IV

I let my lightsaber boil up close enough to my face that the metallic smell became a blood-taste in my mouth and my eyes changed--blindness. Good for seeing the force in this dustless subterranean maze.

I must admit, Vader, that your vehemence surprised me when I came looking for an exploitation of your traumas. I was still so unused to feelings of minutist disloyalty toward our emperor. Your wordless reaction backed me into this maze where we both knew who had the advantage in a tangle of narrow spaces I do not know. One can get used to a starship the size of the Dagoban floodplains--but not in three days.

At first our lightsabers contacted constantly, rapidly. My single blade fought for space in the pathway possibly meant only for droids to repair the Star Destroyer, while your style matched your build--massive power, slow decision, flawless defense.

I have been created to destroy that which is flawless.

You never knew the power of such conviction. I stretch out as --block, strike, twist, turn and strike and slide--and touch with the Force the cramped hallways behind us. They must open up into something, some useable machine construct--I scored a touch on your faceplate and then you stabbed forward. With my left hand I seized your right where it pushed your lightsaber toward me, and pressed into the padded metal--it was too well constructed to break, but only creaked and thickened under my nails. I threw myself out of that danger into a connecting hallway. You loomed in the hallway and said nothing because or in spite of that echoing breathing. You could be sleeping, you vaping humanspawned usurper monstrosity--!

I caught a high blow that almost threatened the muscle of my arms. Our environment had changed. Long room, computer terminals. I matched your steps back and back into this and kept dodging into these slow blows that covered every inch of the hallway in a tanklike sweep--I threw myself into the air over your head, finally slid my hands down to flip the switch for my second blade, and landed on your other side. Stuck the tip of my second blade into your side under the armpit, playing, and whipped my second blade over the top to catch your predictable strike. I crumpled the ceiling into darkside sculpture that tore out and fell--

around you, not on to you, playing no more, and you've sidestepped me into another corner like a sandpanther crouching against a dune. Prickles of fear did not dare to touch my skin, but my slid away from you against the wall had no finesse, no attack, in it. I jogged backwards away from you, down this hall--

You sent the ceiling down around me. Jagged dark gray bits lashed across my face and your anger turned the place into a boiler room, emotion-smoke clogging all that is cognizant, releasing like a spent blaster fouling smoke into the stale air.

You had never used everything before, had you? All that emotion and rage inside you for a battle? You never had. I snarled and whirlwinded with my lightsabers, blemishing further the structure around me. A klaxon began beeping, louder and louder like something to rouse a sleeper.

You, like one of your prized gigantic spacecraft, walked through the destruction and ignored its raining. Simple tricks or facts. I jolted forward, was met with another falling skein of metal, jolted forward. You shouted as your lightsaber came down and--now its brute power did push my weapon out of my hands and under the floor.

It is hard for me to remember this. The moment was too feral--but I continue to have revenge on the memories, and with that view anything can be achieved.

I caught your arm again on the next falling strike and kicked into your faceplate. Dented that canine visage? I think so. It served for nothing, and my footing was lost. I fell among the metal and buried lightsaber, one hand digging for the latter, mind reaching out, not to find but to see you move your own scarlet blade vertical almost down my back. I let that touch get close enough to remember my loyalties, the pain I endured by Sidious' hand, and secured my lightsaber's haft, tensed everything, twisted up at you again inside the line of your offbalanced finishing strike--my hands dug into the control surfaces at your stomach and I remembered that Sidious did not desire my winning this fight.

Remembered? No, or only somehow. Knew. Knew that somewhere he was cackling at both of us, fighting like chype roosters.

I slashed a Z into your sparking carapace, and flipped away. Something unexpected tore across one of my horns on the ceiling, and I licked the blood when it slithered down.

I did not know what to tell you then.

You kept coming.

I slipped aside from each strike as you pushed me down the corridor, the klaxons beating with our boots on the reflective floor.

In a few steps your Force power reached for my throat, but I had learned quite a while ago how not to breathe, and as you worked turned your anger back upon you and lashed in your brain like a dragon.

I gave you fight for the last steps. Never have I wanted anything less than to retreat here. Know that, Vader, and fear in your metal cocoon in space-night. But our lightsabers touched only rarely, and crackled, and I pushed you a meter across the widening passageway when we reached the bank of escape pods. I flipped the trigger to the first and stepped inside, and you barreled toward me.

I snarled and cursed in Iridonian.

The hatch closed--maybe you shouted something with words in it.

I know exactly how far you followed me, Vader. I almost know the expression on that officer's face as the tracking screen went black. Did you kill him instead of me?

Pity if you did. His was only a human life, and apart from that brief in the Force.

I pressed my saber-burn against the uncomfortable walls and hated you as the pod fell down toward this disreputable planet.

I have not yet decided to hate Sidious. He will show his face to me soon enough.