Chapter 30 - A Bitter Lesson (1/2)
Finn was grabbing his head and felt a terrible headache at this moment. He was in a room along with Han, Chewee and Luke talking about the strategy to infiltrate the StarKiller Base. General Organa had gone out moments earlier since she was needed in other place but her face was extremely clear about her opinion about the plan and her displease was more than obvious.
- ”That's not a plan”- had said Leia before an officer came to give her a communication- ”It's suicide!”
It was obvious that she wanted to say much more but the communication seemed to be very important and she had to go.
- ”It is possible, Sis”- said Luke with a comforting tone before she went out- ”I can do it. Trust me.”
Leia looked at Luke and Han with impatience but she said no more and just left. Luke looked at Han this just shrugged before repeating the plan once more in more detail.
- ”The timing and execution must be precise to the milisecond”- said Luke analyzing the data and simulations.
- ”Even with the help of the computers and droids, the slight mistake would doom us and the mission”- said Finn who was extremely dubious- ”are you sure there's no other plan?”
- ”No with the time we have now”- said Luke who sighed- ”what do you think R2?”
- ”Bebeepopopi”- replied the little blue droid.
- ”Of course he can!”- said Han running more simulations in order to improve the plan even more- ”R2 is more than capable, isn't it right?”
R2 beeped in anger saying that he was a mecha droid and not a miracle maker but he still continued doing hundreds of calculations knowing that the plan would be carried out anyway and he only could do his best.
- ”Just trust and follow, Big Deal”- said Han slapping Finn's back- ”now let's go and rest. I don't think we can improve the plan much more. Go and eat something it may be the last thing you do. Hahaha”
Finn shook his head in disbelief. He did not understand how Han could maintain such attitude knowing that any error would mean their death. He wondered if that was his way of dealing with nervousness and he was sure he would never be able to be like that. When he was walking on the hall, he remembered something and returned. He immediately saw General Skywalker coming his way .
- ”General Skywalker”- he called and Luke looked at him with curiosity- ”I have something that it is yours.”
They went to the room Maz had ȧssigned to Finn ad the young man grabbed the lightsaber that the Queen of Pirates had given him. He immediately returned to Luke and handed it to him.
- ”This...”- Luke immediately recognized the Jedi weapon and he started to ċȧrėss it while being lost in the memories that it provoked in him.
Luke remembered the first time he had seen it and touched when Obi Wan gave it to him. The time he spent training with it and the first time he had dueled with Darth Vader. He did not know the truth in that moment and he had fought with this lightsaber with all his might just to be outclassed and defeated by who later he would discover would be his father. He had lost the weapon that day along with his right hand and he thought that it had been lost forever.
- ”How did you find it?”- asked Luke who could not hide his surprise.
- ”It was Maz Kanata, Sir”- replied Finn and he told him what had happened in the battle of Takodana- ”if you want more information, I think you should talk to Maz Kanata.”
- ”I see”- said Luke and he put the lightsaber away under his robe- ”Thanks, Finn”
Finn nodded and he satrted to move to go to sleep but he noticed the look in the general's eyes and he wondered if he wanted to talk with him. Luke's eyes were very deep and analytical and Finn noticed that Luke was taking a decisison and i seemed to be a very serious and difficult one. Finn decided to stay and wait patiently. After a while, Luke sighed and looked at Finn with decision.
- ”I know you must be tired”- said Luke using a polite voice- ”but if you can spare some time, I think I can return the favor for this lightsaber. Are you fine with it?”
- ”Sure, General”- replied Finn knowing that whatever it was it must be important.
- ”Good... Follow me”- said Luke and immediately started to walk and Finn obeyed.
They went for many halls and Finn could see everyone extremely busy. Many men and women from different races were coming and going with papers and objects in their hands while rushing from one place to another like a mad beehive workers. It was very obvious that all were giving their best for the attack of the next day. Luke advanced evading and cutting through the wave of people they encounter in their way with very refined and calculated moves which did not waste any energy. Finn thought he was tired and he was overthinking when they finally arrived to a big door that Luke opened with a card. The place was very spacious and it was like a colisseum with a lot of training equipment. Finn imagined that it was where the Takodana forces use to train.
- ”Finn...”- said Luke taking Finn out of his own thoughts.
- ”Yes, General”- replied Finn and he unconciously straigthened his posture.
- ”What do you know about Kylo Ren and his Knights of Ren?”- asked Luke looking at Finn directly at his eyes.
- ”The information we received about them was very limited, Sir”- replied Finn thinking that maybe Luke did not trust him completely- ”we only knew that they were an elite force that never failed in their missions”
- ”What do you think about them after facing them in battle”- asked Luke once again.
- ”They are scarier than I had imagined”- said Finn remembering how he had almost died against them and how powerless he had felt in front of them- ”their fighting capabilities cannot be considered human anymore and those strange powers they can use are just too illogical and crazy. It was like magic.”
- ”And yet...”- said Luke who smiled when he heard his copmment about the Force being like magic- ”According to Han you managed to hold your ground for a while against a Knight of Ren using this lightsaber”
- ”To be honest, he was just toying with me”-replied Finn with a self deprecating smile- ”He could finish me off at any moment. It was luck...”
Luke smiled warmly remembering how Obi Wan had replied when he had heard the same words of this young man.
- ”In my experience there's not such thing as luck”- Luke said having understood why his old mentor had said that after years of battles and countless mortal encounters- ”but of course, I understand why you say that. You mentioned these powers that are like magic, right?”
- ”Yes, General”- said Finn who had seen these people just crazy things like moving objects without touching them, moving faster than was physically possible and even blocking balsters with their lightsabers.
- ”You mean like this?”- said Luke and he pointed his hand to a helmet that was many meters away from them. Finn was shocked to see the helmet flying in theair directly to the hand of Luke who caught it with no emotion whatsoever. It was as if it had been something natural and common- ”or like this?”
He waved his hand and a training droid activated in the distance. Finn was extremely shocked and he did not know how to explain what was happening. Was it a trick? Luke smiled and put on the helmet on his head. Just then, Finn noticed that the visor of it had been replaced by a metallic layer which meant that the user was blinded completely. The training droid floated around Luke who activated the lightsaber that Finn had returned and waited patiently. After some moments, the droid shot stuning bolts to Luke.
- ”Careful...”- said Finn but he shut up completely when he saw that Luke had blocked the shot with the lightsaber and was completely fine.
Finn was surprised but the surprise turned into shock when the general continued blocking the shots of the droid one after another even when the droid tried to attack from different angles and timing. Finn could not understand how he could guess where the shots came from whle being completely blind.
- ”How?”- he finally asked while also remembering how the knights of Ren did the same with real ammo.
- ”With the Force...”- said Luke after deactivating the droid and taking off the helmet.
- ”The Force?”- repeated Finn in confusion but after looking in his memory, he remembered the time when he had met Han and he had mentioned the mumbo jumbo that he had to admit it was real in the end.
- ”There is a more scientifical explanation but it would take too much time to explain it like that”- said Luke looking at the helmet fondly returning to the times when he discover the Force himself- ”And personally I prefer the simple idea that once a great master called Obi Wan Kenobi used to explain it to me... 'the Force is what gives a Jedi his power. It's an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us; it binds the galaxy together.'”
Finn put a confused expression and Luke smiled at him and once again remembered the beginnings of his training when the Force was still an ethereal and confusing concept.
- ”Is it what allows you to do those crazy things like deflect blasters or lift things in the air or stop blasters in mid air?”- asked Finn remembering what he had seen Kylo Ren and his knights do
- ”Yes”- said Luke smiling- ”those abilities may look like magic but once you understand the Force, those things are normal and you can do even more incredible things.”
- ”The knight of Ren that we fought mentioned that the unit I belonged to was formed by potential candidates”
- ”We had informaiton about that”- said Luke with a sigh- ”the First Order is training Force sėnsɨtɨvė people to make them puppets of the Supreme Leader.”
- ”So... does it mean I can also do that?”- thought Finn feeling kind of doubting since his logic could not allow to think the things Luke and the Knights of Ren did were normal. Then he remembered something and asked directly- ”When the Hosnian System was destroyed... I could heard voices of fear and desperation... more than that I could feel their emotions as they went to silence... is that also part of it?”
Luke nodded in sadness since he had also felt it even in the far Queluhan Nebula, even though he did not know what it had been until the knights of Ren had told him of the destruction they provoked. Luke advanced and put a hand in Finn's shoulder and close his eyes to focus. Finn felt something weird.. as if something was running around in his body.
- ”Yes... I feel a small connection with the Force within you...”- said Luke after a while and then he put off his hand from Finn- ”it's not a deep connection for now, but with practice and dedication you could strenghten it.”
- ”Really?- asked Finn with willingness feeling that if he were to have that power, he could answer many of his doubts and fears.
- ”However... I also detect fear... a big fear...”- said Luke with worry.
- ”Is that a problem?”- asked Finn knowing himself
- ”Fear is the path to the dark side”- said Luke quoting Master Yoda- ”Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.”
- ”Dark side?”- repeated Finn not understanding
- ”It means you could become like the knights of Ren...”- said Luke with a serious expression- if you fall into the dark side of the Force... you will become cruel, merciless and someone with no sense of love whatsoever... the Dark Side is very tempting and most of the people who fell into it can not return.”
- ”It is true that I feel fear... but who does not?”- said Finn not understanding- ”aren't fear, anger and hate normal emotions in life?”
- ”They are and the Dark side is just another part of the Force”- said Luke looking at Finn with curiosity- ”but if you let those feelings to control and guide you, it will lead to your destruction”