Chapter Six: One Possible Future
At the end of the third week of Luke's training, the Doctor, Obi-Wan, and Jennara were pleasantly surprised with Luke's progress. His command over the Force was growing stronger by the hour. Luke had taken to lifting the food crates high into the air during meditation, which was what he was doing when his visions came.
"Concentrate," said Obi-Wan. "Feel the Force flowing through you."
Luke stayed silent, but continued to lift objects into the air, including R2-D2, who whistled and chirped at Luke to put him down right this instant.
"Stay calm, Luke," urged Jennara. "R2 is alright."
"Now, Luke, you're going to see things through the Force," said the Doctor. "Visions, if you will. They can be anything. The future. The past. Places you've been or haven't been to. Sometimes, you see old friends who are long gone."
"Han?" asked Luke suddenly. "Leia!"
Suddenly, everything dropped, including R2 and Luke. R2 beeped and chirped rapidly, indignant at being dropped at all, while Luke stayed silent for a moment.
"But you have to learn to control it and keep your focus," said Obi-Wan.
"I saw...I saw a city in the clouds," said Luke breathlessly.
"Han and Leia are there, then," deduced the Doctor.
"Doctor, they...they were in pain," said Luke.
"That was the future you saw," said Obi-Wan.
Luke stood up and looked hard at the Doctor.
"Will they die?" he asked.
The Doctor closed his eyes for a moment, trying to feel Han and Leia in the future, but he couldn't see them. There was too much at play in the future, too many variables. The Doctor could sense a presence that could turn the tide of their fate at any moment.
Lando.
The name sounded like a whisper to the Doctor, but other than that, he could see nothing of Han and Leia's future, just the name Lando.
"I don't know," said the Doctor. "It's difficult to see. The future is in a constant state of flux. What you're seeing is one possible future."
"I've got to go to them," said Luke determinedly. "I need to help them."
"Wait, Luke," said Obi-Wan. "If you leave now, you can help them, but you risk destroying everything that they have fought and suffered for these past several years."
Luke nodded his head in understanding, but there was underlying determination in his eyes. He wanted desperately to help his friends. The Doctor could see that.
"I've got to help them," said Luke as he made to pack his equipment from the camp. He put on his pilot's uniform and helped R2 into the X-Wing, which was still sitting patiently where Jennara had left it a week ago.
"Luke," called the Doctor. "You can't go. Your training isn't complete yet."
"Doctor, I can't get that vision out of my head," said Luke. "Han and Leia are my friends. I've got to help them."
"You're not ready," said Jennara. "You mustn't leave."
"But Jennara, don't you see?" asked Luke. "Han and Leia will die if I don't help them."
"You don't know that," said Obi-Wan wisely. "Not even the Doctor can see their fate."
"I can help them, Ben," argued Luke. "I feel the Force in me."
"But you cannot yet control it," countered Obi-Wan. "This is a very dangerous time for you, Luke. If you leave, you will be tempted by the Dark Side of the Force."
"Yes!" cried the Doctor. "Listen to Obi-Wan! You can't face the temptations yet! Remember the Cave, Luke. How you failed to see that the truly reckless path will lead you down the road to the Dark Side."
"But I've learned so much since," argued Luke. "I promise, Doctor, I will finish what I've begun. You have my word."
"The Dark Lord of the Sith wants you and your abilities," said Obi-Wan. "That is why your friends suffer as you see in your visions."
"Their suffering is why I have to go," said Luke.
"Luke, we can't lose you," urged Jennara. "Not like we lost Vader all those years ago."
"You won't," said Luke, determined as ever.
"The Sith have to be stopped, yes, but you're not ready to stop them yet," said the Doctor. "You can't hope to defeat Vader and Sidious as you are now."
"I'm a fully trained Knight, Luke, and even I can't hope to stand up to Sidious," said Jennara. "What chance do you have against Vader and Sidious now?"
"You must have patience, Luke," urged Obi-Wan.
"And what? Sacrifice Han and Leia?!" shouted Luke.
"I may not be able to see their future, Luke, but I can see yours," said the Doctor. "If you leave now, you will face Darth Vader. That is a fact."
"And if you face Vader, you will do so alone," said Obi-Wan. "We will not interfere."
Jennara looked to Obi-Wan and the Doctor in shock as Luke nodded his head once again in understanding. Whatever the Doctor and Obi-Wan said wouldn't convince him to stay. He was going to this city in the clouds he had seen in his vision.
"R2, fire up the converters," commanded Luke. R2 obeyed, and the X-Wing roared to life.
"Luke, don't give in to the hate you may feel toward Vader," said the Doctor. "That will lead to the Dark Side."
"Vader is very strong," said Obi-Wan. "We all know that. Mind what you have learned. It can save you."
"I will, Ben," said Luke. "And I will complete my training. I promise."
As the X-Wing lifted off and carried Luke to his destination, the Doctor shook his head.
"I told you, Obi-Wan," he said. "I told you. He's going off to fight Vader without any sort of plan. He's being reckless again."
"Luke is our last hope for freedom in this galaxy from the Sith," said Jennara almost accusingly.
"No, there is another," said Obi-Wan. "Leia. We could train Leia."
"And so we're just going to leave Luke to die?!" asked Jennara. "Just like that, you're giving up on him?"
"He's reckless," said the Doctor. "It's his own fault if he turns to the Dark Side."
"And you're not going to try to help him?" asked Jennara, staring at the Doctor accusingly.
"Why should we?" asked Obi-Wan.
"He's our friend!" cried Jennara. "Why shouldn't we help him? He's almost certainly going to his death, and you're just going to sit back and watch!"
"The Force will guide him," said the Doctor.
"Whatever happened to taking matters into our own hands?!" cried Jennara. "Luke has no idea what he's getting into! Vader will almost certainly either kill him or turn him if we don't interfere! He needs our help!"
That last comment got the Doctor thinking. Luke did need their help. Jennara was right. He thought back to what Qui-Gon had said after the Doctor's little escapade in the Cave of the Dark Side. Help those in need of it, he had said. Luke needed help, so that was what the Doctor was going to do.
He was going to help Luke.
"Please," begged Jennara. "If you won't help him, then I'll go alone."
"No, no," said the Doctor. "I'm going with you."
"But Doctor," began Obi-Wan, "you just said that-"
"I know what I said," said the Doctor. "But I'm changing my mind. I do that on occasion. Qui-Gon Jinn told me to help those in need of it. Luke needs our help, so we're going to help Luke."
Obi-Wan had a slightly shocked look on his face, and he quickly nodded, the word of his old Master convincing him.
"Of course, Doctor," said Obi-Wan as he, the Doctor, and Jennara ran to the Tardis to prep the old freighter's systems. As the ship was coming online, the Doctor searched for where they were going. Luke had mentioned a city in the clouds, and the Doctor had a name. Lando. It wasn't much to go on, but, hopefully, it would be enough for the Tardis.
The Doctor entered City in clouds into the search computer on the Tardis and cross-referenced it with the name Lando. The computer quickly spit back at him several references to men named Lando, but nothing referencing a city in the clouds. He quickly scrolled down the searches until he found exactly what he was looking for.
Bespin.
The Doctor read the file on Bespin and saw that virtually the entire planet was a tibanna gas mine. Of the many tibanna facilities on the planet, one of them was literally called Cloud City, and it was a giant city in the clouds, just as Luke had described it. Cloud City had recently come into the hands of a new Baron Administrator named Lando Calrissian.
There's our Lando, thought the Doctor as he clapped his hands and made a quick 360-degree spin. He ran up to the ship's navigation console and entered in the coordinates for Bespin. If they didn't use hyperspace, it would take them a few hours at most to get there. Luke couldn't have been too far out of Dagobah, so the Doctor figured that they had time to get there.
"So," said Jennara, looking at him quizzically. "Where are we going?"
"Bespin," said the Doctor simply. "There's a mining colony there with people and tibanna and things, and it's called Cloud City."
"A city in the clouds," said Jennara, putting the pieces together instantly.
"Yep," said the Doctor. "It's basically a big mining thing. Oh, I love a big mining thing. They're always fun. Okay! Let's go to Bespin, shall we?"
"Of course," said Jennara, and together, the three Jedi lifted off in the Tardis and were soon off to Bespin.
The Doctor just hoped that Luke's predictions about Han and Leia weren't true.
Dun dun DUUUUUUN! Hello, friends! Lots of stuff going on this week! It's been a long one, but it's also been a good one, so that's awesome! Anyway, I am glad to be back on FanFiction posting new content for you guys to read! Always fun times on Friday night when I can post!
Guys. Guys. Guys. Did you see it? Did you see the new trailer for Star Wars Episode VII? BECAUSE I DID AND IT WAS AWESOME!
*ahem* Anyway...Seriously, though, all sorts of excited for the movie to come out now! I'm really interested to see where they go with the Star Wars universe.
I've been trying to avoid spoilers for the film, but I do know the names of the three new protagonists, the new droid-ball-thingy, and the bad guy. Apart from that, I know very little else about the movie. No idea about plot and such, and I don't want to know anything about it, either. I want to be surprised when I'm geeking out in eight months over this film, which will be totally awesome!
Also, I saw the cinematic trailer for the new Battlefront game being developed by Dice, and that looks awesome, too! Not as hype for that as Episode VII, though, primarily because I won't be able to play it, as I don't have a next-gen console or a PC with gaming capabilities. So, that's unfortunate. Still looking forward to reading reviews of it, though!
Next Friday: The Doctor, Obi-Wan, and Jennara arrive on Bespin and begin the desperate search for their wayward apprentice.
And that about does it for this author's note. Until the next chapter, my friends!
