Obi-Wan knew that time was in short supply, so he brought down the tractor beam as swiftly as he could. Then he touched the Force, trying to find his former pupil. The other's dark Force sense met his and beckoned him forward. Obi-Wan knew that the man called Darth Vader had been waiting for him.
The corridors he walked down were strangely empty, and he suspected that Vader had requested that they be vacated. A Dark Lord of the Sith needed no audience.
Obi-Wan had to take in several calming breaths as he moved. Years had passed, and tales of atrocities had reached his ears, but he still found it difficult to reconcile the image of Vader with his image of Anakin. Sometimes, he would catch himself smiling as he remembered an amusing incident involving him and Anakin, but then he would frown and remember when he had stood over his former pupil's body on Mustafar and seen the look of anger and betrayal in the young man's eyes...
As he banished the image of his reckless pupil for the image of a hardened Sith Lord, Obi-Wan knew he was as ready as he would ever be for this last meeting. Biting his lip in sorrow, he stepped forward into the large room where Destiny awaited him.
The Emperor sat at his throne, Darth Vader waiting silently at his right hand side. The dark apprentice with his despotic master.
The Jedi felt a chill pass through him. He had not sensed Palpatine, had not suspected he would be present. Then again, the Sith Lord was a master of concealment. He had hidden from the Jedi for years. It was not surprising that Darth Sidious would want to revel at the defeat of one of the last of the Jedi.
"I have been expecting you, Kenobi," the Emperor said with a twisted smile. His face, like his pale and shriveled hands, offered warmth to no one, pretend though he might. "And you are not the only one I have been waiting for..."
"Your battle is with me, Darth Sidious," Obi-Wan stated. His life, his hopes—they were all wrapped up in two young people. He would protect them till they were ready to face this tyrant—that was his purpose. The Jedi were all but gone, and he had nothing else.
"I am surprised you survived the Jedi Purge, Kenobi," Palpatine remarked. "Were it not for Lord Vader's weakness of compassion, I am quite certain he would have killed you on Mustafar...But your presence has escaped my apprentice's notice...Where have you been hiding, Jedi?"
Obi-Wan said nothing, but Palpatine was skilled at reading souls. The Sith Lord gave a knowing smile that was just visible beneath the darkness of his hood. "Alderaan, I see. I should have killed Organa long ago—but he was skilled at convincing other senators of his support for me...Of course, now that I have disbanded the Senate, he should pose no further problem for me...In fact, I believe Alderaan will be my machine's first target...After you are dead, of course." The ruler gestured toward his dark servant, who brought his saber up and ignited it. "My apprentice has been wanting to do this for a long time."
****
Vader watched his saber illuminate his former master's face in a hazy red glow. The Jedi—strangely aged—seemed to know his end was near, though he still retained that thrice-cursed Jedi calm.
The Sith Lord's mood darkened. Obi-Wan had never loved him like a brother—he had suppressed him like an opponent. And now, it was finally time for Vader to strike down this last remainder of his old life. The Jedi known as Obi-Wan Kenobi would soon be no more.
His saber clashed against his former master's, and the two laserswords buzzed angrily together like disturbed Corellian raptor-wasps.
Their weapons locked together, and Obi-Wan said quietly, "If you strike me down, you will be increasing my power tenfold, Vader."
Darth Vader slashed at the Jedi twice before responding. "Your power has decreased tenfold since the last time we met, Jedi."
After a few downward swings, Vader sensed a strange presence. Intrigued, he pressed Obi-Wan backwards and then retreated several steps. Turning, he saw the boy watching them.
Pleased, Vader made a simple comment: "So, Sun, you have returned."
****
Vader's remark filled the air with a strange heaviness.
Feeling as if he had been backhanded by a rancor, Obi-Wan gasped, "What?"
Did Vader know? How had he found out that Luke was his son?
His heart racing along with his thoughts, Obi-Wan turned his head to look at Palpatine, whose evil smile was all he saw before he was knocked into unconsciousness.
****
The youth ran to the fallen Jedi, whom Palpatine had thrown against the wall with the Force. Fortunately, the Jedi seemed to still be breathing. Grabbing the Jedi's saber with his left hand, the former Tusken stood up, his face impassive.
The dark man's black-gloved hand gripped his lightsaber tightly, and he spoke once again to the one he had taken from Tatooine. "I am surprised this traitor was able to find you, Sun."
The boy stared at the Sith Lord for a few seconds before finally moistening his lips and reaching out to the Force. Slowly and hesitantly, drawing on the muscle memories of those around him and the many observations he had made during his time with humans, he opened his mouth. "I im...I am...Oo..." He closed his eyes tightly, calling more of the Force to him. Finally, he managed to rasp out: "I am Luke Skywalker."
Palpatine and Vader shared a quick glance, but Luke was unsure of the look's significance.
Vader's master, his face hidden in the shadows of his hood, gave a low chuckle. "Well, young Skywalker, why don't you prove yourself worthy of your name by killing the Jedi Kenobi? Perhaps you can succeed where your father failed."
"No," Luke said slowly but defiantly.
"You were raised by Tuskens, were you not?" Palpatine queried, his evil eyes peering at the youth. "On Tatooine, death is a way of life. It is not different anywhere else in the galaxy."
"No," the youth repeated himself loudly, shaking his head. Palpatine's Force sense was trying to enter Luke's mind, but Luke kept trying to fight its influence.
"If you refuse to obey your emperor, then you must die," the Emperor said matter-of-factly.
Vader ignited his saber, swinging it at the youth after a brief second of hesitation, but Luke met the red saber with Obi-Wan's blue blade. For a while now, Luke had been building up arm strength in his left arm. While he was certainly no match for Vader's brute strength, with both the Force and speed on his side, he might be able to hold his own.
The duel began, saber flashing against saber, angry scarlet against cool sapphire. Luke could see the red and blue hues reflecting from Vader's helmet, colors fighting on a dark and cold background. He knew it was a fight between good and evil, between life and death.
Was there any chance that battle was taking place in Vader's mind?
****
When Leia had felt Obi-Wan's consciousness dim, she had been on the verge of panicking. She had then latched onto her brother's Force sense—she still couldn't believe that she had a brother!—and followed it to what she guessed was the Emperor's throne room. After she entered the room, she froze. Vader and Luke were fighting, Palpatine was watching, and Obi-Wan—where was Obi-Wan?
She finally found him lying on the floor near a wall, and she ran to him. She could feel the Emperor's eyes on her as she checked the Jedi's pulse.
Palpatine finally spoke to her, as she had somehow known he would. "Your pathetic master is not dead yet. Soon, however, he will be."
Leia looked up and glared at him, her hand twitching beside her lightsaber.
The Emperor's eyes became slits, and a satisfied smile spread across his face. "Good," he said softly. "Let your hatred flow through you...Embrace your anger..."
Leia had to exercise every ounce of her control in the effort not to try to spear the despot with her saber. She tried instead to focus her energies on Obi-Wan. Finally, with the Force's aid, she finally succeeded in awakening the Jedi.
"Leia?" Obi-Wan whispered. He blinked, and Leia knew he was trying to clear his head. The Jedi glanced around quickly in an effort to get his bearings, and his eyes finally rested on the dueling Vader and Luke. "I knew it would come to this, Leia," he said sorrowfully, "but I had hoped it wouldn't have to."
Leia watched the duel, feeling Obi-Wan's sadness affect her, though she wasn't quite sure why. The black-armored Sith Lord was on the offensive, stabbing and slashing viciously, while the youth was dancing in and out defensively, meeting Vader's lighter blows with Obi-Wan's saber and avoiding most of the rest. Leia had never known that a one-armed human boy could be such a great swordsman.
Vader paused at one point, and Luke warily held his saber in place, waiting for the Sith Lord's next move.
"I sense your concern, Obi-Wan," the Sith Lord remarked as he began circling around his younger opponent. "It is somehow connected to these two..."
Leia glanced at Obi-Wan, who closed his eyes tightly. She could sense he was trying to erect stronger Force shields, but she also knew that his attempt was made too late.
"Ah, so the boy and girl are siblings...They know they are the children of Skywalker..." Vader sounded almost amused. "You haven't told them the truth, have you, Obi-Wan?"
Obi-Wan opened his eyes, and he gave Leia a sorrowful and apologetic look. "I have not lied to them," he said softly, his voice sounding to Leia as if it lacked conviction. "Their father was Anakin Skywalker. The man I knew who went by that name is dead."
"Their father is not dead," Vader growled. "Their father is standing in front of the pathetic Jedi who left him to die...Did you tell them how you maimed me, Obi-Wan?" His voice was cold and accusatory, and his anger was so great it was almost tangible. "How you let flames engulf my body? How if it weren't for the help of my present master, I would be dead?" The silence of his pause was deafening. "Did you tell them that your plan has always been for the children to kill the father?"
Leia stared at Obi-Wan, her heart close to breaking when he wouldn't meet her gaze. "Is it true, Obi-Wan?" she whispered, a tear sparkling in her eye.
She hadn't asked Bail who her real parents were when he had told her she was adopted. She had dismissed it as concern for his feelings, but truly that hadn't been the only reason. She had been fearful—she hadn't really wanted to know. And when she had learned of her relationship to Luke, she had accepted it easily simply because of the strange kinship she felt. But she could no longer avoid asking questions about her family—about her parentage. Now, she needed to know, though the knowledge might rip her entire galaxy asunder. She swallowed and forced some very painful words to come out of her mouth: "Is Darth Vader our father?"
She could see the fatigue, the regret, the pain in her mentor's eyes as he whispered, "He is."