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Lando shouted above the sounds of the blasters. 'Come on, let's move!' he called, breaking for the open elevator and blasting at the stormtroopers as he ran.

But Leia and Chewbacca did not move. They stood their ground and kept up a steady fire against the assault of the stormtroopers. Troopers groaned and dropped as their chests, arms, and stomachs erupted under the fatally accurate aim of this one female human and one male Wookiee.

Lando, sticking his head out of the elevator, tried to get their attention, motioning them to run. But the two seemed possessed as they blasted away, getting retaliation for all of their anger and captivity and the loss of one they both loved. They were determined to extinguish the lives of these minions of the Galactic Empire.

Threepio would gladly have been anywhere else. Unable to get away, all he could do was frantically yell for help. 'Artoo, help me!' he screamed. 'How did I get into this? What a fate worse than death it is to be strapped to the back of a Wookiee!'

'Get in here!' Lando shouted again. 'Hurry up! Hurry up!'

Leia and Chewbacca began to move toward him, evading the erupting rain of laser fire as they rushed inside the waiting elevator. As the elevator doors closed, they glimpsed the remaining troopers racing at them.

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 protect himself. But he stumbled backward, and tumbled 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 trying 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 suddenly lunged at Luke with his lightsaber, so forcefully 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 ceiling.

Hanging from some hoses draped