Chapter 21 – A Collision of Fates
The blast of Force energy that exploded out of nowhere to slam into Obi-Wan came imprinted with a signature all too familiar to Darth Vader in its source if not in the intensity of its passion. That passion carried a warning of its own, electrifying every nerve and circuit in Vader's body with an urgent sense that he was the true target of the new and deadly threat charging at his back. Responding on instinct alone, Vader instantly disregarded the winded Jedi and spun hard to the right with his lightsaber forcefully leading the way to deflect the descending, backhanded slash he suddenly sensed aimed at his head. But there was no real power behind Arkus's single-handed swipe, its intent being not to kill, but to quickly draw Vader into action before the larger Sith Lord had a chance to establish any sort of battle stance. Vader's nearly blind swing plowed through it, easily batting Arkus's blade away and then continuing on its path to leave Vader fully extended before he could realize his error. Then Arkus was practically on top of him, the boy's feet landing in stride from the flying leap that had served to diminish his forward momentum, his lightsaber already being shifted down and around to follow-up with a much more powerful attack from Vader's left.
Vader began stumbling backward in a stunned attempt to keep some space between them as he snapped his lightsaber back in front of him to ward off the coming blow. He managed only a clumsy, close-in block, the impact of their blades absorbing the remainder of Arkus's unwanted momentum while causing Vader to stumble further in search of a defensible position. Another quick, powerful strike delivered and barely parried before Vader could recover completely, and a pattern of forced retreat was firmly established. Arkus pressed his advantage mercilessly, continuing the fervor of his drive with an advancing frenzy of short, chopping strikes that kept the two in close proximity, and prevented Vader from bringing his superior strength to bear as each blocked attack brought the battle steadily closer to the now forgotten Jedi.
Their approach found Obi-Wan still rooted in his semi-seated position, too enthralled by the mystery of the newcomer to think about moving as he strained to get a sense of the boy's identity and intentions through the Force din of the fight. The whirlwind of raging emotions he received in response to his inquiry sent his perception of balance reeling and blurred his vision back into an image of the enigmatic storm that had loomed over him throughout every stage of his journey. 'Here is your source,' the Force vision mocked him once more, presenting the boy only in brief glimpses through the strobing flashes of the lightsabers, and challenging Obi-Wan to dispel the veil of assumptions that continued to interfere with full comprehension.
There, despite the Sith's mantra of only two, was undeniably a third Sith, the missing piece to all of Obi-Wan's theories regarding the elusive power driving the storm. But acknowledging that first violation of his accepted order for the galaxy only generated more questions and confusion in Obi-Wan's resisting mind. Where had the boy come from? And what could have possibly possessed the Emperor and Vader to risk his existence, one so powerful as to be capable of this level of disruption in the Force, while they both still reigned? Again the sense of mocking came in reply, but this time the vision provided an echo of an answer, twisting and blending the boy's sense in the Force with that of Darth Vader's, and allowing the first clear view of the face that so resembled that of a younger, newly corrupted Anakin just as the two combatants moved even with Obi-Wan's position. And then understanding came crashing in…
"Luke?!"
Though barely whispered audibly, Obi-Wan's stunned recognition screamed out deafeningly through the Force, pulsing through an emaciated bond to explode within Arkus's mind. The powerful injection of emotion from such an unexpected quarter jolted Arkus to his core, and jerked his charge at Vader to a halt as his full attention instantly snapped around in response to a name that had no meaning for him. Shocked into immobility, Arkus glared down at the sprawled form of the old Jedi, his cruel glare boring holes into Obi-Wan as he pushed through the confusion in an attempt to glean some reason for the Jedi's outburst and why he had felt so compelled to respond to it. Obi-Wan did not shrink from the scrutiny, but locked eyes with the youth, searching Arkus's cold gaze for any trace at all of the caring, inquisitive boy he had once sheltered.
Vader knew only that he was suddenly no longer the center of Arkus's focus. His clear sense of the boy's enraged intentions utterly shattered in his Force vision, the fore-image of the next blow to come evaporating in a wisp of altered futures. The abatement of the frenetic level of Vader's danger sense brought reassurance that this was no ruse, but still inertia carried the Sith backward to the parrying position for an attack that would never come. Moving his blade back to a neutral position as he took the additional step to finally open up his defense, Vader sought out the cause of the interruption with his natural vision. He found Arkus genuinely distracted, the boy's head turned foolishly toward his left to stare down at Obi-Wan with a look of contemptuous confusion displayed across his face.
However, it was Arkus's lightsaber that dominated Vader's perception, blocking out any curiosity over what Obi-Wan had done to so effectively re-direct the boy's interest as he began to absorb the sheer audacity of Arkus's ambush. The disdainful aftertaste of fear lingered in Vader's mouth as he took in the blade's now steady position, held upright off to Arkus's right in a pose that could only have been the beginning of his next strike, and in Vader's next heartbeat a thirst for vengeance was born. The shift in Vader's stance was automatic, driven by primal instincts that would not be denied, as in one fluid motion he initiated a smooth, powerful swing to attack from Arkus's blind side.
Obi-Wan registered the danger first, with the movement of Vader's red blade flashing in the background of his view providing the necessary cue to grip his attention. His heart leapt in fear as his mind frantically began to form a warning to his one-time ward. The thought was unnecessary, though, as the look of horror that flashed into Obi-Wan's eyes was sufficient to break Arkus out of his momentary spell and re-attune his awareness to his danger sense now blaring an alarm. Too late to completely block the blow aimed at his mid-section, Arkus had to settle for a weak deflection, leaning back hard to his left and twisting his lightsaber down to catch Vader's blade at the near completion of its trajectory. The impact knocked Vader's blade out of the kill zone, but as his lightsaber slid down the length of Arkus's blade, the momentum of the swing carried the tip forward enough to knick the outside of Arkus's right leg just below the knee.
Arkus cried out in pain and staggered quickly leftward, favoring his injured leg and probing with the Force to assess the extent of the wound even as he brought his lightsaber back up to guard for Vader's next attack. He stopped his retreat short of running into the wall, and found himself nearly side-by-side with the old Jedi, who had since leapt up from the floor and retrieved his own lightsaber in preparation to confront Vader once again. Arkus sneered inwardly as he sensed the Jedi's foolish instinct to protect him, and scowled even more contemptuously at Vader when he realized his father had failed to setup for another attack. Instead, Vader stood frozen before him in a guard position with shock and concern flowing off of him at the realization that he had nearly killed his son.
Arkus immediately used the break in the fight to test the strength of his injured leg, subtly shifting his weight onto it while he maintained a vigilant bead on the intentions of the others caught in this stalemate. He felt the confused hesitancy of the Jedi to his left, who was debating if he should ignite his lightsaber and rejoin the battle, unsure if his interference would be a wise or welcomed move. He measured the wary posture of Vader, whose attention now seemed equally divided between the known threat of the Jedi and assessing the uncertain physical and emotional condition of his son. They were locked in place by their indecision, which was fine by Arkus for the moment it took him to explore his new handicap. He was pleased to discover that his leg bore the burden of his weight with a tolerable complaint, indicating that the damage to his calf muscle was minor – enough, perhaps, to prevent him from leading a lunge with his right leg, but far short of hobbling him.
But now what? The question weighed triply heavily on Arkus's mind, seeming to echo through the thoughts of those he monitored. He was so close to achieving his goal now, to see that Leia made it to that ship. He could even see the opening to the docking bay a scant half dozen meters behind Vader, its proximity belying the effort it would take to get there. 'Just to there,' Arkus thought, seeking to strengthen his resolve as he wrung his hands tightly around the grip of his lightsaber. Yet doubts began springing anew in his mind. He'd have to push Vader beyond that opening and hold him there, clearing a path so that even that Jedi could get to Leia and manage to slip her past. That was if the Jedi was even aware enough to pick up on Arkus's intentions in the first place. All would be lost if Vader figured it out first.
With each tension-stretched second, matters were slipping further and further out of Arkus's control, and still the Jedi failed to extend his senses to seek the cause of the conflict Arkus had initiated. Arkus flushed in irritation at the demonstrated incompetence of the man – an idiot for not being able to consider more than what was right before his eyes, a fool that ridiculous outburst that had ultimately caused this standoff. Truly, he should just step aside and allow Vader to finish him off.
But Arkus had already gone too far for this encounter to end any way but badly for him, and he would not now surrender to the fate that awaited him without seeing the matter through. Resetting his determination with clenched teeth, Arkus pushed back against the temptation to give in and immediately encountered an unmistakably external force that had at first been so subtle as to blend in with his natural thought flow. Vader – suggesting that their personal conflict should be dealt with later, and attempting to prod him, nearly successfully, into backing away.
~Back off!~ Arkus seethed at Vader in open rebellion at the underhanded attempt to manipulate his subconscious thoughts, nearly launching his attack anew for the unforgivable offense.
Vader withdrew quickly, however, clearly surprised by Arkus's caustic response to his attempt at a subdued telepathic communication, but now convinced by his son's continued inaction that the boy had blundered into a situation of which he had no understanding. Willing to grant his son some latitude to diffuse the situation, Vader projected calm toward the strained control he sensed in Arkus, and tried reasoning with him again through a less private, but also less intrusive medium. "This matter does not concern you," Vader began out loud, but he got no further. A soft moan echoed up the corridor, interrupting his train of thought as he turned his attention toward the source of the cry.
"NOOOO!"
The viciousness of that bellowed scream paled in comparison to the shock wave of rage that pulsed through the Force, an eruption of raw, desperate emotion that clearly predicted the reckless lunge past Obi-Wan that Arkus launched within the same breath. Vader reacted instantly, jerking his lightsaber forcefully to deflect the thrusting attack and backing quickly out of range in startled confusion at his son's irrational response to a seemingly inconsequential event. He watched in near disbelief as Arkus stumbled hard and almost hit the floor in an attempt at an immediate pursuit that proved too demanding for his injured leg. Arkus was wide open for a counter strike in that moment, but Vader let the opportunity pass, choosing instead to back away further and concentrate on processing the significance of the shadowed, prone figure of whom he'd caught but a glimpse.
The reprieve gave Arkus the time he needed to recover his balance, and the sight of the ground he had managed to gain gave new hope that he might yet be able to accomplish Leia's escape. So long as his father remained wrapped up in his desire for a peaceful solution to their confrontation. So long as that Jedi snapped out of his baffled observation and managed to act.
"Get her out of here, Jedi!" Arkus hissed furiously back over his shoulder as he launched toward Vader again to take full advantage of the shock his words delivered.
The order gave Obi-Wan a new purpose and enough of an understanding that he immediately turned his entire focus on the form of the splayed out woman lying several meters back up the corridor. Sensing her identity, but not daring to hope it to be true, he rushed to her side as he heard the resumption of clashing lightsabers behind him.
"Leia!" Obi-Wan whispered in amazement, wrapping his arm around her to begin helping her up. She wasn't really injured, he assessed, just dazed and winded from what must have been Luke dragging her there at his Force-enhanced speed only to dump her at the edge of the battle zone. Obi-Wan didn't pause to question the means or motive behind Leia's deliverance any further, but quickly pulled her to feet and nudged her bewildered mind toward full alertness through the Force. His efforts were instantly rewarded with a sudden stiffening of her muscles and a tightening of her grip on his arm.
"What…" Leia began as she turned her eyes toward the man helping her up, but the intensity of his expression cut off her question even before his words did.
"This way, Leia. We must hurry," Obi-Wan prodded, sending both reassurance and urgency through the Force.
Leia began following his lead without question, though her mind raced to gain a solid understanding of her new situation. Her eyes darted in the direction the man was guiding her toward, and were greeted with the startling sight of a heated lightsaber duel in progress right before her. 'Arkus and Vader!' she realized in shock. The astonishing scene brought back the myriad visions and emotions she had absorbed during her brief emersion in the Force, and provided the necessary perspective for her to piece the rest of the puzzle together. "Obi-Wan?!" Leia gasped at her companion.
Obi-Wan only gave a slight nod of acknowledgement as he pushed Leia into a run toward the open blast doors. He saw that Luke had managed to force Vader back far enough to create a safe path for Leia and him to pass through, but the tide of the battle had since turned, with Vader now fully comprehending Luke's intentions and unleashing his rage in a continuous barrage of savage attacks. Luke's body shook with the strain of each block, but he managed to hold his ground with what could only be sheer determination. Obi-Wan had no idea if or for how long Luke could sustain that punishment, but it was absolutely clear that this was now a contest between two Sith, and his assistance was neither expected nor wanted. So Obi-Wan concentrated on saving the one Skywalker he could, and spared only a parting glance at her brother as he slipped Leia behind the battle and into the docking bay.
***
Han resumed his distant watch over the Falcon with restless and assessing eyes as the astromech went about searching the Imperial database for any pertinent information on their current situation. There was no indication of any alarm in the bay, and the stance of the stormtroopers indicated that they were growing bored and sloppy - a good sign that they were vulnerable to a surprise attack. But there were five of them and only Chewie and himself to launch such an attack. The stormtroopers had the Falcon's boarding ramp to duck behind to establish a defensive position, while there was nothing between this entrance to the docking bay and the ship to offer any cover for an assault once the initial surprise was lost. It would only take one stormtrooper to call for backup while another held them at bay, and it would only be a few minutes before that backup arrived. If they didn't make it to the ship before then… Well, then he and Chewie were likely dead.
So they would simply have to make it to the ship before then, Han concluded, deciding he could figure out how as the situation unfolded and already growing anxious to act on his impulse before matters turned worse.
A sudden burst of chirps and whistles from the astromech broke into the mounting tension in Han's thoughts and wheeled his attention back to the noisy droids. "What?" he demanded of Threepio, as much in irritation as in interest in whatever the other droid had discovered.
"He says they lost her. That the…" Threepio began translating, but Han cut him off harshly.
"Her?! What do you mean her?"
"Princess Leia, sir. Apparently she's not where…"
"I told you I don't care about that princess," Han warned with a scowl of growing aggravation.
"But the patrols, sir. They were dispatched to search for her. There are only a few reports of our presence, and no other direct orders concerning…"
Threepio continued rattling on, but Han had quit listening at the beginning of the explanation, trying to pin down the source of the bad feeling that was beginning to form in his gut. Prisoners didn't just get lost, especially on an Imperial military installation. This princess's ties to the Jedi, the apparent timing of her "disappearance" – these were two coincidences that didn't feel as though they could be completely unrelated.
Chewbacca barked a warning of his own, finally cutting off Threepio and alerting Han to activity in the bay. Han turned about immediately and took notice of the stormtroopers inexplicably abandoning their post to rush forward of the Falcon and disappear somewhere on the other side of a large, open elevator well. The ship was now practically unguarded with a clear path open to the boarding ramp yawning open in warm invitation.
Not one to question a stroke of blind luck, Han instantly forgot his worries over the Jedi and princess. "Now's our chance. Cover me," he ordered Chewie over his shoulder, barely waiting until Chewbacca began moving to setup before dashing out into the bay in a sidewise run with his eyes and blaster locked onto the backs of the stormtroopers.
Han made it to the mid-way point before the echoing bursts of strange squeals and screeches reached his ears, raising his first concerns over exactly what had distracted the guards. Already slowing his progress to provide cover for Chewbacca and the slower droids as they began their advance toward the Falcon, Han hesitated more when accompanying bright flashes of light became visible from the recess of the docking bay entrance occupying the stormtroopers' attention. His first thought was that the Jedi had to be involved somehow, but though the two combatants responsible for the ruckus were wielding what could only be lightsabers, it was clear with little scrutiny that neither was the old man. The larger of the two, covered completely in what appeared to be black armor, was launching an impressive offensive on the second black-clad figure, who was doing an equally impressive job of blunting each attack. Their lightsabers moved with such speed as to challenge the human eye to track the movements in a show sure to captivate any casual bystanders, but the contest was of little interest to Han so long as it continued to entertain the stormtroopers long enough for his party to make it aboard the Falcon.
He spared a glance toward his ship and saw that Chewbacca had already made it to the boarding ramp and was set up to provide cover once again. The droids weren't far behind, and would be aboard shortly. Satisfied that they would make it, Han relaxed his guard to begin moving again toward the Falcon, but a blur of movement caught out of the corner of his eye suddenly returned his attention toward the lightsaber duel. There, coming from around the nearest corner of the blast doors, was the old man leading a rather over-dressed female that just had to be that princess the droids had been babbling about.
"Son of a Hutt! I shoulda known!" Han cursed as he opened fire on the stormtroopers to divert their attention and maybe give the crazy old man charging directly at them an outside chance at making it to the ship.
But the Jedi quickly demonstrated that he was quite able to do his own part in evening the odds, his lightsaber already blazing to life to catch the first blaster bolts aimed at him as the stormtroopers began to react to his rush. He slowed his pace only slightly to handle the initial volley while maintaining his coverage of Leia until the addition of Han's, and then Chewbacca's, fire caused three of the stormtroopers to scatter and turn their attention toward the Falcon. Then with only two stormtroopers concentrating on him, Obi-Wan was able to take the necessary care in positioning his lightsaber, and returned the next two shots back into his assailants, sending them to their deaths and clearing a path to the ship around the outside edge of the elevator well. Another stormtrooper fell to Chewbacca's fire, and Obi-Wan began running toward the Falcon again, this time behind Leia to continue to catch the occasional shot aimed in their direction as blaster bolts crisscrossed haphazardly across the bay.
Han also moved toward the Falcon while he continued to lay down cover fire. "Chewie, get her powered up!" he yelled over the din when the fourth trooper dropped.
Chewbacca immediately fell back out of the fight and raced up the boarding ramp, relinquishing his well-shielded site underneath the ship to his approaching friend. Han quickly took up the position and began taking better aim at the remaining stormtrooper. His shots finally found their mark just as the woman and the Jedi arrived at the ship. As those two headed up the boarding ramp, Han turned his attention to the lightsaber duel still in progress, wondering if he should try to blast the door to cut off any Imperial reinforcements that might be following that battle, or if perhaps one of those combatants was a friend of the Jedi in need of cover fire to make it to the ship.
Obi-Wan provided an answer of sort, calling down from the top of the ramp, "Time to go. Now."
"Don't have to tell me twice," Han answered after the man, and quickly abandoned his study of the duel to dart up into the Falcon.
***
Vader's blows continued to batter Arkus with ferocity he had never before experienced from his father, and with a level of rage he had not believed his father capable of attaining. The power behind each strike was nearly overwhelming for the younger Sith, with Vader holding none of his physical strength in check in his blind determination to get to the Jedi now running freely toward the ship in the docking bay. Arkus continued to face the assault head-on, foregoing his advantage in speed and agility that would have allowed him to nimbly dance around and away from the main force of the attacks until an opening presented itself. He couldn't risk allowing Vader past him in such a move, and so chose instead to concentrate solely on meeting each attack with a solid parry. The effort had already coated Arkus's body in a heavy sheen of sweat; yet it wasn't the intensity of the duel alone that was taking its toll so quickly.
Matters had actually been better for Arkus while the Jedi had still been trapped behind him in the corridor. Despite being even more restricted in the freedom of his movements, he'd had more success in bracing for each impact with Vader's lightsaber, and the grueling effects of each of those hits had been much easier to shake off. He had been able to get in a few slashing counter-strikes, and had even managed to launch one very well placed and timed attack that had neatly shifted the battle just enough to allow him to rotate his position 90 degrees to track the path of the Jedi as the old man had moved behind him. He'd poured everything into that one critical turn, ever so careful to always keep himself directly between Vader and Leia's savior. His focus in the Force had been so clear then, and the dark side had provided all the endurance he needed to accomplish that feat. Something had changed, though, as Leia had passed by him, something that had severely drained his reserves.
Arkus couldn't blame the brutal chop of Vader's blade that had descended upon his head in that moment. Though the shock of blocking that strike had jarred every bone in his body, it had not winded him nearly as effectively as the horrible sensation of something being torn away from his soul as the faint breeze of Leia's passage had caressed his spirit. Gasping physically to recover from the double blow, he had not been able to tap the Force to regenerate his strength. Instead, all he had felt was relief as he realized the Jedi would be able to handle the stormtroopers in the bay without assistance, the strange sensation somehow bleeding away the anger that had been fueling his drive.
That first fissure in his resolve to continue the duel with his father for his own purposes was growing fast now, quickly disintegrating the illusion that he'd had any self-serving desire for vengeance in initiating this fight, and eroding the delusion that he had ever intended to serve the Empire's best interest when it had come to dealing with Leia. Everything had been about seeing to her safety, and now he knew he had done everything possible to secure it.
Yes, she would make it. Even with his back to the ship that would provide her passage, Arkus could feel each step of her progression toward freedom, distances that could be measured in meters feeling more like light years to him in the Force.
And Vader knew this too. The blows that had been designed to just knock him out of the way now rained down upon Arkus in endless accusations of treason that he could not refute. The hated Jedi would escape because of him.
The shots of pain that erupted from Arkus's leg with each received attack no longer provided a surge of dark energy to fuel his fight, but rather burned with the depth of his betrayal of the principles that had given him that power. His wrists were numb from directly absorbing the shock of more violent impacts than he could count. His head now throbbed with thoughts of the punishment that awaited him at the Emperor's hands.
Arkus began to back away before the assault, slowly allowing the duel to cross the threshold into the docking bay as he focused fiercely on enduring for just a few moments more. Finally, the sound of repulsors firing filled the bay, and somewhere in the corner of his mind's eye, Arkus saw the freighter rise up off the deck. The last of his strength disappeared in a wisp, and Arkus fell suddenly to his knees. His head lowered, his lightsaber deactivated, he waited openly for Vader's swing in progress to bring the judgment he deserved as he reached out one last time for the warm sense of the one person he had dared to care about.
~Goodbye, sweet Leia~ he sent with his last conscious thought. Then a blinding flash of light and pain exploded in his head, and all was dark.
***
Leia burst into the cockpit of the ship she had boarded, and promptly planted herself in the narrow opening between the two pilot chairs, her forward progress halted only by the massive form of a Wookiee barely contained in the seat to her right. She paid no attention to the side-wise glance and warning grunt she received in response to her forceful entry, but leaned in even further until she was in danger of getting knocked by the Wookiee's elbow as his fingers moved hurriedly over the forward control panels. Deep hums of equipment and engine drivers coming to life rumbled through the ship as it was prepared for departure, but that progress captured none of Leia's interest. Her attention was riveted on the all too distant battle visible through the cockpit's viewport.
There were no immediate signs that Arkus was in any real trouble in his duel with Darth Vader. In a second's passing Leia could see that he had prevented Vader from making any significant advance into the docking bay despite the intensity of his attacks. Only now did Arkus begin backing away in what appeared more to be a strategic move than a retreat, and he still continued to intercept each of Vader's swings with a speed and accuracy that made her marvel at his skill. But there was something in his presence that was wavering. A barely perceptible slump to his shoulders perhaps, or a slight tremble in his stance that persisted after the effect of a hit should have passed. It was something she had felt begin to falter as she ran across the docking bay, a spreading collapse she knew only she could see.
Obi-Wan entered behind her, placing his hand on her shoulder and saying something urgently directed at her. She couldn't quite hear him, though. She could barely feel his fingers gently tugging at her arm.
"Out of my way, sister!"
The harsh words came maybe two breaths later, penetrating her mesmerized state as harder hands forcefully shoved her aside and ripped her hand away from the tight hold she'd had on the back of the pilot's chair. A man with a decidedly musty aroma pushed himself past her, nearly stumbling from the entanglement of their feet until he secured himself in his seat. Yet Leia's eyes remained locked on Arkus, and she resumed her former position as soon as she was able, gripped by a growing fear that dominated her reason.
"Tell me you got that tractor beam out of commission!" the stranger demanded as he took control of the ship.
"It's taken care of," Obi-Wan replied, the words sounding strangely muffled to Leia. The duel she watched seemed so much closer.
Another rumble and a loud whine filled the ship in response to the pilot's actions. 'Repulsors firing,' Leia realized sluggishly as the scene before her began drifting downward in her vision.
Obi-Wan took hold of her again, taking both shoulders in his hands this time as he started insistently pulling her backward. He spoke more urgent words of the need to get strapped-in, but she couldn't heed them. Instead she clung to the pilot chairs, determined to witness Arkus's fate to the bitter end.
There was no obvious warning she saw, no last desperate move that would signify a defeat met with a rage-filled defiance she might earlier have expected from Arkus. He simply buckled after successfully blocking one last attack, crumbling suddenly and completely to his knees in a physical manifestation of the inner collapse that had eaten away his core.
Leia gasped sharply at the horrifying image of his fall, the emotional plummet of her heart loosening her grip enough to allow Obi-Wan to make some progress in his attempt at moving her. The ship was already backing up and turning about in the bay, taking Arkus steadily out of Leia's field of view, removing him from her life. Then…
~Goodbye, sweet Leia~
"Arkus!" Leia screamed, suddenly thrusting her hand out toward Arkus and lunging as far forward as she could in an attempt to return affection she knew to be far too late in coming.
Curses erupted from the pilot, and Leia was completely mugged from behind. There was no more gentle care in the hands and arms that encircled her, dragging her physically from the cockpit toward the hold area. Tears stung Leia's eyes, making it impossible for her to know whether it was the motion of the ship or her removal from the cockpit that finally cut off her view. Her last clear vision of Arkus was of him kneeling submissively before Vader, the trajectory of the red lightsaber descending upon him already being compensated for the change in his position. Then a numbing blackness blanketed her spirit, and she didn't need to see him to know it was over.
Obi-Wan forced her trembling and suddenly uncaring form onto a couch, deftly strapping her in first before seeing to himself a fraction of a second before the main engines kicked in. The shuddering of the ship as it passed through the range of the weakened tractor beam began shaking some sense of Leia's own situation back into her, slowly lifting a veil of oppression from her spirit as each passing moment took her further from the grip of her tormentors. Yet the hopeless emotion embedded in Arkus's last message continued to echo hollowly through her, and caused her to wrap her arms around herself to comfort the inexplicable sense of loss she felt.
As the ride smoothed out, Leia finally felt as though she had some control again. She closed her eyes tightly and took a deep breath to chase away the last of the trembles, letting her arms fall down slowly into a more dignified position before she turned to Obi-Wan. He appeared to her a pillar of strength, exuding comfort and concern through more than just the kind eyes he had focused exclusively on her. There was an aura of warmth about him, and a sense of power and wisdom that instantly convinced her he had access to the knowledge she needed. Fighting back her fear of the answer, she asked him desperately, "Is he dead?"
Obi-Wan drew back from the question, wanting to know the answer himself but somewhat concerned that these were the first words from Leia's mouth. She leaned forward slightly, imploring him with her eyes, and he was surprised to feel a tendril of supplication chase after his hesitation in the Force, a subconscious application of her talent that both deepened his concern and convinced him that there would be no further calming of Leia's turmoil until she knew Luke's fate. He took a deep breath of his own as he regarded Leia harder for a moment, then reluctantly set his worry aside and closed his eyes to stretch out his senses.
The remnants of the Force storm were still there in blown–off, dissipated fragments that swirled lazily around the imploded core, slowly being sucked back into the singularity that existed in place of the powerful heart that had birthed them. Obi-Wan reached carefully into the cold, murky center, simultaneously probing for any sign of a pulse along the old bond he'd once shared with Luke. After a long moment, he felt one, buried and unresponsive, but steady enough to assure life existed. The circumstances in which it existed were muddled, though, with no path to the future apparent, and few visible links to the past.
"No, he's alive," Obi-Wan responded neutrally as he withdrew himself from the trance. He looked deeply into Leia's eyes to judge her forming reaction before adding, "for now."
Leia's eyes dropped slowly to her hands in her lap, her shoulders slumping deeply with both relief and feelings of guilt. "Then I abandoned him," she uttered quietly.
Obi-Wan withdrew from Leia again with grave concerns about the corrupting influence she had been subjected to, but the forlorn self-condemnation soon stung his heart with memories of his own failures in regards to that boy. He increased the level of reassurance he was sending her, and gently took her hands. "There was nothing we could have done."
***
A deathly silence filled the docking bay in the wake of the freighter's departure, chasing away the echoes of concluded battles in seeming deference to the fuming Sith Lord left standing frozen in his useless rage. Even the small windstorms from the ship's repulsors settled obediently before his towering figure without so much as stirring his cape, lest that single brush break him violently out of his tensed stillness. The fixed visage of his mask hid much of Darth Vader's internalized fury, but clenched and slightly shaking fists held rigid at his sides communicated his temper with perfect clarity. The deactivated lightsaber still held in his hand was in danger of being crushed by the force of that grip, perhaps in a symbolic release of his true desire to throttle the boy, whose body lay motionless at the bottom of the elevator well.
Vader stood at the very edge of the ten-meter drop, glaring searing holes into Arkus's form as he struggled with the powerful urge to jump down after him. How richly the boy deserved a continuation in the beating. For Obi-Wan's escape and the treachery of his attack, most assuredly, but also for falling so blindly prey to the Emperor's manipulations; for his shortsightedness with that princess; for nearly throwing his own life away in such a stupid move. Too many reasons competed for priority in Vader's mind for him to sort them out and form coherent thought; yet it only took the sight of blood gushing brightly red from the split along Arkus's cheekbone to make some vague part of Vader quietly grateful that his son was out of immediate range of his wrath.
'Enough,' Vader tersely advised himself, controlling his darker drives by convincing himself there was nothing more to be gained by inflicting further injury. The boy was already unconscious, rendered so by the last minute shift in Vader's swing that had ended with a backhanded blow to Arkus's right temple and a hit to his jawbone with the hilt of Vader's lightsaber. The vicious, Force-enhanced kick that Vader had delivered in follow-up had surely incapacitated him beyond immediate recovery. It had certainly been enough to produce the sickening sound of cracking ribs and the impressive, if short, flight of his body that had ultimately sent him tumbling down into the open well. Arkus was clearly beyond any ability to cause further trouble, and the punishment that was truly deserved was likely best delivered to a lucid mind, whatever form that punishment ended up taking.
Vader had little opportunity to ponder those possibilities. The sound of charging stormtroopers coming from the corridor where the ill-fated duel had begun brought Vader sharply back from his focus on Arkus, and at last provided a definite path for immediate action.
"Stand down, you fools!" he bellowed, wheeling violently about to meet the patrol just as they rounded the corner. "The Rebels are already away."
The lead stormtroopers skidded to a stunned halt, nearly causing a chain-reaction collision through the following ranks in their haste to obey the imposing and obviously furious Dark Lord. They reeked of their fear in a despicable display that left no doubt in Vader's mind that these were Tarkin's men. His own troops had more dignity than to act so, even when facing sure consequences.
The thought of Tarkin brought other concerns to mind, though, and warned Vader that he must act quickly if anything was to be salvaged from this disaster. Addressing the lead trooper in slightly more controlled tones, he immediately ordered, "Report in to your commander, and have the Governor informed that the freighter is to be allowed to leave by my order. Then end this pointless alert, and return to your duty stations."
"Yes, My Lord," the stormtrooper hurriedly acknowledged. He then turned about as quickly as military decorum allowed, and marched off the way he had come with the rest of the patrol in tow.
Vader watched them leave, using the time to silently disperse the remains of his rage through the deepest breaths his respirator would allow. Once he was alone again, he returned his attention to the elevator well and regarded Arkus for a moment longer. "Do you realize what you've done?" he finally grumbled at the boy, shaking his head in disgust at the wasted opportunities and wondering just how far he would have to go to contain the damage.