Disclaimer: Star Wars is owned by Disney and Lucasfilm Ltd. The following work is not intended to add to, promote or distort this series. This is a work of fanfiction, and the author does not profit in posting. This is simply a writing exercise written for fun.
As Luke sat by a burbling stream, he continued to contemplate this last light he was to learn on Advorosia. Despite his accomplishments with Gerali, a large part of him believed that he'd wasted a great deal of time on these skills. His ancestor's words rang true in his ears: I learn new skills to cleanse myself of guilt.
The more he learned, the more that comment bothered him. Yes, he'd become overwhelmingly powerful, so strong that his enemies had to resort to the most absurd methods of killing him, but why? The purpose behind all his power was suddenly very unclear. Or does it serve a purpose at all?
Closing his eyes, he thought back on his life. When had I begun craving power? The answer was unclear., as though the transformation was so subtle, he doubted it existed. And yet...
When he was a child, his thoughts were always on the stars. His aunt and uncle had told him of the vast worlds across the expanse of the galaxy and all the adventures that were found there through StoryHolos. His dreams then had simply been to see all that could be seen. Many nights, he would longlingly dream of flying among those stars, passing ships in hyperspace in the endless sea of systems. That vision stayed with him, even when he became a young man.
At nineteen, he'd begun pushing hard for his dream, pestering his uncle to allow him to enroll in the imperial academy. He wanted to be a pilot. He wanted to be an explorer. I never even thought about power, it seemed so unnecessary then.
The death of Ben Kenobi didn't change that view either. Luke watched him die, felt the agony and the suffering of it, but didn't lose himself in such an event. In many ways he could still feel Ben around him, guiding him like an omnipotent guardian. It was reassuring. Which is probably why I felt no need for power then. I was being protected in my mind.
Frowning, Luke sat back against a tree, noticing how rain began to fall through the many green and purple leaves. The stone he sat on kept him from the mud of the ground, but it did little to push back the cold. A cold which, at last, reminded him of the moment he began to desire power.
While Yoda had warned him he was unready to face Darth Vader, Luke still felt the need to try. He knew that physically he was strong enough, but did not understand that, in the Force, physical strength was hardly a factor. His friends were in danger, and their safety meant more to him than air. The fight on Cloud City had been a major revelation on two fronts: his weakness had been exposed to him by a man he could no longer call an enemy. Having been ready to die for those he cared for, Luke never expected that the one person in all the galaxy he'd admired more than Obi-Wan, that he dreamed of becoming, was his intended executioner. The crisp and splendid image of Anakin Skywalker had shattered into an unbreakable, stone-cold reality that was far heavier than Luke knew what to do with.
Though he'd questioned him later, Luke had understood why Obi-Wan had hidden the truth from him.
After Bespin, Luke wanted power. But not strength... control. Yoda's warnings on Degobah were now clear: he could become the monster too. But all monsters could be kept at bay with enough power and control. Doubling up on his personal training regime, Luke began to delve into the ancient scripts rescued by the alliance. He'd learned of Jedi garb, and clothed himself as one. He'd learned new techniques, began to specialize in Djem So, and meditated daily. He did anything and everything he could to gather the strength not to become the son of Darth Vader.
But the whole while, he'd forgotten something important: I am not my father.
The rain stopped, lifting some of the cold out of the air. "Have you found a way to remove it?" Gerali suddenly inquired, "Is your restraint gone?" Luke shrugged at his inquiry, thinking back to all the other skills he'd attained through sacrifice, but his restraint was one thing he was afraid to forego. Restraint is what made him the son of Anakin Skywalker. Or does it?
Yet, to let go of his restraint, he would achieve the one goal he promised himself he would achieve for his grandmother.
"Will I be able to get it back?" Luke inquired of him, filled with fear unbecoming of a Jedi. Gerali nodded and approached him.
"The first few times." he admitted, "Though, after a while, filtering out your resolve will be very difficult. People might have difficulty consulting you, as you will be… How to put it delicately? stubborn, crass, abrupt…"
Rolling his eyes, Luke retorted flatly, "I get it." He then grinned a little, "That explains a lot about you though." Gerali smirked and shook his head a little.
"I'm not that straightforward." he pointed out. Luke couldn't resist chuckling at the uncertain statement.
"You led me into a cave just to show me how fast and strong I was while under the influence of channeling light." The young man pointed out to the more ragged looking ghost. He'd noticed for some time that Gerali's appearance was slowly fading away from relatively healthy human to more like those beasts he'd felled off before. His ancient uncle seemed to notice this observation.
"I don't have much time left for you to heal me Luke." He explained somberly, "And the way I see it, you only have to use this power three times. Me, your friend, and Demantis. It is doubtful you will lose all of yourself in those three confrontations."
Turning away from Gerali, Luke nodded. "I suppose I just don't want to rush away from myself. This experience has taught me to appreciate the man I am in ways I never thought possible. For so long, I saw myself as the heir to my father, loving what we have in common, while hating all the darkness we share. Yet, each sacrifice I have made here has shown me that I was far harder on myself than I deserved. That, so long as I realize I have the potential to fall, I should not have been so afraid of falling."
With a grin, Gerali nodded and turned away, "Such a shame you didn't realize that in the first place."
"Well, you know us Skywalkers." Luke chuckled as he nudged his ancestor's shoulder.
"Dense, durasteel panels." Gerali added for him, bringing them both to laugh. Once they calmed, his uncle added, "It sounds like you are ready." Luke frowned a moment, turning his icy blue eyes back towards the ghost. "Your grandmother preferred this light, because it is the only one that preserves who we are as a person. It looks past all the poodoo and forces us to recognize the good in ourselves…. A practice we all need sometimes, wouldn't you say?" The smile on Gerali's face was one of pride and sorrow. It was clear he intended Luke to be his last student, and was overjoyed at his success. "Though, I do apologize for tricking you. I was afraid you wouldn't look deep enough if you knew the truth."
But Luke had to wonder, "Then why teach me the other two?"
Clearing his throat, and exposing his monstrous disfigurations, the ghost admitted, "Well I wasn't going to leave my favorite nephew defenseless… That would be wrong." Luke nodded, understanding, even as he felt a little sadness grow in his chest.
"I wish we could have known one another longer." He admitted, "You seem like a great guy."
Smirking, Gerali reminded him, "There is always the other side, my boy. Even if we merge entirely with the Force, we will be together. And eternity is plenty of time to get to know one another." Luke nodded, his smile fading slightly at the thought. He knew what the Jedi believed of the afterlife and was surprised to hear such a variety of ideas around the concept. Perhaps only the dead truly do know, he realized calmly before turning towards his uncle.
"Let's begin then."
Nodding, Luke stood tall and took a deep breath. He closed his eyes and followed Gerali's instructions very carefully, "Reach deep inside of yourself Luke… There, you will find a forbidden light, hidden deep within all the darkness you push away within yourself. Do not fear the darkness." Grimacing, Luke fought with himself not to adhere to his inner turmoil; his anger at his father and Obi-Wan and his desire to murder Palpatine being the strongest pulls within that cloud of darkness.
But, as he focused, he visualized moving through that darkness much as his x-wing flew through space, focusing on a distant star to represent his inner light hidden within those evil feelings. "You see Luke, the darkness within you stems from a great and compassionate light. Reach for this light, this infant-like star."
As Luke followed the visual, he felt his body tingle with uncontainable energy. It was too much and he feared his body bursting at the seams for even attempting to hold such power. "I can't." he muttered, fearful that he would hurt Gerali.
Sighing, the ghost reminded him with his eyes turning to a mahogany brown, "You can Luke." he reminded him, "Only the greatest of light can remove the darkness from my soul. You must not be afraid to unleash this power within you… To keep it locked away is to allow me to become your enemy."
Writhing in pain as his body began to steam from the immense power he was unlocking, Luke gasped and opened his eyes. Now glowing a fierce, pale blue, he could barely see through his own luminescence. While hissing out short breaths, Luke raised his hands and stared directly at his long, lost relative.
"May we meet again someday." Gerali sagely called to him as the area exploded with blue light.
From a distance, a great pillar of blue light erupted into the atmosphere, troubling birds and terrorizing the ghosts of the land. Yet, when it dissipated, all that was amiss was the stone statue of a former Shaetin, his hands raised to deflect the light from his eyes. Before him lay a young and lean man, out cold on the ground and barely registering the wind that crumbled the form of his uncle and guide.
When Leia awoke, she found her father still asleep on the couch. Checking her wrist chrono, she realized that she'd barely slept more than two hours before returning to the living room. Something in the Force was crying out at her, a rippling in space that had her nervous. It surprised her that her father slept so calmly despite this.
Though, his sudden snort and then roll to the floor indicated otherwise.
"What happened?!" He demanded sleepily as his head shot up. He glanced around, his ears finally tuning into the sound of muffled laughter coming from the hall. "Shaddup' Leia." He groaned, pulling himself back up onto the couch, "What time is it?" he demanded sleepily.
"Time for you to find a proper bed." Leia teased him, seating herself beside him to throw his human arm over her shoulder so she could carry him off to his room. Sighing as his weight fell on her, she swore that he never seemed this heavy before. "You might want to lay off mom's cooking for a while." She suggested jokingly as she attempted to throw him onto his bed.
Once situated, she managed to remove his boots, smelling the odd scent of dead something on them. Why were you in the sewers? She wondered as she threw the dark leather aside and plucked his lightsaber from his belt so it wouldn't activate in his sleep.
Satisfied that her father wouldn't roll back onto the floor, Leia returned to the posh sitting room, turning the chandelier lights and the holoprojector on swiftly with the Force. As she summoned a full glass of water from the kitchens, Leia pulled an ottoman towards her and kicked her feet up. "Yep," she told the world proudly, "totally abusing my powers today and loving it."
At first, she scanned the holonet for anything amusing to watch, finding that her taste in late-night programming was definitely not stuck in this era. Settling instead for the news, she found herself observing the breaking news bulletin in which a Toydarian anchor reported grimly on a newly discovered murder.
In his species' way, he muttered quickly in a way Leia struggled to follow, "We continue to give you updates on the investigation surrounding Representative Lott Dod 's death earlier this evening. A security holo has been provided to our station in the hopes of identifying the assassin. Please be aware that the images on this holo are graphic and not suitable for young children."
Surprised that a war profiteer had been taken down, Leia sighed as the holo came to life, showing a swift, tall warror clad in bounty-hunter gear cut through his enemies in a way that was ghastly familiar. She shuddered, knowing that determined gate from her time aboard the Deathstar. "Father!" she whispered, "What have you done?"
Now it all made sense to her. His distance. His moods. Palpatine must have already gotten to him! She knew now that she had to work harder for his sake. As dangerous as the situation was for her mother, things had taken a turn for the worst regarding her father.
Petrified, Leia reached out into the Force for her brother, asking him for his strength. Instead, she was blinded by an odd, yet gentle, blue light. A blue light she found in her tear-stained hands when she opened her eyes.
While general meetings dotted Satine's busy schedule, Obi-Wan had spent the rest of that time planning with Quinlan. They moved about the palace and city swiftly disguised as the local authorities. Following the pull of the Force, Obi-Wan quickly determined where Darklighter would land.
It was a small hangar on the fringes of the palace, a place rather conspicuous for a fugitive. Nearby were suppliers, something both Jedi suspected would be ideal for a man on the run.
Entering the hangar, they found that it was mostly unoccupied, with only a few boxes strewn about. Webs of some tiny insectoid decorated the upper part of the tall room, making the space appear ominous. Yet, Obi-Wan was sure that this was the place.
"An odd choice." Quinlan noted, "Even for an odd man."
Suddenly defensive of him, though he could not explain why, Obi-Wan reminded him, "We don't exactly know how 'odd' he is.. and coming from you the comment is hilarious." He caught a slight grin from under the man's dreadlocks and smirked himself.
This mission wasn't near as bad as I'd thought it would be. Pulling his pack off his belt, the man began to set motion detectors around the space, attempting to cover them as best as he could from view while still leaving them effective.
Quinlan began to search for the manifests, trying to determine why this area was calling to Obi-Wan in the Force so strongly. He couldn't help but notice a particular name pop up on the screen. "Interesting." He baited the man on, forcing Kenobi to look up from his work, "These manifests suggest that your friend here has used this particular hangar recently."
Furrowing his brow, Obi-Wan wondered, "And why would Satine need a space like this?"
Shaking his head, Quinlan corrected him, "Not Satine… That Bradiway guy." That made Obi-Wan's eyes widen, "You seemed to know him, at least, the Force suggested you did."
Nodding as he rose and scratched the back of his neck, Obi-Wan admitted, "We'd met recently on Tatooine. He'd hired someone to drug my drink and then harvested tissue from me… I can't help but suspect that I might be linked to his new project."
Chuckling, despite the seriousness of the situation, Quinlan teased him, "Well, aren't you special." Rolling his eyes, Obi-Wan attempted to ignore the comment. "You should probably mention that to the duchess, before all the children in the galaxy become red-headed Jedi masters."
"Ha-ha."
While the comment was made in humor, Obi-Wan understood that Quinlan was serious. He scratched as his beard, fully intending to follow through on that advice later on when dinner was served.
With a sigh, he pushed those thoughts aside and proceeded to continue with his work. Part of him now, however, really hoped that he caught Bradiway in this trap more than Darklighter. Something about the man worried him far more than Anakin's newest shadow.
Night had fallen long before the young man became aware of it. He was so exhausted from his display of power, not because he'd utilized his full potential, but because this particular muscle had yet to be exercised.
Being awoken by the dull rumble of distant lightning, the fair haired Luke eventually fluttered his eyes open, icy orbs glancing up at the starless sky in wonder. He failed to move for some time, even as he was pelted with cold droplets from above.
Something miraculous had happened.
Yet he could not explain what it was. Yes, he'd freed his uncle from something truly horrid; that was a truly remarkable accomplishment. But something else, something far grander had occurred. But what was it?
Stubborn like the many who'd come before him, Luke eventually grew irritated enough by muck and water to pull himself from the mud beneath him. With little hesitation, he clambered through the woods, at last finding the natives once more. They were seated round a fire in a small hut just barely raised off the ground, each still as though lifeless.
As Luke approached, one raised a finger to him as though silencing his words before they started. Nodding, Luke understood, treading lightly as he approached the now apparent funeral pyre. And, from the flames, he could sense on thing: Gerali.
Carefully, he smiled to himself. Gerali was free, something he wanted desperately for his long lost uncle. It touched him greatly to see the man mourned as well.
"Protected us from shadows." the sentient iterated carefully, "Great guardian to us all." Nodding once more, Luke continued to mourn the fallen Skywalker, realizing that he would have at least one more funeral to attend once this particular adventure was over.
And, as that thought dawned on him, he felt it again: something was very different.
Author's Note: Well, this small chapter was very Luke-centric. I hope you all liked it. The upcoming chapters will likely be very long, so please enjoy the little break here. Sorry that this is a bit late. I am currently working on a short story that I hope to have posted by May. The idea's been stewing in my mind for some time, and I'm excited at the prospect of sharing it.
Anyways, what did you think of that last light? I figure, like Pandora's box, there should be something good at the bottom of Luke's training, and this light does seem like something Shmi could get behind. You'll have to tell me what you think. And please, don't forget to review! Reviews do keep me motivated :)