Hey, dudes and dudettes!
Sorry I'm a bit late with this update. Took me forever to sort it out properly. Also...you know...life, and all the things that come with it.
I'd like to thank Golm _Fersve_Dra for being an awesome beta. Really comes in handy when it comes to delivering the highest quality fic possible.
Now, for today you might notice the chapter is a bit shorter than usual. That's because there's a surprise at the end ;)
Now, onwards!
"There's always a broader picture. There's always something beyond the system you're concentrating on. Never forget that."- Yoav Blum
Chapter 28. Eyes Open
"Breathe in and out. Just like we practiced."
*inhale
"Very good. Use your positive emotions to achieve inner peace."
*exhale
Inside one of the Temple's many meditation rooms, Anakin and Luke Skywalker continued their breathing exercises, which had been steadily improving for the former over the course of two weeks.
However, the following month of the war brought a series of good news and bad news.
The good news was that Anakin seemed to have settled back into a state of relative normalcy. Luke's method of meditation became immediately apparent. The dark circles under his eyes disappeared, energy and efficiency returned while becoming far less irritable. He returned to eating lunch together again with himself and Ahsoka.
For his part, Luke sensed his father's stress reduce significantly and the shadow of the dark side retreated to a safe distance. An excellent sign. Obi-Wan and Satine were back together according to Ahsoka and off on some beach in the _ region. Apparently, the Great Negotiator decided on taking a random vacation after not having a single hour off for five years. The days accrued. Go figure.
Yet for all the good fortune, they were far from being safe or immune to danger. Not even close.
"The Force is with me and I am one with the Force."
"Excellent. And who do you see?"
"Padme, Obi-Wan, Master Yoda, Ahsoka...all of my friends."
"They are your guide, Anakin. The Force is not merely a power for us to wield but a connection, the energy between all things that binds the universe together. It's all around us, including the people we love. Within it, lies peace."
If anything, the war had become even worse. The Separatists pushed on multiple fronts without much success and as a result were driven back to the last reaches of their original territory. Reserve units and specialization forces were called into action. Jedi who'd never even seen a battlefield were now being sent halfway across the galaxy leaving only around a thousand within the halls of the Temple in a given moment. Propaganda posters called on citizens to stay vigilant as ever and that victory was at hand.
Thus began the Outer Rim Sieges.
Luke Skywalker knew well enough by now that Sidious had initiated his plans in an effort to stretch the Jedi all across multiple star systems, rendering them helpless once Order Sixty-Six unfolded. But the other pieces to fall in place were not there. The Senate movement, led by Bail Organa, promised to challenge the Chancellor's near unlimited authority and it acquired new members every day. The Separatists, while weakened, were not yet beaten and the clone troopers alone did not possess the power to tackle the massive amounts of droids that remained. Dooku was very much alive. As was the ever elusive Maul.
What's his game at this point?
Personally, Luke hoped Sidious was finally slipping, over extending due to his plans being disrupted time and time again, something he took personal satisfaction in doing. But there were many wild cards left in play, which left him having to cover more and more angles. The Jedi Council, while wary of Palpatine, certainly didn't suspect him to be a Sith Lord. Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi had yet to be informed of the truth. Anakin Skywalker, while remaining firmly in the light, was still not immune from Palpatine's machinations.
"Luke, there is also darkness surrounding them...and myself."
Luke still sensed anxiety from his father, the kind that tended to linger, a seed for something dark and terrible to rise. As long as that fear existed within, the threat of Darth Vader was never far away. He had no doubt Sidious plotted and schemed daily to bring that forth.
"Anxiety, fear, anger...these things have the ability to destroy any person. But they cannot be ignored either. Face them, acknowledge you are afraid, do not hide. By doing this, they have less power over you."
After nearly six months in the past, the sheer overwhelming burden of trying to match the Sith move for move started to give him severe headaches. And the nightmares had only grown worse.
For all his heroics and everything he'd done up to this point- winning battles, freeing the clones, venerating Ahsoka, planning to stop the rise of the Empire- he often looked to the quiet moments. Those vulnerable lapses in time where he allowed himself to look backward instead of forward. Remembering the days of his youth, victory over tyranny, the adventures on Bespin, Tatooine, Hoth, Dagobah, and Endor. Visions of Han, Chewbacca, Admiral Ackbar, Yoda, Obi-Wan, Lando, Leia, and Ben, yes, even his fallen nephew.
The waves of nostalgia cast a silent pall over Luke Skywalker as he gazed over the sunsets of Coruscant, tears glistening in the red-purplish glow that came through the window in his room. He missed them. He missed them all. And that ache, no matter how deeply buried, never truly went away.
Despite his numerous criticisms of the Jedi, nothing compared to the torment of his own failure, wishing desperately that he could have his old life back with those he loved.
Wiping the tears away, the Last Jedi would pick himself back off the ground and return to whatever task he needed to complete. After all, he had a job to do. The future lay in the balance.
Luke, the voice of Darth Vader called to him.
No, begone!
Luke
"Luke? Luke, are you alright?"
In getting lost in his own thoughts, he'd neglected Anakin who now stared at him, eyes alight with concern. No doubt he must have felt his old wounds opening back up again, an old scar that never stopped bleeding.
"Yes, my apologies for becoming distracted. Just goes to show even the best struggle sometimes."
"I...I saw something."
"What?" Luke asked, noting Anakin sounded uncharacteristically afraid.
"A cyborg of some kind. Black with a strange looking helmet. It...was the darkest, most vile feeling I've ever sensed. What was it?"
Luke privately cursed himself for the slip. When meditating he could sense Anakin's thoughts, feelings, even visions. Through their strong connection to each other, the reverse happened, the Chosen One now privy to his thoughts, feelings, and visions.
"That was something you should not have seen."
"But what was it?" Anakin repeated.
"A menace...a symbol of the dark side and the disastrous consequences when one embraces it."
"Was that the dark side user you faced?"
"Yes."
Luke swallowed and quickly changed the subject. He did not want his father spooked any more than he had been already. "But nothing you need to worry about. Come, let's finish our last fifteen minutes before the next group."
He smiled in an attempt to put his father at ease, which did the trick. Soon the two were breathing easily once more and concentrating their attention back to spiritual mastery.
However, it was a subtle reminder that just as Sidious lurked around every corner so did the shadow of Darth Vader. Best to keep that shadow far away.
"Today's the day isn't?" he asked.
"It is. But I'm afraid."
"Why?"
"What if she doesn't want to see me?" Anakin asked with more than a few pulses of anxiety. "What if-"
"What ifs are nothing more than hypothetical imaginings," Luke soothed as helped his father up from the floor once the allotted time was up. "You must trust in yourself and in the people who love you."
Just as I have and always will, Father
Anakin gave a small, hopeful smile.
"You really think it's time?"
"It is. Go to her. Remember what we talked about. Practice your breathing. Focus on positive emotions."
Luke allowed his power to connect with Anakin, fusing their bond further, bathing them both in warmth. The dark side howled but it could not penetrate the shield of light surrounding the two Skywalker men. He could see the halo bathe his father in its power, creating an almost celestial glow around him. An ethereal aura almost too overwhelming for mortal men to comprehend. He spoke as a beautiful angel might.
"Thank you, Luke."
Even as the Last Jedi drove back the black tendrils of evil, such a massive power permeating throughout the Temple did not go unnoticed by those within its walls. Especially to a certain green master who stood just outside listening to every word.
Anakin hadn't felt this nervous around his wife since that fateful day she came back into his life at age nineteen three years prior. He gave a noise of amusement at the parallel. Standing in a lift, awaiting to see her reaction, bouncing on the balls of his feet just to catch a glimpse of the most beautiful woman in the galaxy. Except this time, there was no Obi-Wan to offer reassurance. And that nineteen year old kid was…something else now. Baptized by the fires of war. No longer naive to the underhanded ways in which they were conducted.
How simple things seemed back then. A mission to protect a beautiful Senator led to the start of something much bigger. Bigger than them all. And now, it threatened to tear apart the galaxy at the seams, even his marriage.
Calm down. Remember what Luke taught you
The Hero With No Fear felt a great deal of it as he stepped off the lift and headed towards the Senator's suite. It was practically another home to him by now. Would Padme still accept him in it?
Wrestling with intense emotions nearly proved to be his undoing. Faltering as he reached the doors, Anakin nearly doubled back.
She's the best thing that's ever happened to me. I'm not going to throw that away
Wiping the sweat off his organic palm, Anakin steadied his breathing, allowed positive energy to calm his weathered soul and entered.
"Padme?"
He'd given notice of his arrival beforehand but received no response. Not a great start. Then again, the security of the building let him through. That had to count for something, right?
"Padme?"
Again his call was met with silence gazing around the vast expanse of the room. For a split second, he thought she might not be home. But the Senate was reconvening in a few days and Padme Amidala never missed a day of work in her life.
Anakin silently smacked himself. He was a Jedi after all.
Duh
He didn't have to reach out to the Force for her presence for it suddenly peaked out from one of the bedrooms.
"Ani?"
"Angel!"
He began to power walk towards her but stopped himself remembering Luke's advice. Don't rush. Don't start an argument over the right to be correct. Above all else, respect her boundaries.
"May I come in?"
Padme, dreary eyed and in silk pajamas, nodded. She looked exhausted and more than a bit unhappy.
As he entered he braced himself.
Leave your ego at the door, a voice reminded. He wouldn't forget.
"Anakin I think-"
"Wait," he said quickly, taking her hand and sitting her down on the bed they'd shared so many times. "I'm sorry for interrupting you. But there's something I need to say. Please."
She didn't look as though she contained the energy to argue and when no response came, Anakin took that as a green light.
"I want to apologize. I've been incredibly selfish, arrogant, unwise, and I haven't been a good husband. My vow to you was to be supportive and to cherish our love. In both instances, I failed."
He dropped to one knee beside the bed and kissed her hand.
"I ask for your forgiveness."
Anakin's heart raced so fast, he didn't have it in him to look her in the eye, instead keeping his face level with her stomach. Then there was nothing but sweet perfume and a soft embrace.
"I already have, Ani." She began stroking his brown caramel locks and planted a kiss on top of them. "The fault lies with me too."
"You did nothing wrong."
"Contrary to how you may feel, I'm not perfect."
She tilted his head upwards and gave a look of pure affection.
"This war has challenged our marriage in ways I could scarcely imagine. I knew things might get bumpy. But being squeezed between my love for you and my job…that's not a position I want to be in anymore."
Anakin gave her a soft peck on the cheek and returned to a sitting position on the edge of the mattress.
"I feel the same way. I've given most of my life to the Jedi and I'm proud of my accomplishments. But if I was forced to choose between you and the Order, it wouldn't be much of a choice."
"Then let's make it, right now."
"What?"
She pulled him close and rested her head in his arms.
"We both have duties bigger than ourselves. Obligations to the Republic that we swore to fulfill. But once those obligations are met, we leave and don't look back."
Anakin blinked to make sure he heard her right.
"You're…you're serious?"
"I am. I'll resign from the Senate the minute the war is over."
"Then I will do the same from the Jedi Order."
For a half minute, the two cuddled and he whispered sweet nothings into her ear. She snuggled herself tighter into his body. It only made him crave her more.
"Remember Naboo? That blissful one week we had to ourselves. Where there was nothing but our love?"
"It was the happiest of my life," Anakin remembered with reverence. How could he forget? Staying in bed all day, adventures in the sheets, walks among the beautiful scenery- little meadows, fields, rivers, sloping hills. An unparalleled paradise.
"Imagine that…except instead of two, there'd be three. Maybe four."
Anakin's eyes widened.
"You're not suggesting…"
"I am. I want a family, Ani. It's my greatest wish."
She was everything to him. And the more he thought about it, the more her desire became his. He could hear the sounds of little children giggling and laughing in his ears like the most tender music.
"I think it's a wonderful idea."
Padme began kissing him and he didn't stop her advances. Kriff, he missed her. He missed her so damn much and nearly lost the greatest thing in his life as a result.
As he explored the body of Padme Amidala in all the right places and her sounds of pleasure grew louder and more intense, Anakin gave himself to the Force and remembered his instruction. To embrace love. The greatest gift he'd ever known.
He would not lose it again. Even if it meant leaving the Jedi.
The sound of simulated blaster fire rang out over the hum of two lightsabers moving in an eternal dance, a shimmering shield made of emerald bathing the training room in its hue.
One man could see each movement and each swing of the blade in exact time and in precise detail.
"Keep your feet light," Luke Skywalker ordered.
Ahsoka dipped and darted in and out against a flurry of stun shots, each one missing her body by mere inches. A platoon of battle droids surrounded her in an enclosed circle, each one aiming to kill were it not a simulation.
"Don't think. Use your instincts. Let the Force flow.."
She spun around on her knees, flipped in the air and blocked a strike aimed at her back.
"Good. Again!"
The Togruta finished the exercise with a backflip somersault, more blaster shots whizzing by before landing with an impressive flourish. Switching off her blades, she sent the practice droids scattering across the floor, twitching lamely in defeat.
Luke took a sip of his canteen before getting up from the bleachers.
"Impressive."
Ahsoka stowed away her weapons and bowed as a sign of respect.
"Told ya I could do it."
"That wasn't the point of the exercise."
"Then what was?"
"Preparation. So many things could go wrong. If Order 66 is activated prematurely we'll be in a fight for our lives."
He breathed in, battling against the hellish imagery he saw every night in his dreams. The only solace was that reality wasn't all that different. Luke Skywalker's personal demons followed him everywhere.
"You're a great teacher, you know."
"That's kind of you say. Better to thank your master instead."
"I mean it," Ahsoka pressed, sensing his internal self deprecation. "Anakin may have taught me that technique. But you have the patience to see the little things. The ability to look at a problem from multiple points of view. It's not a skill most people have."
She reached out with her gloved hand and it hovered above Luke's right hand, grazing the surface of the artificial skin ever so lightly. Empathy replaced the adrenaline of training. She knew where that injury came from.
"He took your hand."
"He did."
Ahsoka grimaced at the thought, struggling to envision her beloved master as anything other than the good man that he was.
"Are you as powerful as he is?"
The full weight of the inquiry dropped on Luke all at once.
Could I do it? Could I face my father and win?
Technically, he'd already done so once. But that version of Anakin had been trapped inside a suit designed to inhibit movement, limited by the injuries suffered on Mustafar. He couldn't be one hundred percent certain, but Vader most likely did not use his full strength on the second Death Star. Partially out of love for his son and partially out of a power hungry desire to overthrow the Emperor. He'd been about forty five years of age, almost forty six and caught off guard by an assault from a fresher, younger warrior he did not truly wish to fight.
In another twist of time travel irony the scenario was now reversed. Luke inhabited the body of a seasoned, forty eight year old Master while Anakin's twenty two year old powers were reaching their peak. An unstoppable force of nature who's raw talent and skill had almost no equal.
"I don't know," he finally answered. "I've never been able to figure that out myself."
"I overheard Master Yoda and Master Windu discuss your midi-chlorian count shortly after you arrived at the Temple. Said it was the highest they'd ever seen except for well…you know."
"So I've been told," Luke muttered. "Keep in mind my father was trained for years as a Jedi Knight. Outside of a few months with Obi-Wan and Yoda, I had to learn everything I know by myself."
"And yet if there's one thing you didn't inherit from Anakin, it's his penchant for showing off."
Ahsoka said these words with humor. She hardly expected what came next.
Luke took out his own weapon and switched it on, twirling it effortlessly in his hands. He began a sequence of movements: clean, precise, and intricate. A dance in rhythm with the Force itself. His speed was such that even Ahsoka could only describe what she saw not as a human being but an emerald blur.
Upon finishing, the Last Jedi settled into a zen pose and returned the blade to the side of his belt, the Togruta's jaw lying on the floor.
"The power in me and my family is boundless, but put to evil use, it can cause untold suffering on a scale too devastating to imagine."
He looked down at his hands as though they had the potential to break something.
"That's what I'm trying to teach my father. It's why I'm trying to reform the Jedi Order. Before it's too late. Before I'm forced to do something I'll regret."
Ahsoka took a step forward and peered underneath the blond's shadowed demeanor. It astonished her just how quickly Luke's inner essence could switch on a Republic credit from the brightest light to a guarded castle of fear and pain.
"Do what?" she asked carefully.
It was the crux of their journey together. She knew that while Luke hadn't lied, he also failed to reveal the full truth of his past. Something terrible ran across the edge of Luke Skywalker's soul like a surgical scar, healed but inescapably visible. A wounded angel nursing damaged wings.
A comlink beeped.
"It's not mine," Luke commented with flat humor.
Ahsoka ignored him and answered. She recognized that signal anywhere.
"Master Yoda."
"Knight Ahsoka Tano. With General Luke, are you?"
Even the blond had to hold in a laugh. Yoda always knew more than he let on.
"You caught me, Master."
"Fret, do not. Wish to speak to him, I do. Send him to the Room of the Thousand Fountains as soon as possible."
"Understood."
They stood in relative silence for several seconds. The burden of future knowledge reared its ugly head yet again. Every divergence, no matter how big or small, had to be analyzed through that lense.
"What do you think?"
"Better Yoda than Mace Windu," Luke said with an air of forced indifference. "I'd better go see if I'm going to be expelled."
"I don't think that's quite it."
Luke studied her closely.
"I can sense your feelings on this."
"That goes both ways, Luke."
"Fair enough. But how do you know Master Yoda knows anything?"
"I don't," she said with a shrug. "That doesn't matter as much as the fact that we need allies. We've been planning and scheming just the two of us for too long."
Luke opened his mouth to counter but she stopped him.
"I get it. You have to be careful or everything could go wrong. It's a legitimate concern. But think about it this way: Bail Organa and the Senate are back in session next week. We still haven't presented our plan to Master Yoda and we'll need to in order to take down Sidious. Look deeper...this could be the moment you've been waiting for."
"Is there any dirt on Sidious yet?"
"No. But don't change the topic. A big part of whether we defeat Sidious or not depends on having Yoda on our side."
Kriffing son of a Hutt. There was little to argue in any of that. And for once the Force did not object. On the contrary it seemed to vibrate its approval. Or at the very least, no objection was signaled.
"Since when did the padawan become so wise?" he teased.
"I haven't been a padawan since the day you came back into the past."
"Touche."
Luke still felt apprehensive but there was no point in delaying the inevitable. Trial or no trial, Yoda was more than just a Master but a friend. And despite his recent vote in favor of suspension, it was Yoda who saved him from outright expulsion in the first place.
"Whatever happens, I got your back, Skyguy."
That remark elicited a smile and the blond consented to face the music. Together they made for the Temple as the prospect of truth peaked over the horizon.
Master Yoda had never sensed the dark side this intensely. It enveloped Coruscant and the galaxy at large but its viciousness seemed to be reserved especially for the Temple. It stood in stark contrast to the peaceful scene in front of him. The garden was one of his favorite places to meditate and feel the pure essence of the Force flow.
He hadn't felt that cosmic peace in a long time.
'I think it's time we inform the Senate that our ability to use the Force has diminished.'
Mace Windu's words proved to be prophetic. Contrary to popular belief, Jedi could not actually see the future, but their perception through the Force allowed them to sense the events of the present- every emotion, thought, and inclination- in order to make extremely accurate guesses. Of course, this was not the only method, but visions were often extremely unreliable, undeterminable, and led to outcomes best not discussed in front of younglings.
The best and most powerful of the Jedi had been able to use their vast powers to discern the future without resorting to such vague complexities. In other words, to stay one step ahead and ensure nothing escaped their sight.
That sight had been blocked for quite some time and with each passing month, the Force slipped further and further into an impenetrable, semi-permanent darkness. The Grandmaster, long versed in the art of meditation, attempted to see. He used all his immense power to break through the black fog. Alas, it always ended up the same. The darkness would not give way.
Then a familiar voice spoke to him.
Yoda
His ears twitched at the calling. He recognized it as the same one that made its presence known during Luke's first trial.
"Who are you?"
Yoda
It was stronger this time and clearer taking on a deep, masculine tone but not quite audible enough to resemble a person. But its aura was so familiar. Like an old friend stopping by for a friendly visit.
Open your eyes and see
The swirling soup of gray clouds that hung over them for so long gave way to pure light, its music flowing in delicate harmony as it penetrated the black shroud of the dark side. An opening appeared, small to be sure, but its light shined brighter than anything yet seen. Yoda could see two men swinging blue and green lightsabers against each other, sparks flying like embers from a fire. Lightning tortured a bearded man who struggled fruitlessly against its painful dark arts. A beautiful woman lay dying in a hospital, clinging to life by a thread.
In the backdrop a hooded figure of pure evil cackled and laughed maniacally.
Sidious the abominable figure whispered to him. Sidious
An intense cold attacked the little Master's body, so intense he thought the sensation might cause him to pass out entirely.
"Such darkness...such evil."
But just as quickly as it came the ugly shadow departed leaving nothing for the briefest of moments in time. Then came something else. A new whisper, however this one did not sound like a demonic Sith Lord.
In the coming dusk
The hour is late
A menace lurks
A hero to change fate
"What?" he asked aloud. "Understand I do not."
The voice continued to whisper its message.
The sun sets...a sacrifice made
"Sacrifice? What sacrifice? Who are you?"
But the small hole in the clouds vanished, leaving the Force a dark murkiness once more and the Jedi Master puzzled as puzzled could be.
"Hmmmm."
It had been the first glimpse of the future seen in quite some time for Master Yoda. Yet he could make neither head nor tails of it. The figure of evil represented the mysterious Sith Lord Darth Sidious there was no doubt of that. But what of the two men swinging their blades against each other? The horrible images? The presence?
Time it soon will be for the fate of the galaxy to be decided. Disturbing this war is, hiding many secrets. A new prophecy perhaps? Who is this hero?
As if to answer his question, another presence entered the garden to reveal just the person he wanted to see.
Luke Ahch-To symbolized yet another mystery Yoda had been unable to solve. A centerpiece to the puzzle that lay at the heart of the Clone Wars and the evil behind it. A valiant man with incredible power. The power to change things in ways others could not. And despite these virtues, the Grandmaster was convinced that he hid something. Something that he'd been reluctant to share up to the point of lying multiple times over to protect it. To the point of being suspended at the risk of expulsion.
Could it be? Could Luke be the Chosen One?
Yoda banished such ideas for now. Enough games had been played. The truth, unvarnished, needed to be told.
"You sent for me, Master?" Luke asked him.
"Yes, I did. Wonderful place this is, hm? Do you not agree?"
Luke took a quick, impatient glance around. So young, so human.
So familiar.
"Very much so.'
Yoda took in the sounds of the babbling brook, birds singing their lovely songs, and the smell of the strange, delicate flowers. A small corner of paradise amidst the bloodstained galaxy. He gestured towards one of the soft, mossy knolls and each of them rested on the grass.
"Sit, yes. Sit."
"Master, what's going on?"
"Meditate with me young Luke. Together. Then to conversation."
Thankfully no more questions were asked. Both began to focus on their breathing, taking deep, deliberate breaths, allowing the Force to flow through them as a conduit.
"Good, good," he said softly, approving of how Luke appeared to have mastered his own spiritual discipline. "Most impressive."
They did this both for about half an hour until Yoda decided to move onto other subjects. He'd seen enough of Luke's abilities to know a self disciplined master when he saw one. But there was something simultaneously different and familiar about the way the middle aged human approached meditation.
"An excellent teacher your old master was," he said, finally breaking the silence. "Taught you well, he did."
"He was the best," Luke replied, a curious nostalgic look in his eyes. "Sometimes training under him frustrated me. But in the end I learned so much. I only wish I'd had the opportunity to expand the training further before he died."
"In control of your emotions, you are. Yet, you do not shy away from them, no indeed."
"The light and dark exist in all of us," came the reply. "I do not deny or pretend it can be wished away. We are all capable of great good and great evil. It is the choice to do the right thing and compassion for our fellow creatures that sets a moral person apart from an immoral one."
Such an opinion, Yoda had never heard before.
"Unique such thoughts are."
Luke couldn't help but give a small smile.
"So I've been told by many."
"Heed the Council you have not."
The blond's body language became more guarded and his mental shields strengthened. Both of which Yoda took note of.
"What do you mean, Master?"
"Broken the conditions set upon you by the Council, you have. A special interest you have taken in Anakin Skywalker. Your pupil is he?"
Luke raised his eyebrows at the knowledge that Yoda knew about their sessions in full, but remained composed.
"I'm training Anakin to resist the dark side," Luke clarified. "And nothing more."
"Some on the Council may not see it that way."
The response was measured but sharp.
"They're wrong. I hold no personal grudge towards them or anyone on the Council including you, Master," he said bowing with respect. "But they fail to grasp the true danger of the situation. Anakin is vulnerable and needs support."
"You share a bond with him. Much in common you have."
"There are similarities between our respective pasts," Luke said diplomatically. "He is an honest man, capable of great things. But oftentimes misunderstood."
Yoda remembered all too well not being in favor of Anakin being trained at all. The boy's talent and potential were limitless. But his fear and lack of control also made him susceptible to outbursts and dark feelings, the reaction to not being made a member of the Council being a prime example. There were still rare instances where he wondered if they'd made the right decision taking him in at an older age.
"Hmmm, know the prophecy you do?"
"Yes, Master. And I believe Anakin will fulfill it as envisioned."
Such faith he has. Especially in Skywalker
The old master suddenly gave a warm smile.
"A benefit to everyone, your presence has been. To Ahsoka, a mentor. To Obi-Wan, an equal. To Skywalker, a friend." The expression changed to that of grave concern. "But a darkness covers this Temple. You have felt it, yes?"
"I have."
"Some believe that darkness originates with yourself."
"And what do you think, Master?"
The question surprised him. Luke did not appear agitated or seethe in self righteous anger as he had in front of the Council. Instead, he was offered to explore his own feelings. They pointed in only one direction.
"Only a being of light could teach Skywalker such control," he surmised. "Such power in the Force, I have not sensed in years during your meditation."
"It's more than just control. He's learning to release his trauma. It's positive emotion and attachments to those he loves that have enabled Anakin to begin healing and resist the darkness."
"These are the methods you've used to train him? Your teachings?"
"Yes. And I do not apologize for them."
Yoda paused and scratched his chin. Technically, attachments were forbidden. A heresy that went against Jedi doctrine. By rights, Luke should be expelled. And yet the results spoke for themselves.
"And what of Grievous?"
"I killed him, Master. That's true. But I did not do so out of anger."
There was no lie in Luke's eye. No slip of the tongue nor the skip of a heartbeat. The Grandmaster knew when someone was attempting to lie to him. This did not qualify.
"Inconsistent and unclear the Chancellor's report was."
"The Chancellor is a liar," Luke spat.
The sentence was said with such venom, Yoda nearly flinched at its acidity.
"You have a strong dislike of the Chancellor."
"There's a very good reason for that."
They were reaching closer and closer to the crux of the conversation. He could feel it as the presence returned once more.
Trust in Luke
Yoda breathed in deeply and steadied his own anticipation. So many things were starting to connect. Things he still didn't understand. Perhaps it had been there all along right in front of him.
"Tell me Luke, know the name Darth Sidious, do you?"
"I do."
Yoda took the direction a step further.
"Know who he is?
Luke answered in a fearful tone.
"I do."
"Influencing Palpatine is he?"
The blond shook his head incredulously, giving something akin to a hollow laugh. But he did not smile and all manner of twinkling vanished from those crystal blue eyes.
"Darth Sidious and Sheev Palpatine are one in the same."
Yoda nearly fell back onto the grass. But maintaining a cool, rational head was a must. To digest this information and ask one simple question.
"How have you come by this information?"
"Because I come from a world where Sidious wins. A world where the galaxy has suffered from endless violence, bloodshed, and civil war. A world without the Jedi."
He didn't want to believe that. Nine hundred years of living, training, and study in the Force, the path to becoming possibly the most influential Jedi in its proud history, had exposed him to every kind of evil imaginable. Luke's words should not be possible. For Palpatine and Sidious to occupy the same person…they would have known.
And yet they didn't. And this young man (by his own standards) perceived what he failed to.
"Another world, say you?" Yoda inquired after a lengthy silence. "What does this mean? What purpose do you have?"
It couldn't be true. The legends and information surrounding the World Between Worlds were mere myth. Time was defined by strict laws…laws not meant to be broken. He'd only heard rumors from the Old Masters who remembered the end of the last Jedi-Sith War a millennia ago. The Halls of Time were well guarded and he'd only ventured there once.
Had this mysterious stranger defied the cosmos itself?
As if to confirm his suspicions, Luke Ahch-To leaned forward, opened up his palm and offered it freely.
"I can show you everything. But this power in the Force requires trust. I need you to trust me now, Master."
Logically, there existed no good reason to place said trust in the human in front of him. And yet, his instincts followed the guidance of the Force. Briefly unshackled from the chains of the dark side, it called to him again. Its light flickered in and out, but enough of the message came through.
Trust in him
"Place my faith in your hands, I will."
Luke nodded and shifted his hand until the tip of the index finger lightly pressed against Yoda's head.
The Grandmaster was blinded by a bright flash, the Force pulling him like a hook on a fishing line.
And then there was nothing.
And so the end of another chapter is here...but what's this? Another?
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