Written for Angstober Days 6: Injury and 12: Eyes.
Luke.
Luke.
Luke.
"Stop it."
Then respond to me. I have been calling to you for an age.
"You're— ugh. Stop it."
Why?
"Because you're not real!"
"Hey! Quiet in there!"
I can sense your fear. What is happening?
Luke. Answer me.
I will not be silent unless you—
"I'll kriffing answer you! Just… quietly."
What has happened?
"The guard came past. Apparently I was hallucinating a little too loudly."
You are not hallucinating.
"That's what a hallucination would say."
Indeed. That does not change the fact that it is also what someone who is not a hallucination would say. I am not one.
"Then who are you?"
A friend, Luke. I want to help you get out.
"You want… to help me get out."
Yes.
"Of an Imperial sensory deprivation cell in the back end of the galaxy."
You are not in a sensory deprivation cell. You have said yourself that you can hear the guard, and yourself. You can touch the cell walls, yes?
"Touch and sound aside, I can't see for shit, so I'm feeling pretty kriffing deprived. Is that why I'm hearing… you?"
You are not going insane.
"That's what a—"
Yes. We have covered this. It is not because of the cell that you see nothing. You have been temporarily blinded.
"Temporarily—how do you know?"
That is not required knowledge.
"I think it is. Are you with them? Did you help them—"
I did not help them capture you.
"Still. Are you with them?"
I am speaking to you to enable your escape. When you were captured, do you remember your X-wing exploding?
"I— yes, Artoo didn't fly this mission with me, and when something went wrong it—"
The flash has temporarily blinded you. Your captors have no interest in healing you, but it will pass. You must escape so you can receive medical attention.
"Yeah, and free the rest of my squadron— are they in here with me? Did they survive the explosion?"
It set off a chain reaction which saw many of their ships also engulfed in the same fireball.
"Did they survive?"
You must escape.
"Did they survive?"
"…I'll take your silence as a no."
You cannot allow yourself to be crippled by grief. You must escape.
"I can take a moment to!"
Cease that. Curling yourself into a ball is—
"And how do you know what I'm doing? Wedge—"
I am inside your head, Luke. And the Force. You know that communication like this is possible; cease denying it.
"…Ben?"
Luke.
"You sound—"
The Force is not obliged to remain stagnant. Nor am I. Nor are you. Do not stop. Keep moving. Escape.
"Ben, I—"
Keep moving.
"I don't know what to do. My squadron are dead, because my X-wing exploded, and—"
Put your hand on the wall, Luke.
"I—"
Put your hand on the wall.
"Alright. I did it."
What does it feel like?
"Smooth. A little slimy. Gross. No, that's my own sweat—"
Follow the wall to its corner.
"It's not a big cell, you know. I know where the corner is."
Then find it.
"I already have. I'd have thought you'd know that, since you know—"
Do not be irritable with me, Luke. It is not me you are angry at.
"It is. More than a little."
It is yourself. If you use that anger and turn it against your oppressors, you will escape.
"I've found the door."
If you are so close to the edge of the cell, I do hope you are whispering.
"Of course I'm whispering, you snarky bastard. What's your plan now?"
As I said. You must use your anger. Turn it against your oppressors—now, the lock. Free yourself with the Force.
"I… can't do that."
I have trained you long enough that you should be able to, Luke.
"You trained me for less than six hours! You don't get to give me that disappointed tone!"
…very well. But you must try, nonetheless.
"I— I'll try. Ben, I'm scared."
I know.
"I think I'm going insane."
I can feel it.
"What if I can't—"
Very good.
"I have no idea how I did that. What was—"
The Force. You are immensely powerful with it. You used it.
"Like I did over the Death Star?"
Yes. Now, use it again. Is anyone in the corridor beyond?
"No."
Then open the door and step out. Turn to your left and keep walking, whether you can see the exit or not.
"I'm walking. There's no guards coming. But there is—"
"Luke!"
"Luke, is that you?"
"Luke, can you—"
Ignore them, Luke. That is your subconscious.
"What?"
"Luke, it's me, Hobbie, how did you get out? Can you help—"
Keep walking, Luke. Before the guards returns, and your real hallucinations see you back into that cell. They are trying to tempt you back as you speak.
"Hobbie's voice is coming from my left."
Which is where your cell is.
"My cell is behind me…"
Luke. I understand your hesitation. It does you credit. But you cannot allow your gentle heart to be a weakness; you must harden it.
"But—"
Do you trust me, Luke? I cannot be there for you in person, but this will not work if you do not trust me.
"Yes, Ben. You protected me for years. I trust you."
Then trust that they are hallucinations and continue walking.
"Luke!"
"Where are you going—Luke!?"
"Luke, look at me, help me—"
See how their voices fade so rapidly? If you do not give them power over you, they will cease their racket. Close the door and watch them vanish entirely.
"I shut the door. There— There's someone coming."
You must do exactly as I say.
"Alright."
Can I trust you will do that, Luke?
"Yes, Ben, I— yes."
Good. Now, when he comes—reach out with the Force. Good. Now that he is still, before he regains the breath to scream, seize his blaster. Yes. Now, switch its settings. It's a new type of blaster, so the stun setting is on the opposite side than you're used to. Switch it to stun on this new setting, let the Force guide your arm, and stun him. You cannot have him raising the alarm. Very good.
"Are you sure that was stun? I felt—"
Unconsciousness and death can feel eerily similar in the Force. You have not killed him.
"Are you sure?"
I am. Keep moving. Turn this corner. Yes. Now, on your left there is a glass box. Feel for it.
"I have it."
Smash it and press the button. That will set off the fire alarm and spark an instant evacuation. It will leave the coast clear for you to walk out the front door.
"That seems risky."
It is your best chance.
"Alright. Alright, I'll— ow."
Are you well?
"Yeah, it's just bits of glass in my elbow. There's the button pressed. That alarm is hellish."
It is indeed. Now, walk. There is a row of turbolifts immediately ahead of you. Find the central one.
"Found it."
Press the upper button. Now, when the doors open, step inside.
"Which button do I press?"
The second from the top. Wait for the doors to close. No one will be using the turbolifts during the fire alarm: you will be alone. Now, wait for them to open. Walk forwards.
"There's no one around."
Indeed, there is not. The main doors are right in front of you. Keep walking.
"I'm outside. I can feel the sunlight."
You cannot see it yet?
"No."
Then the injury to your vision has not yet dissipated. Keep walking.
"Straight ahead?"
Straight ahead. There is a hangar down the road where you will be able to steal a ship.
"I don't have any shoes on."
Then you will have dusty feet. The roads are not dangerous. Keep walking.
"But—"
Keep walking.
"What the hell was that?"
Stop turning around. Turn back. Keep walking.
"Was that a fire? I can feel heat—"
Keep walking.
"Is that smoke?"
The facility which imprisoned you has been strafed from orbit.
"What? Why?"
"Because it imprisoned you."
"Sorry, I didn't see you—hey! Let go of me!"
"No. There is no escape from here so easily, Skywalker."
"Vader."
"I appreciate your cooperations thus far." Now, you must keep walking. All of your Rebel compatriots are dead or burning. I will see to your vision, and then I will see to the proper training that Obi-Wan clearly failed to give you.
"You!" Do not pull away from me. There is no escape. "Don't touch me!"
"Do not try to run."
"Oh, I'm gonna try."
"Sleep."
"Get that hand away from my face!"
"Do not try it, Luke. Don't you trust me?"
"No. Never again—"
"Good." To trust nobody is the first lesson any Sith should learn.