Star Wars: The Force Awakens Revamped

Chapter 24 - A Jedi in Exile

Upon exiting lightspeed again, Rey walked to the cockpit and took a seat. Looking out the windows now, she could see numerous archipelagos dotted across a planet's vast blue-green ocean. Like Takodana, it was truly a beauteous sight.

"We should land on that island. I feel like he's there." Rey suggested, pointing at a large, almost pyramidal island.

Chewbacca steered the ship in that direction. Once they landed, Rey felt a tight feeling in her stomach again. She stopped for a moment and breathed in and out before exiting the Falcon. The briny air hit her nose the moment she exited the freighter. The ocean's waves crashed against the sharp rocks, sending droplets of water on her, but instead of backing away, she instead watched the natural event occur, mesmerized by it. Chewbacca and R2 both exited the Falcon now. Chewbacca then told Rey he'd be camped down here, and for her to call him if need be. R2 translated the message.

"Thank you." Rey said before beginning her climb up the steep hills of the island. "I won't be long, hopefully."

Chewbacca stopped her as he headed back onto the ship. He returned seconds later with the kit bag he'd used during the attack on Starkiller Base. The wookie told her she could carry the lightsaber in that rather than holding it. Once again, R2 translated the language for Rey.

"Thanks again." Rey said before leaving.

There was a set of steps forming a path, but instead of the traditional carved steps, these were jagged, incomplete. As she walked up the steps, Rey wondered what exactly she would say to Luke. One million hypothetical questions formed in her mind and inundated the space rapidly. However, the two questions that refused to be drowned out were these — "Why was I left on Jakku?" and "What's my purpose in all this?"

Rey then came across what looked to be small huts made of the same stone as the trail she walked on. Out of the corner of her eye, she swore she could've seen someone watching her, but as she turned to confirm it, they were gone. Beyond that, murmurs in an alien language could be heard, sounding almost guttural. As Rey walked through the small settlement, passing what looked to be a large, cooked fish on a skewer, she continued up another set of slabbed steps, this set longer than the one before it. As Rey walked up, barely feeling fatigued, she looked over the horizon. She could see other large islands in the distance and began to wonder just what exactly was out there. She then looked down the path she'd come from and could see part of the Millennium Falcon, now resembling a toy.

Once Rey reached the top of the steps, there was no longer a stone path, as it was replaced by a dirt one. As the scavenger walked on this path, she stopped as she noticed a hooded figure sitting on the ground, most likely in meditation. The figure stood up, and turned, removing their hood, revealing who they were — it was none other than Luke Skywalker, now with gray hair and a beard, donning beige and tan robes.

Here stood the embodiment of hope and freedom; a surreal sight many in the Galaxy would kill for, making Rey feel overwhelmed slightly. Remembering the lightsaber she carried in the kit bag, she walked closer to Luke, where she proffered it to him. Instead of saying anything, he simply looked worried. Rey stared into his blue eyes and wondered just what the Jedi Master had seen to leave such a look in his eyes. Unbeknownst to Rey herself, her expression looked worried and anxious, but she caught herself and instead fixed it to look confident and calm. While yes, she was there to offer support to Leia, she felt her personal reasons for being there to be more important; learning about herself came first before anything else.