Chapter 2
Luke Skywalker's eyes flickered with fear and anger. This was Darth Vader. This was the monster who killed his father and Ben on that space station. This was the monster who had destroyed Luke's entire childhood. He would pay for what he had done to both his father and Ben.
He held his 'saber out to the monster, in truth not certain how to use the thing but vowing to bring Vader to justice. He would not kill anyone else.
"You hold that weapon like an untrained child," Vader said. "You have no right to it. You, boy, are no Jedi." The Sith Lord continued with a query. "Who are you?"
"You killed my father," Luke replied coldly, not obligated to listen to this monster.
Vader's voice brimmed with absolute coldness and indifference. "I've killed many fathers, you'll have to be more specific."
Yelling out of anger, Luke had enough of this monster's words. The two locked blades briefly, and the young man didn't have the energy to stand on his feet as Vader overpowered him.
The monster stated in that ever damnable calm voice. "This is most pathetic. You are not worth the seconds it would take to finish you. Who sent you here to die like this?"
"I was there on the Death Star. I saw what you did to him." The anger was ever blinding. "You killed Master Kenobi! And now I'm here to make sure you- NO!"
The lightsaber was snatched out of his fleeing hands to the grip of the monster. The monster regarded him as if he was nothing more but a child claiming to be hero. That springs forth an insecurity...
"So Obi-Wan Kenobi gave you this lightsaber. A shame he did not teach you how to wield it." Vader said coldly. "He never did make for such a master."
"How did you..." Luke was stunned speechless.
"The Force will never be with you, boy, your Master has fallen. What hope have you?" Vader asked, condescending, before raising both lightsabers to him, threateningly. "If you wish to live, you will tell me all you know of the Rebellion. Including the nature of this attack. And then you will lead me to the rebel pilot who destroyed the Death Star. And watch as I strike him down."
Like you did to Old Ben, Luke wanted to say, but Vader continued.
"Speak quickly, or join your father."
Defiantly, Luke spoke as bravely as possible. "I'd rather die than yield to you."
Vader crossed his arms, raising both lightsabers in front of himself.
"So be it."
That was when things begin to change. At that moment, Vader tilted his head to the right, only to see someone charging blindly at him, aiming for Luke's blue blade, sending him backwards.
Luke barely got a look off the individual who attacked the monster. The man appeared to be around his age, having a goofy haircut that Luke have never seen from anyone before, and actually did manage to knock the lightsaber of his father out of his hand.
Vader snarled. "I thought I destroyed you long ago."
The man grinned. "I have no idea what you're talking about, you walking droid, but I'm hard to kill."
Something cold shot through Luke as he only moved past the dueling men and collect his lightsaber.
"Your Master was weak and foolish," Vader hissed, sending another barrage of assaults, "He'd paid for his failure with his life."
"What did you do to Obi-Wan?!" the man exclaimed, the grin evaporating from his lips as he continues to bash against him. "What are you even?! A droid?!"
"I am no droid," Vader replied coldly, still maintaining that calmness even though the air around them seemed a lot more sharper. "I am a Sith Lord, and Kenobi paid for his lack of foresight."
Something cold shot through him at that proclamation. "No, you couldn't have killed Obi-Wan."
Luke felt a pang in his chest for the tone from the man, despite not knowing who he was.
"I did," Vader confirmed, ever the more coldly. "Just like I will do to you."
Rage consumed the man's features again. He leapt forward, his movements swift and aggressive. The Sith met his attack with calculated precision, their lightsabers clashing in a cacophony of energy and sparks.
As they duel, Luke found himself unsure what to do. The man fought with a raw ferocity, tapping into his anger and frustration. Vader, on the other hand, moved with a cold efficiency, his every strike calculated and deliberate.
He had no training in how to wield the blade.
"Given you're here, that means that you can lead me to Amidala," Vader said after half a minute of dueling.
The man gritted his teeth. "You would never touch the senator!"
Who's Senator Amidala?
"Padmé is mine, you insolent little brat."
Padmé?
Vader goes still briefly, his breathing sending yet another cold chill down his spine. However, it felt more rapid now, an ever rhythmically song of death and destruction.
The man's fury intensified, and he launched a flurry of attacks, his lightsaber whirling through the air. But the silent Sith countered each strike effortlessly, his crimson blade deflecting his assaults with ease.
"She belongs to me," Vader continued coldly. "You would curse the day you speak her name."
"She belongs to no one!" The man exclaimed, now fighting with more vigor and anger as he pushed around the monster.
"You were too weak and foolish to save her!" Vader snapped above their saber lock. "And you would die for this! And I will save her from you!"
Vader delivered a powerful blow that sent the young man stumbling backward. The man lands on his stomach, buying Vader time to approached the man and raise his lightsaber.
The Sith Lord lowered it however after a moment. "You were always destined to fall, Skywalker. To become a servant of the Dark Side. I would teach you."
The man struggled to stand. "I will never serve you. I would never serve someone who killed Obi-Wan!"
"You have failed him just like you have failed your mother and Master Yaddle."
Master Yaddle?
With a surge of rage exploding around him, the man leapt forward, his lightsaber blazing in seconds.
Vader countered the strike and the two exchanged another volley of assaults, before the Sith sent a kick to his gut, shoving him down next to Luke, his deactivated lightsaber hilt flying out of his hand.
"Now you would both die."
Vader descended onto him with a speed that not even Luke saw coming. The man gripped his lightsaber again with the Force, blocking the blow before he could have killed either of them, obviously struggling to keep the tyrant at bay.
Sweat dripped down the man's forehead, his muscles straining with effort. He tapped into the last of his strength, pushing against Vader with all his might.
"I would not let you hurt anyone else!"
Vader didn't respond, instead leaning in onto the duel lock.
Upon realizing he was overpowered, the Jedi disengaged and shot a brief glance to Luke. "Run!"
"What about you?!" Luke found his voice after a second.
"I can hold him back!" The Jedi said, grunting as Vader leaned in.
The leg of an Imperial walker comes down, and both of their eyes go wide, as it almost crushed them.
Vader raised his hand at the leg, before pushing the walker away without thought, making Luke worried about the life of his friends, gritting his teeth in frustration.
After a moment, Luke found his footing and run into the opposite direction, shooting a glimpse behind him to see the man break off their saber lock and begin running as well.
Vader followed after them, lightsaber still ignited at his side, as the corridors begin closing around him.
"Kark all! Who's your friend?!" The Jedi quipped to him.
"You don't know Darth Vader?!" Luke shouted back to him, earning a bemused glimpse from him.
"Darth who?!" The Jedi asked.
So he knew Old Ben but not Darth Vader? Why did he took his death so personally? With such emotion that didn't even match Luke?
Then again, who known what that crazy old man was doing throughout the years?
"Explain later when we are not seconds away from death!" The Jedi shouted, realizing that asking questions now is futility.
"We have to free the slaves!" Luke shouted.
"Wait, you're freeing slaves?!" The man retorts, looking at him shocked. "The Jedi Council wouldnever-"
"The Jedi Council?" Luke interrupted him, frowning. "Didn't Ben tell you? The Jedi are all dead!"
The supposed Jedi froze, just outside of the factory.
"Come on!" Luke shouted.
"No, I am on the mission to protect Padmé...Senator Amidala!" The man shook his head. "What are you talking about?"
Now, Vader stood across them inside of the factory, lightsaber still drawed at his side.
"Ugh, Leia would be the better person to ask these questions to!" Luke exclaimed. "She knows every politician that was in the Imperial Senate before it was dismantled."
"What is an Imperial Senate and what do you mean dismantled?" The man replied, lightsaber drawn in front of him.
Fortunately, Luke was prevented from answering, for the familiar figures of Han and Leia charge up, aiming their blasters directly at Vader who is approaching at rapid speed.
"The walker's a no go! Fortunately, I'd managed to save your highness from suffering a stub toe!" Han shouted above the chaos, as if Ben's killer wasn't standing across from them.
"Stuff it!" Leia snapped back.
The Sith was storming forward. The Jedi rushed to meet up halfway, and Vader kept his gaze on him, their lightsabers intertwining.
"Capture the boy and his friends," Vader demanded, not even turning his head away from the Jedi. "And kill the slaves. The Jedi is mine."
Immediately, blaster fire came pouring down on the slaves, hitting many of them.
The Jedi disengaged yet again, lunging at the Stormtroopers currently gunning down the slaves and cutting them down within an instant, before bringing his lightsaber up to Vader yet again who prepared for another strike.
"Hey kid who's your friend?!" Han demanded.
"I'm trying to figure that out myself!" Luke replied, looking across at the man.
"Less questions! Did you finally reach Chewie, flyboy?!" Leia shouted to Han.
Losing contact with their Wookie friend did give Luke a brief scare, that much he would admit.
"Yeah yeah, he's on it, sweetheart!" Han replied, firing his blaster at the remaining Stormtroopers. "Apparently, he found some scavengers trying to tear the Falcon apart and dealt with them! You should compensate us more, you grace!"
"In your dreams!"
Sometimes, he felt like he was the most mature one of the crew.
"Can you both stop arguing for five seconds?!" Luke snapped, also peeking out of cover and trying to get shots off on any Stormtrooper in sight who hadn't been killed by the Jedi. "We would be lucky if Vader doesn't capture us and do what he did to Ben!"
Vader's hand shot up, launching a wave of dark energy that sends the Jedi hurtling backward. He crashed onto the rocky ground, his lightsaber falling from his grasp yet again.
The Sith walked over to his fallen opponent. He approached the downed man, his voice filled with icy certainty.
Vader said chillingly. "Your time is over, boy. You have failed."
The Jedi struggled to rise, his body battered and broken, but his eyes burned with defiance. The battle may be lost, but his spirit remained unbroken.
"Do it."
Vader raised his lightsaber, ready to strike the final blow.
Defiantly, the man kicked him in the leg, crying out as he reached for his ankle, but not denting the Sith Lord at all.
"Did you really think that would have worked on me, boy? Kenobi never taught you discipline so allow me to do so in his favor."
"You are nothing compared to Obi-Wan! Don't you dare menti-"
The man's hand shot to his throat, and he was levitated into the air. Darth Vader was standing there, hand outstretched to his direction.
His entire body was slammed onto the ground, causing him to let out a groan, obviously wary now.
Yet, surprisingly, the Sith stood there, motionless.
"Bring him and his allies to me. I'll deal with him later."
"He needs our help!" Luke shouted to his companion, not even wanting to imagine what Vader would do to either of them.
Ever the challenger, the Captain of the Falcon came out into the opening and fires at the Sith who harmlessly deflect the blaster bolts away with simple swings of his lightsaber. The Stormtroopers seemed to know better than to risk killing Solo after their superior demanded his capture so they focus on both Luke and Leia who were still covered along with the slaves who are nothing but casualties.
In a fortune of good luck or by the Force, the Millennium Falcon comes into sight, blasting at all of the Imperial, including Vader, causing him to raise his hand up in front of him freeze the bolts in mid air.
Chewie's roar was heard over the coms, translating into something along the lines of, "Hurry up, you idiots!"
Using the brief distraction to his advantage, Luke ran forward and slumped his arm over to the man. The Jedi stood back up to his feet and called his lightsaber over his hand, before running as well, deflecting bolts into the Stormtroopers as the rest get on board.
At least the slaves were safe. Luke have been on Tatooine long enough to understand that the slaves were unfortunate victims to Jabba and his Empire's wrath, given they also benefit from slavery.
"Kark Darth Vader!" Leia shouted among the chaos as they peered out of the viewport to see the Sith holding onto both the bolts and the ship.
The ship trembled as it slowly began to descend onto the ground.
"Damn, I guess the Force do exist after all or I just smoked too much!" Han cursed, dashing to the gunner seat and taking up controls to fire at the Sith Lord.
After a second, his grip loosened over the Falcon, and the ship flew into space before they jump into light speed, away from the Imperials.
Even Han slumped back into his seat out of evident relief. Once the group was organized, Leia made sure to offer soft reassurances to the slaves while Han assumes the role of the pilot yet again.
Most notably, the Jedi stayed quiet throughout the ordeal, seeming to be... distant from them.
"We need to talk with him," Luke told his friend. "He told me he was protecting some senator. I honestly don't know what he is talking about."
Leia's lips curled, but she nodded as she walked alongside him to approach the Jedi.
"Sir, I appreciate you for helping us with our mission, but what is this about protecting a senator?"
"She was protesting a bill in the senate," the Jedi answered somewhat briskly, keeping his tone respectful and cordial, hands folded behind his back. "After many assassination attempts, the Jedi Council sent me as a bodyguard while my Master went on an different assignment." There's something more, but he was keeping it hidden.
For her part, Leia kept her composure, but even her eyes suggested curiosity and skepticism. "I don't know if you hit your head too hard, but Senator Amidala died twenty years ago, and the Jedi Council was decimated along with the Old Republic on the same day as Empire's day."
The Jedi's eyes go wide as he practically blanched. "What?! But that's impossible! She's safe! I protected her! And the Jedi Council couldn't have fallen! And what Empire?! Are you two mad?!"
"Hmmm," Leia replied, stroking her chin in thought. "First off, let's start somewhere: what's your name?"
The Jedi seemed to be contemplating for a second as if debating if he should lie to Leia, something that earned a scowl from the woman. Luke mentally scoffed. His friend could read people like a book.
At last, he responded:
"Anakin Skywalker."
Leia's eyes go wide, and Luke's voice poured out of his chest. "What?!"
