Genre (s): Fanfiction/Science Fiction
Written When? Sophomore Year of College
Chapter 1
The Mysterious Ruins
Luke Skywalker. Rey could not find the words to describe him. She thought he was just a myth, but no. Why was he looking at her like that, though? It was as if he sensed something in her that she didn't.
A gust of warm, Ahch-To air ruffled the Jedi's hair, as she continued to hold his lightsaber out to him. A few minutes later, Rey controlled the many different emotions she felt, and she shakily told the elder Jedi, "I-I believe this is yours."
Luke stared hauntingly at her for a few more minutes, but then he finally spoke. His voice was gruff, with a touch of bewilderment in it, but for the most part, kind. "Who had it?"
"Maz Kanata. She told me in her castle's basement, 'That lightsaber was Luke's and his father's before him.'" Rey thought about telling the Jedi Master what Maz Kanata had said next, "And now it calls to you," but she backed out at the last second. Taking a step closer to the Jedi, she nervously set the saber down in his aging hands
Luke examined it. "Why is your hand shaking?" he asked.
"I don't know," Rey replied. And she didn't. Why did she feel so petrified all of a sudden?
Both hers and Luke's hands gripped the lightsaber, like when Kyle Ren and Han Solo held onto Ren's lightsaber, but Luke was not going to kill the mysterious girl.
He peered into her hazel brown eyes and calmly said, "'Breathe. Just breathe.' Let the fear flush itself out of your body. Close your eyes."
Rey nodded and did as she was told.
Luke, too, closed his eyes. "Inhale and exhale. 'What do you see?'"
An image of a rising sun on a mysterious planet found its way into Rey's mind. "'Light,'" she spoke, as her body started to relax. Next, the image pushed the setting sun out of the scene, and the planet turned dark. "'Darkness.'"
Silence fell between the two people, and then Luke finally admitted, "You are strong with the Force, young lady. Do you feel calm now?"
"I do."
"Then how about we start over?"
Luke and Rey opened their eyes.
The young woman let go of the Jedi Master's lightsaber and took a deep breath.
In his kind voice, he asked her, "Who are you?"
"I'm just a scavenger from Jakku," Rey calmly explained. "You can call me Rey."
"Rey?" As if he knew her from somewhere, Luke's eyes widened. "And how old are you, Rey?"
"Nineteen."
"How did you get here?"
"I flew."
"Flew? You must be exhausted! Come. Follow me to my home." Rey watched as Luke passed her and started down the mountain. He gripped his lightsaber tightly in his hand.
The young woman glanced from him, to where he used to stand, and back at him. She then nervously followed the Jedi Master.
***
Bee Bee Ate felt a pinch of nervousness in his mechanical system as he, Artoo Detoo, and Chewbacca waited for Rey to return with Luke.
Chewie and Artoo were excited to see their old friend, but Chewie groaned when they didn't see his head appear over the hill. Where was he? Had Luke forgotten the crew he shared all his space adventures with?
The Jedi Master was the least of Bee Bee Ate's worries right now. Currently, he was more worried about Rey. She had been gone for too long. All she had to do was hike up the mountain, return Luke's lightsaber, and bring him back to the Resistance Base in the Illenium System. She wasn't given the task to sit down and have Happy Hour with him, although that would have been kind of cool.
Bee Bee Ate had to find out what was going on. Rey meant a lot to him. He made sure nobody was paying any attention before he left. When he did, he bonked up the stairs and started his search–his search for Rey whatever-her-last-name-was.
***
Luke Skywalker took his time down the mountain, but that gave Rey time to admire Ahch-To's scenery and architecture. He took her off the path and through a corridor of stone arches and walls decorated with strange patterns.
Rey could not help herself. She had to study every pattern.
Every once in a while, Luke glanced back to make sure he hadn't lost her. He stopped when he saw she had stopped in front of a single symbol–the symbol of the Gray Jedi.
Rey's fingers hovered over it. "'The balance,'" she whispered to herself. She stepped into a strange circle, in which another symbol of the Gray Jedi rested in its heart. Rey stood on it. "I wonder," she told herself, but before she could continue, a crack was heard under her feet, and the floor gave way. The young woman yelled as she fell and disappeared in pitch blackness.
Luke gasped from where he stood. "Rey!" Zipping over to where she fell, he glanced into the hole. "Rey!" However, he received no answer. Rey had vanished. "Well, that's one way to my house," Luke admitted. "She's a smart cookie, this girl."
Rey caught a rocky slide and tumbled into an underground cave, in which its walls were covered in all sorts of symbols. Dirt and dust splashed onto her, like a wave when it smashed into jagged rocks poking out of the seabed. Her clothes also tore. "What is this place?" she asked as she stood up and brushed herself down.
There was a funny vibe in the atmosphere. The cave almost looked like ruins of some sort. Shattered pillars and bits and pieces of concrete littered the floor around the young woman.
She started to explore, but something strange happened when she did. Rey didn't feel like herself. Where was she? She did not feel the light, but darkness, instead. A low, looming darkness engulfed her whole body. She had to get out of there, but where was the exit?
Rey picked up speed. She hurried through the cave. An eerie, pounding pain was in her head.
She heard a dark voice, "'Fulfill your destiny,'" and gasped. What was that voice?
Rey tried to figure that out but ended up tripping on a downed pillar, falling again. Her clothes ripped even more. Her head screamed in pain. Yelling, Rey reached for it and closed her eyes. Something or somebody was definitely trying to get into her mind. Strangely, the intense pain didn't start to happen until after she fell into the cave.
The Force-sensitive, young woman struggled to her feet and started forward again, but the pain was too great. The cave was chock-full of negative energy. Within just a minute or two, Rey collapsed, and her world went black. It was the end for sure! Or was it? No.
The figure of a man appeared in front of the unconscious girl. Luke Skywalker had come to Rey's rescue.
Chapter 2
Kylo Ren's Mission
Ever since the Resistance destroyed Starkiller Base, war ravaged the galaxy. Ben Solo/Kylo Ren was really struggling between the Light and Dark sides of the Force. Han Solo's death haunted his mind, even though he was the one who killed him in the first place.
Ren felt darkness, but he felt the light. Kylo refused to show his struggle to Supreme Leader Snoke. He didn't want him to think he was a wimp. He could finish what Darth Vader started. His nerves rattled when he was ordered to speak with the Supreme Leader.
Kylo Ren dropped his helmet when the huge, holographic figure of Snoke told him, "Your powers mean nothing to me anymore. Light is pouring from your soul. You're getting weaker, while the girl is growing stronger."
"Supreme Leader, I can assure you, she is not going to ruin me," Kylo quickly explained, in his best Dark side voice.
"Then prove it to me," growled Snoke. He leaned forward on his throne. "Destroy the Resistance base and everyone on it, including your mother. Find the girl, and bring her to me... alive."
Kylo cringed when Snoke mentioned for him to destroy his mother, along with the rest of the Resistance. Destroying General Leia Organa would definitely prove to his master he was still part of the Dark side. Bowing, he said, "As you wish, Supreme Leader," and picked up his helmet. And just like that, he left.
With a serious face glued on, Kylo Ren marched through his Star Destroyer, followed closely by a band of stormtroopers. A flash of light shone on the scars Rey gave him in their last battle. His cheek scar was visible the most.
Kylo was desperate to prove to his master he could trust him. If that meant destroying his mother, then so be it. His mission had officially begun. Rey had no idea what was coming for her, and neither did the Resistance.
Chapter 3
The Exploding Geysers
Rey had another vision. That one was even scarier than the one she experienced in Maz Kanata's castle basement when she found Luke's lightsaber. A gnarly-looking, bald figure levitated her in the air. She couldn't move. Her body twitched. She cried out in agony, but she still couldn't move. She felt the darkness. It pierced her like a lightsaber blade.
The bald, gnarly-looking figure tossed her like a rag doll and said the same thing the other voice told her: "'Fulfill your destiny.'"
Aside from pain, Rey also felt power. Raw power. Was she looking at the future? She crashed into the wall, but the figure picked her up again while she was still out of breath.
Just before he could torture her more, Rey yelled and snapped awake. Where was she? No longer was she in the shady yet mysterious cave, but the house she rested in looked like one. The young woman sat up on a straw bed in a small, windowless room. It was quiet. Too quiet. The bed squeaked when she stood up.
Rey carefully made her way through the house. There was no one home. She couldn't find Luke anywhere. Where was he? What had happened to her in the cave? How did she get out? Rey had so many questions, yet no answers. She had to find out who was communicating with her.
The teenager soon found her way outside. Ahch-To looked even more beautiful than when she first got there. The cave-like house was located near a cliff, about halfway down the mountain. Both it and Rey were surrounded by grass, flowers, and rocks. She gripped her quarterstaff–which she picked up in the house's kitchen on her way out–tightly in her hand and searched the area. It wasn't long until she heard something. A little chirp.
Rey jumped when her ears picked up the sound. "Who's there?"
The chirp came again. It sounded a bit panicked that time around. What was it? Rey soon found out. The chirp belonged to a creature, a creature she had never seen before. It was small, had big eyes, and looked a little like a penguin. It stood at the edge of the cliff, petrified.
Rey hated to see it so scared. She had to help it. She was unaware that standing in the shadows, not far from her, was Luke Skywalker. His hood was back over his head, and he held his hands in front of him. He carefully watched young Rey.
She ran in the direction of the creature, but she was forced to stop when boom! A geyser exploded in front of her and threw her back. Rey smashed down on her back, but she quickly sat up and focused her attention on the geysers. One by one, they exploded.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Each explosion frightened the creature more.
Rey did not give up. She leaped to her feet and ran towards the geysers. Once again, they exploded. Rey retreated, with her hands held up to her face.
Luke flinched from where he stood, but he continued to watch.
Rey knew what she had to do. She had to use the Force to find her way through the geysers to the penguin-like creature. She wondered how it got to the cliff in the first place. With a plan in mind, the young woman put the strap of her staff over her shoulder and closed her eyes. Her head filled with the sound of the exploding geysers. She felt the Force–the light. Young Rey took deep breaths and calmed herself down.
The penguin-like creature shook with fear. It was too scared to move.
When Rey felt calm, she started her trek. She lifted her foot and stepped right into the mass of exploding geysers, with her eyes still closed.
None of them incinerated her. They spewed up all around her. The first geyser she stepped over exploded into the air after she left it. Her ears rang due to the sound.
Luke couldn't believe what he saw. It was truly amazing! Rey was strong with the Force! She had to be just as powerful as his father Anakin Skywalker, or in other words, Darth Vader. She may even be stronger than Vader himself.
Rey continued to calmly make her way through the pit of geysers. By the time she escaped, all the geysers spewed into the atmosphere behind her. The sight was breathtaking. Afterward, everything calmed down. The geysers stayed underground for a little bit, allowing Rey to finally reach the penguin-like creature.
She held her hand out to it and said, "You're okay. I'm here to help you. My name is Rey." Just before she could grab the creature, things went from zero to one hundred very quickly.
The rocks gave way under the small animal, and it fell, down, down, down, right towards the ocean. It flapped its scrawny wings but wasn't able to catch itself. The creature screeched for help.
"NO!" Rey screamed at the top of her lungs. She wasted no time. Moving the strap of her staff, so that it was now snug on her back, she sprinted forward and dove off the cliff.
The geysers once again exploded when she did that.
Rey caught the penguin-like creature in her arms and slipped it into the empty blaster pouch she wore on her hip. She reached forward and grabbed hold of a rock jutting out of the cliff's face to break her fall. Inhaling breaths of air, she peered down to the long drop below and blue ocean water. She used all her strength to climb back up. "Don't worry," she told the mysterious creature in her pouch as she climbed. "You're safe now."
The creature's big eyes peered up at her.
Rey was out of breath by the time she made it to the top of the cliff. The first thing she saw wasn't the exploding geysers. It was Luke... or, at least his feet.
The young woman met his eyes, totally blown away. Where did he come from? He just appeared from out of nowhere.
There was a moment of silence between the two.
The penguin-like creature poked its head out of Rey's blaster pouch.
Two minutes later, Luke finally nodded and told the young woman, "I can see you found a porg, Rey."
Chapter 4
The Last Jedi
"What's a porg?" Rey asked Luke.
"They are native to this island," he explained, "and are also my best friends. Try not to get them angry, though. They can get pretty nasty. Come. It's getting dark." He held his robotic hand out to the porg in the young woman's satchel.
She carefully examined it, but she jumped when the penguin-like creature leaped out of her bag and landed in Luke's hands. When she did, the geysers again exploded behind them.
Luke led Rey to another cave–a smaller one that overlooked the ocean.
She had no idea why he didn't take her back to his house.
He built a fire after they got settled and whipped up some warm drinks. He held one cup out to Rey and told her, "Here you go."
"Thanks," Rey spoke. She took the cup out of his grasp. Both she and Luke drank their drinks in silence.
The porg sat on a rock, examining them.
Nodding, Luke lowered his drink and asked Rey, "Tasty, isn't it?"
"Oh, it's good."
"I thought you would like it. It's not often I get visitors."
As soon as Luke said that, Rey's smile turned upside-down. Visitors. She didn't know why that word reminded her so much of her family, who were most likely at Jakku now to pick her up. The familiar, dark vibe echoed in her body. She could feel the pull to both the Light and Dark sides of the Force.
Luke must've sensed that because he asked, "Is something wrong?" Unusually, there was a quiver in his voice. He even retreated a few feet back from the young woman.
She gently set her drink down and looked him in the eyes. "Lately, I haven't felt like myself. I fear there is something inside me that I don't know about. These talents I possess... They feel like a curse." Light from the fire shone on only half her face when she said the next line: "'I need someone to show me my place in all this.'"
Luke cringed when he picked up on what she was asking him. He shook his head and gently said, "I can't, Rey." Memories of Kylo Ren flashed through his mind. He saw the fall of the Jedi Academy.
Rey was beyond confused. Why was Luke so hesitant around her? What was he hiding? All she asked for was some help. She opened her mouth and prepared to ask him what it was about her that scared him, but he didn't let her.
"Rey, please. I don't want to talk about it." He set his own cup down and stood from the fire. Luke made his way to the mouth of the cave and stepped into the shadows. He rested his hand on the edge of it. "'I only know one truth. It's time for the Jedi to end.'"
It happened so fast! Luke's response triggered it. The negative energy... It exploded in Rey's head. She yelled and dropped her cup. Her drink spilled all over the floor.
The porg frightfully jumped off the rock and hid behind it.
Rey tightly closed her eyes and screamed, "Ah! Not again! It's happening!"
"'Fulfill your destiny,'" the dark voice murmured for the third time. "Use your fear."
Something about caves really affected Rey's Force abilities. She leaped to her feet and dove outside to Ahch-To's warm scenery, rushing towards another cliff.
Behind, Luke yelled, "Rey!" and chased after her.
The porg followed. It ran as fast as its little feet could carry it, which wasn't very fast.
The pain did not leave Rey's head. It was excruciating. Gasping, she fell to her knees at the edge of the cliff and smacked her right hand down in front of her. All around her, the ground started to shake. It was like an earthquake was coming. Stones popped up and levitated around Rey's outstretched hand.
Fear consumed the young woman. Rocks rolled off the cliff under her. She could not control her raw power. A great blast of wind blew her medium-length, brown hair out of its three buns, and it whipped all over the place. It almost looked like her hair would be ripped right off her head and leave her bald. The mysterious yet creepy voice continued to torment her.
His next sentence left her with so many unanswered questions: "You, Rey. You are the last Jedi."