Revival- A Star Wars Story

Chapter 30- Sacrifice

In the distance, Luke feels a searing pain. He rushes out of the cave, down the cliffs, and towards the bloodied battlefield. As he crosses the grim aftermath in disbelief, Incendiary soldiers stare at him, their expressions empty and comfortless. A shiver runs down his fingertips. It's telling him that he's needed, that there's no time to waste, so he dashes towards it, only to find Rey reaching her hand out to touch a young child's hand, with all the other children lifelessly looking at her in awe while bodies and blood pile all around them. The pouring rain drips down on their faces. Rey and the younglings seem oblivious to the surrounding chaos.

As Luke walks through, not knowing what just transpired. Rey suddenly senses something, and without seeing Luke, she puts up the surrogate again. She feels the immense power that just surged through start rapidly draining, and then, she is left barren. Luke steps in the ceremonial circle, and Rey tries to act as if the surrogate had been up the whole time. But it's too late.

"How did you do this?" Luke asks. He spots the jade lightsaber handle in her hand. "That resonance. It's fading fast, but it's still strong. It's different from anything I've ever felt before." And then, the truth descends upon him. "You got your powers back. But not just your own powers... so much more."

"I had to," Rey sternly replies.

"You actually did it. I didn't think you were foolish enough to do it, but you did. You spoke with the Watchers!"

"And why's that so bad? Don't you realize there was no other way? Did you want these children to die?"

"No! How could you ever think I would? But all this must have came at a cost. Why did the Watchers give you them back?"

Rey is silent. It slowly dawns on Luke what happened. "What did they ask for?"

"It was only one."

"You gave them ONE?" Luke is furious. "Rey, after all we worked for? After all we'd done?"

"Do you even know what those Passions do?" Rey asks ruthlessly. Luke doesn't respond. She continues, "Do you even know what the Watchers want? They're trying to help defeat the First Order and save the galaxy!"

"At the expense of the Force!"

"That Passion was a danger to everyone! I couldn't let it fall into the wrong hands."

"You just did."

"No. The Sith, the First Order. The Sera. Those are the ones who would make the Force suffer. How could you let them have it? The Force should only be allowed to help those it wants!"

"You don't get to decide that!" Luke yells back.

"And why should they? They're just being selfish! They have to let go of their attachments, too!"

Luke is paralyzed. He had hoped she would be the key. The answer. But now, he realized that she had been hiding something from him this whole time. "I can't believe what I'm hearing. It was a mistake to give you a second chance. This is just like with Ben all over again."

"Or maybe it was my mistake to have trained under you. Do you remember how I was able to save Inimoni? That was all the Watchers' doing. I've... I've been talking with them ever since we went there. And now they've helped me save everyone here! Who's going to stop the First Order, if not the Watchers? You? You care more about being a Jedi than about saving people. You couldn't even save Tatoonie."

The entire village has come out. Parents run towards the children when they see Luke; not because they feel safe now, but because they fear him. From afar, they gaze at him with worry. Luke, in pain, sees all the distraught and disappointment etched in their faces. At the same time, the people look towards Rey, their savior, who is standing tall. But she doesn't feel proud at all. She feels cut by the words she just said.