"Pretty impressive from this distance, isn't it?" Solo commented, noticing that the Organas were gaping speechless at the burnt planet below as it glowed under the twin suns. "Not many systems like this out there, at least not with civilization."
Breha tore herself away from the view and turned to Luke. "Can you find Leia? Is she down there?"
He nodded. "You all should stay in the ship. I'll signal when I've found her so you can pick her up."
"Is that it, Kid?" Solo asked incredulously, "You think Vader's just going to let her walk away?"
"Well, no, not really. But I'm hoping to distract him enough so you can pull her out."
"What about you, Luke?" Breha asked. "We're not just going to leave you."
Luke's expression was stern. "I have to do this. Leia is in far greater danger right now."
"You mean you have to face Vader?" she responded icily, "You know, I've never understood this Jedi obsession with destiny."
Luke knew she was responding as a mother, and thought bittersweetly that his Aunt Beru would have made much the same comment were she still alive.
"I don't think he'll harm me," he reassured her.
"Don't be foolish," Breha snapped. "He hurt Leia. Of course he would hurt you." She sighed loudly. "Luke, please don't do this alone." He saw tears in eyes.
"I'm sorry." He gave her a long hug, savoring the warmth of her arms. "The Force will be with me, I promise."
Breha clung tightly to him. "I hope so."
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Leia and Vader looked up at the sky simultaneously- him with gleeful satisfaction and her with horror.
"Prepare to leave as soon as he gets here," Vader ordered her, extinguishing his lightsaber and walking back towards the shuttle. "There's not much time."
Leia planted her feet, shaking her head slowly. "No. I won't let you hurt him."
"I'm not going to hurt him, Leia." He was growing more exasperated with the girl by the day. "Do they teach nothing at those academies of yours on Alderaan? Logic? He is your brother."
"You're crazy," she sneered at him. "Next thing you'll say that Governor Tarkin was my secret baby sister."
"Why are you so keen to deny the truth?"
"Why?" Leia snarled, "Why? Why don't you think about it, you beast? You beat me, drug me, try to blow up my planet, leave me to starve to death in some godsforsaken forest, and then you claim you're not only my father, but my friends, and because of that we should just somehow pretend nothing bad ever happened and join up in some wild Emperor-killing superhero team?" Vader stepped back, the physical force of her anger pushing at him. "And then you kidnap me, leave me to get eaten alive by a giant lizard, and try to cut my limbs off while insulting my physical abilities. I hate you. I want you to die. That is why. Understand now?"
He could feel the Dark Side pulsing in her, fighting like a dragon trying to free itself from its egg. If only she would turn that power against the Emperor.
"Daughter, I…" Vader started, before Leia ignited her lightsaber and charged at him with a scream of fury.
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"Just past that next dune, in the canyons," Luke said, pointing out a spot as they skimmed the desert surface. "I'll walk from there. Don't want to give Vader warning that I'm coming."
"Hey, at least take a little more firepower," Han said with a frown as Luke tucked only his lightsaber into his belt. The captain was relieved that they were at least parking relatively far from the Dune Sea region where Jabba and his minions held sway. He settled the Falcon down in a cloud of sand and dust as Luke wrapped his face in a white cloth.
"No, but thanks, Han. I've got the transmitter- I'll signal when I'm ready for you to come."
"Okay….Kid?"
"Yeah?" Luke turned around, seeing that the entire crew of the ship, droids included, had come to the door to see him off with anxious faces.
"May the Force be with you."
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Parrying a slash of the blade intended to take him out at the knees, Vader mused that Leia had obviously been paying more attention to his lessons than he realized. She was getting better at channeling the Dark Side as well, using her anger at him to drive her strikes. Twice he'd had to retreat slightly as she nearly caught one of his extremities on her blade. The irony of that particular blade removing any of his limbs did not amuse him.
Distractedly, he wondered where a girl raised as a proper princess would have picked up the string of curses she was leveling at him as they fought. Too much time gallivanting with Rebels, presumably. Once this was over he would cure her of that. Vader had little place for bad language.
He stepped onto a rock, leaping up to push her blade down and out of range of his head as his boot lost traction on the fine sand. He caught himself quickly using the Force, but Leia used his momentary loss of focus to leap to one side, swinging back her blade for a killing blow.
"No!"
Leia felt the saber pulled back, gently but firmly away from Vader, and turned with a snarl to see the source of the voice.
"Luke! Get out of here!"
Luke gave her a perplexed look as she stepped away from Vader, keeping her blade pointed at him. "I'm here to rescue you."
"You have to go. They're going to kill you." She turned back to see Vader striding towards them, and launched herself at him again, driving him away from Luke.
Her eyes haunted him. No longer the deep brown pools that had charmed him as they sat and laughed on Yavin, she now stared with a sickly yellow gaze that made her appear as though she was rotting from the inside. He could feel the waves of darkness flowing from her as she battled Vader, desperately trying to keep him away from Luke. He couldn't let her kill their father. If she did, he might never get her back.
"Leia, no," he shouted, throwing himself into the fight. Surprising Leia and Vader both, he brought up his own saber to block hers. "You don't know what you're doing."
The girl turned in shock to stare at Luke. "I almost had him," she said quietly. "I almost had him." Her eyes flashed, and suddenly she pulled back her blade to swing at Luke. "How dare you!" she shouted as he held his own lightsaber in a two handed grip to ward her off. "I almost had him."
Luke scuttled back. "Leia, you don't understand. Please listen!" With a wordless scream, she pursued him, her blade making brief contact with his arm and singeing the skin. Luke yelped in pain as Leia raised her saber again.
Suddenly they were both tumbling to the ground. Vader marched up and snatched Leia by the collar of her jumpsuit, dragging her off Luke and snatching the lightsaber out of her hand. The boy pushed himself up on his elbows, watching Leia wriggle in the Dark Lord's grip.
"Are you all right, Luke?" he asked calmly, pointing to the blistered red mark on his forearm.
"I'll be fine….Father." Vader nodded in recognition.
"So you know." He looked meaningfully at Leia. "And have accepted the truth."
"I've accepted the truth that you were once Anakin Skywalker," Luke clarified. He began to push himself to his feet, and then leapt up as Vader reignited his own lightsaber, bringing it towards the struggling girl. "Father, no! What are you doing?!"
"Teaching my daughter to respect her family," Vader said, bringing the glowing blade against Leia's back, pulling it away before he could do any more harm than a burn. She shrieked, and Vader dropped her to the ground. Luke knelt beside her, smothering a smoldering flame on her shirt then looking up with horror at their father. "She won't do that again, son."
Leia curled onto the ground, whimpering as Luke took a closer look at her injury. The fact that it seemed to be hurting her badly was actually good, he knew, because it meant it wasn't deep. But the act was hardly going to help Luke convince his sister that she shouldn't try to kill their father. He took her hand, squeezing it gently as he helped her up.
"Get in the ship," Vader ordered. "Both of you. The Emperor is nearly here."
"We're not going with you," Luke told him, keeping a tight hand around Leia. "If you want to leave, go."
"Luke, no!" Leia sucked in a ragged breath. "He'll just come for us again. We have to finish this."
"I am not leaving without you," Vader interrupted her. "I will have my family whole again."
"And did that work before?" Luke asked, "With our mother? Dragging her with you against her will?"
Leia pushed herself in front of Luke as Vader strode angrily up to his son. The Dark Lord shoved her out of the way, pointing a finger in Luke's face.
"I never dragged your mother into anything. I loved her."
"And is this what she would want, then? Threatening her children?"
"She would want us to be together," Vader roared, reaching out to grab Luke by the arm. The boy lithely jumped back, drawing his lightsaber and keeping a careful eye on Leia, who stood a few meters away, watching them silently. "She would want us to be a family!"
"Never!" Abruptly Leia was charging at them again, armed with nothing but her own fury. Her body seemed to glow with power and, before Luke could even speak her name, forks of lightning flew from her fingers, slamming Vader into the ground. Her eyes were wide, hair standing nearly on end as she let out another burst. Vader moaned, his body quivering under the onslaught.
Luke looked wildly between his sister and father, unsure of what to do. Trust the Force, Yoda had said, but the Force felt shadowy here, as though storm clouds gathered overhead. Finally he ran to his father's side as Leia paused her attack, panting woozily.
A faint smell of roasted flesh hung in the air as Vader groaned, trying to push himself upright. Luke put an arm around his shoulder and manhandled him into a sitting position. Vader's breath came unevenly, short then long, as he struggled to regain his composure.
"This has to stop," Luke said quietly to him, before turning to his sister.
"Leia, please. You're only hurting yourself." Luke held up his hands, placing himself between the two combatants.
"It doesn't matter," she said in voice choked with sobs. "He has to die."
"He doesn't," Luke said gently, starting to walk towards her. "What would that accomplish? Other than to destroy you?"
"If I don't kill him, he'll destroy me," Leia responded, tears starting to pour down her face. "It's the only way, Luke. I'm sorry." He could see her concentrating, gearing up for another assault.
"Leia, this isn't you," he said desperately, stepping backwards to interpose himself between her and Vader. "It's the fear talking. The Dark Side. It's eating you, Leia."
Trembling, she held her hands out, pointing towards Vader. "Move, Luke. I don't want to hurt you."
"You can't let fear win out, Leia. It can only overpower you if you let it."
"Move, Luke! I don't want to hurt you!" She was practically screaming the words.
"Why?" Luke's voice was quiet.
"Because…..because you're my brother." Leia let out a gasping sob. "You're my brother and I love you and I don't want to hurt you. So move!"
"No, Leia." Luke moved closer to Vader and stood resolutely between his sister and his father. "You have to choose. What's greater- your love for me, or your fear of him?" He glanced back at Vader, who was shakily pushing himself to his feet. Leia watched him, trembling as Luke stared at her, praying she would make the right decision, knowing his life was forfeit if she didn't. "What is greater- love or fear?"
She dropped to her knees, opening her mouth to respond when a light filled the canyon behind them, followed by an explosion that rumbled the ground like an ancient monster awaking from the bowels of the planet.