VADER
You are beaten. It is useless
to resist. Don't let yourself
be destroyed as Obi-Wan did.

Luke answers by rolling sideways and thrusting his sword at Vader so
viciously that he nicks Vader on the shoulder. The black armor sparks
and smokes and Vader seems to be hurt, but immediately recovers.

Luke backs off along the narrow end of the gantry as Vader comes at
him, slashing at the young Jedi with his sword. Luke makes a quick
move around the instrument complex attached to the end of the gantry.
Vader's sword comes slashing down, cutting the complex loose; it begins
to fall, then is caught by the rising wind and blown upward.

Luke glances at the instrument complex floating away. At that instant,
Vader's sword comes down across Luke's right forearm, cutting off his
hand and sending his sword flying. In great pain, Luke squeezes his
forearm under his left armpit and moves back along the gantry to its
extreme end. Vader
follows. The wind subsides. Luke holds on. There is nowhere else to
go.

VADER
There is no escape. Don't make
me destroy you. You do not yet
realize your importance. You
have only begun to discover your
power. Join me and I will complete
your training. With our combined
strength, we can end this destructive
conflict and bring order to the
galaxy.

LUKE
I'll never join you!

VADER
If you only knew the power of the
dark side. Obi-Wan never told
you what happened to your father.

LUKE
He told me enough! It was you
who killed him.

VADER
No. I am your father.

Shocked, Luke looks at Vader in utter disbelief.

LUKE
No. No. That's not true!
That's impossible!

VADER
Search your feelings. You know
it to be true.

LUKE
No! No! No!

VADER
Luke. You can destroy the Emperor.
He has foreseen this. It is your
destiny. Join me, and together
we can rule the galaxy as father
and son. Come with me. It is the
only way.

Vader puts away his sword and holds his hand out to Luke.

A calm comes over Luke, and he makes a decision. In the next instant
he steps off the gantry platform into space. The Dark Lord looks over
the platform and sees Luke falling far below. The wind begins to blow
at Vader's cape and the torrent finally forces him back, away from the
edge. The wind soon fades and the wounded Jedi begins to drop fast,
unable to grab onto anything to break his fall.

INT. REACTOR SHAFT

Suddenly Luke is sucked into an exhaust pipe in the side of the shaft.
When Vader sees this, he turns and hurries off the platform.

INT. EXHAUST PIPE

Luke tumbles through the exhaust pipe.

He slides to the end of the slickly polished pipe and stops as his feet
hit a circular grill and knock it open. Luke claws at the surface of
the pipe, trying to keep from sliding out into space.

EXT. BOTTOM OF CLOUD CITY - WEATHER VANE - DUSK

Unable to hang onto the pipe, Luke tumbles out, emerging at the
undermost part of Cloud City. Reaching out desperately, he manages to
grab onto on electronic weather vane.

LUKE
Ben... Ben, please!

Luke tries to pull himself up on the weather vane but slips back down.
He hooks one of his legs around the fragile instruments. All the
while, a powerful current of air rushes out at him from the exhaust
pipe.

LUKE
Ben. Leia!

There is an ominous cracking sound from the base of the
weather vane and a piece breaks off, falling into the clouds far below.

LUKE
Hear me! Leia!

INT. MILLENNIUM FALCON - COCKPIT

Leia seems to be lost in a fog, her expression troubled. Chewie is
busy operating the ship. Lando stands next to the Wookiee, watching a
readout on the control panel.

LEIA
Luke... We've got to go back.

Chewie growls in surprise.

LANDO
What?

LEIA
I know where Luke is.

LANDO
But what about those fighter?

Chewie barks in agreement with Lando.

LEIA
Chewie, just do it.

LANDO
But what about Vader?

Chewie turns on Lando, the newcomer, with an ominous growl.

LANDO
All right, all right, all right.

EXT. CLOUD CITY - MILLENNIUM FALCON - DUSK

The Falcon makes a graceful banking turn back toward Cloud City.

EXT. CLOUD CITY - LANDING PLATFORM

Vader enters the landing platform and watches as the speck that is the
Falcon disappears. The wind blows at his cape.

He turns to two aides who are standing near the entrance to the landing
platform.

VADER
Bring my shuttle.

EXT. BOTTOM OF CLOUD CITY - WEATHER VANE

Nearly unconscious, Luke hangs upside-down on the weather vane as his
body shifts in the wind.

EXT. MILLENNIUM FALCON - BOTTOM OF CLOUD CITY

The Falcon dives to the underside of the floating city. Three TIE
fighter close in on the starship.

INT. MILLENNIUM FALCON

Leia tries to remain calm.

LANDO
(pointing out the
cockpit window)
Look, someone's up there.

LEIA
It's Luke. Chewie, slow down.
Slow down and we'll get under him.
Lando, open the top hatch.

Lando rushes out of the cockpit.

EXT. BOTTOM OF CLOUD CITY - WEATHER VANE

Luke hangs by one arm from the crossbar of the weather vane. He slips
from the bar and grabs onto the pole of the vane as the Falcon banks
toward him. The Falcon positions itself under Luke as Lando moves up
through the opening of the hatch. Luke begins to slide and finally
falls from the vane into space.

INT. MILLENNIUM FALCON - COCKPIT

Out the cockpit window, Leia sees Luke falling from the bottom of the
city. The ship gains on him.

LEIA
Okay. Easy, Chewie.

The Falcon closes in on Luke.

EXT. BOTTOM OF CLOUD CITY

Three TIE fighters race toward the Falcon, firing away.

INT. MILLENNIUM FALCON - HATCH

The hatch pops open with a hiss of pressure. Lando reaches out to help
the battered warrior inside the ship.

INT. MILLENNIUM FALCON - COCKPIT

Flak bursts all around it as the Falcon banks away from the city. Leia
and Chewie struggle with the controls.

LEIA
(into intercom)
Lando?

LANDO
(over intercom)
Okay, let's go.

EXT. BOTTOM OF CLOUD CITY

The Falcon races away. It is closely followed by three TIE fighters,
all of which keep up a heavy laser assault on the fleeing starship.

INT. MILLENNIUM FALCON - COCKPIT

Explosions erupt all around the cockpit, buffeting the ship wildly.
Chewie howls as he frantically tries to control the ship.

Leia and Chewie turns to see Luke, bloody and battered, enter the
cockpit supported by Lando. Leia jumps up and hugs him while Chewie
barks in joyous relief.

LUKE
Oh, Leia.

LANDO
All right, Chewie. Let's go.

Leia helps Luke from the cockpit as another huge blast rocks the ship.

EXT. SPACE - CLOUD CITY - DAY

The Falcon, still followed by the three TIE fighters, races away from
the cloud-covered city.

INT. MILLENNIUM FALCON - SLEEPING QUARTERS

Luke rests on a cot, his injured arm wrapped in a protective cuff.
Leia gently wipes his face. The ship lurches again.

LEIA
I'll be back.

She kisses him, then leaves the quarters.

INT. MILLENNIUM FALCON - COCKPIT

All over the ship muted alarm buzzers sound. Lando anxiously watches
the flashing lights on the control panel and hurriedly adjusts some
switches. Seated next to him, Chewie points out a new blip appearing
on the panel. Leia, watching over their shoulders, recognizes the
shape.

LEIA
Star Destroyer.

LANDO
All right, Chewie. Ready for
light-speed.

LEIA
If your people fixed the
hyperdrive.

Another explosion rocks the ship. Leia notices as a green light on the
panel next to her flashes on.

LEIA
All the coordinates are set.
It's now or nev

OWEN
Luke, take these two over to the
garage, will you? I want you to have
both of them cleaned up before dinner.

LUKE
But I was going into Toshi Station
to pick up some power converters...

OWEN
You can waste time with your friends
when your chores are done. Now come
on, get to it!

LUKE
All right, come on! And the red one,
come on. Well, come on, Red, let's
go.

As the Jawas start to lead the three remaining robots back
into the Sandcrawler, Artoo lets out a pathetic little beep
and starts after his old friend Threepio. He is restrained
by a slimy Jawa, who zaps him with a control box.

Owen is negotiating with the head Jawa. Luke and the two
robots start off for the garage when a plate pops off the
head of the red astro-droid's head plate and it sparks wildly.

LUKE
Uncle Owen...

OWEN
Yeah?

LUKE
This R2 unit has a bad motivator.
Look!

OWEN
(to the head Jawa)
Hey, what're you trying to push on
us?

The Jawa goes into a loud spiel. Meanwhile, Artoo has sneaked
out of line and is moving up and down trying to attract
attention. He lets out with a low whistle. Threepio taps
Luke on the shoulder.

THREEPIO
(pointing to Artoo)
Excuse me, sir, but that R2 unit is
in prime condition. A real bargain.

LUKE
Uncle Owen...

OWEN
Yeah?

LUKE
What about that one?

OWEN
(to Jawa)
What about that blue one? We'll take
that one.

With a little reluctance the scruffy dwarf trades the damaged
astro-droid for Artoo.

LUKE
Yeah, take it away.

THREEPIO
Uh, I'm quite sure you'll be very
pleased with that one, sir. He really
is in first-class condition. I've
worked with him before. Here he comes.

Owen pays off the whining Jawa as Luke and the two robots
trudge off toward a grimy homestead entry.

LUKE
Okay, let's go.

THREEPIO
(to Artoo)
Now, don't you forget this! Why I
should stick my neck out for you is
quite beyond my capacity!

INT. LARS HOMESTEAD - GARAGE AREA - LATE AFTERNOON

The garage is cluttered and worn, but a friendly peaceful
atmosphere permeates the low grey chamber. Threepio lowers
himself into a large tub filled with warm oil. Near the
battered Landspeeder little Artoo rests on a large battery
with a cord to his face.

THREEPIO
Thank the maker! This oil bath is
going to feel so good. I've got such
a bad case of dust contamination, I
can barely move!

Artoo beeps a muffled reply. Luke seems to be lost in thought
as he runs his hand over the damaged fin of a small two-man
Skyhopper spaceship resting in a low hangar off the garage.
Finally Luke's frustrations get the better of him and he
slams a wrench across the workbench.

LUKE
It just isn't fair. Oh, Biggs is
right. I'm never gonna get out of
here!

THREEPIO
Is there anything I might do to help?

Luke glances at the battered robot. A bit of his anger drains
and a tiny smile creeps across his face.

LUKE
Well, not unless you can alter time,
speed up the harvest, or teleport me
off this rock!

THREEPIO
I don't think so, sir. I'm only a
droid and not very knowledgeable
about such things. Not on this planet,
anyways. As a matter of fact, I'm
not even sure which planet I'm on.

LUKE
Well, if there's a bright center to
the universe, you're on the planet
that it's farthest from.

THREEPIO
I see, sir.

LUKE
Uh, you can call me Luke.

THREEPIO
I see, sir Luke.

LUKE
(laughing)
Just Luke.

THREEPIO
And I am See-Threepio, human-cyborg
relations, and this is my counterpart,
Artoo-Detoo.

LUKE
Hello.

Artoo beeps in response. Luke unplugs Artoo and begins to
scrape several connectors on the robot's head with a chrome
pick. Threepio climbs out of the oil tub and begins wiping
oil from his bronze body.

LUKE
You got a lot of carbon scoring here.
It looks like you boys have seen a
lot of action.

THREEPIO
With all we've been through, sometimes
I'm amazed we're in as good condition
as we are, what with the Rebellion
and all.

LUKE
You know of the Rebellion against
the Empire?

THREEPIO
That's how we came to be in your
service, if you take my meaning,
sir.

LUKE
Have you been in many battles?

THREEPIO
S