Hey all! I was hit with this concept the other day when reflecting on Episode VII and decided to note it down. Please let me know what you think, whether it is a review, criticism or ideas to expand upon. All feedback is appreciated!
Just a quick note:
-This is a direct continuation from The Force Awakens, so expect some spoilers from that film.
Synopsis: Rey has finally found Luke, the legendary Jedi Master. But he's not like the stories she's heard. He's a broken shell of a man, with no spirit, no motivation, and no…voice?
Rey was astounded. The island was beautiful. She had found it hard to believe that there was so much green in the entire galaxy when she saw the lush forests of Takodana, but the vast ocean stretching out before her, as far as her eyes could see, took her breath away. It was beautiful. This whole planet was beautiful. Rey wished that she could attach a name to the beauty, but the planet was uncharted, its name lost through the stretches of time.
She wandered up the rocky stairs for what felt like forever, not that she minded. She was too busy drinking in the view, marvelling at how different it was to the barren wastelands of Jakku. She unconsciously slowed her pace slightly as she reached the top, butterflies making themselves present in her stomach. She was nervous. What if Luke wouldn't help her? What if she couldn't convince him to come back to civilisation? Rey was so caught up in her thoughts that it took her a moment to notice the person stood before her.
The figure had their back to her. They wore a beige robe, hood concealing their face from her. Could this be him? Or could there be other forms of life on this planet? An endless number of questions ran through her mind as the figure twitched their head slightly, as if they had only just noticed her presence. They slowly turned, reaching both arms up to remove their hood, revealing an aging man. Bearded, with a desolate look on his face and a…synthetic right hand? This had to be him. He matched General Leia's description. It was the great Jedi Master Luke Skywalker!
Rey quickly reached into her pack, fumbling around in search for…ah! She pulled the object out, reaching out to the Jedi, silently presenting him with his old lightsaber.
Luke wordlessly tilted his head, regarding the weapon for a second before focusing his attention on her. He stared at her. Through her. Rey felt as if he was reading her on so many levels. Assessing her. After a long pause he smiled slightly. She considered it a good sign. She apprehensively opened her mouth to speak, dropping her outstretched hand in the process.
"I…I'm here because I need your help. The Resistance needs your help…" She trailed off slightly, unsure of how to continue. "…We recently struck a great blow to the First Order, but they're still just as powerful as ever. And we…we lost Han Solo. He was murdered by…by Kylo Ren…" She watched his reaction intently, noticing the brief pained expression that entered his face. She was surprised by the lack of shock though. Did he already know about Han's demise? "General Leia…she needs you…we all need you…"
Rey briefly dropped her gaze to the floor, quickly reconnecting her eye-line to the Jedi Master's, desperately waiting for his verbal response. It didn't come.
Luke opened his mouth slightly, seemingly in an attempt to speak. No sound emerged. A dismayed expression entered his face as he closed his mouth again. He gazed at her intently, his face a mixture of emotions. Rey was confused. Why would he not speak to her? Did he not know what to say? She realised that she had just dropped a ton of news on a man who had spent the past thirty years separated from the rest of the galaxy. But maybe it was more than that. Maybe he could not speak?
Rey began to feel a slight itching feeling inside of her skull as she completed on Luke's behaviour. Panic rose inside of her. She hadn't felt something like that since…since Kylo Ren had attempted to invade her mind. Rey squeezed her eyes tightly shut as she attempted to push the invading force out of her head.
The presence persevered. It softly pushed against her, gently wading through the flood of forceful emotions she threw at it as she tried to repel it from her head. Her terror continued to rise as she threw everything she had at the force, unable to purge it from her mind.
After a few moments of excruciating concentration, she paused. This presence felt different. Kylo Ren was all strength, forcing his way into her mind. This felt different. It felt almost…gentle.
Rey opened her eyes, looking over to Luke to see an expression of encouragement on his face, eyes sparking with hope. She took it as a good sign. Perhaps it was the Jedi Master himself…she hesitated for a moment, doubt unsettling her stomach, before relaxing her mind, opening it to the alien presence.
A voice gently trickled through her mind. To say that she heard it would be a misconception, as it was a weird mixture between presence and feeling. She spent a moment trying to define it before actually taking notice of what the Jedi Master was saying.
"There's no need to be frightened, child."
Her face relaxed a little at that, encouraging Luke onwards.
"You've come a long way."
Trust a Jedi to state the obvious and make it sound cryptic. She shook her head, smiling to herself. The older man seemed to take this as a sign of encouragement.
"You seek help. Both for yourself and for your friends…"
The Jedi Master's face grimaced.
"…but I cannot provide it."
Rey tried to hide her disappointment, instantly knowing she had failed as soon as her eyes met the elder Jedi's. He seemed to be able to read her as if he'd known her his entire life. It both comforted and unnerved her at once.
"Luke…uh…Master Skywalker…please…the Resistance needs you!" Her voice came out high and whiny. Was that really what she sounded like? It suddenly hit her how much she truly needed him. How much they all needed him. Without the Jedi there could be no balance and without Luke and his knowledge of the Force Rey was nothing. She could feel the pain washing off of him when he next spoke in her mind.
"I wish I had the strength to return alongside you child. I really do. But I cannot. I cannot face them anymore. I am tired of the constant fight. I no longer have strength to face them. Not anymore…"
His presence faded for a second as he seemed to choke with emotion, his face contorting in pain. Rey had never felt such sorrow emit from another before, instantly feeling ashamed for causing him to feel that way. It couldn't have been easy, going through what he had. Spending the last thirty years isolated after experiencing the biggest tragedy of his life. Spending them isolated in his own mind. She dropped her head once more, glaring intently at the grass below her as she struggled through her thoughts. She had to get his help. One way or another. Without him there was no battle. The fight was already over. The First Order had already won.
She looked back up, meeting his eyes once again. She held nothing back, revealing everything to the Jedi Master. Her pain. Her anger. Her joy. Her hope. Her faith in the Resistance and in him. If he could have only read her on a surface level before then she was an open book to him now. She opened her mouth to speak, knowing that she had his undivided attention.
"You may not have the strength to fight anymore…but I do! If you can't face coming back then I won't force you to, but I still need you! If you'll train me in the ways of the Force then I'll…I promise that I'll succeed! I promise that I will make you proud!" She raised her arm up again, holding the lightsaber out to him.
Apprehension flashed across the Jedi Master's face as he regarded her once more. She caught a single phrase flashing through her mind, one that she instantly knew that she wasn't supposed to hear: "this cannot happen again!"
After what felt like a lifetime of silence his voice graced her mind once more.
"Keep the saber child. You'll need it if you are to become a Jedi."
Perhaps there was hope after all.
Just a few notes to explain where I'm coming from:
-So much hope! This seems to be becoming a recurring theme in my fics,
-I drew inspiration for the initial concept for this fic after reading Vitaliciouscreations awesome Spider-Man fanfic: Reintroducing Hope. I thought that the concept of Luke losing his voice from the tragedy of his previous Jedi Academy's fate was an interesting one, and a good way for him and Rey to connect. Hopefully people find it interesting at the very least.
-I know I focused a fair bit on Rey's observation of the landscape, but I feel as if that is part of her characteristics: the wonder that she sees in the world around her.
-I initially planned this as a one-shot before developing a loose story around it where we saw Luke coming back and having to communicate through Rey to the rest of the Resistance, but after completing the first chapter and reviewing it I felt that this worked better as a one shot.