Hey Guys. This is my first Star Wars fanfic story and I've decided to touch on the aftermath of events that occurred in Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens. Let me be clear on a few things on what I plan on doing with this story.
I'm going with the idea that Rey is Luke Skywalker's daughter due to multiple similarities between the both of them (Gifted piloting skills, Jakku-Tatooine comparison, Mechanics, Rey pulling the lightsaber out of the snow like Luke did in ESB, resemblance between her, Anakin and Luke, and so on…). Even so, I will feature Kylo Ren in this story to touch on his feelings towards the death of Han Solo and the events of Starkiller Base. To be very honest with you all, I'm not sure if I want to One-Shot this or turn it into a full-fledged story. Just leave reviews for where I could take this thing.
As Rey was nearing the end of her walk, she reflected back on the drastic events that occurred. In her mind, she didn't expect that a scavenger from the distant world of Jakku would come across one small droid that would contain classified information against the First Order and suddenly make a friend out of Finn, the Stormtrooper who had turned away from the dangerous, fanatic ideals of the First Order and sought to redeem himself from their evils. Little did she know, that meeting would forever change their lives forever, whether they liked it or not. From leaving the desolate world of Jakku with Finn, they encountered the famous smuggling duo of Han Solo and Chewbacca despite being on the Millennium Falcon.
What she wasn't expecting was meeting a wise pirate in Maz Kanata. The thousand year-old, force-sensitive, alien pirate who happened to another catalyst into her journey into a larger world. Her thoughts then switched towards the one person who she thought in her mind represented nothing but pure evil. Kylo Ren. Her thoughts turned into one of disgust towards the despicable acts he had committed on Starkiller Base by killing his own father, Han Solo in cold blood and nearly killing Finn with his ragged lightsaber. She could not comprehend as to why the offspring of one of the galaxy's most legendary heroes would kill their own parent. Her thoughts then dissipated as she had reached the end of her walk.
As Rey walks towards the hill that's a bit far from her, she noticed Luke Skywalker in brown robes standing over the edge of the hill, looking at the scenery of vast sea and islands before his eyes.
"Luke." Rey thought as she caught a glimpse of him, although not seeing his physical appearance.
Rey then started to walk upwards towards the hill where Luke was standing until she stopped midway in her tracks as she noticed the old Jedi Master turning around, facing her direction. Sporting Jedi apparel consisting of a dusty brown robe with white and tan clothing, Luke removed the hood that hid his facial features and laid his aged-out, weary, but shiny blue eyes on Rey-looking at her with a face that had seen turmoil, regret and sadness.
"Rey… it's been too long since my eyes first laid upon you." Luke thought with a sense of nostalgic joy with hints of regret on his mind.
Rey suddenly felt a wave of emotions come at her all at once, as she laid her eyes on Luke Skywalker for the first time in her life. As Rey's eyes gazed upon Luke, she felt something tell her that she knew the answer that she had been asking ever since her time on Jakku. She proceeded to take a couple steps towards Luke before remembering the fact that she had his original lightsaber in her pouch. Rey slowly pulled out the saber and held it out towards Luke.
Luke looked upon the lightsaber with a sense of pain, regret and sorrow. His face could tell a fellow being what he has seen in his years and could still be amazed. However, Luke gave a different expression towards Rey, who looked on with feelings of uncertainty and sadness. He could sense a feeling of familiarity and warmth around Rey and knew why he could sense such feelings.
Luke reached his mechanical hand out with the force, calling to the lightsaber he had not seen since his vibrant, yet challenging youth. Rey opened out her palm as she saw the lightsaber fly towards Luke as he grasped it in his hand. He looked at the lightsaber with a reflective look in his eyes, but then gave a vulnerable, emotional stare at Rey.
"Luke, you're my father… aren't you?" Rey asked in a curious tone in her voice, her facial expression giving away her vulnerability as her eyes teared up.
Luke shed some tears from his eyes as they ran down his cheeks, his sadness displaying on his face. "Yes… I am, Rey. I'm aware of the questions you must have for me. Come, there is much to be discussed about."
Luke and Rey walked down towards Luke's hut nearby in silence, either not knowing what to say to each other in the short span of time they had spent with each other. The both of them entered Luke's hut, which had a decent amount of space for two people. The surroundings were decent at best; there was a cot at the far end of the hut (not to mention a few mats nearby), a small stone-like kitchen with foodstuffs, plants and herbs, a medium table with chairs made out of stone, along with ancient Jedi artifacts and holocrons on a set of shelves.
Luke went towards the kitchen, fixing up a meal that consisted of the local bird meat, stew and fish he managed to capture thanks to years of swimming, something which he never did due to living on a desert planet like Tatooine.
"Here you go, Rey. It's only a simple dish, but I hope you like it though." Luke said as he offered the plate of local food towards Rey, who accepted the old Jedi Master's offer.
"Thank you… father. I am somewhat famished though." Rey said as she took the bowl. She could smell the exotic aromas from the bird meat and fish stew and had never smelled something this enjoyable since Takodana.
"By the stars! This tastes quite amazing. Did you spend the last couple of years learning how to cook by yourself?" Rey curiously asked as Luke chuckled.
"Thank you, Rey. I've spent a lot of time cooking by myself along with mediatation and Jedi training methods, sometimes I talk to some spirits like my old masters in order not to feel lonely. Ironic, isn't it." Luke noted as he sat down at the dinner table.
A moment passed by between both Rey and Luke as they ate in an awkward silence, both of them quietly reflecting on the recent events that just passed by. Reflecting with a grimace on his face, Luke knew for a fact that the horrific massacre of his own Jedi students drove him to exile as the shame of Ben turning over to the Dark Side of the Force had hurt both Han and Leia, something which he never wanted to happen. As a result of seeing his own Jedi students killed in cold blood, the Jedi Order he built for years collapse under his watch, the nephew he loved dearly falling under the shroud of the Dark Side and feeling a huge weight of failure; he felt the need to go into exile in order to seek out ancient knowledge from the youthful days of the old Jedi Order and to peace within himself.
Rey on the other hand was coming to terms about meeting her father, Luke Skywalker. She was familiar about her father's name being mentioned in the stories that she had heard about from numerous figures on Jakku. Some would mention his exploits of destroying the Death Star, being responsible for the deaths of Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine (an event that The Resistance knew to be false due fabricated sources) or other events in his life that took place. But she never imagined that figure would turn out to be her father. Rey knew to a limited extent that Luke was her father as Maz had mentioned to her that the belonging she was seeking wasn't behind her, but ahead. At the time, her mind was clouded by fear and disgust towards the lightsaber that she now possessed and rejected the role she was meant to accept. Regardless, once her beloved friend, Finn-almost fell to Kylo's blade, she decided to accept her destiny and defeat Kylo Ren; Not only for Finn, but for herself and the deceased Han Solo.
Rey spoke up once she cleared her thoughts. "Father… I don't understand why you left me on that planet all those years ago. What happened all those years ago that led you to come to that decision?"
Luke solemnly bowed his head down for a moment before looking at Rey again. "After seeing the temple in ruins, I went in there looking for you. Fortunately, you were found safe, but I realized that Kylo, Snoke and the First Order would hunt me down to no end and use you for their purposes. To that end, I sought to leave you on Jakku as it was remote enough to evade First Order forces. I did all of that for your sake, Rey. Please, try to understand…" Luke pleaded with an honest tone was suddenly cut off by Rey.
"I think I've heard enough! I spent years waiting for my family to come back for me. But now I find out that my own father hid in exile for years in shame and mere defeat, while the rest of his entire family suffered. Hell, I don't even know anything about my mother! For all that I know, she might be dead or feels like she doesn't want to be a part of my life anymore!" Rey shouted in anger with blinding tears in her eyes. She stormed out of the hut, furiously walking towards the cliff, while Luke sat down with his head downcast as he held it with his hands.
"Force… What I am to do about this?! My own daughter hates me for leaving her on that wretched planet. I'm sorry, Lysa…" Luke thought in despair.
"You must approach her with love and compassion, Luke. Stand firm and have faith in the Force." The ghostly, youthful specter of Anakin Skywalker said poignantly.
"Father…" Luke said in awe. It had been a few weeks since he had spoken to his father's sprit in a while.
"It's been quite some time, Luke since I last spoke to you. I can see that you've told Rey the complete truth. She has your impatience and brashness as I can tell. Something that runs in us Skywalkers." Anakin noted.
Luke let out a dry laugh, but had a worried look on his aged face. "I'm worried that she might cast me out even further. She has a point about all this. Leia went years without me or Han for that matter, Ben has taken a deeper fall into the Dark Side and as of recent, he took Han's life! How can I still be worthy of being a Jedi Master when I've lost my life's work, my wife, my apprentices and my own nephew to the dark side?! I'm not even sure if I can even revive the Jedi once again. I've failed you, Leia, Han, Ben and the Republic…"
Anakin shook his head in disagreement. "Stop speaking such nonsense, Luke! You still have time to amend things once more. Train Rey in the ways of the Force, rejoin your sister, bring back Ben from the dark side and restore the Jedi Order again! I sensed the conflict in Ben after he killed Han. It felt like it weakened him instead of making him stronger. There's still good within him, but if he continues down the same path I went through, I fear Ben Solo will be no more and Kylo Ren will succeed in taking his place."
"How can you be so sure, father?" Luke asked
Anakin gave him a serious look with his blue eyes. "It's because you are my son, Luke Skywalker. You were the one who still had enough faith and compassion within yourself to redeem me from the grasp of Palpatine and brought me back towards the Light. Not only that, but you also wanted to honor Yoda's wish of restoring the Jedi Order back to its former glory. Now with Rey, Leia and your allies by your side-you won't be alone in this. The galaxy needs the Skywalkers now more than ever. You still have a mission to complete, my son. Bring the Jedi Order back, so peace and balance can be restored onto the galaxy."
Luke suddenly felt a warm calm wash over his entire being. He realized that his father was correct; he had spent too long in the ancient ruins of the First Jedi Temple in exile and had to return back into the galaxy after years of exile. Although it was obvious to his father that he needed to find himself and find out more about the ways of The Force, he had to come to terms with the fact that his self-imposed exile had come to an end and it was time to fulfill his duty as a Jedi and as a father to Rey.
Luke gave a grin to Anakin. "You're right, father. I've been out of action for far too long and… I haven't been much of a father to Rey, something which I feel she will need in the days to come. I will restore the Jedi Order back into the galaxy as keepers of the peace and restore balance. Thank you, father for your wise words. Rest easy now."
"Don't worry, Luke. I've always been resting easy for 30 years. Remember Luke, The Force will be with you always." Anakin calmly stated as he began to disappear, leaving Luke alone in his own hut.
"Now I have a daughter to talk to." Luke immediately thought as he walked out of his hut and walked towards the cliff where Rey was sitting down, staring at the vastness of the ocean. Luke then sat down next to her as she displayed a passive look on her face.
"Mind if I sit next to you, Rey?" Luke asked with a gentle tone. Rey sighed in defeat and gave a nod in response.
"Sure." Rey said. Luke stared at the ocean for a moment and then turned to Rey.
"You know, Rey. I understand why you reacted the way you did back there. I wasn't there for you at all throughout the years. And for that, I'm very sorry. You should have been treated better by both myself and your mother." Luke said, putting a fatherly hand on Rey as he sadly reflected.
Rey gave an apologetic look in return. "No, father. Don't be. I've come to a realization that you did what you felt was necessary for my protection and safety. Any father would do that for their own child. I should be apologizing for that outburst."
Luke smiled. "Well, I can see that you have a lot of heart within you, must get that from me." Luke and Rey then stood up and proceeded to walk down towards Luke's hut.
Rey nodded in return. "Anyway, now that's out of the way. I have a question to ask of you, father."
Luke suddenly turned at her. "You want me to train you in the ways of The Force and ask me about what happened to your mother."
Rey gave a surprised expression, thrown off by her father's accurate premonition. "You knew?"
Luke made a small laugh. "Of course I knew, I'm your father. Plus, that question was bound to come up at some point. Anyway, I decided a while ago to train you in the ways of The Force as a Jedi like myself and my father before me. I will warn you, being a Jedi is not an easy path to take on in this life. But with perseverance, humility and patience, I can promise you that you will become a Jedi Knight in time."
Rey accepted Luke's wise words. She knew from the events of Starkiller Base that she was meant to be something more than just a scavenger. Although Rey didn't fully grasp the idea of The Force, she realized that with Luke by her side, she could learn in order to protect those she loved.
"Yes, father." Rey said in agreement. Luke then reflected on Rey's dramatic mention of her mother, something which he knew would be hard to explain given the circumstances that occurred years ago. Regardless, he knew sooner or later that the truth would have to come out.
"I know you want to learn about your mother and her fate, Rey. Come, there's something I have to show you." Luke said in a fatherly tone. Rey and Luke got up and returned back to Luke's hut. Luke went to the inside of his small room with Rey waiting nearby and brought out a hologram that displayed the image of a middle-aged, fair-skinned woman with smoky hazel eyes, long brown hair and a face that nearly resembled Rey's from the nose, eyes, cheeks and eyebrows except that it gave a mature look. The clothing the woman sported consisted of a brown bomber jacket, dark blue pants, brown leather gloves, a grey scarf around her neck and black boots
"Is that my mother? She looks so beautiful." Rey said as her eyes looked at the hologram in amazement and wonder.
Luke smiled, but gave an expression of hurt and sadness. "Yes, she was. Not only that, but was a great pilot and soldier who had a sense of commitment and courage. She was involved in the strike team that stole the Death Star plans a long time ago and was my first student. Her name is Lysa Erso."
"What happened to her before any of this stuff occurred? How come she isn't here with you?" Rey asked as she looked at her father with a curious look, pleading for an answer. Luke's expression and manner turned into that of hurt and pain. He took a moment to compose himself for what he was about to tell Rey, worried that it would affect her in a painful way.
Luke sat down on a stool nearby the dinner table as Rey did the same. "It's something I don't want to touch on for today. Honestly, I wish I could tell you more about your mother, but I have a feeling it would not be an appropriate time right now. I'll tell you when I'm ready to do so, Rey. I can promise you that, but I'm very sorry."
Rey could feel her own hope falling down on her as Luke had refused to reveal anything regarding the fate of her mother, Lysa. Despite a bugging voice in her head that was asking of her to push on regarding Lysa's fate, she decided not to ask any further, not wishing to place more pressure and worry on her long-lost father, who she could tell was still processing everything that had happened since she came on the planet of Ahch-To.
Rey sighed in a defeated tone, but decided to change the topic. "It's alright, Father. I was hoping to learn more, but I guess we've been through enough drama for today. Anyway, what's to become of my Jedi training right now?"
Luke turned towards Rey and placed both of his hands on her shoulders. "I know you won't like the idea, but the both of us can't return back to the Resistance just yet."
Rey looked at her father in disbelief. "Why not, father?! Leia had directly asked of me to bring you back to D'qar for you to help them in their fight against the First Order. Don't do this to them."
Luke looked at Rey with a hint of assurance. "Rey, I'm not abandoning Leia and the others to a horrible fate! Believe me, I want to return back into civilization right now and bring back the Jedi into the galaxy once again. Unfortunately, the reason why we can't return for now is because of your training. This place holds a lot of knowledge and wisdom here that will greatly help you to become a Jedi. I know that I haven't been there for you since you were just a little girl, but at least allow me as your father to make up for lost time! And I promise you that we'll leave here in a week or two."
Rey gave a smile to Luke, glad that her father genuinely wanted to make it up to her for years of not being raised without a family to support her. "Alright, you won me over. But since we're going to stay here training, we'd better inform Chewie and R2."
"Chewie, Artoo… I haven't seen them in so long." Luke thought in his mind, remembering the years when he laid his eyes on both Chewbacca and R2. It pained Luke greatly that despite getting the chance to see Leia, Threepio, Chewie and R2, the fact that he would never see Han again disturbed him as he felt partly responsible for not being there for him and regretfully wished that he could've at least saved Han one way or another, but knew that he was one with the Force and Han himself would've spewed numerous Corellian curse at Luke for mourning his memory for too long.
"Yeah, let's go inform them. They'll have to pass it onto Leia. It will be nice to see them in a long time." Luke said to his daughter. They made the long walk from Luke's hut all the way down towards the place where the Millennium Falcon was grounded.
Luke and Rey walked onboard the hallway of the Falcon and went into the lounge room where Chewbacca and R2-D2 were playing a game of Dejarik. As Luke walked into the lounge room, R2 alerted Chewbacca in loud beeps and whines in response to seeing his old master in the last fourteen years. Chewbacca stood up and hugged Luke tightly as he laid eyes on his old friend for the first time in years.
Luke found it a bit hard to breathe but gave a smirk at Chewbacca. "Easy, Chewie. You know that I'm not getting any younger, but it's so good to see you again." Artoo moved towards Luke and happily squealed over seeing Luke again.
Luke bowed down with a smile towards R2. "And the same goes for you, Artoo. I'm sorry that I had to shut you down for a long time, but it was necessary as you can understand."
Artoo responded in mutual understanding, but was cut by Chewbacca's bittersweet roars if Han could have seen Luke once again, then in short shouts-reminisced over the past years when him, Luke, Han and Leia had worked together and shared numerous moments together.
Luke responded back in a somber, reflective tone in his voice, but put his hand on Chewie's arm. "I know, Chewie. Even I miss the days when we fought the Empire and when there was relative peace. Unfortunately, Han's gone, but take peace in the fact that he is one with the Force right now. The only thing we can do is honor his memory as best as we can."
Artoo made a series of chirps towards Rey, asking if she and Luke were going to return back to D'qar.
Rey shook her head in return. "I wish that were the case, but I have to train here to become a Jedi… like my father before me." She turned her head towards Luke, who nodded.
She continued onwards. "It won't be long, just about two weeks of training won't hurt anyone. But promise me both you and Chewie watch over Finn for me in my absence. I just hope he recovers before I return." Chewie and R2 both responded in agreement towards her request.
Luke overheard Rey's request about her friend and took comfort in the fact that she at least made a friend within the past nineteen years on Jakku. He didn't know who Finn was, but he decided to ask about him for another time. In the present, he decided to send a message to his sister, Leia about the new circumstances at hand.
"Artoo, I'm going to need you for a moment. I have an important message that you'll give to Leia when you arrive at D'qar. She'll want to hear this for herself and anyone she's associated with in The Resistance." Luke informed R2, who beeped in compliance.
(moments later…)
Luke and Rey walked out of the Falcon with Chewbacca and R2-D2 on the ramp of the Falcon. Luke turned around to face both the Wookie and the astromech droid.
"Remember, once we're done here, come back here to pick both me and Rey off of this planet. If there's an urgent matter at hand, contact Rey and me. May the Force both be with you."
Chewbacca made a series of confident growls and roars, wishing both Rey and Luke the best of luck for Rey's training as Artoo did the same. Both of them then went back into the Falcon to start up the aging YT-1300 freighter as Luke and Rey watched the Millennium Falcon depart from where they were standing, flying through the grey skies of Ahch-To, and flying back into Resistance space.
Luke then turned to Rey with an assuring smile. "Come with me, Rey. It is time you took your first steps into a larger world."
Rey nodded in agreement with her father. "Yes, father." At long last, not only did Rey find her true family and destiny, she had finally found the one place she had been seeking out her entire life. Home.