I do not own any of the Star Wars and DC characters and ideas represented in this work.
This story is a mixture of Legends and New Canon
Luke could only stare at the surface of the ship he was in. The name of the ship was the Javelin, and it was a light-fighter-like ship owned by The Justice League of Earth. In any other circumstance, Luke might've found the name of the team entertaining enough to be considered a joke or see it as from a comedy holo-drama. Their 'uniforms' would have made him slightly amused to the point where he thought them to be street performers.
Unfortunately, this wasn't a comical holo-vid he could laugh at or a show to smile about; this was the reality he found himself in, alone in a distant galaxy with no way back home.
He had to make this conclusion despite the absolutely ridiculous idea. But he nonetheless had to cede to the fact that he wasn't in his galaxy anymore. The first sign was that he and R2 couldn't find any star constellations, and the Navi-computer didn't help either. The second sign was that the force ultimately felt different than what it usually is. The third was that man, a Green Lantern apparently, showed them a hologram of the galaxy they were currently in.
All of these dreadful and mind-boggling facts aligned like puzzles; their full picture was an image that said, "You're in a difficult Galaxy, and there's no way home." There wasn't really anything that could object to the idea, mainly because what was there to object?
If he had been stuck in a mysterious, uncharted part of the Unknown Regions, he may have had a chance, small and challenging, but a chance to get back to the wider galaxy regardless. Yet he was in a different galaxy; half of his own wasn't even explored due to the hyperspace barriers, and the same was true for intergalactic travel except for the neighboring dwarf galaxies. Traveling between galaxies was thought of as being a dream way ahead of his time, for Luke now, it was hope that wouldn't come.
Could he find a way back home?…maybe, however, he heard what they said about his problem, and they most likely would not be able to help. Their reassurance to help fix his X-Wing was good to know, but that was a band-aid to the wider wound he has now.
Lando, Chewie, Han, Leia, Ben…the people he cared about so much, he might not be able to see again. He won't see how the New Republic he fought to develop, to see how his sacrifices and the lives given to make it possible. The Jedi…without him, how will the Force be in balance? Is the galaxy protected without the Jedi? Could it mean that with him out of the picture, a return of the Sith or another dark side group could take control of the Galaxy with no resistance?
Luke placed his flesh hand on his forehead. All of this rumination since his discovery of his marooned situation was brought upon a great headache. Meditation wasn't bringing him any peace at the moment. The only real factor that had made his composure steady at the moment was that people were in great need, and he could help.
Earth, the world in which he and R2 found themselves, was the only habitable planet in the system. Luke didn't understand why someone would name their own planet a different way of saying dirt, but it wasn't his place to lay judgment like that, not with his origins being at Tatooine, that is.
It was also perplexing that it happened to be populated by humans, or at least they look human enough. Earth, though having its own defense forces, albeit not unified, had a special group of men and women who defend the planet against threats, planetside and outer-system.
The Justice League they called themselves.
He didn't understand why they would name their group like that but he wasn't gonna put judgment there either; if they wanted to protect the innocent and do what's good, then he's not going to criticize their naming campaign.
The group, heroes they claim to be, was filled with a colorful arrangement of characters that looked human; whether they were definitely entirely human was up in the air.
First, there was J'onn J'onzz, a green, red-eyed humanoid with a bald head, a deep voice, and a blue and red costume. Then there was Hawkgirl, a near-human with a set of wings that, at first, made Luke originally think of her as a S'kytri. She had a yellow and green costume, a heavy-looking mace, a helmet that resembled the head of a hawk, and a personality similar to a Mandalorian. Both of them are clearly non-human.
Flash was a man around Luke's age, donned in an all-red bodysuit day for the mouth cut out and a yellow lightning bolt on his chest. From the start, when Luke entered the ship so he could assist the team, Flash asked the Jedi about his lightsaber and the "ninja moves" he did. A talkative man, for sure. Wonder Woman was a tall black-haired female dressed in a golden tiara, gold, and red corset with blue shorts dotted with white stars. In honesty, the outfit befitted more of a Coruscanti showgirl look than anything a public servant would wear, but Luke isn't gonna say that out loud.
Green Lantern, a dark-skinned man with a black and green flexible suit, was the one missing in the Javelin. He had the honor of guarding the bounty hunter Luke dispatched, Lobo, on the Watchtower.
These individuals—heroes—despite not actually being part of this planet's official PDF, protect the planet, or so what they told Luke. Not working directly with this planet's government yet answering the call when there is trouble reminds Luke of the Jedi's role during the Old Republic. Keepers of the peace.
Like the Jedi, they have powers that other sentients don't, at least, that's what Luke can sense from them. Clearly, J'onn was not human, what the Jedi can gather from a basic perception from the Force, the green humanoid was a telepath of sorts. That wasn't really a surprise; there were non-force-sensitive telepaths in his galaxy, like the Iktochi. Hawkgirl obviously used her natural gifts of wings for flight, but the Flash, Wonder Woman and Green Lantern had powers that Luke sensed was outside of the force.
…or was it?
At any point, this was indeed a strange planet he came upon.
By almost every chance, which he actually couldn't believe, when he arrived in this star system, a group of criminals were creating havoc in one of the cities on the planet and the team of Earth's crime fighters were needed there to stop them. Luke offered his assistance in the effort, and they accepted, with slight reluctance, of course.
The Javelin continued in a quick descent to the planet's atmosphere. The view of this galaxy's stars surrendered to the planet's darkened sky. Luke ordered R2 to stay at the Watchtower as he didn't know what he would be expecting. With the city coming close, Luke asked about the task at hand, "These criminals, who exactly are they?"
J'onn J'onzz who was piloting the ship at the front with Hawkgirl at the copilot's seat, answered, "Individuals who have no regard for the law and use their powers for their own selfish needs. We have dealt with them in the past."
Powers? Luke questioned. "Excuse me, but what powers are you referring to?"
Flash, sitting in a swivel chair behind Hawkgirl, replied to Luke's question after he finished his plastic drink, which he threw nonchalantly at the nearest trash can, which he also missed. "Well we got Kalibak, son of Darkseid—,"
Luke swung his head towards the man, "Darkseid?"
"An Intergalactic Despot," J'onn explained while piloting, "A being of great evil and power that wanted nothing but to rule. Fortunately, we defeated him months ago."
"Dead?" Luke pressed.
"We can only assume," J'onn said.
"Then we got Star fire…" Flash continued but paused himself and made a look that seemed like he was unconvinced, "Wait, no, that's not her name…" he snapped his fingers and found the correct answer. "Star Sapphire! Yeah, that's her name! She's the pink lady on the TV you saw, she kinda uses a power ring or something, like the one John has."
Before Luke could say his thoughts, Hawkgirl went into the conversation after being done with going over through the control board. "There's also reports of Livewire, Volcana, Copperhead, and Deadshot over in Metropolis too."
Luke blinked and rubbed his eyes. "Do all criminals on this planet have weird names like that?" He asked honestly and openly.
"If you're crazy, then yeah," Hawkgirl replied.
"Let's make this easier for you, Skyguy." Flash pointed out.
"It's Skywalker." Luke amended.
The red-costumed man appeared not to listen and went on. "Livewire is a crazy electric woman in a leotard, Volcana is a crazy woman who can set things on fire, Copperhead is a crazy snake guy, and Deadshot…well, he just shoots people."
Luke could only turn his head to Wonder Woman, who was standing next to the Jedi all the time. "Is it common for people to have abilities like those in this galaxy or even in this world?"
Wonder Woman made a smile, "I can't say for the rest of the galaxy, but people in this world don't usually have powers like that."
"That's good to know." Said Luke, still finding it incredible that these people had abilities beyond the normal. He figured that this is what non-force sensitives felt like towards Jedi.
The ship was noticeably getting closer to the city, Metropolis. Luke saw that within the towers of the cityscape, black columns of smoke were climbing towards the night sky, fires illuminating the streets down below. J'onn guided the Javelin to a ruined city street littered with abandoned cars and broken buildings from the criminals' celebratory rampage.
Luke followed the team out through the ship's boarding ramp. He saw the devastation in the city brought upon the criminals. The smell of fire and oily smoke reeked in the air. Sirens of emergency services reverberated through the streets. He can faintly hear the distant panic of the citizenry. All of this for what?
"Split up and get them before they can do any more damage!" Wonder Woman exclaimed to her comrades. The League nodded and went off in their own ways to contain the disaster. Hawkgirl flew in the air as expected; great gray wings stretched out, and she propelled herself upward. Flash's exit was more surprising, he became a red blur, which reminded Luke on how Jedi can use force speed.
Wonder Woman and J'onn stayed momentarily to talk with Luke. "Are you sure that you're still willing to help us?" Said J,onn
Luke answered with no second thought. "If I'm still alive, then I'll help no matter what."
Both of the Earthers nodded, "Thank you," said Wonder Woman. "We know it's a difficult time for you but we're glad that you're helping us regardless."
"We don't have a choice in receiving in pain," Luke told them, remembering the words of his 900-year-old master who once spoke to him about struggles. "But it's a choice to pick if we suffer or not."
The heroes smiled back at the Jedi, content with his commitment. "Then," J'onn said, "Follow us in your own way." Both turned and flew up to the sky, as if they had invisible jetbacks or anti-gravity tech. Luke knew that wasn't the case and he stared as they went deeper into the chaos to apprehend the criminals.
Luke couldn't help but stare at the flying heroes. Sure, it wasn't surprising to see Hawkgirl fly, with her wings to be taken into account. But J'onn and Wonder Woman flying with no seeable assistance of technology or downright explainable reason was mind-boggling. He shook his head, breaking out of his daze. There were species of his galaxy that can fly or float without the need of wings, like the Celegians or Parwans.
"I can think about the weird stuff later," he told himself, "Focus on the here and now."
He opened himself to the currents of the force, expanding his perceptions over that devastated section of the city. His insight into the situation became easily widespread, such as how the wind can travel at fast distances in a short time frame. That part of the city was beautiful, if not low-tech to other planets he's been to. Not many people here have problems with crime or major problems of crime or suffering. But now, the city was under siege by a group of criminals, sacking it out of pleasure and opportunities.
Allowing the force to charge his body, letting energies surge through his muscles and bones. He went in motion, fast enough to keep up with the flying Earth protectors while avoiding past destroyed cars and rubble by weaving away or making jumps over the obstacles.
Their destination was a sight to see.
Reaching the criminals and the rest of the League team with the flying heroes, Luke can understand how such destruction can be achieved by a few criminals. Flash, going at hypersonic speeds, fought a woman conjuring fire straight from her hands. Hawkgirl, with her battle cry and powerful mace hammer down a criminal more serpent than man. A floating woman with an energetic pink aura flashes beams of devastating power to the building. Wonder Woman dealt with a man who's only real ability was using projectiles attached to his wrists.
Does this happen all the time for them?
Hawkgirl, before she was able to dispatch the serpent man while flying above him, was blasted by a staggering attack of curling blue electricity. She cried out in pain and fell to the ground with her body trailing smoke. The attacker was a woman with a curious fashion sense on top of a large land vehicle, Livewire he safely assumed, smiling as if this was all fun and games. Her skin was an icy blue. Her hair was in a permanent erection as if constantly electrified.
J'onn attempted to sneak up at the criminal by floating stealthily behind her. She must've caught a wind of this because she turned around and with her hands extended out, sent out forks of electricity to the green humanoid. J'onn yelled in pain, caught in a cage of dancing blue energy.
When Luke dashed towards Hawkgirl to aid her recovery, he summoned a force barrier between J'onn and the electric woman, now giggling and laughing at J'onn's electric torture. The snarling energies buffed against the invisible wall and repulsed the woman far across the street into a building. She smashed against a broken shop, making dust shoot out from her crash.
The Jedi helped Hawkgirl to her feet, she gritted her teeth. "You alright?" Luke concernedingly asked, though, more or less redundantly.
"Ugh," she passed out through her mouth and annoyingly replied to herself more than Luke, "I can see why Supes found her annoying."
Luke was going to say "What of it?" Then, reach J'onn to determine whether the non-human was conscious or not when the electric woman appeared next to them in a blue spark. She materialized, coming into a physical form that originated from a bright light. Clearly annoyed at first, but studied Luke curiously after realizing that they had not met yet before.
"Well well!" She said, somewhat satisfied and surprised. "Somewhat tall, blonde, and handsome, definitely cuter than boy scout and batsy." She shrugged with an exaggerated sigh of disappointment though. "Sad that I'll have to fry ya."
She extended her hands, and how, like Emperor Palpatine used Sith lightning, the blue woman sent out surging electricity toward Luke and the avian near-human. Luke reacted fast enough to Luke pull out his lightsaber with his free hand, and the emerald blade caught the bolts of lightning. The sheer amount of force, however, put into the lightning barrage was strong enough to knock the lightsaber out of Luke's hand, sending it across the street and clattering on some rubble.
It happened in a span of a blink of an eye. The lightsaber was the easiest route to defend against an electrical attack, now, that was too far away to conjure back into his hand. He was, though, not defenseless without his lightsaber. Tutaminis was such an ability that it could be used against such energy attacks. The last time he used it in a desperate and tense situation was when he was on board the second Death Star, trying to defend against Palpatine's lightning. He wasn't totally successful, of course, but he had a basis for the technique, and his mastery of the force since then eclipsed that duel in the throne room.
Just in the same slither of a second when Livewire's attack knocked the lightsaber away, Luke raised the same hand that used to hold it, the flesh. He extended it as if he was going to catch the bolts of lightning in his bare, unprotected hand. Forking extensions of the energy surged into Luke's hand; he summoned the force to protect and absorb the lightning as much as he could. A swirl of blue, pulsing energy formed in front of his hand, being fed by the constant stream of blue light.
"Hey!" Livewire yelled out, disapproving of Luke's action. "That's my shtick! I'll sue you know?!"
Hawkgirl didn't move, probably at the position she was in and was still recovering from the blast she received earlier. That part of the street was lit up by the pulse of blue energies, bright enough to make Luke slightly shield his eyes. The look of the electric criminal went from amused to bored, then even more irritated at her attack not working. She poured more power into it, increasing the volts, brightening the street as if it were day.
The increased intensity of the blast made Luke's hand tremble; he was absorbing the energy, but it was mounting to be overwhelming. He fought against it, but simultaneously, his hand was inching back towards him. Through his slitted eyes, he can see a burly and large figure behind the blue woman. Wide and tall, the figure was certainly not human.
He had a black mane of hair, a green outfit, large and meaty legs and arms. Kalibak, he guessed. The warrior, grabbing a smashed car with his brutish strength, lifted the car above his head in preparation to throw it. "Step aside, woman!" He shouted out to the electric criminal, "I'll finish these weaklings while you cannot."
Livewire heard the large man's bold talk and ceased her electric barrage for a moment, letting her face show her offended feelings. "What was that hairy ass?"
What the hairy hulk man was going to do, probably through the car at Luke and Hawkgirl, he pulled his attention away from his murderous act and glared at the lightning woman. "What did you just call me, weakling?"
"Hairy ass!" Livewire mocked, now annoyed, "And you know what?! Bigfoot doesn't sound bad either."
Kalibak's face contorted into a violent rage. "I'll make you regret saying that out of your mouth!"
Now, the chance opened, and the dancing electricity that was contained in a swirling orb of blue was repelled back toward its sender. He stretched out his finger towards Kalibak, and lightning shot out of his hand. The giant would've thrown the car at the blue woman, but the lighting that Luke flung back struck the large hairy brute with full force. The giant dropped the car as he was engulfed in electric power. He was pushed backward like a bullet, landing in a heap of broken-down cars.
The woman looked fairly surprised at him being blasted away and turned to Luke and Hawkgirl with a shrug, "That works too." Then she made a wicked smile while raising her hands up.
"Water," Hawkgirl warned him, "Water is her weakness!"
Luke thought of questioning the logic behind it but ultimately conceded. If this league had any experience with dealing with these supernatural criminals, then he wouldn't put down their advice. Spotting a red local fire hydrant that was spewing continuous water from its damaged body, Luke quickly guided the force to push the water toward the criminals. Fast like a blur, the water shot towards the woman before she could unleash another barrage of electricity.
She saw the rushing water, but it was too late. The water splashed onto the woman, knocking off her feet and making her crash into a building as it contained spray. While this happened, heavy amounts of sparks and steam sprayed out of the woman, screaming in pain. Almost like a short circuit, Luke observed through his thoughts. Her electric charge blew up in a blinding flash, and she collapsed onto the ruined sidewalk, still being sprayed by water.
With the immediate threats taken care of, Luke attended to Hawkgirl by lowering themselves to the ground, "Thanks for the heads up. You're still alright?"
"Yeah," she winced in pain, "Just gotta tough this one out."
"Maybe I can help with that." He placed a hand on her shoulder.
"And do what exactly?" He heard the skepticism bleed in her voice.
"I might be able to heal you. If you let me." He quickly put it into words.
She looked at him and nodded, "If you can."
Luke closed his eyes, expanding his perception into the avian near-human's body. While not human, there were parts of her anatomy that Luke was able to detect and diagnose as damaged. Some burned skin and muscle, but nothing extremely severe. The only real concern was that there were a few nerves shot in the left wing. He called upon the force, bringing healing energies to the alien woman. The healing sewed up any torn muscles, redone burns, and fixed any damaged nerve endings in her wing.
When finished, he reopened his eyes, "Better?" He asked.
Hawkgirl rubbed the areas of her body that once housed damaged, burned skin and found it to be gone. She extended and contracted her wing to find it healed, if partially sore. Amazed at him, she said, "How do you do that?"
"A gift, really." He replied reassuringly.
"A handy is what I'll call it." She said,
Abruptly, a mocking voice of a woman, with what Luke can only explain as being similar to a Coruscanti accent, entered their area. "Oh, how sweet. Your little clubhouse got a replacement for the boy scout."
Both Hawkgirl and Luke swung their heads towards the origin of the voice and saw a woman in a pink and black outfit floating in an aura of pink energy around her. If Luke can recall correctly, this was Star Sapphire, the criminal Flash mentioned earlier.
Hawkgirl, now healed, held up her mace, and stood in a fighting position. Luke did the same, "Any suggestions on how to take her down?"
"Yeah," she said with the raising of her mace. "Hit her till she starts seeing stars!" She dashed into the air, wings allowing her to fly towards Star Sapphire.
The pink criminal sent a beam of pink energy toward Hawkgirl, but she deflected it with her mace, sending it to the side of the damaged building. Star sapphire sent more bolts of pink energy, from the middle of her head or hands. Again, Hawkgirl deflected each other and still got close enough to hit the criminal with her mace. The impact made the criminal stop firing and fly across the street into a wall of a building. Hawkgirl pursued, intending to take in the pink woman, but Star Sapphire recovered in time to counterattack.
Both women fought each other, exchanging blows by mace or energy beams in the air. Luke might've helped Hawkgirl apprehend the criminal, but he knew that J'onn hadn't gotten back up from that electric blast he revived earlier. He turned, reached out to the force, and called back his lightsaber. The Jedi blade patiently waited until it was recalled back to its owner. The force lifted up the hilt, chucked it, and Luke caught it. He began running towards the spot where the green alien dropped down. But with a quick quake and roar, the giant that Luke deflected his lightning bolt at got up from the rubble of broken cars.
"I'm not dead yet!" Kalibak said, his malicious desire to kill Luke being shown by his face of anger. "I'm gonna grind you to a paste!"
Luke raised his lightsaber in a two-handed grip, summoning the green plasma blade, unfazed by the hulking brute's threat. "That's not going to happen, and if you value your life, you'll give up now."
"You're a fool if you think that I'll do that!" The brute then grabbed the nearest demolished car and threw it at Luke.
The Jedi was already forewarned by the attack and had a counter to Kalibak's brutish throwing attack by doing one of his own. Luke cocked his arm with the lightsaber still on and threw it towards the car that was in an arch to crush the Jedi. The lightsaber went into a whirling disk of green energy, going into a dashing spin that went through the car like paper. The vehicle split in two, both pieces crashing into the side of the street, away from its intended victim.
The whirling lightsaber still moved through the air without trouble. The deadly whirlwind of plasma was heading straight to Kalibak. The warrior could've predicted Luke's lightsaber throw, nor was he fast enough to fully evade the arch of green energy. The spinning lightsaber made contact with Kalibak's skin on his right arm, creating a burning and smoking laceration across the forearm. Kalibak howled in pain and gripped his wound. But it hadn't penetrated; only the skin and maybe a few muscles were damaged. Whether it was the lightsaber not at an angle to pierce it or simply Kailbak having thick skin, Luke thought it was the latter.
Knowing that his lightsaber might not be the best ally to handle this situation, he kindly asked it back through the force. The lightsaber deactivated after it went past Kalibak and blurred into Luke's right hand.
Kalibak, still trying to ease his wound, bored eyes into the smaller Jedi, giving Luke a striking stare that was similar to an angry Bantha; he sure looked like one. "I'LL RIP THE SKULL OUT OF YOUR HEAD AND MAKE IT A GOBLET YOU WORM!" Kalibak bellow so loud that it almost shook the street. He grabbed another car, in spite of the wound, he threw another damaged car at Luke.
The Jedi quickly repelled the attack with a wave of a hand, making the fly debris return back toward the giant. The large man was caught off guard by the surprise deflection and didn't get out of the way in time to avoid it. It crashed against him, the vehicle fragmenting into several pieces by the collision. The brute staggered, dazed a little, but was largely unharmed.
The large man recomposed himself and continued to find another destroyed vehicle to use as an object to squash the Jedi. He would've picked up a large bus, but the long vehicle he had eyes on was lifted up in the air and crashed against him. The cars and other pieces of transportation that the denizens of this city used in the area moved, shaking out of their spots and rushing towards the giant. Luke guided every single one of them, the force piling the vehicles to trap the brute.
The large, hairy man attempted to defend himself against the hail of flying debris and broken vehicles. He crushed one with both hands to the ground, making the street shake a little. He batted one away after it tried to pin him down. He purposely looked at Luke when one car crashed against his chest, and he threw it away.
"Fight me with your fists! Fight me like a real man! You're a—" his demand for a fair fight was cut off when two trucks collided with him, sandwiching him. Before he could recover or push off the two vehicles, another car hit him, then another, and another after that. Car after car, pieces of debris and scrap crashed, pummeled, and piled onto the brutish warrior, almost becoming a mountain of rubble and scrap in the middle of the street.
The brute disappeared amongst the piling up wreckage; when Luke thought the act was enough, he stopped putting more weight onto the mound. Looking like a junkyard, the mouthing of scrap, cars, and other objects trapped the brute under its massive weight. At the very bottom, the warrior in the green lay defenseless, stomach on the ground, arms, and legs bound by the weight of much scrap junk on him.
Luke could tell he couldn't do anything, but the Jedi went up to the brute nonchalantly, lightsaber still activated. He lowered himself to the ground, the brute face strained, pressured by the pile on him. "I'm going to safely assume," Luke said to the brute, "That you give up?"
The large warrior tilted his head up with labor, pained by being crushed and the defeat he'll inevitably need to admit. "I… surrender."
Luke smiled, "I'm glad we finally reached an agreement."
The brute dropped his head to the ground with a thud. Groaning in the situation, he was pressed against. With that, the criminal dealt with Luke and rushed over to J'onn, who was just now getting up. "You okay," Luke asked while helping the green humanoid up to his feet.
J'onn nodded as he fully went up. "I am, thank you." He observed the area around him, noticing the pile of rubble Kalibak was in and the still unconscious Livewire. "I see that Kalibak and Livewire have been dealt with."
Both heard Hawkgirl's battle cry and turned their heads in that direction. Still in the air, Hawkgirl swung, jabbed, and bashed Star Sapphire. On the other side of the corner, Flash is running at top speed and flying Wonder Woman to avoid Volcana's jet streams of fire. In a moment that seemed like the criminal would land a fireball at Wonder Woman, a flow of quick water crashed against Volcana. Her fires were put out and the force of the storm of water pushed her to the ground. The person operating the house was just as elaborate as the Justice League.
The man wore a black and grey costume that covered his face in a cowl, which had two pointed ears, a cape, a utility belt, and a symbol of a bat. Luke could only naturally assume to be another Earth hero. If so, maybe another member of their League. The man washed down the woman, not giving her a chance to summon her fire. When he stopped the stream, Flash sped up behind the woman and knocked her out with a punch that was a blur. She was out.
Wonder Woman cleared of not being harassed anymore, and she soared upwards toward Star Sapphire, who was still attempting to blast away Hawkgirl. The Earth hero made a solid punch behind the criminal's head, and the Star Sapphire took the blow badly. She collapsed, ending her barrage at Hawkgirl, and fell to the street.
It seemed like all of the criminals had been defeated, and the fight was won. The needless destruction of this city thankfully ended. Wonder Woman and Hawkgirl gathered up the unconscious bodies of Volcana and Livewire. Flash picked up the serpent man, Copperhead. Kalibak, the brute Luke fought, stayed put under the mountain of debris. When the heroes gathered the rest of the criminals at where Luke and J'onn were at, the man in black perceived Luke's presence after the fight.
He went up to the Jedi, giving a meaningful stare and an expression that seemed like he was a person who didn't trust others so easily. "Who are you?" He said his words that were more of a demand than an actual question.
Luke answered, not wanting any struggle between himself and these people, even if one of them appeared to be slightly paranoid. "I'm Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker, and you are?"
The man didn't introduce himself immediately, only studying Luke head-to-toe, glancing at Luke's lightsaber and belt. "Batman," the man simply replied.
Again, why the dramatic names?
J'onn stepped in, noticing the tension, even when Luke was attempting not to stir it. "Luke Skywalker, this is one of the members of the Justice League, Batman." He turned his hairless head to Batman. "Batman, this is Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker. His starship was in an accident and asked for our help. Besides being in a desperate situation, he helped us apprehend Lobo bounty hunters and helped us here."
Batman continued to observe Luke with much suspicion, then bluntly said to Luke, "It was extremely convenient to arrive here when all of this happened and even helped when we needed it."
Luke didn't need the empathetic help from the force that this man does not like surprises or strangers.
The rest of the League gathered around them. From Luke's eyes, it looked like they were trying to convince Batman that Luke meant no harm. Hawkgirl was first to offer her thoughts for the Jedi's defense, "He kicked Lobo's ass, so that means something."
Flash was next, "Seems like a chill guy, I wouldn't worry about that, bats."
Wonder Woman got to Batman's side, "He risked his life to help us while not being able to get back to his home. Doesn't that make him a man of great character?"
Whether it was the combination of all of their attempts to persuade him or her testimony of Luke alone, Batman eased his stare at Luke just a little. The Jedi didn't bother to peer into the man's already well-guarded feelings on the change of heart; it wasn't Luke's business.
A warning from the Force yelled in Luke's mind that can be best translated as, "Look to your side!"
When Luke did, he saw one of the criminals, the one with just guns and dressed in a silver and red body armor suit. He was Deadshot, if Luke was correct. He was on top of a residential apartment building, aiming a gauntlet directly at Batman. Out from the gauntlet, a rocket flared out in a vector directed at Batman's head.
Luke was quick enough to summon the Force to change the rocket's trajectory. A simple nudge, to a little degree, was what it all took for the rocket to angle away and head towards the rubble that used to be a building. It denoted, causing an explosion that certainly would have killed its intended target.
The assassin, thrown off balance and surprised at Luke preventing the kill, tried to flee, but the Jedi threw his hand in the assassin's direction. An invisible imaginary hand that was in the force picked up the assassin in its grip and tossed him over the building. It was fast enough that the assassin wouldn't be able to do anything. He fell, crashing onto the top of a car. The assassin criminal groaned and then slammed his head down from pain roused in his body.
The hero team caught on to what happened and stared at Luke, surprised at first, then understood what had transpired. They were relieved that he saved Batman and thankful he was willing to help. Hawkgirl flew over to the assassin, hauled him over her shoulder, and dropped him onto the pile of defeated criminals.
"See," Flash said to Batman, "Told ya he was chill."
Batman, looking at Deadshot and back at Luke, didn't turn his face into an appreciative one, still keeping the blank image. He turned to J'onn, "If you're thinking you could replace Superman with him," Batman warned, "Then he has a high bar to be at." Before the man left, he gave another questioning look at Luke then pulled out a grappling gun, fired it at the nearest highest building, and had it repel him out of the area. He disappeared into the night.
Luke Skywalker could only be puzzled and concerned. He cared to ask the group, "I'm sorry, did I do something?…and if I can ask, who's Superman?"
Wonder Woman, having a face of disappointment, answered Luke's question. "Batman is not a person to really…trust people that easily, especially Superman's death."
Luke was starting to understand what happened. He glanced at the group, "Superman, he was your friend, wasn't he?" The group's demeanor darkened, and they grimly nodded. The Jedi could only show his sympathy and understanding of their situation. "I see. I'm sorry for your loss."
"He was the best of us," J'onn explained to Luke. His voice pained, but he cherished his friend's memory. "He was stronger and powerful than most people, but he had a heart like no other."
"He was the most honorable man I've ever come to know," Wonder Woman continued after J'onn finished. She was too saddened by their loss. "He sacrificed himself so that he could save us."
Flash finished with a "Guy acted like the big brother I never had. Just thinking about it makes me wish he was here now."
Luke kept on giving his sympathies, "He sounds like a wonderful man, I wished he would be here too so I could meet him."
J'onn made a smile at Luke's compassionate words, "He would have liked it too, but we cannot linger in the past as we like to. You helped despite your own problems. We can only thank you for being such a charitable figure."
"Like I said earlier, that is what I do, J'onn." Said Luke.
Hawkgirl asked the Jedi, "So you're a Jedi Knight. You never really did explain what that was."
"Yeah, that makes a good point." Flash responded too, "So like what, you go around, knighting this and that with that fancy laser sword of yours?"
Luke lightly chuckled at Flash's assumptions on the Jedi. "Well, you're not exactly right, but you're not wrong either. Jedi are part of an ancient group called the Jedi Order. We are able to use a power called the Force and call it when maintaining the peace in the gal—" Luke's heart dropped when realizing that he was not his galaxy anymore. "Uh, my galaxy," he corrected himself, "The Jedi are peacemakers in my galaxy."
"Oh!" A revelation came to Flash, "So you're intergalactic cops like GL?"
"Excuse me?" Luke said.
"GL, the guy with the power ring. Part of intergalactic Five-O named the Green Lantern Corps."
"If that makes it easier for you to understand, then I won't go against it."
"So there's more like you?" J'onn curiously pointed out.
"Well." Luke paused, "There are people who can use the force. You would need to have it to be a Jedi but not everyone who has the force is a Jedi." He described.
"And the force?" Wonder Woman asked. "You said that's a power that you use?"
"Right," Luke said, he gathered all of the knowledge of the force he knew and said it in terms they would understand. "The force is an energy field that all life is bound to and helps it grow. The Jedi, not only keep my galaxy in balance for peace, we keep the force in balance." He looked at J'onn, "You asked about if there were more people like me, there are, but there is no more Jedi but me. There was a war before I was born that wiped them out. I guess I'm the last of the Jedi if you want to put it like that."
The heroes, like Luke earlier, gave their respects with understanding looks. J'onn puts a hand on Luke's shoulder. "I understand your position. My own people are extinct, and I am the last of my kind as well." He gestured to Wonder Woman, "Wonder Woman comes from an island of warrior women who banished her after bringing us outsiders in to save their island." He shifted his gaze to Hawkgirl, "Hawkgirl was separated from her people, too." He then turned somewhat sorrowful, "And Superman's planet was destroyed; he was the last member of his race.
"Well, he had Supergirl." Flashed said, making all of the heroes stare at him in a disapproving manner. He rubbed his hand on the back of his neck, "Yeah, too soon."
"Still." J'onn came back to Luke. "We all understand your situation, Skywalker. After what has happened today, we can promise that we will do whatever we can to help you return to your Galaxy." Members of his fellow team members nodded in agreement. No one argued, well, except for Batman, it seems.
"That is greatly appreciated," Luke said.
Wonder Woman stepped in, "In the meantime, we know you don't exactly have a place to stay, you could live in the Watchtower if you like."
Luke shrugged honestly, "Me and Artoo don't have that many options really, but we'll gladly take your offer."
"Yeah," it was Flash's turn to speak, "Since you'll be at the tower and all, and got that space magic, why don't ya join the League? Couldn't hurt." The rest of the Justice League gazed at Flash, disapproving at first, but thought about the proposal more deeply.
"That is his decision," J'onn amended. "We know that you are an honorable man for helping us, and we will graciously help you on your way home. But we'll help regardless if you want to choose to join the Justice League or not."
Luke made time to contemplate the decision. This team, this Justice League, do resemble Jedi in a way, powers coming from the force or not. From what he observed today and was told, they will be needing a lot of help. It's possible then that he could provide that assistance.
Would that impede his efforts back to his galaxy? Maybe, but was it also his duty as a Jedi to help? Regardless of any context they were in? Wasn't it his destiny to be a Jedi, to be such a peacemaker?
If they could help his way back to the Skyriver galaxy, then that would be a miracle only the force itself could make. Thinking about the hyperspace accident and landing in this strange new galaxy, was it really a coincidence? Was it luck that brought Luke here? Obi-Wan once said that he didn't believe in luck and for good reason. Luke, over time of course, came to the same understanding that luck was just another version of saying that the force mandated an event to occur, for bad or worse.
That raises more questions: was Luke's accident and jumping to a different galaxy on purpose? Had the force itself put him here in a far end of the universe for a reason? He knew upon discovery of his father being the chosen one and only born to his mother, Shmi Skywalker, that the force would in desperate times intervene within the physical world. Times when the balance between the light side and the dark side of the force was in peril. Had it intervened again? Was he part of events that would cascade into the fate of balance again, and would he need to solve it?
In honesty, Luke had no idea what to think about all of this, partly because he had no real evidence to claim it. In that moment, he allowed himself into the force while the others still waited for an answer. He opened himself to the currents of the living force, an endeavor so he could have the force guide him to the right direction. Frustratingly and eerily, the force was silent.
This had to be his decision.
After being done with his inner thoughts and feelings, Luke firmly looked into the group of such strange but true and honest people. "Alright, I'll join you." He extended out his cybernetic hand to J'onn Jonzz.
The green humanoid made a smile of approval and delightment, so did the rest of the other heroes. J'onn reached out and greeted Luke's hands with his own. "We happily accept you, Luke Skywalker, welcome to the Justice League."
***
Days passed since Luke Skywalker and R2-D2 found themselves stranded on this weird and bizarre galaxy that wasn't their own—days of Luke coming to terms of their situation and understanding that they might not see home ever again.
Hope was something that Luke cherished and was fond of. It inspired beings to do things that they might not be able to do normally. It can give people to fight against desperate odds and can create a cause worth dying for.
The Jedi, from the history of his Galaxy, was supposed to empower beings with hope. But this Jedi was losing it. Luke was not behaving in a way that seemed like his galaxy—his family and friends—were all horrifically killed, but being extremely far from everything he knew, it felt like it.
Green Lantern John Stewart, member of the Justice League Luke joined and a member of a peacekeeping organization, the Green Lantern Corps, contacted their Headquarters, Oa, about finding Luke's Galaxy. The message also contained information about Skyriver and any star maps from the X-Wing that might help. The Guardians of the Universe, leaders of the Corps, replied back, saying that Skyriver was not on their records and thought that either the galaxy was made up or died long ago.
Needless to say, Luke was stuck here, most likely permanently.
Luke received the news and it was just as painful to hear, feeling like someone telling you that your family died. He was a Jedi; they were supposed to be masters of the force, in doing so, master of themselves above all else. But that day, weighful realization that he won't see his sister, nephew, Han, Chewie and all of his friends, he couldn't help but cry in his room, even if it was short.
He could only imagine how they were feeling, probably knowing the only real sighting of Luke was through a hyperspace jump out of Jedha, never to return. Perhaps they're looking for him right now, trying to find their friend who is halfway across the universe.
He won't see how Leia will help manage the New Republic, see her son Ben grow up and maybe have a family of his own. Won't see Han and Chewie on the Falcon one last time.
And the Jedi, what about the Jedi?
Officially, he was the last Jedi; unofficially, there were others that were trained by the old order but never did become actual Jedi. Ahsoka Tano, his father's old Padawan, was one of them. Though he could tell from her personality she was a Jedi, and a good one at that. But she never really wanted to continue her training and become a Jedi Knight; her past made sure of that. Luke, although saddened by the lost potential of another Jedi in company, respected her decision.
There was Grogu of course, after all, he was a padawan before the purge. But the small child was still that, a child, despite being fifty standard years old, and his training under the old Jedi was slow and not much. Even though Luke did take in the child and hoped to train him to be the first student out of the New Jedi Order, Grogu was distractedly attached to his adoptive father, the Mandolorian.
Luke knew that Grogu had connections to the Jedi and wanted to be a part of it, but he had a deep connection with the Mandolorian and knew that would stick with him forever. So he let Gorgu decide from the heart, and the child chose a life with his father.
Attachment was looked down upon by the old Jedi order. It wasn't the idea of being attached to something or someone that the Jedi strayed from, but the results and consequences of being drawn. Attachment isn't the enemy, but the fear of losing said attachment is. It could be used against the Jedi, used as a weapon. It leads to distraction, making a Jedi be blind from the guiding voice of the Force. It could make them emotionally vulnerable and compromised, which in itself could lead to the dark side.
It could, but only sometimes will.
Though the old Jedi made good and reasonable points about attachment, Luke just had to disagree. Was it Luke's attachment to his father that made him think that he could still be saved? Was it his father's attachment to Luke that helped him escape the darkness? Like emotions, isn't attachment almost ingrained in very sentient beings? We are bound to our emotions one way or the other, is attachment not the same?
The Jedi thought that emotions could be controlled—well regulated—they didn't shun them like how others thought they did. Jedi needed to be in control of themselves as their role of peacekeepers needed it. Luke thought of this as well, but instead of shunning attachment, it can be used for good, too. It can empower Jedi just as it could lead them off to a darker path. To prevent that, they would need to learn how to manage their material bonds so that it could withstand possible manipulations or tragedies.
His attachment to his friends and family wasn't easy to release. It was still hard to move past the thought of never seeing them again.
Luke knew that the situation couldn't have been worse and was thankful for that. He had Artoo; as much as he wanted the rest of his friends and family, it was really the only thing he had to remind himself of what he might not see. And despite just meeting them days earlier, the Justice League team has been kind enough to him that he could consider them acquaintances, friends eventually, maybe over time.
The world of Earth is a strange place, filled with other people with powers that stem from the natural, supernatural, or artificial. It was hard to imagine why such a small and low-tech planet contained so many anomalies.
Here on the Watchtower, the orbital headquarters of the Justice League, Luke was provided a living quarter. It was a simple room with a refresher, bed, and other amenities, Artoo was fine powering down at the corner of the room or in the Tower's hangar, where the X-Wing laid. Since he was stuck here for the foreseeable and possible permanent future, he figured he would need to explain his galaxy's own history to the team and learn about the new world he lived in.
Earth was like any other pre-hyperspace capable civilization; wars were fought, religions rose and fell, cultures were born on its soils and died. The strangest thing was that the local population was made up of humans, and they actually called themselves humans, too. In all of the galaxies that existed in the great universe, in all of the planets and star systems Luke could have found himself in, he happened upon one that contained humans that were biologically the same to the human race of his own galaxy. That added some evidence that this whole ordeal wasn't a coincidence and that the force intended Luke for something. What exactly was it? He can't say.
Between periods of being accustomed to learning about the Milky Ways and Earth's histories, talking with the Justice League, and helping Artoo repair the X-Wing, Luke has been trying to contact the spirits of his old masters through meditation. Attempts that were fruitless.
In the past, he had experienced times when he met the spiritual representations of Yoda, Obi-Wan, his father, and even the spirit of Qui-Gon Jinn, and he knew that he couldn't just summon them by force or by his own pleasure. But if he could, he would have them explain what happened and if they could do something about it. He was, obviously, still alive and so didn't know the factors of a force spirit being able to intervene into the material realm, and knew for certain that if they did show up, they probably wouldn't be able to do anything either.
Now, he didn't know what to do. For the longest time, he had guidance from someone or something, whether that was the force or from his mentors. Obi-Wan's teachings, while short, started Luke's journey as a Jedi learner. Yoda's words of wisdom widened Luke's total understanding of the force and how the universe worked. Even old Jedi texts and holocrons helped Luke in times when he wasn't sure what to do.
All of the holocrons he had onboard of his X-Wing, the gatekeepers that is, all said the same thing, that despite his strange but frightening situation, he would need to overcome his feelings of lost and abandon so that he may do the duties of a Jedi Knight.
Answers that seemed manufactured despite the simulacrums being the virtual representation of the Jedi that created them. But if the real people of the gatekeepers were based here with him, would they say the same thing?
Holocrons were just objects at the end of the day, tools and artifacts to help the next generation of Jedi. How could they say to "be patient" and "meditate on the matter" when it's a matter that seemed inescapable? How could he be calm when the person that the very last masters of the Jedi order worked and sacrificed for disappeared into a new galaxy and could not restart the new order?
He was the next generation of Jedi to make things right, but everything around him was so different and foreign that he didn't know where to begin and end. Were there even other force-users in this galaxy? Does this galaxy even need Jedi? Considering what he has been told about the Green Lanterns.
It felt like a foggy smoke entered his mind the past days, concealing on what he should do and the truth at large. Blinding him even. No form of meditation or Lightsaber training sessions had been able to clear it away.
It was like he was back in the days when he lost Obi-Wan—losing a guiding hand and the knowledge of what a Jedi meant. He felt frustrated and confused when he actually lost his hand and found out the hard way that Vader was his father, with the addition of Yoda and Obi-Wan not telling him. He was just as aimless as dazed when Yoda died on Dagobah, and Luke was the real last Jedi. A Jedi who had no idea what to do.
Yet, in all of these emotions of despair and sorrow that bombarded him daily, he hasn't surrendered to them, nor will he. He hasn't, no, his Father, his mentors, friends and family haven't been set in pain or sacrificed so that he may just sit in a corner and suffer. He was a Jedi, he was guardian of peace and Justice, home galaxy or not. He will never stop being one, and if he can't find a way back home, then that is something he will just need to live with. If Yoda and Old Ben lived in complete exile with the knowledge that they could've stopped the Emperor's rise of power and Anakin's fall, then Luke would live with the fact that home may never come to him.
Currently, he is in the watchtower Hangar bay with R2, and both are continuing their repairs of the X-Wing. Luke was in the cockpit in his black Jedi tunic. Observing diagnostic readouts. R2, was under the X-Wing, with multiple prongs and tools to help the droid splice wires and perform other maintenance.
[Note: So basically, he's in the black outfit from Second Death Star Duel, but I'm not strict when it comes to character outfits. You can imagine him in the robes he wore on Tatooine in ROTJ, the robes in BOBF or whatever]
Since being provided a place to live at the watchtower, Luke and R2 had been spending time and efforts on what exactly caused the hyperspace accident in the first place. Initially, the Watchtower's own tool inventory was adjusted for their Javelin ship, but Luke was a bush pilot from Tatooine and R2 an astromech, so they made do with what they could get.
Coming out of the accident and in the heat of the moment, they couldn't find out what exactly went wrong. Later diagnostics and troubleshooting revealed that the ship's null quantum field and statis generators failed abruptly while in mid-jump. Components of the parts were found short-circuited and burnt. That wasn't surprising to Luke; what concerned him, however, was how they didn't pick up on the malfunction before the accident, nor did the failsafes activate to actually prevent it.
It was a miracle that they weren't stuck in a perpetual jump in hyperspace or crash within a microsecond, but Luke wondered again if it were actually an accident again or if something else was at play.
It was hours of him and R2 looking over schematics, rewiring and replacing wires and cables that are compatible with the X-Wing, noting deficiencies and seeing if they can have the League get parts for the ship, in any way they can. He got out of the cockpit, stretching and cracking his back after sitting in one spot for a long span of time.
"Artoo," he said, rubbing his stiff neck, "Keep looking at the ship, I'm taking a break," R2 replied with a chirp of understanding.
He left the hangar by entering the turbolift and entered the circular commander center of the watchtower. After Luke's entanglement to this galaxy and his helping the team apprehend that bounty and criminals, the center was repaired, though there were still signs of combat lingering.
What Luke was told, some members of the Justice League team had secret identities that they made sure were separate from their crime-fighting lives, so not every member was a hero on Earth worked 24/7. Monitor duty was made, rotations of a shift where a League member is to be posted at the Watchtower, so that if there were an emergency, terrestrial or otherwise, the other members can be forewarned instead of being caught off guard.
With nothing really else to do in this strange galaxy, Luke was a full time member, their ethics were similar enough to Jedi and so he found no reason to go against joining. He stressed the possibility that if he returned to his galaxy, he would need to resign from his position, and the members didn't object. After all, Batman, while providing the Watchtower with a great deal of funding, which he never told them how, is apparently a part-time member and occasionally visits the Watchtower.
It was Wonder Woman and Hawkgirl's shift of monitor duty. Luke did a shift the day before, and nothing happened during that rotation.
Wanting a better view of the blue below, he sat on the window sill of a giant thick glass that separated the center from the cold void of space. He looked down at the slowly rotating planet. It was a beautiful planet, not the most beautiful planet he had ever seen, Naboo was on the top of that list, but Earth was nonetheless an appealing world to gaze at.
For a time, he was alone in the center, the docile buzz of consoles chirping and beeping on occasions. The turbolift sent out a 'ping', and the sliding doors let out a Wonder Woman and Hawkgirl, respectively, having drinks they got from the Watchtower's kitchen.
"I still find it frustrating that Flash almost keeps emptying the fridge every time he's done with his shift." Wonder Woman complained after finishing a snack.
"Fastest man alive, remember?" Hawkgirl remarked, "And the fastest slob alive too."
"You would think he would at least restock the food if he keeps eating it all."
Hawkgirl rolled her eyes and made a dismissive "pfft!" Past her lips and said, "Please, he'll probably say something in the likes of," she made her best mocking impression of the Flash that made Wonder Woman snicker afterward, "Sorry, but I got a tight budget between rent and payments I'm still making on the Flash Mobile."
"W-wait," Wonder Woman said after finishing laughing. "What Flash Mobile?"
"Oh geez, it's something John told me about. Apparently, Flash has this van decked in red and his logo all over the place. Has the interior fancied up and everything to impress the "ladies" when he gets the chance."
Wonder Woman shook her head of disgust, "Why does he always have to act like he has to be impressive when there's every time he's not?"
"Maybe because of his insecurities, he's childish sometimes, making jokes that—" Hawkgirl stopped when she noticed Luke sitting next to the observation window. Wonder Woman turned her head, too, not expecting Luke to be there or unseen when they entered the control center. "Hey uh," Hawkgirl awkwardly asked Luke, who at this entire time, never trained his eyes away from the planet below. "How long have you been there?"
Luke faced away from the world and onto the two League heroes, "Just enough to know that Flash has a big appetite, which wasn't really that surprising." He jokingly said, knowing that the shift before his it was Flash's shift and the kitchen that could've fed the entire platoon of soldiers was near-empty.
"Well, at least we're not the only ones who notice it." Hawkgirl said.
Both Women went over to Luke since the three were the only ones at the Watchtower. "So Luke, how are you liking the Watchtower?" Wonder Woman asked.
Luke heaved his shoulders in an honest way, "Without trying to be offensive, I've seen better space stations in my galaxy, but I know you guys are working off technology from a planet that hasn't even reached outside its star system, I can't really put total judgment on that." He smiled just a bit, "I'm still thankful that you all gave me a place to stay regardless."
"You don't have to thank us," Wonder Woman, "You helped us get Lobo and in Metropolis, this is just repaying the debt."
"Besides," Hawkgirl said, "Batman pays for all this, so really, you should be thanking him."
Luke cocked his head to the side, "I'm still confused on that part." He gestured around them, "Earth is just a low-tech planet compared to others I know. Yet, Batman of all people somehow got the funding to build a decently made station that no one else on the planet has the technology for?"
Hawkgirl jabbed Wonder Woman the elbow, "Aren't you gonna tell him?"
"Tell him about what?" Wonder Woman inquired, not ready for Hawkgirl's question.
"Tell him about who you think Batman is," Hawkgirl said.
Wonder Woman quickly turned her head away from Hawkgirlcand, and Luke saw that the raven-haired woman was noticeably blushing. "Y-You know that Batman wouldn't like it."
"That's IF he told you; you told me that in your trip to Paris he only teased you. A harmless theory wouldn't hurt anyone."
Wonder Woman didn't say anything and what Luke can gather from her expressions and his empathetic sense, she and the introverted Batman were close, unofficially that was. Hawkgirl signed exhaustively and theatrically, "Fine, I'll meet you halfway," she then told Luke, "We think that Batman is one of Earth's rich tycoon men, that's how he's able to get his toys and this place too."
Luke assumed with genuine, recently learned knowledge of Earth, "So, you think that Batman is that Lex Luthor character?"
Hawkgirl burst out laughing, leaning closer to the floor and putting her hands onto her knees as her laughs were that hard Wonder Woman event took more color and was flabbergasted, "Oh Hera no! Batman can never be that snake!"
Luke held up a hand for placating and, at the same time, did not reveal a smile at the behest of Wonder Woman's embarrassment. "I didn't mean like that. From what I can understand, Luthor is not a man who would certainly do crime fighting out of altruism. I was genuinely asking."
Hawkgirl wiped a tear that was created from her laughter and padded Wonder Woman on the back, an act to show "no hard feelings" between the two of them. "Cheer up, princess." Hawkgirl said to Wonder Woman, "At least Luke isn't going to tattletail the press about the two of you." Wonder Woman gave a sharp look at Hawkgirl for her second attack of teasing.
"Princess?" Luke asked and eyed Wonder Woman.
Wonder Woman took her narrowing eyes off Hawkgirl and eased them when she explained to Luke. "I am; my name is actually Diana of Themyscira, and my mother is Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons." She continued, "Themyscira has been excluded from man's world for thousands of years. My mother and my sisters aren't really fond of…men; males aren't allowed on the island."
Luke slowly nodded as he processed her background, "So a matriarchal society?"
"Yes." She replied.
"Wait, if no men are allowed on the island, then how could you keep the population stable?"
"Oh," Wonder Woman said, then answered with words that seemed normal to her, "All of the women on Themiscrya are blessed by the gods and can't die from age."
Luke blinked a couple of times. It wasn't entirely strange to hear a race or group that couldn't age, Yoda's species and other specific sentient and non-senient species are known from his galaxy to be confirmed "immortal". By human standards obviously. Hearing a group of women that looked identically human was stranger too.
"That's, uh, interesting," Luke said, then paused as he thought of a question. "If I may ask, if no men are allowed on the island, what about species that don't have biological sex?"
"What?" Wonder Woman seemed puzzled.
"If there's a non-human species that had no concept of the male sex, conceptual and physical, are they allowed on the island?"
"Uhhh." Wonder Woman mumbled out, receding back to her thoughts as she too looked like she wanted to know the answer of that question too. Hawkgirl was just as curious as Luke. "I don't actually know." She honestly put it. "I can imagine from all the lessons she talked to me about tolerance she would be accepting of new things." She had a smile of remembrance put up. "And some of my sisters would be happy to see outsiders, I have a sister named Alexa who would probably love to learn about them." Her smile faded away. "But my mother and most of my sisters don't appreciate outsiders regardless, and in reality, aliens would be just as bad as men."
"I think I understand," Luke said. "I didn't mean to remind you of some hard memories, I was just curious. That's all. I came from a strange galaxy and there's a lot of things and people that might make my perception of weird be normal to them?"
Wonder Woman's smile returned, "You're fine, it was a good question and one I should think about more often since we occasionally see aliens sometimes."
"That's funny," Luke went on, "My mother was actually royalty too."
"Really?" Both Women said at the same time.
He had a short chuckle, "Yes, actually, she was a Queen of a planet called Naboo. It's actually considered one of the most beautiful words in my galaxy."
"So…" Hawkgirl hummed, "That makes you what? Prince Skywalker of Naboo?"
Luke laughed, "No, actually, Naboo's royalty isn't actually hereditary, it used to be, but they changed it years before I was born. They really elected their Queens and Kings for a number of terms."
Both women looked at each other, trying to make sense of the information they were getting. "Then you're a…" Wonder Woman attempted to explain it more to herself and Hawkgirl than Luke. "A president-elect prince?"
Luke laughed again and shook his head amusingly. "No, no," he broke off his chuckles. "Like I said, it's a democratic process rather than an actual hereditary thing. Even then, if I were to take up the title from my heritage, I would be part of her house rather than be considered a monarch. But really, my family's past shouldn't be considered, Jedi view it as important but shouldn't let it affect their decisions. I guess in a different time, I couldn't have been a noble of Naboo, but that's not here or there."
Both women nodded when he finished explaining. "I know that you say that your past shouldn't matter," Hawkgirl spoke up, "But just curious, what planet did you grow on?" She shrugged, "Not that we would visit it or anything."
Luke thought about her question and how to properly respond to it.
How would he explain and put into detail how Tatooine was to people who might never see it, and would they really if they did? Can he explain how his father and his grandmother were slaves, as well as others across the planet where it was practiced? Should he talk about the gruesome Tusken Raider attacks he heard about and the reprisals of settlers?
Can he tell them about how the planet was a dust bowl where it would practically cook anybody alive if they weren't prepared? Maybe he could picture how the planet was under the thumb of Hutt cartels and smugglers who sought refuge on the planet? Can he share how dangerous animals like Sarlaccs and Krayt Dragons lived on it?
Would they feel remotely educated about how his Aunt and Uncle died?
"I grew up on a remote planet called Tatooine." Luke finally said. "It's a desert world, so the planet was covered in dunes and sand."
"Oh," Hawkgirl said with some surprise, though she barely hid her disappointment. "That's huh…interesting to hear."
"I guess it's more interesting in words than actually being there; I remember growing up there and thinking it was the most boring place in the galaxy."
"What did you do there?" Wonder Woman tilted her head to the side. "I can't imagine there are a whole lot of things to do on a planet covered in deserts."
"Well, if you aren't a pod racer or spice smuggler, you would be a moisture farmer, and that's what I was. My aunt and uncle raised me on their farm, so I was more or less a farmer like they were."
Both women blinked; he can tell from the mixture of confusion and disbelief in their faces as if he spoke in another language that was so bizarre to them. They were attempting to decipher Luke's words when he meant moisture farmer.
"You…farmed." Puzzled words came out of Diana's lips, but the equally confounded Hawkgirl finished the sentence. "Moisture?"
Luke couldn't help but smile at them; it was like telling children something that would've been relatively simple to adults but new and foreign to them. "You're close." He said, "See it's hard to transport water to desert worlds like Tatooine, so it's a profession where the people have these things called moisture vaporators. They basically suck up what little water in the air and make it into drinkable water."
His simplified words of the whole practice of moisture farming got to them and they understood, if not finding it strange. "So a water farmer?…" Hawkgirl said, "That sounds…" she trailed off.
"Interesting?" Wonder Woman finished with a forced smile out of politeness.
"Eh, I know it doesn't sound exciting," Luke conceded. "But if nothing else, it was a humble life."
"What made you become a Jedi, then?" Hawkgirl asked.
"My father was one and well…" he painfully paused, remembering that day when he came back to the farm and saw it burnt down along with Aunt Beru and Owen. "I had nothing else to go after my Aunt and Uncle died."
Hawkgirl's reaction became regrettable, and both women expressed their feelings of sorry for the Jedi. "Sorry," Hawkgirl tried to remedy her question. "I didn't mean to push things like that I—"
"You're fine," he waved her off. "That was years ago, and I know that in the end, they're at a better place now."
"I hope they are." Wonder Woman said with her heart. "I was wondering, we haven't really asked about this Force you use."
"What's there you want to know?" Luke said.
"You said how it binds everything together. Is it like a form of science you believe in?"
"Not in that way," he corrected, "Jedi aren't the only ones who believe in the Force, other groups, whether they are actually able to use it or not worship or study it."
"Worship?" Hawkgirl struggled with what he was talking about. "People worship some form of energy and call it god?"
Luke didn't take umbrage from her skepticism. "Some people believe that their pantheon of gods exists in the force. Some worship the force or certain aspects of it. And some view it as a simple fact of life, no better than how stars go up and down in morning and night."
"Do the Jedi worship the force?" Diana questioned.
"The Jedi believe the force to be an important factor to all life in the universe," he explained. "We believe that it has its own will and can guide and influence others to their destinies. I'm not going to explain the science since it might be confusing for you, but there's certain factors in how a living thing can be attuned to the force. Sentient things can listen to the will of the force if they quiet their minds."
Wonder Woman looked like she understood Luke's position, while Hawkgirl was outwardly pessimistic. "So you have voices in your head to tell you what and how you should do things, charming." She said in mock seriousness. "Listen, that's fine and all that you and other people believe in, but from personal experience, there isn't some cosmic ray of radiation that controls my destiny."
Luke remembered during the short time under Obi-Wan telling Luke of the Force on their planned trip to Alderaan and hearing Han making the same opinion. Coincidentally, Luke made the same smile of knowledge Obi-Wan made from such a comment. "If that's what you think, I'm not going to interject." He said.
"Don't listen to Hawkgirl, Luke." Diana of Themyscira apologized and made a look, expressing that she found Hawkgirl's opinion distasteful. "Hawkgirl's race abandoned the idea of faith, so they won't see eye to eye with people who do have it. But I can't help but feel, Luke, that in the way Jedi feel about the Force, you consider it to be a god."
"It could be," Luke openly admits. "It could be just some aimless form of energy the universe made up. It could be just as smart as a tree or one of the most complex intelligences in existence. I'll be honest and say that I've been a Jedi for almost five years, there are still concepts and ideas I didn't know about the force. The Jedi before me, though, learned from previous teachers who used 25,000 years of study of the force, passed on by generation. And I can tell you that in those 25,000 years that's just the tip of the iceberg of what the force actually is. It's a mystery and might always be. Jedi are meant to pursue that mystery."
"So besides being monks and all," Hawkgirl wanted to move on. "You have powers from the right?"
"We do, and it's a lot I'm still learning."
"Let's start with what you can do with the things that we've seen you do." She said,
"Well," he stopped for a moment of thought and then added, "You've seen my telekinesis. I can augment my body beyond normal limitations. Telepathy and empathy are common practices, too."
"So, like J'onn?" Wonder Woman pointed out
Luke nodded, "True, though I would need to talk to him about how difficult his and me telepathy is different. Those are the basic abilities Jedi and other force users can learn. There are others and learning more too, but that's more complicated to say later."
"What I can gather," Hawkgirl said. "There's other people like you then?"
He shrugged and looked outward through the window. "Maybe…in my galaxy, certainly, but force-sensitives are a rarity out of trillions of people. Here? I'm not too sure. This is a new section of the universe that's so foreign. My own galaxy wasn't able to go out of her outer rim; we were basically self-contained."
He couldn't help but just stare outside, not only at the planet but the new stars that formed in the void. In a large sense, it was similar to his own galaxy, but at the end of the day, it was unknown.
Hawkgirl went beside him after she and Wonder Woman noticed his uncertain silence. "J'onn might've said how I was separated from my people. It's true, Thanagar is so remote that we never heard of the Green Lantern Corps. If anything, I'm just as lost and alone as you are." She pondered on something, "I might never see home again, but when I lost my first home, I gained another. The League is like almost a second family here. Everyone here is so different but we're all in this together." She placed a hand onto his shoulder, "I hope you feel that way too at some point, whether you find your way back or not."
A well and warm feeling of friendly reassurance washed over Luke after Hawkgirl talked to him, heart to heart. Strangely, her mind was harder to interpret through the force, probably from her non-human nature. Though he didn't pry into her thoughts or was suspicious, her expression of genuine compassion to him was enough to take away the gloom that had been forecasted in his mind.
"Thank you," was the only thing he could say, "That means a lot right now."
She dropped her hand away, and Wonder Woman wanted to say in her mind, "And if you say there are others like you, maybe you wouldn't need to be the only Jedi."
Her words of hope for a future made Luke look down upon the slowly spinning world below. This time, with more optimism, "Yeah, you could be right."
***
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