Consequences

Chapter 3 - Visions

Two days. It's been two days since I arrived in the future. I wonder exactly how long I'll be here on Dagobah before I go anywhere else, assuming I actually will, that is. Right now, we're not far from Yoda's home. Luke is standing on his hands again, and Yoda is standing some distance away. He apparently learned from yesterday and didn't want to repeat the mistake. Two cases of equipment slowly rise into the air as Luke concentrates. Seconds later, Artoo rises off the ground too. I try not to laugh as the droid whistles frantically, not quite understanding what's happening.

"Concentrate... feel the Force flow. Yes. Good. Calm yes," Yoda speaks. "Through the Force, things you will see. Other places. The future... the past. Old friends long gone." Like all the Jedi... A stab of pain shoots through me but I hastily push memories of the Temple out of mind, reminding myself that this is the future. Yoda has always said that 'always in motion, the future is'. Things can change. The Jedi don't have to be destroyed. That's probably the reason I was sent to the future to begin with.

Part of the reason I really want to leave this planet is that when I'm here, there's nothing to occupy my mind with. Not that it's necessarily a good thing to do, since it won't solve anything, but thinking about my situation and what's happened here won't help right now. I need to be distracted, to stay busy with something. That's why I was so happy to help instruct Luke yesterday. Maybe we can continue today. He made good progress, but he has a long way to go. He's a fast learner though, which is a plus.

"Han! Leia!" Luke cries suddenly, falling over and losing his hold on the floating objects.

The names have me slightly confused, reminding me again that I know little about the boy. I've never talked to him much about his life or, really, anything. I find myself suddenly curious as to what he saw. Assumedly a vision of the future.

"Hmm," scolds Yoda, shaking his head disapprovingly, "Control, control. You must learn control."

"I saw... I saw a city in the clouds," Luke says.

"Mmm. Friends you have there," Yoda replies.

"They were in pain," Luke adds.

"It is the future you see," Yoda informs him.

"Future?" Luke scrambles to his feet, looking nearly panicked. "Will they die?"

Yoda closes his eyes for a moment. "Difficult to see. Always in motion the future is."

Luke shakes his head. "I've got to go to them." He starts walking away but stops and slowly turns around when Yoda begins speaking again.

"Decide you must how to serve them best. If you leave now, help them you could. But you would destroy all for which they have fought and suffered." He nods hesitantly, clearly struggling with himself. I stand up from where I've been sitting, watching the scene.

"If they're in danger, he – we must go save them," I decide firmly. I may not know them, but – in the end, it's an easy decision. I just ask myself what Anakin would do, and the answer is obvious. He would go to rescue his friends, so I'll do likewise.

"To leave now, dangerous it will be. Continue his training, Luke must," warns Yoda. Luke still looks uncertain, but the conversation is left at that for the time being. I'm not going to push the matter. After all, they are his friends. It's his decision to make, not mine. All I know for sure is that if he goes, he won't be alone. I'm coming with him.

***

Luke climbs a ladder to load a case into the X-wing. After spending the next several hours thinking on his options, he concluded there's no way he can stay here any longer. I don't blame him at all. I wouldn't even have waited this long in such a situation. And the good thing is that I already have Yoda's lightsaber with me, so I don't have to ask him for it. He practically told me that I could keep it after I finished helping Luke yesterday.