Halo

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to their respective owners.

A/N-thank you very much to everyone who kindly reviewed the last chapter.

Chapter Thirty-Three-The Last Jedi

Luke had surprised himself when he had offered to train Rey in the ways of the Force. When he first encountered the young scavenger, almost right away he had realised her level of power was identical to that of his nephew Ben; this had caused him to worry whether he should train another with such power, but he was also tempted by the possibility, that in training Rey, it would give him a chance to correct the mistakes he had made with Ben. It wasn't until he realised that his nephew had overheard him making this offer, that he was confronted with another mystery-Ben and Rey seemed to engage in intense telepathic communication. This both intrigued and disturbed Luke in equal measure. His dismay had increased when he remembered the young scavenger's ferocity with the quarterstaff she had used to attack him prior to his confrontation with Ben.

After his emotional standoff with his nephew, Luke had retreated to the cliffside outcrop to lick his wounds and try to regain his Force abilities, which he had suppressed for years after going into exile the night the Jedi temple burned. The heavy rain had become a living fabric, something he could reach his hand through, energising his renewed determination to tap into the Force. He closed his eyes and gently placed his hands on the cold stone in front of him. Almost at once he felt the pull of the Force, it swirled around him like the wild wind, lifting his long shaggy hair from his hot neck. The first thing he sensed was his sister Leia all the way across the galaxy. He sensed her deep regret, her fear, her steely determination.

"Leia." Luke murmured as he tried to forge the same telepathic connection with his twin that he was certain his estranged nephew had developed with the young scavenger. But to his disappointment he received no direct answer from his sister, even though he knew she sensed his presence in the Force as well.

The icy grey sky restlessly grumbled above him. Luke opened his eyes again and cast his gaze to the blackened clouds which struggled to withstand the burden of the weight which the rain held. Luke felt a strange emptiness around him which was only broken by the gregarious boom of thunder. The cold icy rain pierced his pale and wet skin. He rose from his sitting position and walked across the slippery path; his posture weakened by the weight of his soaked clothes. The quality of darkness shifted in the sky, but the rain kept pouring.

The wild weather felt portentous as it chased him all the way back to his hut. He stumbled inside, shutting the wooden door firmly behind him. He needed to change his soaked clothes. Luke stood irresolute for a minute before he turned and looked at the old wooden chest that sat at the foot of his cot. He knelt in front of it and opened the heavy lid. His throat tightened with emotion as he stared reverently at his old Jedi robes which were folded neatly inside. Luke's hand shook as he reached for them. The material felt soft under his questing fingers. It had been so long since he had worn them that he wondered if they would even still fit him. He was portlier than he used to be. He smiled grimly when that thought entered his mind. He missed the idealistic youth he used to be.

As he removed his old robes, Luke's eyes settled on his lightsaber which was nestled underneath them. His heart lurched at the sight of his old weapon. The very same one he had wielded the night he made the fateful decision to go and confront Ben in his hut almost six years ago. Luke's jaw flexed as remorse crashed over him. The memory of Ben's frightened eyes would haunt him for eternity. When he had exiled himself, he had exiled his lightsaber, too. He had been determined never to wield it again…but…it called to him…like it knew it was needed.

The same ominous feeling from before overcame Luke in waves. He put it down to Ben's presence on the island. Being made to reflect on his past actions had forced him to face some uncomfortable truths about himself. In his youth, Luke knew he had been often curious, impatient, looking ahead to the future with little regard for his present surroundings, and even a bit brash. Like his father, he was impulsive, reckless, and often had little regard for his own personal safety. However, as his skills in the Force progressed and, especially after losing a hand to Darth Vader, he had become more patient and seasoned, and was often seen as having wisdom beyond his years-although he still retained his idealistic viewpoint, willing to think the best of anyone, and believing that Vader was redeemable. He was also unable to ignore those who needed help, sometimes to the point of endangering missions for the sake of saving someone else's life. Even as a child, he had a strong sense of morality and a need to help others despite likely danger. Luke reflected on all this and wondered why he had never shown his own nephew the same care and attention he had others, even complete strangers. What had happened to the hopeful young man he used to be?

Following the end of the Empire and the death of the Sith Order, Luke recalled having great hope for the future of the Jedi, coming to believe that if a single Jedi could help bring back balance to the Force, then a restored Jedi Order perhaps could maintain that achieved peace and prevent the dark side of the Force from ever regaining its hold on the galaxy. This belief had led him to scour worlds for the remaining Jedi texts and gather a new class of apprentices under his tutelage, with the first of those apprentices being Ben Solo.

With his head filled with old regrets, Luke disrobed and carefully hung up his saturated garments. He pulled on his old Jedi robes, feeling an odd sense of pride when he realised, they did still fit after all. He patted his stomach as he did up the belt and then reached for his saber. This time he hesitated. He couldn't stop the slight tremor running through his fingers as he wound them around the haft of the weapon and turned it on. The plasma blade shot out, illuminating the dark interior of the hut in a warm green glow. Feeling his confidence returning-Luke Skywalker, the last Jedi-emerged from his hut and looked up above him, just in time to see the first of several Resurgent-class Star Destroyers blotting out the remaining light in the sky.

"I can't see a damn thing." Han complained to Chewie as he peered through the heavy sheets of rain. It was a downpour as heavy as Han had ever seen. Walking through a waterfall couldn't get any wetter. Even Chewbacca was nothing more than a silhouette in the bleak darkness.

Even though their vison was blunted by Ahch-to's chaotic weather systems, their ears were not. They heard the faint whine of the Tie Fighters as they came around again to continue their ground assault. Han cussed under his breath as he fumbled with his blaster in the suffocating rain. Chewie's bowcaster was already loaded and ready to fire on the emerging enemy. An explosion rocked the ground as one of the Tie Fighters fired in the distance. Han grimaced, feeling the tremors continue as the aftershock reached them. His boots slid on the muddy ground as he led the way forward, the tall Wookie acting like his shadow as they continued in their search for Ben.

The drops struck the already wet ground, pitting the surface like they were bullets from above. Han cussed again as his chilled fingers grappled with the safety on his blaster. For some reason it was stuck. He scowled, shaking the blaster, and pointing it behind him in irritation. The safety catch finally slipped, and with his finger still on the trigger, the blaster accidentally fired. An agonised scream startled both Han and Chewie as the blaster bolt found a target. To their surprise a stormtrooper appeared out of the gloom clutching his chest. His white armour was covered in bloody grime as he toppled over and fell to the ground.

Han shrugged as he broke out into a lopsided grin. Chewie rolled his eyes as he emitted an irritated whine. His friend's luck continually surprised him. With his superior eyesight he pointed his bowcaster in the general direction of the stormtrooper's comrades and fired. There was another pained yell, followed by a round of retaliatory blaster fire. With Han backing him up, the Wookie continued to fire back, while at the same time seeking cover to shield behind.

"Let's hope Rey has found Ben." Han called out to Chewie as he ducked behind a rocky outcrop.

Chewie roared his agreement as he joined his friend. His drenched fur weighed him down, there was nothing worse than rain to a Wookie. He fired his bowcaster again, growling his satisfaction as he hit another couple of stormtroopers. It was then he noticed a strange green glow in the distance. Chewbacca focused his gaze on this odd sight as he squinted through the driving rain. He waited tensely as the eerie green glow drew closer. He nudged Han to alert him to the new enemy.

"What the hell is that?" Han aimed his blaster with precision accuracy toward the green glow. He fired; his mouth drawn in a grim line as waited for the blaster bolt to find its target. But to his surprise the green glow deflected the bolt, sending it skittering away. He exchanged a dark look with Chewie before the Wookie fired his bowcaster at the green target instead. The same thing happened again.

"Will you stop firing!" Luke's gruff voice preceded him as he emerged from the semi-darkness holding his green lightsaber aloft in front of him. "Its me."

Han's scowl deepened as he glared at his erstwhile brother-in-law. "What are you doing here?" He demanded.

"Trying to help you." Luke retorted. "You should be grateful."

"Grateful!" Han sneered as he aimed his blaster over Luke's left shoulder and fired at the stormtrooper creeping up behind Skywalker. "The last time you tried to 'help' you nearly killed my son."

"This isn't the time to open up old wounds, Han." Luke responded gravely. "The First Order have discovered my location. We need to get off the planet."

"You can thank your sister for that." Han said bitterly.

"What?" Luke frowned.

"It was Leia who directed them here. She sold Ben out to Snoke to save the Resistance. You should be so proud she's following in your footsteps." Han accused.

Luke scowled into the dark of almost noon, his mood a perfect mirror of the sky above. "Leia would not have made that decision lightly, Han. The fleet must have been in dire straits for her to even contemplate doing such a thing."

"Save it!" Han rebuffed Luke's attempts to defend his sister. "You're only right about one thing. We need to get off-world, but we need to find Ben and Rey first."

"Then perhaps we should stop attacking each other and get on with it." Luke snapped as he swept past Han and took the lead. Han was about to issue another retort when he felt Chewie's hand on his shoulder. He swallowed down his words and jerked his head in understanding, before reluctantly following in Skywalker's wake.

A/N-thanks for reading! Ben and Rey return in the next chapter. I thought it was a good idea to have a glimpse of what Luke, Han and Chewie were doing. Please review.