I've said it before, and I'll say it again, I really don't like writing the dialogue from the movie. It's a pain and it sucks all my creativity out. Luckily, there's only one other part to Bespin. I've been eager to write it, but I think I was looking more forward to the implications of it, than the actual piece.

But ESB is coming to an end. My favorite movie. Kinda sad, but I'm honestly eager to write Home Fleet. Alot will happen. Trust me.

DISCLAIMER: I own a Star Wars pillow that I can never look at the same after my best friend made the term 'Use the Force' dirty, but not the actual movies.

Chapter Sixteen

They exited hyperspace in front of the Gas Giant of Bespin. Artoo had located the coordinates for Cloud City, and they descended into the planet silently. Tower control granted them access with ease, directing them to a double landing pad where they landed their ships side by side.

"I don't like this, Luke," Mara said, her blaster drawn as they walked towards the double white doors at the end of the pad.

"Neither do I," he agreed, blaster ready as well. They entered the compound and followed the stark white walls silently. No one milled about, no guards were posted, end everything was eerily silent. Artoo followed along behind Luke, beeping quietly in worry.

Luke paused and felt out with the Force. Something sinister was lurking, that was for sure. "Do you feel that?" he asked, glancing at Mara.

"Yeah," she nodded, raising her blaster. "It's Vader, I recognize his signature."

"Kriff," Luke cursed, glancing down the hall. He, Mara and Artoo and Desix were the only ones there, but that didn't mean no one was there period.

The walked quietly along the walls, keeping their backs pressed against it and constantly glancing back over their shoulder. Luke peered his head around a corner and yanked it back immediately, see a group of Cloud City officials transporting a long, slender metal box of some sort. He pressed out with the Force, trying to get a read on them.

A small gasp left his lips as he felt Han's Force signature buried deeply within the box. Something was keeping him at a state just before death.

"Han," Mara whispered, sensing him too.

"We need to move," Luke said, stepping forwards slightly before a plasma bolt his the wall next to his head. He shot back at the offender, who ducked behind the corner, firing off several more shots. Luke caught a glimpse of weathered green armor before it ran off.

Mara and Luke ran off down the halls away from the person shooting at them, heading the way they'd seen the people transporting come. Leia's Force signature lit up as Luke bounded down the hall. He and Mara pressed themselves to the wall as stormtroopers caught sight of them and began firing.

They shot back and watched as several Imperial Officers pushed Leia and Chewie along with several other prisoners.

"Luke!" Leia yelled over the sound of blaster fire. "Luke! Don't! It's a trap!"

An Imperial Officer forced her down the hall, out of sight. Her hands gripped the corner, pulling her back towards Luke.

"It's a trap!" She screamed before the Officer contained her. The last of the storm troopers disappeared behind her, leaving them alone in the halls once more.

"Mara," Luke turned. "Take Desix and find Leia and Chewie. See if you can free them."

"Right," she nodded. "What do you plan to do?"

"I have to fight Vader," he said, glancing back down the hallway Leia was taken.

"Luke," she said, worry lacing her tone.

"Don't," he stopped her. "I have to do this."

She nodded mutely before taking off down the hall, Desix hot on her heels. Luke ran off as well, ducking down the hallway he'd sensed Vader's presence coming from. He stepped in cautiously, and the door slid shut behind him. Artoo twittered panickedly, before being locked outside.

Luke looked back and sighed. He was on his own now. Stepping forward quietly, the floor under his feet glowed a dull orange and he felt himself going upwards into a tunnel. He froze until he came out into a mechanical room. The floor glowed the same dull orange as the floor in the hallway had. Blue light lined the walls, giving everything a cold feel. It didn't help that puffs of cold gas flowed up in release from the floor every so often. He walked forward, the hatch that had allowed him in closing behind him. Twisted metal tubes and coils hung messily from the ceiling.

Lights turned on, illuminating the room. Control panels lined the circular surface, and a whole in the center of the floor sat below a huge durasteel claw. Luke turned and saw the unmistakable silhouette of Darth Vader standing on one of the higher platforms.

"The Force is with you, Young Skywalker," Vader called out in his deep baritone voice. "But you are not a Jedi yet."

Luke didn't flinch or convey any fear, though he did feel some. He instead calmly walked the stairs up towards Vader, preparing himself for a fight. Silence hung between them until the snap-hiss of Luke's blade igniting broke it, and Luke fell into the defensive stance Ben had taught him all those years ago.

Vader calmly ignited his own ruby blade, bathing the circle between them in soft purple light as the two blades reflected off each other.

Luke swung up, striking Vader's blade with ease. Vader blocked it easily, only using one hand to mock Luke. Luke swung a down stroke to which Vader blocked and pushed back to knock the young man backwards on the ground. Luke stood, holding his blade out once more. He stepped forward, and Vader moved back. It was a dance. Delicate, and the price for missing a step was death.

They thrust forwards again, their blades meeting with the crackle and smell of o-zone. Each strike was met, each defense defending perfectly. But Vader was still holding back.

Mara followed the group of Imperials and their prisoners quietly, Desix following closely and silently. Cloud City officials surrounded the group, pulling blasters and apprehending the Imperials quickly.

A dark skinned man in a powder blue cloak collected the rifles from the Stormtroopers, showing his authority over the situation. Mara laid back, waiting to see if the situation ran sour.

"Lobo," the man hissed, leaning into a bald pale man. "Take them to the security tower. Keep it quiet."

The Cloud City officials moved the Stormtroopers away, leaving Leia, Chewie and the Man, who handed Leia the rifles he was holding.

"What do you think you're doing?" Leia asked sharply, walking around the man. Mara couldn't see from this angle, but she assumed he was removing the binders on Chewie.

"Getting you out of here," the man hissed.

"I knew it all along! It had to be a mistake!" Threepio's electronic voice floated down the hallway. Mara spotted the bits of gold strapped to Chewie's back, flailing its arms around.

"You think after what you did to Han-" Leia started but was cut off as Chewie cried out and wrapped his paws around the man's throat. Mara's eyes widened as she ran forward with her blaster drawn.

"Chewie!" she yelled, skidding to a stop across from Leia.

"I had no choice!" the man rasped, gasping for air. Chewie roared in anger.

"Chewbacca!" Threepio screamed. "What are you doing? Trust him, trust him!"

"Oh we understand, don't we, Chewie?" Leia snapped. "He had 'no choice'!"

"I'm just trying to help!" the man rasped, falling to his knees.

"Leia! Stop this!" Mara cried. Leia's dark eyes looked almost black as she laid them on Mara.

"He froze Han in Carbonite! He betrayed us!" she yelled angrily. Mara's mouth dropped in shock.

"You what?" she asked the man.

"Trying...to help!" he rasped.

"We don't need any of your help!" Leia said firmly, glaring down at the man.

The man gasped, barely getting oxygen in. "Han!"

Chewie growled and the man looked up at Mara with pleading eyes.

"Han!" he rasped.

"What?" Leia asked, not really caring.

"It sounds like 'Han'," Threepio stated.

"Still a chance to save Han!" the man nodded. Leia's eyes widened at the thought.

"Chewie!" Leia called and started walking. Chewie released the man and he fell forward, clutching his throat and gasping.

They ran down the hall, Mara following them out of no idea of what else to do.

"I'm terribly sorry about this!" Threepio called out, always the proper droid. "After all, he's only a wookiee!"

They ran along one of the outer walkways, headed towards the landing platform apparently the bounty hunter who had Han was stationed. The man was running with them, Mara right behind him. She heard twittering behind her and looked to see Artoo.

"Artoo! What are you doing here?" She cried out. "Where's Luke?"

Artoo beeped in response.

"You don't know?" she asked, and huffed angrily. Not the time for Farmboy to be running off, she thought angrily. Artoo and Desix trailed behind them, doing their best to keep up.

They reentered the compound, flying down the sterile walls.

"Artoo, Artoo!" Threepio cried out. "Where have you been?"

Artoo twittered angrily and Chewie turned, allowing Mara and the man to run past ahead of them.

"Oh, turn around!" Threepio cried and Chewie turned and ran back behind everyone. "Hurry, we're trying to save Han from the bounty hunter!"

Artoo twittered something back to Threepio.

"Well, at least you're still in one piece!" he huffed. "Look what happened to me!"

They came to the landing pad doors and the man quickly keyed in the code to open them. Leia rushed forward, looking up as the ship began to fly off. She fired several shots but gave up when the shields absorbed them all. She stared in utter sadness at the sky, fearing for Han.

"Oh no!" Threepio screamed. "Chewie! They're behind you!"

Mara and Chewie spun, shooting at the on coming stormtroopers. Mara glanced back at Leia and grabbed her arm.

"C'mon," she hissed, and Leia returned to her Princess facade: Cold as Hoth and only wanting the end of the Empire.

They fired at the troopers, running back down the halls of the compound.

Darth Vader trusted forward on his blade, pushing Luke back.

"You've learned much, Young One," Vader mentioned.

"You'll find I'm full of surprises," Luke retorted, striking forward again. Vader knocked him to the ground, forcing Luke to defend himself quickly and one handed. Vader angled his blade, prying it loose and forcing it away. Blue light reflected off the various metal instruments in the room as the blade whipped through the air. The lightsaber retracted with a snap hiss as it hit the ground.

Vader took the opportunity to swing down with all his strength, but Luke rolled away and tumbled down the glowing stairs. He glanced up and saw the shadowy figure of the Sith Lord floating down with ease at him. He ran away, Darth Vader's boots slamming right where his head had been. Luke stood in a defensive pose, wary of his opponent.

"Your destiny lies with me now," Vader commanded. "Obi-Wan knew this to be true."

"No," Luke hissed, stepping backwards again. A loud humming resonated from the Carbon Freezing Pit below him. Vader threw a fake lightsaber swing and Luke flinched backwards, letting out a small yelp as he became weightless. He slammed to the bottom and the wind rushed out of him.

"All too easy," Vader boasted, flipping the switch to activate the pit with the Force. Luke glanced around and jumped as the Freezing began, clutching to the sinewy pipes of wire that swung down like the vines in Dagobah.

"Perhaps you are not as strong as the Emperor thought," Vader taunted, leaning towards the pit and looking for his carbonized form. A loud clanging sounded above him and he looked up as Luke tried to grasp onto the ceiling.

"Impressive," Vader said, swinging his crimson blade at Luke's legs and missing. Sparks flew, warming Luke's boot with the heat. "Most impressive."

Luke did a front flip downwards and landed on his feet. Coolant from the slashed pipe released Carbon into the air, clouding them in a suffocating white fume. Luke grabbed the swinging pipe and angled it at Vader's mask, clouding his viewing port and choking up his ventilator. Vader grunted and backed away. Luke called upon the Force and his lightsaber flew to his hand, igniting upon impact. He swung around and clashed with a hiss of ozone as Vader's blade swung towards him.

"Obi-Wan has taught you well," Vader observed. "You have control over your fear."

They slashed and parried again, before they were stuck in another deadlock.

"Now," Vader commanded, his emotionless mask peering into Luke menacingly. "Let go of your anger. And your hatred and Destroy me!"

He slashed again and Luke's brilliant blue blade caught Vader's crimson. After a few strikes, Luke flipped over Vader, catching the Sith unawares. Vader spun and caught the new attacks effortlessly, but soon became weighed down by Luke's attack. He was forced back and off the edge of the freezing chamber. Luke stood above the darkness before moving towards an easier drop and jumping after Vader. He came face to face with a grated vent which opened to let him pass. Luke eyed the new opening hesitantly, before stepping forward. The walls and floors of the circular tube ignited with brilliant white light, blinding him temporarily. He came out in an old office, looking around the dark surroundings for his adversary.

The hiss of the ventilator stopped Luke, and he stretched out with the Force to search for the elusive signature of Vader. He found it, and turned while igniting his blade. Vader stepped forward out of the shadows and repeated the gesture.

They eyed each other for a moment before Vader waved his gloved arm at an electric tubing attached to the wall. It snapped free with a spark and flew over towards Luke. He sensed the attack from behind and spun to slice his blue blade at it. Vader moved in while Luke was distracted and tried striking again. Luke caught his blade and fought back.

The sabers locked again and Luke was hit on the back of the head by another one of Vader's distractions, this time a box. He grunted and staggered back, dizzy from the blow.

Vader released more boxes and objects at Luke, each time he slashed clumsily about, missing them completely. The objects pushed him backwards towards the circular window. Finally an object missed Luke, striking the window. The vacuum of the chamber behind the glass sucked objects about the room. Vader clutched at the wall to keep from flying out the window. Luke roughly clung to the wall before the wind in the room picked him up and tossed him out the window.

The wind died down and Vader moved forward towards the window. With a glance below he saw Luke clinging to the walkway for dear life. Luke lifted himself up and pulled himself to safety, panting with exertion. He just needed to survive that fight to go make sure Leia, Mara and Chewie were alright. But the trick was just surviving.

I don't really have much to say here. Honestly. I've moved into my Dad's finally, so I'm getting into the groove of things here. So Max, you know you better review, or there will be Sith Hell to pay. For everyone else, I won't threaten but merely beg for your reviews. You know me, I won't with hold the story if I don't get them, but reviews are like candy! Unless you're diabetic. Then it's like Splenda.

Now that I've stepped on the toes of a nice group of people! Anyways.

Oh, and Max, Dopo mee gusha, peedunkey? Dopo?

NEXT CHAPTER: Bespin Part II

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