Source
of "TFX EPISODE 5" is
title:STAR
WARS:THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK
by
DONALD F.GLUT
DelRey
Books
ISBN
0-345-32022-0
p97-
The lights of Luke Skywalker's X-wing
fighter
pierced
the darkness of the bog planet. The ship
had
sunk deeper into the scummy waters, but there
was
still enough of it above the surface to let Luke
carry
needed supplies from the storage compart-
ments.
He knew it could not be much longer before
his
ship sank deeper-possibly all the way-be-
neath
the water. He thought that his chance of
survival
might be increased if he gathered as many
supplies
as he could.
It was now so dark the Luke could
scarcely see
in
front of him. Out in the dense jungle he heard a
sharp
snapping noise and felt a chill run through
him.
Grabbing his pistol, he prepared to blast any-
thing
that leaped from the jungle to attack him. But
nothing
did, and he clipped his weapon back onto
its
holster and continued to unpack his gear.
"You ready for some power?"
Luke asked Artoo,
who
was patiently waiting for his own form of nour-
ishment.
Luke took a small fusion furnace from an
equipment
box and ignited it, welcoming even the
tiny
glow thrown off by the small heating device,
then
took a power cable and attached it to Artoo
through
a protuberance that roughly resembled a
nose.
As power radiated through Artoo's electronic
innards,
the stout robot whistled his appreciation.
Luke sat down and opened a container of
proc-
essed
food. As he began to eat, he talked to the
robot.
"Now all I have to do is find this Yoda, if he
even
exists."
He looked around nervously at the
shadows in
the
jungle and felt frightened, miserable, and in-
creasingly
in doubt about his quest. "This certainly
seems
like a strange place to find a Jedi Master,"
he
said to the little robot. "Gives me the creeps,"
From the sound of his beep, it was
clear Artoo
shared
Luke's opinion of the swamp world.
"Although," Luke continued as
he reluctantly
tasted
more of the food, "There's something familiar
about
this place. I feel like-"
"You feel like what?"
That wasn't Artoo's voice! Luke leaped
up,
grabbed
his pistol, then spun around, peering into
the
gloom to try to find the source of those words.
As he turned he saw a tiny creature
standing di-
rectly
in front of him. Luke immediately stepped
back
in surprise; this little being seemed to have
materialized
out of nowhere! It stood no more than
half
a meter in height, fearlessly holding its ground
in
front of the towering youth who wielded an awe-
some
laser pistol.
The little wizened thing could have
been any
age.
Its face was deeply lined, but was framed
with
elfin, pointed ears that gave it a look of
eternal
youth. Long white hair was parted down
the
middle and hung down on either side of the
blue-skinned
head. The being was bipedal, and
stood
on short legs that terminated in tridactyl,
almost
reptilian feet. It wore rags as gray as the
mists
of the swamp, and in such tatters that they
must
have approximated the creature's very age.
For the moment, Luke could not decide
whether
to
be frightened or to laugh. But when he gazed in-
to
those bulbous eyes and sensed the being's kindly
nature,
he relaxed. At last the creature motioned
toward
the pistol in Luke's hand.
"Away put your weapon. I mean you
no harm,"
it
said.
After some hesitation, Luke quietly put
his pistol
back
into his belt. As he did so, he wondered why
he
felt impelled to obey this little creature.
"I am wondering," the
creature spoke again,
"why
are you here?"
"I'm looking for someone,"
Luke answered.
"Looking? Looking?" the
creature repeated curi-
ously
with a wide smile beginning to crease his
already
lined face. "You've found someone I'd say.
Heh?
Yes!"
Luke had to force himself not to smile.
"Yeah."
"Help you I can...yes...yes."
Inexplicably Luke found himself trusting
the odd
creature,
but wasn't at all sure that such a tiny in-
dividual
could be of help on his important quest. "I
don't
think so," he replied gently. "You see, I'm
looking
for a great warrior."
"A great warrior?" The
creature shook his head,
the
whitish hair flopping about his pointed ears.
"Wars
don't make one great."
A strange phrase, Luke thought. But
before he
could
answer, Luke saw the tiny hominid bobble
over
to the top of the salvaged supply cases.
Shocked,
he watched as the creature began to rum-
mage
through the articles Luke had brought with
him
from Hoth.
"Get away from there," he
said, surprised at this
sudden
strange behavior.
Moving across the ground, Artoo waddled
to-
ward
the pile of cases, standing just about at optical
sensor
level with the creature. The droid squealed
his
disapproval as he scanned the creature that was
carelessly
digging through the supplies.
The strange being grabbed the container
holding
the
remains of Luke's food and took a bite.
"Hey, that's my dinner!" Luke
exclaimed.
But no sooner had the creature taken
his first
bite
than he spat out what he had tasted, his deeply
lined
face wrinkling like a prune. "Peewh!" he said,
spitting.
"Thank you, no. How get you so big eating
food
of this kind?" He looked Luke up and down.
Before the astounded youth could reply,
the crea-
ture
flipped the food container in Luke's direction,
then
dipped one of his small and delicate hands
into
another supply case.
"Listen, friend," Luke said,
watching this bizarre
scavenger,
"we didn't mean to land here. And if I
could
get my fighter out of this puddle I would, but
I
can't. So-"
"Can't get your ship out? Have you
tried? Have
you
tried?" the creature goaded.
Luke had to admit to himself that he
had not,
but
then the whole idea was patently ludicrous. He
didn't
have the proper equipment to-
Something in Luke's case had attracted
the crea-
ture's
interest. Luke finally reached the end of
his
patience when he saw the crazy little being
snatch
something out of the supply case. Knowing
that
survival depended on those supplies, he
grabbed
for the case. But the creature held on to
his
prize-a miniature power lamp that he gripped
tightly
in his blue-skinned hand. The little light came
alive
in the creature's hand, throwing its radiance
up
into his delighted face, and he immediately
began
to examine his treasure.
"Give me that!" Luke cried.
The creature retreated from the
approaching
youth
like a petulant child. "Mine! Mine! Or I'll
help
you not."
Still clutching the lamp to his breast,
the creature
stepped
backward, inadvertently bumping into
Artoo-Detoo.
Not remembering that the robot was
at
all animate, the being stood next to it as Luke
approached.
"I don't want your help,"
Luke said indignantly.
"I
want my lamp back. I'll need it in this slimy
mudhole."
Luke instantly realized he had issued
an insult.
"Mudhole? Slimy? My home this
is!"
As they argued, Artoo slowly reached
out a me-
chanical
arm. Suddenly his appendage grabbed
the
pilfered lamp and immediately the two little
figures
were engaged in a tug-of-war over the stolen
prize.
As they spun about in battle, Artoo beeped
a
few electronic, "give me that's."
"Mine, mine. Give it back,"
the creature cried.
Abruptly,
though, he seemed to give up the bizarre
struggle
and lightly posed the droid with one bluish
finger.
Artoo emitted a loud, startled squeal
and im-
mediately
released the power lamp.
The victor grinned at the glowing
object in his
tiny
hands, gleefully repeating, "Mine, mine."
Luke was about fed up with these antics
and
advised
the robot that the battle was over. "Okay,
Artoo,"
he said with a sigh, "let him have it. Now
get
out of here, little fellow. We've got things to
do."
"No, no!" the creature
pleaded excitedly. "I'll
stay
and help you find your friend."
"I'm not looking for a
friend," Luke said. "I'm
looking
for a Jedi Master."
"Oh," the creature's eyes
widened as he spoke,
"a
Jedi Master. Different altogether. Yoda, you
seek,
Yoda."
Mention of that name surprised Luke,
but he
felt
skeptical. How could an elf like this know any-
thing
about a great teacher of the Jedi Knights?
"You
know him?"
"Of course, yes," the
creature said proudly. "I'll
take
you to him. But first we must eat. Good food.
Come,
come."
With that, the creature scurried out of
Luke's
camp
and into the shadows of the swamp. The tiny
power
lamp he carried was gradually dimming in
the
distance as Luke stood feeling baffled. At first
he
had no intention of pursuing the creature, but
all
at once he found himself diving into the fog
after
him.
As Luke started off into the jungle, he
heard
Artoo
whistling and beeping as if he would blow
his
circuits. Luke turned around to see the little
droid
standing forlornly next to the miniature fission
furnace.
"You'd better stay here and watch
over the
camp,"
Luke instructed the robot.
But Artoo only intensified his noisy
output, run-
ning
through the entire gamut of his electronic ar-
ticulations.
"Artoo, now settle down,"
Luke called as he ran
into
the jungle. "I can take care of myself. I'll be
safe,
okay?"
Artoo's
electronic grumblings grew fainter as
Luke
hurried to catch up with the little guide. I
must
really be out of my mind, Luke thought,
following
this weird being into who-knows-what.
But
the creature had mentioned Yoda's name,
and
Luke felt compelled to accept any help he
could
get to find the Jedi Master. He stumbled in
the
dark over thick weeds and twisting roots as
he
pursued the flickering light ahead.
The creature was chattering gaily as he
led the
way
through the swamp. "Heh...safe...heh
...quite
safe...yes, of course." Then, in his
odd
little way, this mysterious being started to
laugh.
p112-
ONLY one being in the entire universe
could
instill
fear in the dark spirit of Darth Vader. As
he
stood, silent and alone in his dim chamber, the
Dark
Lord of the Sith waited for a visit from his
own
dreaded master.
As he waited, his Imperial Star
Destroyer floated
through
a vast ocean of stars. No one on his ship
would
have dared disturb Darth Vader in his pri-
vate
cubicle. But if they had, they might have de-
tected
a slight trembling in that black-cloaked
frame.
And there might even have been a hint of
terror
to be seen upon his visage, had anyone been
able
to see through his concealing black breath
mask.
But no one approached, and Vader
remained
motionless
as he kept his lonely, patient vigil. Soon
a
strange electronic whine broke the dead silence
of
the room and a flickering light began to glimmer
on
the Dark Lord's cloak. Vader immediately
bowed
deeply in homage to his royal master.
The visitor arrived in the form of a
hologram
that
materialized before Vader and towered above
him.
The three-dimensional figure was clad in
simple
robes and its face was concealed behind an
enormous
hood.
When the hologram of the Galactic
Emperor
finally
spoke, it did so with a voice even deeper
than
Vader's. The Emperor's presence was awe-
some
enough, but the sound of his voice sent a thrill
of
terror coursing through Vader's powerful frame.
"You may rise, my servant,"
the Emperor com-
manded.
Immediately Vader straightened up. But
he did
not
dare gaze into his master's face, and instead
cast
his eyes down at his own black boots.
"What is thy bidding, my
master?" Vader asked
with
all the solemnity of a priest attending his god.
"There is a grave disturbance in
the Force,"
the
Emperor said.
"I have felt it," the Dark
Lord replied solemnly.
The Emperor emphasized the danger as he
con-
tinued.
"Our situation is most precarious. We have
a
new enemy who could bring about our destruc-
tion."
"Our destruction? Who?"
"The son of Skywalker. You must
destroy him,
or
he will be our undoing."
Skywalker!
The thought was impossible. How could
the Em-
peror
be concerned with this insignificant youth?
"He's not a Jedi," Vader
reasoned. "He's just a
boy.
Obi-Wan could not have taught him so much
that-"
The Emperor broke in. "The Force
is strong in
him,"
he insisted. "He must be destroyed."
The Dark Lord reflected for a moment.
Perhaps
there
was another way to deal with the boy, a way
that
might benefit the Imperial cause. "If he could
be
turned, he would be a powerful ally," Vader sug-
gested.
Silently the Emperor considered the
possibility.
After a moment, he spoke again.
"Yes...yes,"
he
said thoughtfully. "He would be a great asset.
Can
it be done?"
For the first time in their meeting,
Vader lifted
his
head to face his master directly. "He will
join
us," he answered firmly, "or die, my master."
With that, the encounter had come to an
end.
Vader
kneeled before the Galactic Emperor, who
passed
his hand over his obedient servant. In the
next
moment, the holographic image had completely
disappeared,
leaving Darth Vader alone to formu-
late
what would be, perhaps, his most subtle plan
of
attack.
p119-
Luke was panting, nearly out of breath
in this,
the
latest of his endurance tests. His Jedi taskmas-
ter
had ordered him out on a marathon run through
the
dense growth of his planet's jungle. Not only
had
Yoda sent Luke on the exhausting run, but he
had
invited himself along for the ride. As the Jedi-
in-training
puffed and sweated his way on his
rugged
race, the little Jedi Master observed his
progress
from a pouch strapped to Luke's back.
Yoda shook his head and muttered to
himself
disparagingly
about the youth's lack of endurance.
By the time they returned to the
clearing where
Artoo-Detoo
was patiently waiting, Luke's exhaus-
tion
had nearly overcome him. As he stumbled into
the
clearing, Yoda had yet another text planned for
him.
Before Luke had caught his breath, the
little Jedi
on
his back tossed a metal bar in front of Luke's
eyes.
In an instant Luke ignited his laser sword and
swung
frantically at the bar. But he was not fast
enough,
and the bar fell-untouched-onto the
ground
with a thud. Luke collapsed on the wet
earth
in complete exhaustion. "I can't," he moaned,
"...too
tired."
Yoda, who showed no sign of sympathy,
retorted,
"It
would be in seven pieces, were you a Jedi."
But Luke knew that he was not a
Jedi-not yet,
anyway.
And the rigorous training program devised
by
Yoda had left him nearly out of breath. "I
thought
I was in good shape," he gasped.
"Yes, but by what standard, ask
I?" the little in-
structor
quizzed. "Forget your old measures. Un-
learn,
unlearn!"
Luke truly felt ready to unlearn all
his old ways
and
willing to free himself to learn all this Jedi
Master
had to teach. It was rigorous training, but as
time
passed, Luke's strength and abilities increased
and
even his skeptical little master began to see
hope.
But it was not easy.
Yoda spent long hours lecturing his
student about
the
ways of the Jedi. As they sat under the trees
near
Yoda's little house, Luke listened intently to
all
the master's tales and lessons. And as Luke lis-
tened,
Yoda chewed on his Gimer Stick, a short
twig
with three small branches at the far end.
And there were physical tests of all
kinds. In
particular,
Luke was working hard to perfect his
leap.
Once he felt ready to show Yoda his im-
provement.
As the master sat on a log next to a
wide
pond, he heard the loud rustling of someone
approaching
through the vegetation.
Suddenly Luke appeared on the other
side of
the
pond, coming toward the water at a run. As he
approached
the shore, he made a running leap to-
ward
Yoda, rising high above the water as he
hurtled
himself through the air. But he fell short of
the
other side and landed in the water with a loud
splash,
completely soaking Yoda.
Yoda's blue lips turned down in
disappointment.
But Luke was not about to give up. He
was
determined
to become a Jedi and, no matter how
foolish
he might feel in the attempt, would pass
every
test Yoda set for him. So he didn't complain
when
Yoda told him to stand on his head. A bit
awkwardly
at first, Luke inverted his body and,
after
a few wobbly moments, was standing firmly
on
his hands. It seemed he had been in this posi-
tion
for hours, but it was less difficult than it would
have
been before his training. His concentration
had
improved so much that he was able to
maintain
a perfect balance-even with Yoda
perched
on the soles of his feet.
But that was only part of the test.
Yoda signaled
Luke
by tapping on his leg with his Gimer Stick.
Slowly,
carefully, and with full concentration, Luke
raised
one hand off the ground. His body wavered
slightly
with the weight shift-but Luke kept his
balance,
and, concentrating, started to lift a small
rock
in front of him. But suddenly a whistling and
beeping
R2 unit came rushing up to his youthful
master.
Luke collapsed, and Yoda jumped clear
of his
falling
body. Annoyed, the young Jedi student
asked,
"Oh, Artoo, what is it?"
Artoo-Detoo rolled about in frantic
circles as he
tried
to communicate his message through a series
of
electronic chirps. Luke watched as the droid
scooted
to the edge of the swamp. He hurried to
follow
and then saw what it was the little robot
was
trying to tell him.
Standing at the water's edge, Luke saw
that all
but
the tip of the X-wing's nose had disappeared
beneath
the water's surface.
"Oh, no," moaned Luke.
"We'll never get it out
now."
Yoda had joined them, and stamped his
foot in
irritation
at Luke's remark. "So sure are you?"
Yoda
scolded. "Tried have you? Always with you
it
can't be done. Hear you nothing that I say?"
His
little wrinkled face puckered with a furious
scowl.
Luke glanced at his master, then looked
doubt-
fully
toward the sunken ship.
"Master," he said
skeptically, "lifting rocks is
one
thing, but this is a little different." Yoda was
really
angry now. "No! No different!" he shouted.
"The
differences are in your mind. Throw them
out!
No longer of use are they to you."
Luke trusted his master. If Yoda said
this could
be
done, then maybe he should try. He looked at
the
downed X-wing and readied himself for max-
imum
concentration. "Okay," he said at last, "I'll
give
it a try."
Again he had spoken the wrong words.
"No,"
Yoda
said impatiently. "Try not. Do, do. Or do
not.
There is no try."
Luke closed his eyes. He tried to
envision the
contours,
the shape, to feel the weight of his
X-wing
fighter. And he concentrated on the move-
ment
it would make as it rose from the murky
waters.
As he concentrated, he began to hear
the waters
churn
and gurgle, and then begin to bubble with
the
emerging nose of the X-wing. The tip of the
fighter
was slowly lifting from the water, and it
hovered
there for a moment, then sank back be-
neath
the surface with a loud splash.
Luke was drained and had to gasp for
breath.
"I
can't," he said dejectedly. "It's too big."
"Size has no meaning," Yoda
insisted. "It
matters
not. Look at me. Judge me by my size,
do
you?"
Luke, chastened, just shook his head.
"And well you shouldn't," the
Jedi Master ad-
vised.
"For my ally is the Force. And a powerful
ally
it is. Life creates it and makes it grow. Its
energy
surrounds us and binds us. Luminous beings
we
are, not this crude matter," he said as he
pinched
Luke's skin.
Yoda made a grand sweeping gesture to
indicate
the
vastness of the universe about him. "Fell it
you
must. Feel the flow. Feel the Force around
you.
Here," he said, as he pointed, "between you
and
me and that tree and that rock."
While Yoda gave his explanation of the
Force,
Artoo
spun his domed head around, trying without
success
to register this "Force" on his scanners. He
whistled
and beeped in bafflement.
"Yes, everywhere," Yoda continued,
ignoring
the
little droid, "waiting to be felt and used. Yes,
even
between this land and that ship!"
Then Yoda turned and looked at the
swamp,
and
as he did the water began to swirl. Slowly,
from
the gently bubbling waters, the nose of the
fighter
appeared again.
Luke gaped in astonishment as the
X-wing
gracefully
rose from its watery tomb and moved
majestically
toward the shore.
He silently vowed never to use the word
"impos-
sible"
again. For there, standing on his tree root
pedestal,
was tiny Yoda, effortlessly gliding the
ship
from the water onto the shore. It was a sight
that
Luke could scarcely believe. But he knew that
it
was a potent example of Jedi mastery over the Force.
Artoo,
equally astounded but not so philosophi-
cal,
issued a series of loud whistles, then bolted off
to
hide behind some giant roots.
The
X-wing seemed to float onto the beach, and
then
gently came to a stop.
Luke was humbled by the feat he had
witnessed
and
approached Yoda in awe. "I..." he began,
dazzled.
"I don't believe it."
"That," Yoda stated
emphatically, "is why you
fail."
Bewildered, Luke shook his head,
wondering if
he
would ever rise to the station of a Jedi.
p132-
The
two glowing balls hovered like alien fireflies
above
Luke's body lying motionless in the mud.
Standing
protectively next to his fallen master, a
little
barrel-shaped droid periodically extended a
mechanical
appendage to swat at the dancing ob-
jects
as if they were mosquitoes. But the hovering
balls
of light leaped just out of the robot's reach.
Artoo-Detoo leaned over Luke's inert
body and
whistled
in an effort to revive him. But Luke,
stunned
unconscious by the charges of these en-
ergy
balls, did not respond. The robot turned to
Yoda,
who was sitting calmly on a tree stump, and
angrily
began to beep and scold the little Jedi Mas-
ter.
Getting no sympathy from him, Artoo
turned
back
to Luke. His electronic circuits told him there
was
no use trying to wake Luke with his little
noises.
An emergency rescue system was activated
within
his metal hull and Artoo extended a small
metal
electrode and rested it on Luke's chest. Ut-
tering
a quiet beep of concern, Artoo generated a
mild
electrical charge, just strong enough to jolt
Luke
back to consciousness. The youth's chest
heaved,
and he awoke with a start.
Looking dazed, the young Jedi student
shook
his
hea
d
clear. He looked around him, rubbing his
shoulders
to ease the ache from Yoda's seeker
balls'
attack. Glimpsing the seekers still suspended
over
him, Luke scowled. Then he heard Yoda
chuckling
merrily nearby, and turned his glare on
him.
"Concentration, heh?" Yoda
laughed, his lined
face
creased with enjoyment. "Concentration!"
Luke was in no mood to return his
smile. "I
thought
those seekers were set for stun!" he ex-
claimed
angrily.
"That they are," the amused
Yoda answered.
"They're a lot stronger than I'm
used to." Luke's
shoulder
ached painfully.
"That would not matter were the
Force flowing
through
you," Yoda reasoned. "Higher you'd jump!"
Faster
you'd move!" he exclaimed. "Open yourself
to
the Force you must."
The
youth was beginning to feel exasperated with
his
arduous training, although he had only been at
it
a short time. He had felt very close to knowing
the
Force-but so many times he had failed and
had
realized how very far away it was from him
still.
But now Yoda's goading words made him
spring
to his feet. He was tired of waiting so long
for
this power, weary at his lack of success, and
increasingly
infuriated by Yoda's cryptic teachings.
Luke grabbed his laser sword from the
mud and
quickly
ignited it.
Terrified, Artoo-Detoo scurried away to
safety.
"I'm open to it now!" Luke
shouted. "I feel it.
Come
on, you little flying blasters!" With fire in
his
eyes, Luke poised his weapon and moved to-
ward
the seekers. Immediately they zipped away
and
retreated to hover over Yoda.
"No, no," the Jedi Master
scolded, shaking his
hoary
head. "This will not do. Anger is what you
feel."
"But I feel the Force!" Luke
protested vehe-
mently.
"Anger, anger, fear, aggression!"
Yoda warned.
"The
dark side of the Force are they. Easily they
flow...quick
to join in a fight. Beware, beware,
beware
of them. A heavy price is paid for the
power
they bring."
Luke lowered his sword and stared at
Yoda
in
confusion. "Price?" he asked. "What do you
mean?"
"The dark side beckons," Yoda
said dramat-
ically.
"But if once start you down the dark path,
forever
will it dominate your destiny. Consume
you
it will...as it did Obi-Wan's apprentice."
Luke
nodded. He knew who Yoda meant. "Lord
Vader,"
he said. After he thought for a moment,
Luke asked, "Is the dark side
stronger?"
"No, no. Easier, quicker, more
seductive."
"But how am I to know the good
side from the
bad?"
he asked, puzzled.
"You will know," Yoda
answered. "When you
are
at peace...calm, passive. A Jedi uses the
Force
for knowledge. Never for attack."
"But tell me why-" Luke
began.
"No! There is no why. Nothing more
will I tell
you.
Clear your mind of questions. Quiet now be-
at
peace..." Yoda's voice trailed off, but his
words
had a hypnotic effect on Luke. The young
student
stopped protesting and began to feel peace-
ful,
his body and mind relaxing.
"Yes..." Yoda murmured,
"calm."
Slowly Luke's eyes closed as he let his
mind clear
of
distracting thoughts.
"Passive..."
Luke heard Yoda's soothing voice as it
entered
the
receptive darkness of his mind. He willed him-
self
to travel along with the master's words to
wherever
they might lead.
"Let yourself go..."
When Yoda perceived that Luke was as
relaxed
as
the young student could be at this stage, he made
the
tiniest of gestures. As he did, the two seeker
balls
above his head shot toward Luke, firing stun
bolts
as they moved.
In that instant Luke sprang to life and
ignited
his
laser sword. He leaped to his feet and, with pure
concentration,
began deflecting the bolts as they
spun
toward him. Fearlessly he faced the attack,
and
moved and dodged with extreme grace. His
leaps
into the air, as he jumped to meet the bolts,
were
higher than any he had achieved before. Luke
wasted
not a single motion as he concentrated only
on
every bolt as it sped his way.
Then, as suddenly as it had begun, the
seeker
attack
was over. The glowing balls returned to
hover
on either side of their master's head.
Artoo-Detoo, the ever-patient observer,
let out an
electronic
sigh and shook his metal dome-head.
Grinning proudly, Luke looked toward
Yoda.
"Much progress do you make, young
one," the
Jedi
Master confirmed. "Stronger do you grow." But
the
little instructor would not compliment him more
than
that.
Luke was full of pride at his marvelous
achieve-
ment.
He watched Yoda, expectantly waiting for
further
praise from him. But Yoda did not move or
speak.
He sat calmly-and then two more seeker
balls
floated up behind him and moved into forma-
tion
with the first two.
Luke Skywalker's grin began to melt
away.
p140-
Luke felt that he was definitely
progressing.
He ran through the jungle-with Yoda
perched
on
his neck-and leaped with gazellelike grace over
the
profusion of foliage and tree roots growing
throughout
the bog.
Luke had at last begun to detach
himself from
the
emotion of pride. He felt unburdened, and was
finally
open to experience fully the flow of the
Force.
When his diminutive instructor threw a
silver bar
above
Luke's head, the young Jedi student reacted
instantly.
In a flash he turned to slice the bar into
four
shiny segments before it fell to the ground.
Yoda was pleased and smiled at Luke's
accom-
plishment.
"Four this time! The Force you feel."
But Luke was suddenly distracted. He
sensed
something
dangerous, something evil. "Something's
not
right," he said to Yoda. "I feel danger...
death."
He looked around him, trying to see
what it was
that
emitted so powerful an aura. As he turned he
saw
a huge, tangled tree, its blackened bark dry
and
crumbling. The base of the tree was surrounded
by
a small pond of water where the gigantic roots
had
grown to form the opening to a darkly sinister
cave.
Luke gently lifted Yoda from his neck
and set
him
on the ground. Transfixed, the Jedi student
stared
at the dark monstrosity. Breathing hard, he
found
himself unable to speak.
"You brought me here
purposely," Luke said at
last.
Yoda sat on a tangled root and put his
Gimer
Stick
in his mouth. Calmly looking at Luke, he said
nothing.
Luke shivered. "I feel cold,"
he said, still gazing
at
the tree.
"This tree is strong with the dark
side of the
Force.
A servant of evil it is. Into it you must go."
Luke felt a tremor of apprehension.
"What's in
there?"
"Only what you take with
you," Yoda said cryp-
tically.
Luke looked warily at Yoda, and then at
the
tree.
He silently resolved to take his courage, his
willingness
to learn, and step within that darkness
to
face whatever it was that awaited him. He would
take
nothing more than-
No. He would also bring his lightsaber.
Lighting his weapon, Luke stepped
through the
shallow
waters of the pond and toward the dark
opening
between those great and foreboding roots.
But the Jedi Master's voice stopped
him.
"Your weapon," Yoda reproved. "You won't
need
it."
Luke paused and looked again at the
tree. Go
into
that evil cave completely unarmed? as skilled
as
Luke was becoming, he did not feel quite equal
to
that test. He gripped his saber tighter and shook
his
head.
Yoda shrugged and placidly gnawed his
Gimer
Stick.
Taking a deep breath, Luke cautiously
stepped
into
the grotesque tree cave.
The dark inside the cave was so thick
that Luke
could
feel it against his skin, so black that the light
thrown
by his laser sword was quickly absorbed
and
illuminated scarcely more than a meter in front
of
him. As he slowly moved forward, slimy, drip-
ping
things brushed against his face and the mois-
ture
from the soggy cave floor began to seep into
his
boots.
As he pushed through the blackness, his
eyes
began
to grow accustomed to the dark. He saw a
corridor
before him, but as he moved toward it, he
was
surprised by a thick, sticky membrane that
completely
enveloped him. Like the web of some
gigantic
spider, the mass clung tightly to Luke's
body.
Thrashing at it with his lightsaber, Luke fi-
nally
managed to disentangle himself and clear a
path
ahead.
He held his glowing sword in front of
him and
noticed
an object on the cave floor. Pointing his
lightsaber
downward, Luke illuminated a black
shiny
beetle the size of his hand. In an instant, the
thing
scurried up the slimy wall to join a cluster of
its
mates.
Luke caught his breath and stepped
back. At
that
moment he considered hunting for the exit-
but
he braced himself and ventured still deeper in-
to
the dark chamber.
He felt the space about him widen as he
moved
forward,
using his lightsaber as a dim beacon. He
strained
to see in the darkness, trying his best to
hear.
But there was no sound at all. Nothing.
Then, a very loud hiss.
The sound was familiar. He froze where
he
stood.
He had heard that hiss even in his night-
mares;
it was the labored breath of a thing that had
once
been a man.
Out of the darkness a light
appeared-the blue
flame
of a just-ignited laser sword. In its illumina-
tion
Luke saw the looming figure of Darth Vader
raise
his lighted weapon to attack, and then lunge.
Prepared by his disciplined Jedi
training, Luke
was
ready. He raised his own lightsaber and per-
fectly
side-stepped Vader's attack. In the same
movement,
Luke turned to Vader and, with his
mind
and body completely focused, the youth sum-
moned
the Force. Feeling its power within him,
Luke
raised his laser weapon and brought it crash-
ing
down on Vader's head.
With one powerful stroke, the Dark
Lord's head
was
severed from his body. Head and helmet
crashed
to the ground and rolled about the cave
floor
with a loud metallic bang. As Luke watched
in
astonishment, Vader's body was completely
swallowed
up by the darkness. Then Luke looked
down
at the helmet that had come to rest directly
in
front of him. For a moment it was completely
still.
Then the helmet cracked in half and split
open.
As Luke watched in shocked disbelief,
the
broken
helmet fell aside to reveal, not the un-
known,
imagined face of Darth Vader, but Luke's
own
face, looking up at him.
He gasped, horrified at the sight. And
then, as
suddenly
as it had appeared, the decapitated head
faded
away as if in a ghostly vision.
Luke stared at the dark space where the
head
and
pieces of helmet had lain. His mind reeled, the
emotions
that raged inside of him were almost too
much
to bear.
The tree! he told himself. It was all
some trick
of
this ugly cave, some charade of Yoda's, ar-
ranged
because he had come into the tree carrying
a
weapon.
He wondered if he were really fighting
himself,
or
if he had fallen prey to the temptations of the
dark
side of the Force. He might himself become a
figure
as evil as Darth Vader. And he wondered if
there
might be some even darker meaning behind
the
unsettling vision.
It was a long while before Luke
Skywalker was
able
to move from that deep, dark cave.
Meanwhile,
sitting on the root, the little Jedi
Master
calmly gnawed his Gimer Stick.
p152-
Luke was perfectly calm. Even his present
position
did not make him feel tense or strained or
unsure,
or any of the negative things he used to
feel
when he first attempted this feat. He stood,
perfectly
balanced on one hand. He knew the
Force
was with him.
His patient master, Yoda, sat calmly on
the soles
of
Luke's upturned feet. Luke concentrated se-
renely
on his task and all at once he lifted four
fingers
from the ground. His balance undisturbed,
he
held his upside-down position-on one thumb.
Luke's determination had made him a
quick
study.
He was eager to learn and was undaunted
by
the tests Yoda had devised for him. And now
he
felt confident that when he finally left this
planet,
it would be as a full-fledged Jedi Knight
prepared
to fight only for the noblest of causes.
Luke was rapidly growing stronger with
the
Force
and, indeed, was accomplishing miracles.
Yoda
grew more pleased with his apprentice's
progress.
Once, while Yoda stood watching nearby,
Luke
used the Force to lift two large equipment
cases
and suspend them in midair. Yoda was
pleased,
but noticed Artoo-Detoo observing this ap-
parent
impossibility and emitting electronic beeps
of
disbelief. The Jedi Master raised his hand and,
with
the Force, lifted the little droid off the ground.
Artoo hovered, his baffled internal circuits
and
sensors
trying to detect the unseen power that held
him
suspended in the air. And suddenly the invis-
ible
hand played still another joke on him: While
hanging
in midair, the little robot was abruptly
turned
upside down. His white legs kicked desper-
ately
and his dome head spun helplessly around.
When
Yoda finally lowered his hand, the droid,
along
with two supply cases, began to drop. But
only
the boxes smashed against the ground. Artoo
remained
suspended in space.
Turning his head, Artoo perceived his
young
master,
standing with hand extended, preventing
Artoo
from a fatal tumble.
Yoda shook his head, impressed by his
student's
quick
thinking and by his control.
Yoda sprang onto Luke's arm and the two
of
them
turned back toward the house. But they had
forgotten
something: Artoo-Detoo was still hanging
in
the air, beeping and whistling frantically, trying
to
get their attention. Yoda was merely playing an-
other
joke on the fretful droid, and as Yoda and
Luke
strolled away, Artoo heard the Jedi Master's
bell-like
laugh float in gay peals behind him as the
droid
slowly lowered to the ground.
Some time later, as dusk crept through
the dense
foliage
of the bog, Artoo was cleaning the X-wing's
hull.
Through a hose that ran from the pond to an
orifice
in his side, the robot sprayed down the ship
with
a powerful stream of water. And while he
worked,
Luke and Yoda sat in the clearing, Luke's
eyes
closed in concentration.
"Be calm," Yoda told him.
"Through the Force
things
you will see: other places, other thoughts,
the
future, the past, old friends long gone."
Luke was losing himself as he
concentrated on
Yoda's
words. He was becoming unaware of his
body
and let his consciousness drift with the words
of
his master.
"My mind fills with so many
images."
"Control, control you must learn
of what you
see,"
the Jedi Master instructed. "Not easy, not
fast."
Luke closed his eyes, relaxed, and
began to free
his
mind, began to control the images. At last there
was
something, not clear at first, but something
white,
amorphous. Gradually the image cleared. It
seemed
to be that of a city, a city that perhaps
floated
in a billowing white sea.
"I see a city in the clouds,"
he finally said.
"Bespin," Yoda identified it.
"I see it, too.
Friends
you have there, heh? Concentrate and see
them
you will."
Luke's concentration intensified. And
the city in
the
clouds became clearer. As he concentrated he
was
able to see forms, familiar forms of people he
knew.
"I see them!" Luke exclaimed,
his eyes still shut.
Then
a sudden agony, of body and spirit, took hold
of
him. "They're in pain. They're suffering."
"It is the future you see,"
the voice of Yoda ex-
plained.
The future, Luke thought. Then the pain
he had
felt
had not yet been inflicted on his friends. So
perhaps
the future was not unchangeable.
"Will they die?" he asked his
master.
Yoda shook his head and shrugged
gently. "Dif-
ficult
to see. Always in motion is the future."
Luke opened his eyes again. He stood up
and
quickly
began to gather his equipment. "They're my
friends,"
he said, guessing that the Jedi Master might
try
to dissuade him from doing what he knew he
must.
"And therefore," Yoda added,
"decide you must
how
to serve them best. If you leave now, help
them
you could. But you would destroy all for
which
they have fought and suffered."
His words stopped Luke cold. The youth
sank to
the
ground, feeling a shroud of gloom envelop him.
Could
he really destroy everything he had worked
for
and possibly also destroy his friends? But how
could
he not try to save them?
Artoo perceived his master's despair
and rolled
over
to stand by him and provide what comfort he
could.
p162-
Artoo-Detoo felt the rain plunking on
top of his
metal
dome as he trudged through the muddy pu-
dles
of the bog. He was headed for the sanctuary
of
Yoda's little hut, and soon his optical sensors
picked
up the golden glow shining through its win-
dows.
As he neared the inviting house, he felt a
robot's
relief that at last he would get out of this
annoying,
persistent rain.
But when he tried to pass through the
entrance
he
discovered that his inflexible droid body just
could
not get in; he tried from one angle, then
from
another. At last the perception that he was
simply
the wrong shape to get in seeped into his
computer
mind.
He could scarcely believe his sensors.
As he
peered
into the house, he scanned a busy figure,
bustling
about the kitchen, stirring steaming pots,
chopping
this and that, running back and forth.
But
the figure in Yoda's tiny kitchen, doing Yoda's
kitchen
tasks, was not the Jedi Master-but his
apprentice.
Yoda, it appeared from Artoo's scan,
was sim-
ply
sitting back observing his young pupil from the
adjacent
room, and quietly smiling. Then sud-
denly,
in the midst of all his kitchen activity, Luke
paused,
as if a painful vision had appeared before
him.
Yoda noticed Luke's troubled look. As
he
watched
his student, three glow-ball seekers ap-
peared
from behind Yoda and noiselessly shot
through
the air to attack the young Jedi from be-
hind.
Instantly Luke turned to face them, a pot lid
in
one hand and a spoon in the other.
The seekers sent one rocketing bolt
after an-
other
directly at Luke. But, with astounding skill,
he
warded off every one. He knocked one of the
seekers
toward the open door where Artoo stood
watching
his master's performance. But the faithful
droid
saw the shining ball too late to avoid the bolt
it
shot at him. The impact knocked the shrieking
robot
onto the ground with a clunk that nearly
shook
loose his electronic insides.
Later that evening, after the student
had suc-
cessfully
passed a number of his teacher's tests, a
weary
Luke Skywalker finally fell asleep on the
ground
outside Yoda's house. He slept fitfully,
tossing
and softly moaning. His concerned droid
stood
by him, reaching out an extension arm and
covering
Luke with the blanket that had slipped
halfway
off. But when Artoo started to roll away,
Luke
began to groan and shudder as if in the grip
of
some horrible nightmare.
Inside the house, Yoda heard the groans
and
hurried
to his doorway.
Luke awoke from his sleep with a start.
Dazed,
he
looked about him, then saw his teacher wor-
riedly
watching him from his house. "I can't keep
the
vision out of my head, " Luke told Yoda. "My
friends...they're
in trouble...and I feel
that-"
"Luke, you must not go," Yoda
warned.
"But Han and Leia will die if I
don't."
"You don't know that." It was
the whispered
voice
of Ben, who was beginning to materialize be-
fore
them. The dark-robed figure stood, a shim-
mering
image, and told Luke, "Even Yoda cannot
see
their fate."
But Luke was deeply worried about his
friends
and
was determined to do something. "I can help
them!"
he insisted.
"You're not ready yet," Ben
said gently. "You
still
have much to learn."
"I feel the Force," Luke
said.
"But you cannot control it. This
is a dangerous
stage
for you, Luke. You are now most susceptible
to
the temptations of the dark side."
"Yes, yes," Yoda added.
"To Obi-Wan you lis-
ten,
young one. The tree. Remember your failure
at
the tree! Heh?"
Painfully, Luke remembered, though he
felt he
had
gained a great deal of strength and under-
standing
in that experience. "I've learned much
since
then. And I'll return to finish. I promise that,
master."
"You underestimate the Emperor,"
Ben told
him
gravely. "It is you he wants. That is why your
friends
suffer."
"And that," Luke said,
"is why I must go."
Kenobi was firm. "I will not lose
you to the
Emperor
as I once lost Vader."
"You won't."
"Only a fully trained Jedi Knight,
with the
Force
as his ally, will conquer Vader and his Em-
peror,"
Ben emphasized. "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
the
galaxy will be plunged deeper into the abyss
of
hate and despair."
"Stopped they must be," Yoda
interjected. "Do
you
hear? On this all depends."
"You are the last Jedi, Luke. You
are our only
hope.
Be patient."
"And sacrifice Han and Leia?"
the youth asked
incredulously.
"If you honor what they fight
for," Yoda said,
pausing
for a long moment, "...yes!"
Great anguish overcame Luke. He wasn't
cer-
tain
that he could reconcile the advice of these two
great
mentors with his own feelings. His friends
were
in terrible danger, and of course he must
save
them. But his teachers thought he was not
ready,
that he might be too vulnerable to the pow-
erful
Vader and his Emperor, that he might bring
harm
to his friends and himself-and possibly be
lost
forever on the path of evil.
Yet how could he fear these abstract
things
when
Han and Leia were real and were suffering?
How
could he permit himself to fear possible dan-
ger
to himself when his friends were presently in
real
danger of death?
There was no longer any question in his
mind
as
to what he had to do.
It was dusk the next day on the bog
planet
when
Artoo-Detoo settled himself into his nook
behind
the cockpit of Luke's X-wing fighter.
Yoda stood on one of the storage cases,
watch-
ing
Luke load the cases one by one into the fight-
er's
underbelly as he worked in the glow of the
X-wing's
lights.
"I cannot protect you, Luke,"
the voice of Ben
Kenobi
came, as his robed figure took solid form.
"If
you choose to face Vader, you will do it alone.
Once
you've made his decision, I cannot inter-
fere."
"I understand," Luke replied
calmly. Then, turn-
ing
to his droid, he said, "Artoo, fire up the power
converters."
Artoo, who had already unfastened the
power
couplings
on the ship, whistled happily, grateful to
be
leaving this dismal bog world, which was cer-
tainly
no place for a droid.
"Luke," Ben advised,
"use the Force only for
knowledge
and for defense, not as a weapon.
Don't
give in to hate or anger. They lead the way
to
the dark side."
Luke nodded, only half-listening. His
mind was
on
the long journey and on the difficult tasks
ahead
of him. He must save his friends, whose lives
were
in danger because of him. He climbed into
the
cockpit, then looked at his little Jedi Master.
Yoda was deeply concerned about his
appren-
tice.
"Strong is Vader," he warned ominously.
"Clouded
is your fate. Mind what you have
learned.
Notice everything, everything! It can save
you."
"I will, Master Yoda," Luke
assured him. "I
will
and I'll be back to finish what I have begun. I
give
you my word!"
Artoo closed the cockpit and Luke
started the
engines.
Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi watched the
X-wing
gear
its engines and begin to move away for take-
off.
"Told you, I did," Yoda said
sorrowfully, as
the
sleek fighter craft began to lift into the misty
heavens.
"Reckless is he. Now things are going to
worse."
"That boy is our last hope,"
Ben Kenobi said,
his
voice heavy with emotion.
"No," Kenobi's former teacher
corrected with a
knowing
gleam in his large eyes, "there is another."
Yoda
lifted his head toward the darkening sky
where
Luke's ship was already a barely distin-
guishable
point of light among the flickering stars.
p182-
Luke and Artoo moved cautiously through
a
deserted
corridor.
It concerned Luke that thus far they
had not
been
stopped for questioning. No one had asked
them
for landing permits, identification papaers,
purpose
of visit. No one in Cloud City seemed at
all
curious about who this young man and his little
droid
might be-or what they were doing there. It
all
seemed rather ominous, and Luke was begin-
ning
to feel very uneasy.
Suddenly he heard a sound at the far
end of the
corridor.
Luke halted, pressing himself close against
the
corridor wall. Artoo, thrilled to think that they
might
be back among familiar droids and humans,
began
to whistle and beep excitedly. Luke glanced
at
him to be still, and the little robot emitted one
last,
feeble squeak. Luke then peered around a
corner
and saw a group approaching from a side
hallway.
Leading the group was an imposing figure
in
battered armor and helmet. Behind him, two
Cloud
city armed guards pushed a transparent
case
down the corridor. From where Luke stood it
appeared
the case contained a floating, statuelike
human
figure. Following the case were two Im-
perial
stormtroopers, who spotted Luke.
Instantly, the troopers took aim and
began to
fire.
But Luke dodged their laser bolts and,
before
they
could shoot another round, the youth fired his
blaster,
ripping two sizzling holes into the storm-
troopers'
armored chests.
As the troopers fell, the two guards
quickly
whisked
the encased figure leveled his laser blaster
at
Luke, sending a deadly bolt at him. The beam
just
missed the youth, and nicked a large chunk
out
of the wall next to him, shattering it into a
shower
of dustlike particles. When the particles had
cleared,
Luke peeked back around the corner and
saw
that the nameless attacker, the guards, and the
case
had all disappeared behind a thick metal door.
Hearing sounds behind him, Luke turned
to
see
Leia, Chewbacca, See-Threepio, and an un-
familiar
man in a cloak moving down yet another
hallway,
and guarded by a small band of Impe-
rial
stormtroopers.
He gestured to catch the princess's
attention.
"Leia!" he shouted.
"Luke, no!" she exclaimed,
her voice charged
with
fear. "It's a trap!"
Leaving Artoo trailing behind, Luke ran
off to
follow
them. But when he reached a small ante-
room,
Leia and the others had disappeared. Luke
heard
Artoo whistling frantically as he scooted to-
ward
the anteroom. Yet, as the youth swiftly
turned,
he saw a mammoth metal door crash down
in
front of the startled robot with a thundering
clang.
With the slamming of that door, Luke
was cut
off
from the main corridor. And, when he turned
to
find another way out, he saw more metal doors
bang
shut in the other doorways of the chamber.
Meanwhile, Artoo stood somewhat dazed
by the
shock
of his close call. If he had rolled just a tiny
bit
farther into the anteroom, that door would
have
squashed him into scrap metal. He pressed
his
metal nose against the door, then gave out a
whistle
of relief and wandered off in the opposite
direction.
The anteroom was full of hissing pipes
and
steam
that belched from the floor. Luke began to
explore
the room and noticed an opening above
his
head, leading to a place he could not even
imagine.
He moved forward to get a better look,
and
as he did, the section of floor he stood on be-
gan
to rise slowly upward. Luke rode up with the
lifting
platform, determined to face the foe he had
traveled
so far to meet.
Keeping his blaster clutched in his
hand, Luke
rose
into the carbon-freezing chamber. The room
was
deathly quiet, except for the hissing of steam
escaping
some of the pipes in the room. It
appeared
to Luke that he was the only living
creature
in this chamber of strange machinery and
chemical
containers, but he sensed that he was not
alone.
"Vader..."
He spoke the name to himself as he
looked
around
the chamber.
"Lord Vader. I feel your presence.
Show your-
self,"
Luke taunted his unseen enemy, "or do you
fear
me?"
While Luke spoke, the escaping steam
began to
billow
out in great clouds. Then, unaffected by
the
searing heat, Vader appeared and strode
through
the hissing vapors, stepping onto the nar-
row
walkway above the chamber, his black cloak
trailing
behind him.
Luke took a cautious step toward the
demonic
figure
in black and holstered his blaster. He ex-
perienced
a surge of confidence and felt completely
ready
to face the Dark Lord as one Jedi against
another.
There was no need for his blaster. He
sensed
that the Force was with him and that, at last,
he
was ready for this inevitable battle. Slowly he
began
to mount the stairs toward Vader.
"The Force is with you, young
Skywalker,"
Darth
Vader said from above, "but you are not a
Jedi
yet."
Vader's words had a chilling effect.
Briefly Luke
hesitated,
recalling the words of another former
Jedi
Knight: "Luke, use the Force only for know-
ledge
and for defense, not as a weapon. Don't give
in
to hate or anger. They lead the way to the
dark
side."
But throwing aside any fragment of
doubt, Luke
gripped
the smoothly finished handle of his light-
saber
and quickly ignited the laser blade.
At
the same instant, Vader ignited his own laser
sword
and quietly waited for the young Skywalker
to
attack.
His great hatred for Vader impelled
Luke to
lunge
at him savagely, bringing his sizzling blade
down
upon Vader's. But effortlessly, the Dark
Lord
deflected the blow with a defensive turn of
his
own weapon.
Again Luke attacked. Once again their
energy
blades
clashed.
And then they stood, staring at one
another for
an
endless moment through their crossed light-
sabers.
p190-
Lightsabers clashed in Luke Skywalker
and
Darth
Vader's battle on the platform above the
carbon-freezing
chamber.
Luke felt the shaking platform shudder
with
every
blow and parry and thrust of their weapons.
But
he was undaunted, for with every thrust of his
sword
he drove the evil Darth Vader back.
Vader, using his lightsaber to ward off
Luke's
aggressive
lunges, spoke calmly as they fought.
"The
fear does not reach you. You have learned
more
than I anticipated."
"You'll find I'm full of
surprises," the confident
youth
retorted, threatening Vader with yet another
thrust.
"And I, too," was the calm,
portentous reply.
With two graceful moves, the Dark Lord
hooked
Luke's
weapon out of his hands and sent it flying
away.
A slash of Vader's energy blade at Luke's
feet
made the youth jump back in an effort to pro-
tect
himself. But he stumbled backward, and tum-
bled
down the stairs.
Sprawled on the platform, Luke gazed up
and
saw
the ominous dark figure looming above him at
the
top of the stairs. Then the figure flew right at
him,
its sable cloak billowing out in the air like
the
wings of a monstrous bat.
Quickly Luke rolled to one side, not
taking his
eyes
off Vader, as the vast black figure landed
soundlessly
next to him.
"Your future lies with me,
Skywalker," Vader
hissed,
looming over the crouching youth. "Now
you
will embrace the dark side. Obi-Wan knew this
to
be true."
"No!" Luke yelled, trying to
fight off the evil
presence.
"There is much Obi-Wan did not
tell you,"
Vader
continued. "Come, I will complete your
training."
Vader's influence was incredibly
strong; it seemed
to
Luke like a thing alive.
Don't listen to him, Luke told himself.
He is try-
ing
to trick me, to lead me astray, to lead me to the
dark
side of the Force, just like Ben warned me!
Luke began to back away from the
advancing
Sith
Lord. Behind the youth, the hydraulic elevator
cover
silently opened, ready to receive him.
"I'll die first," Luke
proclaimed.
"That won't be necessary."
The Dark Lord sud-
denly
lunged at Luke with his lightsaber, so force-
fully
that the youth lost his balance and tumbled
into
the gaping opening.
Vader turned away from the freezing-pit
and
casually
deactivated his lightsaber. "All too easy,"
he
shrugged. "Perhaps you are not as strong as the
Emperor
thought."
As he spoke, molten metal began to pour
into the
opening
behind him. And, while his back was still
turned,
something rose in a blur upward.
"Time will tell," Luke
quietly replied to Vader's
remark.
The Dark Lord spun around. At this
point in the
freezing
process, the subject certainly shouldn't be
able
to speak! Vader glanced around the room and
then
turned his helmeted head up toward the ceil-
ing.
Hanging from some hoses draped across
the ceil-
ing,
Luke was suspended, having leaped some five
meters
into the air to escape the carbonite.
"Impressive," Vader admitted,
"your agility is
impressive."
Luke dropped back to the platform on
the other
side
of the steaming pit. He reached his hand out
and
his sword, lying on another part of the plat-
form,
flew back into his grip. Immediately the light-
saber
ignited.
Vader's sword sprang to life at the
very same
moment.
"Ben has taught you well. You have con-
trolled
your fear. Now release your anger. I de-
stroyed
your family. Take your revenge."
But this time Luke was cautious and
more con-
trolled.
If he could subdue his anger, as he had
finally
controlled his fear, he would not be swayed.
Remember the training, Luke cautioned
himself.
Remember
what Yoda taught! Cast out all hatred
and
anger and receive the Force!
Gaining control over his negative
feelings, Luke
began
to advance, ignoring Vader's goading. He
lunged
at Vader and, after a quick exchange, be-
gan
to force him back.
"Your hatred can give you the
power to destroy
me,"
Vader tempted. "Use it."
Luke began to realize just how
awesomely pow-
erful
his dark enemy was, and softly told himself,
"I
will not become a slave to the dark side of the
Force,"
and moved cautiously toward Vader.
As Luke approached, Vader blocked it,
he lost his
balance
and fell into the outer rim of steaming
pipes.
Luke's knees nearly buckled with the
exhaustion
of
battling his fearsome opponent. He gathered his
strength
and cautiously moved to the edge and
looked
down. But he saw no sign of Vader. Switch-
ing
off his lightsaber and hooking it into his belt,
Luke
lowered himself into the pit.
He dropped to the floor of the pit and
found
himself
in a large control and maintenance room
that
overlooked the reactor powering the entire city.
Looking
around the chamber, he noticed a large
window;
standing silhouetted in front of it was the
unmoving
figure of Darth Vader.
Luke slowly moved closer to the window
and re-
ignited
his lightsaber.
But Vader did not light his own sword,
nor did
he
make any effort to defend himself as Luke drew
nearer.
The Dark Lord's only weapon, in fact, was
his
tempting voice. "Attack," he goaded the young
Jedi.
"Destroy me."
Confused by Vader's ploy, Luke
hesitated.
"Only by taking your revenge can
you save your-
self...'
Luke stood locked in place. Should he
act on
Vader's
words and thus use the Force as a tool of
revenge?
Or should he step away from this battle
now,
hoping for another chance to fight Vader
when
he had gained better control?
No, how could he delay the opportunity
to de-
stroy
this evil being? Here was his chance, now,
and
he must not delay...
There might never again be such an
opportunity!
Luke grasped his deadly lightsaber in
both hands,
tightly
gripping the smooth handle like an ancient
broadsword
and raising the weapon to deliver the
blow
that would slay this masked horror.
But before he could swing, a large
piece of ma-
chinery
detached itself from the wall behind him
and
came hurtling at his back. Turning instantly,
Luke
flashed his lightsaber and cut the thing in
half,
and the two massive pieces crashed to the
floor.
A second piece of machinery sped toward
the
youth,
and he again used the Force to deflect it.
The
weighty object bounced away as if it had
struck
an unseen shield. Then a large pipe came
tumbling
toward him through the air. But even
as
Luke repelled that enormous object, tools and
pieces
of machinery came flying at him from all
directions.
Then wires, that pulled themselves out
of
the walls, came twisting and sparking and
whipping
at him.
Bombarded on all sides, Luke did what
he
could
to deflect the assault; but he was beginning
to
get bloodied and bruised in the attempt.
Another large piece of machinery
glanced off
Luke's
body and crashed out the large window,
letting
in the screaming wind. Suddenly everything
in
the room was blown about, and the fierce wind
lashed
Luke's body and filled the room with a
bansheelike
howl.
And in the very center of the room,
standing still
and
triumphant, was Darth Vader.
"You are beaten," the Dark
Lord of the Sith
gloated.
"It is useless to resist. You will join me
or
you will join Obi-Wan in death!"
As Vader spoke those words, a final
piece of
heavy
machinery soared through the air, striking
the
young Jedi and knocking him through the
broken
window. Everything became a great blur
as
the wind carried him, tossing and rolling, until
he
managed to grab hold of a beam with one hand.
When the wind subsided a bit and his
vision
cleared,
Luke realized that he was hanging from
the
gantry of the reactor shaft outside the control
room.
When he gazed down he saw what ap-
peared
to be an endless abyss. A wave of dizziness
swept
over him and he squeezed his eyes closed
in
an effort to keep from panicking.
Compared to the podlike reactor from
which he
hung,
Luke was no more than a speck of squirm-
ing
matter, while the pod itself-just one of many
jutting
from the circular, light-dotted inner wall-
was
no more than a speck itself in comparison with
the
rest of the immense chamber.
Grasping the beam firmly with only one
hand,
Luke
managed to hook his lightsaber on to his belt
and
then grab the beam with both hands. Hoisting
himself
up, he scrambled onto the gantry and stood
on
it, just in time to see Darth Vader walking to-
ward
him down the shaft.
As Vader approached Luke, the public
address
system
began to blare, echoing through the cavern-
ous
rooms: "Fugitives heading toward Platform
327.
Secure all transports. All security forces on
alert."
Walking menacingly toward Luke, Vader
pre-
dicted,
"Your friends will never escape and neither
will
you."
Vader took another step, and Luke
immediately
raised
his sword, ready to renew the battle.
"You are beaten," Vader
stated with horrifying
certainty
and finality. "It is useless to resist."
But Luke did resist. He lunged at the
Dark Lord
with
a vicious blow, bringing his sizzling laser blade
to
crash onto Vader's armor and sear through to
the
flesh. Vader staggered from the blow, and it
seemed
to Luke that he was in pain. But only for a
moment.
Then, once again, Vader began to move
toward
him.
Taking another step, the Dark Lord
warned,
"Don't
let yourself be destroyed as Obi-Wan was."
Luke was breathing hard, cold sweat
dropping
from
his forehead. But the sound of Ben's name
instilled
a sudden resolve in him.
"Calm-" he reminded himself.
"Be calm."
But the grimly cloaked specter stalked
toward
him
along the narrow gantry, and it seemed he
wanted
the young Jedi's life.
Or worse, his fragile soul.
The wind that shrieked through the
reactor shaft
entirely
absorbed the sounds of the clashing light-
sabers.
Luke moved agilely across the gantry
and took
refuge
beneath a huge instrument panel to evade
his
pursuing foe. But Vader was there in an instant,
his
lightsaber thrashing down like a pulsating guil-
lotine
blade, cutting the instrument complex loose.
The
complex began to fall, but was abruptly
caught
by the wind and blown upward.
An instant of distraction was all Vader
needed.
As
the instrument panel floated away, Luke invol-
untarily
glanced at it. At that second, the Dark
Lord's
laser blade came slashing down across
Luke's
hand, cutting it, and sending the youth's
lightsaber
flying.
The pain was excruciating. Luke smelled
the
terrible
odor of his own seared flesh and squeezed
his
forearm beneath his armpit to try to stop the
agony.
He stepped backward along the gantry until
he
reached its extreme end, stalked all the while by
the
black-garbed apparition.
Abruptly, ominously, the wind subsided.
And
Luke
realized he had nowhere else to go.
"There is no escape," the
Dark Lord of the Sith
warned,
looming over Luke like a black angel of
death.
"Don't make me destroy you. You are
strong
with the Force. Now you must learn to use
the
dark side. Join me and together we will be
more
powerful than the Emperor. Come, I will
complete
your training and we will rule the galaxy
together."
Luke refused to give in to Vader's
taunts. "I will
never
join you!"
"If you only knew the power of the
dark side,"
Vader
continued. "Obi-Wan never told you what
happened
to your father, did he?"
Mention of his father aroused Luke's
anger. "He
told
me enough!" he yelled. "He told me you killed
him."
"No," Vader replied calmly.
"I am your father."
Stunned, Luke stared with disbelief at
the black-
clad
warrior and then pulled away at this revela-
tion.
The two warriors stood staring at one another,
father
and son.
"No, no! That's not true..."
Luke said, refus-
ing
to believe what he had just heard. "That's im-
possible."
"Search your feelings," Vader
said, sounding like
an
evil version of Yoda, "you know it to be true."
Then Vader turned off the blade of his
lightsaber
and
extended a steady and inviting hand.
Bewildered and horror-stricken at
Vader's words,
Luke
shouted, "No! No!"
Vader continued persuasively.
"Luke, you can
destroy
the Emperor. He has foreseen this. It is
your
destiny. Join me and together we can rule the
galaxy
as father and son. Come with me. It is the
only
way."
Luke's mind whirled with those words.
Every-
thing
was finally beginning to coalesce in his brain.
Or
was it? He wondered if Vader were telling him
the
truth-if the training of Yoda, the teaching of
saintly
old Ben, his own strivings for good and his
abhorrence
of evil, if everything he had fought for
were
no more than a lie.
He didn't want to believe Vader, tried
convic-
ing
himself that it was Vader who lied to him-but
somehow
he could feel the truth in the Dark Lord's
words.
But, if Darth Vader did speak the truth,
why,
he wondered, had Ben Kenobi lied to him?
Why?
His mind screamed louder than any wind
the
Dark Lord could ever summon against him.
The answers no longer seemed to matter.
His Father.
With the calmness that Ben himself and
Yoda,
the
Jedi Master, had taught him, Luke Skywalker
made,
perhaps, what might be his final decision of
all.
"Never," Luke shouted as he stepped out into
the
empty abyss beneath him. For all its unper-
ceived
depth, Luke might have been falling to an-
other
galaxy.
Darth Vader moved to the end of the
gantry to
watch
as Luke tumbled away. A strong wind began
to
blow, billowing Vader's black cloak out behind
him
as he stood looking over the edge.
Skywalker's body quickly plunged
downward.
Toppling
head over foot, the wounded Jedi desper-
ately
reached out to grab at something to stop his
fall.
The Dark Lord watched until he saw the
youth's
body
sucked into a large exhaust pipe in the side of
the
reactor shaft. When Luke vanished, Vader
quickly
turned and hurried off the platform.