Chapter 9: Confrontation of the Sith

Leia looked at Vader and Luke. They were her family and they had a familiar aura but they no longer acted in that way. She was the light while they were the dark. As she stood up, Vader made his way down the stairs to where Leia was, followed by Luke. She looked back at the Falcon and watched as Han, Chewie, and Lando came out to tell her that they were ready to then notice the Sith. As they walked out, Han pulled out his gun but Vader using the force snatched if from him and brought it to his palm, instantly crushing it with the force. Luke just watched on as if nothing had happened, his former blue eyes, now bright yellow, staring at his sister.

Leia knew that she was no match against both of them combined or just Vader alone. She could take on her brother but her heart would not follow her. Using the force she tried to contact Sim but to no avail. Vader was blocking the link. A smile curled up on his face,

"So, you think you can contact Sim for help? No matter, he won't sense you as I'm blocking your link," said Vader.

"It does not matter. I will not fight either of you. You may have given up yourselves to the dark side but inside of you I know there are my father and brother," said Leia as she started circling them.

"No, Leia, it is you who are wrong. Join us in the empire and we can rule the galaxy as a family," said Vader, "we will no longer have to hide from each other. The Skywalker name will be feared and respected across the galaxy."

"I will not join you. I will not murder innocent lives for power and pursuit," said Leia with defiance in her voice, "I will do what the Jedi did long ago and protect them. You were once a Jedi but you have forgotten all your values. You've allowed power to corrupt you Vader."

"I see you have obtained your lecturing capability from your mother and Sim. Both of them didn't realize my power. I wanted them to join me but they didn't and they paid," said Vader with obvious lust in his voice. Leia couldn't believe his disrespect toward her mother, his wife. She had loved him and he just gave her away. Anger began to boil up in Leia.

"Yes, Leia, feel your anger. You are made at me. Use that anger and battle me. It will give you focus," said Vader in a seductive voice, "I sense great power in you for darkness. Join us and I will teach you in the ways of the real force, like your brother did."

Leia suddenly realized that she was going against her teachings. Her anger was building up in her and she wanted to use it to kill. Did Sim not teach her anything? She closed her eyes as she let the light surround her and penetrate her. Her anger started to disperse as a shield of light formed around her.

"No, Vader, I will never join you, no matter what. The light side has brought whatever I wanted to me, and that is to save the innocent. You've allowed the darkness to twist you and mold you into a murder that Anakin Skywalker would have rejected. You are not my father, Vader, my father was Anakin Skywalker, a Jedi Knight and guardian of the people," replied Leia. This seemed to tick Vader off as his face turned from a smirk to anger.

"Anakin Skywalker is dead! If you won't join me, that will be your fate too!" shouted Vader with obvious anger in his voice. He was letting the darkness surround him, but Leia ignored him. Instead she turned to her brother.

"Luke, can't you see you're going against everything Obi-Wan and Yoda taught you? Is this what they wanted? You to be a murder? Remember the force and the light," said Leia as she tried to penetrate the darkness around him. She could still sense well in him, Vader had driven it all the way out yet.

"I am no longer Luke. My name is Darth Inhalator, sister. I have become more powerful than either of those weaklings. I am the force! I can sense your feat Leia. Join me and father and you will be with your family once more," shouted Inhalator as he let his cloak fall to the ground, revealing his lightsaber.

"No, Darth Inhalator, I do not fear you but the prospect of fighting my former brother. You've become the very thing you swore to destroy," said Leia as they began to circle around each other. Vader was quite pleased with his apprentice.

"I will no longer listen to your blabbing. I am a Sith Lord now and one that has powers that can install fear into any mortal's eyes," said Darth Inhalator as anger radiated off of him more quickly than a microwave after opening the door.

"I'm sorry than, Darth Inhalator. My brother is dead then," said Leia as her Jedi cloak fell to the ground and she unclipped her lightsaber from her belt. She ignited it as a silver blade sprung out and went into her Form IV stance.

"Then your fate is sealed my sister," said Darth Inhalator as his lightsaber sprung from his belt and a red blade came out. He proceeded then to leap forward as the fight began.

Inhalator attacked Leia with a downward thrust as she brought her lightsaber up to block it while he disengaged and swiped at her. Leia jumped out of the way of the blade to be only counter by a jab at her she narrowly missed. She then proceeded to knock his blade from her and she thrust at him. He dodged it and hit back with his lightsaber as she brought hers up in time to deflect it and turn it into an offensive. She twirled her lightsaber hitting his lightsaber before taking a sweep at his midsection that was promptly blocked. Their lightsabers stuck there was their eyes met each other once more.

"Sim has taught you well," said Inhalator as he tried to push Leia.

"You're not bad yourself. But darkness will never be a match for the light," said Leia as she didn't budge and even pushed back.

The siblings disengaged as once more they started dueling. Their lightsabers turned into blurs as they tried to gain the upper hand of each other but each time failing. They were too equally matched. They began to go up the stairs as the fight continued at the upper level. All this time Vader watched his two children fight to death. He was pleased at both of their abilities. Darth Inhalator was a master Form V user while Leia was a master Form IV user, though; he noticed she incorporated Form V into her lightsaber style, which was from none other than Sim.

As the battle continued, neither one gained the advantage and eventually Leia leaped off the top as she dodged a lightsaber thrust from her brother. Inhalator followed behind and tried to bring a downward thrust on her but she brought her lightsaber up and then twirled in time to meet his sideways sweep at her midsection. Both of them disengaged as the blow went with a hiss of their lightsabers. Each backed away from each other as they tried to find a weakness in the other's defense. It was coming to no avail. Vader, meanwhile, just watched on at his children's fight. He was enjoying it, as the winner would be his apprentice one way or another. You could say it was a test for Darth Inhalator to see if he was really a worthy apprentice or not.

Sim walked down the hall as his hood concealed his face. He had just deactivated the tractor beam's power source and he was walking back to the bay to get out of here. He just hoped Leia was alright, but he sensed something was wrong. As he walked back to the bay, no one questioned who he was or stopped him. That naturally came as Sim had realized that Vader wore a similar cloak as he did so he could just conceal him inside in it and no one would dare ask who he was. It saved him from using the force and giving a risk that Vader might detect it. He didn't want to confront his former friend, but everything seemed to be pointing at it no matter what he wanted.

As he came to a hall, suddenly he found storm troopers all over the place. They all turned to him before pulling their guns at him. His disguise had been found. As they encircled him he sighed. When would they ever learn. He brought both hands up and with a flick of his wrist the storm troopers were slammed into the wall, falling into heaps upon each other. Sim smiled as he saw nothing stir, but he knew they weren't dead. He sprinted out of the bay as he tried to sense where Leia and the rest where. He then found her signature in the docking room still but something was wrong. He sensed Vader and Luke. That meant that they were in trouble.

Leia leaped out of the way as she twirled and tried to hit her brother's back but he turned in time to deflect it and tried to hit her. She just turned and hit his lightsaber up as they locked together. Han, Lando, and Chewie just watched on as the fight continued between the siblings. They were being constrained by the Vader using the force so they couldn't help her out. Han cursed that he didn't listen to Sim when he said, "Always keep your lightsaber with you, Han." Han, of course, didn't remember that when he left his lightsaber inside the cockpit of the Falcon so now they couldn't do anything. They just hoped that Sim would come in time to help Leia out.

Leia dodged another blow as she saw her brother become more agitated. Suddenly she remembered that Sim had told her about the Sith, "Leia, if you ever have to fight a Sith Lord, remember their tempers and weakness. They will begin to get agitated if they don't win fast enough or are being equaled by their opponent. Always stay on the offensive while allowing your enemy to get frustrated and angry. His/her technique will begin to become sloppy and imprecise. That is when it is your turn to go on the offensive." She knew that her brother was no different. Leia would stay on the defensive for now. Darth Inhalator struck again as he was blocked. His sister was a formidable opponent and he was getting agitated and frustrated. He lunged at her but she just side stepped him as if he was some foolish amateur. He attacked her again with wild swipes that she just easily blocked. As she blocked another blow, she kicked Inhalator straight into his chest causing him to go flying back but he did a back flip and landed on his feet. She was gaining the upper hand and he knew it.

He slowly paced around her as she followed suit. He had to find some weakness in her or something that he could use to his advantage. Then it came to him. He put out his hand as he formed a fist with it and Leia felt her throat tighten. He was force-choking her. He watched as she tried to gasp for air and a wicked smile crossed his face. Leia couldn't fight him but she needed to do something. She then closed her eyes as she visualized the darkness around her throat. She called upon the light to break it. Suddenly light began to pour in as it penetrated the darkness and she felt her throat loosen until the all the darkness was gone and she could breathe again. Inhalator just watched as his grip loosened on her until he didn't have any control over her. Instead his hand was hit back as he felt the explosion of the force powers against his palm. He eyed her once more. That had failed miserably and he needed something else. He looked over the room to find something until he caught something that made him smile. There was a large crack in the ground from a previous blow and she was in front of it. He would use it to his advantage. A smile flickered on his face as he leaped at Leia who brought her lightsaber up and defended. He pushed her back and back as she let him. In one big thrust he pushed her back with his blade and suddenly her heal caught the crack causing her to momentarily lose her balance and concentration. Inhalator took full advantage of the situation as he put a gash in her arm and leg with his lightsaber. Leia shrieked and fell to the ground as she became immobilized temporarily but long enough for Inhalator to finish her off.

Vader watched as Inhalator used his surroundings to benefit himself. Vader was proud of his son. He watched Inhalator peer over at his daughters crumpled form on the ground. She was unable to get up. Inhalator just stared at her as he deignited his lightsaber and clipped it. Instead he brought his hand to his side as he picked up a large canister and brought it above Leia. He didn't want to kill his sister with a lightsaber but he wanted to show her the full power of the dark side by crushing her in this way. Leia just watched as the canister hovered above her. She knew the blow to her had temporarily not only immobilized her but cut her connection to the force for a little bit. She was powerless to stop him from crushing her. Leia closed her eyes as she said her last prayer and hoped that it would be quick. Seeing that his prey was no longer resisting, he smiled and brought the canister crashing on her. Leia watched as it went flying on top of her but suddenly it stopped a mere inch away from her head. Darth Inhalator just looked confusingly at the canister. He tried to push it down again but to no avail. Even Vader looked at his son in confusion. It then struck him, he turned his head to the top of the stairs and his anger rushed to the surface. There stood Sim Nam with his arms crossed over his chest. With a slight look of his eyes and no body movement the canister went flying straight at Vader, who promptly jumped out of the way and narrowly avoided being crushed by it as it smacked straight into the wall, shaking the entire room and forming cracks in that spot.

Inhalator just stared at what just happened while Leia eyes trailed to see Sim Nam coming down the stairs. She smiled as she fainted from exhaustion. Inhalator just looked at Sim. He proceeded to bring his hand up to choke the man but instead he found himself in the air and then flying straight into the wall. He smashed into it, falling instantly into a heap at the bottom of the wall unconscious. Vader watched as his apprentice was thrown across the room. He then turned back to Sim Nam, his former friend, ally, and brother but now his biggest enemy. The two looked at each other and didn't mutter a word. Finally Vader broke the silence with a hissing voice,

"We meet again my former friend. This time you will pay," said Vader as he brought his hands up and shot Force Lightning at Sim Nam.

The fight had begun.