Memory, a missing scene from A New Hope
So, here's where my love for Star Wars met up with my love for Linkin Park, one of my favorite bands. Their song, Forgotten, inspired this short missing scene from A New Hope. Here goes...
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As the small, beat up ship sped away from the dust ball some called a planet, Luke Skywalker found a tiny nook in which to curl up and think about all he had just seen, all he had just been through. It seemed impossible that yesterday he had been nothing but an ordinary teenager; doing chores, studying, fighting with his uncle.
Sighing, Luke fought back the tears that threatened, once again, to fall. The image of blackened stone and rubble that had once been his home invaded his mind and would not be banished. What horrified Luke, though, what filled him with rage was the sight of charred bone; the only remains of his beloved aunt and uncle. It was so utterly senseless, the way they were murdered, and it was beyond anything in Luke's experience. One phrase seemed to pound against Luke's brain; the Empire.
It was the Empire that had taken his family from him, and if it was the last thing Luke did, he would make sure they paid.What was he doing? Was he crazy to have agreed to this? He wasn't sure if he could be a Jedi. He wasn't sure of anything anymore. His own words, like a specter, seemed to haunt him. "It looks like I'm going nowhere."
That was where this ship seemed to be taking him. Nowhere. The faith that Ben had in him seemed misplaced somehow. The stories Luke had always heard about his father were so extraordinary, so larger than life. How could he, a painfully ordinary farm boy, ever compare?
"You picked the wrong person for this, Ben", Luke whispered.
As if summoned by his thoughts, Luke heard Ben's quiet footsteps in the hallway. Quickly wiping the final stray tears from his face, Luke stood up as Ben and he came face to face. There was a sadness in Ben's wizened eyes as he gazed at Luke; as if he, too, had once suffered the loss of a loved one. With a grace Luke didn't expect from someone Ben's age, he dropped to the floor and motioned for Luke to sit next to him.
For some time the two simply sat there and Luke, despite himself, felt comforted by the presence of the kind, wizened old man his aunt and uncle always seemed suspicious of. A thread of tension always seemed to grip his uncle at the mention of his name, and Luke never understood why. Perhaps he never would. Finally, Ben spoke into Luke's thoughts, his voice low and filled with sympathy.
"I'm so sorry about your aunt and uncle, Luke. They were good people who loved you, and they didn't deserve what happened to them." Luke nodded silently, not trusting himself to speak. After several long moments, Ben spoke once more. "Talk to me, Luke." Luke took a deep breath, and when he spoke, his voice was a whisper.
"You wouldn't think very highly of me if I told you what was in my head right now." Ben smiled ruefully.
"Try me." Luke's bright blue eyes suddenly became icy, his face hardening into angry lines.
"Revenge. I want the people responsible to pay for what they've done." Luke turned toward Ben, locking gazes with the older man. "I want them to suffer."
Ben nodded. "That's completely understandable after what you've just been through." Luke stared at Ben, surprised. "I just have one question, Luke." Luke nodded, inviting Ben to continue. "Why?"
Luke was taken aback for a moment. He hadn't expected the question. Luke lowered his eyes, lost in thought. After several long moments, Luke spoke again.
"It's not fair. My aunt and uncle raised me since I was a baby. We didn't always get along, and I could be a real pain sometimes. My aunt was always playing peacemaker between my uncle and me. It couldn't have been easy, but she had the biggest heart of anyone I ever knew." As Luke continued to speak, he felt hot tears flow down his face, heard his voice break. "I guess I always knew my uncle just wanted the best for me, but I just had this idea in my head, this dream of being a pilot like my father. I could never understand why my uncle didn't see how much it meant to me." Silence hung in the air for several long moments before Ben broke it.
"I think your uncle just wanted to keep you close, Luke. He wanted you safe." Luke shrugged.
"I guess so. He did always seem kind of protective of me. It was as if he expected someone to just sweep in one day and take me away."
Ben said nothing, but stared intently at Luke. It would be a long time before Luke learned just how much truth his statement held. Ben took a deep breath, then put a comforting arm around Luke's shoulders.
"Your uncle loved you very much, Luke, and so did your aunt. You loved them, too, and it's not fair that they were taken from you the way they were." Ben turned then and locked gazes with Luke. "I understand why you want revenge, Luke, believe me I do. I haven't admitted this to anyone, but there was a time I wanted vengeance. I thought if I had it, it would make what happened right; that it would make it less painful. Trust me, Luke, revenge won't take the pain away; it won't give you closure, or absolution." Luke said nothing for a long time, and Ben simply gazed at the young man with his sharp blue-gray eyes. "What is it you're not telling me, Luke?" Ben finally said. When Luke spoke, his voice was low and hoarse.
"My-my uncle and I fought before..." Luke trailed off. "I never got to tell him that I'm sorry, that I didn't mean to be so difficult." Luke's vivid blue eyes were downcast, his eyes closed in anguish. Once more, Ben placed a comforting arm around the younger man's shoulders.
"He knew, Luke. He knew."
Suddenly the grief Luke had been working so hard to supress finally flooded out, and he found himself sobbing. Ben simply tightened his arm around Luke, waiting patiently for the tears to subside. Wiping his eyes with his sleeve, Luke finally broke the heavy silence.
"I know I asked to come with you, Ben, but I'm not sure I can do this." Luke looked at Ben, pain lacing his voice as he spoke. "What if I don't have what it takes to be a Jedi, Ben? I'm nothing like my father." Ben smiled, his eyes lost in memory.
"You don't know how wrong you are, Luke. Your father came from humble beginnings, like you. Like you, he wasn't sure what kind of future was in store for him. But he became a Jedi knight, and one of my best friends. Listen to me, Luke. Only you can decide to become a Jedi or not. That choice is yours and yours alone. But I can tell you this. I see a lot of your father in you, the best of him, as a matter of fact. If this is the path you choose to take, I have no doubt you'll succeed. This is not a decision to make lightly, though, Luke; it takes thought and reflection." Ben stood and Luke followed suit. "I'm going to wait in the lounge. Take some time alone, Luke, and whatever your decision I'll understand."
With that, Ben left Luke alone with his thougts. It was some time before Luke joined Ben. He sat next to the older man, taking his new lightsaber off of his belt. Ben looked at Luke quizzically, who simply smiled.
"So when do I get to learn how to use this thing?"
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As the small, beat up ship sped away from the dust ball some called a planet, Luke Skywalker found a tiny nook in which to curl up and think about all he had just seen, all he had just been through. It seemed impossible that yesterday he had been nothing but an ordinary teenager; doing chores, studying, fighting with his uncle.
Sighing, Luke fought back the tears that threatened, once again, to fall. The image of blackened stone and rubble that had once been his home invaded his mind and would not be banished. What horrified Luke, though, what filled him with rage was the sight of charred bone; the only remains of his beloved aunt and uncle. It was so utterly senseless, the way they were murdered, and it was beyond anything in Luke's experience. One phrase seemed to pound against Luke's brain; the Empire.
It was the Empire that had taken his family from him, and if it was the last thing Luke did, he would make sure they paid.What was he doing? Was he crazy to have agreed to this? He wasn't sure if he could be a Jedi. He wasn't sure of anything anymore. His own words, like a specter, seemed to haunt him. "It looks like I'm going nowhere."
That was where this ship seemed to be taking him. Nowhere. The faith that Ben had in him seemed misplaced somehow. The stories Luke had always heard about his father were so extraordinary, so larger than life. How could he, a painfully ordinary farm boy, ever compare?
"You picked the wrong person for this, Ben", Luke whispered.
As if summoned by his thoughts, Luke heard Ben's quiet footsteps in the hallway. Quickly wiping the final stray tears from his face, Luke stood up as Ben and he came face to face. There was a sadness in Ben's wizened eyes as he gazed at Luke; as if he, too, had once suffered the loss of a loved one. With a grace Luke didn't expect from someone Ben's age, he dropped to the floor and motioned for Luke to sit next to him.
For some time the two simply sat there and Luke, despite himself, felt comforted by the presence of the kind, wizened old man his aunt and uncle always seemed suspicious of. A thread of tension always seemed to grip his uncle at the mention of his name, and Luke never understood why. Perhaps he never would. Finally, Ben spoke into Luke's thoughts, his voice low and filled with sympathy.
"I'm so sorry about your aunt and uncle, Luke. They were good people who loved you, and they didn't deserve what happened to them." Luke nodded silently, not trusting himself to speak. After several long moments, Ben spoke once more. "Talk to me, Luke." Luke took a deep breath, and when he spoke, his voice was a whisper.
"You wouldn't think very highly of me if I told you what was in my head right now." Ben smiled ruefully.
"Try me." Luke's bright blue eyes suddenly became icy, his face hardening into angry lines.
"Revenge. I want the people responsible to pay for what they've done." Luke turned toward Ben, locking gazes with the older man. "I want them to suffer."
Ben nodded. "That's completely understandable after what you've just been through." Luke stared at Ben, surprised. "I just have one question, Luke." Luke nodded, inviting Ben to continue. "Why?"
Luke was taken aback for a moment. He hadn't expected the question. Luke lowered his eyes, lost in thought. After several long moments, Luke spoke again.
"It's not fair. My aunt and uncle raised me since I was a baby. We didn't always get along, and I could be a real pain sometimes. My aunt was always playing peacemaker between my uncle and me. It couldn't have been easy, but she had the biggest heart of anyone I ever knew." As Luke continued to speak, he felt hot tears flow down his face, heard his voice break. "I guess I always knew my uncle just wanted the best for me, but I just had this idea in my head, this dream of being a pilot like my father. I could never understand why my uncle didn't see how much it meant to me." Silence hung in the air for several long moments before Ben broke it.
"I think your uncle just wanted to keep you close, Luke. He wanted you safe." Luke shrugged.
"I guess so. He did always seem kind of protective of me. It was as if he expected someone to just sweep in one day and take me away."
Ben said nothing, but stared intently at Luke. It would be a long time before Luke learned just how much truth his statement held. Ben took a deep breath, then put a comforting arm around Luke's shoulders.
"Your uncle loved you very much, Luke, and so did your aunt. You loved them, too, and it's not fair that they were taken from you the way they were." Ben turned then and locked gazes with Luke. "I understand why you want revenge, Luke, believe me I do. I haven't admitted this to anyone, but there was a time I wanted vengeance. I thought if I had it, it would make what happened right; that it would make it less painful. Trust me, Luke, revenge won't take the pain away; it won't give you closure, or absolution." Luke said nothing for a long time, and Ben simply gazed at the young man with his sharp blue-gray eyes. "What is it you're not telling me, Luke?" Ben finally said. When Luke spoke, his voice was low and hoarse.
"My-my uncle and I fought before..." Luke trailed off. "I never got to tell him that I'm sorry, that I didn't mean to be so difficult." Luke's vivid blue eyes were downcast, his eyes closed in anguish. Once more, Ben placed a comforting arm around the younger man's shoulders.
"He knew, Luke. He knew."
Suddenly the grief Luke had been working so hard to supress finally flooded out, and he found himself sobbing. Ben simply tightened his arm around Luke, waiting patiently for the tears to subside. Wiping his eyes with his sleeve, Luke finally broke the heavy silence.
"I know I asked to come with you, Ben, but I'm not sure I can do this." Luke looked at Ben, pain lacing his voice as he spoke. "What if I don't have what it takes to be a Jedi, Ben? I'm nothing like my father." Ben smiled, his eyes lost in memory.
"You don't know how wrong you are, Luke. Your father came from humble beginnings, like you. Like you, he wasn't sure what kind of future was in store for him. But he became a Jedi knight, and one of my best friends. Listen to me, Luke. Only you can decide to become a Jedi or not. That choice is yours and yours alone. But I can tell you this. I see a lot of your father in you, the best of him, as a matter of fact. If this is the path you choose to take, I have no doubt you'll succeed. This is not a decision to make lightly, though, Luke; it takes thought and reflection." Ben stood and Luke followed suit. "I'm going to wait in the lounge. Take some time alone, Luke, and whatever your decision I'll understand."
With that, Ben left Luke alone with his thougts. It was some time before Luke joined Ben. He sat next to the older man, taking his new lightsaber off of his belt. Ben looked at Luke quizzically, who simply smiled.
"So when do I get to learn how to use this thing?"
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posted by Anna-juniorknitwit at 6:53 PM
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