Bespin, the city in the clouds. The heavenly array is the perfect setting for the hell that is about to take place. Luke Skywalker, the student of the last two Jedi masters, is determined to rescue his friends from the vile clutches of Darth Vader and the Galactic Empire. 

Luke is given permission to land at Bespin and as he makes his way through the seemingly deserted station, his feelings of resolve and power are ultimately put to the test. As he delves deeper into the city, he begins to hear the muffled voices of Leia and C-3PO with the occasional grunt or moan from Chewbacca, his friends and companions. Luke sees that they are being escorted by a platoon of Imperial Stormtroopers and decides to wait until the proper moment to rescue them. Leia sees Luke approaching from the rear and she is more concerned for his safety than her own, she tries to warn him off telling him that it is a trap. The stormtroopers corral her and the others into a dark corridor and down a secret passage that is soundproofed. So that the jedi padawan that follows misses them completely and continues down the dark passageway unaware of the horror that lay before him. 

The steam pipes let off hisses, letting the over pressured stress of the valued workload. The red lighting that did not hurt one’s night vision gave an eerie glow to the dark room. And there at the top of the staircase stood the shadowy figure of Darth Vader. 

“The Force is with you, young Skywalker, but you are not a Jedi yet.”

The words hung in the air with the ominous feel of dread. This was a master of the dark side of the Force. A master that had spent most of his life learning and applying all that he had to the battlefields. From the Republic, to the Clone Wars, through the building of the Empire and the vast battles of the Rebellion. Luke felt dread at facing his new foe, but that did not stop him from raising his blue lightsaber to the ready position; two hands clutched firmly on the hilt. 

Vader grasped his lightsaber in response. He deemed that his right hand was enough to take on this foolish boy. The blood red saber was enough to make whole armies run in fear, for they knew that the Emperor’s right hand had come to the battlefield and that all hope was soon to be lost.

Luke was the first to swing and connect his blade with the dark lord. The sounds of the blades connecting and parrying with each other was noise that not many had heard in recent years. 

The master and student fought and fought, with each attack defended and each defense tested. This was a battle of endurance more than of attrition. Out of the red lit room, out to the air exchange area. The huge pipes that managed the inflow and outflow of Bespin precioius gases that could maintain the fleets of the galaxy. It was in this area that wind battered and exhausted that Luke really felt the strain of not being battle tested. Here is where the Dark Lord exceled, for he had not stopped fighting in all his years, even after body destroying injuries he got back up and continued to fight. 

The Vader continued his relentless pursuit of the young student and pushed him out to a middle platform where the air could be measured most effectively. The young student began to relize his mistake more and more as the unrelenting sith pushed him farther and farther. Then one of his defensive parries failed entirely, and Vader cut off Luke’s saber hand. 

The battle was decided and Vader was the victor.