Dagobah, galaxy far, far away
Luke was standing on his hands, but he wasn't finding it tremendously helpful as an aid to concentration.
The fact that a Jedi Master was sitting on his feet offering advice while Luke was trying to maintain his own balance as well as the balance of the three rocks and a droid he was levitating probably had something to do with it, too.
Yoda had his eyes closed. "Concentrate," he said quietly. "Feel the Force."
Luke's face took on a look of intense focus as he lifted Artoo higher into the air. The droid let out a highly irritated string of protesting beeps.
"Yes," Yoda said. "Good. Calm, yes." He paused. "Through the Force, things you will see. Other places. The future…the past." His voice was tinged with sorrow. "Old friends, long gone."
Luke let his mind drift as he listened to Yoda's words, remembering his visions at Fandom.
And suddenly he wasn't seeing the past any more. He was seeing a place he'd never been…a city in the clouds.
"Han! Leia!" he cried out, dropping Artoo, the rocks, and Yoda.
"Control! Control! You must learn control!" Yoda scolded, scowling and brushing himself off. Artoo let off an extended series of annoyed hoots and tweets and rocked back and forth.
Luke sat up from where he'd collapsed in a heap on the ground. "I saw…a city in the clouds," he said.
Yoda closed his eyes for a moment, searching into the Force, then nodded. "Friends you have there."
"They were in pain," Luke replied, sounding tormented.
Yoda nodded. "It is the future you see."
"Will they die?" Luke choked out.
Yoda's pause was longer. "Difficult to see," he said finally. "Always in motion is the future."
Luke pushed himself off of the ground, not remotely reassured by that statement. "I've got to go to them," he announced.
"Decide you must, how to serve them best," Yoda said, raising an eyebrow. "If you leave now, help them you could." He paused. "But you would destroy all for which they have fought…and suffered."
Luke's jaw clenched. I thought you said the future was difficult to see, he snapped in the relative safety of his head.
"Artoo," he called, "let's get the ship…" his voice trailed off as the X-Wing began to sink into the bog. He wouldn't think that Master Yoda would do that to try to keep him there. Okay, he did, but it didn't last for longer than a few seconds.
He did let a creative stream of Huttese curses out as he watched it disappear. Yoda stared at him, eyes unreadable.
Luke sighed, then reached into the Force. He couldn't get off of Dagobah without a ship…size matters not…Han and Leia needed him…
Artoo's low whistle told him what he already knew: the ship was hovering a few feet above the swamp. He set it down on firmer land and looked over at Yoda.
Yoda stared back, still unreadable.
Luke sighed again. "Artoo," he said, "get the ship ready."
It was nearly dark before the preparations were complete. Luke slipped back into his flight suit and headed towards the X-Wing.
"Luke!" Yoda called. "You must complete the training."
Luke shook his head. "I can't get the vision out of my head. They're my friends. I've got to help them."
Yoda's voice turned more insistent. "You must not go!"
"But Han and Leia will die if I don't!"
"You don't know that," Obi-Wan's voice interrupted. "Even Yoda cannot see their fate."
Luke stopped dead to stare at the shimmering image of Obi-Wan as he materialized to stand next to Yoda. "But I can help them! I can feel the Force!"
Obi-Wan took another step forward. "But you cannot control it."
"Yes, yes, to Obi-Wan you listen," Yoda added. "The cave. Remember your failure at the cave."
Luke ran his gloved hand through his hair. "But I've learned so much since then!" he protested. "Here, back in Fandom after I save Han and Leia…I'll continue my training, Master Yoda, you have my word."
Obi-Wan's eyes were tormented. "It is you and your abilities the Emperor wants. That is why your friends are made to suffer. Luke…I don't want to lose you to the Emperor like I lost Vader."
Luke gave Obi-Wan a small smile, knowing what it had cost his old teacher to admit that out loud. "You won't."
Yoda wasn't as convinced. "Stopped they must be. Only a fully trained Jedi Knight, with the Force as his ally, will stop Vader and his Emperor. If you end your training now, if you choose the quick and easy path, as Vader did, you will become an agent of evil."
Luke glared at Yoda.
"Patience!" Obi-Wan added.
"And sacrifice Han and Leia?" Luke snapped back.
Yoda stared up at him implacably. "If you honor what you fight for…yes."
Luke turned his head away, anguished, then took a deep breath. "Artoo, fire up the converters."
Obi-Wan's eyes filled with pain. Anakin had never been able to see the larger picture, either. He didn't want to lose this Skywalker down that same road. "Don't give into hate," he called. "That leads to the dark side." Anakin's anguished voice screaming at him on Mustafar rang in his ears and added old pain to his voice. Yoda gave him a cautious look before turning back to Luke. "Strong is Vader. Mind what you have learned. Save you it can."
"I will," Luke called back, trying to sound reassuring. "And I'll return. I promise."
He closed the canopy and shot into space.
Yoda sighed. "Told you, I did. Reckless is he. Now matters are worse."
Obi-Wan stared up into the sky. "That boy is our last hope."
Yoda shook his head. "No. There is another."
Obi-Wan gave him a peevish look. "Not if Luke doesn't get there in time, there's not."
***
The distinct lack of an Imperial ship near Bespin made Luke's stomach sink as he approached.
Leia bolting towards him as he climbed out of the X-Wing definitely didn't help.
And when she burst into tears it almost broke him entirely. He put his arms around her and listened as she sobbed out the entire story.
"He dropped Han into carbonite?" Luke repeated, rubbing her back. "And then took him away?"
Leia nodded.
"We'll find him," Luke assured her, not having the first clue where to start looking.
Leia clung more tightly.
"I promise," Luke whispered. Leia dropped her head against his shoulder with a sigh.
"I'll go back to Fandom," Luke said. "Vader will show up there again. I'll see if I can find anything out that way."
Leia recoiled. "You aren't going near him, Luke. Not for anything." She swallowed hard. "Or anyone."
Luke shook his head. "I have to go back anyway," he said. "I need to complete my training."
And face Vader. Which he knew Leia was in absolutely no mood to hear.
"You have to leave soon?" Leia asked in a quavery little voice. Luke dropped his arm around her shoulders. "Not until tomorrow," he promised.
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The fact that a Jedi Master was sitting on his feet offering advice while Luke was trying to maintain his own balance as well as the balance of the three rocks and a droid he was levitating probably had something to do with it, too.
Yoda had his eyes closed. "Concentrate," he said quietly. "Feel the Force."
Luke's face took on a look of intense focus as he lifted Artoo higher into the air. The droid let out a highly irritated string of protesting beeps.
"Yes," Yoda said. "Good. Calm, yes." He paused. "Through the Force, things you will see. Other places. The future…the past." His voice was tinged with sorrow. "Old friends, long gone."
Luke let his mind drift as he listened to Yoda's words, remembering his visions at Fandom.
And suddenly he wasn't seeing the past any more. He was seeing a place he'd never been…a city in the clouds.
"Han! Leia!" he cried out, dropping Artoo, the rocks, and Yoda.
"Control! Control! You must learn control!" Yoda scolded, scowling and brushing himself off. Artoo let off an extended series of annoyed hoots and tweets and rocked back and forth.
Luke sat up from where he'd collapsed in a heap on the ground. "I saw…a city in the clouds," he said.
Yoda closed his eyes for a moment, searching into the Force, then nodded. "Friends you have there."
"They were in pain," Luke replied, sounding tormented.
Yoda nodded. "It is the future you see."
"Will they die?" Luke choked out.
Yoda's pause was longer. "Difficult to see," he said finally. "Always in motion is the future."
Luke pushed himself off of the ground, not remotely reassured by that statement. "I've got to go to them," he announced.
"Decide you must, how to serve them best," Yoda said, raising an eyebrow. "If you leave now, help them you could." He paused. "But you would destroy all for which they have fought…and suffered."
Luke's jaw clenched. I thought you said the future was difficult to see, he snapped in the relative safety of his head.
"Artoo," he called, "let's get the ship…" his voice trailed off as the X-Wing began to sink into the bog. He wouldn't think that Master Yoda would do that to try to keep him there. Okay, he did, but it didn't last for longer than a few seconds.
He did let a creative stream of Huttese curses out as he watched it disappear. Yoda stared at him, eyes unreadable.
Luke sighed, then reached into the Force. He couldn't get off of Dagobah without a ship…size matters not…Han and Leia needed him…
Artoo's low whistle told him what he already knew: the ship was hovering a few feet above the swamp. He set it down on firmer land and looked over at Yoda.
Yoda stared back, still unreadable.
Luke sighed again. "Artoo," he said, "get the ship ready."
It was nearly dark before the preparations were complete. Luke slipped back into his flight suit and headed towards the X-Wing.
"Luke!" Yoda called. "You must complete the training."
Luke shook his head. "I can't get the vision out of my head. They're my friends. I've got to help them."
Yoda's voice turned more insistent. "You must not go!"
"But Han and Leia will die if I don't!"
"You don't know that," Obi-Wan's voice interrupted. "Even Yoda cannot see their fate."
Luke stopped dead to stare at the shimmering image of Obi-Wan as he materialized to stand next to Yoda. "But I can help them! I can feel the Force!"
Obi-Wan took another step forward. "But you cannot control it."
"Yes, yes, to Obi-Wan you listen," Yoda added. "The cave. Remember your failure at the cave."
Luke ran his gloved hand through his hair. "But I've learned so much since then!" he protested. "Here, back in Fandom after I save Han and Leia…I'll continue my training, Master Yoda, you have my word."
Obi-Wan's eyes were tormented. "It is you and your abilities the Emperor wants. That is why your friends are made to suffer. Luke…I don't want to lose you to the Emperor like I lost Vader."
Luke gave Obi-Wan a small smile, knowing what it had cost his old teacher to admit that out loud. "You won't."
Yoda wasn't as convinced. "Stopped they must be. Only a fully trained Jedi Knight, with the Force as his ally, will stop Vader and his Emperor. If you end your training now, if you choose the quick and easy path, as Vader did, you will become an agent of evil."
Luke glared at Yoda.
"Patience!" Obi-Wan added.
"And sacrifice Han and Leia?" Luke snapped back.
Yoda stared up at him implacably. "If you honor what you fight for…yes."
Luke turned his head away, anguished, then took a deep breath. "Artoo, fire up the converters."
Obi-Wan's eyes filled with pain. Anakin had never been able to see the larger picture, either. He didn't want to lose this Skywalker down that same road. "Don't give into hate," he called. "That leads to the dark side." Anakin's anguished voice screaming at him on Mustafar rang in his ears and added old pain to his voice. Yoda gave him a cautious look before turning back to Luke. "Strong is Vader. Mind what you have learned. Save you it can."
"I will," Luke called back, trying to sound reassuring. "And I'll return. I promise."
He closed the canopy and shot into space.
Yoda sighed. "Told you, I did. Reckless is he. Now matters are worse."
Obi-Wan stared up into the sky. "That boy is our last hope."
Yoda shook his head. "No. There is another."
Obi-Wan gave him a peevish look. "Not if Luke doesn't get there in time, there's not."
***
The distinct lack of an Imperial ship near Bespin made Luke's stomach sink as he approached.
Leia bolting towards him as he climbed out of the X-Wing definitely didn't help.
And when she burst into tears it almost broke him entirely. He put his arms around her and listened as she sobbed out the entire story.
"He dropped Han into carbonite?" Luke repeated, rubbing her back. "And then took him away?"
Leia nodded.
"We'll find him," Luke assured her, not having the first clue where to start looking.
Leia clung more tightly.
"I promise," Luke whispered. Leia dropped her head against his shoulder with a sigh.
"I'll go back to Fandom," Luke said. "Vader will show up there again. I'll see if I can find anything out that way."
Leia recoiled. "You aren't going near him, Luke. Not for anything." She swallowed hard. "Or anyone."
Luke shook his head. "I have to go back anyway," he said. "I need to complete my training."
And face Vader. Which he knew Leia was in absolutely no mood to hear.
"You have to leave soon?" Leia asked in a quavery little voice. Luke dropped his arm around her shoulders. "Not until tomorrow," he promised.
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