Good evening everyone. A lot has happened since the Nutty Buddy has updated this story last. Rogue One, Carrie Fisher, Rebels, and that's just the Star Wars related stuff. This chapter took some time, mainly because I rewrote this thing three times trying to get the feel just right. It's Star Wars. I want to do the story justice. Now then, for the finale of The Force Awakens movie (but not this story_)
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Chapter 13: A Knight in Exile
Dannard Noslen stood by his best friend, watching as Dr. Kalonia's partner, a dark blue-skinned Twi'lek named Cham'ra work on her new left hand. Despite the fact that cybernetic prosthetics had been a part of the galactic norm for millennia, the process of installing the complex synth-net neural interface through which the recipient would be able to use the new limb had not yet been refined to the point that the pain would be minimal. Even with the aid of a DD-13 medical droid, Dr. Cham'ra was forced to work slowly, as the Resistance base was not an ideal medical center, far away from the more high-tech planets as D'Qar was. There was no synthflesh available, as tight as they were on resources, so the bare metal of Kat's new hand was visible.
"How's the pain?" Dr. Cham'ra asked as he made another connection in the interface. The wires sparked as the connection was made, getting a wince from the young Jedi.
"Tolerable," Katerina gritted out, faced scrunched up in pain. She'd only taken a few more light painkillers since getting off the Falcon, declaring that this was as good a chance as any to practice her pain-reducing Force techniques. She'd had limited success.
"I'm going to take that as though you're in complete agony," the middle-aged Twi'lek doctor said dryly. "Deedee, administer another dose of painkillers, point one seven ceecee."
"Yes Doctor," droned the med droid, preparing the needle immediately.
"You may be a Jedi, young lady," Dr. Cham'ra said as he cut off her feeble protests, "But that doesn't mean I'm going to allow you to suffer under my care. Deedee, if you would."
"It'll be alright Kat," Dan said as he offered a hand to his friend. She took it with her right hand, her flesh hand, and he squeezed it gently, showing his support. Kat squeezed back, much more tightly than he had as she wrestled with a fresh surge of pain, as the painkillers just injected needed time to take effect. He fought back a surge of anger, knowing that the one responsible for this was still at large, however messed up he had been by Master Skywalker. If only he hadn't been so weak on Takodana, he could've been there to help Kat. He could've prevented this. He could've-
"Your thoughts betray you," Kat said weakly, snapping her friend out of his darkening thoughts.
Dan did a double-take, looking down at Kat. "What?"
"You're scared for me," the young Jedi continued, showing surprising lucidity for one injected with painkillers. "Don't be Dan. We both did what we had to do."
"But I should've been there to help!" Dan protested, glancing once more at Katerina's new hand. "You got hurt because of my weakness."
"We're Jedi Knights," Kat replied, also looking down at her new appendage. "It's an occupational hazard." That got a chuckle out of both Dan and Dr. Cham'ra, as well as Mara Jade Skywalker, who had just entered the room.
"How is she, Doctor?" the Jedi Master asked striding over. "Obviously she's well enough to make jokes."
"And that's all she should be doing right now," Dr. Cham'ra said matter-of-factly. "We're about to enter the final stages of neural integration, so I must ask that you try to remain as still as possible Miss Lennoc. Deedee, if you would take over the neural interface."
"Of course, Doctor," the medical droid said, moving into position.
"Dan, I'd like to have a word with you in the hall," Mara said in a tone that would brook no argument.
"Of course Master," Dannard replied, bowing his head. He let go of Kat's hand as she gave him a reassuring look.
"I'm not bailing you out of this one," she joked, watching the med droid work on her mechanical hand. Dan grinned as he left the room, meeting a mildly concerned Mara.
"Kat already said it," Dan said as he saw the look on the Jedi Master's face. "My thoughts betray me. Tell me Master, do they stab me in the back or do they just give me a swift kick in the butt?"
Mara snorted. "More often than not, it's harmless. But you're letting your attachments get the better of you." She looked at the young man, one that Master Sabatyne had mentioned a few times with some humorous hisses. Mara missed that Barabel, as well as the rest of her friends and family in their old dimension. Looking forward, Mara realized that the only ones with actual Jedi training in this dimension were the two young Knights, herself, and the Luke Skywalker of this dimension, at least those she was aware of. She was going to need all the help she could get, and they couldn't afford any losses at this juncture. With that in mind, the Jedi Master began her little lesson. "Do you remember what Master Solusar said in her lecture on the path to the dark side?"
Dan grinned at that. "Of course, Master. She brought up clips of Yoda, how could I forget that?"
Mara nodded. "Good, now do you remember the key point in that lecture?"
"Negative emotions are the path to the dark side if you allow them to control you," Dan recited from memory. "Anger, fear, jealously, and so on."
"Yes, and do you know which emotion I'm sensing a lot of in you Noslen?" Mara asked knowingly.
"Can we get to the point Master?" Dannard requested wearily, having gone through the motions of impatient apprentice and ever-so-patient Master dozens of times.
"Fine then," Mara said simply, looking directly into his brown eyes. "I sense much fear in you Dan, and you know where that leads. I get that you're concerned for Katerina, but you can't let your attachment to her cloud your judgment, especially at a time where the galaxy needs every Jedi it can get. You need to let go and let the Force guide you."
Dan glanced over at the medbay door, behind which he could sense his best friend. He couldn't envision life without her, even though he knew that it might happen, especially given the events that had transpired today. "How, Master? She's like a sister to me." He met her gaze, a twinkle in his eye. "And before you ask, no, we're not secretly brother and sister separated at birth like Grand Master Skywalker was, Kat had the DNA tested."
"That wasn't my first question no," Mara admitted with a smile.
"We've done nearly everything together," Dan continued, looking back at the medbay. "I mean, how would you handle if someone went after Ben or Grand Master Skywalker?" He paused, realizing the stupidity of his question. "Sorry Master, that was uncalled for." He looked down in shame.
Mara placed a hand on Dan's shoulder, getting the young Knight to look up. "You know what I would do if I had to deal with someone threatening Ben?"
"Probably leave them in pieces from here to Hapes," Dannard said half-jokingly.
Mara chuckled. "You aren't wrong, but that's what any mother would do. As a Jedi, I know that Ben can look after himself now. He has Jacen helping him, and that has been doing wonders. But you can't let that fear of loss control you, or you'd probably end up like Vader did; worse off in so many ways."
"So how am I supposed to let go then?" Dan asked. It was a question he'd asked himself many times.
"For that, you will have to meditate and let the Force guide you to the answer," Mara answered. "I'll help if I ever get some spare time after we find Luke." The Jedi Master paused as she felt a small tremor in the Force from Leia. She glanced over at the operation room, where Leia emerged looking as though she was beyond stressed out. Despite that, there was a small smile on her face. The nearby pacing Chewbacca rumbled a question at her, pausing in his near-frantic striding.
"I'd best let the Doctor explain," Leia answered, in a tone that sounded like she needed some form of good news. On cue, Dr. Kalonia exited the same doorway Leia had just vacated, looking exhausted. The old woman glanced around the hall, taking note of the expectant looks.
"I've done all I can for him," she said wearily. "It's not every day I get to treat lightsaber wounds. Still, war is war, and death comes to us all the same, be it by blaster, lightsaber, or simple old age."
"Will Captain Solo make it?" Mara asked, not amused at how Kalonia was beating around the bush.
"That, my dear, is entirely up to Captain Solo. He's the only one who can decide if he wants to wake up from that coma," Dr. Kalonia explained gently. She smiled ever so slightly. "But if he's as stubborn as all the stories I've heard from Leia say, then he's probably going to survive."
Mara smiled. Finally, some good news. The Jedi Master could taste the relief emanating from Chewbacca as he roared his gratitude, sweeping the old woman into a massive, but gentle Wookiee hug. The Wookiee released Kalonia with another rumble of affection, expressing his gratitude as best as a Wookiee could before making his way over to Leia and giving her a hug as well.
"Yes, Chewie, I know," Leia said as she returned the hug. There was some hope after all, despite the loss of most of the New Republic leadership, despite the rise of the First Order, despite the losses they had suffered in that desperate battle, they were still alive, and as long as the Resistance survived, they had a chance.
"General?" the prissy voice of C-3PO asked, interrupting Chewie's exhilaration. "Excuse me, General?" The protocol droid saw the elated Wookiee. "Am I interrupting anything?"
"What is it Threepio?" Leia asked as she disentangled herself from Chewbacca. Then she saw R2-D2 roll up behind the golden droid. The astromech droid saw Mara and hesitated, his databanks getting some conflicted data, then beeped at both women.
"R2-D2 may contain some much needed good news," C-3PO translated. Artoo beeped a rapid explanation.
"Nice to see you too Artoo," Mara greeted the astromech droid. "What's this news?"
The New Force Awakens
Mara watched R2-D2 take center stage. Somehow he had acquired the rest of the map needed to locate her husband. While they had been off on Starkiller base, Artoo had been examining all the data from the Imperial Archives, no small feat given the trillions of terabytes of data. With a happy beep, the hologram projector on the astromech droid lit up, creating a large three-dimensional navigational chart of the western galaxy. Having remained largely unmapped, Mara figured that it was as good a place to disappear as any in the Outer Rim. The Resistance command, the fighter pilots, everyone who could cram into the command center stood there, watching with baited breath. The news that Luke Skywalker might be returning had been something they'd hardly dared to believe, and yet here they were.
"I knew I'd see that portion of the map before," Mara murmured, remembering her dark days as the Emperor's Hand. She'd once had to remove an unruly Imperial governor on Selvaris and could remember the reassurance Palpatine had given her when she'd brought up the lack of known escape routes in the region. The Jedi Master heard BB-8 beep excitedly behind her and Poe's reassurance. "Just where are you hiding farmboy?"
BB-8 rolled forward, his own projector lighting up and a small section of the starfield appeared. Another roll over into position and BB-8 adjusted his project slightly. The two portions of the navigational chart merged together to form one complete map. The cheer that went around the room echoed throughout the entire base.
"Thank the maker!" Threepio exclaimed. "The map is complete! We'll be reunited with Master Luke soon!"
Leia swayed, nearly overcome with emotion. First the relief that her husband would survive (and she knew full well Han was too stubborn to not wake up from that coma), now her brother's location was at long last known. "Luke…" People were hugging each other in the room, regardless of rank or species. Mara looked at the map, trying to see the name of the planet her own husband was hiding on.
"Ahch-to," Mara noted, "Wonder what it's like." She glanced over and saw Rey looking at the map in wonder. A quick touch with her mind told Mara that Rey was simultaneously happy and scared, excited and nervous. Mara didn't have time to probe further, as she was swept up by the massive fuzzy arms of Chewbacca, who roared his elation at the discovery of Luke. With several roars, Chewie noted how happy Luke would be to see Mara again and that once Han had recovered, the First Order didn't stand a chance. "Easy there Chewie! You won't help Luke if you break my spine!"
Lost amidst all the shouting and celebrations, no one noticed the golden protocol droid place a hand on the dome of the now quiet astromech droid. If anyone had paid any attention to the two droids, they would have heard C-3PO say to R2-D2 a simple statement, though the tone would've made it obvious that the protocol droid was capable of extreme emotions. "Oh my dear friend, how I've missed you."
Medbay
"Sounds like something good has happened," Finn said as Rey entered the operations room. Finn had been getting prepped for surgery, as the crossguard of Kylo Ren's lightsaber had all but split Finn's hand and wrist in two. The former First Order stormtrooper was cradling his nearly useless hand, holding it still so as to minimize the pain. The hand was savable, but they were going to need to operate soon. Han Solo's medbunk was next to Finn's, and both could see the old smuggler, dressed in hospital wear. His chest was moving up and down ever so slightly, the slow beep of the heart monitor the only other indication he was alive.
"You could say that," Rey began. She had gratefully accepted Leia's offer of a change of clothes, shedding the rags of Jakku for clothing that was much more comfortable. "We have the map to Luke Skywalker. All of it."
Finn's mouth dropped. "Are you serious?!" Rey nodded. "You're not pulling my leg, are you?" Rey shook her head with a smile. Finn matched her smile, unable to hold back a laugh. "This is amazing! We're going to meet Luke Skywalker!"
"I'm afraid that'll have to wait," Dr. Kalonia said gently as she entered the medical ward. "We still have a hand to save. Are you ready Finn?"
"I guess so Doc," Finn replied, a little less happiness in his tone. But he brightened up quickly. "Still, you're going to meet Luke Skywalker!"
"And I have you to thank for that," Rey replied, surprising the former stormtrooper with a hug. It was a gentle hug, so as not to cause pain in his arm, but there was so much tender feelings in that hug, Finn was left unable to speak. "Don't worry, we'll see each other again. I promise. But I wasn't going to leave without saying thank you. So, thank you my friend."
Finn tried to find the best words to respond to that. Failing miserably, he just said "You're welcome." With that, Rey broke the hug and left the medbay, one last lingering glance at Finn before Dr. Kalonia began the surgery. A blue-skinned male Twi'lek brushed past Rey, obscuring her view of her friend and Rey left, preparing to meet family long thought lost.
Resistance Hanger
Mara Jade Skywalker finished prepping the Jade Shadow for launch, R2-D2 rolling around happily in her ship, eager to find Luke again. Her personal ship didn't need much prep, having learned the lesson of quick pre-flight work time and time again. Lando had spared no expense in ensuring the Jade Shadow was top of the line. Mara wondered what had become of the smuggler-turned-businessman in this dimension before R2-D2 beeped a question at her.
"Chewie's staying behind with Han," Mara explained. "Leia's going to try and organize what's left of the New Republic, Threepio helping her as any protocol droid should. Dan and Cat are going to help the Resistance however they can. This is something Rey and I have to do."
Another inquisitive string of beeps and whistles. "Yes, it's a Skywalker family reunion of sorts." More beeps. "Yes Artoo, you're a part of the family as well. I'm sure farmboy will be more than happy to see you as well."
"What if he doesn't remember me?" Rey asked, standing in the hatch of the Jade Shadow.
Mara looked over her, noting a proud Leia standing about twenty yards away from the hatch. Several of the Resistance fighters, ground troops and fighter pilots alike, were gathered to watch what was effectively the galaxy's last hope fly off. "Rey, you can't let such a silly little fear get to you. Luke hid you on Jakku for a reason. He better have a damn good one, too, because from what little I've seen of it, it's not a good place to hide a child."
"Don't I know it," Rey muttered, not quietly enough for Mara to miss. The Jedi Master placed a comforting hand on Rey's shoulder.
"Whatever the reason, we need to find Luke and bring him home," Mara said. She held up the lightsaber of Anakin Skywalker from this dimension. "Rey, I want you to give this to him when we find him."
"Why can't you?"
"Because that lightsaber is his," Mara answered. She indicated the one on her hip. "I already have mine. Now come on, it's time I show you the family ship."
Outside the Jade Shadow, cheers went up as the Sorosuub Star Yacht rose into the air, heading for space. Leia watched the Jade Shadow until it was out of sight, a tear in her eye. "May the Force be with you Mara. Bring Luke back."
Dan watched as well, silent. He had resolved to redouble his training, in order to be better prepared the next time he had to face a dark sider. The young Jedi glanced at Katerina next to him, who was clenching and unclenching her new hand, still getting used to the mechanical appendage. He wasn't going to let that happen again.
Ahch-to
The journey through hyperspace had been uneventful. Mara had been very impressed with how quickly her dimensional daughter had taken to the Jade Shadow, as if she had been born to fly it. Most of the journey had been the two going over the finer points of the Jade Shadow, with Rey seemingly focusing on the mechanical aspects. When Mara had brought up the Force-locked hatch, Rey had quickly changed the focus to the engines. Now they were coming out of hyperspace, and Mara let Rey pull back on the lever. The world that appeared before them was a deep blue, with scattered freckles of green across the oceanic world.
"So much water…" Rey breathed as the blue swelled to fill the viewport. Mara let that go, focusing her mind towards the planet below. The Force called to her, as she reached out, guiding her towards one of the larger islands near the equator. Flying creatures with wings of white soared next to them as Mara slowed their descent, swooping through the clouds and landing on what looked to be an ancient landing pad, made entirely of stone. Several stone steps led away from the landing pad, towards the peak of the island mountain. R2-D2 whistled nervously.
"Come on Rey," Mara said simply. "Artoo, stay with the ship. We'll bring Luke back before the sun sets." With that, the two women exited the Jade Shadow. Rey in her new clothes, with her old staff strapped to her back and travel pouch on her hip. Mara Jade Skywalker, in her black 'working' outfit, lightsaber on her hip and black travel cloak around her shoulders. There was a slight nip in the air, enough to make Rey shiver, unaccustomed as she was to cooler climates. It was a beautiful day on Ahch-to.
The journey was long, and Mara welcomed it. It gave her time to think. No words were spoken, by Rey or Mara. They could both sense the power this place held. She could also feel the faint tinges of her husband near the peak, but he had withdrawn from the Force as soon as Mara had brushed his presence, as though stung. Mara was not encouraged, but remained resolute. Despite calling on the Force to sooth her stinging calves, the Jedi Master did not call for a break. Neither did Rey. Both strode along, taking each step one at a time. They were so close. They passed several modest primitive structures, made of stones carved from the islands. The only signs of life within the structures were several skittering creatures, rodents of some kind, and not what they were looking for. Mara could sense her husband's presence. He had been living here for quite some time. What, she could not know. Then, they were there. The top of the mountain. A clearing separated them from a lone figure, shrouded in a cloak. He stood at the edge of a cliff, overlooking the sea and the Jade Shadow far below. A small tombstone stood in front of him, a reminder of the past. Mara could feel the sorrow, the regret, the grief rolling off him. This must have been where she had been buried. It was weird to feel an echo of her own Force signature.
"Go to him," Mara whispered. The Force was telling her to hang back for the moment. So she stood, five yards behind Rey as the young woman approached. Finally acknowledging their presence, the figure turned. Luke Skywalker beheld Rey in his haunted blue eyes. Mara's heart went out to Luke as he pulled off his hood. His beard and his hair were white, a reminder of how things had changed for the worse. The synthflesh that had once covered his mechanical hand was gone, worn away by the sands of time. The Jedi Master could see that Luke had become much like his old mentor, Ben Kenobi; a lone Jedi in exile with nothing but the memories of his failures to keep him company. This might be a bit more difficult than she had anticipated.
No words were spoken. No words were needed. Luke gazed at his daughter, all grown up. She'd been so young when last he'd seen her. He saw the mane of red hair on the woman behind him. Perhaps the Force was granting him one last look at his wife, at what she could have been had things not gone so terribly wrong. She felt so achingly real, so heart-wrenchingly alive. Rey reached into her pack, what for Luke could not guess. Then she brought out the lightsaber, the one that had started his journey so long ago. Luke stared at it, feeling the Force telling him that it was an offer. A plea. The galaxy's only hope. A single tear fell from Luke's eye, lost in his beard.
Rey could only wonder what was going to happen next.
I really hope I did this ending justice. Do not fear, I will work on continuing this story in the meantime. I have an idea of what happens next, canon or non-canon. You'll see another chapter or five from me before The Last Jedi hits theaters. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter!
Response to Guest Reviews (In order with which they reviewed)
CG: I will not be too broken up about them ending the Skywalker story in IX. There's so much of Star Wars that remains to be explored, the Skywalkers only take up a small piece in galactic history. With it looking more and more like Mara is getting thrown to the wayside they dubbed legends, well, I don't know to be honest. Mara's my favorite character from the EU (obviously), I don't know how well I'd take to a Star Wars future without Mara to be perfectly honest. And yes, Trials of the Darksaber was an entertaining episode. And try not to spoil any more movies for me. I figured that Jyn was going to die, but I figured there was a small chance she could have survived. So please, I try not to spoil stuff for other fans, don't spoil it for me.
Revan Knight: I suppose my homages were a tad obvious, but hey, it's entertainment either way, right? And yes, we'll see more of the Skywalker family reunion soon.
Denz-El: Rogue One was a very good movie, I will not deny that. Was it a bit of a nostalgia fest? Yeah, I mean, it's episode 3.99 for all intents and purposes, of course it's going to have more OT material than PT, but it was still a pretty good movie. Jyn didn't seem to be Luke's type either. God bless my friend!
Sir CiCi: Of course she did. Luckily for Kylo, there was no lava river to fall into, and he only lost two limbs. Glad you enjoyed it, lol, but do not worry, Kylo Ren will be back and depending on the events of episode 8, be back with a vengeance. As for Mara's former apprentices/new Knights she brought with her, Kat has a purple blade, Dan has one green and one blue blade.
I'm sorry if this feels short for you, I spend quite a lot of time on these chapters. I want to get the Star Wars story just right, so more often than not I end up typing a paragraph and deleting it because I'm not satisfied. I estimate I spent about 45 hours on this chapter, trying to get it just right in my opinion. I know, if only I could be both speedy and maintain a high quality, I'd love to be able to push out a chapter a week. I wish I could spend every waking hour working on fanfictions. But I can't. I have school. I have work. I have apartment bills to pay. I want to maintain something of a social life. Life loves to interfere with my writing. But you have my word that I will not leave a story unfinished.
Guest: Well, I hope I didn't disappoint.
My apologies to those with accounts that I didn't reply to, as fanfiction has acted up and refuses to allow me to respond to those reviews. And I was a bit too lazy to just set up a separate PM thread. I'm not ignoring you, I promise!
Thoughts? Questions? Concerns? Please leave a review, as I welcome any and all constructive criticism. As an author, I'm always looking to improve. Until the next chapter my friends!
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From your Nutty Buddy,
The Eagle Nut