STAR WARS: THERE IS ANOTHER
It is a dark time for the Rebellion. Although the Death Star has been destroyed, Imperial troops have driven the Rebel forces from their hidden base and pursued them across the galaxy.
Evading the dreaded Imperial Starfleet, a group of freedom fighters led by Luke Skywalker have established a new secret base on the remote ice world of Hoth.
The evil lord Darth Vader, obsessed with finding young Skywalker, has at last tracked the rebels down, and prepares for a long awaited confrontation...
"Yes, Lord Vader..." General Maximilian Veers confirmed from the cockpit of his AT-AT, "I've reached the main power generators. The shield will be down in moments. You may start your landing."
Darth Vader clicked off the holoprojector, causing Veers' image to vanish.
"Bring me down." Vader simply said to the pilot of his shuttle.
Within moments, the shuttle began to descend into the ice planet's atmosphere, and towards the battle raging on the surface below.
This would be a day long remembered, mused the dark lord. The death of the Rebellion was at hand, and Luke Skywalker would finally be his.
It would not be long now...
Down on the surface inside Echo Base, General Rieekan, and Princess Leia continued to lead the evacuation of the Rebel leadership, and personnel. However, while a few of the transports had successfully made it past the Imperial blockade already, explosions now rocked the caverns, causing chunks of ice to fall from the ceiling, and it was rapidly becoming clear that time was running out.
Meanwhile, on the outside, the Battle Of Hoth raged most furiously on, and for the Rebellion, the situation was growing bleaker by the second. Although the Rebel ground forces, and Rogue Squadron had managed to bring down one of the AT-ATs, as well as a few of the AT-STs, the Imperial assault continued to advance relentlessly, and inexorably on. Slowly, but surely, the Rebel defense lines were being ground into dust beneath the feet of the Imperial walkers.
In the air, Luke and Rogue Two flew in formation above the battlefield as flak burst around them.
Luke glanced over at other snowspeeder, "Rogue Two, are you all right?"
"Yeah. I'm with you, Rogue Leader." Zev Senesca responded.
"Well, set harpoon. I'll cover you." Luke instructed.
The two snowspeeders soared across the horizon towards the Imperial walkers. As they neared the massive machines, the flak grew thicker, and the Rebel craft were rocked by explosions.
"Coming around." Zev said.
"Watch that crossfire, boys." warned Luke.
"Set for position three." Zev told his gunner, "Steady."
"Stay tight, and low." Luke said, "This is it!"
Suddenly, Zev's snowspeeder took a direct hit from a walker's laser cannon. The rebel pilot felt an instant of pain, then his craft exploded into flames, leaving very little of Zev, or his ship remaining to hit the ground.
Luke stared in shock at the disintegration. Zev was gone, just like that. Another Rebel friend lost. Luke's own gunner Dak had been killed early on in the battle, his body still seated in the gunner seat just behind him. How many others had been lost in the fight against the Empire, and how many more would lost before it was over?
Then, Luke was snapped out of his daze as he felt a sudden wave of something he couldn't quite identify wash over him. Like the sense of danger that couldn't be ignored.
Luke...
Ben!
Luke jerked the control stick to the side without questioning further. Suddenly, his speeder rocked violently as a beam from a walker's laser cannon clipped the side of the craft. Luke struggled with the control stick to keep his ship under control. At last, the snowspeeder leveled out, but it was obvious that it had taken heavy damage; smoke filled the cockpit, and an entire section of the craft's right wing had been blow off.
If he hadn't turned when he had, he would've been cooked just like Zev...
"Rogue Leader, are you all right?" Wedge's voice came through the comlink.
"I've been hit! Losing starboard stabilizer! Luke replied, "I don't think I can stay with you!"
"Get clear, Luke. You can't do anymore good here." Wedge said, "Get back to base; help the evacuation. We'll handle this."
Luke absolutely loathed to leave his friends out here on the battlefield, but there was little choice. He'd already lost his gunner, and it was a miracle that his ship was even still in the air. He wouldn't do anybody any good by dying.
"All right..." Luke took a deep breath, "Rogue Group, Rogue Three is now lead; I'm pulling out!"
"Copy, Rogue Leader." Rogue Squadron acknowledged.
"Good luck, Luke." Wedge said, "See you at the rendezvous."
"Good luck." Luke replied as he steered his damaged snowspeeder away from the battle, and back toward Echo Base.
It was at this moment that Darth Vader's shuttle finally touched down on the snowy plains, landing directly between two of the foremost AT-ATs. As the ramp lowered, the dark lord purposely strode onto the battlefield just as the snowtroopers of the 501st Legion began to descent from the walkers on steel cables to join him on the ground.
Calling his lightsaber to his hand, Vader ignited the crimson red blade, and wordlessly led his men towards the Rebel trenches.
Han Solo ran into the command center of Echo Base to find the place in shambles. Broken pipes belched out sprays of hot steam, and the white floors were littered with pieces of damaged machinery, and large chunks of ice. However, some Rebel personnel still remained at their posts, including Princess Leia, and C-3PO.
"You all right?" Han asked.
Leia looked up, surprised to see him, "Why are you still here?"
"I heard the command center had been hit." He replied.
"You got your clearance to leave." she pointed out.
"Don't worry. I'll leave." the smuggler said, making his way through the debris, "First I'm going to get you to your ship."
"Your Highness, we must take this last transport." C-3PO interjected, "It's our only hope."
Leia however, pushed past the droid to head over to the head controller, "Send all troops in sector twelve to the south slope to protect the fighters."
Suddenly, a loud blast rocked the command center, throwing C-3PO backwards into Han's arms.
Darth Vader and his troops brutally fought their way through a section of the Rebel trenches, annihilating all who stood in their way until at last, they stood before a large set of blast doors that made up one of the entrances to Echo Base.
Vader had given his men explicit instructions to seek out Rebels leaders including Princess Leia, General Rieekan, and if possible, the smuggler Han Solo. But above all else, Vader wanted Luke Skywalker found, and captured alive.
Almost casually, the Dark Lord reached out towards the massive doors with the Force...
At the same time, a group of Rebels who'd taken up a defensive position inside the ice cavern had just finished readying their weapons when to their shock, the blast doors were suddenly ripped open.
"OPEN FIRE!" a Rebel officer yelled.
The Rebels fired, but not a single blaster bolt touched Darth Vader, who simply deflected them with his lightsaber, hitting two of the foremost Rebel soldiers as the snowtroopers returned fire. Several of the Rebels were cut down by blaster fire, then a thermal detonator thrown by one of the snowtroopers exploded in their midst, leaving the few who weren't killed in the blast scattered.
"Imperial troops have entered the base!" a surviving Rebel soldier shouted into his comlink, "Imperial troops have ent-"
Suddenly, his words were choked off when an invisible force seized him by the throat. Dropping the complink, the Rebel clawed at his neck as he was lifted off the ground, and found himself face to face with Darth Vader. Then, there came a sickening crack as the Dark Lord gripped harder, snapping the man's neck, before dropping the limp body to the ground.
"Imperial troops have entered the base! Imperial troops have ent-"
The voice quickly disappeared in loud burst of static. With that, Han took Leia by the arm. It was time to go.
"Come on. That's it." he spoke firmly.
At his words, Leia suddenly realized just how exhausted she was. She had been standing here for hours watching the viewscreens, and giving orders. But now, she knew what she'd known all along. The base was lost...
"Give the evacuation code signal." she ordered the head controller as Han began to lead her out of the command center, "And get to your transports!"
C-3PO hurried after them, "Oh! Wait for me!"
As the trio headed out, they could faintly hear the head controller issuing Leia's final order...
"K-1-0…all troops disengage!"
Luke landed his damaged snowspeeder on the South Ridge, which was being used as the staging area of the Rebel evacuation. There were still at least two transports being loaded, and prepared for take off, as well as multiple starfighters that were to provide them with escort.
As Luke climbed out the cockpit, Rebel personnel pulled Dak's body out of the gunner seat, before carrying him towards the nearest transport. Luke had insisted; at the very least, Dak would receive a proper burial when there was time for such things.
Noticing an officer giving orders to other Rebel personnel, Luke quickly made his way over him.
"Where is Princess Leia? Has she evacuated?" he asked.
The officer shook his head, "Not yet, Commander Skywalker. She insisted on staying in the command center for the duration."
Though dismayed, Luke knew that he shouldn't be surprised. It was just like Leia to stay at her post until the bitter end. C-3PO was probably with her as well, and Han probably wouldn't leave without making sure that Leia was safe either.
The smuggler might try to get the princess out on the Millennium Falcon, but Han's ship had still been undergoing repairs the last Luke had seen. Would it even be able to take off before the Imperial snowtroopers arrived? And even then, could the ship make it past the Imperial blockade in it's state?
Suddenly, Luke heard a massive explosive from somewhere in the distance, and turned to see a huge billowing cloud of fire and smoke rising above the North Entrance to Echo Base. He knew that it could mean only one thing: the shield generator had been destroyed.
At this, Luke suddenly got a very ominous feeling in the pit of his stomach. Echo Base would soon be overrun with Imperials, and Han, Leia, and C-3PO were still inside.
Luke quickly looked around, spotted his X-Wing parked a short distance away, and ran up to it. As he approached, R2-D2 whistled, and beeped to him from the starfighter's droid compartment.
"R2, get her ready for take off, and wait for my signal!" Luke instructed the droid.
As R2 beeped in acknowledgment, Luke turned, and began to make his way towards the south entrance of Echo Base. He couldn't leave yet, not without knowing that his friends were safe. And besides, there were probably others still inside the base who needed help as well. Enough friends and loved ones had been lost to the Empire already.
As Luke headed into the frozen corridors of Echo Base, he could only hope that he wouldn't be too late, or for that matter, that he wasn't making a mistake.
Han Solo, and Princess Leia made their way through the frozen corridors of Echo Base. The walls of ice shook from a distant explosion, urging them to move faster. Up ahead was the hanger where Leia's transport ship was waiting. Just a little bit further...
Then, another explosion rocked the base, causing the chamber to quake with a terrible noise, and suddenly, the ceiling came crashing down right in front of them. Leia let out a scream as Han threw himself over her as ice, and smoke filled the air. When the frozen dust had finally settled, they saw to their dismay that the path to transport hanger was completely blocked. They were cut off.
Getting to his feet, Han pulled out his comlink, and switched it on.
"Transport, this is Solo. Better take off, I can't get to you. I'll get her out on the Falcon."
Pulling Leia to her feet, Han led her back the way they had come, and in the direction of hanger where the Millennium Falcon was docked. They could only hope that Chewbacca, and the ship hadn't been buried under a mound of falling ice.
C-3PO had fallen behind, and as such, the droid was somewhat confused when Han, and Leia suddenly came running back past him.
"B-B-But where are you going? Come back!" he cried as he shuffled after them.
Darth Vader stepped through the door to the medical bay of Echo Base, although he wasn't sure why. Thus far, there had been no sign of Luke Skywalker, and inspecting this area seemed a waste of time, but the Vader felt strangely drawn to this room.
Inside the medical bay, a large bacta tank loomed before Vader. This in itself was nothing special; it was little different than the one inside the Dark Lord's castle on Mustafar. But again, Vader felt that something was drawing him to it. Reaching out, Vader placed a gloved hand on the tank's glass surface...
Suddenly, there was a flash, and Vader saw himself lying upon black glass sand next to a lake of fire, the flames of Mustafar chewing on his flesh as he reached out towards Obi-Wan Kenobi, cursing his former master. There was another flash, and Vader saw his charred, mutilated body floating in the bacta tank inside of his castle as a pair of red royal guards stood watch at his sides.
Another flash, and Vader saw Luke Skywalker lying frozen in Hoth's icy wastelands, reaching and calling out into a blizzard for Obi-Wan. One final flash, and Vader saw Luke floating in the bacta tank inside Echo Base's medical bay, with Han Solo, Princess Leia, & C-3PO watching over him.
Then, all of a sudden, Vader found himself back in the present. The vison had ended. The bacta tank was empty, and with the exception of the Dark Lord himself, the medical bay was deserted.
Suddenly, a snowtrooper appeared in the doorway.
"Lord Vader! The smuggler Han Solo has been spotted in our sector! He has the princess with him!"
This caught Vader's attention, and he soon turned to leave the medical bay. Though not Vader's primary objective, Princess Leia Organa was a priority target as well, and her capture, along with the capture of Captain Solo may very well bring Skywalker to him.
"Captain Solo must be attempting to escape with the princess on the Millennium Falcon." the Dark Lord surmised, "All units, converge on my position!"
A group snowtroopers quickly fell in behind the Dark Lord as he strode purposely through the frozen hallways.
But then, just as they were about to round a corner to follow Han, and Leia's trail, Vader suddenly came to an abrupt stop before a set of blast doors. For a long moment, he just stood there, not saying a word...
"Lord Vader?" one of the snowtroopers inquired.
"Proceed to your targets; do not let them escape." Vader said at last, "There is something I must attend to. Alone."
The snowtroopers were confused, but they all knew better than to question Lord Vader, so they simply nodded, and went on their way.
What they didn't realize was that the reason for Darth Vader's behavior was because that somewhere up ahead, beyond the blast doors he now stood before, the Dark Lord sensed a strong presence in the Force.
And he recognized it at once. He had felt it for the first time during the Battle Of Yavin, and had searched across the galaxy in order to find it again.
Skywalker... At last...
His search was finally at an end.
Luke hoped that he was on the right track. He'd encountered a few Rebel soldiers and personnel on his trek through the base, but none of them had seen Han, Leia, or C-3PO. The only thing Luke could do was point them in the direction of the evacuation transports, and press on in the direction of the hanger where the Millennium Falcon was housed.
Entering a large chamber, Luke could only hope that his friends would already be there preparing the ship for take off. Or better yet, they may even have been able to take off already. But he wouldn't know until he...
Suddenly, Luke stopped dead in his tracks in the middle of the chamber as a strong sense of foreboding washed over him, and he felt a deep chill that had nothing to do with Hoth's cold environment. Perhaps it was another warning through the force. Or maybe it was just a strange, unshakable feeling that he wasn't alone.
Or maybe it was the just barely audible sound of heavy breathing coming from right behind the door up ahead...
Slowly, Luke almost absentmindedly took out his lightsaber, and gripped it tightly with both hands.
And then, the door up ahead opened, and Darth Vader intently strode into the chamber to confront his quarry, his black cloak trailing behind him.
As the Dark Lord approached, Luke found himself backing away as he ignited his lightsaber. He had certainly imagined a moment like this where he'd confront the man who'd killed his father, and Master Kenobi, but now, in spite of his hatred for Vader, Luke suddenly felt very unprepared.
Vader came to a stop a several yards away from him; for an eternally long moment, he said nothing, with the Dark Lord's mechanically breathing the only sound breaking the silence, until finally...
"The force is with you, young Skywalker." Darth Vader said at last, "But you are not a Jedi yet."
Vader's words had a chilling effect, and Luke felt very close to losing his cool. But then, through the Force, he heard Ben's voice calling to him...
Luke... Run...
Glancing to his left, Luke noticed another door with a warning sign stamped on it, and realizing that it was a Wampa containment pen, he suddenly got an idea.
Turning back towards Vader, he said, "You'll find I'm full of surprises."
"We shall see." the Dark Lord said, igniting his red lightsaber.
As Vader began to advance towards him, Luke quickly reached out to the door, remembering Ben's words...
Stretch out with your feelings...
With a pulling motion of his arm, Luke used the force to tear off the door to the Wampa containment pen. Within moments, two of the fierce creatures came storming out, forcing Vader to divert his attention to face this new threat.
Luke turned and ran, exiting the chamber through the door he'd just come through. He'd have to find another way around to the Millennium Falcon's hanger, and fast. He had to make sure his friends got out before it was too late. He could not let them fall into Vader's hands.
He'd lost enough friends, and family to the Empire already: Uncle Owen, Aunt Beru, Master Kenobi, Biggs, Dak, Zev...
No, he would NOT lose Han, and Leia as well. He. Would. NOT!
Suddenly, he heard Obi-Wan's voice again.
Luke... Don't give in to hate... That leads to the Dark Side...
The words had something of calming effect on Luke, and he knew that he had to concentrate on the task at hand. He had to keep moving.
He doubted that the Wampas would keep Vader busy for long.
"Impressive. Most impressive." Vader mused at Skywalker's resourcefulness.
The first Wampa lunged at him, swinging a massive clawed hand, but Vader quickly side-stepped the attack, before almost casually dispatching the creature by driving his lightsaber through it's back.
The second Wampa roared and picked up a large, heavy piece of machinery, before throwing it at the Dark Lord. Reaching out with the Force, Vader stopped the huge object in mid-air, and harmlessly tossed it aside. Before the creature could make another move, Vader threw his lightsaber like a boomerang, lopping off the Wampa's head, before calling the weapon back to his hand.
And just like that, it was over...
Before the second Wampa's body had even hit the ground, the Dark Lord had switched off his lightsaber, and set off in the direction that Luke had run, ready to continue his pursuit.
Skywalker could run, but he could not escape...
After what felt like hours of navigating through a maze of frozen hallways, and around collapsed corridors, Han, Leia, and C-3PO finally reached the hanger where the Millennium Falcon was housed.
"Captain Solo, there it is! We're saved!" C-3PO exclaimed.
"There's the Falcon! Move!" Han ordered.
As the three of them ran into the hanger bay, Chewbacca appeared before the ship's ramp, and let out a loud roar, waving at his friends to hurry.
"Hurry up, goldenrod!" Han shouted back at C-3PO, who was starting to lag behind, "You're gonna be a permanent resident!"
"Wait! Wait!" the droid cried.
Running up the ship's ramp, Han wasted no time in settling into the cockpit, at last feeling at home. But as he began flipping one switch after another, Han noticed that not all of the ship's systems were coming online. Then, from somewhere in the back, Chewbacca let out a bark of concern as he too noticed something amiss.
"How's that, Chewie?" an anxious Han asked, to which the wookie answered in the negative.
By now, Leia losing her patience, "Would it help if I got out and pushed?"
"It might!" Han shot back.
Just then, C-3PO clanked into the cockpit, trying to get Han's attention.
"Captain Solo! Sir! Might I suggest that you..." the droid started to say, but one glare from Han quickly shut him up, "It can wait."
Han flipped a few more switches, but half of the lights in the cockpit still remained off. Finally, the smuggler gave the control board a solid whack with his fist, and to Leia's disbelief, that actually got all the systems to finally come online.
"This bucket of bolts is never gonna get us past that blockade!" she complained.
"This baby's got a few surprises left in her, sweetheart." assured Han.
Suddenly, their attention was arrested by blasts of laser fire flashing outside the cockpit window. A group of Imperial snowtroopers were rushing with drawn weapons into the far end of the hanger, intent on preventing the Falcon's take off. As the troopers fired on the ship with their blasters, Han quickly activated one of the laser guns located on the underside of the Falcon's hull. Swinging the weapon around, he released a deadly blast of fire at the Imperials, cutting them all down in only a few moments.
With the coast apparently clear, Han strapped himself in the pilot's seat, just as Chewbacca finally entered the cockpit.
"Come on! Come on!" Han urged as the wookie scrambled into the co-pilot's seat, "We'll half to switch over, and hope we don't have a burnout."
"I'll be surprised if we start moving." Leia snarked.
Before Han could retort, Chewbacca suddenly let out a roar, and pointed at something outside the cockpit window. Han and Leia looked up, and to their surprise, they saw Luke as he came rushing into the hanger bay from another entrance.
"Luke?" Leia said surprise.
"What's that kid doing?" Han asked.
Leia got up from her seat, and headed for the ship's entrance, "Lower the ramp!"
Luke had run non-stop through numerous frozen corridors before FINALLY arriving in the Millennium Falcon's hanger bay. He wanted to believe that he'd shaken Darth Vader off his trail somewhere in the depths of Echo Base, but he knew that he couldn't kid himself.
They didn't have much time...
As he ran up to the Millennium Falcon, he was surprised when the ship's ramp lowered, and Leia ran out to embrace him.
"Leia!" Luke exclaimed, returning the embrace.
"Luke, what are you doing here?" she asked.
"I couldn't leave with making sure that you and the others were safe." he replied, "How's the Falcon? Can it take off?"
Leia nodded slowly, "It looks like it, but Han and Chewie still need more time to..."
Luke cursed under his breath. This was NOT the time for this big heap of junk to having problems!
"There isn't time, Leia!" he shook his head, "Vader is here! I saw him!"
Leia felt her blood run cold at his words, "Vader? Then, Luke...you have to get out of here to!"
"I have R2 on standby." he assured her, "But first I-"
"Stop that ship! Call for reinforcements!" suddenly came the voice of a snowtrooper commander as another, even larger group of Imperials than before entered the hanger.
"Get back on the ship!" Luke instructed Leia as blaster bolts began falling around them.
Leia darted back up the Falcon's ramp as Luke took cover behind a large storage container. Drawing his blaster, Luke returned fired, as Han again manned the laser gun mounted under the ship's hull. This time, however, the Imperials were more cautious, advancing under cover as they traded fire with the Rebels.
Ducking back behind the storage container, Luke activated the comlink on his wrist.
"Han, you need to hurry!" he said, "We're running out of time!"
"Can you get the hanger doors open, kid?" the smuggler's voice sounded from the cockpit.
"I think so! Cover me!" Luke replied.
Luke quickly got to his feet, and ran towards the end of the hanger where the door control panel was located, firing his blaster as he went.
As Han moved to keep the Imperials off Luke, two snowtroopers quickly began setting up a large E-Web blaster cannon, which was more than capable of punching through the Falcon's hull. Han didn't hesitate, and immediately targeted the heavy weapon. In the end, E-Web blaster crew only managed to get off a quick, short burst from their cannon, before it was hit by a powerful blast of laser fire, causing the weapon to explode, leaving the remaining Imperials scattered. Before long, the hanger was cleared once again of enemies.
Suddenly, a deep, mechanical rumble began to resonate throughout the ice cavern as up ahead, the massive hanger doors slowly began to open. Luke had made it to the control panel.
"I knew that kid wouldn't let us down!" Han grinned, "Now we just need to-"
But he was interrupted when Chewbacca suddenly let out another roar, this time sounding very alarmed.
"What's is it now, Chewie?" Han asked, somewhat exasperated.
But then, through the cockpit window, he saw it, and so did Leia.
Stalking into the hanging, and heading directly for Millennium Falcon, was a tall, foreboding figure, clad entirely in black...
"Oh, no..." Leia breathed.
As Darth Vader strode purposefully towards the Millennium Falcon, he knew that the rebels were finally within his grasp. There would be no escape.
At Vader's approach, the laser gun on the underside of the Falcon once again opened fire as Han immediately targeted the Dark Lord. Vader, however, almost casually ignited his lightsaber, and deflected the laser fire with little effort as he advanced, not a single shot touching his body.
Then, with a simple pulling gesture of his hand, Vader used the force to tear the laser gun from the Falcon's hull, before letting it clatter to the floor, leaving the ship defenseless. Inside the cockpit, Han, Leia, Chewie, and C-3PO could only watch helplessly as he reached out towards the ship again. Within moments, the Falcon began to violently rock, and shudder as sparks flew off it's hull.
"He's tearing the ship apart!" Leia cried, as Chewbacca roared in distress.
Han, for the first time in his life, had no idea what to do. He'd never really believed in the Force, but there was absolutely no denying what was happening right now before his own eyes.
But then suddenly, Vader lowered his hand as a strong presence in the Force made itself known, and the Dark Lord turned see Luke standing a short distance away from him, a look of pure determination on the boy's face. Before Vader could react, Luke thrust out with his own hand, knocking the Dark Lord off his feet with the Force, and sending him flying away from the ship to land on the hanger floor a short distance away.
Ignited lightsaber in hand, Luke began to stride towards the fallen Vader, reaching out towards the Falcon's ramp and using the Force to seal the entrance to the ship as he did so.
From the Falcon's cockpit Leia could only watch, "Luke..."
"What the hell are you doing, kid?" Han mused beside her.
Luke would not run away this time. He was all that stood between his friends and Vader, and he knew it. He had to hold the Dark Lord off until the Falcon could escape. He received a sudden boost of confidence as he felt the Force flowing through him. Throwing aside any fragment of doubt, he tried to tell himself that he was ready; he would HAVE to be.
Darth Vader rose to his feet at the young rebel's approach. He could sense Luke's intention to stand and fight.
"I won't run from my destiny. Or from you." Luke declared.
Vader reignited his lightsaber, and silently waited for Skywalker to make the first move.
Impelled by his hatred for the Dark Lord, Luke lunged savagely, bringing his sizzling blade down upon Vader's, only for Vader to effortlessly deflect the blow with a defensive turn of his own weapon. Luke swung his saber again, but again, Vader easily parried the blow.
As Luke then went for an overhead strike, Vader blocked the attack with a one-handed grip on his lightsaber, resulting in a blade lock. For a long moment, the two combatants stared one another down through their crossed blades, until Luke finally felt himself being pushed backwards onto the floor as Vader overpowered him.
Quickly rolling to his feet, Luke quickly charged the Dark Lord again.
"I won't let you hurt my friends!" he shouted.
Engaging in a string of aggressive attacks, Luke began to drive Vader back as his friends watched in a combination of fear, and awe from the Falcon.
For a few moments, Vader simply fended off Luke's attacks with his lightsaber, until finally, the Dark Lord counter-attacked, and with two graceful moves, sent his younger opponent stumbling back a few steps. As Vader struck at him again, Luke leapt into the air, somersaulting over the Dark Lord, before landing on his feet. As Vader turned to face him, Luke swung at his adversary again, and again their blades locked.
"You're destiny lies with me, Skywalker." Vader spoke through the sparks flying off their sabers, "Obi-Wan knew this to be true."
"No..." Luke hissed, trying to fight off the Dark Lord's influence.
Breaking the blade lock, Luke and Vader continued to trade blows in a brilliant display of flashing blue, and red. But before long, Luke found himself being driven back as Vader pressed the attack. In desperation, he dove around the Dark Lord, before rolling to his feet, and delivering a hard kick to Vader's mid-section, knocking him back a few steps.
Given some breathing room, Luke forced himself to calm down, and try to control his anger.
Remember what Ben said. Anger, and hate lead to the Dark Side...
Realizing just how outmatched he actually was, Luke knew he'd been foolhardy, and switched to a defensive stance. But Vader was no longer attacking. He just stood there a short distance away from Luke. Standing, and waiting...
Suddenly, a piece of machinery lifted itself off the floor, and flew at Luke's back. He turned instantly, and slashed it in half just as large pipe detatched itself from a wall to come speeding toward him. Using the Force to knock the pipe away, Luke turned back towards Vader, and was shocked to see multiple pieces of debris, and machinery levitating around the Dark Lord.
With a simple gesture of his hand, Darth Vader sent everything hurtling toward the young rebel. Before long, Luke was being bombarded from all sides, as sparking wires pulled out of the wall, and began to whip at the youth, while he was pelted by small tools, and equipment. Luke did his best trying to deflect everything, but soon he was bloodied, bruised, and staggering.
"You are beaten." Darth Vader declared as he stalked towards Luke, "It is useless to resist. Don't let yourself be destroyed as Obi-Wan did."
The mention of Ben's name briefly sparked Luke's resolve, and he slashed twice more at Vader, but the Dark Lord easily sidestepped the first attack and blocked the second. When Luke went for a third slash, Vader actually caught his lightsaber by the hilt, and thrust it back into his forehead, sending the boy stumbling backwards.
Before Luke could recover, he was hit with a powerful Force-push, sending him flying backwards to slam into a large maintenance platform, before finally dropping face down to the floor below like a ton of bricks.
"Luke!" Leia screamed from the ship; she had to help him. Turning to Han, she snapped, "Lower the ramp again!"
"I can't! It's jammed!" Han informed her while Chewie roared in distress.
Back outside on the hanger floor, Luke groaned in pain as he rolled onto his back. His lightsaber had landed several feet away from him; painfully, he reached out and tried to call it to his hand, but it barely moved. It was no use. He was too weak.
Then, the crimson glow of a red lightsaber shown before his face, and before he'd even realized it, Darth Vader was looming over him like a black angel of death.
"There is no escape. Don't make me destroy you." the Dark Lord warned with horrifying certainty, and finality, "Luke, you do not yet realize your importance. You have only begun to discover your power. Join me, and I will complete your training. With our combined strength, we can end this destructive conflict and bring order to the galaxy."
"I'll never join you!" Luke spat.
"If you only knew the power of the Dark Side." Vader continued, "Obi-Wan never told you what happened to your father..."
The mention of his father sparked Luke's anger, "He told me enough! He told me you killed him!"
"No..." Vader calmly replied, "I am your father."
For a long moment, there was only silence as Luke stared in horrified disbelief at the Dark Lord.
"No. No..." he breathed, refusing to believe what he'd just heard. Ben had told him... "That's not true! That's impossible!"
"Search your feelings. You know it to be true." Vader said simply, and calmly.
No. It couldn't be true. It WAS not true! Vader was lying! Luke didn't believe it! He WOULD NOT believe it!
His lightsaber suddenly flew back into his hand, and he knocked Vader's blade away, causing the Dark Lord to stumble backward.
"NO!" Luke screamed in rage as he leapt to his feet.
Vader took a few uneasy steps back, for he could now feel something new, and dark flowing through the boy, and the Dark Lord instantly knew it for what it was. Luke could feel it to, for Ben had warned him about the Dark Side. But now, as he stood there with Vader's revelation whirling through his mind, he welcomed it.
Unsure if he was even acting of his own accord, Luke thrust his hand out towards Vader, and his hatred, & aggression shot from his very fingertips in the form of crimson red lightning bolts that struck the Dark Lord with massive discharge of electrical energy.
Vader groaned in intense pain, and even went down to one knee under the powerful barrage of lightning. The Dark Lord was particularly vulnerable to Force Lightning due to his cybernetics, & life support systems. In desperation, Vader fought through the pain, and pushed himself back to his feet. Holding his lightsaber before him with both hands, he absorbed the lightning with his blade, before sending it back towards Luke.
Luke reacted quickly and rolled out of the way of the redirected lightning, before leaping at the Dark Lord, and viciously attacking him with a frenzy not seen before. Vader, barely recovered from the lightning, and caught off guard by Luke's sudden increase in power, & aggression, quickly found himself on the back foot as he actually found himself struggling to fend off his opponent's wild attacks.
"Ben couldn't defeat you, but I can!" Luke declared.
Sparks flew as their blades clashed with such intensity that it seemed as though their lightsabers might short out.
Finally, Luke found an opening, and lunged forward again, bringing his blade into contact with Vader's right shoulder, cutting into his armor, and searing the flesh underneath.
The Dark Lord grunted in pain, and staggered under the blow, but before Luke could follow up on the attack, Vader thrust his hand out, launching the young rebel backwards with another Force-push. Keeping Luke suspended in mid-air, Vader gripped him by the throat, and choked off his air with the intention of bringing their duel to an end.
For a long moment, Luke struggled for breath, his wild assault on Vader stopped dead in its tracks. But then, he lashed out, hitting Vader with another quick burst of red Force Lightning, and forcing the Dark Lord to release him. As Luke gasped for air, Vader's own mechanical breathing now began to sound increasingly labored; his suit couldn't take much more damage before it shorted out.
Ultimately, Luke charged at Vader, and Vader stepped up to meet him as the two combatants collided in one last ditch effort.
Luke thrust at Vader, but the Dark Lord knocked his opponent's blade to the side with his own. Luke however, quickly recovered, and began to wildly hammer his adversary with vicious blows, bringing his lightsaber down onto Vader's again, and again, and again, until at last, Vader pushed back against Luke during a blade lock, causing him to stumble slightly.
This instant of distraction was all Vader needed, as the Dark Lord lashed out with his lightsaber, and severed Luke's right hand.
Screaming in pain, Luke collapsed to the ground, clutching at the stump of his severed hand as Vader loomed over him.
Inside the Millennium Falcon, there came a welcome roar from deep inside the ship as the engines finally fired up.
"We have to go. Now." Han said simply.
"No!" Leia protested, "We can't leave Luke behind!"
"We have no choice, Leia." Han insisted, despite clearly being distraught at the prospect himself, "If we don't take off now, we won't be taking off at all!"
"No, we...! We have to..." Leia tried to say.
"We won't do him any good by dying, Princess." the smuggler said firmly, "There'll be another time."
Leia wanted to argue further, but the words died in her throat. Han was right, and she knew it. There was nothing they could do.
"Punch it, Chewie." Han said to Chewbacca.
The wookie reluctantly did so, and the Falcon surged forward.
Outside, Darth Vader looked up as the ship flew overhead towards the hanger entrance. Reacting quickly, the Dark Lord reached out with the Force to grab the ship, stopping it cold in mid-air to prevent its escape.
"Oh, you've gotta be kidding!" Han exclaimed from the cockpit.
Slowly, Luke rose to his feet, squeezing his forearm beneath his armpit to try and stop the pain. For a moment, he just gazed at Vader, unable to do anything...
"You are strong, Luke." Vader said, "But only your hatred will give you the power to save your friends! Give in to the Dark Side!"
At last, Luke lifted his eyes, a look of pure rage in his face. With a scream of fury, he quickly obliged the Dark Lord by shooting a final stream of lightning at him. But this time, Vader had been ready, catching the lightning on his lightsaber, before sending it back into Luke, knocking him back across the hanger floor. In process, however, Vader had released the Millennium Falcon, allowing the ship to finally escape, and soar off into the distance.
The Dark Lord wasn't concerned with this, however. Deactivating his lightsaber, Vader walked up to the fallen Luke as the boy painfully crawled to his remaining hand, and knees.
"Very good..." Vader said, extending his hand towards his Luke, "My son..."
Leia felt completely numb as the Falcon climbed into Hoth's atmosphere. They had left him. They had left Luke. After he'd fought to save them from Vader.
Again, she told herself that there was nothing they could've done for him. That he'd known what he was doing, and that he did it so they could escape. But those thoughts were drowned out by one simple, brutal truth...
They had left Luke behind. They had left him to Darth Vader.
She was suddenly jerked out of her thoughts as a warning began to beep on the Falcon's dashboard. There was something following them.
"There's another ship coming in! It's an X-Wing!" Han said.
"Luke?!" for a short moment, Leia felt a surge of hope that maybe Luke had escaped after all.
But then, there came a series of familiar beeps, and whistles burst through the Falcon's complink.
"It's R2!" exclaimed C-3PO.
"R2! Is Luke...?" Leia started to ask.
But a low, mournful whistle told her all that she needed to know, and her brief hopes were quickly dashed. No, Luke was not in the X-Wing, only the droid.
Leia bowed her head as the finality of it fully sunk in. Luke was lost to them...
All they could do was dock the Millennium Falcon with the X-Wing, bring R2-D2 on board, and then get out of here. Luke's fate was in the hands of the Force now...
On the distant planet of Dagobah, a small green being known as Yoda sat meditating inside of his small hut, when suddenly, he looked up as he felt a great disturbance in the Force. A sad scowl spread across his face as he slowly stood up and made his way outside.
For a long moment, Yoda just gazed up at the stars until finally, a presence made itself known behind him. He didn't turn to look; he didn't need to.
"Realized, our fears have been." Yoda stated simply.
"Master Yoda..." was all the spirit of Obi-Wan Kenobi could say.
"Twisted by the dark side, young Skywalker has become." Yoda said somberly, "Told you I did. Reckless is he. Now, matters are worse. Darker the coming storm grows. I fear the dark cloud of the Sith shrouds us all."
"That boy was our last hope..." Obi-Wan lamented.
Yoda slowly shook his head, "No. There is another."
END OF PART ONE