Saga A Shimmer in the Dark (Luke & Qui Gon, one-shot)

Just a short conversation between Luke and Qui-Gon.
***********************************************************************

“Be mindful of the Living Force, Skywalker,” said an unfamiliar voice.

Luke groaned and tried to sit up. Pain shot throughout his body, dropping him back to the sandy cave floor. He lay there for a moment until his head cleared. He remembered stepping out on a mass of roots that formed a natural bridge, and falling through. Closing his eyes, Luke called on the Force. His leg was broken and he might have a concussion, but he’d live.

His comlink was broken. Not that it would have done much good anyway – he was over a klick below the metal-dense surface, and he’d lost contact with Artoo at least half an hour ago. He’d come to this planet alone, searching for a place rumored to be strong in the Force, hoping to find some knowledge that would help him in his quest to restore the Jedi. Luke would have no rescue.

Luke fought down momentary panic, and reached for the calming Force. He sensed a presence.
A pale blue glimmer shone in the darkness, and Luke sensed that it was kneeling beside him. But it was not Obi-Wan. His first master no longer appeared to him. Besides, this presence was dimmer, not as defined as any other Force ghost he’d seen. Luke had the vague impression of a kindly man, with long hair tied back in a knot and long robes.

“The future is always uncertain,” the presence said. “Keep your mind in the here and now. You know what must be done.”

Luke’s head throbbed. The voice was right. He needed to heal first before he could worry about anything else. Comforted by the guarding presence, Luke began to draw on the Force and slipped into a deep healing trance.

Luke woke uneasily. The healing trance was still difficult for him, and he was hungry and tired, though his head felt much better and his leg seemed almost usable. There was no sign of the mysterious presence. Following the sound of dripping water in the darkness, Luke dragged himself to the edge of a small pool and drank the metallic water.

“Obi-Wan, where are you?” he groaned, not expecting a reply. Luke checked his pockets and belt pouches once again. His pack and all his survival gear had been lost in the fall, and the most useful items he still had were one ration bar and his lightsaber. How was he ever going to make it out of here? And if he didn’t, how would the Jedi survive?

It was a dumb idea coming here, he thought. He had no apprentices, and he’d barely even taught the one Force-sensitive person he knew, Leia, anything of value. If he died on this silly quest for information, what little was known about the Jedi would die out forever. He would have ruined everything Obi-Wan and Yoda had fought for.

“You must live in the moment, Luke,” the returning presence said.

“You know, sometimes I wish I hadn’t been chosen as the last of the Jedi,” Luke complained.
“The Force chooses who it will, Luke,” smiled the shimmer. “It led me to your father. I was not allowed to train him, yet he was the Chosen One.”

“Who are you?” Luke’s curiosity overcame his grumpiness.

“My name is Qui Gon Jinn. Obi-Wan was still my padawan when we met the boy who became your father.”

Carefully, Luke sat up. “Tell me about him.”

Qui Gon’s faint ghost smiled. “The Council deemed him too old to undergo training at first. Without my death, Obi-Wan might not have been allowed to train him. ”

“And look how that turned out,” Luke muttered crossly, wishing his old mentor would appear once more. He knew frustration and pain drove the comment, but said it anyway. All traces of the Jedi had been erased or driven deep underground during the Emperor’s reign, and mostly by his father. How was he supposed to rebuild the Jedi with not much more than a few weeks’ worth of lessons to go by?

“Yes,” said Qui Gon quietly. “He brought balance to the Force.” Raising a ghostly hand to stay Luke’s question, he continued. “Anakin didn’t just end the rule of the Dark Side. You must understand, Luke, that the Jedi Order was in decline. It was weighed down by politics and the pursuit of power. Rules were upheld instead of what was right. The Jedi were losing touch with the Living Force. Your father,” he said, “ended that.”

“What Anakin did, in essence, was give you a clean slate. You will set the course of the Jedi who come after you.”

The idea of corrupted Jedi wasn’t new to Luke, but he had assumed it had been mostly Imperial propaganda. It hadn’t occurred to him that there might have been truth in it. “But how do I prevent that from happening again?”

“You must be mindful of the will of the Living Force. It is very strong here, in this cave. I will not be able to appear to you again once you leave. But you have had wise teachers. Remember what they have taught you. Remember that the Force is strong in your family. Remember, and you will not repeat their mistakes.”

“Thank you, Master,” Luke said, bowing his head. The faint shimmer vanished, and Luke let the peaceful living Force flow through him. He wasn't the last of the Jedi. He was the first of the new, and he was ready now. Igniting his lightsaber, he saw a path leading upward. Upward, and to the stars.

 

Very nice missing scene and in character. Shows Luke's frustrations with the current situation and the overall necessity of rebuilding the Jedi from scratch Glad he has a sense of hopefulness and renewed determination at the end.

 

Wise words to Luke from Qui-Gon and a new prospective for Luke. If he looks at his situation as being the last and he needs to restore the Jedi but thta he is the first Jedi that changes everything.

 

Love it! Thank you for writing this.

 

Thanks everyone!

 

A great piece of writing

 

Beautiful!

Such wise words given in a time that Luke really needed them. Fantastic writing! Thank you for sharing with us!

 

Thanks! I had to write something while "There Is Another" is still on hold. Hopefully I'll be able to get the laptop fixed soon...everything had to go and break at the same time. The idea has been kicking around in my head for a while now.

Also, I seem to have a trilogy of AU going... there is a Han story in the works, too. I have a great title, but the setting hasn't quite solidified for me yet.