Author's Note: Sorry this chapter took so long. I've had a bunch of stuff going, but I'm back on track.

Far away, a ragged figure clawed its way up the jagged rocks of a steep cliffside on the dark, fiery world of Mustafar. Flesh hand over mechanical hand, Luke dragged himself further and further on towards the top. His breath drew in ragged gasps from exertion as well as from the hot vapors emanating from the hellish landscape, while his knees scraped against the rock with every move, leaving behind a red trail of blood up the side of the cliff.

By now, Luke's muscles were almost screaming in agony, and he felt as though his body may give out at any moment. But he remembered his father's words, urging him on:

"Through passion, you will gain strength. Through strength, you will gain power. Through power, you will gain victory. And through victory, your chains will be broken..."

Vader's training for his son had been nothing short of intense, and it wasn't ANYTHING like what he'd learned from Obi-Wan. Determined to test his son's true limits, the Dark Lord had put Luke through a series of grueling physical drills until he all but collapsed from exhaustion and had pitted him against countless Sith training droids to refine his skills with a lightsaber. But most of all, Vader had been relentlessly taught his son on how to channel his inner rage, and fully embrace the Dark Side.

Luke had long since lost track of the days, weeks, or perhaps even months since he'd first come to this dreadful place. Several times he had found himself unable to bear this any longer, but his father would not allow him to give up, and had always reminded his son what was at stake. And so, slowly but surely, Luke's strength and power increased.

Finally, Luke reached the top of the cliff, and hauled himself up onto the plateau. For a long moment, he just lay there panting, with sweat dripping from his body, until at last, he slowly, painfully pushed himself to his feet to find himself standing before the open mouth of a deep, dark cave. A sense of apprehension washed over Luke as he took out his lightsaber, but he hesitated only for brief moment before stepping into the dark abyss.

Seeing nothing but blackness, Luke ignited his lightsaber, illuminating the rock walls in crimson glow as he began to make his way deeper into the cave.

For a long time there was nothing, not even the faintest sound to suggest that he wasn't alone, but Luke could still sense a presence waiting for him somewhere in the darkness, and pressed on, until at last, he came to a wide, open chamber. Cautiously, Luke stepped inside, and as he took in his surrounds, he saw that the chamber appeared to empty...

Luke heard the mechanical breathing a split-second before Vader lunged at him from the side, and he just barely managed to raise his lightsaber to block his father's strike in time. And unlike with Leia, far away on Dagobah, this was not happening in a vision; Darth Vader was actually here engaging his son in a duel as part of his training.

However, as the fight commenced, it quickly became clear that Luke's skill and power had significantly increased since their duel on Hoth as he was now almost able to match his father strike for strike.

"Good! You have controlled your fear..." Vader commended during a blade lock, "Now release your anger. Only your hatred can give you the power to destroy the emperor."

As father and son continued to trade blows, their duel steadily began to move beyond the chamber as Vader began to lead Luke down another pathway...

Eventually, the father and son emerged from cave to find themselves in a burning valley, their lightsabers clashing with unparalleled speed. Vader couldn't deny that he was pleased with Luke's progress, for he could feel that his son's skill and power had grown significantly since their first duel on Hoth. However, the Dark Lord still remained unsatisfied, because in spite of this, he could sense that Luke was still holding something back, as though a part of him remained doubtful of the path he had chosen.

This was something that Vader fully intended to purge from son's mind, especially after Luke took too long to strike at him when presented with a clear opening.

"Do not hesitate, my son!" Vader's said sharply, knocking Luke off his feet with a powerful Force push, "Should you succeed in striking me down, you will no longer need my guidance!"

As Luke struggled to regain his feet, he watched with alarm as Vader levitated three large lava rocks in air.

"Need I remind you of what is at stake?" "the dark lord reproached as he launched the first rock at his son, "Weakness shall NOT be tolerated!"

Luke was just barely able to dodge the first lava rock before Vader sent the second one hurtling at him. Frantically lashing out with his lightsaber, he managed to slice the second rock in two just as his father threw the third. With no time to dodge, or get his lightsaber up, Luke instinctively thrust out his hand, catching the third lava rock in mid-air.

His anger and frustration beginning to boil over, Luke launched the lava rock back at Vader, and charged forward. Knocking the rock aside with the Force, the Dark Lord raised his lightsaber to meet Luke's as his son aggressively struck at him. After a brief clash, their blades locked, and for a long moment, they could only glare at one another through the sparks...

Suddenly, there came a loud, ear-splitting roar that shook the very ground beneath Luke and Vader's feet.

Shocked out of their duel, they turned took look, and there, lumbering straight towards them was a massive red six-legged beast with a gaping mouth full of razor-sharp teeth, and a long scorpion-like tail. It was a Sher Kar, Mustafar's deadliest native predator, and it wasn't pleased with these two strange creatures intruding on it's territory.

Luke and Vader disengaged from their blade lock just as the beast's speared tail lanced towards them, barely giving the two of them enough time to dodge. The Sher Kar roared again as they turned their full attention to it, ending their duel prematurely. The impossibly long tail then snaked around them to strike at them from behind, forcing father and son to go back to back with Luke covering their rear, while Vader faced the beast head on. The Shar Kar was clearly trying to drive the two of them towards it's gaping maw.

The great jaws snapped at Vader, but the Dark Lord quickly dodged to the side before jabbing his lightsaber into the monster's huge body. The Sher Kar bellowed in pain-fueled rage, and cautiously began to shy back from this strange creature that had bit it. At the same time, Luke intently held his own lightsaber before him as the Sher Kar's scorpion tail hovered above him, poised to strike. The tail suddenly snapped toward him, but Luke ducked, causing it to miss him entirely.

Then, the Sher Kar lunged towards Vader again, but this time, the Dark Lord reached out with his hand, and used the Force to stop the beast's jaws barely three feet away from him. Struggling against the invisible barrier, the Sher Kar tried to maneuver its tail around Luke to strike at Vader from behind. Realizing the beast's intention, Luke quickly thrust his own hand out just as the tail snapped forward, using the Force to knock it off course, and causing it to miss his father.

Luke's success however would prove short-lived as the huge tail suddenly whipped back towards him faster than he could blink, and slammed into him like a stone wall. The next thing Luke knew, he was flying through the air, and away from the fight, eventually landing some distance away. Sensing his son's plight, Vader's concentration faltered just enough to allow the Sher Kar force it's way forward and bite off the Dark Lord's mechanical forearm.

Grunting in pain, Vader stumbled backwards, caught off guard by this turn of fortune. As the Sher Kar advanced towards him, the Dark Lord held his lightsaber up with his remaining hand, and began to back away.

Battered and bruised, Luke groaned in pain as he struggled to get his bearings. Dazed, he got to his hands and knees, and raised his head to see the increasingly desperate fight that continued to rage a short distance away as his father struggled to ward off the Sher Kar's onslaught with his remaining hand. Then, Luke watched in shock as the beast's tail snapped forward again, striking Vader in the chest plate, and knocking him backwards.

Sparks flew from Vader's chestplate and the Dark Lord began to wheeze from the damage to his suit. Going down to one knee, Vader looked up to see the Sher Kar looming before him, but the Dark Lord showed no fear, and pushed himself back to his feet to face whatever outcome awaited him. The Shar Kar snarled, prepared for a final blow...

Suddenly, Luke leapt back to his feet, his dizziness abruptly gone. Drawing upon all of his pain, and rage, he let the Dark Side flow through him as he took a deep breath and screamed.

Not just any scream, but a shivering, booming, inhuman howl that filled the entire valley, and reverberated back to his father's distant castle. It was the blood-freezing call of a krayt dragon, the same call that Obi-Wan had used to scare away the sand people back on Tatooine.

The Sher Kar looked up, clearly startled. Temporarily forgetting about Vader, the beast shifted it's weight, and turned to stare the sound's direction. For a long moment, Luke locked eyes with the creature, then he cupped his hands around his mouth, and howled again. Again, the Sher Kar shifted it's weight, turning it's full attention towards Luke. Reigniting his lightsaber, Luke charged; meanwhile, Vader withdrew from the fight to see what would unfold.

The Sher Kar roared at it stepped up to meet Luke's charge, snapping it's tail at it him, but Luke dodged to the side before extending his hand to send a barrage of red lightning at the beast. The Sher Kar shrieked in pain, it's body convulsing under the electric onslaught as Luke leapt into the air to land on the creature's back. Raising his lightsaber above his head, Luke thrust the crimson blade down into the beast's skull; as the Sher Kar bellowed in agony, he drove his lightsaber down again. And again, and again, and again...

At last, the beast collapsed to the ground, and lay still.

For a long moment, Luke just stared down silently at the slain creature, until finally, he raised his head towards the heavens, and roared in a victorious rage.

A short distance away, Darth Vader eyed his son with a combination of pride, shock, and awe.

Luke's strength in the Dark Side had grown exponentially since that fateful day when he'd been captured on Hoth. He was becoming more powerful than even his father could have imagined. Underneath his helmet, Vader found himself smiling, for now he knew that the emperor's days were truly numbered.

"Yes. Oh, yes..." the Dark Lord mused.

The Millennium Falcon blasted through space as it began its approach toward the planet of Bespin. As Han and Chewie guided the ship down through the planet's gaseous atmosphere, a huge, billowing canyon of clouds swirled up around them. As they maneuvered the ship through the clouds, the smuggler and wookie noticed that they were being followed as two twin-pod Cloud Cars suddenly appeared behind them before drawing up alongside the Falcon.

It was then that a static-filled message was transmitted by one of the Cloud Cars over the Falcon's radio system.

"No, I do not have a landing permit." Han replied into the transmitter, "I'm trying to reach Lando Calrissian."

A clear warning voice came over the Falcon's speakers, "Stand by. You will not deviate from your present course. Any aggressive action will result in your destruction."

As they waited for their answer, Chewbacca barked and growled at Han.

"Well, that was a long time ago." Han answered sharply, "I'm sure he's forgotten all about that."

The Wookie could only shake his head in exasperation; Han had better hope that Lando was willing to let bygones be bygones. Han and Chewie had flown halfway across the galaxy in the time since their flight from Tatooine, and despite R2-D2's patch job during their escape from Hoth, the Falcon's hyperdrive was rapidly burning out. Lando may be their only hope of sanctuary...

"Permission granted to land on Platform Three-two-seven." came the Cloud Car pilot's voice through the radio.

At this, Chewbacca grunted and glanced at Han.

"See. No problem." the smuggler grinned awkwardly.

At last, the clouds parted to reveal Cloud City, a gleaming white metropolis floating in and out of the cloud surface. Dipping closer to the huge city, the Falcon veered in the direction of the landing platforms flying past the rising towers and spires that dotted the city's landscape.

A short time later, Han gently brought the Millennium Falcon in to set down on Platform 327. As the ship's engines powered down, Han and Chewie made their way down the entrance ramp to see Lando Calrissian leading a group of aides and Cloud City guards rapidly toward the landing platform.

Han glanced at Chewie, "Keep your eyes open, okay?"

Chewie growled as Han made his way towards the welcoming party that was marching across the platform toward them.

"Hey!" the smuggler greeted as he and Lando stopped 10 feet away from each other.

"Why, you slimy, double-crossing, no-good swindler." Lando shook his head, "You got some nerve showing your face here, after what you pulled."

Han could only point to himself innocently, mouthing, "Me?"

Lando advanced threateningly toward Han, who was just about to raise his hands to defend, when suddenly he thew his arms around his startled, long-lost friend and embraced him.

"How you doing, you old pirate!" Lando laughed, "So good to see you!"

Relieved, Han returned the embrace and began to chuckle as well. In the background, Chewie relaxed.

"Where you been? What are you doing here?" Lando inquired.

"Ahh, repairs." Han jerked a thumb towards the Falcon, "I thought you could help me out."

"What have you done to my ship?" asked Lando in mock panic.

"You're ship? Hey, you lost her to me fair and square." Han reminded him.

Lando ignored the retort, instead turning his attention to Chewie, "How you doing, Chewbacca? Still hanging around this loser?"

"Actually, we've been fighting in the Rebellion." Han said.

Lando arched an eyebrow, "The Rebellion? You?"

"I know, I know. It sounds crazy..." Han admitted sheepishly, "One minute I'm on the run from Jabba, and the next thing I know I'm fighting the Empire."

"Hey, any enemy of the Empire is a friend of mine." Lando grinned.

"Thanks." Han said, his voice turning serious, "Things have actually been pretty rough lately. The Empire overran our base on Hoth; we took some heavy losses, and...and we lost a close friend of ours."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Lando offered his condolences as he began to lead Han and Chewie into the city, "Feel free to stay here as long as you need to. And I'll get my people to work on the Falcon. What's the problem with her?"

"Hyperdrive." replied Han.

"She'll be good as new in no time." assured Lando, putting his arm around his old friend, "That ship saved my life quite a few times. She's the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy. In the meantime, however, I'd like to hear all about that little debacle you got into on with Jabba on Tatooine."

Han stifled a nervous chuckle, "Well, it's quite a story..."

Luke sat alone in his room inside his father's fortress. After their return to the castle following their fight with the Sher Kar, Vader had retired to the comfort of the bacta tank in his medical chamber, leaving a medical droid to tend to his son. Once his own wounds had been treated, Luke had immediately retreated to his own quarters to be alone with his thoughts.

Sitting cross-legged on his bed, Luke began to meditate as his father had taught him. Concentrating his anger, pain, and fear, Luke sought to increase his connection to the Dark Side, as well as to remain focused on their ultimate goal: the destruction of the Emperor.

But inevitably, he soon found himself distracted as his thoughts drifted back to his friends, and others he had left behind in the Rebellion. The truth was, he been thinking about them a lot as of late, especially Leia. He wonder where she was, and if she was okay...

Luke suddenly leapt up from his bed in a burst of frustration. Why did he keep tormenting himself like this? What did he think was going to happen? That once he and Vader had accomplished their goals that he was just going to go back to the Rebellion like nothing had ever happened? If so, then he was kidding himself. Things could NEVER go back to how they were before!

Just how was the rest of the galaxy supposed to understand that Luke Skywalker, hero of the Rebellion, was actually the son of Darth Vader, and that he had joined his father in order to learn the ways of the Dark Side? How were his friends even supposed to begin to understand that?

No; there was no room for any sort of doubt now. He had committed to this path, and he had to see this through to the end. Besides, what other choice had there been for him? Obi-Wan had lied to him about his father, so how was Luke supposed to trust anything that he'd taught him? And besides, it wasn't as if he would have been able to do any good for anybody languishing inside an Imperial prison cell.

He had gained power, and strength under his father's teachings, and with them, he would destroy the Emperor, the man responsible for the galaxy's woes. This was all for the greater good.

He HAD to believe that. There was no other way...

But then Luke froze as he was suddenly shocked out of his thoughts when he felt something he couldn't identify wash over him. It was as though someone, or something was calling out to him from somewhere deep beneath the castle.

For a long moment, Luke just stood there until finally, unsure if he was even acting of his own accord, he walked out of his room, and began to follow the mysterious call.

Moving through the corridors of his father's castle, Luke eventually came to the grand hall, where he found the spiral stone staircase leading down beneath the castle itself.

Beginning to make his way downward, it suddenly occurred to Luke that he'd only ever been down here one time, when Vader had lead him to the chamber that housed his red kyber crystal. When he reached the door to the crystal chamber, Luke paused, noticing for the first time that the staircase went on even further downward. For a moment, he hesitated, wondering what else could be hidden down in his father's deepest, darkest dungeons.

But even now he could hear that strange call in his head, and it was coming from somewhere down there...

So ultimately, Luke continued his downward progress, determined to see what awaited him.

Upon finally reaching the bottom of the stone staircase, he found a dark cave-like passageway looming before him. As Luke stepped into the passage, he noticed some Aurebesh writing inscribed on the cave wall to his right.

It read: "Temple".

Looking up, Luke could see a glowing light at the end of the passage, and began to walk towards it. Then, he stopped dead in his tracks when he suddenly heard a whisper come from somewhere nearby. Startled, Luke spun around to look back the way he had come, but saw no one. It must have just been an echo, he thought.

But then, he heard the whisper again, and this time, he'd heard it clearly.

...Luke...

It had been the voice of a woman calling his name. He had never heard this voice before, but somehow, Luke felt as if he knew who it belonged to. The voice was soft, and beautiful, like the voice of an angel, drawing him towards the light at the end of passageway.

Cautiously, Luke made his way forward, and emerged from the passage to find himself in a large underground cavern where Vader's Sith temple was located beneath the castle itself, illuminated by streams of lava leading to the planet's very core. The temple was filled with various Sith artifacts, belongings of his father. For a moment, Luke could only gaze at his surroundings.

Suddenly, the woman's voice came again.

...Oh, Luke...

"Who are you?" Luke called out, "Speak to me."

The voice however, did not repeat, but still, he found himself being drawn towards the center of the room where there stood a strange waist-high square stone pedestal. As Luke approached the pedestal, he noticed that there was something laying on top of it, and looked closer to see what it was.

To his surprise, Luke saw that rather than an ancient Sith holocron or sacred relic, it was just a necklace carved from a japor snippet, no bigger than a pendent in one's hand. For a moment, he just stood there in confusion, wondering just what was so important about what seemed to be nothing more than a hand-made ornamental trinket, and just why it held such significance for his father.

At last, Luke reached out with his hand to pick it up...

Suddenly, he felt the ground fall out from beneath his feet with a blinding flash. Before Luke had even realized what had happened, he was standing in a open green field with the sun on his face as the sound of birds, and running water from a series of nearby waterfalls filled the air. Looking around, he was entranced by the beautiful scenery splayed before him.

What is this place? Where am I? he wondered.

Almost on cue, Luke heard the distant sound of voices and laughter coming from his right. That was when he saw them; a young man and woman were sitting together nearby. Luke could sense that the pair were very much in love. The young man in particular stood out for he was dressed in the tunic of a Jedi Padawan. But just as Luke began to move towards the couple, the world suddenly shifted again...

Now, he was in the midst of a brutal battle between battle droids, and clone troopers. But most of Luke's attention was drawn to two Jedi who were slicing their way through the battle droids in support of the clones. One he recognized as the young man from the field, his hair now grown longer, and the other...

There was something VERY familiar about the other Jedi, and Luke was sure that he'd seen him before.

At last, it hit him: Obi-Wan?

Yes. It WAS Obi-Wan; younger, but Obi-Wan for sure.

With that realization came the next. If that was Obi-Wan, then the other Jedi could only be...

Father...

Luke stood transfixed as he watched his father and Obi-Wan fight together, perfectly in sync with one another, the battle droid formation crumbling before their onslaught.

Another flash. Now Luke stood in the dim light of a large opera house with a gigantic glowing orb hovering before him, and the rest of the audience. For a moment, he could only gaze about in wonder at the scene before until two members of the audience in particular began to illuminate into view: the young Jedi his father had been, and a short, old man with white hair and a long protruding nose. Leaning forward over one of the audience pods, Luke could just hear the two of them talking...

"Is it possible to learn this power?" the young man who had been his father asked the old man.

"Not from a Jedi." the old man replied.

Again, Luke found himself falling as the opera house whirled out of view, and before he realized it, he found that he'd landed inside a lavish red office. The old man from the opera house now lay near the ledge of a shattered window, a Jedi Master with a purple lightsaber looming over him, poised for the killing blow. Suddenly, the blade of a blue lightsaber lashed out, severing the Jedi Master's hand, and causing Luke to start as he noticed his father standing right next to him. As the Jedi Master screamed in pain, the old man blasted him with a barrage of Force Lighting that sent him flying out the window.

Then, the images began to flash before him even faster.

Next, Luke stood inside a massive temple gazing about in horror as a massacre took place around him as dozens of Jedi were gunned down by an army of clones as young children fled from the scene in terror. And at the head of this army of clones was his father, cutting down any Jedi that stood in in his path with ease, before turning to head in the direction the children had gone...

Then he was back on Mustafar, but something was different, as Vader's castle was nowhere to be seen. He saw the young woman from the field, now heavily pregnant, clutching at her throat struggling to breathe. He saw his father and the young Obi-Wan ignite their lightsabers and engage each other in a terrifying and savage duel across the planet's fiery surface. He saw Obi-Wan leaping onto a lava bank as his father looked on from a platform hovering above the river of fire.

"It's over, Anakin!" Obi-Wan declared, "I have the high ground!"

But Anakin only seethed, "You underestimate my power!"

"Don't try it." warned Obi-Wan.

But Anakin, his eyes full of defiance and hatred, leapt at his former master, and Luke could only watch as Obi-Wan swung his lightsaber one final time, the blue flash of his blade blinding him. When his vision cleared, Luke saw Obi-Wan walking away, his eyes brimming with tears. For a moment, Luke only stared after him, but then headed towards the bottom of the hill to see what had become of his father.

The sight that met his eyes sent Luke staggering to his knees in shock as he took in the charred, smoldering, dismembered body of what remained of his father. Suddenly, he was gasping for air, unable to breathe as his vision blurred...

As the scene shifted again, Luke and Anakin became one, as though their minds inhabited the same broken body. Luke/Anakin now lay in a dark medical facility, enduring unimaginable agony as medical droids tended to the horribly burned and mutilated form on the surgical table before them. By now, Luke was screaming for help, for someone to make this horrifying vision stop.

Then, there came another flash, and the suffering suddenly ceased. The dark medical chamber had become a small, warmly-lit operating room. The pregnant young woman lay on a medical bed with Obi-Wan and a medical droid at her side. Clearly now in labor, she cried out in pain as she gave the child she bore everything she had left until at last, there came the wailing of a newborn.

"Luke..." the young woman breathed as Obi-Wan brought the baby close enough for her to touch, "Oh, Luke..."

The scene seared itself into Luke's mind as he realized what he was seeing. The baby was him, and the woman was his...

Mother...

Luke had never known his mother, and Vader had never mentioned her once since he brought his son to Mustafar. But now, here she was, and Luke could feel her love for him. It was so warm...so soothing...

But then, in another flash, she was gone.

No! No! Bring her back! Let me see her!

But Luke's silent pleas fell upon deaf ears, and once again, he found himself in the dark medical facility, laying against the surgical table inside his father's body, which was now encased in his black armored suit. Looming before him like a hooded phantom was the old man, who Luke now realized could only be the emperor.

Raising his hands, the emperor began to laugh maniacally as lightning burst from his fingertips to engulf Luke's/Vader's body.

One last flash, and Luke dropped to the stone floor of Vader's temple, the japor snippet necklace falling from his hand. The nightmarish vision had finally ended. Scurrying away from the pedestal, Luke gasped for breath, his face as white as a ghost. For a long time, he just lay there, disoriented, a thousand emotions coursing through his mind.

Fear, anger, pain, sorrow...

In that moment, he longed for a friend, someone to draw strength from, and almost subconsciously he called out.

"Leia... Hear me... Leia..."

In a clearing behind Yoda's house, Leia stood upside-down on her hands, her face a hard mask of concentration as Master Yoda balanced himself on her upturned feet.

"Concentrate..." Yoda instructed, "Feel the Force flow. Yes."

As he spoke, two large equipment containers on the opposite side of the clearing suddenly began to levitate into the air. A short distance away, C-3PO and R2-D2 silently observed Leia's progress when suddenly, much to their shock, they too began to rise into the air.

"Oh! Oh, dear! Put me down!" a panicked C-3PO cried as R2 let out a series of frantic beeps and whistles, "Help! Mistress Leia! Artoo! Somebody help! Help!"

"Calm!" Yoda said sharply.

"It's all right, 3PO; I've got you." assured Leia, straining to hold her concentration.

At last, the droids managed to quiet down, allowing Leia to breathe a sigh of relief, and she closed her eyes.

"Good. Calm, yes." continued Yoda, "Through the Force, things you will see. Other places. The future. The past. Old friends long gone."

Suddenly, Leia's eyes snapped open as a distant call flashed through her head.

"Leia... Hear me... Leia...!"

"Luke...?" Leia gasped out in distress, "Luke!"

The equipment containers and the droids began to wobble in mid-air as Leia's concentration wavered.

"Mistress Leia! Mistress Leia!" C-3PO burst out in alarm as R2 let out a shrill scream.

"ConcenTRATE!" a frantic Yoda yelled just as Leia finally lost her balance sending them all toppling to the ground with a loud crash.

"I...I'm sorry..." Leia gasped out, "I'm so...so sorry..."

Thankfully, everyone appeared to be okay. R2 gave her an assuring beep, which C-3PO silently acknowledged, while Yoda only shook his head at her in annoyance as he regained his feet.

At last, Leia turned to Yoda, "I saw... I saw a castle on a planet of fire."

Yoda nodded, "A friend you have there."

"He was in pain." breathed Leia, "Full of fear...and rage..."

"Fallen into shadow he has." explained Yoda.

For a moment, Leia just stared at Yoda, pondering his words. Luke was alive; of that she was sure, for she had always felt his presence. But...

A castle on a planet of fire... Mustafar... Fortress Vader...

Was that what Yoda was saying? That Luke was rotting in Darth Vader's personal dungeons? Then, Leia's breath caught in her throat as she suddenly had an even more horrifying thought...

No... The vision in the cave... Luke's face under Vader's helmet...

Fallen into shadow he has...

Leia's blood ran cold in her veins as the terrible implication sank in. But no, it couldn't be. Surely. Luke would NEVER join Darth Vader. He couldn't possibly have joined Darth Vader. The man responsible for untold amounts of suffering throughout the galaxy, who had helped the Empire destroy the Jedi Order, who had stood by while Grand Moff Tarkin destroyed her home planet of Alderaan, who had betrayed and murdered Luke's FATHER...

Leia did not believe it. She couldn't. It just wasn't possible. And even if somehow it was true, Luke COULD NOT be acting of his own accord.

At last, Leia got to her feet, and began to walk away, but then stopped, and looked back at Yoda, her expression pleading.

"Is there any hope for him?"

Yoda closed his eyes, concentrating, "Difficult to see. Always in motion in the future."

Leia lowered her gaze, the answer giving her no comfort. There had to be something she could do. She wished that Han was here. She wanted to get off this planet and go save Luke right now. Perhaps she could use R2 to try and sent a signal to the Millennium Falcon. It was admittedly a rather long shot, but...

Sensing her thoughts, Yoda spoke again, "Decide you must on how to serve him best. Only a fully trained Jedi Knight, with the Force as their ally, will conquer Vader and the Emperor. If you end your training now, if you choose the quick and easy path as Vader did, you will become an agent of evil, and destroy all for which your friend has fought and suffered."

The words stopped Leia's train of thought cold, and slowly, she sank back to the ground, a shroud of gloom enveloping her. Could she really destroy everything that she, Luke, and the Rebellion had worked for?

She remembered the words of Ben Kenobi, the same words that she had once pleaded to him.

You are our only hope.

No. She could not leave.

Leia knew what she had to do. Yoda was right; she had to stay here and complete her training, for only as a fully trained Jedi Knight with the Force as her ally could she hope to stand against Vader. Only then could she actually help Luke.

But that didn't make the decision any less agonizing.

Perceiving Leia's despair, R2 and 3PO came over to stand by their mistress and provide what little comfort they could.

Sunlight streamed into the circular lounge where Han, Chewie, and Lando had come together to reminisce and share a bottle of Corellian wine. The lounge was white, and simply furnished with couches, a table, and a large bay window which gave the occupants a breathtaking view of Cloud City, with cloud cars weaving between the towering buildings, and people moving through the network of streets down below.

"Well, that's one way to get out of a debt!" Lando laughed as Han finished the story about what had happened with Jabba, "Jabba sure won't be needing it anymore!"

Han shook his head in amusement, "I still can't believe it myself. One minute, me and Chewie were about to become rancor food, and next thing we knew it was Jabba who'd become rancor food! I never thought anybody, let alone us, could be THAT lucky!"

Chewbacca barked in agreement.

"Well, you two have certainly stirred up the gundark nest!" declared Lando, "It's all over the holonet; Jabba's relatives are all fighting over the scraps of his powerbase as we speak!"

"Anyway, how's the gas mine? Is it paying off for you?" asked Han to change the subject.

"Oh, not as well as I'd like." Lando replied, "We're a small outpost and not very self-sufficient. And I've had supply problems of every kind. I've had labor difficulties..."

"Listen to you..." Han chuckled, "You sound like a businessman, a responsible leader. Who'd have thought that, huh?"

Lando gave a wry smile, "Yeah. I'm responsible these days. It's the price you pay for being successful. Since we're a small operation, we don't fall into the jurisdiction of the Empire, which is advantageous for everybody since our customers are anxious to avoid attracting attention to themselves."

"Aren't you afraid the Empire's going to find out about this little operation and shut you down?" asked Han.

"Yeah" Lando nodded, "That's always been a danger of that looming like a shadow over everything we've built here. But things have been developing that will ensure security. I think I can safely say that we'll be able keep any trouble away from..."

The large bay window suddenly exploded, showering Han, Chewie, & Lando in shards of glass and sending the three of them sprawling to the floor. As smoke filled the room, and they struggled to regain their bearings, a voice suddenly broke the stunned silence.

"Long time no see, Calrissian. I understand you have something I want."

Slightly dazed, Han, Chewie, & Lando all looked up. And there, standing in front of the shattered window, was Boba Fett.

END OF PART 4