Hello, everyone!
Welcome to the first of the last three updates for this fic. As you all know, these chapters will be quite short, so despite their brevity, I hope you enjoy the fluff:)
This chapter also contains a surprise at the end. I had considered dropping a hint in the author's notes last chapter, but why spoil the fun?
Not much else to say except enjoy. Reviews are much appreciated:)
"Can I graduate?"- Third Eye Blind
Chapter 54. Knighting
23 ACW, Jedi Temple on Coruscant
Luke Skywalker raced up the red, painted stone of the Temple, panting heavily. Running for the past fifteen minutes tested the limits of his endurance.
Numerous Jedi gave him astonished glances as he sped on by. A few shook their heads. He even caught one Master uttering the word, "Skywalkers". Luke couldn't blame them. Not really. His family reputation was well earned and so was his. Especially the propensity to be late.
Dashing up the ramp of the atrium, he could practically hear the light scoldings of Obi-Wan and Master Yoda.
'It's important to be on time, padawan.'
'Always looking to the horizon, young Luke.'
A soft smile, one so many adored for its boyish charm and innocence, graced his lips. He felt the movement of a diamond ring, jingling within the confines of simple white Jedi robes. Some things, even occasions such as this, were worth being tardy for.
Luke continued running at a steady, unrelenting pace. Through the sunny corridor of the mezzanine, past the meditation rooms, taking a shortcut at the fork leading down to the gymnasium and sparring area. He breathed in the Force, allowing joy to filter into his lungs. Today was going to be a good day.
At long last, he reached the edge of his destination. Waiting for him at the base of the Ivory Tower was none other than Anakin Skywalker, leaning coolly against the wall. The Hero With No Fear, war hero, beloved Jedi Master…the Chosen One. Those titles paled in comparison to the one that mattered to him most: father. A parent about to witness his son take a monumental rite of passage.
"You're late."
There was a not so subtle hint of amusement behind those words. More than likely because his father had been late for important meetings more times than anyone could count. Anakin wore it like a badge of honor. It was atypical for his son.
"Sorry, dad. Got caught up."
"Oh?"
Luke pulled out a velvet covered black box. There was no need to open it. Anakin discerned the contents inside.
"So today's the day?" He beamed a great smile. One reserved for very few people. Luke learned early on he was one of them.
"I'm taking her out tonight after the ceremony."
"And I assume you told your mother?"
"She was the first one to know…other than Leia of course."
Anakin feigned an offended expression. "So both women in the family knew before I did? You wound me, son."
Luke snorted at the jest.
"At the very least, you're taking it better than mom did."
"Your mom has never fully mastered a key tenant of the Jedi Code: letting go of the fact that her baby boy is now a man and free to marry."
Anakin strode over and clasped a solid hand on his son's back. Kriff, he was as strong as ever. He'd long accepted that his height would never reach six feet, thereby giving his father a permanently imposing presence (at least to those who didn't know him). But as his son, Luke knew that at heart, his father was a big softie. A man with so much love to give, the galaxy could scarcely contain it.
"Words can't properly express how proud I am of you, Luke."
Childlike warmth spread across the blond's chest. He cracked a modest smile at the fatherly approval. Parents often had that effect on you.
"Thanks, dad."
"You've earned it. You've earned all of this," Anakin said, pulling Luke in for a full hug before letting go. "I think we've kept the Council waiting long enough. Let's go up before we both receive an official reprimand."
Luke nodded happily in response. In no time at all, both men ascended the southwestern tower to the very top where a group of the most prominent, experienced Jedi inevitably awaited. His heart beat with the enthusiasm of Gungan drummers. Anakin slipped away upon entering the Jedi Council Chambers.
Despite having grown up in these very halls, Luke had no idea how any of this worked. Even those who'd gone before him refused to give up anything more than vague hints. Now it was here. The very thing he'd dreamed about since he was a little boy. Since hearing stories for the first time about the heroics of his father.
Darkness shrouded the entirety of the Chamber. Instinctively, he stepped forward into the center, anticipating what might come next.
A surprise party with cake and balloons? Comedic images of confetti raining down on his head amidst a cavalcade of stoic Jedi Masters almost caused him to snort with laughter. But he held the merriment in for now. The Force, all powerful and greatly attuned within the young Skywalker, told him to be patient.
Seconds ticked by and Luke heard nothing but silence…
A dozen lightsabers flashed a colorful array of light. Hooded apparitions moved towards him but Luke already sensed who they were, showing no fear. The shortest among them approached, an emerald blade shining brightly against the rest.
"Luke Skywalker, step this way if you please."
He made out one face against the wall of shadow. That of his Master, Obi-Wan, who nodded, urging him forward with a proud smile.
Master Yoda, the Grandmaster of the Order for as long as anyone could remember, raised his lightsaber as Luke kneeled down.
"By the right of the Council…"
He hovered the blade against the left shoulder.
"By the will of the Force…"
He switched the blade to the right shoulder.
"Dub thee I do…Jedi Knight of the Galactic Union."
The blade flicked upwards, nicking his padawan braid. It dropped to the floor for the final time.
"Rise, Luke Skywalker."
He did so. The lights flicked on and the congratulatory party began. Several Jedi Masters, many whom he'd collaborated with over the years- Master Secura, Master Plo, Master Gallia and more- offered their praise. Of course, none were more proud than his father and Obi-Wan, the men who'd raised and guided him to this moment.
"Well done, Luke," Obi-Wan said with formality but also immense pride. He gave his padawan a hug. "Well done, indeed."
"What he means to say, is that he can't believe he mentored another Skywalker to knighthood without losing more of his hair," Anakin cut in with a devilish smirk.
The audible clearing of a throat interrupted the convivial chat. Master Yoda inched forward, looking old but certainly not frail. There was a curious twinkle in his eye (the kind usually reserved for trolling). Luke saw and felt that he sought to talk to them about a topic of great importance.
"A word I need, young Skywalker."
Both men who shared the aforementioned surname looked at each other. Anakin was the first to volunteer, either out of habit or forgetfulness. Yoda whacked him lightly with his gimmerstick.
"Young are you, Master Anakin? Your son is whom I wish to speak to."
It was Obi-Wan who punctuated the remark with a witty barb.
"Ouch."
Luke held in a laugh. The Grandmaster's trolling was in full form.
Usually, Master Yoda took time in revealing his thoughts and decisions. But today, he was oddly straightforward. Blunt even. After congratulating Luke on Knighthood, came a surprising announcement as they traversed the grand hallway of the mezzanine together.
"Retire I will as Grandmaster of the Jedi Order."
"What?"
The statement caught Luke so off guard, it allowed the old troll an opening to employ more humor.
"Hard of hearing are you? Perhaps you are the one who is nine hundred years, not I."
Luke knew better than to outwit Yoda. It was a game he'd never win. Numerous bruises on his shin were living proof of that.
"Apologies, Master. I just…didn't see that coming."
Yoda gave a deep, rusty chuckle. The kind usually reserved for younglings in the Creche. Luke was able to detect a hidden meaning from it.
"Kind you are being. Elderly I have become."
"Nonsense."
Yoda again chuckled, but this time there was a note of nostalgia in those creaky vocal chords. An old fondness that took him back farther than anyone alive could yet envision. It was easy to forget that Yoda came of age only a century after the last great Jedi-Sith War. For him, time passed by in a different way than most sentients.
"No need there is to deny the truth for the sake of my feelings. Far too old am I to be concerned with such matters."
It was then Luke realized Yoda was being entirely serious.
"Master…why?
"For centuries have I trained Jedi of all sorts. Many have come and gone under my tutelage. My job it was to steer and guide the Order to safe pastures. To pass on what I learned to others."
Yoda turned his wrinkled head full of wispy white strands of hair towards the blond.
"Time it is for others to take charge. A new generation must lead the way."
"But Master Yoda you can't…retire," Luke said somewhat lamely. He sounded like a child and tried to correct himself. "What will the Order do without you?"
"One person, the Jedi Order is not," the Grandmaster countered wisely. "Meditated on this for some time, I have. This is the best way forward."
Luke could hardly imagine a world where someone else sat in Master Yoda's chair in the Ivory Tower. That kind of drastic change felt wrong. But peering into the jade orbs of the old Master, he saw the decision had already been made.
"Sad you need not be. A natural part of life, change is. The way of the Force. Step down I did not, until the time was right."
It finally dawned on the blond what he was saying.
"You waited until I became a Jedi Knight." The twinkle in the troll's eyes sparkled that much more. "I'm your final student."
The old Master bowed, confirming this was so.
"The last of my lineage are you. And it will be up to you and others- Obi-Wan, Ahsoka, your father- to guide the Order into a new era. In good hands, it is."
Luke kneeled down to Yoda's stature as a sign of respect.
"I wouldn't be the Jedi I am today without your teachings. You'll always be Grandmaster to me."
"Dead yet, I am not," Yoda said with his trademark snicker. "Teach I will, for as long as I am able. But you must look to the future and your friends."
Right on cue, Luke sensed two familiar presences. He turned to see Leia and Jinn running towards him, waving in jubilation.
"May the Force be with you." Like a wise, ancient toad you might find in a pond, Yoda beamed a great smile. Luke returned it.
"And with you, Master."
Yoda hobbled away just as his sister and pseudo cousin reached him, humming a song of some sort. Each took turns showering him with affection.
"Hey, where's Master Yoda going?" Jinn Kenobi asked, peering over down the hall.
"He's just tired." It was better to give the old master the space to announce his own decision than blab it out. He owed him that much.
"Congratulations, dear brother," Leia said, planting a kiss on his cheek and giving him a massive hug.
"Thanks, sis. Han couldn't make it?"
Leia rolled her eyes.
"He wishes you the best from Skako Minor. You know how he is with the Force: no time for hocus pocus nonsense."
Jinn was next and gave Luke a bear hug.
"I hope you don't mind if I pass on the kiss," he said with a sly grin, one which Luke returned.
"Eh, you're not my type anyway."
"He likes true redheads," Leia teased, ruffling Jinn's sandy blond hair. "Not half breeds."
"Either way, I'm looking forward to growing it out a bit once I'm finally knighted," Jinn said, running a hand through the short brush cut required of all human male padawans. He nodded towards Luke. "You're lucky."
"Just don't do that whole mullet thing your dad had back in the day."
Luke barked out a laugh at his sister's mention of Uncle Ben's old haircut.
"And then our dad did the same thing not long after."
"'Did'?" Leia feigned in mock surprise. "He never got rid of it."
"Still has the record for youngest Jedi knighted in the last thousands years," Jinn pointed out, ever a stickler for facts not unlike his father. "I'm surprised. Everyone thought you'd beat the record."
Luke shrugged. He'd long learned to ignore comparisons between himself and his dad. Most tended to assume they were alike because they shared a physical resemblance.
"Maybe. Wasn't concerned about setting any records."
"Jinn conveniently forgets that our father was knighted during a war at a time when the Jedi were in desperate need of experienced warriors," Leia rattled off, equally eager to show off her own encyclopedic knowledge of history. "Whether or not he was ready is another debate." Her brown eyes softened as she gave Luke an affectionate look. "But you are. You've been ready for years."
Coming from his sister and best friend, that meant the galaxy. He hugged her again.
"I know I'm ready for the trials," Jinn said, puffing out his chest a little. "Hopefully Master Gallia allows me to take them soon."
"In your dreams, Kenobi."
His knees turned to goo at the sound of his girlfriend, who stood at the end of the mezzanine, hands on her hips, shiny red hair glowing in the afternoon sun. With swashbuckling confidence, she coolly strutted towards them, the swaying of her hips enough to hypnotize Luke into a trance.
"I heard someone's a Jedi Knight." She gave him a light bump and a white toothed smile.
"You heard right, babe," Luke said, giving her a classic eyebrow wag. The interaction made everyone else groan.
"Ugh, the way you two flirt is painful," Leia said, putting two fingers in her mouth to simulate gagging.
"If you can call that flirting," Jinn cracked, sounding very much like Obi-Wan.
"At least I have a boyfriend, Kenobi. More than I can say for someone who swings on both sides of the fence."
The twins snickered, leaving their 'cousin' to fume and blush like an overripe Meiloorun fruit.
"You're impossible, Mara. 50 credits says I get knighted before you do."
"Ignore the plebs, babe," the redhead said, tossing her padawan braid back and pulling Luke's face in for a kiss. "They're just jealous."
"Mhm sure."
Mara shot Leia a dirty look but Luke knew it was all in good fun. Those two together were a public menace, especially when they had a few drinks in them.
"I missed you during the ceremony," he said to her.
"I tried sneaking in, but Master Tano said this was the one time we weren't allowed to break any rules. Can't blame me."
Luke slipped a hand in between hers. His vision traveled from her long, brown boots up the length of form fitting trousers to a clipped lightsaber which contained a blade as green as the eyes he loved staring into every day.
"I was thinking we could go out tonight. Celebrate for a while."
He was sure Auntie Soka would say yes to that. Temple curfew was strict but older padawans tended to be given more leeway. And now that he was a Knight…well that left open all kinds of possibilities.
"Sure." She slipped her other hand into his. "Dex's, same as always?"
"Actually, there's something I want to do first."
"What are we? Chopped bantha liver?" Jinn sassed. Leia gave him a solid elbow to the gut. "Ow!"
"We'll go on ahead and meet you there," the brunette said, sensing what Luke was trying to do. "Come on, knucklehead."
When Leia had dragged Jinn a sufficient distance to allow them privacy, Mara's swaggering demeanor changed to soft curiosity. Luke thought she'd never looked cuter.
"So what is it you wanna do?"
Luke felt the ring jingle within the black box inside his pocket. He tried to hide his intentions, but Mara felt the hammering of his heartbeat. It was exceedingly difficult hiding feelings from the girl you loved most.
"You're nervous. Are you okay?"
Luke felt Mara probing the edges of his shields and decided to tighten them. She couldn't know. Not yet.
"Fine," he said with a reassuring, boyish smile. "Let's take a walk. I'll explain on the way…"
Boom! Mara Jade is officially canon in the Wasp's 'Last Hope' universe lol. A couple of things.
1) I'd had planned to include Mara Jade in one of the ending chapters for some time. Forgive me if she's not quite the same as in the Legends books. This version did not grow up as an assassin under Palpatine, so she's sharp tongued and teasing, but doesn't carry the same level of ruthless killer instinct. At least not quite the same level lol.
2) As I explained earlier, Jinn is Obi-Wan and Satine's son. He's a Jedi too since he cannot legally inherit the throne of Mandalore.
3) Both Jinn, Mara, and a few others will feature in the sequel.
Next update is going to be in mid April.
Rock on!
-The Wasp