A/N: Thanks for all of the reviews! They're all very encouraging, so do write more! Here's another Luke-focused chapter, and Leia makes a cameo, lol.
TriGemini: Yes, I've always thought that Yoda was testing Luke. As for whether or not Luke is able to keep his promise...you'll have toread and see ;) Thank you so much for your review!
pokey: I totally agree.
Chou hime: Yes, I agree, Yoda can be rather...odd, lol. He's brilliant. Thanks for reviewing, even when you were in a rush!
Laura-chan: Sorry, but you will have to wait for a while! There's quite a lot of events before the confrontation. Glad you liked Luke meeting Yoda!
Princess-Aiel: Thank you very much, and I shall :)
Miss.S.P.: I certainly hope so! Thanks for reviewing!
Stephanie C: Lol, glad you liked it. And yes, they are.
0AnakinSolo0: Thank you very much! I'm glad you enjoy this story. Essentially, Anakin could function without the suit, but he has a lot of burn scars on his body. His artificial legs are like Luke's artificial hand in the OT - same appearance as normal flesh. His lungs and organs and such are still very much functional, and yes he can still "make love", although that doesn't have anything to do with this story, lol.
Danielle: Haha, no worries, reviews at any time make me happy :) You have awesome ideas! I don't know if I can fit them in (since I've written this whole story already), but I really do love those ideas. We'll see :)
DarthGladiator45: Thank you! I shall.
Emerald Green Queen: Thank you so much for reviewing! I can't believe you recognise Arliddian. Nobody I know does, so that made me smile! Yes, Episode 5 is about 3 years after Episode 4, but I felt that for the purposes of my writing (and the fact that writing "three years later" bugs me!), I'd keep it within the same timeframe. Thanks for reading, and I'm glad you're finding it interesting!
Chapter Eleven
With Yoda strapped to his back, Luke climbed up a thick vine. Panting heavily, he continued on his course, climbing and flipping through the air, jumping over roots and racing around under Yoda's guidance.
"Run! Yes," Yoda encouraged him. "A Jedi's strength flows from the Force. But beware of the Dark Side. Anger…fear…aggression. The Dark Side of the Force are they. Easily they flow, quick to join you in a fight. If once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny. Consume you it will, as it did Obi-Wan's apprentice."
Father…Luke thought as they approached a clearing. Aloud, he asked, "Is the Dark Side stronger?"
"No…no…no. Quicker, easier, more seductive," Yoda answered.
"But how am I to know the good side from the bad?"
Obi-Wan walked up and sat down on a large root as Luke let Yoda down to the ground. "You will know, when you are calm, at peace. Passive," he said. "A Jedi does not use the Force for attack, but for knowledge and defence. The Force is not a weapon or a tool."
He watched silently as the young man looked around at a huge, dead, black tree. Its giant, twisted roots formed a dark and sinister cave on one side.
"Something's not right here…" Luke murmured, staring at the tree. "I feel cold, death…"
Yoda sat down beside Obi-Wan. "That place…is strong with the Dark Side of the Force. A domain of evil it is. In you must go."
"What's in there?" Luke asked.
"Only what you take with you," Obi-Wan answered him.
Luke looked warily from the two Jedi to the tree. He began to strap on his weapon belt.
"Your weapons – you will not need them," Yoda told him.
He hesitated, but nodded. He left his weapon belt behind and entered the cave.
It was dark – Luke could barely see much more than a few centimetres in front of him. The air was musty, and the sense of danger and evil radiating off the cave was almost palpable. His eyesight useless, Luke recalled Yoda and Obi-Wan's teachings and leaned into the Force to guide his stumbling, faltering steps. He pressed on deeper, ignoring the scurrying footsteps of lizards and small creatures he heard, focusing only on moving forward and meeting whatever terror awaited him.
The presence of evil grew stronger, almost overwhelming the young man. Increasingly apprehensive, he cautiously stepped forward – and then he saw him.
Darth Vader emerged from the darkness, his black figure dimly illuminated by his ignited red lightsaber. He was silent as he slowly advanced on Luke.
Luke stopped absolutely still. This was no mere enemy – the man standing before him was his father. And he was approaching and raising his weapon to strike.
Yet Luke knew that, even if he had his lightsaber with him, he could not fight Vader. He could not defend against or attack this man when he knew he was his father.
A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defence, never for attack… Yoda's lesson reverberated in his head.
Slowly, he backed away. His back hit the wall of the cave – he was pinned.
Vader raised his lightsaber over his head, ready to deliver the blow. Luke leaned further into the Force and squeezed his eyes shut.
I will not fight you, Father, he cried desperately in his mind. He waited for the attack – but none came.
He opened his eyes – Vader had disappeared. In his place was a man, one whom Luke had never seen before…and yet he seemed familiar. The man was wrapped in shadows, the expression on his face one of wonder and relief, and even as Luke watched, the darkness swirling around him siphoned off slowly, disappearing into the back of the cave. Then, as suddenly as he had appeared, the man vanished. Luke was left alone in the darkness of the cave, feeling almost more confused than when he had ventured in.
Luke stood on his hands, with Yoda perched atop his feet. Concentrating, the young man stared at some large rocks across from them. Using the Force, he lifted one of the rocks from the ground and floated it to rest on another.
"Use the Force. Yes…" Yoda instructed. He tapped Luke's leg. The young man slowly lifted one hand from the ground. Suddenly, something began to beep. Ignoring the sound, Luke continued to concentrate.
"Now…the stone. Feel it," came Obi-Wan's calm voice.
Luke focused his mind and lifted the top rock. Gently he placed it on the ground.
"Good," Yoda said. He tapped Luke's leg again and then jumped down. Luke lowered his arm and then his legs, standing upright. He looked around in the direction of the incessant beeping. It was his comlink.
He grabbed it off the ground and switched it on.
"Luke," Leia's voice greeted him. "I have…found Han."
"Oh, good," Luke replied. "Where is he?"
"No, it's not good. He's being held captive in Jabba the Hutt's palace."
This was certainly not good news. Luke knew all about the ruthlessness of the Hutts, and Jabba was a particularly nasty one. "Where are you now?" he asked his sister.
"I'm on Tatooine with Threepio," she answered. "We found Chewbacca with the Millennium Falcon beyond the outskirts of Mos Eisley. We'll need your help."
"Well…I don't know how much longer I need to stay here. I'll join you as soon as I can. Don't do anything until I get there – we need to think of a plan together."
Leia paused. "All right," she agreed. "Let me know when you leave."
"I will," Luke said, and he turned off the comlink. He turned to Yoda and Obi-Wan, who were watching him impassively.
"I will finish my training first," he declared. "And then I will use my skills to help my friends."
Obi-Wan gave a small smile. "Very well," was all he said. In reality, however, he was immensely proud of Luke. He had shown he was committed to following the path of the Jedi, even though his friend was most probably in danger. He had learned so much in these past weeks, and now he was applying it.
Yoda nodded and shuffled over to the young man. "Up," he commanded, and then Luke was back on his hands.
Luke had spent yet another four days training with Yoda and Obi-Wan, honing his skills. He had learned to levitate multiple items by focusing the Force, and his connection to the Force now was strong.
Then, just after a training exercise, his X-wing had sunk below the lake's surface.
Luke gazed at the lake gloomily. "How am I going to get it out now?" he wondered aloud.
"Think," Obi-Wan said from where he was seated on a nearby root. He preferred to have Luke figure things out by himself, or for wise Master Yoda to instruct the young man. Since Anakin's fall, he had lost a lot of faith in his abilities as a teacher, and it would take a while to fully regain it. "You know the answer."
"Master Obi-Wan, moving stones and packing cases around is one thing. This is totally different."
"No! No different! Only different in your mind," Yoda put in, tapping his stick against the ground. "You must unlearn what you have learned."
"But Master Yoda, it's so big…" Luke said, kneeling before the Jedi Master.
"Size matters not. Look at me. Judge me by my size, do you? Hm?"
Luke shook his head.
"And well you should not. For my ally is the Force, and a powerful ally it is. Life creates it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us and binds us. Luminous beings are we..." Yoda pinched Luke's shoulder, "...not this crude matter." He swept his arm in a wide gesture, indicating the surrounding area. "You must feel the Force around you. Here, between you...me...Master Obi-Wan…the tree...the rock...everywhere! Yes, even between this land and that ship!"
Luke was quiet for a moment, staring out at the ship in the lake. He stood up. "All right, I'll give it a try."
"No! Try not," Yoda admonished him. "Do – or do not. There is no try."
Luke closed his eyes and focused on the Force. He felt the ship there in the lake. He concentrated, allowing the Force to flow through him, feeling it around him as Yoda had said.
Slowly, the X-wing's nose began to rise above the water. It hovered for a moment, and Obi-Wan watched intently – it looked like the ship would slip back down.
But the X-Wing continued to rise majestically, until the entire ship was above the lake's surface, streaming water. Luke guided it carefully to the shore and set it down. He opened his eyes and looked at the ship, seeming quite amazed. No – not amazed, for Luke now knew the power of the Force.
He turned back to Obi-Wan and Yoda, a grin spreading across his face. "I did it!" he exclaimed.
"Well done, Luke," Obi-Wan said quietly, with a smile of his own.
Yoda nodded silently at the young man. Luke had proved time and time again that he had the discipline and dedication to become a Jedi.
Luke looked again at his ship. He felt stronger in his connection to the Force, and now he had his transport back. It's time to venture out alone… "Masters," he began, turning to the Jedi. "I think it's time I went to help Han and Leia. I feel that they will need me."
"Ready, you think you are, hmm?" Yoda responded, eyeing Luke carefully.
After a slight beat of hesitation, Luke nodded.
"He is ready," Obi-Wan spoke up.
Yoda glanced at Obi-Wan. He turned and considered Luke thoughtfully. To Luke, it felt as if Yoda were searching his mind and spirit with his piercing gaze, judging his readiness and abilities, perhaps even sensing his future.
After a moment that felt like an age, the old Jedi Master nodded. "Very well," he consented. "If go you must, go you shall."
"Thank you, Master Yoda," Luke replied seriously. He looked up at Obi-Wan. "I will return. My path to becoming a Jedi is not finished yet, I know. I'll come back as soon as Han is rescued." He began to gather up his things. "Artoo, we're going!" he called to the small droid.
"May the Force be with you, Luke," Obi-Wan said gravely. "Do not forget what you have learned." It was time for the young man to venture out alone.