Chapter Eleven:

Visions of The Force


The planet Dagobah.

The Force led Luke and Ahsoka to it, to the planet where Master Yoda had been hiding for decades after the Empire's rise. Luke didn't expect to come back here after the late Jedi Master had died, especially with Vader out there.

Luckily, nobody had to worry about dealing with Imperial forces in that region.

As the two Jedi approached the murky swamp planet in Luke's starfighter, the young Rebel felt the Force speak to him, it tingled in his skin, and something sang to both Luke and his father's old student. It wasn't just Dagobah calling to them, it was something else.

And it felt familiar.

R2-D2 beeped anxiously, and Luke acknowledged how frightened the little droid was. "It's okay, R2." He said, "We're not going to be here for too long."

'Trust the nature of the Force.'

Luke and Ahsoka landed their ship on solid ground within the jungles, somewhere near the spot where Yoda's old hut was located. The two Jedi stepped out of the X-wing, and R2 exited as well. Luke told the little droid to stay put, then he looked ahead, following the call of the Force, and saw a cave.

Not any cave, the cave, the same cave where Luke had faced what he thought was Vader. The Force led him back here. And with Ahsoka accompanying him, who knew what the Force was going to show the duo in there.

"I haven't been in that cave before." Ahsoka remarked, "Do you know what is in there?"

"According to Yoda, only what we take with us." Luke replied, "Last time I went in there, I faced Vader, or what I thought was Vader, and he attacked first. This time, we don't know what's in store in there..."

Ahsoka nodded. Luke stepped towards the cave and the Torgruta followed, R2 watched with a low beep as his owner once again descended into the darkness. At least he had someone else with him this time. R2 didn't intend to go in there, not because droids couldn't access the Force, because Luke told him to stay.

Luke breathed slowly and treaded around the weeds as he moved further into the cave. Ahsoka was behind him, and she looked around, taking her time to understand this place. The Force was speaking to the two Jedi, and Luke heard Yoda's voice speaking to him, advising him to be prepared.

'This cave is strong in the Dark Side as the rest of Dagobah.'

The further they went, both Luke and Ahsoka felt cold, as if they could feel a disturbance. The sounds of swamp life were faint now, and they only heard their own breathing, and the sound of an eerie wind. The cave felt... alive, and it could sense the return of Luke, along with the new presence in the former Jedi Padawan who'd survived the purge.

Darkness surrounded them, and Luke stopped walking. Ahsoka did the same, and the Torgruta closed her eyes steadily. Luke reached out with his instincts, and connected with the Force again. And the cave seemed to connect with him, as well as his ally.

"Luke..."

Both Jedi heard the voice, and it sounded distant but clear, as it reached out to them. Luke felt his surroundings shift, and he saw shadows moving. A dark mist began to encircle him as well as Ahsoka, and images began to take form, in their mind's eye, and before their own eyes.

The connection of the Force grew, and they heard the voice of Yoda from beyond the grave; "Besieged by the Dark Side, the Galaxy is. And suffering, worlds are..."

Luke saw Imperial forces laying waste to cities, and he saw rows of satellites firing beams that affected a planet's weather. Thunder rumbled somewhere in the distance, then he saw him, his father, sitting upon the Imperial Throne. Vader stared ahead, staring at Luke as if he were present in the Imperial Palace.

More images appeared, showing a red lightsaber cutting through Rebel soldiers, and squadrons of Stormtroopers firing on people Luke knew. He heard Leia, begging for help, and Han shouting desperately. And then, he could hear Vader's voice.

"You cannot hide forever, Luke..."

He saw another vision, showing himself battling Vader in a throne room, followed by a dark cloaked figure, the Emperor, firing lightning from his fingertips at Luke before Vader threw him down a reactor shaft before dying unmasked in the arms of Luke. Visions of what could have been, visions of events that never happened.

Something else appeared, a world in a distant corner of the galaxy, beyond a red nebula, containing a shrine dedicated to the Sith. The vision shifted, showing a laboratory, and Luke saw someone attached to a machine, just barely alive with visibly ruined hands and missing fingers.

"Embrace the Dark Side..." Vader's voice called again, "Join me, and we shall rule together. It is your destiny, Skywalker. You can destroy the Emperor, he has foreseen it. Join me, and we can end the carnage that is this war."

He was somewhere else, standing on a lava-filled plane, with a large castle standing atop a mountain in the distance. Luke looked up, seeing a dark cloaked figure approach him. The figure dropped his hood, revealing his face, Luke's face, and he drew his lightsaber to ignite a red blade while his eyes glowed orange.

And then, he was seated upon the throne, in the palace on Coruscant, ruling the Empire and the galaxy while wearing a uniform akin to the one Vader was wearing. Luke's dark future self smiled menacingly, all while Luke could hear the breathing of his father.

"Operation: Cinder is in effect, and, under Darth Vader's command, the Empire is on the march as Rebel forces grow stronger but desperate." A distant voice spoke, "The future is in motion, and you cannot run from your destiny. The choice is yours to make, fight or fall. You must confront Vader, the fate of the galaxy is in your hands. The Force will be with you, always."

Luke stood in the cave, processing everything he'd seen, from events that were in motion to the events that never happened. He looked at Ahsoka, and she nodded, aware of what the visions had shown them.

Her visions were likely different, but the two Jedi knew what had to be done. Luke was determined to save his father from the Dark Side. One way or another, the war had to end before more lives were lost. The Empire had taken too much, caused so much suffering, and Vader had to be defeated as well. The Rebel Alliance needed help...