Some of the Jedi Council gathered later that day to discuss what had happened. Suddenly Master Tiplee, who had brought in the medical reports of Obi-Wan and Caleb said "Masters, I don't mean to interrupt, but you need to think of something for Luke to do. Losing a twin bond is terrible, it leaves a sucking whole in the Force for the one left behind. He is fifteen now and since we are running rather low on Jedi, perhaps there is some task he could be entrusted with to help him get his mind off of it."
"A good point you have made, Master Tiplee. Send him to Takodana to pick up an old friend we will." "Please send Padawan Skywalker to us, Master Tiplee." Plo Koon said, to which the female Jedi nodded before leaving the room. Not to long later, Luke cautiously entered the chamber and asked "You wished to see me Masters?" Yoda was saddened to feel the emotions coming off of Luke, not just of hurt because of the loss of bonds, but the almost fear that he had done something that would be considered wrong.
Gently he replied, "An important task have we for you young one. To Takodana must you go and fetch an old friend." Luke seemed to perk up a little as he asked "Who is going with me and who are we to fetch?" "You'll be on your own for this one, young one." Answered Master Luminara, "As for who you are to fetch, her name is Maz Kanata." The Masters could feel the joy at being entrusted to go alone as Luke replied "I'll get right on it Masters." With that he bowed as he left the room.
"Do you think we made the right move? Sending him out alone so soon, I mean." Asked Shaak Ti. "We have to let him do something, to show him we trust him." Replied Kit Fisto. "The question I have, is do we really trust him?" asked Ki-Adi-Mundi, feeling free to speak his mind since none who were really close to Luke were present. "Trust the Force, we must. Told us not to trust Luke it has not." Yoda replied. Talk then shifted once more, this time to Naare's Knighting ceremony.
XXX
Luke walked along the port, looking for a ship to take since he must bring this Maz Kanata back. Spying the Millennium Falcon, Luke headed over to see if Han was available. Han, having spotted Luke, smiled and said "Hey Luke, Naare said that you had a lead on Leia! So did you find her?" Luke's own smile faltered and he quickly told Han what had happened.
First shock then sadness crossed Han's face before he replied "I'm sorry Luke. So what can I do for you?" "Are you available to take me to Takodana?" Luke asked. Han looked at his data pad then replied, "I can take you there, but you'll need to find another ride home. I just got hired by Jabba to deliver some things for him." "I'm not even going to ask." Luke said, holding up his hands, "I'm sure I can find someone to get me back here." "Great, climb aboard, we're leaving." Han said motioning him aboard.
XXX
After they had entered hyperspace, Luke asked "Have you ever been to Takodana before?" "Oh yeah, several times actually. I don't always shuttle around Jedi you know." Luke chuckled and then continued "So, do you know who Maz Kanata is?" Chewie growled and grunted in his Wookiee way, to which Luke looked to Han and asked "Really?" "Yep, she's called him her boyfriend ever since we first visited there. We have to stop in and see her anyway, cause if she finds out that we were there and didn't say hi to her, we would never hear the end of it, so we'll introduce you." Han answered.
XXX
Upon arriving at Takodana, Han settled the ship outside of a colorfully decorated castle. Han led the way off the ship and into the building where species and humans from all corners of the galaxy seemed to be able to be found. One of the first to draw his attention was an orange alien, a little taller than Yoda, whom had goggles upon her head. Han, seeing the direction that Luke was looking, informed him that it was Maz.
Maz, seeming to sense that Han had entered turned and hollered, "Han Solo! And you brought my boyfriend I see." She walked closer, she stopped in front of the trio and asked "Who is your friend." All the while her eyes hadn't left Luke, which made him a bit uncomfortable, so much so that he almost didn't notice Han reply "This is Luke Skywalker." "Oh." Maz said, with a tone that seemed to hint that she knew more about him then just his name.
"Come, let's sit down." Maz finally said, leading Luke, Han and Chewie to a nearby table. She chatted briefly with Han and Chewie before putting her attention back on Luke. "So, how can I help you?" she asked. "Master Yoda sent me to fetch you ma'am." "Call me Maz, and I think it is more than that that brings you here." Luke didn't know how to respond to that, but he didn't have a chance to as Maz turned to Han and said "So when do we leave?"
"Actually Maz, I've got a job to do and I can't head back to Coruscant just yet." Maz's eyes narrowed as she asked "Who are you working for Han?" Han seemed a little nervous as he replied "Jabba the Hutt." Maz scowled as she replied "You shouldn't work for him Han, how many times do I have to warn you that credits aren't everything? Besides which, you are denying me the privilege of being with my boyfriend." "Couldn't be helped Maz, I had already taken the job before Luke came looking for a ride."
"Well you best be heading off, I know how patient Jabba is and what I mean by that is he isn't. Keep this guy in line, okay Chewie?" Maz said, practically booting Han out. Han and Chewie said their goodbyes to Luke, before heading out the door, leaving him alone at the table with the alien. "So how are we getting to the Temple, hmm?" she asked. Luke shrugged and said "When Han told me he couldn't bring me back I figured I could find someone to hire here." "That you can." Maz chuckled, "Well, let me go grab someone."
She left the table, but was only gone a minute before she returned with a couple in tow. "Padawan Skywalker, this is Jyn Erso and Cassian Andor, they have agreed to take us to Coruscant." Jyn practically laughed as she said "Whatever Maz asks for she gets, are you ready to head out?" Luke nodded and said "If Maz is I am." "I'm always ready to go." Maz replied. "Then let's go." Cassian replied. As they walked out, Maz said "If my own ship, Tua-Lu, wasn't in for repairs we could have just taken it."
Cassian laughed and said "Well I hope you don't mind flying in the Rogue One." He motioned towards a U-Wing as he finished speaking. The four of them boarded it and Cassian and Jyn headed to the cockpit, while Maz and Luke took seats in the back. As the two prepared the ship for takeoff, Maz said "So have you thought about why else you are here?" "What do you mean?" asked Luke, to which Maz gently scoffed and replied "You're the Jedi, you tell me." Luke fell silent as he thought over Maz's words.
Once they had the ship in hyperspace, Jyn and Cassian joined them in the back, leaving their faithful droid friend K-2SO to keep an eye on things up front. "So what's taking our favorite lady to Coruscant?" asked Cassian as he settled on a seat next to Jyn, putting his arm on the headrest behind her. "An old friend sent for me to come visit. "Why didn't he contact you instead of sending, Skywalker was it, after you?" asked Jyn.
"My first name is Luke, which you are welcome to call me since there are several other Skywalkers at the Temple. Or at least there were… I think that is part of the reason I was sent to fetch Maz, to get my mind off of things." Replied Luke for Maz. "What happened?" asked Maz. Luke couldn't seem to get the words past a sudden lump in his throat, so Jyn asked "Was someone you were close to killed?"
"They might as well have been." Replied Luke softly, "I have a sister, a twin. We both have separate Masters so I haven't seen much of her in recent years. My last mission before coming to get Maz was to go and rescue her, she was kidnapped by Maul." At the mention of Maul, Jyn made a grunting noise that said she knew all too well who Maul was, but she did not interrupt him as he continued haltingly, "It was a trap. Maul had convinced her to turn to the dark side. Somehow we all made it out of there alive, but…"
Luke looked out the window, gathering his emotions together before turning back to the others and saying "All twins have a special bond, whether they realize it or not, and force sensitive twins that are brought up by the Jedi are not discouraged from keeping those bonds. Right after we got away I realized my twin had severed our bond. Her presence has been there since the day we were born and to suddenly be without it… I have a feeling Master Tiplee, who lost her twin back in the Clone Wars, pushed for me to be on this mission."
Maz put a small hand on Luke's shoulder and said softly "Now you know why you are here." "We can all understand losing someone, though none of us here can quite understand the twin bond part, at least you can talk to this Master, right?" Cassian suggested. "I hadn't thought of it, but if she is at the Temple when I return I will see if she can spare a moment." Luke replied before asking, "So what about you two? Were you planning on staying on Takodana or visiting Coruscant yourselves?
"No to both. Actually we were planning on heading to my home to visit my parents on Lah'mu or maybe visit Scarif, its one of my favorite places to go to besides Takodana since both have a beauty all their own." Jyn replied, "In fact, the Jedi might know my father, Galen Erso. He was hired to do some research on the kyber crystals back when I was a young girl." "If you're ever in the neighborhood, you should stop by her parents' house, her mother makes the best foods this side of Jakku." Cassian stated.
Maz scoffed and said "That's not that high of a compliment Cassian, anyone can make the best food this side of Jakku." Everyone chuckled, knowing that what she said was true. Luke felt his spirits lifting just by being in such good company. Already he could feel a friendship blooming with the three he was sharing the U-Wing with, one that would stay strong for years to come.
XXX
All too soon it seemed, they were landing on Coruscant and Luke was having to say goodbye to Cassian and Jyn. He then led Maz to the Temple where they were brought before the Council. Upon entering, Luke and Maz were greeted by a smiling Yoda who said, "Good to see you it is, Maz." "It's good to see you too, Master Yoda." "Thanks to you, young Skywalker, free to go you are." Said Yoda, looking at Luke.
After bowing and leaving the chamber, Luke decided his first stop would be to see his Master. Upon entering the medical section of the Temple, Luke spotted Master Nema and headed over to her. She smiled as she asked "May I help you young one?" "Yes Master, I was wondering how my Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi is doing?" "Master Kenobi is doing fine and is allowed to have visitors now, would you like me to show you where he is?" After affirming that he would, Rig Nema led Luke to the room they were keeping his Master in.
Obi-Wan was sitting up in bed, visiting with Ahsoka and Anakin when the doctor and Luke entered. Luke could see the stub of his Master's hand had been replaced with a mechanical one and that Obi-Wan and Anakin were comparing hands. Upon spying Luke with Nema, who left after reminding everyone not over tax Obi-Wan, Obi-Wan said "Luke, come tell us how your first solo mission went." Luke then spent about an hour not just talking about his trip, but also about where Anakin and Ahsoka were off to and how Caleb was doing.
At that point, Master Nema returned and demanded they let Obi-Wan rest. Anakin and Ahsoka had to be leaving for their trip anyways, so they bid Master and student goodbye before heading off to the ship they had used many times in the past. Since the Council hadn't told him where he was going yet, Luke decided to see if Master Tiplee was still around. In fact, he didn't have to look far for her, as she was still helping out Master Nema.
"Master, may I talk to you for a moment?" Luke humbly approached her. Tiplee turned and faced him as she asked, "Of course Luke. How can I help you?" "I was wondering, how did you survive losing your connection to Tiplar?" The Mikkian Jedi sighed and replied, "I had others to help ground me, but I also pushed it to the back of my mind. After all, it was the Clone Wars, there was no time to feel. But as time passed I realized how wrong that was, trying not to process what I had been through."
"That's why I had Yoda do something to get your mind off of it, for that does help, but I also knew that whatever he sent you to do would help at least begin you on the process of healing. Maz and Yoda are two of a kind, meaning they are both wise in ways we will never fully understand. Talking about my twin to others has also helped me and I have a feeling that you have done that already, am I right?" Luke nodded as she continued, "I will not lie to you though Luke, you never quite lose that sense of loss, it just fades until all that remains is a dull ache and a memory or two that will help you through it."
Luke was silent for a moment, before saying "Thank you Master." "Any time Luke, and I do mean that. Any time you just need someone to talk to about twin things or just to sit and listen or even to just feel another presence, I am here." Luke nodded once more, before giving a quick hug to show his gratitude and leaving in search of Ezra.
Yep, the U-Wing was called Rogue One as a nod to the movie. This chapter was actually written the day before Carrie Fisher died and when I heard it kind of made me feel bad for what I am doing to Leia in this story. Don't worry I am not changing any of my plans or anything for this story because of this, but I still feel a little bad for making my favorite character played by her evil…
Meh I am just feeling down today because of this and nothing I sit down to do is making me feel very happy. I think I just need to sit down and have a good cry… It's not just the fact that we lost her and two other prominent Star Wars actors this year (Erik Bauersfeld, voice of Admiral Ackbar and Bib Fortuna, and Kenny Baker, R2), but this whole year (I am writing this in 2016 just to clarify) has just been a loss of people, etc. One of my friends lost a horse earlier this year (old age), two dogs this month (both for tumor related things) and an aunt just before Christmas.
I loved all of her critters and though I never met her aunt its hard to process how much her family lost in so short a time. Not to mention my family's dog and my grandparents dogs are both not doing well (one has outlived her breed's life expectancy and the other we just found out has cancer) and we've had several major injuries in my family (a broken leg, a broken back and an almost chopped off hand). I'm sorry guys, you don't want to hear about my problems, it just feels like life threw so many curve balls at me, my family and my friend and her family this year. I really am hoping 2017 is better than this year, cause I don't think I could take another one like this :/