Please note: This is part 2 of a three-part series. Please read this AFTER you read Episode VII: The Future Unwritten.
Star Wars Episode VIII The Advance of the Padawans
It is a time of HOPE in the galaxy. A new Jedi school, led by Luke Skywalker, has emerged on Yavin 4 to train those sensitive to the Force.
With the surprise appearance of Rey Palpatine, the Jedi band together to continue training their students with their minds on the FUTURE.
While the students learn the ways of the Force, the Jedi keep a sharp eye on intelligence gathered by the NEW REPUBLIC, waiting for news of the Emperor's apprentice….
Chapter 1
Yavin 4 was a wonderful setting for a school; Luke wondered how he had missed the beauty of the planet the first time he was on it. Leia often laughed and told him that he wasn't really focusing on the beauty, what with the Empire's threat looming so close. But now that he was here full time, he realized just how amazing it was. The base that the Rebellion had used during the Galactic War had been a Jedi temple years ago, so the Force was strong in and around the base. This made it much easier for him to be able to teach.
As is common with Luke, he tended to focus on what he didn't have, rather than what he did. It was something Yoda had mentioned during his initial training and was something his father brought up a lot. But he was trying to live in the present. With the looming threat of the Emperor's release on the horizon, he really could have panicked very easily. But, with his students, it was much better for all of them if he focused on teaching.
With the appearance of Rey, his fear of the future came to a head. He worked through his thought processes with the Jedi, after asking Leia to join them. Because of her involvement with the Force training, Leia had to be made aware of certain parts of the future vision that Luke hadn't originally shared. He didn't want Han and Leia to know how they died; he didn't feel that was important to the point of the issue.
"Troubling, this is. Wonder do I what else may have been changed?"
"I know that this may be an unpopular opinion, but the mother in me is happy that she's here," Leia said, taking a hard look at the Jedi around them. "What have all of you been hammering into me since we got to Yavin? Just wait until Rey is born, she is the best fight we have against Snoke regarding Ben."
"An understandable conclusion, daughter. And a smart one." Anakin smiled at her, pride showing on his face. "We could sit and debate all day what else may have changed, but I am thrilled to be able to meet this extraordinary child. She is good for my family; she is what we need to defeat the Emperor. Now we can rest easy that she is here."
Leia and Luke nodded in response to Anakin's statements. Obi-Wan and Yoda, though, didn't look convinced. Depa is who helped stop the conversation.
"Master Yoda, you always tell us to stay in the here and now and not look to what we have or don't. Let's focus on today; Rey is here, and she needs to be trained." She looked at everyone in the room. "But we must be cautious. We don't know if this is the same Rey from Luke's vision. She could be from the same parents but a completely different child. We don't know what those implications are yet. So, for now, we train her and do not worry about the future."
Having a tacit approval from all of them, Luke had made his way back to the three newcomers. They were all relieved when Luke advised that they were welcome to stay on Yavin, under the protection of the Jedi.
"Someday, I wish to hear your story, Will." Luke placed his hand on the man's shoulder. "When you are ready."
The three quickly made a home along with the other parents and New Republic personnel. The Jedi all flocked to the housing area to meet them; most hoping to be witness to the first meeting of Rey and Ben.
Ben had been in training all afternoon, so the normally cheerful child was tired and in need of a nap. Rey had been pent up in a ship for most of the day. The combination of those two factors meant that the audience was disappointed. The two children looked at each other, and that was about it. Luke and Leia shared a smile. The two children would come to know each other better later, and then they would all be able to see if Rey was the same person Luke had seen in his vision.
But, since the two meeting hadn't been very dramatic, no one really thought much of it. Luke continued with his teaching alongside the Jedi. His most favorite parts though were when they were all together as a group. The students asked many questions, and he was happy to be able to answer. The Jedi helped if he faltered, but they let him take the lead.
"The Force is timeless. There is nothing in our history that says it 'appeared' one day. Rather, the earliest known explorers indicate there was an unknown energy field that surrounded all living things. Therefore, it must be respected while learning it. It is greater than you, or I, or any other Jedi.
"There are three pillars of the Jedi that we will be learning in your time here. The first of these is the Force. In order to be trained in the ways of the Jedi it is an important piece; and the one that we will be learning about today. In today's lesson, we will discuss what the Force is, how Jedi use it, and why.
"The Force is bigger than all of us, as I said. It is the life energy that exists all around us, binding us all together into the galaxy. The space between mass; the air between you and I, the trees, the rocks, everything. A vast cosmic power, it ripples the surface of space and time. The Force contains the whisper of your personal destiny, and it does have a will. It is up to us to interpret it.
"Some of you may already be able to sense it – feel it – around you. As Jedi in training, we, your teachers, will help you feel the Force around you and help control it."
"How can we control something so large? Something that is bigger than all of us? Than the galaxy?" Castial Lia asked, sitting next to her twin, Cain. As the two in the middle of all the other students surrounding them, they looked to be the youngest. Their ages of ten years seem older when either asked questions. Depa was most proud of these two.
"Control the Force, you will not, Cas. Feel it and use it, you will. The Force is not there for someone to conquer as a planet or a war. Primary is to learn to control yourself and your emotions, then be able to manage your surroundings you will." Yoda walked forward toward the initiates. "Self-directed focus, this teaches. The Force can be bent and shaped, when at peace you are."
"Teacher Luke! You said today's lesson was on the Force, but what are the other two pillars of the Jedi?" Odinna asked, leaning forward on her knees.
Luke smiled down at her. Bright, blue eyes stared up at him contrasting with the pale pink skin and jet-black hair. Being from Mirial, she had a natural Force ability. Her parents had wanted structured training for her that they didn't have; because the Force abilities run so smoothly within that species the parents were also admitted into Luke's school, but they hadn't wanted full training. They had control training, and when they were confident, they had decided to stop.
"The other two, that we will cover on another day, are Knowledge and Self-Discipline. All three are linked together heavily. We will cover those later today if we have time, or during tomorrow's session. As Jedi, we must learn the Force first and then move to the other two to understand deeply what we still need to learn."
"The ancient texts indicate that Knowledge is the most important of the three pillars. That may require more time than the other two." Obi-Wan came forward to stand near Yoda and Luke, smiling down at the students.
"How come we don't start with that then?" Ben asked, sitting in the back on Han's lap.
"When you were training on your Father's ship, did he push you straight into flying on your own?" Obi-Wan asked wisely.
Ben shook his head. "No, he won't let me fly it on my own. He says I need to learn more about it first."
"Ah, the same it is with the Force, young one. Learn the building blocks of what we are first, then move to more."
"I haven't decided if I want you to fly the Falcon yet, kid. We'll see," Han smirked at Luke, who smiled back at him.
"Aww, Dad…" Ben sat back and pouted, causing several students to chuckle.
The group settled down after that and began listening to Luke's lesson. In explaining about the Force, he discussed that each student would have smaller individual sessions on learning how to reach out with your feelings and sense what was around them. The students seemed excited to have one on one training, as some had yet to do this. The older students, who have mastered this – or at least understood the fundamentals – were still excited about one on one time. Luke's philosophy was to place the students together quite often to ensure everyone learned the same amount and type of knowledge.
"What about the Dark side?" Rey asked. This is was the first time she had spoken in training. Up until now she had been a quiet observer. All eyes turned to her, making her shrink against her mother.
"What about the Dark side, Rey?" Anakin asked, standing up from his seat next to Yoda.
"Go ahead, Rey. Ask the question you asked me last night that I couldn't answer," Will said encouragingly.
"How do you know the Dark side from the Light? How do you keep from being evil?" She sat up on her mother's lap looking determined. "How do you stop what could be genetic?"
All the Jedi looked at each other, surprised by her bold words. A child of four or five shouldn't have this kind of innate knowledge, particularly with the genetic part. Will sat back with a pleased look on his face; Luke and Anakin glanced at each other.
'Father, he's prompting her.'
Anakin nodded in agreement at Luke. 'Tread carefully in this answer, son. All ears are listening.'
"The Dark side is not genetic, young Rey. Each person here has the choice to accept the Dark into their soul and remove the Light. As we really dive into initiate training, we will train and teach you how to avoid such a future.
"However," Luke held up his hand as all the students began to talk at once. Most wanting to know more than what he had just said. "I will say this about the Dark side. Fear, anger and hate are strong on the Dark side. Through our training, we will help you to focus on the Light side.
"Now, young Jedi, let's break for midday meal. Will, Jodie? Do you have a moment?" Luke called out, watching the students scatter for the kitchens. Rey looked up at her mother, who shooed her into joining the other students. Once Rey was gone, Will and Jodie walked over to Luke and Anakin.
"Thanks for letting us be a part of the lesson, Luke. That was interesting," Will said with a smile on his face. Luke looked at him closely, not quite believing in the words.
"I think we need to have a conversation about what you are actually doing here." Luke motioned for them to sit down.
"We are here to escape my father, as you know."
"I believe there is something more. Something you haven't told me."
Will and Jodie looked at each other. Jodie was the one who answered. "We don't want Rey to be like Will's father. We brought her here so that she would grow up being taught about the Jedi, not the Sith."
Luke nodded at Anakin, who was standing silently behind them. "We can teach her the ways of the Force, but we cannot make life decisions for her. She can learn all about the Light from us and still choose to turn to the Dark as she gets older." Anakin sat down next to Jodie, placing his hand over hers. "We will do our very best for all of our students to equip them to make these choices as they are older, but we cannot tell them what to do."
Rey's parents glanced at each other, and then back to Anakin. "I guess we understand that. It's just that we know her power lies along the same path as the Emperor. We don't want her to become him."
"I assure you that we will do our very best to avoid that. The Force has its own will, but Rey is a sweet child. We will encourage that." Luke promised to the worried parents. "I can also assure you that it is not genetic. Father?"
Anakin sighed, removing his hand from Jodie's. "In my youth, I turned evil as a result of the Emperor." Their shocked silence spoke volumes. But Anakin continued, "With my son's help, I was able to turn back to the side of Light and am standing here with you today because of that. Do not underestimate what love can do to aide this."
"What is your name, sir?" Will asked, leaning forward. "My father spoke of an apprentice many times…"
"When I was evil, I was known as Darth Vader."
Will sat back and hissed a little. Jodie's smile turned to a look of disgust and inched away from him. Anakin stood up and walked to stand behind Luke.
"My Father is who destroyed the Emperor during the battle of Endor. I am only alive because he turned to save my life."
"He was not destroyed as you see it."
Luke and Anakin nodded. "That much we know, but we don't know the details as to why or how."
"A conversation for another time." Will stood up, taking Jodie with him. "You have given us much to think about. Let me discuss with my wife in private, please."
Once they were far enough away, the men continued their conversation. "Father, I'm not sure about this. I have a bad feeling about them. I cannot place it, but I fear that their destiny is not a good one."
Anakin nodded sitting next to Luke, looking at the retreating forms. "I agree, son. Something is off but I cannot tell what. If we were not expected to be in training sessions this afternoon, I would suggest that we meditate on our thoughts. See if the Force can aide us in this.
"Luke, you still need to have a meal. Let's find the other Jedi and decide who will take which students. The afternoon should be spent in our individual trainings." Anakin stood up, extending his hand to help Luke up as well. "Never fear son, we will figure all of this out."
"I know, Father. My current worry is how many of the Jedi will fight over taking Ben or Rey for training." Anakin laughed, and Luke joined him. The two were much sought after, especially with individual training.
"Let's go fight them off. We know that their training should be together, and it should be me who does it."
"Father don't start an argument with me on this. We've already discussed it, and it should be me. Having the knowledge of the future that is not to be."
They walked off bickering slightly, not seeing a small child listening in on the conversation. Ben poked his head around one of the pillars that encased the plaza where they had all met.
"Grandfather was evil?" he asked himself. Hearing his mother call him, he ran off toward the mess to get something to eat before afternoon sessions, thinking to himself, "Why do they care who gets me to train?"
A/N: Thank you to those of you who came back! I am super excited about this part as the Jedi training is something I find fascinating. We will dive into Force-sensitives learning their place in the world, being taught about the Force and how to manage growing up with extra abilities.
We see more from our Jedi teachers as well, as I always felt that Luke may have needed a bit more help. We start this part off under Luke's watchful eye, but we may shift to someone else's POV later.
Story will be updated on Wednesdays and Saturdays going forward.
Once again, a thank you to my husband for this idea (see Part 1 Episode VII: The Future Unwritten for more details on that!), and my beta Zombiefied419 for all the help, encouragement and just running ideas with me.
Chapter Sources:
Star Wars: The Jedi Path
Movies:
Star Wars A New Hope
Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back
Star Wars Return of the Jedi
Star Wars The Force Awakens