Chapter 3 - Luke: Fading Faith

Luke still clung stubbornly to his hope that his father would see the good in himself. Yes, he had felt conflict before his father hurled his lightsaber at him on the catwalk, even though it almost killed him. Luke had used the Force to cushion his fall, but his body still ached from it. He had no time to try and heal himself. He felt his father coming for him, so he did the first and only thing he knew he could do to buy time; hide.

Unfortunately for Luke, hiding allowed him far too much time to collect his thoughts, all of which were focused on the trap the Emperor set for the Alliance, and on the safety of his friends. Before he realized what he was doing, he could already sense Vader on his trail, his dark presence bearing down on him as Vader quietly entered Luke's hiding area, sniffing him out.

Luke regained just enough of his abilities to suppress his feelings for a moment, and to conceal his presence.

A bold voice came out of the darkness, the dark power behind it intent on drawing Luke out.

"You cannot hide forever, Luke".

Luke remained true to what he said before, but he had to stall his father in an effort to figure out what to do next. He could think of nothing yet, so in a moment of desperation he threw his voice across the room, calling on the Force to assist him. "I will not fight you." he retorted.

Luke was tired of this confrontation. He was tired of fighting, and tired of running. He thought of all his training on Dagobah, of everything Yoda and Obi-Wan had warned him about Vader and the Emperor. What was it all good for? He suddenly caught his breath when he realized he was thinking this.

I can't take on these two at once. They were already at work trying to destroy everything he fought for. Through the Force, he felt the battle rage outside the Death Star.

Luke found one last, possibly positive way to collect his thoughts that could give him hope. He calmed his mind, trying to become one with the Force.

The darkness and evil in this place is too great, it's so difficult to concentrate, he thought to himself.

Luke tried to focus on his two Masters, Obi-Wan and Yoda; but all he could see through the Force was the past. Obi-Wan had helped him in the past during the battle of Yavin; perhaps he would help him now. Luke listened for Obi-Wan with all of his strength, but he heard nothing. What about Master Yoda? Yoda always seemed to Luke even more powerful than Obi-Wan, maybe Yoda would answer him. He called out desperately to the Force, looking, seeking, searching for guidance, searching for a way out of this.

Luke received no answer through the Force, except one.

He felt a presence in his mind, dark and with malicious intent. It was Vader invading it, sensing not only his presence, but also his thoughts.

This struck immediate fear into Luke. Luke mused that if Vader could read his thoughts this clearly, then he truly was not safe in any sense of the word. Luke was beginning to feel hopelessly trapped. Yoda told him not to underestimate the powers of the Emperor, and until now, Luke did not feel that he had. He had refused to fight Vader after overcoming his fears to face his father in the first place. But how much longer could he continue this confrontation? Luke began to doubt himself, and began considering just how powerful the combined strength of his father and the Emperor really was.

"Give yourself to the Dark Side," came Vader's voice again; it felt almost as though Vader was trying to calm his helpless emotions.

Luke felt he would have been more useful to his friends if he'd stayed on Endor. He felt this confrontation with Vader was hopeless, and Yoda's last order to face Vader useless. Luke tried to erase these thoughts and to remain one with the Force, using it as his ally, but he was too drained from trying to convince his father that he would not become evil.

Having come to terms with the thought that he was not going to make it out of the Death Star alive, Luke made one final effort to keep his thoughts on his friends, but to keep them hidden from Vader.

But Luke had little power left to bury his thoughts as Obi-Wan warned him. He felt Vader invade his mind again. NO!

Vader spoke, in what seemed to be an attempt at reassurance, "It is the only way you can save your friends." Luke now knew quite vividly that Vader could read everything he was thinking, but the more Vader spoke, the more he couldn't help but think about his friends, and the danger they were in.

"Yesss..." Vader said. "Your thoughts betray you, your feelings for them are strong, especially for............."

He couldn't keep Leia out of his head now. She was the only person left who could stop Vader and the Emperor if he failed. Luke couldn't stop the torment his feelings were inflicting upon him. He wondered if he was going mad with these emotions. His useless efforts to stop his father were spiraling downward, and his fears were beginning to be accompanied by another emotion.

Anger.

Luke gasped and his eyes bulged painfully as he realized that Vader knew the truth.

"...sister!"

Luke's eyes began to burn, and his head was spinning. His mind felt as if it was falling into a bottomless, pitch-black chasm from which it could not return.

As cold as ice, Vader's voice came at him again. "So...you have a twin sister!"

Luke felt uncontrollable emotions filling him to the brink with the knowledge that Vader now knew that Leia Organa had been born Leia Skywalker. This was his sister, another child of the former Anakin Skywalker. She was the other half of the only good left in his family, and he had exposed her existence to Vader's evil thoughts. He felt Vader's thoughts focusing solely and greedily on her. He was sure the Emperor heard all of Vader's words as well.

"Your feelings have now betrayed her, too." Vader said, sounding satisfied. Luke made no more effort in hiding his thoughts. He was too petrified. He simply wanted to vanish, he wanted to make all of this go away, to be swept away to a different life, to have his memory erased like a droid's and to pretend none of this ever happened. Luke had come to face Vader fully confident he could turn him away from the Dark Side. But now, for the first time since he faced Vader on Bespin, that confidence had dwindled to nothing. He finally felt like he was in completely over his head.

As Vader continued probing his thoughts, Luke was now focused on his own inner emotions. He felt shamed. Betrayed, as Vader pointed out, by his own mind. If by some chance he survived this situation, how could he explain this to Leia? Or to Han? Or to anyone else in the Alliance?

"Obi-Wan was wise to hide her from me," Vader continued, "Now his failure is complete."

Obi-Wan, Luke thought. He said that Vader was 'more machine now than man, twisted and evil.' In his anguish and torment, Luke began to believe it. Obi-Wan and the Emperor were right, and Luke was wrong about his father. Vader could not be turned.

Luke felt the tears well up in his eyes at his failure. The simple fact that Vader now knew about his sister was enough to send him over the edge. Just when Luke thought he could not take any more of Vader's taunting and provoking of his seemingly hopeless situation, he heard Vader turn his head the other direction as he spoke, but Luke continued to listen and heard the words clearly.

"If you will not turn to the Dark Side..." Vader started...

Luke snapped. He knew what was coming, and suddenly he felt cold, angry, excited, aggressive, and full of power. It was a horrible, incredible power that rushed through him like a tidal wave. When Vader spoke the second half of his thought...

"...then perhaps she will."

...Luke let the power embrace him.

This man is truly evil and I am going to destroy him, no matter the means.

Luke no longer cared about himself. He didn't care about the Emperor...nor about the Empire, the Alliance, or Yoda and Obi-Wan's teachings. All he could think of was sweet, kind and loving Leia; and how Vader could not be allowed to do something so evil to her. He had already done enough to Luke.

Luke felt the power running through him like a river, and sank deeper into it, letting it guide him, as he boldly stood up from his hiding place, screaming "Never!" and igniting his lightsaber. Luke closed the distance on his father rapidly.

The Dark Side was with him.