The war was over, the First Order and the Knights of Ren were defeated. The Resistance, like the Rebel Alliance before them loved a good celebratory party. Luke's mind was far from the celebrations though. If he learned anything from the lessons of the past is that the Sith will never be truly defeated.
Because of that, he had to make sure that the future generations would have Jedi to protect them and guard them from the Dark Side. As the oldest living Jedi, it was up to him to train new ones and re-establish the Order. Much like he was trying to do at the end of the last war he was involved in.
He sighed. He was getting too old for this.
True, he could become one with the Force like both his masters and his father before him. But he found that spectres did not make good teachers. True he had Rey to help him, but her training wasn't as complete as he would have liked.
It took years to become a proper Jedi Knight, her rushed training was called for in the war. But now that they had time, she had to be taught properly.
Perhaps he could get Ben to help.
Ben Solo, also known as Kylo Ren. His nephew and the Resistance's sleeper agent, returned to them at the end of the war. Luke had no idea that he was playing double agent at all. It was a plan that his sister and nephew concocted all on their own. Han was only let in on the plan just before he faked his death.
Luke figured that he could ask Ben to assist with the rest of Rey's training, but he had to keep in mind that his nephew still needed more training as well. Perhaps they could train together while they went off in search of younglings in need of training or Force-sensitive children whose abilities were only beginning to manifest.
Who was he kidding? The two would probably kill him then each other if he even suggested that they work together. At this point, where the war is still so fresh in their minds, they probably would wonder at his sanity if he even suggested it.
Not that they didn't already. Exile wasn't as fun as Master Yoda and Old Ben made it look. Having Force-ghosts for company didn't make it any better either.
"Credit for your thoughts?" Leia said as she took a seat next to him. "You really should lighten up Luke, you were like this after we overthrew the Empire too."
"The Jedi have no emotion," he tried to evade her question, but she wasn't going to have any of it.
"Only peace," she supplied, giving him an exasperated look. "Yes, yes, we've all heard that before. But seriously Luke, what's on your mind?"
"The Sith," he answered. Leia might not have been trained to use the Force, but over the course of her life she had been a Princess, a general, a mother, and not to mention, Han Solo's wife. No matter how hard he tried, Luke would never be able to pull the wool over her eyes.
"We just defeated the Sith," she reminded him, taking his face in her hands. "You deserve a break from all that too, you know?"
"We may have brought down Snoke," Luke said, covering one of Leia's hands with his real one and leaning into her palm. "But the Dark Side will always be there. New Jedi should be trained to prepare for that."
"Did you have visions of the future again?" She asked, tousling his hair with the hand that he wasn't holding onto. "Visions that scared you farm-boy?"
"Not as such no," he removed both of her hands from his person. Honestly, old as they were Leia still loved to bring up the fact that he grew up in the backwater planet that was Tatooine. "But history teaches us never to underestimate the Sith. The Jedi were almost obliterated twice. We should use what time we have to rebuild."
"We're all going to be rebuilding," Leia said suddenly serious. "The First Order was just doing what the Empire did. The same ideologies and creed for a newer generation, yet it grew to become what it was. The people weren't ready for the freedom we won for them. Hopefully now they are."
Luke nodded. His sister was right, as she usually was. In any case, they would be working towards a common goal. She would just be more involved in the politics of it all, but when wasn't she ever involved in that?
"Do you have important plans, General Organa?" Luke smiled, remembering different plans altogether.
"Some," she admitted. "Nothing concrete yet that needs to be stored in a droid. Yourself Master Skywalker?"
"I want Rey and Ben to help me with rebuilding the Order," Luke said. Leia nodded seeing the merit in that plan. Luke observed his sister to see her reaction to his next statement. "I also want them to teach each other."
Leia's brow furrowed. Luke can tell by her pursed lips that she was thinking the idea over. She exhaled and shook her head.
"Ben is still recovering," she pointed out.
"I know."
His nephew didn't make it out of that last battle unharmed. That he even got himself back to the Falcon without help was a miracle. Ben had to face Rey, his fellow Knights of Ren, and Supreme Leader Snoke that day. Lightsabers and laser pistols might not allow you to bleed to death, but not all the Knights had such weapons. Some of them had used blades in that fight.
The Supreme Leader wasn't happy either when Ben revealed his true allegiance. A body could only take so much.
"Rey wouldn't like it," Leia added. "Even after finding out that Han's alive."
"True," Luke agreed. "But they have so much that they could teach each other."
"I know," Leia said. "There's something there. I could feel it."
"Maybe if I eased her into it?" Luke asked. He had no idea how to handle girls Rey's age, but Leia would.
"It will all depend on how you phrase things," she said, fully aware that if she didn't do some fast talking, he would rope her into doing it for him.
Jedi mind tricks weren't all about invading another person's mind. Sometimes, they could do manipulations just by talking. Luke got quite brilliant at both aspects of that skill, and while Leia was a hardened politician, family would always be her weakness.
"Let her have these celebrations first," she continued. "She's young, and she grew up alone, time with other people is good for a young woman like her. She knows that her training isn't complete yet. From what I know of Rey, she isn't the type not to see things through."
Luke nodded, accepting her advice. Luke understood the Force, Leia understood people. It was just how things were.
Before Luke could say anything else, Han sauntered up to them in his usual way. He was carrying a drink in one hand. A drink which made Leia's eyes narrow.
"Hey kid," he greeted, passing over the bottle to Luke who accepted it without question. "Mind if I steal her Worshipfulness over here for a dance?"
"I mind that you called me kid, despite my age," Luke informed him, sniffing the contents of the bottle and finding it smelling safe enough to drink. "And you should ask her Worshipfulness herself."
"Oh you two," Leia chuckled. "I'll see you later, alright Luke?"
She waited for a nod from him before she all but dragged Han to where the people were dancing. It was nice to see them together again. Luke knew that things between the couple weren't the same when Ben started his mission. He was glad that they seemed happy now.
Luke took another swig from his bottle. To the others he looked like he was enjoying his drink while observing the festivities, but in truth he was checking up on Ben and Rey using the Force.
Ben was easy to locate, being in the infirmary as he was. Luke knew that Ben was conscious, but still weak. His nephew wasn't slacking off with his training either. Luke could sense that Ben was well, but that was it. Ben's mind was closed to Luke's senses.
Leave me alone for now, Uncle.
Accepting that Ben needed his solitude, especially since the boy, always a boy to Luke, was now in what was enemy territory, Luke pulled away. But not before letting Ben know that all of his family was there for him if ever he needed them.
The Jedi Master sighed and took another sip of his drink. Finding Rey was a bit more difficult, especially since he taught her how to hide herself from prying eyes. But Luke found her eventually, both via the Force and with his eyes.
She stopped dancing and turned her head in his direction. Once they made eye contact, she shot him a huge grin and waved her hand. Luke raised his hand in reply. He didn't know how it was possible, but her grin got even wider before she was distracted by the people next to her.
Poe the Pilot and Finn the Former Stormtrooper. They were quite protective of each other. From what Luke could tell, they were very protective of Finn. He was glad that his apprentice had friends, like he had Han and Leia.
Rey looked like she was enjoying herself a bit too much though. Luke figured that someone, likely Poe, had given her and Finn some alcohol. Luke shook his head. They were probably going to regret it in the morning. He made a mental note to have some painkillers ready for her tomorrow.
She was his responsibility after all.
Luke finished off what drink was left in his bottle. It was time for him to call it a night, he wasn't as young as he used to be. Jedi or not, his body needed to rest.
Ben stared at the ceiling of his private room in the Infirmary. He was surprised none of the Resistance members insist that he be restrained while he was here. He knew that the door was open and he was free to come and go, despite many people protesting against that. He also knew that there was a party going on and his mother told him to come, but he didn't want to.
He knew better than to go where he wasn't welcome.
He was very familiar with that feeling. First was as a child growing up with abilities that neither of his parents fully understood. Then when he was at his Uncle's school with all the other younglings, he still didn't fit in because of his grandfather's legacy. When he joined the Knights of Ren, it was still that legacy, and the fact that he was a double agent, that kept him apart from the others.
Ben sighed. Maybe it was just his destiny to be lonely despite being surrounded by people.
He felt a shift in the Force. It was his Uncle Luke, probably checking up on him. Ever since they came back, his family had been hovering so much, it was a miracle that they ever got anything else done.
He allowed his Uncle to sense that he was fine in general, but otherwise, he kept Luke out. When the feeling didn't go away, he had to open up his mind a bit to send Luke a message.
Leave me alone for now, Uncle.
Ben was going to tack on a 'please' in case Luke didn't go away, but since he did it didn't matter. When he was alone again, Ben touched his scar with his hand.
The girl, Rey. He wondered if she was alright. They told him she was, but she took quite a beating during that last battle. He smiled. Incompletely trained as she was, she held her own and then some during that fight. She was going to be a great Jedi.
He wondered about what was going to happen now that they destroyed the First Order. He wondered specifically what was going to happen to him after everything that he'd done. He knew that some people would never forgive him, despite having done those things for the greater good.
Ben supposed that his Uncle would want to start training new Jedi again. He'd probably be asked to help, probably even asked to complete his own Jedi training. But what parent would allow him to teach their child?
Ben pinched the bridge of his nose. It was an attempt to stave off a coming headache. It was one of the things he missed being able to do when he was wearing his helmet actually. Using the Force so close to his eyes was never an option.
He adjusted his position on the bed, getting comfortable enough to fall asleep. As far as his parents and uncle were concerned, his priority was healing from his injuries. He supposed he should do as they said, seeing as how he was confined to bed rest for the foreseeable future. But other than that he had no other plans.
Ben yawned, feeling his eyes drifting shut. He'd let the future take care of itself.
Rey sat down, dizzy because the world seemed to be spinning all around her. She could've sworn she didn't drink that much. Then again it was Poe who gave them the drinks.
"Hey Rey," Finn put a hand on her shoulder. "You okay?"
"Stop touching me," she joked and they shared a smile. They've come a long way from Jakku. "Just a bit woozy. Did Poe tell you what was in those drinks?"
"You don't wanna know," Poe said, popping up from behind Finn and flashing them a winning smile. "Trust me."
"Ugh," she groaned, resting her head in her hands. "I think I need to rest."
"I second that motion," Finn said as he sat down next to her, then proceeded to just lie down. "I think we partied too hard."
"There is no such thing as partying too hard," Poe insisted. "But you are still recovering. Wait, are you taking medications that shouldn't be mixed with alcohol?"
"What?" Rey asked, staring at the pilot. "Not that I know of."
"Oh good," Poe said, his relief exaggerated in the way that only those who have had a certain amount of alcohol could pull off. "Wouldn't want to be the one to tell the General that her newest hero had a reaction to the booze."
"Wouldn't that just take the cake?" Rey snorted. "I get to survive the war, the Knights of Ren, and the battle with the Supreme Leader Snoke, only to be done in by alcohol."
"Not a bad way to die," Poe replied. "If it happens in one go that is."
A snore came from Finn, who had apparently fallen asleep. Poe gave the man a fond smile.
"Lightweight," he shook his head. "Guess I gotta be the one to haul him off to bed. Or leave him there, would serve him right. What do you think?"
"You wouldn't really leave him here, would you?" Rey asked, snickering at the speed of Poe's speech.
"Nah," he smiled. "Finn's a good kid. He doesn't deserve a night out in the cold. Guess the party's over for me."
Rey hummed to indicate that she was listening. She didn't know the specifics, but she knew that Poe was important to Finn, seeing as how the pilot was the one to give him his name. And from the looks of things, Finn was important to Poe as well.
"Do you need help?" she asked as Poe slung one of Finn's arms over his shoulder to help the former stormtrooper up.
"Nah," Poe declined. "I got him. You'll be alright by yourself?"
"Yes," Rey nodded. "I'll just make my way to my room in a bit."
"Alright then," Poe said. "Time for us to go Finn."
Finn mumbled something incoherently in reply. Rey grinned. It didn't matter that Finn was a former stromtrooper who probably had years of training on how to fire a blaster. He was adorable. He was an adorable mess at the moment, but still adorable.
She watched them go, with Poe more or less dragging Finn. Looking back on how lonely her life had been, she was glad that she left Jakku. Happy thoughts kept her company as she walked back to her room.
The future was bright.
So how was it? Like it? Hate it? Leave me a comment to let me know.
Thanks to valninja over at tumblr for this prompt!