Feel free to join my Discord server: disco rd . gg / 8NPYvs9m (delete the spaces). You can talk about whatever you want in there. SW and RDR channels are in there as well.
For older readers, after much deliberation, I have decided to re-edit the story a little bit and have Luke time travel from the post Vong war. This isn't impacting the story too much but Luke knows vital things so he can make more changes. His Grandmaster personality would be much more attuned to this story. Taking him out too early into the EU would mean I would have to retcon half of his journey in the EU, mistakes and all. So yes, Luke de-ages to his 9ABY counterpart as a side-effect but has all of his memories so he knows major events. I also consider The Unifying Force the last story with Luke and his loved ones. Troy Dennings' creepy sexual innuendo did immense damage to the Legacy era and the EU as a whole and ruined too many characters imo for me to ever implement it into this fic. So, there is no Darth Caedus. Jacen Solo never fell.
Chapter 9
Luke stood inside the Queen's suite, bathing in the cool energies of the Force, finding solace with the amount of Jedi currently on the planet. He could feel the Force complying with him so willingly, feel the countless Jedi in the Jedi Temple not far from here. A Temple that was molded by Darth Sidious in his infamous glory to mock the remnants of the bygone Order.
The New Jedi Order had existed to a certain degree for years as a functioning training academy. But it wasn't until months and even longer after the invasion by the Yuuzhan Vong that he finally agreed with some of his more aggressive and militant students that the new Republic needed a better first line of defense and the Jedi were always going to be that line. But because it was politically expedient to blame the Jedi rather than the Invaders for the hostilities, as well as a way to keep Luke in check, the government prevented Luke from fully forming this. It was an entire cluster fuck in which trillions died when they didn't have to because the head of state was worried about everything but what he needed to be worried about.
Nevertheless, the war was over, the galaxy was more or less at peace, and the next decade or so was just rebuilding the galaxy. The old generation was slowly transformed into the elder statesmen role while Jacen/Jaina's generation took over, slowly setting up new stories down the line. But the scars still remained.
A fragile peace, but peaceful nevertheless.
This was... different.
They weren't yet the same Jedi who were exterminated one by one until two of their best remained and had to retreat into hiding, raising the next generation of the Jedi Order.
But it was the cloud before the storm.
He sighed and lowered his head. Because the Dark Side would disrupt all of that.
"Are you okay, Master... Luke?" Anakin asked carefully, his fingers thumbing together nervously.
"Why are you calling me "Master?" he replied, not liking the implication of what that meant.
"It's what the Jedi likes to call each other..." He replied innocently, a little deflated.
Oh! Oh... he had to explain this. "Anakin, when Jedi was referred to as "Masters," it's a title that bounds their place in the Jedi Order. They go from Padawans to Knights to Masters gradually, to train the next generation. While there's rules involved, you won't be enslaved again, nor do you have to refer to me as anything but Luke, understand?" He explained gently.
"Okay..." Anakin answered uncertainly. "Luke."
Silence passed, but Luke was uncomfortable with the implications, to be frank. Of what these small insecurities could lead to.
He wouldn't allow one thing, no matter what.
His father couldn't, wouldn't become Darth Vader.
He'd considered his options. Qui-Gon Jinn was more open-minded if history was anything to go by, often disagreeing with the Council. While the Jedi were very blind and complacent (Obi-Wan among them), Qui-Gon was just as blind in other ways. He's used to being able to work on his own, he's used to not receiving support from the Council because they disagree, he's used to having to struggle for every choice he makes - so he's used to doing what he has to do to get the result he wanted.
Granted, Luke suffered the latter too-most Jedi of his time did as they'd extended their wings, but could he take that chance?
Could Anakin & Qui-Gon as a Master & Apprentice pair be undisturbed? According to a few of the Archives-likely twisted or lost along the way but still concerning, during early on in Kenobi's Apprenticeship, the man was harsher. If it was true, this could drive Anakin to Sidious with his frustrations. And even if he was successful, Luke doesn't see a reality where Darth Sidious would allow someone that troublesome to live. Jinn was a great Jedi, but he knew not to underestimate the Sith...
There was another idea. Train him himself.
That was an idea that made Luke wonder. He couldn't allow Sidious to reach his father, no matter the consequences. On the second Death Star, his father was scarred and tormented, forced to servitude after a decade of grooming which was out of his control.
Anakin needed to learn inner balance, that he was okay to attach to people; but control, and the trappings of the Dark Side and what it could do if he'd gave into it a second time.
His thoughts went to Anakin Solo, and Jacen Solo. How one died, leading a very large amount of Jedi Padawans into the heart of the Yuuzhan Vong's largest cruiser and he chose to personally cover their escape against a horde of their crack troopers and he sacrificed his own lifeforce. His other nephew, scarred by his time under the Vong but standing resilient to temptation, became a Force mystic in some ways.
Even now, Luke wouldn't deny that a small part of him wanted to deny his father from ever learning the Force. Not because he'd feared him directly but because Anakin not being slammed with the Jedi's responsibility could give him a better future.
But he recalled: in his time what happened to Flint and so many others he fell, and X2 and those who passed-through the Nagai–Tof War, Kiro, Barney, and the Rik Duel gang, Kiro who became disillusioned with becoming a Jedi due to his refusal at the beginning. When for a number of years after this, despite Leia and even Han's insistence, Luke continued to hone his own skills as he worked as a Jedi Knight throughout the galaxy. During this time, he made many discoveries relating to the Jedi, on planets such as Circarpous V, Toola, and Dathomir, and also briefly taught Prince Isolder the basic tenets of the Force. As he was not Force Sensitive, the Prince provided a risk-free student for Luke to practice on. During this time, Skywalker also met many individuals who would eventually become members of his Jedi Order. Perhaps most notable was Kyle during the crisis of the Valley of the Jedi. Katarn already possessed a lightsaber, that originally belonged to Qu Rahn, and had some rudimentary insights into the Force, mastering Force powers such as Force speed. It took him a long time to even train Grogu. He'd allowed Din Djarin to monitor over him while he had found himself and even afterward on Yavin as one of his pilots. He did make sure that Grogu knew the trappings of the Dark Side however.
Corran Horn, Mara Jade, his nephews, his niece, Jaden Korr, Rosh Penin-all of them were great Jedi. Despite the struggles and errors Luke had made (such as when Gantoris exploded, Kyp Durron turned to the Dark Side, Dev Sibwarra was killed immediately, an infuriated Corran Horn left the academy, Brakiss was an Imperial sleeper agent, Tenel Ka got her arm amputated because Luke couldn't have been bothered to inspect her lightsaber, and the list went on...), all of them were great people...
Luke had learned something in those years. To respond to a situation with fear wasn't the answer. Anakin's substantial connection to the Force could lead him to tap into abilities that he wouldn't know how to harness or control properly. Sheltering the boy from his destiny wasn't possible. But, he could alter it. Ultimately, Jinn, Kenobi, Yoda, most of the Jedi in the Temple; they were good people, he had no doubt of that; but Luke had experiences that they didn't-understanding that went beyond their years. The Force sang in contentment and support, promising the Son of the Chosen One that this was his destiny, and Luke would not turn away.
Not now...
"Anakin," Luke said gently, "can you feel it here?"
"It?" Repeated Anakin.
"Close your eyes, center your mind, and feel," Luke said gently.
A slight frown fell on his face as he closed his eyes.
"Tell me, what do you feel?" Luke probed gently.
"I... there's... so many of them. They are like... points, like buried ground. They feel... light, but... warm. Safe. Peaceful."
Luke nodded. Anakin was a quick learner. "Those are the signatures through the Force of the Jedi or Force Sensitive."
Anakin's eyes opened and went wide with clear adoration. "This is so wizard!"
Having heard that term before on Tatooine so long ago, Luke couldn't help but smile. "Jedi never give up, Anakin. Don't ever allow someone to tell you you're not good enough." He closed his eyes and bowed his head, "You will encounter pain and loss in life but don't let those negative emotions control you. That leads to the Dark Side." He opened his eyes again. "The Jedi must have the deepest commitment. The most serious mind. You're never too old to learn, but growth is paramount."
"What's the Dark Side?" Anakin asked. "And why do you keep mentioning it?"
"Potentium Heresy, I like to believe, is a perfect description of the Dark Side. Your own inner darkness. That darkness is a trait in every human being, but must be controlled instead of harnessed. The quick and easier path is to give in to temptations and forsake everything you have. What you decide is what you feed the most. Endurance and self-preservation can save you from the utter destruction of everything you are. What do you want, young one?"
"I want to go back to Tatooine and free all of the slaves! I don't care about Hutt's law! I want to kill those sleemos!"
Luke nodded. "A selfless goal which would take a long time to accomplish. You would have to depend on others to aid you in your conquest and continue to build upon yourself in order to accomplish this."
"But... you..." he began.
"Anakin, if you were to ask me to be your instructor and teacher, I wouldn't train you to only be a Jedi or a wielder of the Force, but to embrace who you are as a human."
"What do you mean?" the young boy asked, confused, "Well, yeah Jedi have other races but-!"
"Anakin..." Luke started with a sigh, "you have no real knowledge of what it means to be a Jedi, I'm afraid."
"Jedi are heroes," he explained, "they go out to the galaxy, do what's right, help people and save their lives, and keep the galaxy peaceful. I want to go back to Tatooine, liberate all of the slaves, and make my mother proud of me."
Luke smiled in understanding. "Anakin, while you possess good moral intent and desires, I'm afraid that you can't do that legally."
"Wut?" Anakin asked, looking utterly lost.
"As a Jedi, you must follow not only the the Codes of the Jedi-but the laws of the Republic and single planets, and act under the permission of the Jedi Council," Luke started slowly, trying to ease this up. "Unfortunately, on Tatooine and many other planets, slavery is legal. With an area as enormous as the galaxy or the Outer Rim and with so many different species and culture, slavery cannot be eradicated." Unless under an autocratic government like an Empire... "The problem is Hutt Space. An area spanning a third of the Outer Rim, nearly a fifth of the galaxy, under the control of megalomaniacal gangsters, who have been accumulated weapons, ships and resources since the fall of the Rakatans."
Anakin's eyebrows disappeared in his headline. "Huh?"
"In short, it would be easier to ignore the problem than to tackle it directly."
"But... that's..." Anakin struggled for words, hoping to find counters to Luke's arguments, or loopholes around the truth coming down on his shoulders.
"Beyond even that Anakin, as a Jedi, officially, attachment is forbidden. Possession is forbidden. Compassion, which I would define as unconditional love, is essential to a Jedi's life. From the outside's perspective, you would be encouraged to love looking at it from one side, but that is not the strongest statement to affirm that Jedi are allowed to love. You'll be expected to give up your mother and never see her again." he answered solemnly.
Anakin visibly recoiled. "What?!"
Luke paused for a moment, sensing him digesting this information with anger, fury, rage, fear, suffering...
"...But you don't have to go to the Temple. We wouldn't be orthodox Jedi, suffice to say, but you will still be instructed as such. We'll be..."
A lengthy silence passed before he settled on one term:
"Brothers..."
Yes. Brothers.
The Force almost nodded in approval.
He nodded slowly, "I accept your teachings..."
"Very well, we shall begin your training."
He smiled. "What is my first lesson?"
"Meditation." Luke slowly went onto the durasteel floor and closed his eyes, motioning for Anakin to do the same.
"Why?"
"To settle the conflict within you."
"There is no conflict!" the younger Skywalker denied defensively. More to appeal...
"Don't take this as judgment. You've just arrived to a new planet, Anakin, in a wide galaxy," Luke replied, "I imagine that you would be afraid, and rightfully so."
The boy arched his eyebrows. "Why do I have a feeling that this is going to be difficult?"
"If the ways of the Jedi were easy, there'd be millions of Jedi," Luke responded honestly, reminded of when he'd told Katern similarly, "you have to accomplish inner peace, Anakin. You need not feel belittled for your weaknesses because of your abilities."
"But because of these abilities, don't we have the power to change anything? To make things better because of what we can do?" Anakin asked, intrigued.
"Yes," Luke answered, "but you should never feast for more powers that are unattainable. It's unnatural. The Force acts as it wills."
"I don't like its will then," Anakin said childishly.
Luke smirked, "Darkness exists in all beings. It's just how it's supposed to be."
"But the Dark Side. Is the Dark Side stronger if that's the way it's supposed to be? Why don't we just balance both sides?"
"Your darkness-the Dark Side is dangerous. That's why there can't be a balance between a Light and a Dark. You can't balance life with something that eats away at life. Balance is when life as a whole is tranquil. And it is so when there is no dark chewing away at life. That is the problem with the Jedi and Sith. You mustn't suppress nor lose control of your emotions, but control them and only act with patience and serenity."
"But what makes the Dark Side so bad? Ain't balance a good thing?" His father was smart. Very likely, these were similar questions asked during his age as a Padawan-met with cryptic ideas.
Luke decided to be a little more blunt. "The idea that balancing "Light and Dark" as though both must be in equal proportion is unrealistic. That would mean for every GOOD action you do, you must do an equally proportionate EVIL action. If you learn from the Force, it'll naturally reinforce the Balance of the Living Force. If you feed the Dark Side more than it needs to be fed, it will naturally try to consume everything, like fire, and destroy the balance."
Anakin protested, "But the Dark Side sounds like it would be able to free slaves quic-"
"The Force will grant a steadier, lengthier supply of power than the Dark Side… but you need to work for it. You need to be at peace with yourself, you need to let go of momentary pleasures and be at peace with everything around you. But once you are… you sustain the Force, and in turn, it sustains you right back. Again, a symbiotic relationship.
The relationship one can have with the Dark Side is a cancerous, parasitic one. You're not a champion of the Dark Side… you're its servant. Sure, the Dark Side will give you a very strong boost in power… but it is fleeting, and ultimately, consuming. Using the Dark Side is like obtaining spice. It gives you a good high, but the more you use it, the more addicted you are, and the more it corrupts you until there's nothing left. You must be prepared-"
He stopped right there as he'd remembered when he lit Vader's dead body aflame and later Anakin Solo too. Both cremations. Oh, he missed his little nephew. Was reminded of him in this boy right next to him.
"Be prepared?"
"Be prepared for losses," Luke answered. "A little bit of darkness doesn't corrupt you completely. We all have a little bit of darkness inside us. What a true Jedi does is learn to control that darkness. It can still get the better of them in times and does. However, one must make a constant effort to not be ruled by their emotions. Many great Jedi have dabbled in the Dark Side multiple times. The difference between them and Sith is that they can control their emotions and know better than to give themselves to them.
The Dark Side is fed by negative emotions and desires. Anger, hate, agony, despair, loss, and fear are all prerequisites to using the Dark Side. These are very powerful emotions and are quick to join you in battle. Maintaining that power though requires increasingly immersing yourself in a toxic lifestyle because your power relies on being all the things that make a person toxic. Such a lifestyle is inherently destructive and ends in tragedy. A life spent wanting to be in pain, and bring pain to others, is the only way to maintain the power the Dark Side provides. For many Force Sensitives this is a seductive offer, as using the Dark Side is quicker than spending years mastering to use the Force.
You have to free slaves out of justice, not vengeance-for that will destroy you, and be prepared to let go of those who cannot be saved. Mourn, and grieve, but keep fighting. The Dark Side is not stronger, but it is easier to use. It is easy to be angry and hateful. It is hard to be at peace and control yourself."
"I'm sorry, Luke," his head lowered in shame. "I just wanted to..."
"Don't feel apologetic for genuine questions, Anakin, the young mind is curious." The boy had too much of a good soul. Being selfless could lead to the Dark Side ironically. The danger in being completely selfless was that you risk having others take you for granted or in time, take advantage of you. Often, those who were selfless at the expense of themselves struggle to be assertive. They might have forgotten or felt too powerless to exert their right to be respected by others.
Other Force organizations have different philosophies and outlooks on the Force whether they're light, dark, or somewhere in between. One such example was the Jensaarai, warrior-scholars of the Force who use lightsabers and study both the Light and Dark Sides. They understood the dangers of the Dark Side, so they only moistened into it a little bit, for the sake of understanding it.
"So the Dark Side is evil?" The younger asked, next.
Luke smiled, "No."
"Then wh..." The boy was about to press further.
"The Dark Side itself just is doing what it does naturally… just like fire isn't evil, and yet if you touch it, it will burn you and try to kill you. Because that's what fire does, that's its nature."
"Okay so I can use some of it when it's..."
"Don't mistake slipping for immersing."
"Ugh, this sounds so bloody hard!" Anakin exclaimed, rubbing his head in bafflement and frustration. "Why can't I-"
"You're seeking justifications and excuses for your goals," Luke said sympathetically, grimacing when Anakin looked up at him, eyes widened.
"I'm just..."
"I know. You're a good person, Anakin, but a Jedi use the Force for knowledge, defense, and protecting those who cannot do so for themselves and others-never for personal gratification or to lose oneself to wanting impossibilities."
Indignation rang through the Force, and something snapped. "But the slavers deserve to pay for what they did!"
"What do you think revenge accomplishes, Anakin?" Luke asked firmly. "You think it undoes all the pain? It brings back those lost? The Dark Side is a quick and easy route to power, but it ultimately dominates your life and ruins all you stand for, making you feel nothing but negativity. At first, it may seem like the best way to achieve a goal, but all you'll feel at the end is pain, suffering, and agony for yourself and others. Yes, that is inevitable for some, but the Dark Side prevents one thing they also lack: fulfillment."
Anakin stormed to the other side of the room, processing what was told to him. A darkness from the outside flashed in his eyes as he kept his head down. He looked back up, and light illuminated across the right side of his face, as he approached.
An unspoken acceptance...
"You must strive to conquer your inner demons, use abilities for the greater good, but be prepared for the consequences of those abilities. Embodiment and control is the way to gain true balance in the Force. I intend to teach you this."
Anakin breathed heavily. "How will I know the good side from the bad?"
"You'll know when you're calm, at peace, balanced," Luke alliterated, placing his hands on his shoulders. The boy's shoulders tensed momentarily before he softened up slightly and breathed with him for five standard seconds.
After, "So... what do I do first?"
"Well... first close your eyes, breathe in, and breathe out," Luke instructed slowly...
People are often like Anakin needed a parent, not a sibling. I disagree. Anakin needed a less emotionally compromised instructor. The bond between siblings ain't the problem imo. :)