Saga - ST Ahch-To and the First Jedi Temple (Pre-TFA, TFA Spoilers) [16 Parts] [Completed 4/20/2017]

Briannakin
Jedi_Perigrine

----Part 11----

Luke’s ship hovered above the island for several minutes until he found a spot of somewhat level ground. Lighting flashed as it traveled between the clouds, making Luke a bit more nervous about being airborne during this storm, especially one created by the Force. He initiated the landing cycle and his ship began to descend onto the island. “I’ve still got a bad feeling about this.”


He stepped out onto the planet and a familiar feeling hit him instantly. He was cold. He could feel the corruption that had been embedded into the island. He’d felt it on Dagobah, near the Emperor, and he had felt it in Ben. The sands of the beach went from their normal golden hue to black as ash as he moved inland. He continued on, noticing the effects the Dark Side had on the flora. Most had shriveled to a blackened crisp while some flourished by growing thorns and turning darker shades of their original colors. Fauna was non-existent. Even the native birds avoided the island at all costs.


There were ancient ruins of something, but at the center was a stone table that had a small circular set of stairs surrounding it. Luke was confused and wary as everything became quiet. He had reached the eye of the storm, but felt as if he was in danger. Through a collection of trees he saw the outline of a figure moving slowly, like an animal that was hunting. When he blinked, the image was gone, but its existence, whether actual or psychological, troubled Luke’s mind.


He walked up to the table and set down the grimoire with it open to the page in which the spellwas written. As the leather of the book touched the ancient stone, a chill ran down Luke’s spine. He could’ve sworn he was beginning to hear whispers from the woods around the ruins. He took out his datapad and brought up the translation. It read “Iv Naile: Spell of Fear”.


“Great. This’ll be fun.” he mumbled, placing his hands on either side of the book. He swallowed hard as he began to read the spell aloud in its ancient tongue:

“Kots tave valia iv tave
Ir tave jena’tes
Parod kam jura siela tau tiesanu naile.”

He waited a moment after finishing the last syllable. Several minutes passed with nothing to show for them. He sat on a fallen column and began to search through the rest of the translations. I must’ve missed something, he thought.

After an hour had passed, he deemed the spell a failure, placed the book and datapad back into his bag, and began walking back to his shuttle. Suddenly, a reflection of light caught his attention in the skies. As he turned to face the anomaly, his brow became furrowed and his mouth dropped out a collection of fear, joy, and shame all at once. He was watching the Millennium Falcon fly towards him to land. He stepped back as the ship touched the ground, her boarding ramp slowly lowering to the soft, gray grass. He remained frozen in place, unsure if he should run or stand his ground, but in that moment he knew he wasn’t ready to see whoever walked out of that ship.

 

Oh, why do I get the feeling that the spell wasn't a failure?

Great update.

 

Briannakin
Jedi_Perigrine



----Part 12----

Out of the Falcon strolled Leia and Chewbacca, who both rushed Luke to embrace him. Luke’s mouth was still ajar and his eyes in disbelief as he was hugged by his dear sister and Wookie friend. He didn’t move a muscle, and dared not hug them back. He was too ashamed and confused. Tears began to stream down his face uncontrollably.


“Oh, Luke! I’ve missed you so much!” Leia said, her voice trembling as the words left her mouth. She had aged a bit since Luke had last seen her, back before he and Ben had set off on a long mission. “You wouldn’t believe the problems we faced trying to find you.”


Chewbacca let out several grunts and growls as he hugged Luke, slightly lifting him off the ground. Luke finally cracked a half smile and rubbed Chewie’s neck in affection. There was something about his furry friend that wouldn’t allow him to frown, despite everything that had happened.


“Leia… I… about Be-- Where’s Han?” the words barely stumbled out of Luke’s mouth before the half-smiling face of his long time friend made itself visible from the boarding ramp of the Falcon. Han stood on the ramp, leaning up against one of the supports as he motioned his fingers in an informal, salute-style greeting. His graying hair was being blown to one side by the light wind, which he failed to fix as he walked towards the trio. The two men grabbed each other in a long-awaited embrace and held it for several moments. Tears were now soaking into his ragged beard.


“Long time, huh kid?” Han said. His voice caused Luke to chuckle in some disbelief.


“Han, listen, I really, really need to apolo---” Han cut him off by holding up a finger in front of the Jedi.


“No need. Check it out.” Han said, motioning his head towards the Falcon.


Fear and crippling anxiety flooded Luke’s being as he looked towards the ship. He took a step back and his face turned to horror as Ben Solo walked out of the freighter and headed towards them. He wasn’t wearing the armor he had donned during his massacre of Luke’s academy, and he didn’t have the deadly crossguard lightsaber. As far as Luke could tell by appearance, it was the boy he’d trained. He was terrified. Nobody was worried. They had most definitely heard the news of his doings, but it was like they had forgotten completely. Even Chewbacca was calm and relaxed.


“You! Stay back!” Luke cried pointing towards his nephew. “Han, Leia, what the hell’s going on?” His hand was trembling but remained pointed towards Ben.


Leia put a hand on her brother’s shoulder, “We had a feeling you wouldn’t be willing to accept this, but Ben has renounced the Dark Side. He’s abandoned Snoke and the First Order, and gave Ackbar a list of base coordinates and tracking information of their Star Destroyers. We have our son back, Luke, and we’re going to finally eradicate the First Order.”


“He finally came to his senses. I personally didn’t believe it at first, cause he’s… he’s always been trouble. But I’m telling ya, it’s true.” Han said.


“But… he… what about….” Luke paused. He was completely devoid of words. He looked at Han, then to Leia, who were both perfectly calm. After several drawn out moments, all he could do was reluctantly wave for Ben to join them.


The young man walked over to the rest of them and attempted to smile to Luke, who was still just as cautious around him. “Uncle,” that word stung Luke to his core, “I’m sorry. I know that can’t make up for everything, but I have you to thank for my change of heart. Your stories of the evil Darth Vader initially drove me to obsession with a figure of immense power and authority. But, your constant reminders of his redemption and defeat of the Emperor as Anakin Skywalker reminded me of how the Light conquers the Dark. Snoke was using me, as Sidious used Vader. However, he was using Kylo Ren, not Ben Solo. That part of me has been destroyed, and I must thank you again. I can’t change what I’ve done, but I at least hope you’ll accept me again as your student.”


Luke stared at the man before him for a few moments. Han, Leia, and Chewie all looked at each other as they awaited their friend’s response. “Ben…” Luke started, folding his arms, “I will admit that it’s good to see you again, and to hear you say this makes me very glad and proud. However… it will take me much longer to move past what has happened than your parents have managed.” The frail Jedi stood there, looking down at the ground after finishing his sentence. He was trying as hard as he could, but he just couldn’t look his nephew in the eyes for more than a few seconds.


“I completely understand, Uncle. Take all the time you need.” Ben responded, a bit defeated. Luke heard the words said, and his tone was profoundly sincere, but he was doubtful that someone who had fallen so far could have returned so easily.




But then, he stood for a moment and stroked his beard thinking back to his youth. He was reminded of his father, the atrocities he had committed, the worlds he had ruined, and the thousands he had slain at the command of Sidious. That wasn’t Anakin though, it was Vader. He half-smiled as he remembered his father’s love for him and how it had drove Anakin to break the Dark Side’s hold on him. Maybe, just maybe, Ben had truly destroyed Ren.


Ben began to head back to the Falcon, “Chewie, come help me get some food for Luke!” Chewbacca roared in agreement and walked alongside Ben. Luke noticed the tall black boots, black gloves, and arm wraps that scaled Ben’s arms. He hadn’t noticed them when he initially saw Ben. He shook his head, it had been a long day. As wonderful as his situation was now, he felt he needed to get back to the temple. Back to his training.


Luke joyfully caught up with his sister and brother-in-law. They talked about politics, the successes of the Resistance now with the backing of the Republic fleet, Han’s recent adventures with his students in their races, and countless other things Luke had missed in his absence. They talked for what seemed like hours until Ben came out with a tray of prepared rations and some Corellian wine. He motioned them towards his uncle when he reached them.


“Ben, you didn’t have to…” his words trailed off as he saw the discouragement in his nephew’s expression. He seemed to genuinely want to win back Luke, if just for forgiveness. “Thanks, I’ll eat in a minute.” Luke placed the tray on the stone table to finish his conversations. He couldn’t help but noticed Ben may have changed into black pants. He shook it off once more as weariness from the day’s adventure.


“What’s Chewie up to?” Han said, tapping his son on the shoulder.


“Ah, just running a quick diagnostic on the Falcon. He’s been trying to get some of the modifications back to normal since we got that bucket back.” his son replied.


“Hey, that bucket could just be yours one day if you play your cards right.” Han retorted, smiling back at Ben. “Maybe I can finally give you those piloting lessons. You’re a Solo after all.”


“I’d like that,” Ben said, “I’d like that a lot.”


As they continued their discussions, Luke seemed to finally be reaching a point of acceptance to Ben. He watched as his nephew studied the flora of the island, barely listening to Leia drone on about some dispute going on in the Senate. While she wasn’t a Senator anymore, she still had allies among the Populists. She received frequent updates on happenings and legislation going through the system, and from his face, Han had already heard everything she was saying at least twice.


Suddenly, that familiar and terrifying crimson blade ignited, putting itself straight through Han. Han gasps and falls down to the dark soil, causing Leia to shriek in terror. Her screams are cut short by the blade slicing its way across her torso, ending her life instantly. Gusts of shadow and darkness begin to envelop Ben as his black armor and menacing helmet returned.


Kylo Ren now stood before him.


Luke stumbles back, his words and breath sucked from his being as he struggled to close his gaping mouth. Ren lifts his hand to chest level, revealing a detonator within his grasp. He presses the button, and in an instant, the Falcon erupts in an explosion that rocks the island slightly.


Luke was trembling once again. Not in fear, but now in anger, hatred, and spite for the murderer and traitor that stood before him. His robotic hand created a fist so tight it could’ve bent durasteel from the pressure. He looked up to the man that used to be his nephew. He managed to utter a sentence after several moments. “That was a mistake, Ren.”


Kylo stood there, his emotionless mask hiding the boy Luke had once trained. The deep, muffled voice of the twisted man finally spoke up, “Is that so? How exactly is taking away all that you cared for a mistake on my part?”


Luke stared Ren down, planning his demise within his mind. He took a deep breath and unclenched his teeth, “Because now, I have nothing to fear.”


Kylo roared in primal fury, clearly enraged by Skywalker’s words. He began to charge Luke, who stood there with hands placed on his sides, when the darkness that had brought him his power began to seep up from the charred soil. Ren noticed his imminent eradication and swung at Luke with his malevolent blade, but it deteriorated into smoke as it came into contact with his old master, leaving him unscathed. The darkness tore him apart, piece by piece, in a destructive wind until his entirety had disintegrated into nothingness. Luke fell to the ground in simultaneous anger and relief, observing teary-eyed at the lifeless corpses of Leia, Han, and the flaming wreckage of the Falcon that took Chewbacca with it. The chaos slowly subsided as he finally stood back up, legs shaking wildly. He looked back at the tray on the stone table, which had transformed into the spellbook.

With a blink of his eye, Luke was back in front of the book, his hands still placed to either side of it. The grimoire however was now closed and the storm non-existent. He quickly turned to look behind him and to his relief, the bodies and wreckage of the ship were gone, as was Ren. The sun had begun to set, the water reflecting its light in awe-inspiring beauty, but it was not enough to calm Luke’s demeanor after that experience. He inhaled deeply through his nostrils and exhaled just the same as he packed the book back into his bag and headed towards his ship. He was no longer trembling, but his mind was shaken to its core.

 

Ack. I knew it was all going to be a creation from the Dark Side, but to have everything seem like it was all better, only to rip it all away, that was cruel, yet very good writing. I wonder what the fallout for Luke will be.

 

Briannakin
Jedi_Perigrine


----Part 13----

“Master, shall I start up the gasser?” TD-55 queried. He was standing over the cot where the Jedi was still lying, despite it being well after noon.


“Might as well. Nothing too fancy.” Luke managed to mumble.


“Right away, sir!” TeeDee said as he scurried off into the other room.


Luke lied still for a few more minutes, mentally convincing himself that he needed to actually get out of bed today. How many days has it been? Weeks? Luke thought to himself. He turned over and looked across the library to the holocron that sat alone on the table, the spellbook and his lightsaber sitting next to it. He stared blankly and fell into a trance of thoughts and mental images until he heard the clunking of TeeDee coming back up the stairs. “Sir, your meal is waiting!” Luke groaned as he got up and started following the droid.


He picked at the stack of flatcakes for over fifteen minutes, barely eating a whole one in the process. He knew he needed to report to Kor, but something kept convincing him otherwise. Eventually he decided to check up on the other droid’s progress outside. When he reached the courtyard, he could see the droid weaving around the plants as he watered and catered to them, like a mother to her young.


“Sir, I’m glad to report that the time is near for the first harvest of dust-corn and the dry gene wheat, but I’m having some difficulty with the jun. Do you have any resources available that I could investigate my problems with?”


Luke sat silent for a moment and thought. “I might be able to establish a connection to the HoloNet through my sh…” He stopped himself there. That felt risky. Anybody looking for him hard enough could easily track a signal, and he was not about to lead his pursuers here.


“That would be splendid sir! You see, jun is local to the planet Draenell’s Point located in the---”

“I know, I know,” Luke said, cutting the droid off. “I just don’t know if I can secure a safe connection. I… I can’t go through with it.” He stood there for a moment and allowed the breeze to push his hair up and flow into his cloak, cooling him off. Then, something sparked in his old mind. An idea. He didn’t need a distraction from his training obligations, but he still decided this task was more important. “TeeDee, come with me.” he said, waving for the droid to follow.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


“That’s not it, pass me that fusion torch.” Luke said from beneath the console.


“Um… here you go sir. But I must detest the use of this tool, especially if you are dealing with circuits as intricate as--”



CLANK


“Good heavens! I--”


“Quiet.” Luke demanded. “I need to concentrate.”


TD-55 was completely taken aback and seemed as offended as a droid could manage to personify from his master’s swift kick to the leg. However, he sat in the co-pilot’s seat completely silent even though his programming insisted that he warn his master of the potential dangers. If he’d learned one thing about Luke, it was that he didn’t seem to fear normal things that humans were known for fearing. He couldn’t tell if his master was extraordinary or just plain stupid.


The Jedi slid out from under the console and sat down in the pilot’s seat. He wiped the sweat from his face and turned to the droid, “Okay, here’s the port. Plug in. I need you to enter the network with this routing number. Once in there, gain access to this relay station and scramble our connection through as many separate locations as you can get. Once you start losing signal strength, stop.”


TD-55’s intelligence dove straight into the network with the routing number supplied by Luke. A relationship was instantly established and began to relay coded data about the station it had entered. Once he had run a quick diagnostic on the strength of their signal, which wasn’t fantastic, but it was strong enough, TeeDee began to queue their connection into relay stations and got a ping. Then another, and another, and another until the signal started waning. He had successfully managed to scramble their connection through nearly three hundred stations and satellites throughout the Western Reaches and the Outer Rim. All of this took place in a span of ten seconds.


“Well, you’re just full of surprises.” Luke joked, bringing up a holopage for the Galactic News Network. Luke began reading through the top stories of the last standard week: multiple articles on sessions of Senate halting for bickerings, an assassination attempt on some rich director on Manaan, and several reports of First Order stormtroopers making appearances somewhere in the Chiss Ascendancy.


He continued to scroll until a smaller article from a month earlier caused his stomach to drop. RIOSAN MERCHANTS CLAIM TO HAVE SPOTTED MISSING JEDI LUKE SKYWALKER. He sat there for a moment, afraid to open the article, but eventually went through with it, noting some of the important details.


It had gone viral rather quickly after being published, causing the Resistance to sweep in, unbeknownst to the Republic. Leia Organa even made a personal appearance, one of her few public appearances since her resignation from her senatorial position. Most of these claims came from those who participated in a firefight between the alleged Jedi and the still missing Sodek Farren, though nobody actually saw an actual lightsaber being used. According to the article, tensions rose when the shopkeepers believed regulations would be shoehorned in with the appearance of a former senator. At the bottom, Luke saw an addendum added to the article. Apparently about a week later, First Order troops appeared in the marketplace, which spawned a firefight between the troops and Resistance soldiers. The First Order initialized the conflict.


Luke switched off his datapad and sat in silence. He had cut it close, but this was too close. Even in assumed exile and secrecy, he was causing disorder. No doubt that people on both sides were dying trying to find him, and countless individuals were likely getting caught in the middle of it. People could still be dying because of his actions. He slammed his mechanical fist into the wall of the helm, slightly denting the panel. He didn’t ask for this. Some days he wondered how things would’ve played out had he never joined up with Obi-Wan. Would the Rebellion have survived? Would the Empire still be in control? Would he have still have become a Jedi?


He rubbed his temples, trying to relieve himself of a headache starting to manifest. None of that mattered now. It wasn’t worth dwelling on. He needed more answers and knew that he couldn’t hold out on his training for much longer.

 

Ach. It just hurts my heart to see Luke so depressed and the fact that Leia herself went to investigate the sighting is just heartbreaking.

 

Briannakin
Jedi_Perigrine



----Part 14----



The sparring room had the best view from the inside of the temple, anything more could only be seen from the top of the island. Luke frequently used this area for morning meditations, saving the top of the isle for meditations at sunset after his dinner. The floor was made up of large stone tiles of all different shapes and sizes and in the middle consisted of many intricately shaped tiles that resembled a symbol much like the Jedi before the Empire had used in old archives Luke had retrieved. The tattered flags that were set around the room were also embellished with this symbol. The symbol however was much more simplistic, almost primitive. Each tile was cracked in some way, and during his trances with the Force, Luke could almost hear the sounds of masters and padawans alike practicing techniques in perfect unison.


The sun reached the point in the sky where it had gone above the transparisteel in the window of the room, even from Luke’s seated point of view. The past few days had been good. The jun was finally coming in, TeeDee had plenty of crops and materials to make use of his cooking subroutines, and some rain had finally managed to grace the area. Unfortunately for Gauge, that meant he didn’t have to water and cater to the crops as much and in response, Luke would find the droid wandering aimlessly throughout the temple, as if without a purpose. Luke walked back upstairs into the grand library and motioned both droids out. He turned to the table where the holocron still sat next to his lightsaber and the spellbook and stared at the collection of items for several moments, slowing his breathing. He sat down in the middle of the room and, like many times before, activated the holocron.


“I’ve returned from the island, Master Kor.” Luke said, calmer than he thought he’d be.


“And so you are. Tell me, Skywalker, what happened?”


“I…” Luke began. He paused and continued to keep his breathing slow and controlled. “I ventured to the center of the island to something that resembled an old shrine, but to what I couldn’t tell. The vision I encountered, I’ve not seen anything like it in a long time. My sister, my brother-in-law, and my Wookie friend appeared. Alongside them was my nephew.”


“Is this the same nephew who was once your student?” Kor asked. Luke had forgotten that he had told the avatar about his failures as a teacher.


“Yes. He expressed very sincere regret for what he had done, and they had mentioned how he had renounced the Dark Side and helped turn the tide of the galactic conflict that was brewing. But,” Luke’s voice broke up a bit, “he turned and struck my sister and brother-in-law down right in front of me and blew up the ship they had come in. He showed no remorse and he regained his armor before coming after me. This is when I knew it was a vision, and faced him. The vision ended after that.”


“Hm…” Kor began, “so you’ve been shown the truth.”


“The truth?” Luke asked. “Like the future? I won’t let this happen, Master!”


The hologram raised its arms to Luke in a cautionary fashion, “Calm yourself, Skywalker. You misunderstand. This trial was not to warn you of something that is to come, but of something that is already there.”


“I could feel it, the Dark Side rising within both myself and Ren in those moments. I harnessed the fear, anger, and the hatred, and my blood ran cold. It didn’t consume me though.”


“You recognize it like a mother knows her child’s voice.” Kor explained. “This trial is designed to show the user their highest hopes, and then when those cannot come true, it replaces them with their worst fears. Sith magic in this way is extremely dangerous to those inflicted by it because it can seem absolutely real. All of the senses are deceived, and it takes full focus of the mind to process the illusion and break its hold. From my point of view, you did well.”



“Thank you, Master Kor.” Luke took a deep breath and shut off the holocron. He was beginning to feel uneasy, as if something terrible was brewing. He decided a meal was needed and headed off into the other room where the droids were waiting.



---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



After his dinner, Luke began his ritual of meditation atop the island. He couldn’t remember how long it had been since he had initially come to Ahch-To, but of course, he knew he could always check the logs in his ship. He stepped through the archway into the crisp and warm air. Birds were flying overhead, and over to his right he could see Gauge waving his arms around like a living scarecrow to protect the crops. The sun was nearly an hour from beginning to set, and Luke began his trek up the incline when his chest tightened up and he hit the ground, writhing in suppressed pain. He held himself up with his right hand as he closed his eyes and began to see images. Something encapsulated in snow, whatever it was, it was huge. He saw a line of fire that blazed across the galaxy at lightspeed. He heard screams, cries for help, and prayers. He felt death. It must’ve been the sounds of billions of beings all at once, and then they went silent. He looked into the sky to see a streak of that fiery death across the sky, but definitely outside of the planet’s atmosphere. He felt a wave of evil radiate from it. Something terrible had happened. His chest tightened even more and he collapsed on the stone steps, unconscious from the pain.

 

Oh man, this image just tore my heart out. Everything seemed like a normal day, until this.

Great descriptions! I feel like we are coming up on the moment I've been waiting for!

 

----Part 15----

Luke laid on the steps, writhing in the after effects from the pain from his chest. He descended back down the steps, intent on getting real rest now that the sun had set with him unconscious. The next morning was especially difficult. He had developed a migraine and every time he closed his eyes, he saw flashes of visions. He saw snow, X-wings, TIE fighters, explosions, either there was a battle raging on somewhere in the galaxy, or there was about to be one.


He went on about his day, trying his best to ignore the visions that plagued his mind. TeeDee had prescribed some relaxants to aid Luke and help him calm himself, but the Jedi remained even more on edge whenever the visions began to include Han and Ren. Why? He had no idea. They never appeared together, but it seemed that they were indeed close to each other. Maybe on the same planet even.


In the late afternoon he entered the grand library, only to find the holocron sitting idle on the large stone table, almost beckoning him to reactivate it. Its allure growing stronger as Luke walked past the table and out into the courtyard. He rounded the crops as he began to ascend the staircase to have his sunset meditation. Once he reached the top, he stood at the base of a large pillar that stood atop the mountain at a triangular portion of the cliff.


As Luke looked up towards the sea at the array of islands that were spread throughout the planet’s vast ocean, he felt himself almost being transported to another world. Looking over the edge of the cliff, in the blink of his eye, it transformed from stone and water to darkness and processed metal lining some large constructed abyss. He saw Ren, strutting along a bridge that spanned the entire structure.


“BEN!”


Luke turned to meet the source of the voice to see Han, stepping out onto the bridge to meet his son. Luke tried to reach out to both, but he was not within their reach, nor any of their senses. The two began a far off conversation as Han began to move slowly towards Ren, who had removed the insidious helmet to reveal his face as Ben Solo.


“It’s too late--”


“No, it’s not. Leave here with me, come home. We miss you.”


Luke was watching something that felt so familiar. A father reaching out to his son.


“I know what I have to do but I don’t know if I have the strength to do it, will you help me?”


“Yes, anything.”


Luke watched as Ren held out the lightsaber that had brought him so much pain to Han, who grasped it. As light began to disappear, a red hue fell over the entirety of the chasm. Luke felt the anger, fear, and hatred radiate from Ren as he gripped the saber tighter and tighter, not allowing his father to take it from him.


And then it happened.


Ren ignited the blade straight through the chest of his father, whose expression was of absolute horror. Han reached out and touched his son’s face one last time, a move which sent Luke over the edge.


“NO!” Luke screamed. He reached his hand out and released a Force push strong enough to rip Ren’s body apart, but when it made contact, it only hit the pillar that was next to Luke. The large monolith exploded into small chunks of rock as it was torn apart from the blast. The entirety of it crumbled and fell into the sea, leaving small jagged rocks imbedded in the soil and bent in the direction the force had traveled.


Luke looked at the aftermath of his actions. He only now had noticed that the sun had mostly set and night was beginning on Ahch-To. He was out of breath and tired. That is, until he heard a voice call from behind him.


“I’m so sorry, Luke. I tried to stop him.”

 

Oh, of course Luke would have to witness Han's final moments. Ugh. So painful to read, but so well written.

 

Briannakin
Jedi_Perigrine

Finally, after a long hiatus because of other obligations (mostly school, plus attending Star Wars Celebration!) the final chapter is up!
This leads directly into the end of Episode VII.


Thank you all for your support, I can't stress this enough. I have two new original stories currently in the works that will begin in the near future.
One takes place in-between The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones, and the other will take place roughly 300 years before the events of the saga!


May the Force be with you all.


***Funny enough, after seeing the trailer for The Last Jedi, it seems that some of the ideas I had established throughout the story may actually make it into the movie, which is BEYOND exciting!!



----Part 16----


Luke turned around to see someone so familiar to him, yet somehow younger looking than he was. Nevertheless, he couldn’t help but utter a smile as the bluish figure that was walking towards him, “Father.”

“Son. You must understand how hard I tried.” Anakin said, a bit defeated.

“You tried to stop Ren?”

“Many times. I’ve been speaking to Ben since before he knew Snoke. However, Snoke is powerful with the Dark Side of the Force. He’s using some ancient magic, nothing I’ve been able to understand yet, and is essentially silencing my presence from reaching him.”

“No.” Luke said, “That’s not Ben, not anymore.”

“He’s still in there. He hasn’t been consumed fully.” Anakin said, “Have you not felt it?”

Suddenly a voice interrupted, but no source was yet seen. “So certain are you, hmm?”

“Is that?” Luke began to ask.

A joyous and muffled laugh echoed on the mountaintop as the spirit of Yoda manifested atop a large rock next to Anakin. He looked down at the old being and smiled, yet seemed confused at his words.

“Master,” Anakin started, “surely you of all people can sense the good in Ben, or Ren, or whatever he’s calling himself.”

“The time for this discussion, it is not. More pressing matters must we discuss with Luke.” Yoda said, changing the subject, “Mentioned it to him, have you, Skywalker?”

Both Luke and Anakin looked down at their old master, then at each other, and then back at Yoda. The stout master looked up at Anakin and raised an eyebrow and a subtle smile played on the edge of his lips.

“Oh, me.” Anakin said, laughing it off, “Luke, do you know why you’ve come to Ahch-To and specifically to this temple?”

“Isn’t this the origin of the Jedi? Or at least it’s the first temple?” Luke asked, confused by the nature of the question.

“This is more than just the first temple, it’s a Temple of the Whills, and it is a place of great importance.” Anakin started, “However, a guardian has not been tasked with protecting this temple for centuries, due to the knowledge of its existence being essentially lost.”

“Guided I was by an old friend to learn the secret of immortality… Learned this partially from someone connected to the Whills, he did.” Yoda chimed in.

Luke sat down on a rock across from the spirits. “The Whills? I don’t understand. No archives that I’ve come across talk about the Whills, not even here. Wouldn’t there be information about them here of all places?”

Anakin looked down at Yoda, and they both nodded before Yoda’s spirit seemed to evaporate into nothingness. “Follow me, son.”

The pair proceeded down into the temple. Father and son, side by side, with Luke learning more and more about the Force as Anakin explained. The Force had become even larger than originally assumed by Luke, even with Master Kor’s revelations, and the already vast universe was expanding well beyond his comprehension.

As they passed through the grand library, TeeDee and Gauge turned from their tasks as they observed their master casually stride through. The droids paused, studied Luke, and turned to each other in confusion. “TeeDee, do you understand what’s happening?”

“I am programmed to understand human behavior, just give me a moment!” TeeDee demanded. “Symptoms include hand motions, speaking, questioning, and dialogue indicating sentiment. Master Luke is either communicating to somebody via a comlink or he is demonstrating the development of a mental disorder. Given our circumstances here, I fear it may be the latter.” Gauge looked down for a few seconds before returning to his task, leaving TeeDee alone to ponder his master’s state of being.

---------------------------------------------------------

Anakin and Luke reached a dead end hallway where Yoda had appeared again and was already waiting on them. “This is what we want to show you.” Anakin said.

“Stretch out with your feelings, and discover something you will.” Yoda added.

Luke closed his eyes and began to prod the room through the Force as the two spirits waited patiently. After several minutes, Luke found the hidden activator and the wall began to slide upwards into the ceiling. Dust and broken stone littered the floor as wall was revealed as a door, opening up into a chasm going even deeper into the island.

As the three ventured down the long stone staircase, Luke began to see a small light in the middle of the immense chamber they had entered. Anakin and Yoda’s spirits manifested themselves again on the other side of a small shrine that contained a book with the same primitive Jedi Order symbol that filled the temple’s rooms.

Luke stopped and observed the text before placing his hand on it. He could feel the tremendous presence of the Force radiate from the book which seemed to be bound and at the same time protected by something much stronger than he had ever felt.

“This place,” his father began, “this is the epicenter of the temple. This monument breaks off into another room, one that holds kyber crystals that only a master and an apprentice can enter together.”

Luke looked up to his father and Anakin continued, answering a question from earlier. “The Whills. They’re an ancient order that is deeply connected to the Force with legends claiming all types of feats and tasks on galactic scales that they have a hand in. Even in our state, Yoda and I only know so much about this order. But, you have more experience in this matter than we do.”

“Yes, encountered a Fallen Whill, you have.” Yoda interjected.

Luke looked at both of the spirits in obvious confusion. How had he never come across anything describing the Whills before? His mind ran through the decades, picking out all of the significant individuals he had encountered, thinking of someone who could even remotely fit the description and abilities that the pair had described. Then, it became clear to him. “Snoke.” he said.

Yoda nodded. “The Journal of the Whills, this is. In it you will find stories which dictate the major events of the galaxy.”

“We need you to open it. Read the passage 7:477.” Anakin insisted.

Luke took the book in his hands and delicately flipped to the passage his father had mentioned. He began reading aloud:

“First comes the day
Then comes the night.
After the darkness
Shines through the light.
The difference, they say,
Is only made right
By the resolving of gray
Through refined Jedi sight.”

As he finished the last word, Luke felt a shiver go up his spine and a sharp pain surged through his brain. It was a feeling he had been awaiting, and dreading, for quite a long time, and the timing was impeccable. He hastily closed the text and dismissed himself from the two spirits as he rushed back up the stairs and out into the courtyard. Day was just on the horizon, and he trudged up to the top of the island to the original spot where he had encountered his father and Yoda.

Luke took in a deep breath and calmed himself. She’s coming. He thought. Despite all of the pain and suffering he had experienced in the last few months, the time had come. How exactly was he going to refine his teachings to this new aspect and view of the Force, he was unsure of. The feelings that enveloped him were of anxiousness, fear, and uncertainty, but he knew it was his destiny.


Their destiny.

 

Read parts one and two, and found them quite the pleasant read.

I liked how all the various visitors followed the rules, and made no apparent attempt to steal Master Kor's holocron for their own collections.

Very acceptable-sounding lore, and good characterisations for Luke, Kor, and his review of Sidious.

Good details, and world building, with the library, old encampments, and even a skeleton!

I'm tempted to ask if an OC of mine could be one of the past visitors on that list. I feel that Master Kor chose not to mention inventing laser nunchukas - soldering iron, two lightsabre shoto hilts, and a length of chain - what could possibly go wrong?

Very Good. 9/10