Where Am I Going To?

Part Two

Chapter Twelve

Something felt very wrong about this.

Lost in Cloud City, Luke had done everything in his power to try and free Leia, but to no avail, and he was marooned in a strange, dark anteroom, highly confused. Behind him, the giant metal door clanged shut, and he wheeled, startled, as the sound echoed.

Something felt very, very wrong about this.

Every emotion through the Force was telling him to get out of there, but he was heedless. There was no way out, at least, not the way he came in, and in the present situation, he had not choice but to go foreword. Carefully looking around, he stopped for a moment, only to suddenly find the platform lifting him up, despite any protest he might have formulated.

I have a bad feeling about this….

"The Force is with you, my son."

Luke wheeled, sucking in a sudden breath whilst steam billowed and pushed around the stair case. Vader – his sire, but not his father. That title belonged to the man he'd murdered. It belonged to Obi-Wan.

"But you are not a Jedi yet."

Intense adrenaline pumped through every vein, heightened every nerve as he walked up those stairs to meet his enemy, igniting his lightsaber. Well, yes, a Jedi used the Force for defense, and true, it seemed he'd have to make the first move, but surely even Master Yoda could understand that! Surely even the Jedi Master could understand the righteous indignation, the hatred, the hurt that forced him onward.

Something in him strongly contested that.

Slash, flash!

Aggressively, Luke drove his father back, putting Vader on the defensive. The Force reminded him that he was far from winning, and to get cocky now would spell doom for him. Panting, he paused, backing slowly up to regain breath.

"You have learned much, my son."

Luke inwardly snarled, hating the superior note in his voice. "Don't you dare be proud of me!"

In two quick moves, Vader had hooked Luke's saber, sending it flying. Luke had to roll to avoid being hit, snatching his lightsaber just in time to dodge the heavy form of his father bearing down on him.

"Your destiny lies with me, my son. Obi-Wan knew this to be true."

Anger flooded him, and he swiped back at the other man. "No!"

Suddenly, his balance was gone, he was falling into….a chamber of some sort.

Where am I?

Everything in him screamed to get out of there now, and with a Force induced push, he quickly leapt out, clinging to the pipes. He quickly jumped down, separated from his father by the pit of steaming liquid metal.

"Impressive…." That same note in his voice, the single proof of praise, the note Luke had prayed for as a child.

Don't think about that now.

"Most impressive. Obi-Wan has taught you well."

"No thanks to you."

Vader didn't seem to notice that. "Now, release your anger."

Anger? Yes, the anger was there, it was so easily accessible. A little push, and he'd have all the power he could ever-

No. He'd worked too hard, struggled too long to fall back now. He had scars, he had nightmares, he'd lost everything there was to lose, and still he would not turn to the Dark Side.

Luke retreated as his father advanced around the acrid smelling pit, goading him on. "Only your hatred can destroy me."

Don't listen….

They briefly exchanged attacks before Luke leapt into the air, doing a somersault to land behind his father, kicking him into the pit below. Exhausted, he looked down, and saw no sign of him.

It's not over yet.

He cautiously turned his saber off, still gripping it, and quickly went down the stairs and through a brightly lit tunnel. He exited, looking around cautiously. Well, it didn't look like-

Thwack!

With a thud, Luke was struck from behind by a heavy object, crying out in brief pain. Turning, he found his father, directing even more bulky objects at him. Two could play at that game, and Luke quickly raised his hand, trying to focus. His Force barrier may be crude, but it was keeping most of the objects away from him. But the more that got through put him in more pain, made him lose even more focus. Finally, something shattered the window, and the corridor began to depressurize. Despite his desperate attempt to grab onto anything that could hold, he went flying, glass shards cutting at his flesh.

His grip on the gantry was precarious, and Luke had to attach his lightsaber – his father's lightsaber – to his belt and scramble up for all he was worth. Once up, he grabbed his weapon again, moving cautiously through the control room.

Crash!

His father brought his saber down, and Luke blocked, sparks flying. Panting, exhausted, he was forced back onto the catwalk, tripping and falling backward. He gulped, his father's pulsing red blade pointing straight at him.

Well, here's a situation I thought never to be in.

"You are beaten. It is useless to resist."

Luke shook his head, desperate. "I'm not giving up."

"Don't let yourself be destroyed as Obi-Wan did."

Every instinct in him screamed at that moment, and he rolled, jumped to his feet, and slashed at his father's arm, striking his shoulder. "No! You did it! You took him from me! My master, my savior! How did you ever call yourself my father?" Luke had retreated down the catwalk during this tirade. He managed to get around the instrument complex just before his father swiped at it, making his precarious hold on the very tip of the catwalk even worse. Trying to keep his mind on several things at once, Luke was helpless to stop his father's finishing blow.

The lightsaber swiped through his wrist, almost sending him to his knees in blinding pain as he screamed.

Dagobah….that vision. Oh, Force, why couldn't I listen to you, Master Obi-Wan?

But true to his word, there was no trace of his beloved master to be found in the Force around him now, and he found himself crawling backward, staring at the bloodied stump of his arm. Cauterized, he was no longer bleeding, the wound smoking slightly as he stared at it in abject horror. It only vaguely struck him that he was now without a weapon, as well as that he had no hand to use it with.

And suddenly, from his father he sensed…..regret! Fear, even! It abruptly occurred to him the reason behind why his father flat out refused to ever duel with him, even if it was in practice. He was afraid! Afraid of a Skywalker civil war, of fighting the person he cared about, as he once had Obi-Wan and all the Jedi. Afraid of being forced into the position of destroying that which he loved most, and it struck Luke as so extraordinary…..

Luke had to back away in abject horror, his feet instinctively keeping him safe. Finally, he came to wrap his more or less uninjured arm around the pole, his feet firmly planted on the thin rings.

"There is no escape."

No escape…. It echoed in his shocked brain.

"Don't make me destroy you." Luke didn't doubt that he would. "You are young, and your experience in the Force is great. You were born to be a part of the Dark Side, it is your destiny. Heir to the throne, you shall be king."

"I…I don't want to be the emperor…."

"There is no choice. Come to me, Luke," the deep voice almost…pleaded? "I shall complete your training."

"I'll never join you!" Luke cried. "I've fought too hard to turn back now. I won't join the man that killed my master!"

He could feel the building frustration from his father, but paid it little mind. "Obi-Wan never told you what happened when your mother gave you up."

Luke blinked. What did that have to do with anything? Was he trying to tell him the truth now, after it was far too late? He'd had his chance, he never took it. "He told me enough," the young man hissed. "He told me you took me from her."

"No. Obi-Wan kidnapped you." The news so shocked the no longer breathing Luke as to illicit the ultimate response.

He stumbled.

Luke Skywalker, who had perfect balance, who never fell, stumbled.

His knees buckling, Luke was only just able to grab the post again. "Wh-what?"

"The Jedi were angry that they had lost, and thought to kidnap you as a tool for revenge against me. It failed, up until now."

Luke still couldn't breath, tears beginning to flow. Obi-Wan had lied to him? After promising he was saving him from his father's tyranny, he'd lied to him? "You wail quite gustily that the Sith always lied to you, gave you no choice in your life profession, but do you honestly believe," he father was continuing, "that the Jedi would have done anything less? They would have lied to you, kept you hidden away on some tenth rate planet, and force you to become a Jedi. You can break their oppression, Luke." He was suddenly offering his hand again, and Luke stared at it, in shock. "You can choose to be a Sith."

So tempting….so much power, peace….He could save the galaxy with that power….

"You never saved me from my nightmares….Obi-Wan would do that…." He muttered.

Vader blinked. What was he talking about? "What?"

Something inside of him said that even if he had been forced to be a Sith, he had chosen to jump ship and become a Jedi.

Luke's eyes widened, and he stared at his father. Slowly, he shook his head.

And he let go of the pole.

To Be Continued….

Updates on the contest: There are three days left. I have two entries. If I do not have a minimum of three entries by the 25th, I will extend the deadline another month (I knew this thing would never work) If I still don't have three entries, then the thing gets canceled, so nobody gets any prizes. Doesn't that make you sad? It makes me sad. COME ON PEOPLE! It's not that hard! Please? Do it for me? Pllleeease? Also, happy National Punctuation Day!

East Coast Ryder: Should be explained either the next chapter, or the one after that.

PrincessSkywalkerOrgana: Indeed he is!

Stephanie C: Yeah, I liked that chapter

Myotismon13: I don't know about anyone else, but I think I changed the whole "Luke I am your father," bit rather successfully.

cookiemunster: Well, yes, in a very non-lesbian way. Door doesn't swing that way.

denique: I doubt Vader will change sides soon, if ever. As for Mara, I stick by what I said: Not until the end, folks.

Stefanie2: I will write a sideline on where Mara went, but not until after the entire series is finished. It would have too many spoilers. Once the series ends, however, I will still be working on sidelines for it, I doubt I'll ever stop doing that, and, if it gets big enough, might buy it its own domain name and stuff. Sell t-shirts. That kinda thing.

Healing Hands: Thank you!

TorontoBatFan: I would have to agree one hundred percent about Luke's suicide attempts. Facing true death in the eye is very different from contemplating sucking on your lightsaber.

jamy skywalker: Here you go!

ALL OF YOU! ENTER THE CONTEST!