*more tissue please*

How long he knelt in the mud with the rain drenching him, Luke had no clue. It seemed that the sun would never rise again. He did not care.

The high-pitched whine of a shuttle's engines ripped the Jedi Master back to reality. He watched as the Upsilon-class shuttle soared overhead, landing not far from the academy.

Ben. He's coming. Ben . . . and others.

Luke dropped into meditation, pulling in the Force and letting it fill him. He shuddered as he caught Ben's thoughts—Leia! No! Rey!

Luke placed his hand on R2's dome. A compartment opened. He took out a memory card and inserted it into an info slot on the droid. "Artoo, get back to the ship. Send this message to Leia. Code Red. Secure frequency. Go now."

The droid beeped a long string.

"Fire up the ship. If I don't make it, find Han. Take him to Leia. He has to protect them."

The droid beeped agreed as he rolled down the hill.

Luke removed his outer robe, dropping it in the mud beside his sack of belongings. Crossing his arms, he stood, waiting for the Knights of Ren to reach his position. He had the high ground, and he was not going to waste a single bit of energy taking the fight to them. 

He glanced back at the fire, tears welling in his eyes once more, anger welling in his soul.

And he did not care about any Jedi platitudes.

Where Jedi negotiation had failed, anger would prevail.

Anger was too mild of a word. Rage. Pure rage consumed him now.

Luke turned and raised his saber and Naluma's, the green and violet blades contrasting against his opponents' red blades. Thirteen against one. He calmly pulled in the Force, letting it fill every nook and cranny, and then he started a brutal attack, slicing three down. He waved his hand toward the remaining seven and sent them into trees, knocking them unconscious.

Ben stood behind them, watching, waiting.

Luke smiled with pleasure as he heard their necks snap. The Jedi Master extinguished his sabers and raised his hands, clenching them in sequence, squeezing the hearts of each Knight of Ren, ensuring their death.

Death felt so good now. He pulled in the extra power their deaths supplied. He filled himself with it. With hatred. With rage. 

It was all too easy.

Master Skywalker's eyes flared yellow, as he stretched forth his hand, dragging the cloaked boy to his clutches. He ripped Ben's thoughts from his mind. Kill Master Skywalker . . . The darkness—it calls. The power. Where is it now? I killed Master Fau too early. The power—I need the power.

Luke yelled, "You killed her."

"It wasn't the first time I've killed, but it was definitely the most pleasant," Ben said, raising his saber at Luke.

His arm froze as Luke paralyzed him with the Force. He held the boy in the air in front of him.

Taunting Luke, Ben said, "Oh, yes, you should have believed Master Fau. She was right about me. I killed your daughter. I killed your son. And now I have killed your wife."

Master Skywalker clutched his fingers, strangling the boy.

Kylo pulled his mask off, trying to breathe. He gasped and clutched at Luke's fingers. He sputtered, almost saying something.

Luke released him, dropping him to the ground, watching the boy roll in the mud and clutch at his throat.

A hideous laugh interrupted them. "Good. Finish him, Skywalker. Strike him down with all of your hatred and rule the galaxy with me."

Luke glanced at the hooded figure. "Snoke!"

"We meet again, Master Skywalker. Come, join me. Let us end this war. You are only one. You cannot win."

"Never."

The creature lifted his head and smiled with glee. "I can feel your anger. Kill him. Take your revenge. It is your destiny."

"No. I will never join you." Luke tossed his sabers away, ready to join Naluma in death.

"Rise, Kylo Ren. Finish him off," Snoke said with a wave of his hand. "Defeat your master, just as you did Master Fau."

Kylo glared at Luke as he stood. "Not so strong after all. Figures. The Jedi Code is weak and makes you weak in return. Even Master Fau was stronger than you." Kylo advanced on Luke. 

At the mention of Naluma's name, Luke's grief overwhelmed him once again. Kylo Ren pulled his lightsaber from the ground and lunged at Luke. The Jedi Master grabbed his discarded green saber with the Force as he fell to the ground, pulling it up in time to avoid a beheading.

Ren toyed with his lightsaber that he held at the Jedi Master's throat. The green and red sabers shimmered off each other with a hideous grating. "For a Grand Jedi Master, you have failed the trial of insight once again. What a shame."

Kylo swung his lightsaber at Luke's neck, but Luke thrust it away with his green saber. "All that is left is to kill you. There can only be one heir to the Skywalker line." Ben stopped mid-stride. "I have a sister? It matters not. I will find her and kill her, too—no, I will teach her the way of the dark side. She would be a powerful ally."

Luke yelled, "Never."

He jumped using levitation, attacking his nephew once again, allowing the anger to fuel him—his hatred, his loss. He forced the brunt of his emotions at his nephew. Overhand strike after overhand strike, Luke beat Ren into a retreat.

The teen sprawled on the ground in front of Luke.

Luke stood over him and yelled, "You want to be like Vader?"

Kylo's face contorted in fear as Luke struck his right hand, sending it and the red lightsaber flying. Ren clutched the stump of his arm to his chest as the Jedi Master came in for the kill.

"Luke, stop! Not like this. Please! Not like this."

He pulled his arm in mid-swing.

The translucent image of Naluma wavered in the rain in front of him. "Please, Luke, this isn't you."

He looked back to his nephew, on the ground, writhing in pain. Luke glanced at Kylo's smoking limb and clenched his own mechanical hand, remembering the time he cut off his father's hand in a rage of darkness on the Death Star.

"Finish him." Snoke's voice brought back more memories from that battle. Luke knew whom he was dealing with now. But this time, he wasn't afraid. 

He reached out and gripped the creature by his throat with the Force. The Supreme Leader gurgled while Luke maintained his grip on him, tightening it as the seconds passed. Peace flowed through the Jedi now, peace he had not felt in years. Sometimes, justice demanded death. If it were the last think Luke did, he would rid this galaxy of Plagueis, he would save what's left of his family.

 Luke tightened his grip even further, until he felt the Supreme Leader collapse, asphyxiated. The Jedi Master probed the man, feeling him still alive, if only barely. Incapacitated. He would sully his own soul no more, not if he were to save Rey. Not if he were to join Naluma one day.

Skywalker deactivated his lightsaber. He grabbed his things and his wife's saber before hiking to his ship.

The bodies of Snoke, Kylo Ren, and the rest of the Knights of Ren littered the site.

And Luke didn't care.  

At the foot of his X-wing, he collapsed in grief, pulling his hands to his face. Tears trickled down his face. With great anguish he called out to her. "Naluma!" 

Did you know . . .

● In musical theatre, when a character cannot express his overwhelming emotions in words, he sings them. Please listen to the song and read the revised lyrics:  "Prayer" from The Scarlet Pimpernell, sung by Douglas Sills. Music by Frank Wildhorn. Lyrics by Nan Knighton with changes in bold made by S. A. McCaffrey.

● I toyed with having Ben use Force-lightning on Luke, but I realized there had to be a reason the dark siders didn't use it as their first form of combat. There have to be some limitations: like it weakening the wielder, etc. Besides, he's a novice, only just learning the technique remotely from Snoke.

● Luke could have taken out Snoke easily, but he could not control his own temper. He feared losing his own soul more than losing his life. He had nothing else to live for. Except Leia and Rey.