Chapter Twenty-Six

Luke stared down at his vanquished foe, every instinct within him urging him to finish what he had begun and strike the demon down once and for all. Vader would never be allowed to hurt anything that Luke loved again, never be able to destroy anything that belonged to him ever again.

And yet, he hesitated.

His father's blade arm was held out at an awkward angle, wires and circuits that had been abruptly severed sparking and spitting. Luke's gaze homed in on the damage he had wrought, and cold reality washed over him.

An artificial limb…

More machine than man…Like father, like son…

"Good! Your hate has made you powerful. Now fulfill your destiny. Strike him down and take your father's place at my side!" the Emperor's shrill voice penetrated Luke's haze of confusion.

Gasping in sudden recognition of the dangerous path he'd begun to trod for the second time in less than an hour, Luke let go of the lightsaber with his right hand, the blade wavering as he held it unsteadily still pointed at Vader's throat with his left one.

If he listened closely, Luke could hear the gears whirring and turning as he raised his own artificial hand before his eyes and clenched it into a fist. Was that his destiny, then? To become his father?

No, no, it is NOT! Luke closed his eyes, reaching down within himself to find his Light and his focus once more. He breathed deeply, feeling a sense of calm as he let the Light settle over him. He understood now that he would likely not make it off this battle station alive, but he swore to never let the Dark side infiltrate his thinking again. He was a Jedi Knight, and he would die a Jedi Knight if necessary.

The lightsaber in his hand hummed with contained energy as Luke made his decision. The emerald blade shimmered and disappeared when he shut it off, as Luke straightened and squared his shoulders before he turned to face Palpatine, who had stalked up to stand just behind him while Luke had pinned his father down. Arica had glided up to hover quietly beside her Master, but Luke ignored her.

"Never," he said quietly, but with conviction. "I will never turn to the Dark side. You've failed, your Highness. I am a Jedi, like my father before me."

His lightsaber dropped to the floor beside him, landing with a solid clunk at his feet. Luke inhaled and then blew out a long breath, waiting to see what Palpatine would do.

The Sith Lord's mouth turned down in a show of his displeasure at Luke's defiance. His yellow eyes narrowed as he stared down his hoped-for new apprentice, and then an evil leer of a smile crossed his face.

"Such bravery, young Skywalker," he said mockingly. "And are you so certain that you'll never accept the Dark side? I think not. I think perhaps you simply need another test."

Luke tensed as Palpatine's eyes flicked over to his other servant, waiting obediently by his side. Arica's frame stiffened for just a moment and Luke could feel the current of the Dark side of the Force as it flowed between the two of them. The Emperor was communicating with her, in the same way that Luke and Arica had 'talked' themselves. It caused him to shudder slightly with revulsion, as he recalled how intimate that bond had seemed between himself and the dark-haired young woman. To think of the Emperor and his foul presence touching Arica's in the same way, made Luke want to shatter that link between her and the tyrant.

Arica gave a short nod, and before Luke could wonder what had happened, a lightsaber suddenly appeared in her hands and she was charging towards him. Instinctively, Luke called his own blade back to his hand, igniting it and blocking her blow in one motion.

Luke grimaced as he realized he had to face another intense lightsaber battle. What was next after this? Was Palpatine himself going to pull a weapon out of his robes and take him on? That is, if I get past this fight without getting myself killed…

Arica wasn't as strong or as skilled with a lightsaber as Darth Vader was, but Luke was already physically and emotionally drained from that contest. Again, he stayed on the defensive as the Emperor's Hand attacked him with short, aggressive blows. Out of the corner of his eye, Luke saw his father get up and move slowly over to stand beside his Master. Disheartened, he let his attention lag for a moment, and Arica's blade nearly skewered him.

Her face remained carefully blank, but Luke thought he sensed a flash of reluctance from Arica, even as she was trying to take his head off with her saber. He recalled the confrontation they'd had on the forest moon of Endor, and how different she'd seemed from the time when he'd known her on Hoth. There was something going on in her head, something that made Luke think she didn't want to be doing this, but felt as though she had no choice.

Subtly, he tried to reach out to her over the bond they had established.

Arica's face showed expression then…anger.

Big mistake, Skywalker, he thought to himself as her lip curled in disdain and she stepped up her attack.

"I've warned you before, Jedi! Stay out of my head," she snarled.

"Why do you try to deny that there's a connection between us, Arica? It's there and it's not going away," Luke said calmly.

"It will go away because I'll make it go away," she said defiantly.

Luke smiled at her, knowing that it would infuriate her, and he was proven right as Arica's grimace intensified, as did their battle. But the angrier she became, the calmer Luke grew. He blocked her moves effortlessly now, drawing deeply on the Light side of the Force. He still knew that this was undoubtedly his last stand, but he would face his end on the Light side, never the Dark.

Still, he refused to counter her attacks with any of his own. He could sense her growing ever more frustrated over the bond that she couldn't completely shut off. A hint of desperation, fear that she would somehow displease her Master and suffer for it, leaked to Luke over the bond. It gave him pause for half an instant, the thought that something terrible might happen to her because of him.

Sensing his momentary distraction, Arica pushed her advantage and struck out with a twisting motion of her blade, causing his to spin out of his hands. Reaching out, she grabbed the front of his tunic, her blade swinging around to stop only centimeters from his neck. Startled blue eyes met troubled brown ones, as they held each others' gaze. The Force seemed to crackle in the very air around them.

"I don't want to kill you, Skywalker," Arica muttered in a low voice.

"I don't really want to die, but I will if I have to. I won't turn," Luke replied quietly.

"You have no choice!" she growled.

Luke's smile was gentle and knowing, and he could tell that it annoyed her to the extreme.

"There's always a choice, Emperor's Hand," he whispered.

"Young fool! Do you really think that your sacrifice will mean anything? You will die, your fleet will die, and your lover will die as well!" the Emperor's irritated voice rang out through the throne room. "My Hand, he is useless to me, with his pathetic attempts to stay anchored to the weakness of the Light. Kill him! Kill him now!"

Arica's jaw clenched as her hold on her weapon tightened. It wavered with her indecision, and Luke could read the confusion on her face. Her Master had given her a direct order and the Jedi imagined that she had not defied too many of those in the past. Closing his eyes, Luke reached out for the bond that had confounded the both of them from the moment they'd met. He pulled on it, stronger and more stubbornly than he ever had before.

She gasped as she felt him do so, and tried to block him, but he would not allow it. He could envision the picture they must have made, standing stock still, like two figures in a diorama of some past battle between Darkness and Light. And this time, Light would win. Luke pulled harder on the bond, stretching out to the Force as he did so.

A beautiful dark-haired woman…the woman of his vision, his mother!…with Arica's eyes!…

…yes, that was where he'd seen those haunting brown eyes before…two children, a boy and a girl, running through the halls of a huge building…laughing, playing, singing with one another…the woman smiled down at them as they snuggled into a bed, wrapping their arms around each other as they lay down to sleep…

…softly, she kissed each of their foreheads, and her voice admonished them lovingly to sleep and not play…they giggled together, knowing that as soon as she closed the door, the fun would begin…

…and then he felt her being ripped away from him and it was the worst pain he had ever known in his short life…Ben, touching his forehead and suggesting 'Sleep' with the Force…and through it all, a name…Leia! Leia! Leia!…kept ringing in his head, almost deafening him with its need to be heard…

With a surprised cry, Luke opened his eyes and stared at her…at Leia!…at his sister! Only seconds had passed as the incredible vision had flooded over his consciousness, and she was staring back at him with a puzzled look on her face.

"Leia!" he gasped.

Her eyes widened. "H-how do you know my true name?" she asked, stunned.

And Luke realized, she didn't know either…

She had no clue who she was to him.

Narrowing his gaze in concentration, Luke sent her everything, every image, every feeling, every sensation of the vision, shoving it at her forcefully over their bond. Leia let go of Luke's tunic and staggered backwards, her lightsaber falling from suddenly nerveless fingers, as she brought her hands up to clutch the sides of her head. She let out a low moan, utterly overwhelmed by what he was sending her.

Luke stepped forward and grasped her by the shoulders, steadying her to prevent her from falling as her knees began to buckle. Vaguely, he could sense his - their - father and the Emperor watching them. They were slightly confused, unsure exactly what was passing between the two young people who had only moments ago been battling one another ferociously. Vader's sense was closed off, and Luke took a second to wonder about that, but the Emperor's anger was growing rapidly as events had not gone in the manner he had obviously expected them to.

With a sharp cry, Leia fell to her knees, pulling Luke with her as he still had a grip on her shoulders, until they were kneeling, facing one another. Her head had fallen forward and for a moment, Luke feared she had lost consciousness. But slowly, she raised her head up until her eyes met his. The look on her face was one of shock, disbelief, and wonder. Tears shone in her eyes as she shakily raised her hands to cup the sides of his face.

"Luke," she whispered and there was a wealth of meaning in the word. "My other half…"

"Yes, exactly," Luke whispered back in awe, and reached up to touch her face as she was holding his.

As she reached back towards him over the bond, Luke couldn't help the smile that crossed his face. He suddenly felt miraculously, completely whole, like a missing piece of his soul had fallen into place. Leia gave a half-laugh, half-sob and he knew she felt the same thing.

"How very touching. Perhaps I was a bit hasty. Perhaps I should just kill you both," the Emperor's sneering voice startled them back to the reality of their situation.

Their hands fell back to their sides and both turned to look at the evil Sith Lord as he approached them slowly, fire blazing out of his yellow eyes. Luke felt an explosion of anger from Leia through the ever-strengthening bond between them.

"No, Leia, don't-" he started to say, but she was beyond listening to him.

Her lightsaber flew back into her hand and she was on her feet in a flash, rushing toward her former Master with the blade pointed in front of her. She was screaming at the top of her lungs as she did so, cursing Palpatine with everything she had in her.

"Damn you! He is my brother! You would have had me kill my own flesh and blood!" she shouted.

Palpatine gestured and it was as though she hit a duracrete wall, the lightsaber flying out of her grip. Luke gasped in shock as he felt the pain along with her when her body stopped so abruptly. The Emperor held her there, his displeasure at her betrayal washing over her, and to Luke through the bond, in a foul wave.

"You monster," she whispered harshly, the accusation ringing in her voice. "I remember it all now. It was you who killed my mother, you who took me away from Luke! And you made me into a monster like you!"

"An experiment, nothing more, my dear. One that obviously failed," the despot sneered. "Perhaps I should try again with an infant this time, just like the Jedi used to do. No memories at all to wipe would certainly make things simpler. As for you, you are of no further use to me."

Palpatine gestured and like a rag doll, Leia was flung to the side, crashing into one of the buttresses, then falling to the floor in a heap, lying there motionless.

"LEIA!" Luke screamed in agony.

He stood and moved to stand before the Emperor, tears streaming down his face at his twin's pain. Calling his own lightsaber to his hand, Luke ignited it and visibly calmed himself. The Light flowed over him and through him, letting him know what had to be done and giving him the strength to do it. He had been willing to die only a short time ago, if that was his destiny. But he could not allow his sister to die, not for him. The strike force down on Endor had failed, so it was his duty to finish this here and now. Luke pushed away his despair over what might have happened to Mara and Han, knowing they would want him to do what was necessary for the Alliance to succeed.

"Palpatine, your reign is over. You've tried to decimate my family. My father, my sister, myself..." He swallowed, pushing away his distress and worry over Leia for the moment, and continued. "But we Skywalkers are stronger than you could possibly imagine. I will kill you now, not out of hatred or anger or the Dark side, but because it must be done for the good of the galaxy that you have nearly destroyed."

Palpatine laughed, before looking at his foe with a sour expression. "Young fool. You understand nothing of the power of the Dark side. You have become nothing more than an annoyance to me," he snarled.

Raising his hands, he pointed his fingers at Luke. Blue-white bolts of pure Force energy came crackling from the digits, surging towards the young Jedi with incredible speed. Instinctively, Luke raised his lightsaber, gasping with effort as the lightning was absorbed by the blade. His arms shook from trying to contain the energy pulsing through the air between him and the Emperor.

"YOU are the one who will die, and your father and your sister will continue to serve me as they always have! Your sister's retraining may be difficult, but she will suffer it gladly in the end. She has always been very loyal to me," Palpatine said, a superior smile on his lips.

"Not...any...more!" Luke said through gritted teeth. "She's seen you...for what you really are now...a monster!"

"Not a monster, ignorant Jedi, but a Sith! And the Sith are far more powerful than your weak order."

As if to prove his point, the amount of Dark energy pouring out of his fingers towards Luke intensified, coursing stronger and harder against his lightsaber, until eventually the blade could not block it all. A tendril snaked away from the emerald beam and struck Luke in the torso.

Luke cried out in shock and pain, trying to push it away from him with the Force. But the one strand of lightning was soon joined by another and then yet another, each of them striking viciously at Luke's body. Overwhelmed, he lost his grip on his lightsaber, and then was struck with the full power of Palpatine's assault. He crumpled to the floor, his battered form writhing in agony under the attack that seemed to have no end.

Then, suddenly, it did end and Luke looked up into the face of evil, as he struggled to breathe, to move, to fight back, only to collapse on the floor helplessly. No, it hadn't ended, he realized. The fiend only wanted a moment to gloat over his victory. Luke closed his eyes, unwilling to give Palpatine that little satisfaction, and prepared himself to die. I'm sorry, Mara, for leaving you so soon. I'm sorry, Leia, that I failed to save you. I'm sorry, Father, I wish...I wish things could have been different. I love you all.

"And now, young Skywalker, you will die," Palpatine said softly, menacingly.

With those words, the Force lightning poured over him once again, setting every nerve ending in his body on fire. The pain was excruciating and Luke thrashed about, screaming as he tried futilely to escape it. Vaguely, he heard someone shout his name, and managed to open his eyes. To his dismay, Leia had roused from her battering against the wall and had tried to come to his aid. Palpatine responded by diverting a little of the Dark energy pouring over Luke to pummel her with it as well.

"NO! Leia!" Luke moaned. The thought of his twin in this pain was almost more than he could bear. He turned his head towards Palpatine, grimacing, prepared to beg for his sister's life. When he did so, the hulking black form of his father standing behind his Master filled Luke's vision.

How can he stand there and watch this? Luke wondered

Perhaps it was pure desperation, or maybe it was a tiny glimpse into the inner struggle he knew that Anakin Skywalker was still waging with Darth Vader, but Luke found himself crying out to the man that was both his father and his enemy, his hero and the being he had hated above all others.

"Father, please! Help us!"

"I am a Jedi, like my father before me."

Darth Vader heard his son's defiant words to the Emperor. He still lay where Luke's blade had forced him down, his senses reeling from the unexpected defeat. Then, just as he'd anticipated Luke's lightsaber thrusting into his heart, the boy had backed down, turning to face Palpatine and dropping his weapon.

Pick up the lightsaber, Luke! Vader wanted to shout, but didn't have the strength. Expecting to see his son cut down by the Emperor's Force-lightning, Vader knew a moment of panic. He did not want Luke to die. Finally, he admitted it to himself…he cared for the boy and wanted him to live.

A shudder passed through his system as he acknowledged the truth. He couldn't bring himself to imagine Luke's death. Yet he would prefer that terrible outcome over Luke falling to the Dark side. His boy was too good, too pure, indeed too strong, to suffer such a fate. Like his father had…

Anakin Skywalker's surrender to the Dark side had been swift and, looking back at his actions of years ago with a critical eye, frighteningly easy. Palpatine's words, which had seemed so right and so clear two decades ago, Vader now saw for the sly manipulations that they had been.

"…Jedi, like my father…"

A wave of pain rushed through him as he remembered being a part of that brotherhood, and for once, he didn't think of the ways in which they'd failed him. Instead, his betrayal of them weighed so heavily on his conscience that he felt crushed by it. He allowed himself to remember Obi-Wan, and for the first time in more than twenty years, did so with regret instead of bitterness and anger.

From the Jedi, his thoughts drifted to her, to Padmé, the one he'd loved and cherished above all others. The pain of losing her still cut him deeper than he could bear. Once he allowed her to wander in, she came to stay. Images of her face, her brown eyes twinkling with mirth, intense with passion, and finally darkened with fear – fear of him – flowed past his mind's eye.

So intent was he on the memories flooding over him, that the sound of lightsabers clashing took Vader by surprise. Focusing his attention back on his immediate surroundings, he saw Luke in a fierce battle with the Emperor's Hand. Unsteadily, he rose to his feet and moved to his customary position just behind and beside his Master.

Still my Master? I don't know, not anymore… Vader's thoughts were a jumble of confusion as he watched his son fighting the young woman. He didn't believe that Leia could defeat his son, so what was Palpatine's purpose in instigating this confrontation? Was it a test for Leia or for Luke?

He frowned behind the mask as Leia suddenly got the better of Luke and held her lightsaber frighteningly close to his throat. Vader tensed, wanting to do something, yet too paralyzed with doubt to move. The frown deepened and he could sense Palpatine's rising anger as Luke and Leia fell to their knees, some sort of intense exchange occurring between them. Vader glanced uneasily at the Emperor, wondering how long it would be before he struck out in anger at the two young people who were not acting according to his desires.

He looked back towards the couple on the throne room floor, just as Leia leapt to her feet and charged the Emperor with her lightsaber held threateningly in front of her. His reflexive action was to again protect his Master with his own lightsaber, but even before he remembered that he no longer had his weapon, the words that Leia was shouting reached his ears, and doused him with cold reality. Even the respirator couldn't keep his breathing from hitching in shock as the meaning of her accusations sank in.

"My brother...my own flesh and blood!"

Luke, his son…therefore, Leia, his…daughter? A second child! Not possible! He instinctively denied it before reaching out to the Force. Only his strength of will kept him from staggering backwards as the truth slammed into him. Twins! He had searched the galaxy for his son when his daughter had been right in front of him for years!

Vader flinched along with Luke as the Emperor used the Force to stop Leia in her tracks. Something inside his heart cried out to his girl-child as her eyes blazed in defiance of her former Master, and yet he still found himself unable to move. Again, her words to Palpatine sliced him to his very core.

"It was you who killed my mother…"

This time, Vader did take a step backwards, the depths of Palpatine's deception stunning him. He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. No, the Jedi had killed his Padmé, that was one of the reasons he'd turned against them. They had betrayed him, so he betrayed them in turn…

Only, it hadn't been them, it had been Palpatine! His Master, the one who'd nurtured him, consoled him for her loss, encouraged him to take his revenge against his former comrades. As he had felt the truth of Leia's identity as his child, he sensed the truth in her words now.

Darth Vader found it difficult to focus his attention, his mind recalling numerous instances of taking a Jedi Knight's life in retaliation for the pain of losing his wife…and it had all been a lie. The sharp crackling of Force-lightning immediately brought his focus back to the throne room, and a piercing agony shot through him as he watched both his children being slowly killed by the Emperor.

Perhaps that would be the merciful thing…to let them become one with the Force and not subject them to Palpatine's malevolence any longer. Without Luke's help, there was no way Vader could take his Master on and live to tell of it. So, he stood there silently, helplessly watching as his children were dying. He looked at his Master, wondering if he would ever be able to serve him again after all that Palpatine had done.

"Father, please! Help us!"

And with his son's dying plea, Anakin finally burst free of the shackles of Darth Vader. He should have been there as they were growing up, to kiss away their bumps and bruises; to teach them to fight and to fly; to ease the pangs of their first heartaches; to watch them grow into fine young adults. Instead, he had been the cause of many of their heartaches, bumps and bruises, and it was in spite of, not because of him, that they'd become fine young adults.

He glanced at his son and daughter one more time, writhing in agony on the floor. Could he not do this for them, then? Any parent should be willing to sacrifice themselves for their children, he realized. His own mother would have died for him in a heartbeat. Padmé…Padmé had died for them. Could he do any less than his beautiful wife had done? Then it was as though he could hear her sweet voice whispering in his ear…

"They are our children, Ani. Our beautiful babies. Save them!"

All hesitation and doubt swept aside, Anakin Skywalker stepped forward.