Saga - ST Show Me That Horizon (Last Jedi Spoilers) Luke

Major spoilers, don't read if you have seen the movie.

I don't own Star Wars if I did, well, the ending would be different to the Last Jedi.



Show Me That Horizon


He longed for peace.

Peace from the pain of a never-ending cycle of loss and pain. The powerful legacy of his family. His nephew was gone, betrayed everything in his hate an anger, willingly walking into the arms of the Dark Side. There was no peace from Luke’s own weakness, the pain that stretched across the galaxy. All because he ignited a saber.

At first, he thought the first Jedi Temple would bring him an answer, some sort of solace. Instead he’d chosen it as his purgatory. Ahch-To was the perfect place to disappear. Forgotten by all except the natives. For ten years, he learned the mysteries of his new home world. The darkness below the island countered his own resonance in the Force. Neither Snoke nor Ben could find him. And as the galaxy grew loud, he’d silenced everything by pulling away from the Force. He was once again the farm boy surviving off the land, ignorant to the galaxy around him.

Even then, he waited for death to take him.

At the edges of his perception, he felt the Force’s insistence. Felt it call for him and mourn his seclusion. Then the Force sent a girl. Strong, naïve, thinking he would have all the answers. How sorely disappointed was she when he wouldn’t even hear the questions.

Leia’s resistance was struggling. Hosninian Prime was gone, destroyed by Starkiller Base. Once again, the galaxy looked to Luke Skywalker to save the day. And the first time in a long time, he felt torn. He owed Leia everything. He owed her for the destruction of her son and the death of her husband. Because he loved her, he didn’t come to the rescue this time. So many times, his decisions had led her to near destruction.

He silenced the heroic heart of his youth and replaced it with the wisdom of age. No good came to the galaxy when Luke Skywalker interfered. It was far better for him to stay on this quiet island and fade away into memory.

The Force, Rey and the Dark Side had other ideas. The girl was persistent. And he gave a little to help her understand why he and the Jedi must end. Instead, he found himself being opened to the Force he so diligently had hidden from and with it the bitter reminder that the peace he so longed for was impossible to find in this chaotic universe. He felt the death, the fear, the urgency. And he felt Leia…

There was no where he could run from now. Even if the girl did see things his way, eventually she would tell Leia and his sister would come here herself.

What did you think, son? You left a map in Artoo, a map that led directly to you.

He closed his eyes, blew out a staggered breath. Then he feels him, Ben, almost a palpable essence. He runs to Rey and sees his nephew, touching hands with the girl. He wants to reach out. He’s afraid to reach out, terrified of what he’ll see in her mind.

And that instinct to protect, that had caused him to ignite a saber. The compassion that had stayed his hand too late.
It isn’t half what he expects. She’s him, over thirty years ago, thinking she can change the course of someone’s heart by simply loving them. By believing in a spark of goodness. She doesn’t understand that some people like to live in the dark and to what great lengths he went to, to save his father.

He would go to such lengths again, if he thought it would save Ben.

She and Chewie leave, the Falcon disappearing into the star-studded sky. He should feel relieved. Instead, he knows that Rey will lead Ben here, to his sanctuary, to his purgatory. Neither living nor dying. The Force would not welcome him to that place where Yoda, Obi-Wan and his father had gone to.

He had no choice, he had to destroy the temple that had stood for over a thousand generations, even when the Jedi had been all but extinct. Yoda beat him to destroying the tree, the birthplace in the Force, laughing at him while he did it. Even after all his years as a Jedi, he is kneeling at the feet of his Master, once more a student.

Yoda thumped him in the head and it knocked loose those blocks that had kept him from being truly himself. He’d fought all this time against the very heart of him, letting Snoke and Ben keep him from being Luke Skywalker, the man the legend was based off of.

Leia was in danger, the Resistance as nearly extinct as the Jedi. And his wayward apprentice and his lost nephew were racing to reach them first. He could bring the X-Wing from the ocean, but even if he could fire up the converters, he had no astromech to help with the navigation. He was well and truly on his own.

Not truly alone, he had the Force, and he was now listening.

His blue eyes turned to the remains of the hut Rey had been sleeping in, the hut he’d found her sitting across from Ben, a Force mirage, but one that Rey said she could touch and feel. There was a reason the first Jedi Temple had been built here. Darkness dwelled below and at the alter the lightside demanded his attention. He was willing to lay down his life as that sacrifice.

Before, he’d felt Snoke aiding Ben’s connection to Rey. Three Force-sensitives bouncing off one another. Rey the light to combat Ben’s rising darkness. Snoke was gone now, dead at Ben’s hand. The Resistance hadn’t been able to go far.

It would take all of Luke’s returning power to make it. But he could distract Ben, give the others time. First, he had a family reunion to attend to.

Sitting cross-legged on the alter, Luke reached out. It was easy to find Leia, she was like a homing beacon, a call that he was finally willing to answer. And suddenly, he was on the old Rebellion base on Crait.

“I know what you’re going to say,” she interrupted the self-flagellation he was prepared to give. “I changed my hair.”

He scoffed but on the inside, he felt her humor as a soothing balm on his soul. He knew she would never blame him. Ben had chosen his path long before Luke had ever suspected him of the Dark Side. Luke only mourned that he could not save his sister from that pain. Now, all he could offer her was another painful truth.

Strangely, though he was lightyears away, Luke felt the eyes of the Resistance fighters on him. They followed him as he made to the broken enforced door. It was time to give Kylo Ren what he wanted: the last Jedi.

“There are alternatives to fighting,” Obi-Wan’s voice drifted to him. After all, Obi-Wan gave his life to save Luke’s. Facing what Ben had become, would alleviate his own fear.

Kylo Ren ordered a volley of fire on him. He saw the lances of energy strike the earth, kicking up red salt into the air. The others were watching, their hearts set on belief. That Luke Skywalker could wipe out the First Order.

He looked at his nephew and allowed the forgiveness that Leia had offered flow over him. It was exhausting work, projecting a temporarily solid image to distract Kylo Ren, track Rey’s progress in getting to the remaining Resistance members, and send them a guide to follow. In a part of his mind’s eye, he saw Rey lead them into the Falcon.

“Just a little longer,” he whispered to himself. Physically, he could feel his heart beating rapidly in his chest, sweat trailed down his face in rivulets. The concentration it took was shredding his mind a part. The Force enveloped him, reaching out to embrace him, even as he fought to maintain his farce.

He gasped as the Millennium Falcon flew into the atmosphere and jumped into lightspeed.

The peace he’d sought for, now hummed happily in his soul. Gasping, he looked out over the crashing waves of the ocean. The sky blurred, and he was looking upon a binary sunset.

“All your life, as you looked away, to the future, to the horizon, never your mind on where you were, what you were doing.” Yoda cackled in his mind. “Young Skywalker, ready for one more adventure, are you?”

Before he’d cut himself off from the Force, he’d tried to become one with it as Obi-Wan and Yoda had. But it had been denied him. A Jedi must be at peace. What he’d sought so hard for, was given to him when he’d let go of the pain and done what he was meant to do. To step between the helpless and the evil that would subjugate it and draw the line.

He reached out one more time, kissed Leia’s forehead and brushed a hand over Rey’s shoulder. Perhaps the only kind gesture he’d given her. And to Ben…to Ben he placed a hope and a memory.

“Hey, kid,” Han’s voice was the first to greet him. “Took you long enough.”

With a breath, he opened eyes he hadn’t realized he’d closed. His old friend, aged as he was stood before him, his expression unreadable. “Han,” Luke gasped. This is the hardest apology he has make in some ways. With Leia, he could save her life, he could buy her time. With Han, there was nothing left to give. After all the times, his old friend had saved his life, he had failed to save his son.

The pain he could hardly contain in life, brought him to his knees in death. “Han,” that one syllable tore through his very soul. “Han, I…”

He felt two strong hands grasp him by each arm. “Kid, I was mad. Devastated. I wanted to hate you, but it didn’t last long. I knew if there was any hope for Ben, for Leia, we would need you. I never meant to chase you off. I went to find you, but I got a little sidetracked. I got lost.”

“Han, I can’t, I don’t know how to make this right,” Luke said, his pleading gaze dancing with trapped tears.

“The thing about this place is, kid," Han said, looking at the warm world around them. It was almost like the Temple he'd begun to build. "Things become a little clearer. I know what that moment did to you and to Ben, and I know you loved him.” Han gave a huff. “I also know that Leia and I played our part with our son. We weren’t perfect, but in the end it was Ben’s choice.”

Leia’s words decades ago, came back to him. “He’s got to follow his own path. No one can choose it for him.”

“Come on, Luke. Enough of this poodoo. If I can live with Darth Vader and find it in myself to forgive his shav, you’re a helluva lot easier. Besides, there’s some people who’ve waited a long time to meet you properly.”

Despite the tears, he smiled at his old friend. “Together again, huh?”


“Wouldn’t miss it.”

 

Beautiful, ZaraValinor. Lovely. All. Thanks for this. It was good to hear Obi-Wan in his ears during those film moments. The reunion with Han is perfect.

Nice to see you again!

 

Superb characterization and insightful Zara! Thank you for posting.

 

Darn. It. All! Luke's agony and self-doubt was so painful to see, and now to read. Like you, I wanted a different ending. But he reunited with his sister and essentially kissed her goodbye. Now, in the Netherworld of the Force, he makes peace with Han.



Thank you. I needed that after TLJ. But gosh darnit, I'm crying like a baby. Again.

 

Oh Zara, this is so beautiful! Painful, peaceful, and absolutely beautiful!
Not that I expect any less from you!

This was powerful. The idea that Luke Skywalker had cut himself off from the Force was devastating, but the way you wrote it here, how the galaxy had grown loud is such an amazing description. That he was once again the farmboy really resonated with Luke seeing the twin suns at the end.

I love that he sees himself in Rey. He probably thinks she's naive just like he was, but it's that love and hope that can really make a difference, and he's forgotten that.

This moment really touched me and added to the emotions I felt at this part in the movie. That he'd wanted that peace for so long, and once he finally let go he got it.

I love that Han was there, and forgave him! That ending was just perfect!!

Wonderful job! This story really adds depth to Luke's story in TLJ!

 

Wow. Incredible is all I can say. Nearly every line resonated deeply, and the scene with Han was simply beautiful. Amazing work!

 

This was a fantastic story Zara. You wrote it beautifully. I especially loved the ending with Han and Luke.

 

Beautiful writing, Zara. The last part with Luke and Han just... Very well done.

 

Really beautiful little story, it warms my heart to think that Luke found some peace and his "I wouldn't miss it" was a great way to end. Great stuff.

 

Sorry for the belated comment. At the time this went up, I had 23349095756 tabs open and it somehow got lost.

Anyway...

This is, hands down, one of the best fics - if not the best of the best - to have been posted during the first wave of stories inspired by The Last Jedi. It's breathtakingly beautiful and devastating at the same time. However, the beauty overpowers the sadness and the feeling of Luke's inevitable end. And tranquility sets in, just when he things that it never would. Just when he thought that he was the sole bringer of pain to the Galaxy, as opposed to the males in the bloodline, but also MANY unrelated beings before them. And this gives his ending a new dimension. I was among those weird people who loved the disillusioned!Luke, but this gives him even more depth than the film proper.

This is what makes him...curious.

This makes sense, but it's also an excuse...

Now, that's one scary conflict. Yikes!

And this is where he realises that there is Rey in him, that there is him in Rey. They might not be related, they might not be the same, but they're both driven by idealism, rather than the greater good!

I didn't even think of the latter. That was a great way to explain why he did what he eventually did!

HA! But he's not Han.

As far as I'm concerned, it could have ended here. Beautiful, just beautiful. From twin suns of Tatooine, to twin suns of Endor, to twin suns of Ahch-To. A hero's birth. A hero's highlight. A hero's end.

Not to mention that the second paragraph kind of reminds me of Hazel's end in Watership Down.

 

That was beautiful: Going through all the pain and coming to peace and forgiveness at the end. Especially the forgiveness of himself.

I love that he finds his peace, beyond the pain and the guilt.

I can't think of a better ending! That forgiveness is beautiful. Han and Luke together.at the end. Well done and well written.