How long has it been?
The question led a torrent of thoughts rushing through his mind. Surging like a river after a flood, pulling him away from the shore. Thoughts of the past. Of pain. Or were these visions of events to come? It wasn't always clear. It hadn't been clear for some time. The more he struggled against the current, the stronger it became.
Patience. Clear your mind.
If only it were so easy. Those words came easily, but acting on them? The truth was, he hadn't been able to focus on the moment for some time. A Jedi Knight should be able to find peace, clarity. Especially when so far removed from...well, everything. Shouldn't he?
No, he did not know how long he'd been in this forest, on this particular planet; meditating, searching. But it had been many years since he'd been away from everything he held dear. Away from his friends, his family. His failure was too great, he had to leave them. Not only for their safety but to try to stop that which he had set in motion. "Try," that word surfaced warm memories, helping him turn away from the painful ones.
He inhaled deeply and embraced the swirling darkness.
On the outside, he looked every bit the wise, stoic master he had known Ben to be. His granite beard just unkempt enough to betray his hermitic lifestyle. Legs crossed underneath robes that appeared anchored to the ground like roots. Arms rested on his knees, he was as still as the trees that surrounded him. Lines in his weathered skin met the edges of shut eyelids. The quick flutter underneath them was the only tell of the storm within.
IF YOU ONLY KNEW
The familiar deep voice of his father blasted forth from the dark, sending ice down his spine.
He knew. All too well. The temptation. The power. The anger.
As a young man, he came face to face with that power. Face to face with the abyss. In that cold throne room, he was dangerously close to being consumed by it. His friends in danger, hope on the verge of being extinguished. It was easy to give into the Emperor's goading and embrace the seductive whisper of the dark. Allow the fear and hatred to guide his hand.
At the height of their duel, physically and emotionally pushed to the limit, his will broke, and he finally tapped into that power. He no longer thought about fighting for his friends or redeeming his father. Rage commanded his actions, fear flowed through his veins. It wasn't until Vader's hand tumbled away that he realized he was one step away from being completely lost. In that moment of sudden clarity, the light banished the darkness, and he reclaimed control. But unbeknownst to him, a fissure remained inside.
In the time that followed, Luke's powers grew exponentially. As if defeating the dark side allowed the light to regain its full strength throughout the universe. But the crack within grew alongside these abilities, which made his connection to the force unstable. He found it increasingly difficult to maintain control, a fact which he kept hidden from those closest to him. They could never know about the voices he heard, the shattered windows, the furniture that was rearranged every time he woke up.
Still, with the Empire mortally wounded, and freedom beginning to return to the galaxy, Luke knew his abilities were needed. He could pass on his knowledge and skill to a new generation. The New Republic, like the old one, needed guardians of peace and justice. The Jedi needed to return from the echoes of time. Luke was to be their shepherd.
He could teach his pupils to protect the New Republic from outside threats, but his turmoil prevented him from foreseeing the threat from within.
Perhaps it was overconfidence that blinded him. Who was he to believe that he was capable of restoring the ancient order that his father had wiped out? He was only one man, and not even a properly trained one at that.
Luke's frayed connection with the force prevented him from detecting the machinations of Snoke. When Ben embraced the same seduction his grandfather had, it was too late. Everything Luke had worked for was destroyed by his nephew and his twisted Knights.
To prevent even more destruction, Luke had to remove himself from the equation. He had hoped to draw the growing forces of darkness away from the fledgling New Republic, and hopefully keep his friends safe. But he also left to complete his training properly, and in the process hopefully be able to overcome evil once again. He would go into hiding and seek out the oldest Jedi temples in the galaxy.
He found that he was good at blending in. Just another non-descript refugee, seeking passage on any ship that would take him.
It was here he found himself on yet another inconsequential planet, seeking within and without for the next breadcrumb, the next clue to the next source of light and knowledge. Leaves gently rustled, and the old man gathered himself. Ruminations on the past had to stop. In his rare moments of clarity, he began to see what the force was trying to show him. As the tide settled, he started to make out images. Familiar faces, familiar emotions emerged. Sweat trickled down his brow as he began to see clearly at last.
Dav liked coming to this particular overlook, especially as the sun was setting. His shifts tended to be boring, but there was something ethereal about this spot that made him feel so alive yet oddly at peace at the same time. The way up was rocky and overgrown so he had to leave his speeder bike at the foot of the hill.
Most of his friends headed off-world after school, seeking "glory" within the New Republic. That's how they talked about it at least. Dav didn't see glory in sitting at a desk. He didn't see the heroics in building a bureaucracy. He didn't care about the core worlds or interstellar trade routes. He cared about his own home, his own people.
This ranger job could be boring, but as silly as it sounded to say out loud, Dav was truly proud to do it. He liked being surrounded by nature. He liked caring for his own little corner of the universe.
As he stepped over a tree trunk he started to notice that something was different about "his" hill today. Rustling leaves sounded up ahead as he continued his ascent.
Images came furiously, one after another. To his surprise, Luke wasn't seeing the next step in his journey but glimpses into something else. Something terrible. They came only for a split second before disappearing into a fog.
A fighter in flames. A figure in white. An old man. No, not just an old man. Someone dear to him.
A second bead of sweat curved over Luke's nose. His eyes darted ever more rapidly beneath his eyelids. Around him, the trees were swaying in circular unison. The storm of his mind made real around him. He didn't notice as rocks lifted up and joined the maelstrom.
Dav felt like he was entering a dream when he reached the summit. He found an unexpected sense of unease at this normally sublime place. Before him was an unmoving figure in shabby robes, but that wasn't what disturbed him. It was what surrounded the old man that compelled him to put his hand on his holster.
Trees within a fifteen-foot radius were flattened to the ground. Pointing towards the old man like prostrate worshippers. Clusters of pebbles, rocks and larger builders drifted and spun through the air. Dav flinched when two of the objects collided.
"Eh-excuse me, sir," he meekly stuttered. No movement from the old man.
A skull-sized stone wobbled from its orbit and smacked Dav in the thigh.
"HEY! ….Listen … old man, I, I don't know what's going here but I need you to talk to me."
Dav couldn't believe his eyes. He had heard all the old stories about the Jedi and the Force, but always figured they were exaggerated myths. But this had to be it, right? There was no repulsor-drive in the area or another machine that could be capable of creating such a scene. But what did that mean if the man was doing this? Was this one of those altruistic force-users… or something else? Was this guy even in control of what was going on? Dav's distress was only compounded by these thoughts as he loosed his sidearm.
As Luke pierced the storm in fits and starts, more images snapped into focus. He saw a cavernous, dark chamber. He felt the dark side cloud his thoughts.
With a trembling hand, Dav's pointed his blaster at the old man. He had never aimed at another sentient being, a fact which made the weapon feel much heavier than it ever had during simple target practice.
"Sir!" he shouted over increasingly howling wind. "Please answer me! Whatever this is, you have to stop!" He was terrified. He thumbed the safety.
Suddenly Luke found the struggle over. The storm broke. He saw the dark chamber more clearly than ever. In the middle was a narrow bridge over a gaping chasm. Two figures met in the middle. The familiar old man was with… his son. Luke's stomach turned as he recognized who they were. There was a flash of red, and then the moment disappeared. The image collapsed upon itself as sorrow washed over Luke.
Without warning, the chaos around Dav ceased. The winds stopped and the orbiting bodies fell to the ground. A particularly large boulder landed with a lound thunk behind him, causing him to squeeze the trigger.
In a heartbeat a hand shot out from under the old man's robes, its palm absorbed the blaster bolt harmlessly.
Mouth agape, Dav felt the blaster pull out of his hand and disassemble itself in mid-air. A floating collection of parts stared back at him as the old man opened his eyes and rose.
Luke now knew that time was no longer on his side. What he had seen will come to pass soon, or had already. Either way, he needed to move on to the next leg of the journey. This person who shot at him was no threat, he was just a frightened child. Perhaps he could be of help.
He spoke, "I mean you no harm. Do you have access to a ship?"
It took the young ranger a moment to stop staring at the cloud that was once his blaster. It took slightly longer for him to find words again.
"I, um, I don't personally... b-but, my friend knows some people in town who could get you one without drawing much attention. I'm not going to pretend I know what's going on, or that you'll even tell me for that matter. But I'm guessing you're looking to avoid any unnecessary entanglements."
For some reason, that feeling of unease and despair was gone. Dav felt he could trust this old man. He honestly felt compelled to help him.
"Thank you," Luke said. "But we have to go, now."
With a flick of the wrist, the blaster reassembled itself settled back into Dav's hand.
"Sorry about that." They uttered simultaneously.
A smile broke through Luke's severe look as he turned to head down the hill.