As the years passed, a curious thing happened. The Empire's tendrils were everywhere and it seemed the Dark Side had more influence than ever, yet somehow my sight was clearing. Again I could sense the future, the past, and events far away, with more certainty than I ever had—even as a Padawan, before the wars began.
What I saw terrified me.
I saw smoke billowing from civilian houses on dozens of systems. I saw explosions in space, larger and more destructive than any I'd seen in the Clone Wars. I saw young men—teenagers—immolated in dying cockpits, and monstrous troop movers stomping over innocent heads. I saw children starving as soldiers laughed and mocked them for begging.
The visions got stronger and more frightening as Luke got older. At night, I would frequently dream that the whole world had turned to flame. Time and again, I sensed the loss of millions of people, wiped out in an instant. That was confusing, but felt all too real.
I told myself that most visions only showed futures that could be, not ones that absolutely would. That helped me continue living. But there were certain events that I saw over and over, slightly different but always recognizable. Those were the ones I knew I couldn't avoid.
For one, Owen and Beru Lars would die before their time, at the hands of the Empire. The exact circumstances were still unclear. For another, Luke would become a Rebel. For a third, before I died physically, I would confront Darth Vader once more. We would fight. I knew, years in advance, that I would not walk away from that battle.
By then, though, I had no reason to fear death.
I saw plenty of futures worth fearing. I saw Luke perverting the power of the Force to crush a woman's windpipe. I saw Stormtroopers on Tatooine, terrorizing the population into line after the Empire seized their property and enslaved them. I saw Darth Vader at the Lars homestead, dragging Luke away and vaporizing his home. I saw Luke die—in battle, by assassination, in bed with a poisonous woman. I saw the Dark Side taking over the Force, choking all that was good until no one remembered that Light had ever existed.
I searched each vision for a path through the darkness and into the light. After many attempts, I finally saw that the only good futures were ones where the Emperor and Darth Vader both died. That gave me hope, but presented problems of its own. Yoda and I had not been able to slay either monster. Would Luke ever be strong enough? After nineteen years on Tatooine, I still didn't know.
One morning I woke up and I sensed two very important things. First, Luke Skywalker was heading for the Jungland Wastes, in some haste. That was enough to make me jump out of bed and dress in record time. I was halfway to my door before the full meaning of the second thing I sensed struck me.
The Stormtroopers have come.
That touched off a terrible war within my soul. Every instinct I had wanted to run for the Lars homestead as fast as I could, lightsaber in hand, ready to fight. Beru and Owen clearly stood no chance against the Empire, whereas I knew Imperial procedure, discipline, tactics—hell, I'd invented some of the Empire's favorite tricks. The Lars's wouldn't even put up a decent fight without my help.
On the other hand, I was nearly an hour's journey away from their home. I was fifty-six. I knew Luke was coming to me, which mean he was safe. If I met Luke on the way and convinced him to take me back to the homestead as fast as a speeder could go, I'd be too late to save his aunt and uncle and exactly on time to get him captured.
There was nothing I could do except pray. Forgive me, Beru and Owen. You have done well. I will protect your son now.
I armed myself and headed out to find Luke. He was safe from the Empire out here, but it was hardly the only danger in the universe.
I sensed his parents' death at roughly the same time I spotted his unconscious body surrounded by sand people.