced through the stack of boxes that had concealed him. The slash angled to the side when Krad sensed his quarry had changed position. In defense Anakin used the Force to send the crates flying in every direction, and Krad tumbled to the deck.
"Good, Vader," he grinned, springing to his feet. "But not good enough." He assumed a defensive stance. "Come fight me. I'm ready for you."
Anakin stepped out of the jumble of crates. "No," he said quietly.
Krad regarded him curiously. "No?"
He deactivated his lightsaber and tossed it to the floor. "I have no wish to further harm you, Krad. And it is obvious that I cannot escape this battle through fighting. So I elect to put my weapon away." He stood at ease, hands hanging loosely at his sides. "The choice is now yours. You may kill me, a choice that may temporarily quench your lust to kill but will forever sever you from the light. Or you may put away your hatred and renounce the dark side, an option that will heal your inner wounds and, in the long run, reunite you with Zorn."
Krad stared at him a long time, expression a mix of suspicion, confusion, and consideration. Anakin waited, hopeful. He'd realized that fighting Krad was only making things worse, for Krad fully expected him to die fighting. But striking down an unarmed, unprotesting man was another matter entirely. Had he sunk to that level?
With deliberate caution he extinguished his blade and bent down to set it on the deck. Anakin watched every move and felt his guard relax a bit.
But his foe struck with lightning speed, screaming, raking his claws across Anakin's chest. Stunned, he staggered a few steps, only for a knee in the gut to bring him to his knees. Fire ripped down his back as Krad tore at him yet again.
"I don't need a weapon," he hissed. "I'll kill you bare-handed."
Anakin's eyes bulged as an invisible grip tightened about his throat like iron talons. He thrashed on the deck in panic, fighting for air. Krad's maniacal laugh rang in his ears, and darkness gnawed at the edges of his vision as his oxygen-starved lungs burned in agony.
Suddenly his attacker's laughter became a surprised howl as blaster fire crackled in the air. Anakin saw -- but strangely, couldn't sense -- a cluster of stormtroopers firing on the Kruvexian. Krad called his lightsaber to him with the Force, but it was too late.
The grip on Anakin's throat shattered, and he gasped in air. He wanted to scream for the stealth troopers to stop their attack, but he couldn't get the words out. He could only watch as first the soldiers, then Luke and S'kina attacked and overwhelmed Krad. His death scream, a cry of extreme anger and pain, would always haunt him.
He'd failed. He'd tried, but it was for naught. Another innocent had lost all thanks to his actions. He pulled himself to his hands and knees and retched violently, sick of war, sick of death, sick of his past continuing to surface and bringing violence with it.
"Father?" Luke knelt and put his arm around Anakin's shoulders. He hissed in pain, and Luke hurriedly moved his arm away from the deep scratches.
"Zorn appeared to me while you were comatose," Anakin said, continuing to gasp for air. "She wanted me to help her son back to the light..."
"And you tried," Luke replied. "But he had to choose to change. You couldn't force him."
"Luke!"
The Skywalkers looked up to see a man in a Rogue pilot flightsuit jogging into the docking bay.
"Wedge!" Luke exclaimed. "Am I glad to see you!"
The Rogue commander cracked a smile. "I don't think you'll be quite as glad when you learn why I was sent to the Executor."
"What do you mean?" demanded Luke.
"I'm sorry, Luke, but I've been ordered to place your father under arrest for violating the terms of his exile."