Star Wars_ Episode V_ The Empire Strikes Back - Donald F. Glut [65]
Hearing sounds behind him, Luke turned to see Leia, Chewbacca, See Threepio, and an unfamiliar man in a cloak moving down yet another hallway, and guarded by a small band of Imperial 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 anteroom, Leia and the others had disappeared. Luke heard Artoo whistling frantically as he scooted toward 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 dang.
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 began 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 yourself,' 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 narrow walkway above the chamber, his black cloak trailing behind him.
Luke took a cautious step toward the demonic figure in black and bolstered his blaster. He experienced 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 knowledge 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 lightsaber 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 lightsabers.
= XIII =
SIX Imperial stormtroopers guarded Lando, Leia, and Chewbacca