Rise of the Teenage Conquerors

Episode 1.33

Luke's arm was draped around Leana's shoulders as they walked slowly down the side of the gantry. Leana ached all over, but that dull pain couldn't prevent her from feeling every inch of the warmth of Luke's arm around her. It was comforting and Leana wished she could just lean into him, preferably when neither was injured or bruised and a Sith Lord wasn't stalking around waiting to cut off Luke's hand.

So...at no point in the Star Wars saga except for the very end.

"Ready?" Luke asked through gritted teeth as they reached the door leading off the gantry. He glanced down at Leana, sliding his arm off from around her shoulders.

"Ready," Leana said, then impetuously turned to Luke. Raising up slightly on her toes, she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before she lost her nerve, her lips barely doing more than touching his skin. "May the Force be with you."

Luke gave her a lopsided, tired grin before the two unclipped their lightsaber hilts and stepped through the doorway.

They had entered a control room, and Leana knew Vader was waiting for them, both from the script and from being able to sense him through the Force. It was almost like a Google Maps pin, telling them they had arrived at their destination. Within a moment of their entrance, the Sith had launched himself out of the shadows, his red blade snapping to life with an ominous hiss.

Leana ducked back, igniting her own lightsaber as Luke ignited his. The three blades clashed with a crackle of noise, Vader using the Force to try and throw them backwards. Although Luke fell back, staggering and hitting the floor, Leana only felt something push against her abdomen, not strongly enough to make her move.

"That's the second one today," Vader muttered, and Leana frowned, not understanding.

Second one of what? And why didn't the Force-push work on me?

Vader swung at Leana and she blocked his blow, pushing his lightsaber back before flipping backward, landing beside Luke as he struggled back onto his feet. Vader charged forward, continuing to slash at both of them as he forced them back toward the gantry.

Then the Sith's blade cut down, slipping past Leana's, getting past Luke's, and sliced right through Luke's arm.

Luke screamed, stumbling backward as his hand and lightsaber fell down the reactor shaft. Leana grabbed onto him, deactivating her lightsaber in order not to burn him as she pulled him toward her. His weight sagged back in her arms as she held him, keeping him on the gantry leading out to the infamous vane, holding them over the reactor shaft.

We could fall now. Fall now, and avoid the revelation.

But do I really want to do that? What happens if Luke doesn't learn who his father is?

"You do not realize how important you are," Vader intoned as Leana fumblingly clipped her lightsaber back onto her belt. She had no need for it now, nor could she really use it. She wasn't letting go of Luke, who was clutching his arm against his chest. "Both of you hold great potential. You have only begun to discover your importance and your power. Join me, both of you, and I will complete you's guys' training."

Leana frowned. "You's guys? What, are you suddenly from New York or something?"

"With our combined incredibleness, we can end the Rebel conflict and bring order once more to the galaxy," Vader finished, ignoring Leana.

Once more? Peace hasn't been had – technically – since before the Naboo War. At the very least not since the Clone Wars broke out.

"I'll never join you!" Luke yelled, his voice ragged with pain.