Rey's Ancestry (A Star Wars Fan Fiction)

CHAPTER 7 - Luke and Ben

As Jadma walked up the mountain, she could hear children playing. One little boy, who couldn't have been more than nine or ten, suddenly darted out onto the path. He had dark hair, dark eyes, and dark clothes, but he had the cutest smile that Jadma had ever seen.

Jadma's first impression was that this little boy was the most adorable child that she had ever seen in her life.

However, she could also sense a terrible darkness deep within the child.

It was likely that the child was currently unaware of his own inner darkness, but she knew that it was only a matter of time before something terrible happened to bring it to the surface.

"Hi!" the boy said brightly. "My name is Ben Solo! What's yours?"

Just then, his friends, who had apparently been chasing him, jumped out onto the path.

They stopped short when they saw Jadma, just as he had.

"Wow!" said one little girl. "Are those real lightsabers?"

"Yep!" said Jadma. "I've got a whole collection of them!"

"Wow!" breathed all of the children in unison.

"My name is Jadma Kenobi," said Jadma, "and I'm looking for Luke Skywalker. Do any of you know where he is?"

"I do!" said Ben. "He's my uncle! He's just up here! Come on! I'll show you!"

Then Ben grabbed Jadma's wrist and towed her the rest of the way up the mountain.

"Uncle Luke! Uncle Luke!" called Ben as they got to the top of the mountain. "I think you have a new student! She's got real lightsabers, and she's really pretty!"

The man at the top of the mountain, Luke Skywalker, turned around, and when his bright blue eyes met Jadma's icy ones, it was love at first sight.

Jadma knew now that she'd been meant to come here to find Luke and be with him forever.

Not only that, she could sense, at least she hoped that she was sensing and not just imagining, that he felt the same way about her.

"Hello..." Luke said, sounding uneasy. "My name is Luke Skywalker."

"Hello..." said Jadma, feeling just as uneasy. "My name is Jadma Kenobi."

"Kenobi?" said Luke. "Are you related to Obi-Wan Kenobi?"

"Well," said Jadma, "I'm afraid I wouldn't know. You see, I'm an orphan, and I couldn't even tell you what planet I come from."

And it was true. After all, what could she say if he had asked her? Dantooine? Jakku? Tatooine? Oyotom? Stewjon?

"Have you come here to join my class and learn the ways of the Force?" asked Luke.

Jadma nodded eagerly.

At that moment, Ben, who was still holding onto Jadma's wrist, got really excited and threw his arms around her.

"I'm so glad you're staying!" said Ben.

Jadma wondered how such a sweet little boy could have so much darkness buried deep within his heart.

Later, over a cup of tea of Luke's own concoction, Luke and Jadma told each other the stories of their lives.

Jadma told Luke about Dantooine, about Jakku, about getting arrested, about finding her lightsabers, about Belra, about her discovery on Tatooine, about being forced to serve Darth Vader, about losing her left arm, about her part in the final battle, about Oyotom, and about the law enforcement job that had led to her coming here.

"You must be Obi-Wan's daughter!" said Luke. "But he never mentioned a daughter, and he never struck me as the sort of man who would have a child and be unaware of her existence. Also, I'm sorry about what Vader put you through. If it helps, he reformed and turned back to the Light Side before he died."

Jadma found little comfort in this.

Luke then told Jadma about growing up on Tatooine, about Obi-Wan Kenobi, about finding C-3PO and R2-D2, about joining up with Han Solo and Chewbacca to rescue Princess Leia of Alderaan, about joining the Rebel Alliance and destroying the first Death Star, about training to become a Jedi, about making the horrible discovery that Darth Vader was his father, about turning his father back to the Light Side moments before the second Death Star was destroyed, and about his determination to pass on what he had learned about the Force and being a Jedi.

"I can't believe you're Darth Vader's son!" said Jadma. "I also can't believe you're defending all of the evil that he did over the course of his life!"

"I'm not defending his evil deeds!" said Luke. "Before he was Darth Vader, he was a good man and a Jedi named Anakin Skywalker, and he was your father's best friend!"

"We don't even know for sure that Obi-Wan Kenobi is my real father!" said Jadma. "Besides, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader tried to kill each other, didn't they?!"

"Also," said Luke, "my father brought balance to the Force when he killed Emperor Palpatine, also known as Darth Sidious."

"I don't understand!" said Jadma. "How could killing one man bring balance to the Force?"

"Well, however it happened," said Luke, "my father, Anakin Skywalker, was prophesized to bring balance to the Force, and when he died, there was balance. I hope to train more Jedi in order to keep that balance, and if you're willing, I want you to be one of them."

That night, Jadma couldn't sleep.

Aside from her own horrible experience with Darth Vader, she had heard nothing but bad things about him. He had been a slayer of Jedi, a murderer of children, and a destroyer of planets.

Then again, she had heard nothing but good things about the war hero known as General Anakin Skywalker; about his bravery, his goodness, his loyalty, and his kindness.

Even though she had always known intellectually that they were the same person, somehow, she had never really put two and two together.

Also, how could there be balance in the Force if there were good Force-wielders, but no evil ones? After all, there could be no good without evil, and no evil without good...

...Not that she would ever want evil to flourish, of course.

And, up until she'd met Darth Vader, she hadn't even known that the Force had a Light Side and a Dark Side. She had only ever thought of the whole thing as the Force. She had always been at her best when she embraced both peace and passion.

That's when it hit her.

Anakin Skywalker had spent the first half of his life serving the Light Side of the Force, at the end of which he had destroyed the Jedi, and he had spent the second half of his life serving the Dark Side of the Force, at the end of which he had destroyed the Sith, including himself.

That was how he had brought balance to the Force!