Playlist:

❶ "Darth Vader's Death" 0.40–2.33—Return of the Jedi Additional Tracks

⊘ Silence

❷ "Luke and Leia" 0.27–4.50—Return of the Jedi OST

❸ "Rebel Briefing" 1.20–2.28—Return of the Jedi OST

❶ The line between death and life blurred in the sunset. A lone Jedi Knight approached the funeral pyre as the fading sunlight glinted on the polished obsidian mask of Darth Vader.

The young man brushed light-brown hair out of his face while he traversed the trail leading from the grove of soaring pupagi trees. Their gargantuan branches stretched from reddish trunks as shafts of light pierced through the foliage and sparkled on the forest floor.

Luke Skywalker, the last Jedi, traipsed through the yellow grasses buffeting in the wind. The torch in his gloved right hand flared with a gust.

Father, why? Why did you have to die? He bit his lip to keep the tears from falling on his ebony Jedi robes.

Only a few steps away, Force-ghosts Yoda and Obi-Wan contemplated their dead adversary. Master Yoda crinkled his gnarled green face and crooked his pointed ears before wiping a tear from his golden eyes.

Meanwhile, the stoic Force-ghost Obi-Wan Kenobi closed his gray eyes and bowed his head, sending a ripple of sympathy through the Force to Luke. His old mentor refused to make eye contact, but Ben's stiff posture betrayed his emotions.

For Luke, the man that lay on the bier of rough-cut logs was his onetime enemy, the father he never knew—the father he wished he now knew.

When the young man touched the torch to the tinder, the pyre sparked to life, flames billowing high above the sable-armored corpse.

Yoda lifted his twisted claw toward the flames. "O blessed Fire, burn the shell and release his spirit."

Luke dropped the extinguished torch. His spine slumped, his arms hanging slack at his sides. His chest ached at the thought of what might have been.

Gray-haired Obi-Wan stepped closer to the intricately stacked logs and lifted his hand toward his former apprentice. "O blessed Fire which giveth life, release our brother from this frail husk."

Master Yoda cleared his throat and joined his friend in unison on the last line. "Join us, Brother Anakin."

Luke focused on Vader's black robes dissolving into ash, fluttering into the darkening sky. "Father, thank you." He gulped for air. "Thank you for saving me."

"No, Luke, you saved him." Obi-Wan smiled at the young man he had watched over for two decades. "You saw the good in him. I regret that I did not." The old man's voice cracked.

Yoda hobbled beside Luke and grabbed his hand. "Proud am I, Young Skywalker. You did what we could not. Saved you the man that we had failed." Yoda hung his head and heaved a sigh before gazing into Luke's eyes. "The heart of a true Jedi have you. Pass on what you have learned."

"But the Sith are all dead. There's no need—"

Obi-Wan grunted. "The Jedi preserve peace and justice, Luke. The Sith are not the sole generators of discord and corruption."

"Still much to learn have you, Young Skywalker. A strong Jedi Order the Republic will need."

Luke nodded.

"Seek wisdom. Show compassion. Serve the Force. On you all depends." Yoda beamed an enigmatic smile before the ethereal Jedi Masters blended with the smoke and flew upward to meet the stars.

⊘ Luke's mind churned. I saved him, but for what? For him to die? I've lost everyone now. He shuddered again. First Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru.

Tears formed in his eyes again at the mere thought of her name. He remembered the soft caresses on his shoulder, the warm hugs, the gentle care. He thought of all the times she treated him like her own son—the son she could never have—and all the times he wished for his own mother, his own father instead. Now she's gone, and I can never go home. I'm all alone. Where will I go?

He hyperventilated and screamed toward the sky, at the Force.

Ben, Yoda, and now Father.

"Why? Why does everyone I love have to die?"

His vision clouded, he collapsed on the grass and hugged his knees to his chest, rocking back and forth with grief.

Yoda's voice sounded in the twilight. "Tut-tut. No one is every really gone."

He ignored the proverb. Those words of comfort fell short of the mark tonight. Peace evaded him. Questions raced through his head. A longing he had for a family burned deep within his heart.

❷ When he thought he would never emerge from his mourning, a spark of light pierced his soul. The gentle warmth of his sister Leia kissed his inner being. Luke.

He heard her speak his name as if she were right next to him instead of clicks away in Bright Tree Village. But more, the love she extended through their Force-bond wrapped him in a compassionate embrace.

I still have Leia. She's my family now.

Her words interrupted his maunderings. The party's getting started. Are you coming?

He extended a tendril of his soul to hers, relishing the touch, the oneness. Yes.

Not daring to say more—not with his heart pounding—his mind still reeled with the forbidden kisses they had shared back on Hoth. He quenched the ardor that burned for her only a day before.

With a snort of derision, he mocked. You fool. You know Han had won her heart, even back then.

He kicked at a tuft of grass under his feet. Why did it have to be her?

❸ Contemplating the flames, his eyes transfixed on the shifting patterns of gold and red and orange. A few blue flashes flickered as the fire grew hotter and the mask melted.

The stench of burning plastic overwhelmed the dense smoke and burning flesh. Coughing, Luke stumbled upwind of the toxins.

Crackling skyrockets caught him by surprise, bursting forth overhead, offering hope with their proclamations of victory, but he remained cold and distant.

Gazing at the fiery blooms overhead, he offered his first prayer to the consciousness of the Force. "After everything I've sacrificed for you, let me not be alone. I'll rebuild the Order, just give me someone to love. Please. I can't go on alone. Give me ... someone. I can't love a ghost."

The fireworks exploded in bursts of blue, green, purple, and red, showering golden trails and cannonading reports. A smile breached his face as the vibrant colors shimmering in the twilight subdued his gloom. Hope erupted with each dazzling salvo.

Was that an answer? He shook his head, willing the foolish fancy from his mind.

"Accepted." A baritone voice echoed in the clearing.

With a new faith, Luke Skywalker, the first Knight of the New Jedi Order, trekked into the darkening forest.

Did you know ...

● In canon, Yoda guided Anakin's spirit into the Force so it would not lose its identity like most people's did.

Tell me what you think ...

● Who accepted the bargain?