Playlist:

❶ "Rey Meets BB-8"—The Force Awakens OST

❷ "The Hologram/Binary Sunset" 2.15–4.08—A New Hope OST

❸ "Bounty Hunter's Pursuit"—Attack of the Clones Extended ST

❹ "Torn Apart" — The Force Awakens OST

Eyes shut, Luke balanced on his left leg, squatting, his right leg sticking out as a counterweight. For the next hundred heartbeats, he meditated on Hosnian Prime and the endless concerns that fought to keep him from being one with the Force. The dark side threatened to pull him into an inky cloud with all his worries.

The stress of founding the New Jedi Order when he barely felt trained himself battered against his wall of peace.

He breathed deeper.

The longing for a family, his own family, shrieked its curses at his unwitting vow of chastity.

He pushed those pressures away, allowing the Force to flow through him and calm him. Luke stretched his muscles as he meditated, holding his positions until the pain became the only stimulus he could sense.

A ghostly image diffused in front of him. A young man bathed in a mysterious blue glow grinned as Luke dropped into a seated position.

The man's towering figure bore a black uniform of a Jedi Knight from the Clone Wars. A wide belt secured his tunic above his leggings while a silver-hilted lightsaber swung from the belt. 

Clenching his right hand, a pang of regret passed through Luke when he remembered the last time he held that saber on Bespin. 

Luke focused on his father's younger face. It bore little resemblance to the deteriorated one under the mask. Maybe it's the hair. His face was so round, so old without it. 

Anakin's brown curls reached beyond the collar of his tunic, framing his angular face, softening it, making it more human than his distorted one could ever be. But a vertical scar that passed above and below his father's right eye grabbed his attention. The only visible scar, but how many other scars are underneath? Can I trust you, Father?

Anakin's piercing blue eyes bore into Luke's soul, spiking pride and love across the Force to him.

❶ Luke smiled in return, reciprocating his own affection to the man. "Father."

"Son." They both studied each other for a long, silent moment. "I never was any good at that."

"At what?"

"Meditating. I used to drive Obi-Wan to distraction." Anakin chuckled. "When I needed to clear my head, I preferred to be in a cockpit or on a bridge staring out at space."

"I'll have to try that sometime," Luke said with his own laugh.

"No, you do what works for you. You have your mother's temperament."

An involuntary gasp proceeded from Luke.  Who was she?  Will he tell me about— But a spike of pain traveled along their bond. Time to change the subject. "Is there a reason for this visit?" Hope he's not going to go on and on about staying celibate. I don't think I can handle that today.

Anakin protested with a playful grin. "Can't a father spend time with his son without there being a reason behind it?" 

"I guess so, but that doesn't seem like your nature, especially since I can see the energy that you're burning to be here," Luke said with a smirk.

Anakin smiled with pride. "You found me out. And since I'm burning not only my own energy but that of many others, stand. Draw your weapon." The ghost jumped, drawing his own saber—a saber of blue that Luke had owned before.

"Where did you get that?"

"That is a story for another time. Master Yoda and Master Qui-Gon have worked out something with this weapon so that I may complete your training."

"Complete my training?" His jaw hung slack. Didn't Yoda do that already? 

"I told you before that your education was incomplete. I wasn't lying. You barely know anything about lightsaber combat." Anakin emphasized with a flourish of his saber. 

"Ben and Master Yoda both taught me." Luke's body stiffened and his face flushed. "And I beat you."

Anakin lowered his eyelids and stood with his arms akimbo. "I let you win."

Luke gaped. Stop kidding yourself, Skywalker. You know he's right. Now, stop whining and get moving if you're ever going to revive the Jedi Order.

His father extended his hand. "I never intended to kill you. If I hadn't held back on Bespin, you would not have survived a single minute."

Luke's face changed from shame to serenity as he drew in the Force to calm himself.

"Obi-Wan taught you the basics of Form I—Shii-Cho, what the younglings would learn during their first few rotations in the Jedi Temple. They learn it blindfolded."

Luke cocked his head as he recalled his first lesson aboard the Millennium Falcon. He smiled as he remembered when the bolt from the training remote hit his thigh. "I see. I never knew the term for it. I thought it was a beginner's training."

❷ Anakin paced the clearing, aligning himself with his son, his blade humming in the air. It, too, glowed brighter in the Force. "Shii-Cho is too clumsy for modern combat, which is why Master Yoda trained you in Form III, Soresu, and Form IV, Ataru."

Luke scratched his chin and narrowed his eyes. "He did?"

Anakin smiled again and shook his head. "Soresu is a defensive technique. I believe Yoda wanted to make sure you would live ... and perhaps he did not want me to die."

He shuffled his feet and raised his saber. "It is the form most aligned to the Jedi way, but as you also learned in that battle, aggression is necessary to win. Defense will merely provide an escape for another and death for yourself. Think back on Obi-Wan's sacrifice," Anakin said with a tinge of sadness.

❸ The Force-ghost slid back his right foot, bending it at the knee and keeping his left leg straight. Resting his weight on his rear leg, Anakin pulled his saber back in his right hand, pointing parallel to his left leg. He held his left hand in front of him in a challenge.

His father began the drill, swinging the blade through the air in the deflecting slash movement which characterized the form.

Luke joined his father in the exercise. Left, down, diagonal, up.

Extinguishing his blade and crossing his arms, Anakin observed Luke finishing the pattern on his own. "Yes, Master Yoda taught you well. But can you do this?" He whirled his blade above his back and then in front, deflecting imaginary laser bolts.

Analyzing the movements, Luke mimicked his father but halted midway.

Anakin crossed over to his son and took his arms. "No, like this." He arranged Luke's arms to the pattern. "Adjust your feet as you move. Soresu may be great for tight spaces, but footwork is imperative. It gives you balance and allows your entire body to work as one."

His father retreated and nodded at Luke to commence the exercise again. After a few passes, both Luke and Anakin gleamed with pride.

"You are a natural. Now I know how Obi-Wan felt when I would outstrip him in saber skills before he had even finished teaching the lesson." Anakin grinned at Luke, laughing at him.

Luke stared at his father, blue eyes to blue eyes, cleft chin to cleft chin, stubbornness to stubbornness. Father may believe that I have my mother's personality, but we're more alike than I want to admit.

Maybe Yoda is right. Maybe non-attachment is the only way. If anything were to happen to Leia— Quick to join me in a fight. Yeah, Yoda taught me Soresu to keep me in the light. He knows me too well already.

 "What are the other forms?"

Anakin careened back from Luke and ignited his saber again. "I'm sure you recognize Ataru, young one." He opened his demonstration with a flip into the air, slashing his saber downward against a fallen log. He pivoted on one foot, bringing the saber about more rapidly than Luke could comprehend. 

"Master Yoda taught me the flip and strike, but I've never seen anyone so quick before."

His father pounced in front of him and winked. "And that's only half as fast as Master Yoda was when he trained me. Oh, it's wonderful to do this again. I could never get any lift while I wore that blasted life-support suit." Anakin sprinted around the clearing, flipping, lifting himself to the tops of trees, diving again, sticking his landing, and doing it all over again.

He rejoiced, crying out like a youngling. "As you can see, Ataru relies on the acrobatics to move you in and away from your opponent so he can never make a proper attack on you. You must be nimble, you must be strong, you must be flexible. Fluidity is a must. The saber never stops moving. And that is the form you should have engaged with when we first met. Instead, you attacked with the defensive Soresu."

Luke nodded with understanding. "So, Ataru is what I must learn. I don't know if I'll ever be as good as you, Father. I'm not even sure I saw every move you made, let alone could repeat them."

His father crossed to him, settling his hand on his shoulder. "You will learn. It is all muscle memory and Force-work, just like any other form. But I will not be teaching you that form. My specialty is Djem So."

The young Jedi rubbed his chin. "What is that form like?"

"It defends solidly against blocks and parries and then counterattacks in overwhelming ripostes and deflections." Anakin darted away from Luke again, bowing toward him like a theatrical player.

Luke recognized the swipes and parries, the strength in the arms, the use of the legs not only giving him balance but strength as well. He analyzed every arm movement, every foot swipe, and every balance change.

"Can you identify this form yet?"

"Yes, it is how I overpowered you on Bespin and on the Death Star."

Anakin nodded, coming to a stop. "Yes, in only a few passes, you had mastered the basics. If I had been in this body, though, you would have never overpowered me. Shall we begin?"

The Jedi nodded back, igniting his saber again and bringing it into the opening position.

"Initiating stance of Djem So is straight-forward and requires aggressive tactics. Trick is to always move your blade and to never stay on the defensive any longer than necessary." Anakin moved through a few motions, pulling his blade over his head and swinging it around.

Luke marveled at the speed and fluidity of the ghost—Anakin Skywalker in his prime. 

"What? Did you think the Force was going to send me to you in my suit or as a damaged man? Who would finish your training then?" The ghost resumed his demonstration.

The younger Jedi raised his weapon and adjusted his feet, mimicking the movements of his father. After an hour, sweat drenched Luke's black uniform and matted his hair. "Are there any other forms?"

"Form VI is for diplomats, and I surmise you enjoy politics as much as I do." Anakin winked.

"I hate politics," Luke said, panting.

Anakin smiled. "I was right. If you ever need to learn it, Master Yoda will teach it to you. Form VII is too dangerous. We will never teach it again. It is a dark form."

Luke shuddered and then grabbed his saber again, ready to continue his training with his new master, his father. After a few passes, Luke disarmed Anakin.

"Good! Good! I knew you would excel at this form," Anakin said with a beaming smile.

Luke felt warmth pass through his body at this recognition by his father.

❹ Many hours later, Luke collapsed onto the ground, gulping air.

Wrapping his ghostly arm around Luke's shoulders, Anakin sat beside him and whispered, "Luke, the old Jedi Order was doomed. It was hide-bound to questionable policies with no room for change. Question everything. Don't resurrect a way of life that never could survive. It will strangle you."

"But I'm so confused." Luke slurped water from his canteen. "At least the old code gives me something to work with."

"Use it as a starting point, but, Luke, the Jedi Order of the Clone Wars does not need to be the Jedi Order of today."

"Look, I'm not you. I can't just go off and do whatever I want with this. I owe it to all the Jedi that came before me to reestablish the order properly."

"We didn't all agree with the code." Anakin pursed his lips together. "And we didn't all turn dark. Find balance, both in your personal life and in the code."

After a long pause, Anakin said, "I understand what's troubling you, Luke. It doesn't have to be that way. The Jedi Order must change."

The young man stared back at his father, his face bunched up.

"Luke, the love of a spouse is not a weakness. It is a strength. Your mother was the best thing that ever happened to me—it was her love that kept me in the light. It is her love that I see in you now—your love that saw the good in me and led me back to the light. Love is not wrong."

He bit his lip, considering his father's statements. "I'll have to meditate on this."

"You don't have to make your decision today. We still have a few rotations of training to complete. See you tomorrow at first light, right here. Don't be late."

His father returned to his starting place. He pivoted back to Luke. "I love you, Son. I wish things had been different."

Anakin Skywalker disappeared while Luke gazed at him and longed for that different life.

Did you know ...

● When George Lucas created Star Wars, lightsaber forms did not exist. The combat style Obi-Wan used against Vader was based on Alec Guiness's advanced age and his previous experience with stage combat in Shakespearean plays on the London stage. The Special Edition of A New Hope actually sped up the lightsaber duel to make it look more exciting.

● The development of the lightsaber forms has a history in the fandom. Form I (Shii-Cho) was designed for use with steel blades over a thousand years before the Galactic Empire. Form II (Makashi) was the first form developed for lightsabers, specifically combat against other lightsabers. 

● I knew nothing about lightsaber forms before writing this book. I spent an entire week researching the topic, including watching videos, studying diagrams, and reading articles before writing this chapter. I have since discovered the Legends reference book The Jedi Path that details all of the forms.

● Luke's replacement saber was supposed to be blue, not green, at first. However, during Return of the Jedi post-production, Lucasfilm discovered that his blue lightsaber blended in with the Arizona blue sky. Thus, his blue lightsaber became a green lightsaber. Modern reference materials indicate that the colors hold meaning to the type of Jedi they are, but in reality, it was a matter of what looked good on screen or what color an actor desired (Samuel L. Jackson requested a purple blade for Mace Windu because it was his favorite color).

● Luke's training with Yoda lasted only a few days—or at the most three weeks. The source material is not specific. The novelization of The Empire Strikes Back indicates a few weeks, but the movie makes it appear to be only a few days.

Tell me what you think ...

● What do you think of the relationship between Anakin and Luke? This is the first time they have spoken since Anakin's death.

 ● Is Anakin biased in his opinions about the no-attachment clause? Why or why not?

● Do you think that Anakin is actually using his real lightsaber that eventually ends up with Rey in The Force Awakens?