Eighteen months later

The day dawned with a pale blue sky, as the suns were just about to peep over the horizon. Luke woke up with a jolt, as though he needed to get up and do something. Luke crept upstairs and grabbed his day shoes before he exited the home complex. He got a feeling that something wasn't right and that it was coming from where the Security Hut and the perimeter shield displays were, as well as the defences for the house. Running across the compound Luke quickly grabbed his foot stool and placed it under the old fashioned key pad and reached up to enter the code, Aunt Beru's Life-Date, then rushed into the tiny room.

As soon as he entered, Luke realised that the signal for the eastern perimeter shield was flashing a brilliant red and a faint high-pitched wail could be heard. Frowning, Luke checked the wiring of the siren and realised that a baby womp rat must have chewed a coupling, as the siren was meant to wake up the whole household. Luke rushed over to the spare parts drawer and quickly pulled out some wires that still looked good and did a rough patch job on the wires. He had a strong urge that he needed to hurry. At the blaring sound of the alarm, Luke clapped his hand over his ears and tried to block out the ruckus. Knowing that his Uncle would now be awake and alert, he turned his attention to the shield display and realised that Tuskens were trying to get through. He knew that his uncle wouldn't come in time to stop them, so acting on instinct, Luke powered up the emergency generator and tweaked a few dials and display charts until he felt they were right, and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the shields were all in the green. Turning to leave Luke almost got run over by his very out-of-breath Uncle who had just come crashing into the room. Luke froze when he saw his Uncle's face go from worry, to disbelief and finally to anger, and he slowly sank back against the wall as his Uncle stalked further into the room.

Owen was feeling frantic with worry as he rushed towards the Security Hut. He and Beru couldn't find Luke anywhere and he could tell there were over a dozen Tuskens outside the perimeter shield. The tribe closest to the farm hadn't tried an attack of this magnitude in at least four seasons. They had obviously gotten bolder. Owen crashed through the door desperate to strengthen the shields, knowing that the standard levels wouldn't be enough but he pulled up short at the sight before him. Luke was standing in front of him looking pale, terrified and guilty. Automatically believing that the guilty look meant that Luke had broken something, thinking that his nephew had somehow damaged the shields Owen opened his mouth to rip him a new one, but before he could, Luke silently pointed to the perimeter cams. Turning around Owen paled when he saw the number of Tuskens trying to get in - a lot more than a dozen: squinting at the display Owen saw that there were too many Tusken males for one tribe; they had apparently cooperated, an almost unheard of occurrence. Narrowing his eyes at Luke, he told him to run back to the Home Complex and try and calm down his aunt, who was hysterical after not finding the three year old in his room.

After watching his nephew leave the Hut Owen sagged down on the nearest horizontal surface and shuddered in relief; that had been too close for comfort, believing that he had lost another family member to those monsters. Owen stood up, banishing the dark thoughts from his mind and turned to the displays behind him. Disbelief washed through him for a second time in minutes as he saw the shield displays; they were better than anything he could have calibrated on a good day, let alone under stress. Owen fought the urge to pinch himself as he looked again, really studying the display looking for any weakness in the strength, duration, power and flexibility ranges. There weren't any. Not a single flaw, everything was layered perfectly. Owen glanced around the room to double check he was alone and that there wasn't a technical droid in the room. He was alone.

Owen felt himself slide down onto the bench again, suddenly feeling drained from the early morning excitement and revelations. His nephew was a genius when it came to machines. Sure, he had seen the gadgets and odds and ends in his room, had seen Luke offering to help fix the kitchen appliances for Beru, but somehow he had never really taken the time to sit with his nephew and encourage his skills. There was always a demand for engineers and mechanics in the galaxy and if Luke kept working on his skills he could be brilliant in his field.Hang on... was he planning the career of a three and a half year old? Since when had he been concerned about Luke's far off future? A darker part of him whispered that he was always afraid; ever since he had heard the truth about his stepbrother, Luke's father. And about what really happened to the Jedi; about the Emperor and the new Darth Vader. He had been afraid for Luke and a tiny bit of him admitted he was afraid of him, the power he possessed, a power he could never have. Owen had only seen Anakin in his nephew, until now, he had never bothered to see the Padme in him. Resolving to himself that he would give Luke a bit more guidance and understanding, especially after this morning, Owen left the Hut after one more glance at the displays to see that the power levels were holding. He followed in his nephew's footsteps as he made his way to the Home Complex.

Walking into the Home Complex Luke was frightened at what his Aunt would say to him, given his Uncle's reaction in the Hut. He shouldn't have worried as Aunt Beru gave him the biggest hug that he could remember. He could feel her trembling as she held onto him for dear life. After at least a minute had passed, Luke slowly eased his way out of his Aunt's embrace a little overwhelmed. His Aunt gave Luke a tremulous smile as she wiped her eyes. "Sorry, I'm a little shaky, I thought that the Tuskens had somehow gotten you like-", she quickly cut herself off as if realising she was about to say something she shouldn't. Turning back towards the kitchen she asked Luke if he wanted a snack before his Uncle came back in. Luke agreed after thinking that his Uncle might ground him for the rest of his life. He wouldn't want to start his punishment on an empty stomach if he could help it. He was just sitting down to his Blue milk and sweet thin-crisp when his Uncle walked slowly into the room, apparently deep in thought. He exchanged significant glances and a slight nod with Beru before he sat down opposite Luke. Luke immediately glanced down at his hands and bit his lip, trying to think of an excuse for being up way earlier than normal. Before he could start, however, his Uncle spoke.

"Luke, I want you to know that I am not angry with you for what you did, but I do want the whole truth from you and I promise I won't get upset." He paused as Aunt Beru placed a glass of something steaming in front of him. "In fact I'm very proud of your actions this morning; you most likely saved our lives." He gave Luke a firm look that said he was expecting a response. Shaking off the surprise he felt at his Uncle's words Luke explained everything. He told his Aunt and Uncle about the feeling he got that told him something was urgent, that he just knew they were in danger and that he could fix the problem in the Security Hut. That it wasn't until he saw the perimeter cams that he knew there were Tuskens trying to raid them. He told them how the siren wasn't working and that he did a quick patch job then fiddled with the dials until the right feeling came back. His aunt stared at him from her place beside Uncle Owen, her face pale, and she turned quickly to her husband to confirm the amazing story. Luke saw his uncle give a brief nod to Aunt Beru before leaning back in his chair.

"Luke, will you excuse us for a little while? I need to talk to your Aunt in private." Luke got up from his chair with a heavy heart believing they were going to punish him. As he was walking towards his room he felt a sort of warm feeling rushing into his chest. It was a feeling that he was used to; it always followed some sort of weirdness that he did. Whether it was knowing where something was that he shouldn't or taking a different way to the canyon after school when looking for junk the Jawas hadn't found yet or getting flashes of what others were feeling. It had always felt like he belonged and that it was just right. Hopefully he wouldn't be grounded for the whole of his life, maybe just the summer. Flopping down on his conform-bed Luke distracted himself with the thought that the lessons they were going to do next year would be so cool. They would be studying an extra language, Corellian, and more importantly they were going to study the Jedi and the Clone Wars in-depth. Those subjects he was particularly interested in as the Clone Wars had ended around the time he was born.

Sighing, Luke rolled over to reach for his latest speeder holomag but abruptly froze as he got the feeling that he was being watched. It seemed familiar, but he couldn't remember why. Looking around his room he saw there was nobody there. Feeling a little scared, Luke got up and opened the door, only to come face to face with his aunt, carrying a breakfast tray. Luke smiled in relief as he saw her and quickly ran back to his bed, his aunt laughing at his eagerness.

"I don't know what it is with boys and food but your manners always seem to improve at the sight of a good meal." She laughed as she placed the tray on Luke's lap. Luke grinned at her as he tucked into his much-anticipated breakfast, as all the morning's excitement had made him ravenous despite the snack he had earlier.

"Your uncle said he would be out all morning but that he expects your help in the garage this afternoon to fix up the land speeder," Aunt Beru explained. "He said he would have a talk with you after supper tonight." With that said Beru got up and took the now empty tray intending to finish the jobs she was supposed to have done already, before all the excitement began.

As soon as his aunt left, Luke had that strange feeling of being watched flood through him again making the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. Luke slowly looked around the room and was startled when he spied a glowing blue man in the corner of his room. He looked familiar but Luke couldn't remember where he had seen him before.

"Hello, Luke. I didn't think you would remember me straight away, as it has been almost a year and a half since we last spoke. My name is Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and I am here to teach you the ways of The Force." At the mention of the word Jedi Luke immediately thought back to the dream he had of the blue people ages ago, "So you're really real? It wasn't just a dream? I can really be a Jedi with a laser-sword!" Luke asked hopefully, eyes wide with excitement.

"No, Luke, it wasn't a dream. In time, I foresee you will be a great Jedi like your father before you," Qui-Gon replied, a soft smile on his face. "But first we need to find a safe place to practice." He knew it was a lot to ask of Luke, but he was going to be privately trained by some of the best Jedi in history, and Qui-Gon could sense that Luke was as strong in the Force as his father was. It is probably a good thing that Luke inherited much of his mother's character; it would help him in his diplomacy lessons, Anakin hadn't been known for his patience.

"When will I be able to start?" Luke asked excitedly. Qui-Gon then told him that he and some other Jedi were planning to train him to be a Jedi like his father and a diplomat like his mother. Qui-Gon said that his last apprentice was known as "the negotiator" because he was a very good diplomat as well as a great Jedi. He explained that the Jedi were peacekeepers and that they needed to be able to negotiate and fight. His mother had been a really important member in the senate before she died. Luke hoped that being the best Jedi and negotiator would make both his parents proud.

Qui-Gon, seeing the look in Luke's eyes, smiled. It was the same look that Anakin had before he raced in the Boonta Eve Classic.

Luke was going to be an incredible Jedi.

"Patience, my young padawan, don't get too carried away; you have to be able to feel the Force before you start using it. Do not be fooled, the path of a Jedi is a hard one to walk. However, I need to introduce you to a friend of mine who is going to be teaching you how to hide yourself in the Force so no one can find you. Her name is Nomi Sunrider and she is a really important Jedi who was their leader millennia ago, so be on your best behaviour." Qui-Gon replied. It would be no good training the next generation of Jedi only to be discovered by the Sith. "But first we must take a trip out near the Jundland wastes, where there is a place that is shrouded from the Force, where you can learn to use it without being sensed. There we will work on your cloaking technique with Master Sunrider," Qui-Gon explained.

As he opened himself up to the Force, something that was almost effortless in his current state, he sensed that Beru was busy in another section of the complex and that Owen was indeed heading towards his former padawan's home. Luke should be able to take the old speeder for a few hours unnoticed. Qui-Gon told Luke to head towards the garage and get the old speeder out, while he went to see if he could persuade Beru to be occupied for some time. The technique was frowned upon by the other traditional Jedi back when Qui-Gon was still living, but that hadn't stopped Qui-Gon.

Appearing in the garage with a thought, the former master could see that Luke had been distracted. The three year old had uncovered the speeder but had obviously seen the metal rod lying near-by and was now trying to wield it as a crude lightsaber. Smiling slightly at the enthusiasm, Qui-Gon addressed Luke, "I admire your eagerness, Padawan Skywalker, but there is plenty of time to learn the ways of the lightsaber, if you are patient. But first we need to meet Master Sunrider for your instruction."

Hearing this Luke sat up straighter and tried not to look too excited. This would after all be his first lesson in his Jedi training.

"Yes, Master Qui-Gon," he said as he went through the warm up sequence on the speeder, his natural talent with anything flyable obvious even as a almost-four year old. He plotted in the coordinates that Master Qui-Gon told him and quickly took off, eager to start his lesson.

A/N I know Luke seems a little young to be at school, however Padme was doing extended studies at 12 and Queen at 14 so I believe the Star Wars universe has more advanced schooling and starts young. But that's just my opinion, the star wars universe belongs to Disney and George Lucas.