Chapter Eight: The Ultimate Truth

The Doctor watched as Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker swung their lightsabers ferociously at each other. It was clear that Vader had had enough of fighting Luke, and the Sith Lord was no longer taunting him as the Doctor was sure he had done before.

The Doctor knew not to interfere in the duel, even though he knew just how much he wanted to. It was against the code of duelling conduct to participate in a lightsaber duel once it has already commenced. There was nothing they could do except hope that Luke fought Vader to a draw, and it seemed likely that this was not going to happen.

Come on, Luke, the Doctor encouraged Luke with his thoughts as loudly as he could. Luke let his eyes wander to the Doctor, Obi-Wan, and Jennara for a moment, then moved his concentration back solely to Vader. He also knew that they wouldn't help him, the Doctor could tell.

"It seems that we have company, Skywalker," said Vader. "They are more persistent than I thought."

"Even if you destroy me, you can't possibly hope to defeat all three of them!" shouted Luke.

"I will take my chances," taunted Vader, blocking a strike from Luke and turning his head back to look at the Doctor, Obi-Wan, and Jennara, and the Doctor himself sensed loathing and a bit of fear in the back of Vader's mind.

The three Jedi watched Luke as he continued to fight Vader. The boy fought bravely, but he was exhausted, powerless to combat the superior strength of Vader. It was Qui-Gon Jinn all over again, the Doctor thought with remorse as Vader began to overwhelm Luke with strike after vicious strike.

"You cannot win!" shouted Vader as he forced Luke back even further on the bridge on which they were standing. It was a small space indeed. The Doctor could probably stretch his arms out and be able to touch both sides of the railing on the bridge at the same time. Behind Luke and Vader was an even smaller bridge-like contraption with a tower hanging on the end.

"I may not win, but you'll be defeated by the Light Side!" taunted Luke.

"Are you so certain?" asked Vader in the same toying style that the Doctor's hallucination of his first incarnation had asked him.

Luke and Vader continued to fight mercilessly. The Doctor watched in dread as Vader knocked Luke down with a powerful push, sending the young man falling to the ground. Holding his lightsaber aloft at Luke, Vader began to use Dun Möch on Luke.

"You are beaten!" he shouted. "It is useless for you to resist! Don't let yourself be destroyed!"

Before he could stop himself, the Doctor blurted out, "Don't listen to him, Luke! He's trying to turn you! You can fight the temptation!"

Luke, spurred on by the Doctor's encouragement, smacked Vader's lightsaber away with his own and continued the battle with Vader, his slashes getting more erratic and tired as the duel went on.

It really is just like Naboo, thought the Doctor.

Yes, Obi-Wan thought sadly to the Doctor. Let's hope it doesn't have the same result.

As the Doctor focused once more on the duel unfolding before him, he saw that Luke had managed to break through Vader's defenses for a brief second. The Sith Lord slashed through one of the railings on the ledge trying to trap Luke's saber in a lock. He then tried a slash that would have decapitated Luke instantly. Anticipating this, Luke angled himself away from Vader's slash and, using the Sith Lord's distraction to his full advantage, smacked his lightsaber blade right into Vader's shoulder. What would have been a killing blow was instead repelled by the shoulder plates on Vader's armor. Although the Sith Lord clearly felt some pain from the blow, as evidenced by his outcry and an instinctive grasp of the shoulder, he was not cut in two as Luke had probably intended.

Vader responded by releasing a flurry of strikes that forced Luke back onto the narrow bridge behind him. Vader slashed through three small pipes, though, thankfully, he did not hit Luke. Luke brought his saber to meet with Vader's, and that was when the Doctor and his Jedi companions knew that the duel was over.

Vader used his superior strength and Luke's fatigue to swirl the lightsaber around. The Doctor watched in horror as Vader forced Luke's lightsaber into an unfavorable position and, faster than Luke could have even begun to react, neatly sliced off Luke's weapon hand right at the wrist, a devastating cho mai strike.

"AAAAAAUUUUGH!" cried Luke in agony as he grabbed his wrist, attempting in vain to soothe the pain.

"LUKE!" shrieked Jennara as Luke fell back, managing to keep steady by gripping onto the bridge with his one remaining hand.

"No," said Obi-Wan in horror.

Vader looked back at the Jedi for a brief second, creating a mental wall that shielded him and Luke from the interference of the Jedi. Despite having just come out of a duel, he still managed to erect a wall powerful enough to keep even the Doctor out, at least at first. The Doctor got straight to work tearing down the wall and trying to get to Luke, and he listened as Vader spoke.

"There is no escape," he said softly to Luke. "Don't make me destroy you."

Luke began to back away as the Doctor chipped at Vader's wall and Vader himself continued to speak.

"Luke," he addressed Luke by his first name, which, the Doctor found, usually worked when one was trying to establish a familial connection with someone, "you have yet to realize your importance. You have only begun to discover your power."

"Luke, don't listen to him!" cried Obi-Wan.

"Be silent, Kenobi!" roared Vader in seething and absolute hatred. "Luke, you must join me. You do not need these Jedi fools anymore. Let me complete your training."

"No!" shouted Jennara.

"With our combined strength," boomed Vader, drowning out Jennara's protests, "we can put an end to this destructive conflict! We will bring order to the galaxy together!"

"I'll never join you!" shouted Luke as he backed up to the very edge of the bridge, distancing himself from Vader.

"If you only knew the power of the Dark Side," mused Vader.

"Remember, Luke: The Dark Side is self-destructive," called the Doctor as he made further progress on Vader's wall. "You can't trust it!"

"You cannot trust those three Jedi, Luke!" urged Vader. "They never told you the truth about your father. They never told you what happened to him."

The Doctor felt absolute and unadulterated terror. Vader was about to reveal the secret of Anakin Skywalker. The Gallifreyan worked harder and faster than ever to bring down Vader's wall. He was still only about halfway through. He wouldn't have enough time before Vader revealed the truth. Obi-Wan and Jennara felt the same terror as well as Luke shouted back to Vader.

"They told me enough!" he cried out as he moved along the edge of the tower attached to the edge of the bridge. "They told me you killed him!"

The Doctor, Obi-Wan, and Jennara knew exactly what was coming next.

"No," countered Vader. And it was then that Darth Vader revealed to Luke the ultimate truth and how the Doctor, Obi-Wan, and Jennara, three people he trusted, blatantly lied to him.

"I am your father."

Bit of a short one, but of course "I am your father" had to get its own chapter! It's one of the most famous moments in film history, easily the most famous in Star Wars history! How could it not have its own chapter here?!

Of course, I had to change it around because of the presence of the Doctor, Jennara, and Obi-Wan, but the core of the scene is still there. I had a lot of fun writing this. I hope it was just as much of a blast reading it! Let me know your thoughts in a review!

Also, I apologize if the "Doctor can't interfere with lightsaber duel once it's already started" plot point is a bit ridiculous. It works with where I was going, but I can understand if you don't care for it.

Next Friday: The Doctor duels Vader, and the four Jedi make their escape from Bespin.

And that about does it for this (short) author's note. Until the next chapter, my friends!