Obi-Wan Kenobi nervously waited for the transmission to go through to Tattooine. He hoped against all hopes that Anakin's family would want to take his son in. There was not enough time to come up with another feasible scenario for the boy's future. A squeak alerted him to the fact that he was holding on too tightly to the baby. "I apologize, little one. It seems my nerves have gotten the best of me," he said as he released his anxiety into the Force as much as he could. Luke's little brow unfurrowed and he sighed as he sank into the oblivion of sleep again. Obi-Wan regarded his small burden and was startled when he heard "Lars here, who is this?" emanate from the comm.
"Hello, Mister Lars," Obi-Wan said as respectfully as he could. "My name is Obi-Wan Kenobi, and I bring sad news about your brother, Anakin Skywalker. It seems that he and his wife have passed away during the recent turmoil and his son, Luke here, is in need of a home. I thought that perhaps you would like the honor of raising him." He held the baby towards the bluish apparition which had immediately scowled upon hearing Anakin's name.
A seemingly interminable silence stretched out - Obi-Wan knew that this was a major request to make of someone on such short notice, but surely they would normally say something at some point? He had a terrible feeling about the entire situation. The farmer squared his jaw and looked at Obi-Wan: "Is the boy anything like his father? Have that...thing...that makes them Jedi?" he asked warily.
"Yes, he is indeed Force sensitive, but without training, it would most likely remain dormant and not be an issue at all," Obi-Wan assuaged the farmer. He didn't know his history, but he had a feeling that the man was more wary on a personal level rather than regarding the Force itself.
"I'm going to have to decline. The farm's not been doing so well, we're having trouble keeping ourselves fed as is, and adding another mouth to feed that can't contribute to the farming yet will only make it worse. Besides, that damn man couldn't even bother to visit his own mother even once while he was off being a big-shot Jedi. One and only time I met him was when she died, and that was enough for me. If the kid's anything like that, then there's no way I'm having that in my house," the farmer said bluntly.
Obi-Wan felt a stab of guilt - the farmer had no idea about the non-attachment policies that would have forbidden Anakin from visiting. He also knew that Anakin had never quite forgiven him for not taking his visions seriously - he had been quite morose for some time after his mother's death. "I must apologize on Anakin's behalf then. You see, the Jedi forbade attachment, so he truly was not allowed to have any contact with his mother. He wanted to see her so often and I had to tell him no each time he asked. Please, don't punish his son for my sins," he practically whispered.
"I'm not punishing anyone, and don't even think about trying to manipulate me," Owen Lars puffed up, affronted. "That man was dangerous - no one should have that kind of power - no one."
"Whatever do you mean? What did he do?" Obi-Wan's stomach felt like it was twisting in on itself. He was now thankful that he still hadn't managed to eat anything since Utapau, for after hearing about Anakin's rampage in the desert he felt like everything he had ever eaten would come up at any moment.
There was an awkward silence, and then the farmer spoke again. "You didn't even know about that, did you?" he asked quietly, seemingly ashamed of having kicked a man that was already down. Obi-Wan merely swallowed hard once and shook his head. Owen sighed, "Our lives are dangerous enough as it is - what with Tuskens, the heat, the Hutts. We barely survive as it is - this is no place for a baby. Besides, we don't want any more trouble or any attention coming here. The Republic left us alone, and so will the Empire, most likely. But, if anyone comes sniffing around Anakin's old whereabouts and finds him, what then?" Owen pointed at the baby and then shrugged. "I'm sorry, I wish you luck, but I'm going to have to say no." And with that, the transmission was ended, leaving a devastated Obi-Wan wondering just how everything had gone so so wrong and what he could have done to change things even back then.
Bail Organa had come back to let Obi-Wan know that he had spoken to Padme's family, but had lingered in the background to let him finish his conversation. Bail's heart ached for Obi-Wan and baby Luke as well. Obi-Wan had already lost everything at the hand of the boy he had practically raised, and now came a two-handed punch to the gut. He knew that neither Obi-Wan or Yoda were in any position to raise a child, and he shuddered to think how the poor child would turn out in those circumstances. He had wanted to take in both children, but Master Yoda had been adamant about keeping the twins apart for fear of Palpatine sensing them. He had an idea, suddenly, as horrible as it sounded. He would need to finesse it when they all met again in a few minutes. After all, Luke was as much royalty as his sister, so perhaps the Force was intervening to make sure that their upbringings wouldn't be so disparate.
Bail and Master Yoda sat quietly at the meeting table, Bail respecting Master Yoda's need to process everything that had happened. There had been so much that occurred in such a short amount of time that the poor old man had no time to really take in the enormity of the situation as a whole. He knew that Yoda was old, but he seemed to have aged even further in the last few days and he wondered just how long he would be able to hold on. As if sensing his thoughts, Yoda lifted sad eyes to meet his and gave a weak smile: "Worry for me, you should not, Senator. The Force is my ally, and follow its will I shall. Survive to fulfill the purpose the Force has for me I will."
Obi-Wan entered the room and shook his head once. Master Yoda's ears drooped. "Complicates things, this does. Take the boy I cannot. No place for a baby is Dagobah."
Bail saw his opportunity and waited for just a second so as not to sound too callous or conniving. "I spoke with Senator Amidala's family and alerted them to her death. It seems that her older sister, Sola, was pregnant at the same time and just gave birth to a stillborn child," he said slowly and gently. "I think that we could place Luke with his family and they could raise him as their own. There would be medical records and witnesses to Sola's pregnancy. And even though it's a traumatic time for the Naberries, I can't imagine them not wanting to take in Padme's child," he said very carefully.
"Risky it would be," Yoda said after a moment of internal deliberation. "Naboo, Palpatine's home planet it is."
"Yes, it is," Bail ventured again cautiously. "Could you do what you did with Leia to her brother - block the Force until the necessary time? It's not like you would have been free to train him at leisure anyway…" he trailed off, not wanting to upset the Jedi any further. He also wanted to make sure that the boy would get a say in his future, like Leia, his daughter, would. He didn't like the idea of the children's future being decided beforehand - they were people, not holochess pieces to be used as needed. While he was still on the side of the Jedi, Bail could not help but wonder if their detachment had led them to this place. He hoped that both of Padme's children would be loved and cared for and capable of making their own decisions - not like the broken men before him who knew nothing else but their insular way of life. She would have wanted that for them, he knew that, and he would honor it as best as possible. He knew his little Leia would be loved and want for nothing, and he wanted the same for her brother.
"I suppose it will have to do," a dejected Obi-Wan said finally. "I am in no position to raise a child, nor should anyone want me to, given what has transpired."
"Blame yourself you should not, Master Kenobi," Yoda admonished. "Raise your padawan you did as best you could. His choices - his alone they were. Blame me for Dooku do you, hmm?"
Obi-Wan was taken aback for just a moment and then shook his head, "No Master, but-"
"But nothing," Yoda said as he tapped his gimer stick on the floor. "Worry about the past we cannot. Change it we cannot. Mistakes we made - learn from them we must. Missed the Sith in our midst did we all. Fail the Galaxy did we all. Plenty of blame to share there is. Worry about the present we must now. The future the children are. The Force, guide us it will, as always it has done," he finished emphatically. After a pause, Yoda grunted and heaved himself to the floor. "Check on the children I shall," he said as he hobbled off.
Master Yoda entered the nursery where the newborn twins slept side by side, breathing in sync. He sighed and with an aching heart repeated the process he had already performed on the girl. "Forgive me, I hope that you will. For your own good this is," he said as he raised a gnarled hand and rested it over the baby boy's forehead. The baby twitched a few times and then was still again, his presence in the Force dimming to match that of his sister's. Nondescript, just a small light like so many others already out in the Galaxy. If Palpatine had sensed the twins at any point, the dimming of their lights could have been perceived as their deaths. Perhaps, for the best this is, Yoda thought sadly as he left the nursery and prepared for his long exile.