Saga - ST The Jedi Begin (After TFA, spoilers) Rey, Luke, Others at will. Updated 01/21/16

I don't own Star Wars. Disney does. Shoker. Right?

Prologue:

Planets sparkled. Rey had never thought much about it, until she’d traveled to Takodana and D’Qar. The planet that suddenly coalesced in her sights as she brought the Falcon out of hyperspace, sparkled blue with spots of green. She watched it grow larger as the sublight engines and gravity pulled them further towards the planet. Surprise caught in her lungs and a brief memory of pain as she realized she recognized this planet. Kylo Ren had ripped it from her thoughts, a place she’d thought of as a refuge from the dark realty of her life and her dreams. A place to hide from his seeking probe.

One more thing that connected her to Luke Skywalker.

Chewbacca growled a question next to her.

“Yeah, I’m okay,” she muttered. Not sure if it were the truth. “Artoo, is this the place?”

The Artoo unit rocked back and forth on his treads excitedly. He’d been in constant contact with the Falcon’s navicomp, updating star charts and making alterations as fifteen plus years of galactic changes modified their course.

“Good,” she breathed.

There wasn’t much to do except take the Falcon down. She’d claim it was a guess but there was that pull. That pull that had brought her to Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber. The pull that had called to her in her sleep. The one that had called a vision of Kylo Ren and six other warriors, a dark rainy night, and being left behind on Jakku.

Don’t go! Come back!

She shook the memory and vision away. This was her hope, this was the last hope of the galaxy. Luke Skywalker would be down there and she’d bring him back. Maz Kanata had been right, she couldn’t live in the past. She had to look to the future.

Rey set the Falcon down at the base of what once had been a volcano. Ancient black rock covered in the green foliage. She sat there, looking through the viewport, giving herself a moment of peace in the sandstorm her life had been the last few of days and weeks

She felt a heavy hand fall on her shoulder. She smiled up a Chewie. He whined a question and answer.

“You sure you don’t want to come with me? He knows you,” Rey countered.

But Chewie wasn’t a Jedi nor one sensitive to the Force. Luke needed that right now. The Wookie and Artoo would wait down here, wait for the Jedi to come to them. She stepped up from the pilot’s chair and turned towards the hold. For a moment, she thought she saw Han Solo leaning against the bulkhead, one leg crossed in front of the other, giving her a smile of encouragement. Like a mirage on Jakku, he dissipated.

It wasn’t until she was outside that she noticed a staircase in white stone the lead up a building. There was something here. The people who knew him best thought he went off to find the first Jedi Temple, Han had told her and Finn. Was this it?

She slung her staff over her shoulder before taking the satchel with Skywalker’s lightsaber in it from Chewie. He gave her a hairy hug. Artoo whistled at her.

“I will,” she assured them.

The climb was painstaking and slow. She was glad she’d brought her staff as the terrain grew rocky. Time and the weather had eroded much of the building underneath. How much had Skywalker found if this was the Temple?

She paused at the apex of the staircase gathering her thoughts. She had a feeling that Luke knew she was here, that he was waiting for her. Why have her climb all this way to see him? What was he waiting for? What was she?

She finished her journey, came to the top where green grass had covered the ruin until you couldn’t even see the building underneath. There he was, his back turned to her, gazing over the ocean below. She stopped, waiting for him to turn around, to acknowledge her. On the surface, where that connection to him was shallow but powerful, she felt him a calm presence. But below, like the ocean he observed, she felt a tumult. It was a feeling inversed to her own. She was a mass of confusion on the surface. What would she do? What could she say to this man who’d she thought to be a legend, a myth? But beneath it all, she knew she was where she belonged.

Without a word, she pulled his lightsaber out, held it for him to take. He turned to face her, pulled the hood of his robe from him. She felt a pang of recognition as she saw the mechanical hand. As he caught sight of her, his blue eyes studying her, his features crumbled into a mask of anguish. Tears glimmered in his eyes. His jaw tensed with determination.

It was several moments as they gazed upon each other. She’d been prepared to fight this man, to be angry with him. Han Solo, Finn, the very first people to show her kindness and interest, had suffered greatly at Kylo Ren’s hands. If she’d felt their pain, what did Luke Skywalker feel now?

She was surprised that he made the first move. He walked forward, pushed the lightsaber away from her and towards his chest. “Fear is of the Dark Side,” he said.

Frowning, she said, “I’m not afraid.”

“I am,” he replied. “Will you help me?”

Taken aback, she could only blink at him. Through the pain, through the fear and determination, he smiled at her. “Will you come with me?”

“Yes, it is time.”

With her free hand, she reached out and took his hand. His fingers curled around hers, warm and inviting. For the first time, she understood why Finn had insisted on taking her own. It quieted so much when you had someone to help bear the burden, when you had a hand to hold.

“Then we’ll help each other.”

He moved his hand to her face, closed his eyes. There wasn’t a seeking probe, like there’d been with Ren, this was just a soft gentle brush. “Yes,” he whispered. “I do believe you’ll be good for me and me for you. I’ve been waiting for you, Rey. The Force has waited. Come there is much to do and little time.”

He was off, walking down the stairs she’d just come up. “Wait,” she called, running to the edge to catch him. He'd already disappeared. “How do you know my name?”


There wasn't an answer.

 

Oh this feels so, so good! Your voice for Rey is pitch-pitch perfect!

 

Well done, Zara.

Frowning, she said, “I’m not afraid.”

“I am,” he replied. “Will you help me?”

I love Luke's voice in this. I can understand his fear, but I am thankful he's no wracked with guilt and bitterness.

“You sure you don’t want to come with me? He knows you,” Rey countered.

But Chewie wasn’t a Jedi nor one sensitive to the Force. Luke needed that right now.

I also really enjoyed her interaction with Chewbacca. I am looking forward to Chewie have a Han/Luke combo in the pilot's chair!

 

Great job with Rey's emotions and Luke's response to her even evading her last question.

 

Thank you. And thanks for reading.

I didn't want a bitter, isolated Luke. I wanted a Luke who had his reasons. Which you'll see in the next chapter I'm working on. Poor Chewie, he needs a hug.

Yeah, Luke's being evasive. Thank you!

 

Chapter 1:

It took Rey several long minutes to find him. She'd retraced her steps to the datapad, tray and cup he'd left on the stairs. The sound of a heavy door lock cycling open caught her attention. She followed the sound, dunking into a shadowy entrance from the staircase.

“Luke?” she whispered. She felt strange here. The air was heavy, weighted with something she couldn't identify. It was the same thing that helped her in Kylo Ren's interrogation chair, it whispered her name.

“This way. Follow my voice.”

His voice was in the direction of the locking mechanism. She reached a blind hand out in the shadowy hallway. She ran her fingers along the stone wall. Slowly, she put one foot in front of the other, feeling the stone as she went. “Am I close?” she said after several long heartbeats.

“Just a little further,” Luke said.

She closed her eyes, trying to temper the frustration. Why wouldn't he talk to her? Why, even now, when she'd come all this way, was he hiding? “Luke?”

“Stop,” he told her. “Don't take another step.”

She froze, her eyes roving the dark for a sign of him or the threat she couldn't see. “Why? What's wrong?”

“Do you trust me?” he asked.

She wanted to tell him yes, didn't feel like she could say no. He was a stranger. A myth. A story she'd clung too as her own world had been bleak and dark. The rebel alliance, the Jedi. For the first time, she thought about the things she'd left behind on Jakku. He doll made of the remains of a rebel pilots flightsuit. The helmet, she'd plant on her head, imaging that she wasn't alone. She had a squadron, friends, a family.

“I need you to jump,” he said, not waiting for answer. “About a meter from where you’re standing. Jump and drop down. I'll catch you.”

“But the door...the door unlocking is straight ahead.”

“Don't worry about the door, listen to me, Rey.”

“Why? Why should I?”

“What did you come here for, Rey?” he asked instead of answered.

“I came here to find you,” she grunted, glowering into the shadow.

“Yes, and?”

“And what?”

“Why are you really here?”

“I want to know,” she finally snapped. “I can do things…things I’ve never seen anyone do. I want to know why? Ren…he said I needed a teacher.”

“Have you come to learn?”

“YES!” she was beyond frustrated now. She was used to people wanting things from her. Her junk, her mind, her body. But answers, personal answers. That was out of her experience.

“Then jump,” he told her softly.

She never knew what exactly propelled her forward, it was too much of a miasma of mixing emotions and desires. Anger, frustration, hope, longing. But she did jump. The rush of the fall stole the cry from her lips. Her eyes shut tight, she imagined that she would soon be flattened on a very hard stone floor.

Something reached out to cradle her. It didn’t stop the fall, but it slowed it, almost until she thought she was as light as a steelpeck feather. Her feet hit the ground softly, she didn’t open her eyes. Some part of her was sure that if she did the surreal dream would shatter and she’d be back on Jakku, waiting for someone who wasn’t ever coming. Hands, warm, rough – she could tell by the way they snagged on her vest – held her shoulders.

"What was that?"

"A test. I needed to know if you were here to learn or to be instructed," Luke said. "Open your eyes, Rey."

She looked around, there was a flood of pale white light from overhead and Luke was smiling mischievously. Half way tempted to slap him, she turned around in the circular room he’d brought her too. It was an archive. A very old archival computer that she wasn’t sure how Skywalker had managed to get it to run. Vertical blue lights stood from floor to ceiling in black storage cans. On a nearby table there was a stack of datapad like the one she’d found near the top of the climb. Even more ancient was the writing on some animal hide that had been laid out over the table. It was in a language she didn’t recognize.

But most of all, she felt the Force. If that’s what had been drawing her to Luke and this island. She felt it as a palpable essence, like desert heat. She could breathe it in, feel it flutter over the edges of her skin and into the marrow of her bone, she could almost taste it.

“Where are we?”

He came to stand in the middle of the room, his arms outstretched. “This is the Jedi’s legacy. Every scrap of information and data on the Force and the Jedi I was able to find in the last thirteen years.”

“It feels wonderful,” she said, giddy and quickly forgetting she was angry with him.

“Yes it does. I warn you, there is another room where I keep the stuff that feels not so wonderful. The Jedi were not the only ones who maintained their history. I’ve destroyed some of it. I wish I could destroy the rest, but Snoke…,” he drew off, his brow furrowed in remembered trauma. “He has hundreds of years on me. Hundreds of years on the dark side. I was ill-prepared when he emerged, I will not be so again.”

Understanding dawned on her. “That’s the reason you left.”

“One of the many,” he assured. “I’d also lost my nephew, my students, my friends. I stayed to watch that loss tear my sister and her husband apart. We were being hunted. I knew the longer I stayed, the worse it would be for them. Snoke and his Knights of Ren wanted me dead. A sign that the dark side had finally won.”

“So you vanished?”

He sat at his desk, rummaging through datapads and film sheets. “Not immediately. I dissolved. I’ve heard the rumors, but there were many reports of people seeing me throughout the galaxy. Most of those reports were true. I needed a plan. It took some doing, but I eventually found the map to this place. Leia had a contact who had worshipped the Force back on Alderaan during the Empire years and I left THE piece of it with him.”

Rey’s mind whirled with all of this information. She’d marveled when Han had told and Finn that Skywalker was real, that all the heroic stories were true. “The?” she asked.

Luke gave a nonchalant shrug. “I found the map in the old Imperial archives. I cut the most vital data out and left the rest for Snoke and Kylo Ren to agonize over. I left the rest with Lor San Tekka and put a copy of the same data the new Order had with Artoo, set him on low-power mode until the time was right. I knew that there would be others, Force-sensitives, who I would soon be able to protect from Snoke’s influence.”

“Ren almost got the map. Why would you leave that monster with a taste of victory?”

The Jedi’s face grew sad and distant. “He was not always a monster. And it is not written that he stay that way. If his heart had changed, I wanted him to know that there was a way back.”

“And now?” she demanded. “He killed Han Solo. His father.”

She might as well have struck him with the lightsaber that was still tightly clenched in her hand, turning the knuckles white. Tears burgeoned once again in his blue eyes. He swallowed. “That is a pain not easily remedied. I know you cared for Han. He was my brother. I loved him. Ren and you might believe Han lost that day, but he was the true victor. He gave his life for his son. Kylo Ren thought by killing his father he had dispelled the last of Ben Solo, but the truth was he only deepened his conflict. It allowed you to survive your confrontation with him. So you might say Han’s sacrifice saved you as well.”

Her eyes widened. “You know about that?”

“I’ve been feeling you for a while, Rey. I imagine you’ve felt it also. You had a map to me, but I had none to you. I only hoped the will of the Force would bring us together.” He stood and walked over to her. He put a hand to her cheek, wiped a tear that she hadn’t realized had fallen. “I’m sorry it was at such a high cost.”

She gave a half-smile through the tears. “He offered me a job.”

“I think you gave him a gift. You lead him to Leia. That was a reunion they both needed to have.”

“She needs you too,” Rey reminded. “You should have seen her when we put the map together.”

“She’s always been strong,” Luke commented. “But even the sturdiest pole will collapse without support.” He huffed a sigh. “You brought Artoo with you, correct?’

She nodded. “And Chewbacca.”


“Then let us begin.”

 

A wonderful "test" to see if Rey really came to learn. And she did! Aha! That is why Luke "disappeared." To safeguard a legacy and keep the enemy from an ultimate uncontested victory. A very interesting perspective on Han's sacrifice and what it does to Kylo, deepening his conflict - and at the same time enabling Rey to survive. Hmmm.

I love the dynamic you have here. Everything is so intelligent and well-thought out.

 

Great introspective revelations by Luke as to why he left and now it is time to get Rey started on her path towards becoming a Jedi.

 

Nice continuation from the end of TFA. I wish Luke had said something. Something enigmatic that would put us all in a tizzy. Oh well. Nicely written! I look forward to reading more.

 

Very nice. I liked Luke's perspective on what killing his father might have/has the potential to have on Ben. To think it might be the thing that saves him in the end rather than pushing him further into darkness is a compelling idea. As long as there is conflict, he can be saved. Hopefully, Luke and Rey can help that along.

Wonderful.

 

great start, looking forward to more

 

Well written. So it doesnt look like rey is Lukes daughter in this version?

 

What a fantastic follow up to your Prologue, Zara. It is well written, thought provoking, evocative, and answers questions, too!

"A test. I needed to know if you were here to learn or to be instructed," Luke said. "Open your eyes, Rey."

Nice distinction. Very Luke. I love is wisdom in this.

The Jedi’s face grew sad and distant. “He was not always a monster. And it is not written that he stay that way. If his heart had changed, I wanted him to know that there was a way back.”

Luke is the man, the myth, and the legend. You present the Luke I want to meet on screen. I'm torn about Kylo's potential redemption. It will have to get worse before it gets better.

“That is a pain not easily remedied. I know you cared for Han. He was my brother. I loved him. Ren and you might believe Han lost that day, but he was the true victor. He gave his life for his son. Kylo Ren thought by killing his father he had dispelled the last of Ben Solo, but the truth was he only deepened his conflict. It allowed you to survive your confrontation with him. So you might say Han’s sacrifice saved you as well.”

Thanks for this. I was pleased to see Luke refer to Han as his brother. I was, again, bowled over by Luke's wisdom and channeling of Obi-Yoda.

 

Brilliant fic. I was drawn in immediately.

This Luke here will be indeed a match for Snoke. He is wise in years now. Even personal losses & absolute solitude sharpened him.

I also like your description of Rey.

 

Yeah, i really needed Luke to have a reason. Not that he just went off into exile cause he felt so bad. He needed to be acting. Doing something.

Yes, that will be in the chapter after this one. Thank you.

Me too. I wanted him to speak. I wanted her to speak. Somebody say something.

Thank you. We have to save Ben. Han couldn't have sacrificed himself for nothing.

Thank you.

You'll have to wait and see.

Luke would definitely be affected by Han's death. If one of them was hurt, missing, in trouble, the other came after them. And Luke has a lot of great people to learn wisdom from.

I'm glad you like it. Luke's training was intense but brief there was no way Yoda could cover everything. I imagined Snoke would have been a surprise.




Chapter 2:

Healing trances were supposed to be calming, restive, Kylo Ren found this one to be anything but. The blaster burn at his side and the lightsaber slash on his face hissed with pain. He felt cracked and withered, his connection to the Force a static ebb and flow, like the power racing through his shattered crystal.

He was supposed to be powerful, the most powerful Knight of Ren, the personal apprentice to Supreme Leader Snoke. He’d been beaten by a novice. A gifted one, but a novice nonetheless.

And to add insult to injury he’d been rescued by that sycophant Hux.

It doesn’t have to be this way, Ben. Go back to Luke,

“Shut up,” he growled between clenched teeth.

He didn’t know how it was possible. It shouldn’t have been. His father had never been strong with the Force. But he was there, a ghost haunting him on the edge of his perception. This was not his victory. He had not shut out the light as he’d promised his grandfather. His father had almost reached him, he’d been on the edge between dark and light.

It almost seemed as though his lightsaber had ignited by itself. He’d made his decision 12 years ago. Everything he’d done leading up to that moment, he could not completely turn away from it. His father had helped him. He’d given his life.

So if he’d given his life so readily for him, why did he still cling to it? Why did he feel his presence and his constant badgering?

I lived with Jedi for a good part of my life, kid. You didn’t think I’d pick up a few tricks?

Was this Luke Skywalker taunting him? Some sort of trick or mirage? The sentiment that had caused Darth Vader to abandon his quest and save his only son.

Sorry, son, Luke’s busy right now.

“The girl?” he asked disdainfully. His father didn’t answer. “So she’s found him.” It irked him even more to know that she’d gained another advantage over him. “I hope she enjoys her time with him, for she is bound for the Supreme Leader.”

I failed, he thought. And now I must prove my worth to the Supreme Leader.

Son

“Father?” And he hated the yearning in that single word.

I warned you. Snoke will crush you when he’s through.

“You don’t understand. You never did.”
I was there, wasn’t I? The moment you gave in. Funny that it was then, in your hope to save me, we were ruined, kid.

Ren squeezed his already shut eyes. A futile attempt to block a memory that could not be denied. He’d been twelve, there’d been an earthquake and he and his father had been caught underneath crumbling prefab. He’d heard Snoke’s voice before, in his head, encouraging, taunting. But it was then that he’d truly listened, the first time he’d followed and obeyed. He’d seen his father, lying in the rubble, unconscious, bleeding profusely from a head wound. He’d been so frightened.

“Snoke was the reason I saved your life that day,” he muttered.

He’s the reason I lost my life, my son, my wife.

“Why are you here?” Ren demanded. “What is the point of this?”

Snoke got his chance to whisper at you. Now it’s mine and you will listen, junior.

“Gah,” Ren snapped and jerked himself out of his healing trance. The hissing of his wounds turned to a roar and he clutched at the blaster burn. Through the black of his robe, he felt wetness. He looked at the red viscous blood on his fingers. He’d pulled the wound open.

He waited in the silence of the room, cocked an ear to hear his father's phantom voice. Nothing. Sagging, he pressed a hand to his wound, doing his best to stave off the blood flow. Looking to the ceiling, he tried to temper his ire, the riptide of emotions that threatened to suck him in. His fear that day, the fear that he and his father would die underneath a mountain of rubble had given him the ability to save them both. Snoke had been right. This was his destiny. He would finish what Darth Vader started. He'd bring order to this chaotic galaxy.

He looked at his meditation bench. He would not delve too deeply into the Force again. Which meant, he'd have to go to the medical bay.

Before he left, he placed his helmet upon his head, raised the hood of his robe. That simple act, strengthened him. He never went out of his quarters without them. This was the face of Kylo the Knight of Ren. This was who he was struggling so hard to be. Not the man with the face of his father and the coloring of his mother.

The halls of the Star Destroyer were nearly empty and he quickly made it to the medic. She was a tall, thin dark skinned woman. Her hair was swept back in a knot, her medical uniform, crisp, clean. Everything expected of a member of the First Order.

“How may I help...,”she stuttered to a halt once she saw him. He never came to the medical wing. “Knight Ren, I didn't expect you. How may I help you?”

“I was wounded during the escape off Starkiller base. I have need of your assistance.”

Her eyebrows hiked up her forehead, but she refrained from commenting. Her dark eyes scanned him over, paused at his hand still pressed to his side. “Remove your rob and I'll take a look.”

He managed to lift the robe over his mask, keeping the persona viable, though she saw the flesh of a living man. Her hands pressed against the wound, he held his breath to keep from crying out.

“It's infected,” she said. “You should have come to me sooner.”

“Can you fix it or not?”

“Let me get you something for the pain,” she answered.

“No anesthetic.”

“But...”

“Are you questioning me?”

“No, of course not.”

The pain as she worked on the wound was somehow cleansing. He set his jaw and led the pain roll over him, leaving him trembling but upright. She sealed the wound with bacta and synthiflesh. He'd just have to live with the burn on his face. No one would see it anyway.

As she was finishing General Hux's pinched voice came over the the intercom. “Knight Ren to the bridge, Knight Ren to the bridge.”

---

Finn woke to a haze of pain and heat. His back felt crisp and brittle, dried out. He worked his mouth, tasting the bitter sweetness of a full bacta submersion. His tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth. Something bright was piercing through his eyelids. It hurt to think. He wanted to fall back into the oblivion of sleep, but he was so thirsty.

He tried to talk, to peak an eye open, but all he did was grunt and squint.

“Easy buddy,” a familiar voice cut through his delirium. “Lay back, I'll get you some water.”

It took him a moment to remember why he was in his current predicament. Several more passed before he remembered the name that belonged to the familiar voice. “Poe,” he asked, his voice cracking.

“Yeah, buddy,” Poe said. “Here, open your mouth.”

Something blessedly cool and wet dropped into it. Ice. Finn was sure he'd never tasted anything better in his life. He grunted his thanks as he sucked the ice cube to nothingness. He wanted another, but there was a more pressing matter.

“Rey?”

A comforting hand squeezed his good shoulder. “She's fine, Finn. She made it out against Ren.”

“Good,” he muttered. “Where is she?”

“We completed the map to the Jedi,” Poe explained after a moment’s hesitation. “She went to bring Skywalker back.”

Hurt disappointment struck a desolate chord with the pain. After everything they’d been through, she’d left him on the Resistance base. Of course, he’d tried to leave first. But right now, feeling like poodoo stuck to the bottom of his boots, he wasn’t particularly feeling reasonable.

He forced his eyes open and found Poe starring down on him in concern. “Did she go alone?”

“No, Chewbacca and Skywalker’s Artoo unit went with her.”

“He powered up?”

“Yeah. He had the rest of the map. The General’s pretty excited about it. She’s put everyone on high alert.” He gave a crocked grin. “I think we’re all a little punchy. With Starkiller Base destroyed, the First Order retreated.”

Finn shook his head against the pillow. “That won’t last long.”

“That’s what the General said. We’ve been trying to contact Coruscant, see if there are any senators who might have fled there from the destruction of the Hosnian System. It’s been slow going.”

“We can’t stay here.”

“The Admiral and the General have sent out scouts looking for a base for us to relocate. When the First Order comes back, they’ll light this place up. Speaking of which, when you’re feeling better, the General wants your opinion on the possible base locations.”

Finn nodded, easing a little into the cool pads beneath. They must have put him in a nutrient bed. His skin itched like mad.

He gave a wry grin. Imagine that. Someone who valued his thoughts, who thought he contributed. He’d found himself automatically liking General Leia Organa. It hadn’t hurt that she’d praised his actions in saving Poe. He’d felt crucial, essential. Not another mindless, faceless mask in the horde. He blinked up at the ceiling, wondering how the woman continued so strongly after the murder of her husband but their son’s hand.

“How is she? The General?”

“She’s doing well,” a voice interrupted. Leia Organa stood at the entrance of the med bay, her eyes soft but shadowed. Finn was struck that she was still very beautiful, but sad. He tried to sit up, but she stopped him with a hand. “You’re supposed to be resting. I heard you were awake and wanted to see how you’re doing.”

“Sore, but good,” he assured her.

She gave him a look that told him she knew better. He respected her all the more for not calling him out on it. “The medic’s tell me you should be up on your feet in a couple of days. The nutrient bed has almost healed the skin completely.”

He breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good.” He remembered those last moments. Rey knocked unconscious, the lightsaber foreign in its strange balance. He was sure he was dead at the end. “That’s good.”

Poe brought a chair for her and the General, who looked as though she hadn’t slept since he’d left with Han, settled slowly into the chair. “I don’t want to push you, but do you know what you want to do when you’re healed?”

He could run. Or try to run again. There was a certain appeal to being his own man, not bound to a single group or cause. A man who could bounce from planet to planet, tasting, touching, and living on the worlds the First Order and the New Republic had deemed as their own. But as he gazed on Leia Organa, who’d given her entire life to bringing freedom back to the galaxy, bringing hope to a people who could not imagine what it was like being known by a designated number, that life seemed empty and hollow.

He grinned at the General. “I was kinda hoping to sign up with you. Be a Resistance fighter. I could be the face of the resistance.”

She laughed, dispelling the fatigue, the shadows and the grief. “I believe you could. It’s not an easy life. I was an Imperial senator when I started working for the Rebellion. You might be able to communicate with those members of the New Order on a more personal basis than the rest of us. You and I have much in common, Finn.”

Poe clapped his hands together. “I’ll bring you the orientation guide, our list of passcodes, anything the scouts have sent. You can go over this while you’re healing then we can get you in a cockpit.”

Finn’s eyes widened. “Woah, I don’t think I’m much for flying.”


Leia grinned as the two men continued to argue the point.

 

I like the idea of Han getting into Ben's head. He has a chance to turn him back this way I think

More soon

 

Wow, that scene with Ren - very interesting. Woot, Finn's thoughts and observations and final decision. Leia it appears is inspiring of loyalty even without trying.

 

Han being able to communicate with his son makes perfect sense and I hope that will be the reason that he ultimately changes his ways; of course it will probably take a while before that happens. Like that Finn is joining the Resistance to better himself and be somebody.

 

forgot to ask but can you tag me when you update

 

Love this start, please let me know when you update this

 

Nicely done, Zara. I enjoyed catching up with Kylo and Finn.


He didn’t know how it was possible. It shouldn’t have been. His father had never been strong with the Force. But he was there, a ghost haunting him on the edge of his perception. This was not his victory. He had not shut out the light as he’d promised his grandfather. His father had almost reached him, he’d been on the edge between dark and light.

This is my first Kylo pov. I am rather pleased that Han is dogging him in his head. So much for his grand plan to shut out the light.

Hurt disappointment struck a desolate chord with the pain. After everything they’d been through, she’d left him on the Resistance base. Of course, he’d tried to leave first. But right now, feeling like poodoo stuck to the bottom of his boots, he wasn’t particularly feeling reasonable.

It makes sense that Finn would feel this way. The connection between Finn and Rey was so fast and so strong that it would hurt to have it broken. I am happy to see that Poe has his back.

Poe clapped his hands together. “I’ll bring you the orientation guide, our list of passcodes, anything the scouts have sent. You can go over this while you’re healing then we can get you in a cockpit.”

A funny thing about Poe is that there is no arrogance or cockiness. He is genuine through and through. I love that about him.

 

It occurred to me that the now-closed excerpts thread could be a resource to finding stuff that I had missed, and your scene with Kylo trying to heal himself, drew me in, and made me want to experience the entire fic.

So started at the top, standard fare, then

The Artoo unit rocked back and forth on his treads excitedly. He’d been in constant contact with the Falcon’s navicomp, updating star charts and making alterations as fifteen plus years of galactic changes modified their course.

had me thinking, Hello, someone has put some thought into this.

Sole mis-step for me, with Rey being the one to bring the 'Falcon out of hyperspace, seeing as she has never done it before, and told Finn that she had never piloted off-world before.

Otherwise, good interaction with Chewbacca.

I liked the reasoning for Luke to have disappeared, gathering jedi artifacts and knowledge. Nice mixture, datapads at one end, an animal skin over a table at the other.


Great, great idea to have Han Solo still appearing to his son, and I felt a pang of consternation at the initial sign that it was an attempt to save Han, that Snoke used to turn the lad.

It is one thing to hear that someone is "seduced to the Dark Side", but even with seeing it played out on film in Revenge of the Sith, that Anakin did it to save his wife; I think you are the first additional writer either in fanfic or profic circles to do that aspect of seduction.

We are so easy to believe that Ben Solo got annoyed with his parents; I myself thought that being dragged from pampered civilisation to wear scratchy robes, and live isolated on Yavin, was what tipped him over the edge, and you put in an earthquake, an injured parent and a frightened child.



Ren squeezed his already shut eyes. A futile attempt to block a memory that could not be denied. He’d been twelve, there’d been an earthquake and he and his father had been caught underneath crumbling prefab. He’d heard Snoke’s voice before, in his head, encouraging, taunting. But it was then that he’d truly listened, the first time he’d followed and obeyed. He’d seen his father, lying in the rubble, unconscious, bleeding profusely from a head wound. He’d been so frightened.

This resonated with an experience of mine, with me having two decades on Ben. You never stop being frightened.

Kylo dealing with his wound after it re-opened, then realising he had to go to medbay, and then his interaction with the medic, well described and interplayed.

She would automatically say she would get something for the pain. Ren would enquire if she was questioning him.

I did enjoy seeing his continued struggles to maintain a larger-than-life persona, never leaving his quarters without his helmet, and trying to stop the medic from seeing his face, but conceding that she would see the skinny pale torso of a mortal man. I would have thought that life as a rough-and-tumble small boy would have acquainted him with the SW equivalent of plasters, eg. bacta patches or strips, and enable him to ask the medic if he could have some (eg. for his face.)

I was annoyed with General Hux' PA call. You know the man is injured; what the heck are you playing at?


The Finn recovery was the most enjoyable piece. Thank you for covering all the bases - Rey and Luke, Kylo, and now Finn.

Granted, Poe probably did not see a way back from being taken aboard the Finaliser, but he is really making a lot of effort with his injured pal, hanging around his hospital bed. Leia too, great attention to her charges.

Come to think of it, though, I suppose Chewbacca and Finn were the only non-fatal friendly casualties in TFA.

Nice touch, having her come and ask, "So, what are your plans once you have healed?" Finn's reason for staying, did not, for me, feel enough to throw away his ideal of bounce from planet to planet, tasting, touching, and living on the worlds the First Order and the New Republic had deemed as their own, but that boat has sailed now.

A very pleasant, very good, piece of writing. I will try to look in on future instalments.