Stargaze [Star Wars Sequel Trilogy] ✔︎

XXVII. The Greatest Teacher

I walked back down to the beach where my escape pod was. I had left some of my things in the escape pod which I would need. I had expected Luke and I to leave in the Falcon. I doubted anyone would come back with us soon.

I sat in the downed pod as radio frequency came to life.

"Hopbett, come in. This is Dameron." I grinned and answered the call. "How did you know I just sat down in this pod." I asked. "I've been trying to contact you the past few hours, Lilly." He said. I muttered a sheepish apology before asking him about the resistance. "We have about 12 hours of fuel left, Leia's still out of it. Finn and Rose have found a codebreaker." He said. "You?" I sighed. "Rey left. Da- Luke doesn't want to help the resistance or train us. She's on her way to the supremacy now to face down the First Order herself. I'd go, but there's no way off this rock." I said. "But Luke had to have a way to get there, ask him." Poe suggested. "I would come and get you but-" "I understand." I said. "And about earlier." Poe suddenly said. I smiled. "I told you we would talk about it when I get back." I said as the connection began to fizzle out. "But I did want to kiss you." I said to the now dead line. I ran back up to the island to see my father. He held a flaming torch in his hand.

"Dad, what are you doing?" I asked. "I'm burning it down. The Jedi need to go Stargaze." He said. "Maybe it doesn't." I replied. We then sensed a presence behind us. We turned to see a small green creature. It was once green but now had a transparent blue surrounding it. It looked old. Dad looked on in realization, knowing who this was.

"Master Yoda." He said. "Young Skywalkers." The ancient master Yoda said. "I'm ending all of this. The tree, the text, the Jedi. I'm going to burn it down." Dad said. Dad turned back around as I continued to face the creature. Yoda looked on with all knowing eyes. Dad was at the base of it ready to burn it when suddenly lightning shot down, hitting the tree and blowing us back. I could see Yoda, laughing. I walked down to help dad up. Dad sat up and Yoda materialized next to him. "So it is time for the Jedi Order to end." Dad said. "Time it is. For you to look at a pile of old books, hmmm?" Yoda mocked. "The sacred Jedi texts!" Dad exclaimed as the fire before us grew brighter. "Oh. Read them, have you?" Yoda suggested. Dad struggled to find his words. He obviously had never read them. Yoda moved closer to us, sitting down. "Yes, yes, yes. Wisdom they held, but that library contained nothing that the girl Rey does not already possess." Rey, did she take the text in an effort to train herself? On Jakku, if you wanted something done, you would have to do it yourself. Dad and I looked to the burning tree, mine with realization and his in fear.

"Skywalkers, still looking to the horizon. Never here, now, hmmm?" Today then raised his walking stick, making us both on the head. "The need in front of your noses. Hmmm?" I wasn't sure what the master meant. "I was weak." Dad spoke. "Unwise." "Lost Ben Solo, you did. Lose Rey and your daughter, we must not." "I can't be what they need me to be. I'm not good enough to be a master, or a father." They spoke of me as if I wasn't there. "You are a good father. You sent me and Mother away out of fear, a call of bad judgement." Dad looked to me. He had expected me to be more distraught than the way I was. 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 said. 

He sat between us. "Luke, we are what they grow beyond. That is the true burden of all masters."

We all sat and watched as the fire dimmed. As did Yoda. Dad finally spoke.

"I have some warmer clothes for you and something else that will help you on your departure." He said. "My what?" I asked. I assumed he had looked into my head. "You need to help Rey, the resistance. I can't, but you can. They need a Skywalker." "That's not me." Dad scoffed, tossing me a shirt. I went to one of the huts. The shirt was clearly his when he was young. It was a white tunic that I wrapped around me with my belt and rope. I pulled on Rey's pants and my boots. My hair hung limp around me. Dad stood outside waiting for me. He beckoned me to follow him. I did to his hut. He pulled out a piece of stone and reached into a box. Two sabers laid in it. He grabbed one of them and handed it to me. I took it and flipped it on. We were suddenly bathed in green light.

"This was mine. I took down the empire with that, you do the same with the First Order." He said as we went back out. I knew if I objected, he wouldn't care. He stood next to me. He reached out and the water began to ripple. He grabbed my good hand, stretching to out in front of me. The weight was too much. I saw the top of an x-wing begin to peek out. I grunted at the weight. It rose in front of me. Dad grabbed it the rest of the way, landing it on the cliff.

"How do I do this?" I asked. "Find Rey and my nephew, turn him to the light if you can. There's darkness in all of you. "You and Ben are the grandchildren of Darth Vader and Rey is of something even worse. Light can always snuff it out." "But what is Rey?" I asked. "You'll find out soon enough." He opened the hatch for the x-wing. I climbed in with my things. "I love you Lillian. My stargaze." I had a feeling this is the last time I would see him in person. "I love you too." I said closing the hatch and beginning my journey as Lillian Skywalker.