[Memory: The Last Jedi. Do you wish to proceed?]
‘Yes.’
I close my eyes, and when I open them again I see an older Luke with Rey, teaching.
{On an island in the middle of nowhere}
Luke- “The Force is not a power you have. It’s not about lifting rocks. It’s the energy between all things: a tension, a balance that binds the universe together.”
There’s a comedic moment then that I don’t care to regard, but then it gets serious again.
Luke puts Rey’s hand on the rocks and says, “Breathe. Just breathe. Reach out with your feelings. What do you see?”
Rey replies, “The island, life, death and decay, that feeds new life, warmth, cold, peace, violence.”
Luke- “And between it all?”
Rey- “Balance, energy, a force.”
Luke- “And inside you?”
Rey- “Inside me, that same force.”
Luke- “And this is the lesson: that force does not belong to the Jedi. To say that if the Jedi die the light dies, is vanity. Can you feel that?”
Then Rey finds the darkness of the island, and dives right in.
The scene cuts, and I find myself at a different time on the island, it’s sunset, still with Rey and Luke.
Luke- “Lesson two. Now that they’re extinct, the Jedi are romanticized, deified. But if you strip away the myth and look at their deeds, the legacy of the Jedi is failure. Hypocrisy, hubris.”
Rey- “That’s not true.”
Luke- “At the height of their power they allowed Darth Sidious to rise, create the Empire, and wipe them out. It was a Jedi Master who was responsible for the training and creation of Darth Vader.”
Rey- “And a Jedi who saved him. Yes, the most hated man in the Galaxy. But you saw there was conflict inside of him. You believed that he wasn’t gone. That he could be turned.”
Luke- “And I became a legend. For many years there was balance. And then I saw Ben, my nephew, with that mighty Skywalker blood. And in my hubris, I thought I could train him, I could pass on my strengths.”
Luke goes on to say how he failed, but the volume dimmed like it was being controlled and lowered by someone. Then the scene changed again, but it became flashes of others.
Rey confronting Ben, Rey going into the darkness, Luke seeing Rey and Ben, Rey trying to convince Luke that Ben still has good in him. Then a flash of lightning and the tree that housed the sacred texts is burning while Yoda laughs.
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Luke- “So it is time…for the Jedi order to end.”
Yoda- “TIme it is. For you to look past a pile of old books, hmm?”
Luke- “The sacred Jedi texts!”
Yoda- “Oh. Read them, have you?”
Luke- “Well, I…”
Yoda- “Page-turners, they were not.”
Yoda- “Yes, yes, yes, wisdom, they held, but that library contained nothing that the girl Rey does not already possess.”
Yoda- “Skywalker, still looking to the horizon. Never here, now, hmm. The need in front of your nose. Hmm?”
Luke- “I was weak. Unwise-”
Yoda- “Lost Ben Solo, you did. Lose Rey, we must not.”
Luke- “I can’t be what she needs me to be.”
Yoda- “Heeded my words not, did you? Pass on what you have learned. Strength, mastery. But weakness, folly, failure also. Yes, failure most of all. The greatest teacher, failure is.”
Yoda- “Luke, we are what they grow beyond. That is the true burden of all masters.”
The fire burns on, and the scene fades to black and I am back in my room.
[What did you learn?]
‘What, you’re not gonna tell me?’
[If I must.]
‘No, no, let me try.’
I take a moment to digest the three scenes. A lesson on the Force, the Jedi, and what it means to teach.
‘First is: the Force. The Force surrounds us, guides us, penetrates us. It is life, death, and everything in between. It is the between, the end, the beginning. It is a balance. And it does not belong to any one person or group.’
[And?]
‘And it’s not about lifting rocks, or shooting lightning, or running really fast. These are just extensions of a greater whole.’
[Good. You must remember that when you choose the Force as your power. Because it is not just a superpower, mutant ability, or magical gift; it is a way of life, and by bringing it into existence you will be asked to train others.]
‘You want me to be a Jedi?’
[Yes and no. What is the second lesson?]
‘It’s about the Jedi’s hubris. They had found true peace by extinguishing the Sith and decided to become peace-keepers across the galaxy. They worked hard, taught others, and continued a legacy. But they eventually became blind to the darkness encroaching. They became too proud to see the Republic was using them and a Sith was guiding them. They failed.’
[Good. Your aim is to not become complacent. To learn as much as possible and teach others the same. This brings us to the third lesson.]
‘Failure is the greatest teacher. Don’t become too proud. Don’t become fixated on power. Feel the Force. Learn from it, let it guide you. But don’t lose yourself to it. And if, IF, you do…try again. You failed, yes, but as long you’re alive you can redeem yourself.’
[Good. And don’t worry about teaching yet. You have a long life ahead of you. Learn yourself, write it down, and then teach when you are ready.]
‘Thank you.’
[You’re welcome. Now, the rest.
*DING*
Luke Skywalker=100% Please choose an ability/skill to store.]
“Force Powers.”
[‘Force Powers’ stored.
NOTE: The ‘Force Powers’ you have learned and stored are attuned to the light side of the Force. You are able to learn abilities of the dark side as well, but be warned: there are many abilities some would view as unnatural.]
‘Alright…I’ll think about it. Status.’
[Roland Cooper
Active Template: Roll!
Completed Template: Mystique, Luke Skywalker
Active Abilities: N/A
Stored Abilities: Metamorph- (expand), Force Powers (Control, Sense, Alter)
Shop: $1300
Inventory: practice lightsaber, Luke’s (/Anakin’s/Rey’s) lightsaber]
‘Well, I think I’ll go to bed now.’
Oyasumi.