Star Wars VIII: Shadows of the Past (11)
#11 of Star Wars
The end of a long and exciting story. Don't worry, though, cause I'll be working on the next one soon.
A battle wages as Luke realizes his mistakes, and Rey learns who she is.
Tiny drops of water leaked from the stone ceiling of the passage in such a constant motion, that the dirt floor became a large muddy puddle. Luke's boots made a *SQUELCH* every time he raised them to step forward. The path itself became narrower, as the walls crept closer together. Soon, Luke's shoulders became wet with the dew that covered the stone walls. His bionic hand, which hung by his side, was locked tightly around his lightsaber. Its green blade shined brightly in the darkness. The energy emitted from it caused the water on the ground to steam.
It'd been only ten minutes since Luke abandoned Rey in the maze, and he still thought he could faintly hear her calling for him. While she was describing her dream, he had quietly slipped away, hoping to avoid answering the questions he knew were in her head: Was the man in her dream really her father? Did Luke know her father? Anyway, that was no longer his main concern. Just a few yards ahead, Luke could see, what appeared to be, a dead end. "This isn't right," he thought. "The map in the temple said that it was down this tunnel." Fortunately, the wall didn't block his path, because, as he got closer, the green glow of Luke's lightsaber revealed, on his left, a staircase leading downward. Without hesitation, he went down the stairs, further into the dark.
"General, General," C3-P0 shuffled into the command center.
"What is it, Threepio?" Leia asked, turning to face the gold droid.
"Well, it's been over five hours, but there have been no signs of Master Luke or Rey."
"They're not back yet?"
"I'm afraid not," the droid replied. R2-D2, wheeling over from the entrance, gave several chirps and beeps of disappointment. "Artoo said he hasn't been able to detect signs of either of them. I fear they may be in danger." Leia stood there for a few moments, pondering what to do. C3-P0 was a statue; waiting for her to speak or a sign of human emotion. Suddenly, there was a massive shake, as the *BOOM* of a loud explosion filled the air. Leia fell against a console, and the vibrations caused C3-P0 to tumble into R2. Cracks spread throughout the walls, causing dust and pieces to fall from the ceiling.
"What the hell was that!" Finn yelled, running into the temple.
"General, someone sabotaged the central fuel reactors in the transports," reported a dock commander.
"Multiple signatures just outside the eastern gate," shouted a man at a nearby console. "It appears they're trying to bypass the defense grid."
"It must be the First Order," Leia said. "But how did they find us?" A loud siren blared through the crumbling building. Resistance soldiers rushed by Finn, Leia, and the droids. They each carried standard B-280 blaster rifles. One of the soldiers stopped halfway out the door. Finn recognized him as Shi Lamar, a lieutenant who helped in Finn's rehabilitation and training.
"Finn, we could use your help," he said, holding out a second blaster.
"Yes, sir." With one last glance at Leia, he stepped forward and took the weapon.
"Glad to see you back on your feet," Shi said, giving a small laugh. "Alright," he shouted to the rest of the gathered troops, "let's move out!"
Reaching the bottom of the staircase, Luke came to a narrow corridor. On his left, in the middle of the stone wall, was a shallow recess that spanned the entire length of the hallway. In it was a row of partially melted candles, all of which had collected heaps of dust from centuries of no use. Opposite the candles were several small rooms. Luke walked into the first one and, under the green light of his saber, found empty crates and scraps of paper. "These must have been used for storage," he thought. Looking into two of the other rooms, there were more crates, boxes, and papers. In one box, Luke discovered a small toy doll made out of fabric. He was amazed, at first, that it had survived for almost a thousand years without getting worn out. Just then, the candles in the hallway became lit. The storage room Luke was in became illuminated with an orange-yellowish glow. He was now able to clearly see the doll. It was wearing a black robe and had dark, curly, hair.
"Ben," he said, noticing a resemblance between the toy and his former student. It wasn't until the candles' light went out again that the Jedi realized something was happening.
"Do you still mourn what happened to your apprentice?" came a low, deep voice. Luke went back into the hallway, which had become much colder. He saw no one, but it was clear that someone strong in the Force was watching him. _"You blame yourself for his betrayal, don't you?" _
"I blame myself for letting you bring him down the path of corruption, Snoke," Luke replied, talking to the voice.
"Corruption? I helped him realize his true potential," Snoke said. "Because of me, he became powerful in the Force. Because of me, the weak Ben Solo died, and the strong Kylo Ren was born."
"You're using him for his power. To you all he is, all he's ever been, is a puppet."
"Are you not the same way with that girl? She is loyal to you, but you still refuse to tell her about her parents, about their fate." Snoke was right, and Luke knew it. For months, he's been teaching Rey to abandon fear and let go of the past, yet, all he's ever done is hide from it.
"Ah, I can sense your fear and your anger. It is what drives your desire for the power to defeat me. But this power can only be achieved through the Dark Side."
"No...no, you're wrong," Luke finally said. "The Dark Side will never be stronger than the Light." Snoke gave a low laugh.
"I disagree," he replied. "Even now, my servants attack your friends'. They will destroy everyone and everything that you care for. Soon, Skywalker, you will know the true might of the Dark Side." The hallway was quiet once more, all except for the sound of the lightsaber, and Luke realized the danger the Resistance were in. He quickly ascended the flight of stairs, hoping to find his Padawan and get out of there before it's too late.
"Luke? Are you in here?" echoed Rey's voice. She had turned off the lightsaber, hoping to hear the sound of her master's footsteps. However, the absolute darkness was getting to her; heightening the fear that she will never find Luke and never get out of the pitch black void she was lost in. *BIZZZ* the lightsaber glowed back to life. Raising it over her head, Rey discovered that she was in a massive chamber, or at least, a chamber big enough that the light didn't reach the sides. All that Rey saw were wide stone columns, reaching up an unknown distance to the ceiling, and, what seemed to be, a small tongue of fire hovering just barely above the ground several feet away. Lacking a breeze, the flame flickered only a little. Intrigued, Rey approached the flame.
"What are you?" she said softly, talking to the fire. She had noticed that, for being close enough that she should feel heat, she felt nothing radiating from it. It was also strange that the flame was just...there. Rey saw nothing being burned up. No source, no movement, no heat, yet there it was: a single flame. Then, Rey noticed that, on the ground beneath it, there was, what looked like, a lightsaber. It had a grey metallic shell, which reflected the yellowish light of the fire. It wasn't her lightsaber; that one was still in her right hand. No, this one was different. It had an orange curved piece near the top, a small dial under the Energy Emitter, and brown leather bands wrapped around it. "Probably for better grip," Rey thought. Kneeling down, she picked up the lightsaber. She wasn't surprised when in wasn't hot from being under the fire. However, she did notice that it was much lighter than Luke's old one. The ignition was a small black button next to the EE dial. It had a concave center, which made it easier for Rey to find it with her thumb. Turning off her other saber, she pressed the button, and a bright blue beam shot out. The energy was constant and could be seen flowing throughout the blade. Rey gave the lightsaber a few swings and was amazed at how steady the it was.
"It was your father's." Startled, Rey turned around to see Luke walking towards her in the semi-darkness. He was pointing to the saber she found.
"Luke, where have you been? We got separated in the tunnels."
"I found, what I think was, a storage area," he replied, deciding not to give any details about his conversation with Snoke. "Anyways, it's about time we leave." Luke started for the exit, expecting Rey to follow.
"Wait," she said, grabbing his sleeve, "you said that this lightsaber belonged to my father. How did you know that?"
"Because," Luke sighed, "because I trained him to be a Jedi. Your father, Jacen, made this lightsaber a year after you were born."
"He was a Jedi?"
"Yes, and a skilled one, too," Luke replied. "But I feared that his love for you would interfere with his training, so he agreed to bring you to Jakku to be under the care of a friend until his training was complete. Unfortunately, he was killed by Kylo Ren and his followers."
"What about my mother?" Rey had tears in her eyes.
"Rey, I'm sorry, but we have to leave," he said, solemnly. "I'll answer the rest of your questions later." Luke led Rey back through the maze of tunnels. When they reached the ladder, through the opening, Rey could see that it was already night. The climb up was long and exhausting, as both Luke and Rey were tired from exploring the Sanctuary. The fresh air felt cool and relaxing when they got to the top. Although it was dark out, Rey could see, in the distance, the scattered lights of the Resistance base.
"Luke, something's happening at the base," she said, pointing to the dense smoke clouds.
"Leia," he gasped.
Finn was one of twenty soldiers standing ready at the eastern gate. With him were Chewbacca and Shi. Everyone had their weapons fixed on the slowly dissolving, green, energy grid that separated them from whoever was trying to get in.
"Hold position!" someone yelled over the dying *WIRRR* of the gate's generators. Suddenly, the durasteel beams, holding up the generators, collapsed, completely destroying them, and wiping out the whole grid system surrounding the base. All of the soldiers flinched, and Chewbacca gave a worried grunt. The jungle, that stood silent in front of them, was a big silhouette of trees, vines, and other plants. Then, out of the darkness came Rowin, Nejai, and Kain. Each of them carried a lightsaber, which they ignited simultaneously revealing red blades.
"Fire!" The Resistance soldiers began firing their blasters at the oncoming Knights of Ren. Instinctively, they deflected the laser bolts with their own weapons. Some of which bounced back and hit the soldiers, killing them instantly. Finn, Shi, and Chewbacca hid behind some stacked crates, firing at the enemy from cover.
Meanwhile, Leia watched the battle from the holoprojector in the command center. There was nothing she could do to stop the Knights from mowing down her troops.
"That's odd," said a woman standing nearby. Leia walked over to see what was wrong.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"General, just before the grid went down, I picked up six enemy signatures," the woman replied. "But now, I am picking up only these three." She pointed to three red dots in a holographic map of the base. One was only fifty yards behind the group of soldiers, the second, by the comms tower, and the last one was right outside the south entrance to the Temple. Leia looked at the map and then back at the fight.
"They aren't the same ones," she realized.
"Exactly. There are the three attacking our troops, the ones we see, but then there's these unknown signatures, scattered around the base."
"You mean, there could be more already in here?"
"Possibly," said the woman. "The scanner does show signs of being tampered with, but I do suggest we pull whoever's left back." Leia nodded and pressed a button on the holoprojector's console. It turned on a mic.
"Shi...you ne...to...ever..one...Shi...do...co...py?" Leia's voice was mostly static in Shi's earpiece.
"General, I can't understand you. General?" Shi spoke into his mic. There was no response. He had gotten separated from Finn, Chewbacca, and the few remaining soldiers. Going further away from the battle, he tried to establish a better connection. "General, this is Shi. Do you read me?" Still no answer. "General Organa, this is Lamar, do you co....Ahhhh." Shen, one of the Knights, had sneaked up behind him and rammed his lightsaber through Shi's chest. Finn, barely hearing his scream over the other sounds of the battle, turned around to see him fall dead on the ground. Filled with anger, he sent laser bolts flying at the Knight, who easily blocked the attack with his saber. One of the bolts came back and hit Finn in his left shoulder. He hollered in pain and fell to his knees. Chewbacca saw this happen, and when Shen started walking toward the wounded Finn, he charged at him, firing his bowcaster. Unfortunately, the Knight picked the wookie up with the Force and slammed him against the stone floor.
"Now, I will show you what happens to traitors when they betray the First Order," Shen said, through the mic in his helmet. Kneeling on the ground, Finn watched as the last Resistance soldiers were killed by Kain and the other Knights. "Rey," he thought, "if only you and Luke were here." Shen raised his lightsaber above Finn's head, but when he tried to bring it down, he was blocked by a green saber.
"Finn...take Chewy and find Leia," Luke said, struggling against the Knight. Finn quickly rolled away, barely escaping the red lightsaber piercing the ground. He reached Chewbacca, and helped get him on his feet.
"Ah, how unwise of you to take on all of us," mocked Shen. He moved away from Luke, gathering with Kain, Nejai, and Rowin as they advanced on the lone Jedi.
"If your leader couldn't defeat me," Luke said, "why should I expect his followers to do any different?" He held his lightsaber in a defensive position, waiting for the Knights to make the first move.
"Kylo Ren was weak!" Rain shouted back. "He was haunted by the shadows of his past. But we are not. Our master, the one you call Snoke, has only ever given us knowledge and power, which we will use to wipe out the Resistance and the Jedi forever." Suddenly, they rushed forward and swung their lightsabers at Luke. Nejai tried to strike at his legs, but Luke quickly blocked her attack. Rowin and Shen both attacked diagonally but were also countered. Kain moved swiftly behind Luke, who was busy blocking attacks from the front. He swung at the Jedi's neck, but Luke ducked and spun away. He, then, used the Force to knock Kain onto his back.
While Luke fought the four Knights, Finn and Chewbacca hurried back to the command center in the Temple. They needed to get Leia and everyone else off of the planet. Upon reaching the building, Finn spotted Rey running towards them.
"Rey," he smiled, "glad to see your safe."
"Yeah, barely," she replied. "When we got here, one of those things was attacking Leia and the others. Luckily, Luke killed him and then saved you two." Chewbacca, still in pain, gave a grunt of thanks to Rey.
"We have to get a message out to the capital ships or send a X-Wing," Finn said.
"No use. Leia said they destroyed our communications relay, and none of the remaining X-Wings have fuel."
"We could use the Falcon."
"Finn, what are you..."
"Just listen," he interrupted, as Leia, along with R2-D2 and BB-8, joined them.
"Where's Luke?" she asked.
"Still fighting those guys with the lightsabers," he answered. "Anyway, I have a plan to get everyone out of here. If Chewy, Rey, and I can get to the Millennium Falcon, we could use it's comms system to transmit a message."
"No, I can't. I have to go help Luke," Rey said. "Why can't you two just do it?"
"Because...I don't understand him," Finn whispered and nodded his head at Chewbacca, who grunted an insult.
"Alright, nevermind. Leia, can they use Artoo and BB-8 to help boost the signal?"
"Of course," she answered. While Chewbacca led the droids to the ship, Rey handed Finn Luke's old lightsaber.
"Just in case," she said and then ran to join her master.
Luke was still on the defensive as the Knights of Ren continued to attack. Each swing, though successfully blocked, drew closer and closer to its target. It was only a matter of time before he would be struck down. Yet, Luke fought with all his strength. Rowin had pushed him up against a metal rail, and he and Shen took turns swinging at his sides. Luke kicked Shen's chest, making him stumble just far enough back for Luke to use the Force and push him away. Rowin, distracted for a moment, tried to stab his side, but Luke grabbed his left wrist and slammed him into the rail. With both of them down, he was able to join Rey, who had caught up with the battle. Side by side, lightsabers ignited, they stood against the four Knights.
"So, this is the girl who everyone is talking about," Kain said. "Our master was amazed when he heard about your...gifts." Rey was quiet.
"I won't let Snoke deceive anyone else," Luke replied.
"But doesn't she deserve to know the truth?" Suddenly, there was a loud, fan-like sound. Two transports descended from the sky and landed in the Temple's central courtyard. Their passenger doors flipped open, and Rey saw dozens of Resistance droids, pilots, and officers, including Leia, climb in. "No!" Kain leapt at the two Jedi. He Force-pushed Rey onto her back and swung at Luke. He blocked several diagonal attacks before swinging low at Kain's feet. Rey stood back up and was attacked by Rowin. She parried a thrust at her chest, hitting the Knight's blade to the right and then swinging left at his waist. Rowin dodged the attack and moved backwards.
"What are you waiting for?" he shouted behind him at Shen and Nejai, who were just watching the fights. Immediately, Shen joined in attacking Luke, and Nejai began swinging at Rey. They battled fiercely, blocking, dodging, and parrying as the Knights pressed on, unrelentingly. Luke was able to hold off his attackers. However, Rey had never fought two people at once. Luke had only taught her one-on-one combat. She barely avoided getting her back sliced as Nejai moved around her.
"There they are." Finn pointed through the Millennium Falcon's cockpit at the battle raging in the courtyard. After R2 and BB-8 jumpstarted the comms system, he sent a message to the array of capital ships above Tython. Luckily, they responded and brought transports to rescue the Resistance who were trapped on the planet. Now, Chewbacca flew the Falcon, hovering it just above the tree line. They stayed in a close enough range to help Rey and Luke, but to keep from damaging the ship's vertical thrusters, they had to keep moving in, almost, a half-circle. Soon, Finn noticed another ship on their right. It was the Knights' stealth ship, which was being flown by Malik, the Knight who disabled the communications array. Before the fight, Kain had ordered him to go back and retrieve their ship.
"Chewy, we got company," Finn said. The stealth ship began firing twin laser cannons at the Jedi. Most of the shots were either too high or too low, hitting the ground. Some of them, however, found Luke, but he deflected the bolts away with his saber. Kain and Shen, not wanting to accidentally get hit, backed away. Rey and her attackers moved away from the blasts.
"Rrrh," Chewbacca grunted.
"I'll get on the turret," Finn said, pretending that's what the wookie told him to do. He quickly climbed down the ladder and turned on the controls. "Alright...just like last time," he told himself. Getting into the seat, Finn swiveled the turret to face the other ship. He pressed hard on the firing triggers and shot several blasts into the left wing. Unfortunately, its tough armor prevented too much damage. Finn fired again, but still the ship barely took a hit. Instead, it turned and began firing at the Falcon. A laser bolt hit the side, causing it to shake and lurch left.
"Chewy, where are our forward shields!" Finn shouted up to the cockpit. Chewbacca roared in response. Another blast was fired, but the Falcon avoided it. Finn fired more shots, which did little damage to the armored ship. He realized that it would be pointless to keep shooting at it. He climbed out of the gunner's position and walked into the cockpit. Chewbacca was piloting the ship, while BB-8 and R2 tried to repair the damaged systems. "Chewy, can you land the Falcon in this area?" asked Finn. The wookie gave a puzzling grunt and then an upset roar. "Woah, hey, hey." Finn held up his hands in defense. "I'm going to go help them, but I need you to get the ship on the ground."
"Rrh," Chewbacca acknowledge. He pulled down on a throttle and the Falcon began descending. Finn stood at the closed docking ramp, and when the ship finally landed, he lowered the ramp and ran out.
In front of him, the fight was still going on. Luke appeared to have the upper hand over Kain and Shen, but Rey was getting pushed around by Nejai and Rowin. She had several cuts and burns from getting punched, kicked, and singed by the red sabers.
"Finn! Help her!" Luke shouted. Finn took out the lightsaber Rey gave him earlier, Luke's blue one. He ignited it as he ran up to Rey. He swung at Rowin, who was, momentarily, surprised at his arrival. Rowin blocked and jabbed at Finn's chest. He parried and stabbed at Rowin's left leg, but he missed and only grazed it. The Knight hollered in pain and staggered backwards. Finn advanced on him and ducked as Rowin swung horizontally, barely missing his head. During his training to be a stormtrooper, Finn had been taught how to use melee weapons, especially swords. He also learned how to find an enemy's weakness. For Rowin, it was his balance. Finn seized an opportunity and tackled him. Knocking Rowin to the ground, Finn tried to stab him with his lightsaber, but Rowin blocked with his own saber. For almost a minute, they struggled against each other. Soon, Finn could see his opponent's strength failing. He stabbed again, and this time, he struck the right side of Rowin's chest. The Knight's head jerked up, and he let out a painful gasp before going silent and collapsing on the ground, dead.
"Finn, watch out!" Rey stood in front of her friend, blocking Nejai's saber with the one her father made. Finn quickly got back up, as Nejai pushed Rey to the side and swung at him again. He evaded, giving Rey a chance to move behind her and cut her back. Furious, Nejai spun around and punched her right in the jaw, and, as Rey backed up stunned, she delivered a strong kick to her stomach. It knocked Rey off her feet and caused her to hit the back of her head on the ground.
"Rey!" Finn swung down at the Knight's left shoulder, but she moved aside. She knocked the lightsaber out of his hands. Then, grabbing him by the throat, she raised her red blade, but, before she could kill him, Luke came up behind her, took hold of her arm, and rammed his lightsaber's green blade straight through her back. Rey, who kept slipping in and out of consciousness, remembers seeing Nejai's body fall to the ground, the other three Knights of Ren escaping in their ship, and Luke gently carrying her back to the Falcon.
"Rey, I know you are scared. These are only your first steps. But trust the Force, for it will guide..."
The steady beeping of a heart rate monitor filled Rey's ears. As she woke up, her eyes focused on the soft lights in the ceiling above her. Rolling her head to the right, she saw that she was in a medical room. People and droids strolled past the windows.
"I see you're getting better," Luke said. Rey had forgotten about the Jedi standing at the foot of the bed.
"Where am I?"
"Echo of Hope. One of Leia's capital ships," Luke replied. Rey tried to sit up, but pain filled her head, causing her to lay back down. "You took quite a beating in that fight."
"Yeah what...what happened after it?" Rey asked.
"Well, after I killed Nejai, that Knight you were fighting, the others fled in their ship. After that, Finn, Chewy, and I brought you here."
"Finn, is he ok?"
"Yes, he's fine," Luke said. "Stayed by your side for over an hour." He walked to the side of her bed and sat down. "Rey...before, in the Sanctuary, you asked me about your mother."
"I understand if you don't wanna tell me right now."
"No, I've been keeping it from you for too long; you deserve the truth. Your mother's name was Sabine Wren, the daughter of a Mandalorian queen and...Obi-Wan Kenobi."
"Obi-Wan? Wasn't he the Jedi that trained you?" Rey asked.
"Yes," Luke answered," and he also taught my father. Anyways, after the Battle of Endor, Sabine met Jacen, your father. They fell in love, and, two years later, they got married. Jacen was just starting his Jedi training when Sabine found out that she was pregnant with you. He was beyond excited. Unfortunately, your mother died a year after you were born. Jacen was filled with grief, and he became focused on taking care of you. Eventually, he started to abandon his training. I knew you were important to him, but putting aside everything he'd worked so hard for would destroy him. So, he agreed to bring you to Jakku until he was done." Rey was about to cry, knowing, from what Luke told her in the Sanctuary, that Kylo
Ren killed her father. Luke stood up and walked toward the door.
"They loved you," said Luke. "When you feel better, head to the bridge, we'll be waiting for you."
"Wait," Rey said. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she slowly raised her head. There was no pain as she sat up. Luke helped her to her feet, and together, they walked through the ship's hallways to the bridge.
Arriving, they found Leia, Lando, Chewbacca, Finn, and the three droids gathered by the central viewing port. Rey stood next to Finn, who placed a bandaged arm around her shoulders. Behind the group, Resistance officers readied the ship for the jump to Bespin. Rey watched as the rest of the fleet blasted into hyperspace, soon followed by the Echo of Hope.