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

Title: Ahch-To and the First Jedi Temple
Author(s): Penguin_Sith
Timeframe: Between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens (but after the fall of Ben Solo)
Characters: Luke Skywalker, established characters mentioned, some original characters mentioned
Summary: Luke reaches the first Jedi temple on Ahch-To, only to discover a secret that changes his entire view of the Force.

----Part 1----

Luke sat in what used to be a grand library, flipping through well preserved paper manuscripts. The first temple was primitive in its technology, but being built into a mountainside made it sturdy and it passed the tests of time. It was apparent Luke wasn't the only visitor to come to the temple since its abandonment. He could see makeshift camps, discarded blasters, and the occasional skeleton within its rooms. As he flipped through looking for official documents he came across a holocron on a shelf. He opened his bag and pulled out a datapad journal belonging to Ben Kenobi, and scrolled to the page talking about a holocron he had retrieved from the old Jedi Temple on Coruscant when the Jedi were massacred. Heeding the instructions of his old master, Luke reached out through the Force, prying the holocron for a way to open it. With a hissing crack the corners of the cube rotated and the holocron began hovering behind the table Luke has placed it on. It opened and projected a one-meter-tall hologram of a Twi'lek with one lekku having been cut off near his shoulder and a large scar going up the left side of his face. The gatekeeper flickered to life, as if awoken from a slumber. Luke moved the table and sat in a chair, unsure of what to expect.

"Greetings, I am Jedi Master Silus Kor, constructor and gatekeeper of this holocron. With whom am I speaking?" the Twi'lek said in a low voice.

"I am Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight. I'm hoping to learn the origins of the Force and learn more of its secrets."

"If one is to grow in knowledge of the mystery that is the Force, one must study all facets available to them. You've certainly come to the right place, and to continue, I have but two requirements. There is a locked datapad that is stored with this holocron, only those with knowledge of the Force can access it. You must provide some information documenting your visit to the temple. At the end of your time here you must store the datapad with the holocron, neither must leave this temple. Return when you have finished." Within a second of the last word being said, the hologram shut off and the holocron returned to its passive state, resting on the floor.

Returning to the shelf, Luke picked up the old datapad that had sat behind the cube. He blew on it, removing the dust, and turned it on. His mind raced as he scrolled through the names. He couldn't believe what he was reading, a list of Jedi and Sith alike who had all come to this temple before him, searching out the true nature of the Force and its beginnings as he was. The names were mostly Jedi, but every couple of centuries a name with a Darth title would appear in the list. Each had a gap of about one hundred years in between each visitor. That is until he reached the first name he recognized, Qui-Gon Jinn.

Luke thought back to the journal, 'Ben wrote about him, Jinn was his old master before Yoda... Why would a Jedi Master of the Order come here?'

He shook the thought and continued down the list until he came across a pair of names, the most recent visitors. His gut wrenched as he read them, "Darth Sidious and Darth Vader". A tear formed in his eye as he missed his father and the man he wish he had known, but he calmed himself and quickly returned to the list. He entered in his information and turned off the datapad, placing it on the table and opened the holocron again.

"Welcome back. I assume you entered in the information?"

"Yes," Luke answered, "but I was wondering if I could learn about a few visitors."

"Of course, but we must not dawdle, we have much to discuss. Did someone in particular peak your interests?"

"The first is Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn.", Luke said, becoming more comfortable with the gatekeeper.

"Qui-Gon Jinn." the gatekeeper paused, "Jinn was a Jedi Master who came to this temple after having visions where he believed the Living Force spoke audibly to him, and he felt guided to come here. Though he had just taken on an apprentice, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Jinn came alone, and I spent about two weeks teaching him. Of all the Force users to visit, Jinn was one of the most accepting of my teachings, taking them on as self-doctrine even though they collided with the current Jedi Code he was to follow."

"Very well, I just want to know about two more." Luke swallowed and spoke, "Darth Sidious and Darth Vader. These two visited here together and were the most recent."

"Ah yes, these were Sith." Kor said, crossing his arms, "They were the first to visit in a long time that carried the title of Darth. This pair was toxic, and learned nothing from me. They dismissed everything about using the Force in a balanced way, and Sidious often argued about the Dark Side being the true nature of the Force. Vader rarely spoke, but I'm doubtful he took any of my lessons as truth."

Luke's head bowed, "That's all for now, I want to start the lessons."

"Very well." the Twi'lek continued, "Being a Jedi, your first lesson is to embrace the Dark Side. Your fears, your anger, your emotions, embrace them all and feed them, while also feeding the Light Side."

Luke's expression changed abruptly. Before Kor could continue Luke interrupted, "Embrace the Dark Side?! My apologies, Master, but I don't understand. Jedi are to stay calm, be at peace, and you want me to delve into everything that aids the Dark Side?"

"Luke, you speak the truth about the Light and the Dark Sides, but you must learn that alone, neither are the correct way to use the Force. If you want to use the Force in a fluid and natural way, you must incorporate all aspects. This will be hard at first, but once you feel the balance, it is worth it."

"Master Kor, I don't understand, but I will tr-," he paused, reminded of Yoda's teachings, "I will."

Luke sat up, bringing his back to perfect posture, and began meditating. He felt the conflict in his subconscious, it didn't want the Dark Side to be let in, but he knew he had to. He sat in this meditation for several hours, the gatekeeper keeping watch over him. Then, with a sharp jolt, he felt it. He felt the balance, like his soul was in perfect harmony with the Force. He felt it in his veins as if a warm stim had been injected.

"Good," Kor said, seeing the facial expression of Luke change, "The way you feel is how all Force users should feel. Embracing the Light and the Dark is the only way to achieve true balance within yourself and the Force. The Dark Side can be too much to handle, and so with that I will teach you to control the Dark Side while you study and dive deeper into its mysteries. You have much to learn. This was a dangerous and demanding challenge, so we will continue after you get some rest."

Luke shut the holocron off and it landed softly on the ground. He grabbed it, stood up, and began setting up his quarters. Since his confrontation with Vader, he felt like he was finally understanding the Force, but once again he felt much confusion. He welcomed this confusion, hoping it would drive him to learn more. He knew he would be here much longer than he anticipated.

 

This caught my eye and I’m really glad it did. Great showcasing of the PT Jedi philosophy. I’m really interested in this new, or rather original, philosophy of the Force, a balance of the light and the dark. After all, the prophesy of the Chosen One did tell of balance. I like the idea of Luke’s confusion driving him.

If you are doing so, could you tag me when you update? I’d love to keep up with this.

Oh, and I see you are new. Welcome to the boards!

 

Thanks! I've been wanting to post a fanfiction for awhile, but didn't like some other sites. I really like the stuff on this forum. I'll be sure to tag you!

 

Very intriguing perspective and outlook on balance and how to achieve it. Very much in character that Luke would be receptive and a quick learner. Welcome to writing/posting.

 

Welcome to the boards! Based on your first post, I'll be looking forward to your future with great interest!

What an interesting idea you've got here! I'm more than a little nervous with Luke fooling around with the Dark Side. I like to follow Ron Weasley's Dad's advice about not trust anything where you can't see its brain. I hope this isn't a trap!

Either way...this could be really interesting! Please tag me when you update it!

Great job!

 

Briannakin
Jedi_Perigrine



----Part 2----



Screams, objections, and cries for help fill the air. Lightsabers swing and clash as friendships end and enemies are formed, if even for a brief moment. The peculiar ignition of a blade, one unstable and evil in its presence, enters his peripherals as he watches all his work and progression end in a bloody conflict. The blade is raised into the air, and he watches as one he once called ‘Padawan’ ends the life of a child, defenseless against the towering opponent. The stationary wielder looks up and away, his damaged and worn mask glistening from the red hue of the blade. Luke can feel the evil that radiates from him as he points towards stragglers and instructs his minions to pursue, all while cutting down those who dare to resist. Luke looks down at the ground and pounds his mechanical fist onto the stone floor, cracking into the etched design.

Luke awoke with a jump and a sudden ignition of his lightsaber. He is sweating, heavily breathing, and his heart is racing, but the Jedi is ready to defend himself. Realizing it was a dream, or better described as a nightmare, Luke calms himself and shuts off his saber. Placing it back on the table next to his cot, Luke sits, resting his face into his hands as a small amount of tears stream into his hands. Obi-Wan, Yoda, Han, Leia, ... and Ben, he'd failed them all. Since that day, his sleep has been haunted by reliving that dreadful event. Immediately afterward, it was a weekly basis, but since then it the timespan had widened to monthly and thankfully, Luke hadn’t suffered through it for almost seven months at a time. Ever since starting this training and embracing the Dark Side, along with his emotions, he has relived that unbearable incident for three nights in a row.

Starting his day earlier than usual, Luke finished his rationed breakfast as the sun rose over the water. He realized he needed more supplies if he was to stay here, and made plans to travel offworld and gather resources for becoming self-sustaining. He pondered in meditation over the teachings he had learned over the past week. Master Kor had given teachings on specifically the Light Side. While Luke was learning and growing in his own power and understanding, he struggled in maintaining the balance between the two sides. Luke felt the strongest spell of temptation from the Dark Side ever in this past week, and he was worried if the road he had started was the right choice.

Setting the holocron back on the ground, Luke reached out with the Force and the gatekeeper manifested before him.

“Welcome, shall we pick up where we left off yesterday?” the Twi’lek said, awaiting input from Luke.

“Actually, I want to take a step back. Throughout your lessons you’ve mentioned the term ‘Gray Jedi’ to describe those who either personified or came close to being examples of your teachings, could you elaborate on this? I don’t quite understand what you mean by it.”

“Certainly,” the avatar began, “Gray Jedi are Force-users who walk the line between the Light and the Dark Sides of the Force without surrendering to the Dark Side. To be a true Gray Jedi, one must not belong to any specific Force tradition, be it Jedi, Sith, Jal Shey, Jensaarai, Zeison Sha, or Dark Side sorcerers, though there are many others besides these. Gray Jedi strive to keep balance in the Force, and do not rely on the specific teachings of one side, but rather embrace both and use abilities associated with both. Some who followed the Gray Jedi teachings include Leor Danal, Jolee Bindo, Dexen Svel, Tol Mong, and Shoti Korbin. From his exceptional mastery and reception of the teachings, I would almost consider Qui-Gon Jinn a Gray Jedi. However, Jinn decided to remain affiliated with the Jedi Order, so I cannot fully call him one. Most follow a Gray Jedi Code, would you like to hear this code?”

“Yes.” answered Luke, already fully immersed in this new lesson.

The Twi'lek crossed his arms and began to recite,

“There is passion, yet peace

There is serenity, yet emotion

There is chaos, yet order

There is no dark without light

There is no good without evil, but evil must not be allowed to flourish

I am a guardian of balance

The Force shall be my guide.”

Luke thought back to his early journeys to other Jedi temples, around the time when the New Republic was in its infancy, “It’s as if the code was constructed with the Jedi and Sith codes as templates.” Luke noticed.

“That is precisely what happened,” Kor replied, “The Gray Jedi seek to work alongside the Force in harmony. They may use the Force as a tool like the Jedi or as a weapon like the Sith, but they follow in accordance with the Living Force to keep and maintain balance.”

Luke interrupted, confused yet again, “The Living Force? I thought there was just the Force?”

The Twi’lek shifted and began explaining, “When describing the Force, I’m sure your master must have mentioned that it is created by all living things. The Force is believed to be comprised of two main parts. The Living Force is represented by the energies of all living things, and those energies are fed into the Cosmic Force that binds the galaxy together. These, like the Light and the Dark Sides, are two sides of the same coin, in that one cannot exist without the other. Both are part of the Force, and harmoniously are.”


Luke nodded, contemplating this new information. So many cryptic things said by Yoda and Obi-Wan were starting to make sense. They never mentioned these parts of the Force, but they hinted at them in their teachings.

 

Great update and brief glimpse at Luke's "daily life" on the planet (I like how he was planning to go off world to get more supplies, it makes sense that he didn't totally isolate himself) and the description of the Grey Jedi.

 

Very nice update! It only makes sense that Luke would have nightmares of Ben's betrayal--in his place, that would haunt me too.

I'm still nervous where Master Kor is taking Luke. But letting the Gray into the Jedi is an interesting concept. Looking forward to the next update!

 

Briannakin
Jedi_Perigrine

This is where it really gets into mixing canon and legends.


----Part 3----


The avatar spoke up, “Now, Luke, shall we pick up where we left off?”

Luke cleared his mind, “Yes, of course.”

“Very well. We will now transition into the teachings of the Dark Side of the Force. I will begin with a simple breakdown of the history of the Sith, which has been added to by visitors of this holocron over the centuries.”

Luke shifted himself to a more comfortable position, eager to absorb every word.

“The Sith were originally referred to a species of sentients that were native to both Korriban and Zoist, and were enslaved by exiled Dark Jedi. Over centuries of interbreeding and the mixture of cultures between the aliens and exiles, the Sith were identified by their dedication to their philosophy which followed the Dark Side of the Force. The Sith would take on titles of Dark Lord and Darth, and usually would create a unique name different than their given one. Korriban, recently changed to Moraband, became the homeworld of the Sith and the home of the Valley of the Dark Lords. Here, tombs were built to house the remains and memorialize some of the most powerful Sith Lords. These include Ajunta Pall, Marka Ragnos, Naga Sadow, and Darth Bane, but I’m not certain if that is a complete list. Other Sith include Darth Nihilus, Darth Revan, Exar Kun, Lord Vitiate, Darth Malgus, Darth Zannah, and Ulic Qel-Droma. Some of these were Jedi turned Sith by temptation and seduction, common traits of the Dark Side. Some created empires in the name of the Sith to challenge the Republic and Jedi, such as in the case of Darth Revan, while some would build up scores of Sith in an academy to challenge and destroy the Jedi. Darth Bane ended the building up of Sith in numbers and established a Rule of Two with the philosophy of ‘One to embody the power, the other to crave it.’ The rule established that the apprentice must defeat and kill the master in lightsaber combat to truly achieve the role of the master, and then only instruct one apprentice, continuing the cycle. The last known relationships of master and apprentice of the Sith were Darth Tenebrous instructing Darth Plagueis, Plagueis instructing Darth Sidious, and Sidious instructing Darth Vader.”

“The cycle ends there.” Luke interrupted, “I defeated Darth Vader and Vader destroyed Sidious before he also died. As far as I know, the Sith have been destroyed.” He chews at his lip, unsure of the gatekeeper’s response to this new information.

“Ah, I see. Well done. I will add this to my records.” Kor responded. “Now, the Dark Side of the Force is more complex than a simple history lesson. Dark Side users draw upon power from raw emotions and feelings such as anger, greed, hatred, fear, jealousy, aggression, and passion. To the Jedi, the Dark Side of the Force is seen as a cancer or a corruption, with the Light being the true nature of the Force. The Dark Side is strong and seductive in that it can form an addiction to the power it bestows to the user. Those who use the Dark Side are also bound to serve it, and in addition, they will be transformed and destroyed by their own lust for power. The transformation is usually physically noticeable by features of aged, pale skin, a raspy or demented voice, and yellow eyes. Depending on who you talk to, there are either three or four main stages of the Dark Side: Temptation, Imperilment, Submission, and Redemption or Atonement. The fourth stage only applies to those who attain it, and true Sith do not see it as a stage at all, rather as failure as a Sith by relinquishing their power to return to the Light. Also, it is usually spoken about by Jedi. The Dark Side of the Force is seen by many as unnatural, and capable of horrific feats. Some unnatural powers include Force screams, the creation of life, Sith alchemy, or Sith magic, and Force lightning. The horrific feats include the Thought Bomb, which annihilates the entirety of Force-sensitive beings within its blast radius, and traps the spirits of the victims in a silver sphere, unable to pass into the Netherworld of the Force. There is Essence Transfer, an attempt at eternal life, which rips the spirit from an unsuspecting host so the user can transfer into a new body, destroying the old in favor of the new and banishing the destroyed spirit into the netherworld. Also, there is Force Drain, which has an extreme documented case where a Sith named Lord Vitiate consumed the entire biota of a planet and stripped the same planet from the Force itself to attain corporeal immortality. He left a void planet in his wake.”

Luke, his mouth slightly ajar from being engulfed in the stories, rested against the back of his chair. He shifted his eyes to the floor, taking in all he had heard, but Master Kor continued.

“The Dark Side, with all its abilities and power it can bring to fruition, can indeed be used in conjunction with the Light Side, I will teach you how to do this, but I must first instruct you in the ways of the Dark Side.”

“Master, I have always been taught to stray from the Dark Side in fear of how it will destroy me and dominate my life. How do you know I will not fall like Jedi before me?” Luke asked, fearing the possibility of becoming twisted like his father had been.

“I do not know that you will succeed, but if you are to embrace my teachings and become a Gray Jedi, being one of true balance and harmony in the Force, it is a risk you must take. This is your last chance to walk away, for during the next few lessons, you will be strongly tempted by the Dark Side to submit fully to it. You have already been immersed into the first stage of the Dark Side, temptation, and to continue from here, you will go into the second step, imperilment. With my guidance, I can help you stop there, and master the Dark Side as you have the Light, without full submergence. After this, using them together will be your next stretch of lessons.” The Twi’lek paused, as if he was taking a deep breath, “So, Skywalker, will you continue the lessons?”

Luke paused, contemplating his next action. If this was truly the correct way to study and use the Force, he could create another new order of Jedi, an order of True Gray Jedi, but he would be taking the ultimate risk. His heart began racing again and his thoughts ran wild, running simulation after simulation of his possible future as fast as a droid could. He had changed the course of the galaxy once already, was he willing to risk ruining all he and his friends had fought for?

“Skywalker? You’re awfully quiet.” The gatekeeper’s words pierced his mind and broke his thoughts.


Luke lifted his head to the hologram, taking a deep breath and calming himself. “Master Kor, let’s begin the next lesson.”

 

Aaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh, noooooooooo, don't do it! Good luck, Luke, you're gonna need it.

Another good update. You're building the tension nicely, and your writing is still excellent! Keep it up!

 

Great update. Luke is slowly getting deeper and deeper into this.

Nice incorporation of details from the Bane trilogy and other materials around that time period. Makes me want to re-read all that stuff.

 

Briannakin
Jedi_Perigrine



----Part 4----



“I can’t even read this nonsense. How am I supposed to…” Luke said, his words trailing off into frustration.

He sat at the elongated table, a grim expression across his face. Around him were half a dozen books, levitating nearly two meters in the air, suspended subconsciously by the Jedi. Since his lessons in the Dark Side had started, Master Kor had tasked Luke with searching through the temple archives and picking a section of Dark Side training to start with. The only problem was that since the majority of the manuscripts were thousands of years old, they were written in ancient languages Luke had never encountered.

“This is a job for Threepio, he’d be having a field day in here.” he mumbled, unfortunately also reminding himself of R2-D2. “Even a rambling protocol droid would be pleasant company.”

Luke sipped at his cup of Corellian wine. Han had given him a large case of it when Ben left with Luke several years earlier, probably as a parting gift, maybe as a stress reliever. Han did frequently mention the trouble Ben would cause on a regular basis. All Luke knew was that he was on the last bottle, and mentally noted the need for another case when he went off world for supplies. He felt alone, something that seemed impossible given the size of the galaxy, but it tore at his being and sanity as he mundanely flipped through the pages, trying to guess the topics of the text.

This was getting him nowhere. Luke had decided on a new method.

He closed his eyes, arranging all the texts in the air in front of him and moved his hands in a parting motion. The book that was left landed on the stone table, letting out a loud thud that echoed throughout the library’s arched ceiling. He stuffed the book into his pack, finished off his drink, and returned to his burner where his lunch awaited him.

--------------------​

Aboard his shuttle, Luke laid underneath his cockpit console, fiddling with a troublesome circuit that had caused problems with his maneuverability. A rapid spark came from the console, followed by a confirmation tone. Finally, he thought, not as easy as an old X-wing. He slid out and sat down in the pilot’s seat, mentally resting from the repairs. He swiveled his chair, let out a long sigh, and headed to the ramp. He felt his pack on his side, hope whatever is in this old book is worth it.

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through Luke. He fell to his knees, grabbing onto a compartment handle as he clutched his chest and his breathing became labored. He grit his teeth and squeezed onto the metal handle as his robotic hand began to disfigure it. NO, he thought, not another! Closing his eyes, he saw the cause of his pain as clear as day: a death. Along with it came a vision through the Force.

His name was Gantt Valen. When the New Republic had been formed, and Luke had begun his search for the future of the Jedi Order, Gantt was one of the first he found. A troubled teen from Christophsis, he had been discovered by Luke in Malastare’s capital city of Pixelito, wandering the marketplace in search of work, and a purpose. Luke remembered his favorite mission – traveling with the other younglings to Ilum to obtain their lightsaber crystals. His craving for excitement had evolved into ferocious leadership among the other students as he excelled in the studies. When the Knights of Ren attacked, Gantt had managed to escape aboard a shuttle with a few other students. He was hardened but selfless, a quality Luke made sure to praise when appropriate.

The boy kneeled defeated, a deep slice across the underside of his right arm. His opponents, three of them, hovered over him like acklays ready to feast on freshly killed prey. Luke recognized the dark figures instantly. Last chance, Jedi scum. Where is Skywalker? His executioner demanded. Gantt spit on his faceplate, causing the figure to quickly turn his head. He still kept his pride, and his loyalty, even until his last moments. The enemy activated his blade, the lateral vents igniting immediately afterward, and in one quick motion struck down the Padawan. Finish it, the killer ordered. The duo that observed triggered a flare and tossed it onto the lifeless corpse, which erupted into flames.


Luke gasped as the vision ended, catching his breath and adjusting back into reality. Still on the ground, he looked at his now shaking hand. Over the past two years, Luke had witnessed the deaths of the few students Gantt had managed to escape with as Ren hunted them down one by one. As dark as it was, Luke hoped that this would be the last. Each vision had scarred Luke and caused him tremendous pain. If this is what a few students feels like, how bad was Obi-Wan’s experience when he felt the horrors of Alderaan? Luke thought. Composing himself, he picks up his bag and locks up his ship as he makes his way back into the temple, head hung low.

 

This made me laugh (what a Han thing to do), but it also made me sad.

Interesting that Luke is feeling the deaths of his remaining allies. I wonder how it will affect his training.

 

Briannakin
Jedi_Perigrine


----Part 5----


Luke sat in silence, hand and mind stretched out, as the holocron’s gears turned and the gatekeeper manifested.

“Welcome back. Have you found something to study?” Kor said.

“Yes, this.” Luke replied, holding out the text.

“Ah, a Sith spellbook.” Kor stated. “I intended this to be a section we covered later on, but we can surely start here. Are you ready?”

“Might as well.” Luke said. He was still a bit unsettled from the morning’s events, but didn’t dare object the master.

“Alright. Sith magic is a cryptic form and use of the Force. It is believed that it was used even before the now known idea of the ‘Sith’ existed. Some powers include warping minds, obliterating environments, concealing one’s presence in the Force, and conjure up purely evil manifestations of the Dark Side. It can be channeled by the recitation of chants, hand gestures, and even by the handling of Force-embedded artifacts. Though the objects must be embedded with the Dark Side.”

“What do you mean by artifacts?” Luke questioned. “Can an item contain the Force?”

“Why yes,” Kor began, “just about anything can be infused with the Force. Some, such as kyber crystals, are naturally attuned to the Force and it resonates from them. Others, like that spell book you are holding, have had the Force focused into them by a Force-user, usually the creator or primary user. Some examples include various Jedi and Sith holocrons, amulets, medallions, talismans, weapons, and books. I can teach you how to do this before we move on.”

“No, master, that won’t be necessary right now.” Luke answered.

“Very well. Your lesson in Dark Side magic is a two-part test. Page one hundred and five of that book begins a section on Darth Zannah, apprentice to Darth Bane and master to Darth Cognus. She was a frequent and powerful user of sorcery. She studied Freedon Nadd’s teachings and it became one of her most powerful weapons, which she used both offensively and defensively.” Kor paused for a moment, “Do you have a device or a droid that is able to translate the text?”

Luke pulled his datapad out of his bag and looked through its available options. “Not for a language like this.” He said, “it seems to be a dead language.”

“Then a prerequisite for this test will be to translate the entire Darth Zannah section. Return when this is done.” The gatekeeper said as its image disappeared and the holocron became passive.


As he stared at the deactivated device, Luke ran potential solutions through his mind. His primary concern was his safety, and if the Jedi were to survive, his position couldn’t be compromised. However, he couldn’t complete this task without taking some sort of risk, that much was certain. He was still being hunted, but now he was sure that Leia was seeking him out in addition to Snoke and his Knights. Looking around at his quarters and supplies, he took a deep sigh as he shook his head. He knew what he had to do to continue. He cloaked himself in his hooded robe and headed off to his shuttle, uneasy about the idea he had formed, but eager to continue his training.

 

Interesting section on sorcery. But I wonder what Luke is up to. Great update.

 

Briannakin
Jedi_Perigrine



----Part 6----



Moving into a back alley, Luke removed his hood and allowed himself to breathe. It’d only been about two years but being back in society, even an obscure marketplace, felt overwhelming. Riosa was unusually warm for this time of year. The planet had undergone the accelerated first stages of climate change since the Empire’s excessive and unregulated industrialization for raw resources. The Riosan society and economy had struggled to recover since the birth of the New Republic, so naturally, more illicit entrepreneurs and cartels set up shop even within its larger cities.

Luke slowly approached a more removed market stand, hobbling along with a hand carved walking cane to both exaggerate his age and have a quick weapon just in case. He felt his lightsaber hidden on his belt. Now more than ever it was an absolute last resort. The salesman, a tall and scaly Trandoshan, was sitting behind the stand while tinkering with a faulty datapad that Luke assumed was stolen property. Suddenly, the mechanism sparked and the back panel shot in Luke’s direction, projected to whiz past his face. In a split second, he lifted his hand and gracefully caught the panel, placing it slowly on the table as he earned the Trandoshan’s attention.

The reptilian made a distinctive hissing sound before it began to speak, “Looking for something in particular, ssstranger?” his attention now fully on Luke.

“I’m looking for a droid. Something for translating text and speech, got anything?” Luke said, continuing to observe the wares on the stand to avoid eye contact.

“Not here,” the stone faced reptile said while standing up, “but I have a few back at my ssship. You could come back, say in an hour, and I’ll bring them by. Waddya say?”

“Fine with me.” Luke replied, his line of sight not leaving the assortment of junk and retired tech sprawled throughout the table.

“Name’s Freessk. Who do I tell my boss I’m taking the droids to, ya know, for insurance purposesss?”

“Wormie.” Luke said softly, reminding himself of his friends and past life on Tatooine.

“Wormie,” Freessk said with a hissing chuckle, “right.” With that, he activated his old security droid to stand over the stand as he retrieved the droids. “Ssssee you soon.”

Luke nodded and turned, scoping out a bar. He needed to relax a bit, hopefully without anyone bothering him. He was already taking an awful risk by travelling to an Inner Rim world, but staying hidden was one skill he’d nearly perfected over his life. He spotted a small cantina and headed toward the establishment, slightly waving his hand under his cloak to open the door. Once inside, Luke sighed in relief of the low lighting. Few patrons, few witnesses he thought. He ordered a small drink from the bartender and slid him a credit chip. The few viewscreens in the bar mostly showed various sports from across the galaxy, while only one showed news reports of happenings in the political field. After a short while, much to his dismay, someone approached his secluded corner booth.

“H-h-heeey, you’re d’fella that came in on dat there clunker shhhuttle,” the patron slurred, jabbing a finger into Luke’s shoulder.

“And what of it?” Luke replied, not moving his downward tilted head.

“I hadn’t seeeen one-a those inna coupla years. Had it ferlong old timer?”

“A few years. It’s reliable though.”

“Datsss no ordinary shubble, I tellyawhat… I believe I’ve seeenit before.” The man said, getting ready to sit down.

Luke could tell now that the drunk wasn’t going to leave him alone, so he decided to play along for his own amusement. “You know,” Luke started, his voice gaining some tone and a façade of interest, “it just so happens that shuttle belonged to an old diplomat from Akiva, and the last owner said that it survived an attack from an old Imperial frigate in its prime.”

The man’s eyes widened as he let out a hiccup, “Areyouforreal?!” he said, his words tumbling from his mouth in a rush of barely distinguishable syllables.

“Sure am,” Luke scoffed, “but listen,” Luke began as he took his hand and placed it in front of the man, “how about you go and take care of some personal business, and I’ll give you a tour when you get back.” As he finished the sentenced, he pushed into the man’s mind with the Force, and directed him with his hand without ever leaving the booth. The man stumbled through a push door into the washroom, crashing into a small table as he regained control of his mobility. Luke lowered his hand, swiftly finished his drink, and slipped out of the bar.

Luke returned to find the Trandoshan accompanied by a few protocol and servant droids and a Rodian clad in light armor, but he couldn’t tell if it was the boss or just a hired hand. Around them were several protocol droids, some possibly as old as Luke himself.

“Welcome back, I’m sure you’ll find the selection to your liking.” Freessk hissed. “They’re all equipped with Basic vocabulators and have the language and culture programming that came standard at asssssembly. 250 credits each.”

Luke studied the droids, looking for obvious points of dilapidation and anything that may be missing from years of sub-par treatment. “Mind if I query one?” he said, holding up his datapad, “I have a couple of specific languages I need to assure are available.”

The two salesmen exchanged a quick glance, “Feel free.” Freessk responded.

Luke approached a black RA-7 droid and inspected it swiftly. He then showed his datapad to the droid as it identified the language as Ancient Sith, indicating it knew of the language and how to translate it. He also asked simple phrases in Sullustan, Shyriiwook, and Mando'a to give the illusion that he needed a diverse droid, and to hide his true reasons for purchase.

“This one’s good.” Luke said and tossed a high value credit chip to the reptilian. “Keep the rest for your trouble.”


“Ccccertainly. Enjoy, Mister Wormie.” Freessk murmured as Luke shuffled off with the protocol droid. The Rodian mumbled something to Freessk as he chuckled, with the reptilian returning a quick nod as he led the other droids back to his ship.

 

I really enjoyed this brief interaction Luke had with other living beings. I just had to laugh at the image of Luke pretending to me an old man.

Though, it made me sad to hear Luke using "Wormie" as his alias - a remembrance of teasing of a life long ago.

 

Briannakin
Jedi_Perigrine


----Part 7----


TD-55 loaded one last crate and began to push the hoversled slowly alongside Luke. He checked the last item, a small, disassembled labor droid, off of the long list in his datapad and stuffed it back into his bag. He was eager to finally return to the temple. Luke had made sure to take full advantage of the low amount of Republic regulations when making his purchases, but everything he acquired had a specific purpose in mind. As he drew near to his assigned docking bay, he saw several people surrounding his locked ship, and he could tell that they weren’t Riosan law enforcement. He motioned for the droid to wait and counted the individuals. Five, he thought, but that’s just what I can see.

A burly, green-skinned Yinchorri with a heavy rifle strapped to its back approached Luke. He was flanked by two Weequay armed with pistols but brandishing quarterstaffs. “Leaving so soon?” the green thug said, “You’ve only been on Riosa for three days.”

“Sodek Farren I presume?” Luke said, “You’re the administrator, aren’t you? Is there a problem?” Luke had been using fake docking credentials for some time now, he feared someone may have finally caught on.

Sodek snarled, “I, along with some of the higher ups here, know what you are. Why you are here though is what we intend to find out.”

Luke tightly gripped the bulky handle of his cane and subtly tried to pry into Sodek’s mind as he spoke. He needed to know how much Sodek knew before he continued. Luke’s eyebrow arched slightly as he felt his initial push hit something, like a wall. It interrupted him and he was forced to respond without any intel. “You do?” Luke started, cautiously, “Then you must understand that my timeframe is very sensitive, administrator.”

Sodek slowly showed his jagged teeth before speaking, “I’m sure your employer can wait. Hosnian Prime is a few day’s travel, they’ll excuse you.”

Employer? Hosnian Prime? What is he talking about? Luke was truly confused now, and even more concerned. He looked back at TeeDee, standing next to the hoversled as his metal coverings sparkled in the amber colored sunset and turned back to face Sodek. He had decided to try something a little more straightforward. “True,” Luke started, “but just let us go, we aren’t worth all this effort.” He patiently anticipated a response.

Sodek crossed his arms and tilted his head, “Listen, old man, I’ve got my orders to keep you and your ship here until further notice. Besides, you’re too frail to be making any demands.”

Luke didn’t like this at all. His mind trick hadn’t failed since he had attempted to coax Jabba the Hutt, all those years ago. As the thought entered his mind, the smells of the slimy gangster’s palace came rushing back. At least then he had his friends to help. “At least allow my droid load my things aboard my ship. Then I’ll fully cooperate.”

“No can do,” the reptilian responded as he motioned to his assistants, “your possessions will be taken in as well and returned after all this is… resolved.”

Without hesitation, Luke stepped in front of the Weequay, “I don’t think so.”

Sodek laughed heartily at Luke’s words, crossing his arms again. “Are you serious? This won’t end well for you if you resist. Now, step aside.”

“I think I’ll be fine.” Luke stood his ground, once again gripping his cane.

“Fine.” Sodek stepped back and motioned, “Teach him a lesson.”

The two henchmen raised their staffs and approached Luke. However, he remained still, hooded, and was now looking down. The Weequay looked at each other in confusion until one broke the silence and attacked. He swung at Luke but his weapon was met with the walking cane, taking the attacker by surprise. He retaliated to Luke’s left, but his enhanced speed allowed Luke to strike his adversary in the ribs first, sending him to the ground. As he hit the ground, the other came at Luke with an overhead attack. Luke stepped to the side and struck the opponent in the ankle, causing him to land on the ground next to the other. Luke seamlessly whacked him in the temple and knocked him out, returning the cane to his side.

Sodek, a bit startled, began to back up as he motioned for his other two accomplices to attack. Sensing the increase in danger, Luke stepped back to the hoversled and slammed his hand on the device located in the middle. A shield, slightly larger in area than the sled, himself, and TeeDee, encompassed them as blaster fire began to be absorbed by the wall of energy.


“Blast!” Luke exclaimed as he began to realize he was trapped. His trip had gone south very quickly, and now he was the center of attention. Most of the other civilians had retreated away when the fighting had begun, and there was no way they would stick around with blasters being fired. All Luke knew was that he had to make it to his ship, but two thugs and a large Yinchorri still stood in his way, and they were all well-armed.

 

HA! I love "old" Luke in action, but I wonder how he will figure and fight his way out of his mess.

I like the third-person-limited POV. We only see what Luke sees and know what he knows, so we are left wondering why the administrator stopped Luke, and what the administrator knows, along with Luke.

 

Briannakin
Jedi_Perigrine

----Part 8----


Laser fire pelted the shield, each bolt causing the bubble to shimmer as it was absorbed. Sedok and his goons were attempting to wear down the shield rather than charge in at Luke. The mission’s end goal had changed. Survival was now the objective and at any cost. He stood within the shield as he calmed his breathing and constructed a solution. He pacified the droid, reached into a crate, and retrieved a disc-shaped device. He then tapped his datapad screen and the boarding ramp of his ship began to lower, startling one of the attackers for a quick second. “Ready, TeeDee?” he asked.

“Are you sure about this sir?” TD-55’s torso was twisting and turning in all directions as he observed each blast as it dissolved. He showed as much concern and fear that a droid could effectively show.

“Hey, you’re just pushing the lift.” Luke said, smiling to the droid.

Luke knelt down and pushed his hand through the right side of the shield. Once out, he activated and tossed the device towards Sedok. It stopped about a meter in front of the reptilian and exploded, pouring out a thick black smokescreen that enveloped all three thugs. Sedok let out a primal roar as the smoke surrounded him. He looked back to the ramp and yelled to his brutes, “Into the ship, now!”

Luke tapped TeeDee on the shoulder, “Now. Just go up the ramp and take a left until you reach an open room. Stay with the lift and don’t leave this shield.”

Luke stepped out of their defense, took a deep breath, and fell into the Force. It allowed him to sense the beings through the smoke as they headed towards his ship. He sprinted for the first foe and kneed him in the gut, sending him to the ground. He then reached his hand out towards the second and delivered a powerful Force push, which slammed the other against one of the landing legs. TeeDee was almost to the ramp as Luke decided to head inside and find Sedok before something worse happened.

Immediately Luke headed to his quarters. Once inside, he opened up a large drawer to find the grimoire sitting upon some folded clothes. He breathed a sigh of relief. If people really knew who and what he was, they could jeopardize everything. He shoved his bag into the drawer, secured it, and set his cane onto the bed. He removed his hood and took out his lightsaber as he heard TeeDee enter the room next to his. He could hear the hum of the personal shield still protecting his cargo, but he could not hear Sedok. He reached out and probed the ship, searching for signs of the large reptilian who had now invaded his home.

Then, he felt him.

The Yinchorri was near the cockpit and Luke now feared he was going to sabotage his only way off of Riosa. He calmly walked towards the front of the ship, his steps nearly inaudible as he listened for any noise from the helm. He waved his hand and activated the door, startling Sedok who jumped up from the pilot’s seat. “You’ve made a grave mistake.” Luke said as he activated his lightsaber.

They were at a standoff. Luke, with his bright green blade in front of him, and Sedok, with his heavy blaster pointed straight at the Jedi. They stood for what seemed like an eternity until the administrator broke the silence. “A… a lightsaber?”

“You sound surprised, Sedok.” Luke didn’t understand. Why would he be confused?

“Why would you have one of those?” he asked, “There aren’t any Jedi anymore. Whatever, I don’t care what the senator gave you, I need you to stand down, now. I have my orders.”

Something boiled up in Luke, something that overtook him and persuaded his movements. He quickly swung his saber parallel to Sedok and sliced through the rifle, missing the grip only by a few centimeters. He then punched the thug across the face, his hit enhanced by the anger built within. “What’s wrong Sodek? You seem different without the rifle and the henchmen.”

The reptilian’s eyes began to dart around the room, searching for a means of escape. “You’re crazy, you know that? We can end this like civil people, just turn off the sword.”

Luke chuckled a bit. “You’re not in the position to be making any demands.” He motioned towards the Yinchorri and began to choke him through the Force, and the fear that overwhelmed Sedok began to fuel Luke’s continual hold over him and give it strength. “Now, you are going to cooperate with me. You are going to tell me what you know, who you think I am, and why you have to keep me on Riosa. I won’t stop next time if you try anything.” With that, he released his grip.

Sedok fell to the floor and gasped for air as he pulled himself up with the chair. “Okay! Okay!” He collected himself, now fearing for his life. “You’re Davin Sotoria, like it says on your ship’s credentials. We believe you work for Senator Tokani and we believe you are a Republic spy sent to collect the names of the underworld leaders. She’s been trying to get the Senate to take some action here, but because of the constant bickering between the Populists and her Centrists, she can’t get anything done, much less get any enforcement out here. We intended to keep you here and find out if you were connected to Tokani and would’ve likely offered you a sum to alter your reports. I swear, that’s everything.” He was breathing heavily now, the fear increasing his heartbeat. “From the looks of that,” he said, pointing to the glowing blade, “we may have been wrong.”

Luke stood in silence for a moment. Republic spy. Senator. Hosnian Prime. It all made sense to Luke. But now, he, a Force user, had been revealed. Sedok was a witness of that. Even if he didn’t know the name, an older man with a green lightsaber would definitely be more than enough information to those who were hunting him.

“So… who are you. Are you a Jedi?”

Luke was tired. He ran the possible outcomes through his head, but no plan was perfect. Each had a difficult choice to make and he picked the one that kept him safest. “I might as well tell you.” Luke said, deactivating his lightsaber and sitting down in the pilot’s seat. Sedok sat in the opposite chair. “I’m not Davin Sotoria. I don’t work for a Senator, I’m not a Republic spy, and I couldn’t care less about things happening on Riosa. I’m Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight. I came to---”“Hold on, hold on. You’re the Luke Skywalker?!” Sedok’s eyes got big, “You mean, the Luke Skywalker that blew up the Death Star? The hero of the Rebellion and the son of Darth Vader? That Luke Skywalker?”

“You sound like a fan.” Luke responded.

“Well, you don’t exactly live through the fall of the Empire and not know about Luke Skywalker.”

Luke smirked, “That’s true. Listen, I don’t want to act like nothing happened here, but we did have a big miscommunication. Wanna grab a drink?”

“Actually, I’d like that a lot.” Sedok said. He stood up and headed out of the cockpit, Luke following behind.

“And Sedok, I’m sorry.” he said, the reptilian still turned away from Luke.

“Sorry for what?”

A high pitched squeal and hiss echoed throughout the shuttle.

Sedok grunted and looked down at the green blade of the lightsaber protruding from his chest. His muscles tightened up as he struggled with the pain, the heat from the weapon cooking his bones and flesh as it quickly cauterized the hole. As Luke deactivated the saber, Sedok falls forward and hits the ground, dead from his wound.

“Sorry.”

 

Man, that was DARK for Luke. I really enjoyed the sequence of Luke telling Sedok who he really was, pretending it all was cool, then killing him. Really exciting read!

 

Briannakin
Jedi_Perigrine


----Part 9----


Luke eased on the toggle and dropped his shuttle out of hyperspace. Before him, once again, was the deep blue world of Ahch-To. He broke through the clouds and descended towards the island that the Jedi Temple was situated on, the water surrounding it shimmering from the bright sunlight. Over the years, it seemed that either the Jedi or the temple’s explorers had managed to construct a small hanger within the side of the island that connected to the inside of the structure. Through initial scans when he first arrived, Luke could see remains of other pieces of architecture buried in the ocean’s depths surrounding the island, indicating that this temple was not alone and may have existed before hyperspace technology.

He reached over and pressed the activation switch in TD-55’s neck and the droid flickered to life. It swiveled in the seat, getting its bearings, until it blurted out, “Sir, may I ask what you did while I was shut down?”

“We just traveled from Riosa to our destination.” Luke said, bringing the ship down to the stone floor of the hangar.

“Um, sir? My query was more about why a circuit within me is missing.” TeeDee said, looking over at his new master.

“Ah.” Luke said shutting down the engines, “You had a tracking unit within you, probably from when you were owned by Freessk. I simply removed it. I can’t have somebody finding us here.” He stood up and helped the droid out of the seat and smiled, “Besides, I didn’t damage your motor core too badly.”

“My… uh… master?” But it was too late. Luke was already heading down the boarding ramp and out of the droid’s sight.

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

Nearly two hours later he was finally finished. TeeDee had moved the hoversled, which Luke realized when unloading the cargo that he had forgotten to return to the renting kiosk on Riosa, up to his quarters and they had unloaded the crates and unpacked most of the items. “TeeDee, take these two crates out to the courtyard, I’ll be out there shortly.”

“Yes sir.” With that, the black droid was off, leaving Luke alone with his next task: assembling the labor droid.

Luke unpacked the droid’s parts and the instructions and then came upon the annoying realization that the instructions were in a language he’d never come across. He headed out to the courtyard to have TeeDee translate the manual when he felt a disturbance. He looked over to a nearby island and noticed a dark storm that seemed to have brewed unnaturally quickly. His feelings told him that there was something definitely not right about that island.

“TeeDee, come back up here with me. I need you to translate these instructions so that…” He stopped, his gaze and attention being captivated by the island, “so… so that I can put together this droid.” The droid nodded and followed Luke up the stairs and back into the library.

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

“Now let’s see if this works.” Luke said, closing the manual and flipping the activation switch of the newly completed droid.

The small, silver droid awoke in a passive state, it’s systems configuring for the first time and its many gauges for all sorts of measurements began leveling out. After several minutes, the input screen on its torso lit up and the droid turned to Luke. “Greetings. Please select primary language.” Luke selected Basic. “Please select category of task. Afterward, vocal commands will be required for specification of duties.” He tapped the indicator for agriculture and the input screen went dark, only the reflected image of himself remained.

“Alright Gauge, follow me.”

“Sir?” The droid responded, obviously confused.

“Gauge. You have five of them around that screen, so I’m giving you that nickname.”

“Ah, I see. Gauge. Very well, lead the way!” The droid waddled towards Luke and followed him up the stairs and out into the courtyard where TD-55 was taking inventory of the supplies.

“TeeDee, this is Gauge. He will be aiding you in the farming.” Luke said, opening one of the crates.

“Ah, yes, very good! A pleasure to meet you.” TeeDee said, his shiny body turning towards the other droid to greet it.

“Now, TeeDee here has taken inventory and optimized the best-growing organization for the highest output while also optimizing space.” Luke said as he ejected a datacard out of the protocol droid and inserted it into the labor droid. “All seeds can be found in this crate, any needed tools in this one, and here’s a fresh supply of water. I need these planted by sundown, can you do that?”

“I will get on it right away, sir!” Gauge said, heading towards the crate containing all the seeds.

“Now,” Luke said, turning to TeeDee, “I have some text I need your help with. Follow me.”

He turned to head back into the temple when a wave of anxiousness hit him. He looked back over his shoulder to the island where the overhead clouds were producing lightning that jumped from cloud to cloud. It was nearly five kilometers away, but he could feel the aura of the island as if he was standing on its shore. He sighed, still a bit shook up by the uncertainty it had created in him, and headed back into the depths of the temple.

 

Interesting details on Ahch-To. And I quite enjoyed Luke in the company of his droids.

 

Briannakin
Jedi_Perigrine


----Part 10----


Luke reached out and activated the holocron, summoning Master Kor once again. “Welcome, Skywalker. Have you have translated the required sections of that spellbook?”


“Yes, I have. However, I would like to inquire about a nearby island first. It’s about five kilometers due north east of the temple. It radiated a feeling I had not felt since I was in the presence of the Sith Lord, Darth Sidious.” Luke said, shifting into a seated position.


The Twi’lek waited a moment before answering. “Ah, yes. That island is a hub of Dark Side aura. A Force nexus. In the earlier years of this temple, before the knowledge of possible balance of dark and light, a Jedi fell to the Dark Side and fled to that island, but the Jedi left him alone because he never tried to attack or seduce others to his ways. Several years passed until the council of that time decided to finally destroy the rogue Jedi, who had grown very powerful in the ways of the Dark Side. When they did, a large blast of energy was released from his body at death which tainted the island. Today, the power had imbedded itself into every speck of the island. What you likely noticed was a large Force storm above the island, which has become a regular occurrence since. The storms are inconsistent and are able to form and dissolve within a moments notice.”


Luke’s brain made a connection, “I encountered one of these places a long time ago, on a small swamp world.”


“There are many throughout the galaxy, usually created by the deaths or prolonged presences of practitioners of the Dark Side.” Kor said. “Now, this will tie in nicely to the topic at hand.”


“Master Kor, I’m not sure how I’m going to be able to learn from it. Darth Zannah had a natural talent for Sith magic.” Luke said, his mind not fully in the moment.


“Sith magic can be learned, but her talent existed in her ability to use it during a fight, when other Jedi and Sith would be focusing their thoughts and energy on their lightsaber handling. What you will be doing just requires the spellbook and a spell.” Kor began, “Coincidentally, you will travel to that island. There is a spell in there that you will recite: Iv Naile. This will be a trial. Success or failure is subjective, but it will be an… enlightening experience for you. Any questions?”


Luke pulled the book out of his bag and began flipping through the pages delicately. All of the translated text had been stored on his datapad, so whatever Iv Naile was, he would just find out when he arrived on the island. “What do I need for this task?


“Just the book. You will not need your lightsaber nor any supplies. You shouldn’t be on the island for long, this is a relatively short trial. Beware of the danger that the Dark Side contains. Not all who attempt this trial return.” The hologram disappeared like dust being blown by a wind and the holocron shut off, landing softly in Luke’s hand. He set it down onto the table and unfastened the hilt of his saber from his belt. He stared at it for a few moments, contemplating his upcoming trial. He then placed it on his bed and headed outside to check up on the droids.


“Gauge, I see you got everything planted and in working order.” Luke said as he came up the stairs.


“Oh, yes sir, and with several hours to spare before sunset!” The droid said excitedly as he continued to water the newly planted crops. TD-55 was packing up the crates and organizing their contents, as his programming demanded.


“Listen, when that is done, both of you are to head inside to the library. TeeDee, I left instructions for some tasks while I’m gone. I’ll be right out there,” Luke said, pointing to the dark isle, “I’ll return in just a few hours, but not after sunset.”


“Sir,” TeeDee responded, “my calculations indicate that the storm hovering over the island is of an unknown category. I highly suggest, for your safety, that you postpone your journey until it passes.”



“Well, I trust the Force to keep me safe.” Luke said, slinging his bag over his shoulder. He heard more booming thunder coming from the clouds and headed off to his ship. The droid remained silent, but its head tilted slightly at the Jedi’s words as he watched his master head off into uncertainty.

 

Hmmm. Interesting that Luke listened to his Master this time about his weapons. I'm very excited to see how the trial will go.