Darth Vader struck, parried, and dodged as the Jedi apparitions swarmed in all around him. Master Plo Koon lunged at the Dark Lord with his lightsaber, but Vader blocked the attack with his own before countering with a Force Push, causing the Kel Dors Jedi to dissolve just as the shade of Luminara Unduli had.
Then, Master Ki-Adi Mundi and Master Shaak Ti both came at Vader together. The Dark Lord managed to deflect the strike from the Cerean, only for the Togruta's blade to slice through his side. Snarling in pain, Vader lashed out in fury, cutting down Shaak Ti, before lunging at Ki-Adi Mundi, who only managed to parry three of his attacker's strikes before the crimson lightsaber finally plunged into his chest
But even as Ki-Adi Mundi and Shaak Ti faded away, Master Qui-Gon Jinn stepped up beside Obi-Wan, and the former master and apprentice thrust their hands outward in a powerful Force Push, launching Vader backwards into a stone pillar. Stunned, Vader painfully went down to one knee before finally looking up just in time to see Aayla Secura charging towards him, with Kit Fisto hot on her heels.
With an effort, the Dark Lord pushed himself back to his feet to meet the Twi'lek Jedi's blade with his own. Lifting one mechanical leg, he thrust his boot into her mid-section, knocking her backwards, before turning his attention to Kit Fisto. Batting away a thrust from the Nautolan Jedi, Vader quickly struck him down before turning back toward Aayla Secura just as she sprang at him again. Dodging to the side, Vader proceeded to almost casually slice through her neck.
But no sooner had he done so that Ahsoka Tano lunged through the Twi'lek Jedi's dissipating form and slashed Vader directly across the chest plate. Groaning, Vader swung at his former Padawan, but she quickly ducked under the attack. Before the Dark Lord could make another move, Mace Windu suddenly came leaping at him from the side, swinging his amethyst blade down across Vader's wrist, slicing off his mechanical hand.
Crying out in pain, the Dark Lord was just barely able to dodge another strike from Mace Windu even as his severed hand, and his lightsaber along with it, clattered to the ground. In desperation, Vader reached out with his remaining hand, and made a fist, using the Force to crush the neck of Windu's shade.
As Master Windu vanished, Vader quickly called his lightsaber back into his hand, and turned to face the three remaining apparitions: Obi-Wan, Ahsoka, and Qui-Gon, even sparks flew from his damaged suit.
"Enough, Lord Vader." came Yoda's voice, "Why persist in this path if only pain it brings you?"
"My life is pain, Jedi. It will take more than that to destroy me." Vader declared.
"Filled with pain your life may have been, yet of your own choosing it was." Yoda's voice replied.
At Yoda's words, the shades of Obi-Wan, Ahsoka, and Qui-Gon suddenly deactivated their "lightsabers", and proceeded to back away, melting back into the mists from whence they had come.
Vader began to run after them, intent on continuing the fight, when suddenly, the floor of the temple collapsed beneath him, and he fell into the darkness of the abyss below.
The next thing Vader knew, he was lying on the cold, hard floor of a dark passage. Slowly, painfully, the Dark Lord pushed himself back to his feet.
"Wrong choices you have made your entire life." Yoda's voice came from somewhere up ahead, "Selfish and cruel you have been. Thinking never of others. Hiding from compassion. Hiding from the truth."
"And what truth would that be?" asked Vader as he ignited his lightsaber to light his way, and began to make his way in the direction of the Jedi Master's voice.
"That only human you are!" Yoda answered, "Capable of love. Capable of making mistakes and learning from them. Fallible you are, yet denied this you did. Seeing yourself only as better than others. Unfortunate it is that you have wasted your life devoted to hatred and lies. Hurt yourself, and so many others, you have. Even those you loved. And for what, I ask?"
"Face me, Jedi!" Vader snarled, "I grow weary of your lectures!"
Suddenly, from somewhere up ahead shone a bright light, and as the Dark Lord approached it, the silhouette of a small elf-like being materialized in the center.
"At last!" Vader lunged forward.
But even as the Dark Lord reached the small figure of Yoda and brought his lightsaber down to slice the Jedi Grandmaster in two, the world suddenly disappeared in a blinding flash.
Back in the forest, flashes of red and green illuminated the dark foliage as Leia and Luke traded blows. As the duel went on, it quickly became apparent that Luke was the better swordsmen, keeping Leia on the backfoot, but at the same time, the princess proved to be the faster of the two, allowing her to dodge the majority of Luke's attacks.
Interspersing the strikes of their lightsabers with blasts of the Force, the two combatants probed one another for weaknesses. It was obvious that they had both been trained well by their respective masters.
After several minutes of striking, parrying, and dodging, Luke and Leia finally locked blades once again, glaring at each other through their glowing blades.
"Has the Dark Side rendered you blind, Luke?" Leia asked, "How can you not see what is happening?"
"You understand nothing of what is happening-or what I'm doing to save the galaxy." Luke insisted.
"Neither do you!" Leia shot back as she reached out with the Force to smack him in the back of the head with small chunk of rock.
Stunned, Luke staggered under the blow, giving Leia the opportunity to Force Push him back against the trunk of a nearby tree. Drawing on the Dark Side to regain his bearings, Luke retaliated with a barrage of red Force Lighting, forcing Leia to dive out of the way of the powerful blast.
Rolling back to her feet, Leia used the Force to fling another rock at Luke, this one even larger than the last, only for Luke to slice it in half with his lightsaber.
Luke charged forward and Leia quickly stepped up to meet him in the middle. Luke unleashed a flurry of hammering strikes that Leia soon found herself struggling to fend off. Finally, she kicked Luke in the midsection, knocking him back a few steps, and giving herself some breathing room.
Holding her lightsaber before her, Leia prepared to meet Luke's next strike, but instead of launching another direct attack, he made a gesture with his hand, and suddenly, she sensed something flying at her from behind. Spinning around, Leia sliced the large log that Luke had thrown at her back out of the air. But even as she turned back towards Luke again, he lunged forward, and struck her full across the face with his fist, sending her stumbling backwards.
Not even missing a beat, Luke struck at Leia again, swinging his crimson blade in a powerful downward arc, which she was just barely able to bring her own saber up in time to block.
"Obi-Wan and Yoda were wrong, Leia." Luke said through the blade lock, "The Dark Side IS stronger. My father and I can teach you the true ways of the Force. Just think of what we could accomplish together!"
Struggling to hold her opponent back, Leia tried to concentrate and calm her mind, refusing to let Luke's words or the power of the Dark Side get to her. Closing her eyes, she remembered what Yoda had taught her.
We are one with the Force, and the Force is with us.
As her master's words echoed throughout her head, a sense of calm filled Leia's being as she let the Light flow through her. Opening her eyes, she glared at Luke through the blade lock, before suddenly slipping free from it, and lashing out at him with her lightsaber.
Luke let out a scream of pain as Leia's blade slashed him across the face, and he stumbled backwards as he clutched at the wound at the wound with his free hand. Leia could only stare after him, shocked at her own actions in spite of the circumstances, and even feeling touch of concern for her (former?) friend.
Removing his hand from his face, Luke looked up at Leia with his eyes blazing, and a deep, ugly gash carved diagonally across his right cheek and up the center of his forehead, right above his nose.
For a long moment, neither of Luke nor Leia moved, as countless emotions coursed through their heads, and they couldn't help but wonder just how it had all come to this.
And then at last, the two combatants charged one another again...
When Vader's vision finally cleared, found himself standing back on the fiery plains of Mustafar, but his castle was nowhere to be scene, and neither was Master Yoda. By now, his patience was wearing thin.
"Master Yoda!" Vader yelled, "Come out! Fight me!"
"Anakin..." came a soft voice from behind Vader.
Vader stopped dead in his tracks, for he recognized the voice immediately. Slowly, he turned and there, standing right before him, was Padme Amidala.
His wife. His love...
"Turn back, Ani..." Padme said, holding out her hands to him in welcome, "Stay with me."
Vader stood transfixed at the sight of her. She was just as he remembered her on the day that he... The day that he last seen her alive.
"You don't need to go on like this." she implored, her voice like that of an angel, "It can all be over, my love. You know you want to leave this path. Come with me..."
For a moment, Vader felt himself wavering as her words pierced straight through him.
"No..." he forced the feelings of uncertainty away.
Padme stepped towards him, "Ani..."
"No!" Vader said sharply, reaching out with the Force to grip the apparition by the throat, "You're not her; Padme is dead!"
"Anakin...!" Padme gasped out, clutching at her neck.
"Anakin is dead! I destroyed him!" declared the Dark Lord, gripping harder.
Padme's shade disappeared before Vader, and he was left alone once again.
You killed her... You killed her again... an accusing voice said from somewhere buried deep inside him. The voice of Anakin Skywalker.
"Yoda! Where are you?!" Vader bellowed, "Face me, you coward! NO MORE GAMES!"
"I never wanted this for you..." came another gentle voice.
Again, Vader froze as the voice cut straight through the red haze of his fury. And then, before the Dark Lord's very eyes appeared the figure of a familiar middle-aged woman with both kindness and sadness in her eyes.
Vader unconsciously took a step back as he met her gaze. The gaze of Shmi Skywalker...
His mother.
"I never wanted any of this for you." she said again, her voice full of sorrow.
"N-No..." Vader breathed, his voice trembling slightly, "You... You can't be here. You can't..."
"I'm sorry, little Ani. I'm so sorry that I couldn't be there for you. But please know that no matter what has happened, I will always love you. Always..."
"Mother..." Vader croaked out.
With that, Shmi Skywalker began to fade away, and Vader involuntarily reached out to her, but she disappeared just as they all had, leaving him all alone in the darkness...
Vader sank to his knees, "No..."
And then suddenly, Yoda was finally there. Walking up to the broken Sith Lord, the old Jedi watched as Darth Vader's outward appearance melted away to reveal the innocent young boy he had been all those years ago when Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan had found him on Tatooine.
In the end, the Dark Lord of the Sith had been brought low, not by the strike of a lightsaber, or a touch of the Force, but by the pain of his own past.
"I'm... I'm scared..." the young Anakin sniffed.
Yoda gently placed a hand on the boy's head, "No longer afraid you need to be."
"No..." Anakin said.
But then, to Yoda's shock, Anakin raised his head and glared at him in utter hatred with eyes that had turned pitch black.
"But YOU do!" the boy snarled, his voice changing back to Vader's as he lunged at the Jedi Master.
Leia and Luke swung at one another with their lightsabers, but they both caught the other's wrist. The two combatants struggled against one another, neither willing to give an inch, when suddenly, they both looked up in alarm as there came a disturbance in the Force, and an image flashed through their minds of Darth Vader and Master Yoda, both imperiled and locked in mortal combat.
"Father..." breathed Luke.
"Master..." Leia gasped.
Ultimately, Luke reacted faster, and before Leia could make another move, he kicked her in the mid-section, knocking her backwards several steps, before promptly turning and darting back in the direction in which he had come.
As Leia recovered, she started to run after him, when suddenly, she remembered Han. Looking around frantically, her eyes finally found him on the ground a short distance away, only now starting to regain consciousness.
"Han!" Leia rushed over to him, "Are you okay?"
"Yeah... I think so..." he replied, trying to regain his wits.
"Come on!" urged Leia, "Yoda needs us!"
At her words sank in, Han quickly leapt to his feet, and scooped up his fallen blaster.
"Lead on, sweetheart."
Wasting no more time, Leia quickly off after Luke with Han not a second behind her. She could only hope that they wouldn't be too late.
With a final, blinding flash, Master Yoda and Darth Vader suddenly both found themselves back in the mist-filled forests of Dagobah. After an epic struggle in the center of their minds, Vader had finally managed to break through Yoda's illusions, and all traces of what had occurred inside them had vanished.
Yoda stared Vader in surprise, rather taken aback that the Dark Lord had actually been able to resist him.
"Did you truly think you could defeat me?" Vader taunted, "You have failed Jedi."
Reigniting his lightsaber, Vader hurled the weapon at Yoda like a boomerang, but the Jedi Master reacted quickly, and held up a hand, freezing the spinning blade in mid-air.
"Not if anything to say about it I have." Yoda retorted, before sending the crimson lightsaber whirling back at Vader.
Vader dodged to the side, letting his lightsaber fly past him to embed itself into the trunk of a tree, before picking up a large boulder with the Force and throwing it at Yoda. But Yoda quickly leapt out of the way, before then reaching out towards a nearby tree, and attempting to pull it down directly on top of Vader.
Raising his hand however, Vader easily caught the falling tree with the Force.
"Impressive." he admitted, "Even after all these years, your strength has not wavered. But it's no use, for you still retain the flaw of a compassion like all Jedi."
Tossing the fallen tree aside, Vader pulled with Force, causing Yoda to fall forward flat on his face. Then, slamming his fist to the forest floor, Vader began to collapse the ground beneath Yoda's body. However, the Jedi Master quickly recovered, and leapt forward over the collapsing ground to land right in front of Vader.
"The flaw of power, arrogance is." Yoda said even as he hit Vader with a powerful Force Push, sending the Dark Lord flying backwards to slam him into the trunk of a tree.
Vader collapsed to a knee from the impact, forced to take a moment to recover his bearings. When the Dark Lord finally looked up, he saw Yoda spreading out his arms as a very large number of rocks and heavy fallen branches levitated off of the forest floor. Realizing what was coming, Vader promptly stood back up and called his lightsaber back to his hand.
Thrusting his hands forward, Yoda sent a maelstrom of rocks and heavy tree limbs hurtling at his opponent. In response, Vader lashed out in a flurry of strikes with his lightsaber to slice through or deflect the oncoming projectiles, but quickly found himself overwhelmed by the bombardment as many got through his defenses.
Eventually, it proved to be too much even for the Sith Lord, and then one of the rocks smashed into the control panel on Vader's chest, serious damaging his suit's functions.
Battered, and starting to wheeze, Vader finally fell back to his knees.
For a moment, Master Yoda only looked at his seemingly spent opponent with a sense of pity. Then, shaking his head in disappointment, Yoda lifted Vader back up against the tree with the Force.
"Such a waste it was to dedicate your life to pain and hatred." Yoda said mournfully, "And for what? Yet wish you do to lead your son down the same path! Again, for what, I ask?"
But then suddenly, the Force whispered a warning, and Yoda heard a voice shout behind him.
"FATHER!"
Yoda turned to see Luke Skywalker rushing toward him. The Jedi Master had little time to ponder what had become of his own apprentice however, as Luke proceeded to send a torrent of red lightning at him.
Dropping Darth Vader, Yoda turned his full attention towards Luke, and held up his hands to absorb the lightning.
"Your father, Darth Vader may be, young Skywalker." the Jedi Master said through the crimson barrage, "But wasted your power is on him. So much more you could be."
"You will never get me to turn on my father, Jedi!" retorted Luke.
"Always turn on one another the Sith do. Learn that soon you shall." Yoda replied, his voice full of pity.
"BE QUIET!" Luke shouted, drawing on the Dark Side to strengthen the power of his lightning to overcome Yoda's tutaminis defense.
For just a moment, it seemed that Yoda was beginning to falter under the dark onslaught, but then, he glared up at Luke, before proceeding to redirect the lightning straight back at him. Stunned, Luke found himself unable to react in time before he was engulfed by his own lightning, and he was quickly sent staggering backwards, screaming in pain.
It was right at that moment that Leia and Han arrived on the scene. Reacting quickly to what she saw happening before her, Leia promptly sprinted forward to slam her lightsaber hilt into the back of Luke's skull, knocking him out cold and taking him out of the fight.
For a very brief moment, Yoda and Leia's eyes met in an acknowledgement of pride between master and apprentice.
But alas, it was to be short-lived, for Luke had provided his father with just enough of a distraction to recover his strength. Before anyone could react, the Dark Lord suddenly shot back to his feet, and called his lightsaber back into his hand, igniting the crimson blade.
"Master!" Leia cried out in horror as she realized what was about to happen.
But it was too late, and time seemed to slow as Vader then threw his lightsaber forward to impale Yoda through the back.
For a moment, Yoda stood perfectly still, a look of mild surprise etched on his face, and then at last, before Leia's eyes, he crumbled to forest floor.
"NO!" Leia screamed in anguished fury as Han raised his blaster and fired at Darth Vader.
But even the man who might've been the fastest draw in the galaxy wasn't fast enough to surprise the Dark Lord, and before the blaster bolt had even halved the distance between them, Vader quickly raised his hand, freezing both it and Han in place with the Force.
Igniting her lightsaber, Leia charged at Darth Vader, who immediately recalled his own lightsaber to his free hand, and lunged forward to meet her, releasing Han in the process as well as the blaster bolt, which exploded harmlessly against a tree.
As Leia furiously traded blows with the Dark Lord, Han recomposed himself and tried to take aim at Vader again, but now realized that he couldn't get a clear shot without the risk of hitting Leia by mistake. Then, the smuggler remembered Yoda and found himself rushing to the fallen Jedi's side.
He was still alive, but just barely, and it was clear that his time was running out fast.
"Han! Get Yoda to the Falcon!" Leia shouted, as a powerful blow from Vader sent her stumbling backwards.
"And leave you?! NO WAY!" Han replied, raising his blaster again and squeezing off another shot at the Dark Lord now that he had an opening.
But once again, it proved useless as Vader casually deflected the shot with lightsaber, and sent it flying back towards Han, grazing the smuggler across the cheek. Seeing this, an enraged Leia instantly launched herself back at Vader.
"Han, GO! Now!" she demanded.
After a final moment of hesitation, Han reluctantly decided to just do as Leia said. Scooping up Yoda in his arms, the smuggler sprinted off in the direction of the Millennium Falcon, leaving Leia and Vader locked in mortal combat.
"I know who you are, Lord Vader." Leia said as the two combatants traded blows, "Master Yoda told me about Anakin Skywalker!"
"That name no longer has any meaning to me." Vader insisted, "Anakin Skywalker was weak; I destroyed him."
"And in the name of every life you've ever destroyed, I will destroy you!" Leia declared, striking out at Vader again.
Leia thought about all the suffering that Vader had caused the galaxy, and she remembered everything that he had done to her personally.
Vader had tortured her on the Death Star. He had let her watch as Grand Moff Tarkin destroyed her home world of Alderaan. He had killed Obi-Wan Kenobi. He had tried to kill Luke, his own son and Leia's friend, and was now corrupting him to the Dark Side. And now, just moments ago, he had struck down Master Yoda, her friend and her mentor...
Letting all of that fuel her, Leia attacked Vader with increasing ferocity.
For a few moments, she actually seemed to be driving him back, and forcing the Dark Lord to fall back on the defensive. But then suddenly, in two quick moves, Vader hooked Leia's lightsaber out of her hand, and sent it flying before she even realized what was happening.
Shocked, Leia didn't even have time to react when Vader then proceeded to strike Leia in the temple with the hilt of his lightsaber, just as she had done to Luke.
Dropping her lightsaber, Leia collapsed to the ground in a daze, but just managed to stay conscious. She felt something warm trickle down the side of her head, and when she touched it, she saw that it was blood. Then, as she turned her gaze upward to see Vader standing over her, a sense of clarity washed over.
She had been a fool. Vader had only been testing her abilities. She had let her anger get the better of her, and he'd used it against her.
"You show promise, Your Highness, but you still have much to learn." Vader observed, deactivating his lightsaber, "I have great plans for my son, and those plans could include you. We could all rule the galaxy together."
"I'll never join you!" retorted Leia, "And I'll never let Luke be turned into another a monster like you!"
"If only you understood the power of the Dark Side." insisted Vader, "Even now, you feel it, don't you? Like a hidden voice, breathing strength into your spirit. You have no idea what you could become, Leia."
Vader's words made Leia freeze up in horror and shame. Because she knew it to be true; she HAD felt it. In her anger towards the Dark Lord, she had let the Dark Side in to cloud her mind just as Luke had on Hoth. And with that realization came another...
In spite of all of Yoda's teachings, she was just as vulnerable to Dark Side as Luke had been, and possibly even as... as Vader himself had been...
And with that realization came feelings of fear and uncertainty...
Vader held out his hand to her, "Come with me. It is the only way."
Leia wanted to swat the hand away, but for some unknown reason, she could only stare at it for a very long moment as if she didn't even know what it was.
But then, both Leia and Vader were shocked out of the moment when there suddenly came the loud roar of a starship engine, and they looked up just as the Millennium Falcon appeared in the sky directly above them.
Quick as a flash, the underside quad laser cannon swiveled around to aim directly at Vader before the Dark Lord could even react and fired.
Leia was forced to shield her eyes as the ground directly before her seemed to explode, and Darth Vader was sent flying off into the forest foliage by the blast.
Then, the Falcon's landing ramp lowered as though the ship were beckoning to her.
Struggling to shake the cobwebs still lingering in her head from the blow to her temple, Leia grabbed her fallen lightsaber, and struggled to her feet. Taking a deep breath, she used the Force to propel herself upwards as she leapt nearly 20 feet into the air to grab onto the ledge of the landing ramp.
With the last of her remaining strength, Leia hauled herself up on the ramp, and made her way into the ship.
Back down on the ground, Darth Vader slowly and painfully rose back to his own feet.
The Dark Lord had just barely managed to shield himself from the brunt of the blast in time with the Force, but now, weakened from his long struggle, along with the damage done to his suit, he could only watch as the Millennium Falcon soared off into the night sky out of his reach.
"Father?" came Luke's voice somewhere off to Vader's side, and he turned to see his son, now having regained consciousness, slowly making his way toward him, and cradling the back of his head.
Vader didn't answer; for the moment, he could only muse on the fact that their mission had not been a complete success, for the princess had escaped, and so would remain a threat.
But at the same time, their mission had not entirely been a failure either, for the Dark Lord could feel through the Force that Master Yoda's light was fading.
As Leia stumbled into the Falcon's main hold, she saw Han climbing out of the lower gunner position.
"Leia, are you all right?" he asked, making his way over to her.
She didn't look all right; in fact, she looked as though she'd been through a war. It hadn't been easy to see in the darkness of the forest, but Leia had a black eye from where Luke had punched her in the face during their duel, and blood still seeped from the blow to her temple where Vader had struck her with his lightsaber hilt.
But Leia wasn't concerned about that.
"Yoda. Where's Master Yoda?" was the first thing she asked.
Han pointed over to where Yoda lay on the couch around the holochess table with R2-D2 and C-3PO watching over him. Leia was at her master's side within a heartbeat, with Han right behind her. At the same time, Chewbacca suddenly came into the hold to be at his old friend's side as well.
"Master Yoda..." Leia breathed, her heart sinking at the sight of him lying there.
The great Jedi Master now looked so frail. So weak. There was a gaping hole in his chest where Vader's lightsaber had pierced through his body. Somehow, he was still alive, but it was obvious that he wouldn't be for much longer.
At last, he opened his eyes, and looked at Leia.
"Soon will I rest." Yoda's said, his voice barely a whisper, "Yes, forever sleep. Earned it, I have."
"No, Master Yoda. You can't die." a distraught Leia pleaded.
Yoda let out a weak chuckle, "Strong am I with the Force... but not that strong! Twilight is upon me and soon night must fall. That is the way of things... the way of the Force."
"But we need your help. I need your help..." Leia implored, remembering the touch of the Dark Side during her fight with Vader.
"No more training do you require." the dying Jedi Master assured, "Already know you that which you need. One thing remains: Vader. Confront him again you must. And confront him again you will."
In the end, Leia could only nod despite her uncertainty, "Yes, Master..."
Leia turned to look at her friends with a grave and pleading look on her face. They all got the message, and promptly moved to the other side of the hold to let her have final moment alone with her dying master.
It was then that Lando finally came into the hold, but he quickly read the room, and kept his distance as well.
"Remember, a Jedi's strength flows from the Force." Yoda reminded her, "But beware. Anger, fear, aggression. The dark side are they. Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny."
Leia bowed her head in shame as she was again reminded of how she'd briefly lost control of herself while fighting against Vader. How could one save the galaxy from the darkness, if they could not even master the darkness in their own heart?
"Leia...Leia..." Yoda gasped out, his voice growing ever weaker.
She leaned in closer to him, "I'm here, Master Yoda."
"Do not..." he rasped, "Do not underestimate the powers of the Emperor, or suffer Vader's fate, you will. Leia, when gone am I the last of the Jedi will you be. The Force runs strong in your family. Pass on what you have learned..."
Yoda's eyes closed, and for a moment, Leia thought that he was gone.
"Master Yoda?" she choked out as tears filled in her eyes.
But then, a shiver ran through the great Jedi Master, and with great effort, he spoke one last time.
"Leia... There is...another...Sky...Sky...walker."
And with that, he finally breathed his last, and lay still.
For a long moment, all was silent. Then, from across the room, Chewbacca let out low mournful howl, and R2-D2 whistled sadly. C-3PO and Lando said nothing, at a complete loss for words.
A somber Han slowly made his way back over to Leia and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"What did he say?" the smuggler gently asked.
Leia just shook her head, unable to answer as she finally allowed the tears to fall down her face.
But then, for a moment their shared grief turned to shock when Yoda's body suddenly vanished before their very eyes, leaving nothing but his robes.
Just like when Obi-Wan died on the Death Star, Leia thought.
"Wh-What... What just happened?" asked Han, who was understandably bewildered.
"He has become one with the Force..." Leia said as much to herself as to him.
Without another word, she despondently rose and began to make her way towards Falcon's crew quarters. Han didn't stop her. He had seen that look on Leia's face before; it was the same look that had been on her face when they'd been forced to leave Luke on Hoth, starting this whole mess.
Just as she had then, Leia wanted and more importantly needed some time to be alone.
After almost an hour of silence, R2-D2 found himself unable to wait any longer, and scooted into the crew quarters to find Leia sitting on one of the Falcon's bunks in silent mourning.
The astromech droid beeped a greeting, but was initially ignored by his depressed mistress.
After Hoth, Leia hadn't though that things could get any worse, but now she knew that she'd been wrong. For now, Master Yoda was dead, Luke had turned to the Dark Side, and she was the galaxy's very last hope at defeating the Sith.
And how was she supposed to do that? How could she be a beacon of hope when there was darkness in her heart?
At last, she sighed and placed a hand on R2's dome, shaking her head dejectedly
"I can't do it, R2." Leia said sadly, "I can't go on alone."
"Yoda will always be with you." a familiar voice said suddenly.
Startled, Leia looked up as she recognized the voice, "Obi-Wan..."
And there, before her very eyes, the spirit of Obi-Wan Kenobi materialized in the entrance to the crew quarters.
Leia stood as the shade approached, "You should have told him, Ben. I know Yoda said that Luke wasn't ready to know the truth about his father, but it would've been better than...than this."
"Luke's father was seduced by the dark side of the Force." Obi-Wan explained, "He ceased to be Anakin Skywalker and became Darth Vader. When that happened, the good man he had been was destroyed. So what I told Luke was true... from a certain point of view."
"A certain point of view?" repeated Leia, her tone somewhat derisive.
Ben walked over to the cot opposite of Leia and sat down, "Leia, you will find that many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view."
Ben paused sadly as the memories weighed heavily on him.
"Anakin was a good friend." he continued as Leia sat back down, listening with interest, "When I first knew him, he was already a great pilot. But I was amazed how strongly the Force was with him. I took it upon myself to train him as a Jedi. I thought that I could instruct him just as well as Yoda. I was wrong. My pride has had terrible consequences for the galaxy..."
Leia sat entranced as Obi-Wan proceeded to tell her Anakin Skywalker's entire life story starting from his birth to Shmi Skywalker and his discovery by the Jedi on Tatooine. From there, he told her of Anakin's training as a Jedi, and the death of his mother at the hands of Tusken Raiders, to his love for Padme Amidala and their secret marriage.
Next, he told how Anakin had been given his own Padawan in a young Togruta named Ahsoka Tano, and how she'd eventually left the Jedi Order after being falsely accused of a terrorist bombing, which Anakin took very hard due to how close they'd been.
Then, how Anakin had been plagued by visions of his beloved Padme's death, and in his desperation to prevent it, alongside his frustrations with the Jedi Council, was left vulnerable to Chancellor Palpatine's temptations of the Dark Side.
And finally came Order 66, and Obi-Wan's terrible duel with Anakin on Mustafar, leading to the latter's near death, and subsequent transformation in the black, armored cyborg that was now Darth Vader.
Once Obi-Wan had finally finished with his tale, Leia found herself at an utter loss for words.
"That... That is the saddest story I've ever heard..." she found herself saying.
More than that, Obi-Wan's story changed so much about what she thought she had known about Darth Vader.
Leia had always hated Vader, and she'd often wondered just how such a monster had come to be. She'd always imagined it had been from ambition, greed, or some other venal weakness. Never before had she considered that Vader's origin may have begun in a better place, out of the pain of loss, the desire to avenge a great wrong and to save the ones he loved.
And now, for the first time, she had some sense of who Anakin Skywalker had been before his fall.
But after a long moment of reflection, she found that while her hatred of Vader had somewhat lessened, it had NOT vanished, for whatever the Dark Lord had suffered in his life before, it did NOT absolve him of two decades worth of atrocities.
"But whoever Vader used to be..." Leia said at last, "That is not who is now, and he must be stopped."
Obi-Wan nodded gravely, "He is more machine now than man. Twisted and evil."
"But Luke isn't. Not yet." insisted Leia, "There's still hope for Luke. I know it."
"Hmm, perhaps..." Ben mused, "But remember Leia, to truly be a Jedi, you must confront and then go beyond the dark side - the side Vader couldn't get past. You must hold firm against it. You must be strong, patient and not give in to hatred, for if you do, if you choose the quick and easy path as Vader did, then the Emperor has already won. You are the galaxy's last hope."
Again, a sense of shame washed over Leia as she again remembered how she'd let her anger get the better of her during her duel with Vader, and she knew that Obi-Wan was right. She had to face Darth Vader again, but she had to do so for the right reasons. Not for revenge, but to save Luke and to bring an end to the galaxy's suffering.
But then, Leia suddenly recalled the last thing that Yoda had said to her...
"Yoda spoke of another." she said inquisitively.
"The other he spoke of is Luke's twin sister." said Obi-Wan.
Leia blinked, "His... His sister?"
"To protect them both from the Emperor..." Ben explained, "They were hidden from Vader when they were born. The Emperor knew, as I did, if Anakin were to have any offspring, they would be a threat to him. That is the reason why Luke's sister remains safely anonymous."
Leia stared at him, her eyes widening with realization, "It's me. I... I am Luke's sister...!"
Ben nodded, "Your insight serves you well. Bury your feelings deep down, Leia. They do you credit. But they could be made to serve the Emperor as could Luke's."
Leia looked off into the distance, trying to comprehend all this. She had always felt some kind of connection with Luke, but never in a million years had she imagined that he was in fact her...
My brother...
But with that thought came the next. If Luke was her brother, then that meant that Darth Vader was her...
No. No. She would not even THINK about that. She couldn't...
However, despite being overwhelmed by the truth, a new resolve soon filled Leia's being, for now she had even more reason to save Luke. And she would save him, no matter what it took.
Looking up, Leia saw that Obi-Wan had vanished, but she took it in stride as she got up from cot and began to make her out of the crew quarters to find Han.
The time had come for them to regroup with the Rebel fleet and together, they would finish this fight.
END OF PART 7