LOST KINGDOM ─ star wars

XXXIV. The Forces Of Destiny

One week later...

Chapter Thirty-Four
Luke

Once the Falcon shuts off it's engines, I hit the button to lower the ramp, calling back to Han: "We won't be long!"

"Be careful!" He yells back.

I descend the ramp and wait for my girlfriend and sister to join me, which they do after a moment. As Leia steps off the ship she looks around in wonder, having never seen Dagobah before. I certainly felt the same way when I first arrived here, confused why a Jedi Master such as Yoda would voluntarily live here, but there's more to this place than meets the eye. Just like Yoda.

His small dwelling is a couple yards away, and as the three of us approach it, I sense that something isn't right. It's not a threat, at least not that I can tell. The force surrounding the home feels weak, like it's slowly fading away, like it's being drained.

"Wait here." I instruct, then I bend down and enter inside the hut. I find Yoda lying in his small bed, looking frail and exhausted, barely able to keep his eyes open.

"The expression on your face," Yoda begins. Even his voice sounds weak. "So old to young eyes, do I appear?"

I adamantly shake my head. "No, of course not."

Yoda lightly laughs. "Yes I do. Sick have I become, old. When nine hundred years old you reach, look as good, you will not. My time has come. Soon, I will I rest."

"Master Yoda you can't die." Holly objects. There's a window next to his bed, and Holly and Leia are now kneeling down on the outside of it, staring at Yoda in distress.

When Yoda sets his eyes on Leia, he hums to himself in what sounds like reluctant acceptance. "Know the truth, you do." It's not a question.

"Yes."

"Told you himself, did he?"

I nod once. "Yes."

"Unexpected. And unfortunate."

"Unfortunate that we know the truth?" I ask.

"No, unfortunate that in order to complete your training, face him again, you must," Now his eyes set on Leia. "And unfortunate, that not ready for the burden of the truth, you were, the truth of who you really are."

Leia says nothing, just silently stares at him. I see Holly place a comforting hand on her shoulder, offering me a small smile.

"So in order to become a Jedi Master, I must face my father?" I reiterate, dreading to hear the confirmation. I already knew I would have to face him again, I felt it in the very marrow of my bones, but I guess part of me was hoping I wouldn't have to. That I could ignore him and the truth of who he is.

Yoda senses my distress and Leia's, prompting him to say: "Remember that the force flows through you both, a Jedi's true strength, it is. Fear, aggression, anger, the dark side are they. Once you start down that path, forever will it dominate your destiny. The light within you, keep hold of. Friends. Loved ones. People long gone."

My eyes flicker to Holly, to Leia, then images of Jayce, Han, Chewie, Ben, and all the other people I care about flood into my mind, making a warm feeling spread amongst my chest. It's a good reminder of what I'm fighting for, as Holly always tells me to keep in mind. Because she and Yoda are right. Fear and anger and hatred are what fuel the people we are trying to take down, and if we want to succeed, we need to be better than them, we need to hold onto what's truly important. I'll certainly need to remember that when I face my father again.