"Thanks buddy." Luke gave R2 a pat on his dome, reminding him of his bag.
"How far is it?" Leia was the first to step off the ship, Luke and R2 following behind. The ground felt slightly squishy, indicating that a storm had most likely passed shortly before their arrival. The clouds partially covered the only sun this planet had, providing them with cover from the warm environment. Their surroundings reminded them much of Ensor.
R2 let out a chirp. "I thought you said this wouldn't take long?" Leia sounded a bit agitated.
"One night isn't long." Luke let a sly smile appear as his sister sighed.
"So, you say this is where humans originated from?" She asked, changing the topic.
"According to ancient documents, yes. From what I've read, at some point in time, long before us, the Jedi had come here. They built their temple here for the purpose of seclusion." His time on his uncle's farm made him curious about what lied beyond Tatooine, that dusty fossil, as he preferred. His boredom had led him to read books about many topics such as bounty hunters, wars of the past, different cultures, and even the origins of humans on a planet called Urthha, also referred to as Earth. And now he and his sister found themselves on it.
"It's so quiet.." the emptiness of any life other than themselves made the planet feel lonely.
"This planet once had life, I'm not sure how much but the people on this planet eventually invented space travel. When they did they started to colonize other planets in the galaxy. They had been here for so long they never desired to return to Urthha. Which they were glad they didn't because the planet ended up becoming like this."
R2 let out a few beeps. "Very funny R2." Luke rolled his eyes while Leia and R2 snickered after he called his owner a nerd. "No, no.. you guys would never find the temple first without this nerd." He pointed at himself, he grew a confident smile.
"I think we can take him R2." Leia glanced over to her astromech companion to which he sounded an agreeing response.
Luke stopped everyone in their tracks before facing them. He glanced at them both for a good silent 30 seconds before spinning on his heel and taking off into the forest. Their childish competition had begun.
"Come on R2 we can beat him to it!" She sprinted after Luke. R2 followed behind with his thrusters.
Luke was able to keep the pair away from him for some time. However they began to gain on him. He used the force to get higher ground and leap from tree to tree, making him recall his time with Master Yoda on Dagobaugh.
"Not fair!" Leia shouted. "Good thinking R2." She said, hopping onto the droid's back as they flew to his level.
"Alls fair in force powers and astromechs!" Luke said over his shoulder. All three of them looked above the tree tops to see a fragment of a protruding structure in the distance.
"Fine... we can play like that." She mumbled. Knowing Luke was getting tired, she waited until he slowed down until she hopped back onto the ground. R2 dissapeared into the forest to execute his part of the plan. Leia raised her gun to the tree tops, loaded with rope and tried to keep a steady aim while they ran. A small pop sounded and the rope shot towards Luke. It grazed his feet, but was unable to immobilize him as he summoned his saber to slice the material in half. He paused, standing on a tree branch to look down at her.
"Nice try sister, but you'll have to do better than-" suddenly his cockiness disappeared. R2 took his owner by surprise and rammed him full speed out of the branches and onto the ground. Just as they landed R2 shot him with a decent level of electricity. Just enough to keep him off his feet long enough for them to make it to the temple first.
"Please, continue." She towered over him as he laid on the ground. He looked up at her only able to let out a small groan. "See you there nerfherder!" She waived him goodbye before she and R2 took off.
As she predicted they indeed did beat Luke. He showed up a few moments later shaking his head. "Well played guys."
"As always." She held her head high with a grin.
The temple was decorated in vines and greenery that consumed the structure over time. From
Below it looked as if it scrapped the clouds. There was no telling how old this thing was. Perhaps it was one of the oldest and rarest things in the galaxy. Luke ran his gloved fingers across the green, mossy stained stone when he noticed a red mixed in with the grey and tan stone.
"R2, come scan this." He called for his droid. They stepped back to find the colors filled art that stretched far above what they could reach. "Watch out." He advised, unclipping his saber from his belt and igniting the green blade. Carefully he aimed before tossing the saber upwards cutting down the vines that obstructed the view of the temple's art design.
"Do you know those people?" Leia studied the 3 figures that made up the painting. An old, wise looking man in the middle with an elegant young woman to his left and a young yet intimidating man to his right.
"I've got no clue." Needing a closer view, he stepped onto a nearby log and placed his hand on the wall. He closed his eyes and concentrated on art.
"What are you doing?" She asked him.
"Listening."
"To what? Nothings happening and we haven't seen a single creature on this odd ball since we stepped foot here." She began to grow impatient.
"Try it." He said over his shoulder, eyes rested closed.
"I don't know how, Luke." He didn't respond and she took it as a sign to do it anyways. She let out a sigh and used R2 to help get atop the log. She mimicked Luke and placed her palm on the stone, and closed her eyes.
"Your trying too hard, relax." He finally spoke after a small period of silence.
"I told you I dont know how!" She drew her palm away and began to get down. Luke reached for her hand.
"Leia, your just as capable as I am. We share the same blood." He placed her hand back on the stone. "Deep breathes, slow and steady." He gave her a moment to breathe. "Good. Now, be calm. Open your mind and let the force roam through you just as your own blood does. Do you feel it?"
"It's warm... what is that?" She asked, curious to the odd comfort that this temple brought her.
"That's the light." He smiled. "Now, use that light. Let it guide you. Listen to this wall, it will speak."
"Do you feel that?" The painting began to whisper. It started off as one voice which then turned into 2 more. They could only assume it was the voices of these paintings.
"The light... the dark. It's conflicted but... it's not."
Leia was able to reach deeper "It's so peaceful. It's pure... serenity."
"What.. is this?" He cringed. It was overpowering, even for Luke.
R2 let out an alarming chirp. The two opened their eyes to see the hands of man and woman moved as did the furry creatures that sat beside them. R2 followed the furry animals to another side of the temple, leading Luke and Leia behind.
"Loath Wolves!" Leia remembered the few times she visited Lothal. Every encounter she had with the planet she always saw these wolves far off in the distance. They stood, watching her before turning back around and disappearing into the tall grass.
Luke focused on the force once more and the painted wolves danced in an large oval shape on the wall. Together they formed an opening that seemed to look like their entrance inside the structure. He allowed Leia and R2 to step in before closing the opening behind him.
"Luke... I'm not so sure this is the inside of a temple." Leia looked around. The bridge they walked along was complete black with white edges. Every bridge looked exactly the same. There were even bridges in the sky that looked miles high and far.
"We need to get out of here." He had a feeling they were in a place that many textbooks has warned against. "This place is too dangerous."
"I see no danger." She said, still in awe. "Do you hear that?"
"You cannot run this time." There was a deep mechanical voice that brought terror to both of their minds.
"Vader's here! He's alive!" Leia drew her blaster and spun around, searching for where he could come from.
"There is no try." Luke remembered when his master spoke those words.
"Master Yoda?" Luke's heart sank. How much he missed his green friend. But this place was playing tricks on him. "No Leia. It's not really him."
"What are you talking about didn't you just hear him?!"
"This place can deceive you Leia."
"Just tell me what this place is!"
"We're in another realm."
"Luke I told you not to take us anywhere ridiculous!" She scolded.
"I didn't know!" He said defensively. They paused right infront of one of the many portals.
"Why can't we ever just go anywhere without any jedi business and be normal?! For once?!" She yelled, furious that they were in this situation.
"It's not that simple Leia! I-" he was cut short when the portal opened and they saw black shiny stone on the other side. The walls illuminated with a fiery red orange. Vader stepped into view, as he stabbed who Luke assumed to be a rogue Jedi.
Luke's eyes went wide. Vader snatched something off of the corpse's body, Luke couldn't tell what. Vader stood tall infront of them his suite nearly falling apart. Part of his helmet was cracked open revealing one of his eyes and part of his forehead. He outstretched his hands, focusing. Suddenly Vader froze and shot his gaze directly at them before stepping one metallic foot through the portal. The loud clank of his boot echoed through their whole body.
No longer frozen in fear the trio began to flee. "Run Leia!" Luke shouted, right behind her and R2.
Vader stepped into the realm, taking notice of the three immediately and marched towards them.
"To where?!"
"Anywhere!"
As they sprinted, the portals began to shine, showing images of different environments. She chose the one she was sure to be theirs. Just before she could step through Vader held his hand out as if to force choke and shattered the exit. The image fell apart like glass.
"No!" She screamed, realizing that was probably their only way back.
"Just keep running!" Luke shouted. Vader kept breaking every portal they tried, leaving them almost hopeless. Finally having enough Luke ignited his blade and rushed at Vader who ignited his own crimson blade. Leia drew her blaster and aimed for his already damaged respirator box.
"He's hurt Luke!" She said, landing a direct hit.
Vader responded by lifting R2 and throwing him full force into Leia. The force of the collision sent the pair into one of the openings, one that Luke nor Leia had intended on but anywhere was safer than with Vader. "R2! Leia!" Luke heard their cries as he tried to use the force to grab them just before the opening swallowed the pair.
Vader fell to one knee and nearly took a fatal blow from Luke's saber before he used the force to freeze the blade right at his chest. "Good." Vader replied, his Sith eyes glowing with satisfaction. He rose back to his feet and had his son on the defense. Luke backed up towards the portal R2 and Leia had entered. Just before he got in the right position, he landed a slash across the other side of Vader's face, and abdomen. He used the force to push Vader back a few feet, not much but just enough to create distance and hop into the portal. He used the force to quickly shatter the opening, severing any connection Vader might have gotten to this new place they were in.
As soon as he stepped through he stepped onto a tree branch. The branch snapped in half, causing him to collapse onto the snowy ground. It wasn't until he felt the cold take over his body did he realize he was in a freezing environment. He panted, adrenaline still rushing through his body. What in the world just happened?
Then he remembered.
"R2! Leia!" He mumbled to himself as he shot up from the snow.
He heard a speeder nearby, then another engine, and another. He rushed towards the sound and saw a clan of mandolorians from behind a rock. He pulled out his binoculars from his bag, which he silently thanked R2 for reminding him to bring it along. He scanned the area until he spotted his friends being detained and taken by the mandolorians. He could hear the laughs coming from the helmeted figures.
"Blasted Leia." He cursed to himself.