Chapter Two - The Will of the Force
Author's Note: I have updated the Preface to include a Dramatis Personae page. Hopefully that'll help cut down on any information overload. I recommend checking out .com for additional information and clarifications.
"The Force is what gives a Jedi his power. It's an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us; it binds the galaxy together."
- Obi-Wan Kenobi
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The Force was not a person, creature, or being of any sort; there was no sentient entity that was the Force or controlled and owned it. But the energy field that was the Force had eddies and currents that had patterns in the way it moved and flowed. Disruptions could sometimes shift those currents, but never had there been such a shockwave that was the Yuuzhan Vong. A species devoid of the Force, something that was anathema to the galaxy, had burned worlds and destroyed billions of lives in their crusade. Life requires the presence of the Force to exist, but life, in turn, strengthens the Force. So much damage had been wrought that the Force itself felt less than it once was.
The Jedi, the ones who called themselves servants or students of the Force, those who were attuned to its Will and heard its whispers, often served to smooth over or avert such disruptions. The rebirth of the Jedi, as monumental as it had been, still hadn't been enough to halt the implacable advance of the Yuuzhan Vong or to repair the damage that had been dealt under Darth Sidious' reign. The conflict with the Yuuzhan Vong had dragged on for years until catastrophic damage had been inflicted upon the already damaged galaxy, the Jedi, and the Force itself. Damage so catastrophic, that the effects of so many lost lives and ruined planets seemed to violently twist those eddies and currents in the Force. Now with only half of their original number, the new Jedi Order faced the insurmountable task of rebuilding a shattered galaxy.
It was too much.
The Force had heard the whispers, the pleas of the daughter of its Chosen One. It had heard the sorrow and wishes of one bonded to the other child of the Chosen. The Force needed to reassert itself, needed to regrow and prevent such a nightmare from occurring again. The wishes were felt, their pleas weighed and considered. There was such a way to accommodate their fervent desires, though there was no guarantee of success. Events could have an even dimmer outcome were things to go awry.
But…
Perhaps it was possible, even if the girl child had already become one with the Force, the boy still lived and his bonded with him. He could be saved; the desires to create a better future could be met with a chance to create a better past. The events of the past had created a horrifying future, one that only became increasingly terrifying even after the demise of the Sith Lords that had dominated the galaxy for decades. Perhaps with the introduction of the adult son, the Chosen One would choose to remain in the Light when things came to a precipice. Perhaps Luke, who even at that time was growing along with his sister in the womb of Anakin's beloved, would avert a future where the Chosen One had fallen to such despair and anger.
Perhaps this act would right the many wrongs that had ripped the galaxy apart. Perhaps if the Chosen One would choose differently, the inevitable coming of the Yuuzhan Vong would be met with a galaxy intact and better prepared. Perhaps all the death and worlds lost would be saved.
Perhaps...perhaps...perhaps.
Perhaps not. But, perhaps so…
The Jedi had held faith in the Force for millennia, even when the galaxy had turned on them. The Force would rely on its faith in the Jedi and in the son of the Chosen One, who had been able to salvage what was left of the Jedi and secure the continued existence of the galaxy in the face of the Vong, as terrible as it was. The Force, if it could be said to have pride, would have felt such where Luke was concerned. His father was to have been its champion, but Luke...
The eddies and currents of the Force left undamaged shifted and surged forth. An energy rose up throughout the galaxy until all things were encompassed within its energy. It should have been impossible, but the devotion and faith Luke placed in the Force was to be returned in spades. The Will of the Force was that Luke should live and to be given the chance to change the future into something brighter.
The confusion of the bonded female was felt clearly; she was aware enough to know something in the Force was changing on a fundamental level, but had no way to understand exactly what had changed. The Chosen One was dead, the daughter of the Chosen One was dead, and the son of the Chosen One approaches his end even now. There must be balance, and there has been no balance for far too long. The daughter had been heard, and the son's mate had been heard. They were heard, and the wish that was heard would be granted; the son would live and balance would be restored.
A whisper rose from the deeps within the Force, a whisper that only Mara heard. A whisper whose meaning rose from feelings and sensations rather than the words that Mara intuited. The whisper, though simple, would shake the boundaries of reality.
[Through the Force, all things are possible...]
Author's Notes: I tried to make sure that the Force didn't come out looking like a sentient entity. I like the idea that the Will of the Force is really just the Force trying to correct imbalances (however you want to define that) and that the Jedi are like antibodies trying to fix them. As far as disturbances go, I think that the Yuuzhan Vong would rank right at the top. The idea that the Will of the Force is the attempt to fix the imbalances or disturbances, without the Jedi, I propose that the Force would simply find a different way to see the same result.
The bottom line is this: its Star Wars, its time travel, it's not going to be perfect or scientifically correct. But I tried to provide at least a semi-plausible idea to drive the story.
Alright folks, after this, the chapters will probably be a little slower in coming. I'm hoping one a week, but it depends on my work schedule and my inspiration. Keep reading!
