Chapter 24

The two blades clashed, each blade's owner driving the other back. Ben, Darth Fier, relentlessly attacked Luke, pushing the Jedi Master to the edge of the platform. Before he got pushed over the edge, Luke jumped over Ben, twirling and parrying with his lightsaber as he went. Ben continued his assault against Luke, now driving him to the opposite end of the platform, closer to the bridge connecting to the main facility. Unfortunately after many years of constant lava damage there wasn't much more of a facility to go to, but Luke wasn't going to let that stop him. Luke Force pushed Ben away and used the moment to run for the building, but Ben quickly recovered and gave close pursuit.

Luke reached the door and with the Force opened it and came into a room that must have once been a monitoring station. Then Ben entered and the lightsabers clashed again. Ben attacked Luke, putting him on the defensive, and then blasted him with a Force push of his own, in return for the one Luke had done to him. Luke went flying back and landed on his back on the floor. Ben jumped at him and brought his saber down to strike, but Luke brought his up at the last moment. Then he kicked Ben's leg out and rolled away from Ben before he could respond.

The continuing duel continued into another area of the facility, one where many bridges connected to another side of the building. The two struck at each other, neither able to deal any damage to the other, but Ben continued to push Luke back. There were continuous flashes of blue and red as they continued to fight, neither gaining any firm advantage.

As Luke continued to fight, the world started to feel different, and his vision began to blur. Physically he was still fighting, his body acting as he would have otherwise, but his mind was somewhere else. Ben, the lightsabers, and the planet began to dissolve and were replaced by other figures. They were very blurry at first but then they got clearer. In his mind, Luke gasped. He was looking at himself, and Ben, still fighting. But something was different. There were two blue blades fighting against each other.

Is that us?Luke wondered, and he looked closer. No, it wasn't him, it was two other beings. He couldn't tell who they were but then Luke realized as he continued to stare. It was the same figures from his vision from before, the same familiar presence of knowing both of them was still there. And then he finally realized it, he knew who those people were, and why they seemed so familiar: they were Obi-wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker, his father.

This was where they fought, Luke thought. Somehow, he knew. This is where my father became Darth Vader. But why is the Force telling me this? The vision faded away, just in time for Luke to bring up his lightsaber to block a blow from Ben. They paused there for a moment, the two blades crackling.

"You seem distracted, father," Ben said. "Have you yet realized that what you are doing is futile? You cannot win."

"It does not matter if I cannot win," Luke said. "But as long as I stop you. The Sith shall not return to the galaxy."

"Then you really are a fool, if you believe that," Fier said. "The Sith have already returned, and they have already conquered the galaxy. Now we are merely tying up lose ends."

Ben released a chain of attacks at Luke, who parried each one. They then paused again.

"You have become powerful, Ben," Luke said.

"Yes, the dark side has given me all the power I need."

"No, Ben, it was not the dark side," Luke said. "That merely turned you. It was your own power that you had all along that made you so powerful."

"And that is another thing you do not understand, Skywalker," Ben said. "It was the dark side that awakened my power." Another string of attacks followed the end of the sentence.

"You don't have to do this Ben," Luke said between strikes. "I can still give you another chance. You can still be redeemed."

"I don't want another chance," Ben said. "This power is all I want, and with it I can do anything." The attacks continued.

Something stirred within the Force, and Luke felt it. He knew why he had seen the visions. The Force told him. His father had also wanted power, and nearly killed Obi-wan to keep his power. But Anakin lost, his rage blinded him. But Ben was stronger than Anakin and, as Obi-wan had before him, it was Luke's duty to try to stop his rise to power. But the fact remained that Ben was stronger than Anakin ever was, and Obi-wan had barely been able to defeat him. Luke knew what the Force was trying to tell him.

He was going to die here.

But he wasn't going to give up without a fight. Even if he died he might still be able to take Ben down.

No, not Ben anymore, Luke thought. Only Darth Fier.

"Once I take you down the Jedi will be no more," Ben said.

"There will always be Jedi against you, Ben." Luke said. "You will never stop us all."

"We'll see about that." Ben said and brought his lightsaber up from below, attempting to slice Luke's legs out from under him. But Luke angled his blade and deflected Ben's attack, only to find Ben's blade coming at his neck. Luke ducked and brought his blade straight up at Ben, who jumped back and then returned with another attack of his own, which Luke promptly blocked. They jumped at each other, lightsabers locked.

"This is the end for you," Ben said and Force pushed Luke away, trying to push him over the edge, but Luke used a push of his own to block Ben's attack. Each stood there for a moment and then went flying off in different directions over the edge. Both were falling for the lava below. Using the Force to aid him Luke eased himself to a lower level platform, just above the lava flow. Ben did similarly, and both jumped onto a center platform between them. "You have survived longer than I thought, but no longer."

"We'll see about that." Luke said and brought his lightsaber about to strike Ben down, but at the last moment Ben deactivated his blade, ducked, and rolled around and under Luke, who's momentum was still shifting outward. Before Luke could react Ben stood up between Luke and his blade and butted Luke with the end of his deactivated lightsaber in his stomach. Luke hunched over in pain and brought his lightsaber back up. But it was too late.

A beam of red light emerged from his back, opposite his stomach. Luke gasped as pain erupted through him, dropping his blade. Ben retracted his blade and pointed his fingertips at Luke. A wave of blue lightning erupted from Ben's fingertips, shocking Luke. Smoke rose from his body and his skin blackened. Then with a final push Ben sent Luke flying into the river of lava below. Ben deactivated his lightsaber and looked out into the lava field. The air burned, but it did not bother him. Lord Fier breathed in the fire and ash.

"At last," Fier said. "It is done."