At Any Cost

Chapter 8 - The Chosen One

Vader knew from the beginning that the fight would be far from easy, especially with Sidious wielding words as effectively as his lightsaber. That's why he'd stressed the importance of keeping the Sith too busy to talk. And if they can prevent him from using Force lightning, that would be good too. He really, really doesn't want all his life-support equipment to short circuit. While he could have undergone the surgery to eliminate its necessity, it would have taken far too long. He wanted Sidious gone, before he could do Vader or his children any more harm.

He trained Luke to the best of his ability, but the boy is good at improvising as well, just one more thing he inherited. Leia is powerful too, and together, he is confident that they can keep Jade busy until he and Yoda have destroyed Sidious. This is what he was born for – defeating the Sith. He cannot, in good conscience, consider himself a Sith, not when he's losing his grip on the Dark Side, but he isn't a Jedi either. He just is. He doesn't need a label.

Vader has never fought with Yoda before, but he kind of wishes that he'd been given the opportunity, because they're struggling to work in sync. It would probably help if the old troll didn't keep jumping all over the place. Well, he can hold his own front, and at the very least, Sidious is struggling to fend both of them off.

He sidesteps a blow which would have taken off his arm before spinning his blade towards his former master's unprotected side. The blow is parried, and the other's saber is twisted away to block Yoda's downward strike before returning to deflect another attack from Vader. This is becoming something like a dance, and Vader can only draw on the Force and wish it could end quicker. Really, he doesn't have much time for reflection because Sidious is moving so quickly. They all are, to be honest.

Yoda blocks Sidious's blade from hitting the control panel of Vader's suit, while Vader, in turn, swings at the Sith's legs. He leaps backwards, so they continue to press the attack. Across the room, he glimpses his children dueling Jade who has been forced onto the defensive. She's going to lose, but even her anger at that knowledge isn't enough to bolster her strength.

Gathering all his loathing and hatred, Vader hurls the Force at Sidious, sending him slamming into the wall hard enough to cause injury. He retaliates, shooting lightning at them while he rises to his feet. As soon as the barrage falters, Yoda springs at him, Vader backing him up with brute strength. "You'll lose," snarls Sidious, hammering away at Vader's defenses while continuing to fend off Yoda. "Your son will Fall. Your daughter will always hate you."

Vader resolutely ignores him, refusing to let the words get under his skin. If he reacts, the manipulation will only get worse. He's spent far too many years of his life ensnared in Palpatine's web, and he won't let it continue. There are so many things he could say to that, but in the end, he chooses to say nothing. It's pointless in the end, because whatever the future can be, Sidious won't be in it. Does it really matter if Leia hates him? If he dies? And as for Luke, he has faith in his son. He won't Fall, not like Vader did.

He catches sight of Leia giving Jade a glancing blow to the arm before Luke forces his blade against hers. Leia swings again, and though Jade throws out a hand to push her back, the movement is enough for Luke to twist the purple lightsaber from her hands. She's pinned to the floor, two lightsabers pointed straight at her. If she so much as moves wrong, they'll kill her. Luke moves first, knocking her across the head with the hilt of his lightsaber, and she slumps limply to the ground. She'll be out for a while, more than enough for her master to be destroyed.

Vader doesn't even hesitate, calling her lightsaber to his hands and igniting it, using both to continue his assault. Luke and Leia join him, Luke pairing with him and Leia with Yoda. Sidious snarls in fury, yellow eyes boring into Leia. "When I'm dead, Vader will take over the galaxy," he hisses to her. "You know it to be true, so why do you fight me?"