Chapter 10
Up came Vader's saber.
Luke was there to block it. Both weapons hissed in protest as they clashed together, father against son. Suddenly, quickly, Luke's hand snapped away and slashed at Vader's chest. Vader parried it away, and advanced towards the waiting Jedi. He swung at him with all his power and might.
Luke forcefully blocked it with his blade, and the two slashed at each other, fighting at the level below The Emperor's viewing throne. The hisses of the sabers, the cries and grunts of the two, one an apprentice, the other a Dark Lord.
The two black figures battled to the right side of the room, stabbing and slashing. Flesh sizzled as Vader scored a minor hit on Luke's leg. Machine hissed as Luke, in turn, scored a hit Vader's left shoulder. Still, the two did not end, and fought, Vader a sad, mistreated slave to the Emperor. Luke as a savior trying to redeem his father. But Luke knew this would be impossible. He had to tap into something Vader could not handle. But what?
The sabers sang, sparks flying as they circled each other in the middle of the room. Slashing, each hungry for victory, the sabers dived and soared, their wielders spinning and stepping, locked in a battle.
There could be only one fault, and the other would succeed.
Vader sidestepped, circling around, meaning to knock Luke off his feat. Luke spun around and slashed at his father, only to be intercepted by the Sith's lightsaber.
They stared hard at each other for a moment, The Dark Lord confused in his ways, the Jedi still trying to find a way to get at Vader's emotions.
Luke saw a large platform, off to the side, suspended in mid air, and leaped for it, Vader mimicking this movement. Landing, Vader twisted and slashed at Luke's mid-section and Luke blocked it. Vader, though, followed through by force pushing Luke's legs, sending him off his feet.
Vader saw this advantage and quickly stabbed at Luke. The young man knew that he could not even try to block him with his blade at this range, he was forced to roll of the side of platform. He barely was able to land on his feet and gain control of himself again.
Darth's saber stabbed into the platform, to find Luke not there. Sparks flew as the laser sword melted the black metal platform. He realized what Luke had done and removed his saber and jumped to the floor below. His body landed on top of Luke sending them to the floor against each other.
Brutally he forced Luke down, pressing him against the metal floor. All the air from his wind pipes were being crushed by Vader's weight. With his last remaining strength, he slammed his knee upwards, forcing Vader off him.
The two regained their stances and went at it again. Luke twirled at Vader's knees that left him in a crouch, Vader leaping above the blade to leave him standing.
How could it all end up like this? Luke didn't know much about his father but he knew that he had been just like him. Luke dug deep into Force trying to find clues into his past as well as Vader's. What he found was startling. A woman, sad, and terrified. She was on the ground gasping for air. Her face red and sweating. She couldn't seem to find her breath. To the side of the woman was a tall and menacing robed figure. Hatred, anger, mistrust filled his soul. His eyes were two pits leading to Hell.
The woman who was she? Luke couldn't figure it out. Then he looked back into his vision, this time something different was there. Two more living forms in the Force. They seemed to be coming from the pregnant woman. She was a mother. A mother!
That was it! His mother. That was her.
"Vader." Luke spoke out. "You still can be saved. You were once loved too. By my mother!"
"None sense!" Vader commanded. "She betrayed me."
"No…no that's not how it happened." Luke fit together the pieces in his vision. "She had tried to save you. She had tried to bring out the last of the light within you. You once savored her name…Padme."
Vader became outraged by this. His whole life had been about her. He could not bear to think about her and what he had done to her. "Padme is no longer part of me, son. It is too late."
"No." Luke said shaking his head. "She is a part of you. Your old self. Anakin I can bring you back to your old self!"
Vader yelled out in fury. "Never!" His blade ignited, Vader absorbed his pain and sadness into this single attack. This was a death blow.
The red blade moved in the darkness at Luke. Luke was defense less without his lightsaber activated. Luke just stared into Vader's eyes, waiting for the fate that awaited him.
But his blade never touched Luke, but was met with a grey and faded blue blade. Their standing to the side of Vader was Obi-wan Kenobi. His body shimmered and partly lit the floors around him. His stern face looked Vader straight in the eye. "More powerful than you can ever imagine, Darth." He said. Repeating his words from so many years before.
"Kenobi…" Vader said now fully understanding Kenobi's statement. His eyes also met Ben's. "This does not concern you, Obi-wan."
Ben smiled and sent a chill through Darth's spine. "No Anakin. It concerns all the Jedi." His voice was met with another's.
"Anakin I believed in you." Said the startling voice of Master Qui-gon. "You were the chosen one. It is not too late to turn against the Emperor and join us."
Vader was suppressed at this revelation. But it was true. Qui-gon did believe in him. He alone was the one who actually believed in him. Not Yoda, not the council, or even Obi-wan himself. Vader ignored this though. He was too consumed in his wrath. His anger for everything. It was everyone's fault. Everyone's. Qui-gon's, Kenobi's, Yoda's, Windu's, Sidious', Padme's, and Luke's fault as well. His next words truly hurt Luke and Obi-wan.
"NEVER! I WILL NEVER JOIN THE JEDI! I WILL NOT MAKE THE MISTAKE OF TRUSTING THE JEDI ONCE MORE! THEY TOOK MY LOVE AWAY, THEY TOOK MY LIFE, MY STRENGTH. I SHALL NEVER FORGIVE THEM BECAUSE OF WHAT THEY'VE DONE TO ME! I AM A SITH!
Kenobi narrowed his eyes. "If this is the path you still choose to follow, so be it."
Luke's eyes settled on Vader. His blade was being blocked by Obi-wan and he was too caught up in his emotions. With one swift motion he brought his saber into his hands and stabbed it at Vader.
Darth Vader's breathe quickly escaped his mechanical lungs. This was it. His death at last. He dropped to his knees, Luke's green blade still in his chest. His mechanical breathing stopped. And finally the man who was once Anakin dropped dead on the floor.
"It is over then." Qui-gon voiced. "The Jedi have returned.
"No even close pitiful fools!" Spat a wicked voice coming from above. It was Sidious atop the balcony where the two stairs met. It seemed he had been watching the whole time. "THE JEDI WILL DIE!
Luke and Ben stared up at the cold, mangled figure. The darkside was flowing in and out of him freely.
Then they heard small footsteps behind them. Slowly the short and shimmering figure of Yoda emerged. His voice seemed fresh and new. "Wrong you are, Sidious. It is the Sith that will meet their end today."
The Emperor let out an evil laugh. He looked back down at the short, glowing Jedi. Appearing suddenly was a small silver lightsaber hilt. "We'll see Jedi. We'll see." His blade ignited and Sidious moved into attack stance.
