The Other Skywalker (Star Wars FanFic) [ON HOLD]

Chapter Nine - Running

Darth Vader stood, ready, waiting. Obi-Wan would come to him. He was sure of it. Light-saber drawn, he grew more impatient each moment.

Come on, old man.

Luke and Leia ran from the storm troopers that were right behind them. Without Lili, they had no idea where to go, and had quickly become lost. What they did know was that now, their lives depended on their speed.

Suddenly, they found themselves on a ledge. The drop below them was great.

"I think we took a wrong turn," muttered Luke.

When the clones began shooting at the two again, Leia quickly pressed the button to close the door.

"It won't lock!" she cried.

Luke pulled her out of the way and shot the control panel. "That ought to hold them for a while."

"Quick, we've got to get across. Find the controls to extend the bridge."

"I think I just blasted it."

"They're coming through!"

"We think they may be splitting up. They may be on levels five and six now."

The old man heard these words from the familiar clone troops as they ran by his hiding place. Once they had passed, he came out of the shadows and began moving toward the hangar again.

He's just as strong-willed as his father, he thought.

He pulled out his light-saber.

Soon.

Luke and Leia were not the only ones running from the troopers.

Han and the Wookie ran, a half-dozen clones on their tail. Every so often, Solo would turn and shoot at them.

"Close the blast doors!" ordered one of the storm troopers. The doors began closing.

Han shot his blaster toward the clones again as the Wookie ran through the swiftly shutting doors. Solo ducked through only an instant before they closed.

"They're coming through!"

Luke wondered why he was always so ready to act on impulsive thoughts. Quietly he tried to find a way out of the mess he'd gotten himself and the princess into.

The moment of silence didn't last long. Soon, more clones were blasting at them from above. Luke shot at them as Leia ducked out of the way.

As he shot at them, an idea came to Luke. When he'd shot the three down, he handed his blaster to Leia.

"Here - hold this."

He began to pull the grappling hook from his belt.

It took some time, and on five occasions Leia maneuvered around him to shoot at more clones. The door behind them began to open.

Luke threw the end of his grappling hook, and it held. He wrapped his arm around Leia, and she kissed his cheek.

"For luck," she whispered.

They made it across the gap just as the clones began shooting at them from under the door.

Lili sighed with relief when Luke and Leia ran into her - literally.

"My light-saber?" she demanded, eyebrows raised and hand extended.

"Oh... yeah!" Luke tossed it to her.

"Where are we going?" asked Leia.

Lili pointed.

"Straight that way. I can do nothing more to help you. I myself will be leaving this station in a short time. My father fears that something will soon happen. I'm sorry I could do no more to help."

"You've done plenty," assured Leia. "We never would have found our way without you."

Lili smiled grimly. "Now is not the time. I'll see you both again, don't worry. Now go."

They began to run down the passage. Lili took a risk and called after them.

"May the Force be with you!"

"And with you!" Luke called back, grinning over his shoulder.

Darth Vader waited as the presence drew nearer. When Obi-Wan came into his view, he took a deep breath.

The old man drew his light-saber.

"I've been waiting for you, Obi-Wan. We meet again, at last. The circle is now complete. When I left you, I was but a learner. Now, I am the master."

"Only a master of evil, Darth."

It was Obi-Wan who made the first move. Vader blocked it with no trouble.

Soon, they were all-out fighting, as they had done over twenty years before.

But twenty years before, they had been fighting as friends, not as enemies. Against others, not each other. The old times crossed both of their minds as the weapons flashed.

"Your powers are weak, old man."

"You can't win, Darth. If you strike me down,  I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine."

The swords flashed. It didn't look like either would win this battle. Both were highly confident in the side of the Force they had chosen to follow.

"You should not have come back."

Obi-Wan did not reply. All of his energy, all of his concentration, went into what he was doing.

The whirring sound of the light-sabers filled the air.

"Didn't we just leave this party?" complained Solo as he watched the storm troopers that surrounded his ship.Chewbacca howled quietly.

Luke and Leia ran up behind them.

"What kept you?"

"Ran into some old friends."

"Is the ship alright?"

"Seems okay, if we can get to it. Just hope the old man got the tractor beam out of commission."

The two moved slowly toward the hangar, weapons still flashing as they fought. Vader's audible breathing quickened. Perhaps his old master did still have some small skill.

The four rebels watched the clones leave.

"Now's our chance, let's go."

They began running toward the ship. Luke glanced toward where the clones had run, and he stopped.

"Ben..."

Lili watched, staying out of sight. She knew what was going to happen. She could feel it.

The fight continued.

Obi-Wan saw Luke. He knew it was time. A small, peaceful smile crossed his lips as he turned back to Vader. His weapon moved; his eyes closed.

He never saw when the final blow struck him.

"NO!" cried Luke.

Darth Vader prodded the pile of clothes on the floor with his foot. Where did the old man go?

In the following confusion, when her father had turned away from where Obi-Wan's body should have been, a brown-haired girl held out her hand. Something made of metal, about a foot long, flew toward her.

"Are they away?"

"They have just made the jump into hyperspace."

"You're sure the homing beacon is secure aboard their ship? You're taking an awful risk, Vader. This had better work."

This will work.