(A/N). Hello there. And welcome to the final chapter of my Star Wars fan fic. As always, thanks for the support. I hope you enjoy.
Okay, let's get the final chapter started.
Luke Skywalker had been in this position before...
What position, you ask?... Observing a sunrise, of course. And not just any sunrise, but a twin sunrise... Oh, the many, many times he had observed the twin suns of Tatooine rise and set. So many, many times. In fact, his dying vision on Ahch-To was of these two very suns... But this time...was to be the last time he would ever lay eyes on them.
Patiently awaiting the other Jedi who had been called here, Qui-Gon stood, arms folded, his gaze fixed on Luke. In his eye corner, he noticed Anakin approaching.
"Do you know what we must do?" Anakin inquired. "In regards to this...ritual?" He sought the correct words.
"I believe so," Qui-Gon replied. "Do not fear, Anakin." He turned to face him. "In acknowledging what must be done, you've overcome the difficult step." Qui-Gon looked back towards Luke again. "And the same applies to your son."
"I sense unease within him."
"Uncertainty, perhaps. But nothing more than natural doubt."
"And the others?" Anakin inquired. "How can you be sure they will come?"
"I made them all aware," Qui-Gon replied. "The moment I sense their presence, we shall begin."
Turning his gaze to the ground, Anakin suddenly became thoughtful. Like Luke, Anakin found himself reminiscing, thinking of his past here on this very planet... It wasn't long before Qui-Gon picked up on this.
"It seems like only yesterday to me since you were but a small boy, Ani," Qui-Gon Jinn quietly remarked... "How things have changed." He sighed thoughtfully...
Asking a question that he needed to ask, Anakin steeled himself slightly. "What you said earlier, regarding the will of the Force." He turned to face Qui-Gon. "Never steering you wrong, I mean."
"Yes?"
"Did you mean that?"
Deciding to answer delicately, Qui Gon looked forward and remained silent for a brief moment before giving his measured response... "In this world, Anakin, in this life...nothing is ever straightforward. The will of the Force is a curious thing. And I will not lie to you, Anakin...watching you fall to the Dark Side broke my heart. Because I was always there, Anakin. Watching over you." Taking a deep breath, Qui-Gon looked downward. "And it is my regret that I was not here to watch over you in the flesh. Perhaps things would have been different..." Realising the futility of those thoughts, Qui-Gon looked towards Anakin before turning directly to face him. "But that was not my destiny... You are the Chosen One, Anakin. Everything that transpired did so according to a greater design."
"Do you truly believe that?"
"If I did not I would not be here now, encouraging you all to give up these spectral forms," he said whilst looking towards an approaching Obi-Wan. "And it is that belief that leads me to believe that this moment is so very pivotal. This is the final act in securing the continued existence of the Jedi... Because I know that only with Ben Solo at her side can Rey Skywalker truly succeed. And they will... Together."
Smiling fondly at Qui-Gon, Anakin nodded in agreement.
Catching sight of Luke in his eye corner, Obi-Wan let out a small sigh before looking over towards him, wondering if his old friend was having doubts once more.
Taking a step forward, Qui-Gon caught his old apprentice's gaze before motioning his head towards Luke, indicating for Obi-Wan to go and speak with him.
Doing as his old Master advised, Obi-Wan slowly began to approach Luke from behind...
Sensing his presence, Luke took a deep breath before turning around to face him.
"Having second thoughts?" Obi-Wan inquired gently.
"No," Luke responded with honesty. "I'm just saying...farewell, I suppose." He cast his gaze back to the landscape and the two rising suns... "You know it's funny."
"What is?"
"Well, I...I resented this place when I was a young boy.. And to be fair, could you blame me?" He looked towards his old mentor and friend.
"I suppose not." Obi-Wan smiled. "There are far more beautiful places in the galaxy."
"Yes there are." Luke returned Obi-Wan's smile before looking downward, his expression becoming thoughtful...
"And yet...now at the end...you see the beauty in it." Obi-Wan looked forward, suddenly reminiscing himself.
"Yes." Luke admitted it... A moment of brief silence passed before Luke's expression suddenly turned thoughtful once again. Unable to stop himself from voicing his inner thoughts, he began to speak. "Did we do right by them, Obi-Wan? Did we do enough?.. Or are we leaving them all to a world where peace will never be anything more than a faint dream?"
"You and I are no strangers to failure, Luke," Obi-Wan responded with the truth. "But we did our best... And now, in this very moment...yes." He turned towards Luke. "I believe we did enough... The rest is up to them."
"And if we succeed, and Ben returns to life...will they succeed?" Feeling a need for both honesty and guidance, Luke met his old friend's gaze...
Obi-Wan smiled fondly at Luke before putting a hand on his shoulder and whispering. "I believe they will."
Luke gave a small, hopeful nod of his head before looking back to the twin suns... Another brief moment of silence passed...before Qui-Gon suddenly spoke.
"Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon said, the look on his face a solemn one.
Obi-Wan looked over his shoulder towards him...
"It is time." Qui-Gon beckoned Luke and Obi-Wan to follow him.
Exchanging a brief look, Obi-Wan and Luke both looked to the twin suns one last time before approaching Qui-Gon...
Making his way over towards Luke and his old Master, Anakin observed a familiar figure slowly appearing into view, forming a small shape...
"Master Yoda." Obi-Wan smiled.
"Master Kenobi." Yoda returned before turning his attention towards Anakin and Luke. "Young Skywalker's." He looked at them both in fondness, with a hint of emotion showing in his eyes. "Time...it is."
Observing with intrigue, Luke watched as more figures began to slowly materialise. However, unlike with Master Yoda, these Force Ghosts merely appeared in the form of a glowing silhouette. Clearly, their connections with this world were too fragile for them to truly appear and be beheld by the naked eye.
Turning to Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan spoke softly, looking for guidance. "Master?"
Looking to his former Padawan, Qui-Gon motioned to the stretch of sand in front of him. "Join me here."
Obeying with fortitude and resolve, Obi-Wan Kenobi proceeded onward.
Taking a step away from his father, Luke looked down to Yoda and gave a slight smile... Even now, even in death, Luke still had the feeling that Yoda was always that one step ahead of him. Indeed, Yoda had even been aware of Rey absconding with the sacred Jedi texts from Ahch-To, the eight bound books and scrolls that were of such great importance to the Jedi. Whereas at the time, Luke had believed them to be burnt and lost forever... And yes, even now, here at the end, he still felt like Yoda was far more prepared than he was for what was about to happen.
"That look in your eye, Master Skywalker," Yoda spoke, clutching tight at his small cane and pointing it towards Luke's face. "Have something to say, do you?"
"No." Luke gave a small shake of his head, the smile on his face slowly fading. "Not a thing."
With a playful jab of his cane towards Luke, Yoda let out a small chuckle, before quickly resuming a serious tone of voice. "Come, Luke." Slowly, the spectre of the old Jedi Master approached Qui-Gon Jinn.
Luke was just about to follow after Yoda and approach the others...when he felt a presence... Her presence.
"Luke," her voice spoke softly...
Turning around to face her, Luke smiled softly at his sister. "Leia."
"Is it time?"
"Yes." Luke nodded.
"You know, now that the moments here...I suddenly feel apprehensive." Leia smiled slightly, feeling foolish... Why? Perhaps because she felt hypocritical. After all, she had been the one to bring Luke around, and yet now she was feeling afraid herself.
Luke slowly extended his hand towards her, and merely spoke two words... "For Ben."
And just like that...Leia's fear simply vanished... Her smile widening, Leia stepped forward and took her brother's hand, before slowly approaching Qui-Gon and the others... It was only upon reaching them that she suddenly came face to face with her greatest remaining fear... Darth Vader... But in truth, that wasn't truly the case. In life, Leia had never been dominated by fear when in Vader's mighty presence, for she possessed inner strength like no other... But Anakin Skywalker? Her father?... That was a different matter altogether. Unlike how Luke did, she could not bridge the connection and divide between Anakin and Vader, and on seeing his youthful face for the first time, Leia froze... How could she ever move past this? How could she ever move past Vader?
As for Anakin Skywalker? Well, how could he not notice her presence. Of course he did... And now, right now...Anakin felt nothing but a wave of love towards Leia. Nothing but a need to connect with her on the same level of which he had connected with his son... But Anakin knew this was different. He knew that Leia would need more time. And ironically, that was the very thing they'd all run out of now... He only hoped, truly hoped in his heart that existence would continue within the mysterious Netherworld of the Force, and that he would get chance to truly make amends for the mistakes he'd made in life.
His gaze turning towards the ever rising suns, Qui-Gon realised that the time was now upon them. Taking a deep breath in order to compose himself, he closed his eyes for a moment before exhaling and opening his eyes. "If you would all form a circle," he instructed calmly.
Obeying Qui-Gon's request, everyone slowly moved into place.
Observing the movement of the more ghostly of the spectres, Luke carefully positioned himself in between his sister and his father, while Obi-Wan moved next to Qui-Gon and Yoda...
When they were all finally in position, Qui-Gon began to speak... "I am glad to sense resolution and peace among you all." He briefly looked to Obi-Wan before casting his gaze forward. "For what we are about to give...and sacrifice...could mean the continued existence of the Jedi." Composing himself again, he looked down slightly for a moment before continuing... "I know that the many paths that have led us here have not always been pleasant. But I assure you...nothing was in vain. The will of the Force was always with you." Qui-Gon Jinn glanced towards the stoic looking Anakin. "Even if you did not know it... The Force never abandoned you."
Anakin smiled slightly on hearing those words.
Making sure that this message reached everyone, Qui-Gon spoke in a slightly louder tone of voice. "And here and now...we must trust in the Force...one last time."
Determined not to fail in this final task, Luke closed his eyes and began to ready himself.
"Our time has passed, my friends," Qui-Gon said in a matter of fact tone. "We have done all we can... Now is the time for the new generation to flourish. And in order to give them that chance, you must merely let go of this world, of these...limited forms." Qui-Gon looked at his own shimmering form with a look of slight disdain. "For we do not need them..." Once again, Qui-Gon fell silent for a brief moment, as though searching for the answers on how to achieve this feat himself...
"Hmm." Feeling a need to speak up, Yoda did just that, speaking words that they all needed to hear. "Fear...do not." He shook his head slightly. "For no need to be afraid, you have."
Taking a sharp intake of breath, Qui-Gon received the answer... But instead of using words, he used actions, as he slowly raised his left hand and extended it forward before closing his eyes.
"Do as Master Qui-Gon does," Yoda said before also extending his hand forward.
Feeling the ghostly presence of everyone else doing the same thing, Luke opened his eyes before also raising his hand and extending it, Obi-Wan promptly doing the same...
The moment Yoda's hand was fully extended...he disappeared. As he had done in life, Yoda once again became one with the Force, truly this time. All that remained was a glowing ball of light in his place.
Having also raised and extended his hand, Obi-Wan realised the secret... The power was within. All it took was acceptance and resolve. Nothing else. And as in life, Yoda embodied those two qualities more than any other. In noting his own ability to sacrifice this form, Obi-Wan smiled slightly before looking to Luke, quickly reading his old friend's thoughts, intentions...and the promise he had made to Rey. The promise to see her one last time...
Meeting Obi-Wan's gaze, Luke began to smile slightly...
"Don't be too long." Obi-Wan smiled the softest of smiles at Luke, before then turning his gaze to Leia. On looking at her his smile softened even more, as though sensing remaining fragments of uncertainty and doubt within her. With nothing but his smile, Obi-Wan tried to bolster her, but felt uncertain if he had any affect...
"Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon spoke in a slightly stained tone, barely able to hold on to this form. "I shall see you very soon, my friend."
"Indeed you shall, Master." Obi-Wan spoke with confidence... Suddenly feeling himself slipping away, Obi-Wan looked finally to his old Padawan.
"Master." Anakin returned his smile and gave a small nod of his head.
Feeling confident that they were on the verge of success, Obi-Wan's smile widened, and his face suddenly appeared youthful once again. "Looks like we won't be needing a plan B this time, old friend."
"Feels that way." Anakin gave a small chuckle before also raising and extending his hand. Stepping forward, Anakin's hand touched Obi-Wan's.
"Goodbye for now, Anakin." Giving a small, final wink...Obi-Wan vanished, his remaining form turning to light...
One by one, the various other fallen Jedi's of the past began to depart, each leaving behind essences of their power in their place, until only Anakin, Luke, Qui-Gon, and Leia remained.
Feeling Rey's presence from afar, Luke's eyes widened, before he turned his gaze towards Qui-Gon.
"Go," Qui-Gon simply said, his voice still straining.
Briefly looking to his sister, Luke smiled. "See you soon, Leia."
Summoning up all her remaining strength and courage, Leia returned her brother's smile.
Pulling himself away from the circle, Luke spirited himself away...leaving Leia suddenly feeling uncertain once again.
Sudden instinct kicking in, Anakin slowly approached Leia, his arm still outstretched.
Rather than recoiling, Leia remained still. There was no reason to flee, not now. But at first she felt that way. Not because she feared Anakin Skywalker...but because she feared feeling something other than hatred towards him... But this was no time to remember an awful past. Not at all... Knowing this in her heart, Leia turned towards him and met his kind gaze.
"Don't be afraid," Anakin spoke in reference to their impending departure from this world.
"I'm not," Leia replied softly (speaking of something else entirely), as she looked deeper into Anakin's eyes... "Not anymore."
Slowly reaching out, Leia sidestepped closer towards Anakin before closing her eyes and turning forward, her hand edging closer towards that of her father... The moment their hands touched, Leia's eyes opened and an expression of total peace and serenity washed over her. Whispering the name of her son softly, General Leia Organa, Princess of Alderaan...disappeared into the Netherworld of the Force... "Ben."
Looking to the glowing ball of light that remained in Leia's place, Anakin cast his gaze towards the slowly fading Qui-Gon Jinn.
His role in this story now completely over, Qui-Gon began to surrender his remaining, spectral form to the will of the Force, his shimmering form slowly dissipating before Anakin Skywalker's very eyes.
Awash with sudden emotion, Anakin looked back to the spot where Leia had been standing, his whole lifetime of regrets suddenly crashing into him. Only now, at the very end had he felt and experienced such love towards his daughter. And now it was too late. No time to make any amends, no time to truly get to know her... Or at least that's what Anakin believed right now.
Using his last ounces of strength, Qui-Gon urged Anakin to surrender himself to the Force. "Ani...you know what you must do."
His trembling hand suddenly finding strength again, Anakin focused his gaze on Qui-Gon.
"This...is not the end." Qui-Gon smiled. "The real journey...lies ahead..." Closing his eyes, the older Jedi began to slowly merge with the light. "Go to her... She is waiting." And with that, Qui-Gon Jinn disappeared...
Suddenly sensing what Qui-Gon meant by those few, final words, Anakin felt his pulse rate quicken... His eyes widening, the landscape of Tatooine slowly melted away around him, until Anakin found himself in a grassy field, all manner of sounds, smells and sights suddenly overwhelming him... And then he saw her face... Her face... Why, Anakin could not believe his eyes... It was like a dream. A perfect, wonderful dream... Her name forming on his trembling lips, Anakin stepped forward and embraced her... "Padme."
Pulling him closer to her, Padme felt tears of happiness forming in her eyes... Slowly pulling back, she looked him in the eye, scarcely able to believe that the moment had finally arrived when they could be together forever.
"I knew I'd find you again." Anakin smiled, speaking from his heart.
Looking over Anakin's shoulder and towards the distant world of the living, Padme grasped hold of her beloved's hands before motioning for him to step forward... "It's time."
Stroking her face, Anakin's eyes remained locked on hers... "My wife."
"Now and forever, my love." Pulling him close, they kissed...
Experiencing a form of happiness which they had never truly felt in the world of the living, Anakin and Padme both began to quietly laugh, before Anakin scooped her up into his arms and span around while holding her...
The sound of their laughter slowly fading away...the connection between the two plains of existence ceased to be.
.
.
.
.
.
The time had finally arrived... The time for Rey Skywalker to finally bid farewell to this place.
"Yes, BB," Rey said in a slightly tired tone of voice.
Happily beeping away, BB-8 once again sought absolute confirmation that they would soon be leaving Tatooine (clearly, the little droid was missing Poe Dameron).
"That's right." Rey chuckled slightly, as the small droid rolled towards the Millennium Falcon. "Now, I just have one more thing to do and then we'll be ready." She smiled slightly at BB, as she watched him roll up the ramp and into the Falcon... Letting out a lengthy sigh, she turned her gaze towards the Lars homestead in the distance...
The trek back towards the abandoned, former home of Luke Skywalker and his family was a fairly short one, but it didn't feel that way in Rey's mind. To her, the whole journey back seemed to last forever... And why was she even returning? Maybe it was because she felt slight regret on not looking back. The moment she'd found her true resolve to leave, Rey had left without casting a single glance behind her... But when the moment of impending departure was directly before her, Rey had felt slightly guilty on not bidding this place farewell, and creating one, last, final memory in her mind...
Coming to a stop before the domed entrance, Rey walked a few steps forward before casting her gaze down to the lower levels. Mentally, she created a picture in her mind, before closing her eyes and capturing it, and thus ensuring it would always remain this way, evergreen in her memory... Turning away, Rey was just about to open her eyes again...when she suddenly froze... But why?... Perhaps it was because she could feel eyes on her. Not any eyes that could be perceived physically, you understand. No, no. This was much stronger and deeper than that. This was a feeling of the heart. A feeling that delves down so very deep into being that it rocks the individual to their very core...
Slowly materialising on the desert wind, the fading, glowing Force Ghost of Luke Skywalker appeared.
Finally opening her eyes, Rey met Master Skywalker's gaze. Instantly, Rey recognised that something was wrong. Or maybe something was right. She did not know. All she knew was that something was different about him. His appearance seemed frailer and his form more glowing and transparent.
His gaze softening, Luke smiled at her...
Closing the relatively lengthy distance between them, Rey started to walk forward... On catching sight of the solemn expression on Luke's face, however, she stopped. Rey opened her mouth slightly as if to say something, something profound... "Luke-". She froze... And it was then she realised... This was goodbye.
Having honoured his promise to appear to her one last time, Luke began to fully surrender himself to the will of the Force... Even now, at the very end, he still did not know if their efforts would be in vain or not. He didn't know if Ben Solo would be remade and brought back to life through the combined efforts of himself and the other fallen Jedi. But he believed it in his heart and held onto that... The veil of this world slowing peeling away, Luke found himself reaching forward and towards another, greater, everlasting world...
Her hand reaching out towards him, Rey felt a solitary tear roll down her cheek, but then quickly wiped it aside, determined to keep her eyes fixed on Luke to the very last...
As all the other glowing orbs of pure light suddenly enveloped Luke, he began to merge with them. Reaching a final, clear understanding, Luke smiled once again, before giving a small nod of his head towards Rey... And then, closing his eyes...Luke Skywalker vanished, disappearing into the beautiful Netherworld of the Force...
Remaining absolutely still in stunned silence, Rey felt numb. It was as though something monumental had happened but she was not aware of it... But in fact that was not true. Deep down inside she understood the meaning of Luke's final gesture... Unable to resist the urge, she quickly spun around, eyes darting from side to side... But there was nothing. Nothing but the desert plains of Tatooine could be beheld...
Feeling the pull and will of the Force deep inside, Rey realised that the final key just may lie with her. The answer to unlocking her heart's desire had always been through belief. All it might take is one more effort, one more push... Feeling the power of the Force more than ever, at its purest, loving, deepest level, Rey closed her eyes and concentrated... A lifetime seemed to pass before she began to form and utter those words, those ever important words...
"Be with me... Be with me... Be with me."
A rumbling sound could be heard in the distance, like thunder. From the sky, her heart, the ground beneath her feet? She did not know. But it grew louder and louder and louder. It was as though all of existence itself was bending to the will of the Force, before finally reaching a brilliant, miraculous crescendo...
And then...peace, quiet, tranquility... Rey could not even hear the sound of her own breathing. It was as though it had been entirely stolen away from her. In fact, she felt like she might just collapse and die any minute... Oh and she was afraid. So very, very afraid. If she were to open her eyes and...- No. No, she simply would not contemplate it. The feeling of dread that this was all unreal could not be true, for it felt so very, very real... But if...IF her heart's desire, her hopes, dreams, desperate pleas and prayers were ignored right now, in this moment...Rey would not survive it...
But then she remembered Luke's gaze, and the small nod of his head that he'd bestowed to her... And just like that, all fear, doubt and uncertainty disappeared... All she needed to do now was open her eyes...and meet her beloved's gaze...
Slowly, very slowly, in fact...Rey opened her eyes... And even though she had already accepted and realised the wonderful, yet mysterious truth in her heart...Rey Skywalker was still so very overwhelmed... Quite simply...Rey could not believe her tear-stained eyes...
For what did she see? What did her sight behold?...
Raindrops.
"Ben."
.
.
.
The end.
(A/N). And so we reach the end of my Star Wars fan fic. It has been a short, but pleasant journey. I would just like to take this moment to thank you, my dear readers. For without you, this would all be pointless. So thank you for everything.
I know the world seems particularly scary at the moment for many people, so if this story and final chapter has given you a pleasant distraction, even for a little while, it really does warm my heart.
Once again, thanks to all of you. Be well and stay safe.
Until we meet again, farewell.
Oh, and, of course. May the Force be with you. Now...and always. x.