Confrontations
A soft breeze blew the calla lilies as it swept through the garden. Amidst the white calla lilies, small yellow flowers bloomed. Blue butterflies hovered over the flowers as Obi Wan sat in quiet reflection while he waited for Qui Gon.
Obi Wan focused on the blue butterfly which sat on his palm. He watched as its wings slowly opened and closed. He steadied his breath to match the butterfly.
He felt Qui Gon approach through the Force.
"Master? How does one retain their consciousness in the Force after they die, like you have been able to do?"
Qui Gon nodded thoughtfully. "I learned from the priestesses of the Force, as Master Yoda is doing. There are other ways, though."
"What other ways, Master?" Obi Wan asked. The butterfly flew away to land on one of the blooming flowers.
"A lesson for another time, perhaps," Qui Gon responded.
Obi Wan could tell Qui Gon was not ready to teach that particular lesson. Or perhaps, Qui Gon felt he was not ready to learn it yet. "I will be patient, Master."
#
He watched the Lars homestead from afar. In the past weeks since Lydia told him of her fears regarding Luke, he had been paying closer attention to the homestead during his meditations. All was well today. Everything was quiet. However, he felt he must address the issue of Luke's training with Owen.
The suns beat down on his auburn hair as he gently steered the eopie towards the homestead. The boy was turning two years old soon. It was time.
Obi Wan tethered the eopie outside of the homestead. He rang the chime and waited.
He heard the sound of an excited toddler running to greet him, with an exasperated Beru following. "Wait, Luke!"
Obi Wan stifled a smile. 'Already like his father,' he thought.
"Oooobbee!" Luke yelled as Beru gathered him into her arms.
"Luke, you can not go running towards the door! Quiet, now, please." Beru looked up from the small boy in her arms to see Obi Wan smiling down at her.
"Good day, Beru. Is it a good time? I was hoping to discuss a few things with you and Owen." Obi Wan slid his hands inside of his robe while he waited for her to respond.
"Ben. Please, do come in. Would you like some tea? Owen should be back any minute now. He went out to check the vaporators this morning." Beru beckoned him to follow her into the homestead. She set Luke down in the inner courtyard.
Luke toddled over to him and tugged on his robe. Obi Wan looked down to see the small boy with his arms raised up high. Obi Wan chuckled as he lifted the small boy into his arms.
"Hello there, little Luke. Staying out of trouble, are you?"
Beru returned from the kitchen. "The tea should be ready in a few minutes. What brings you out this way, Ben?"
Obi Wan patted Luke on the back before placing him back down. Luke toddled off back towards his play area with his toys. "I just thought I'd check in and see how you were doing." He nodded towards Luke, "with him now being a couple of years old, I thought perhaps his force abilities might be starting to show themselves."
"Whether they are or not, that's none of your concern." Owen said, his voice boomed across the courtyard.
Obi Wan bowed respectfully to Owen as the younger man walked into the inner courtyard. "I beg to differ, Owen. I believe that it is my concern. I could be of great use to you and Beru, if he has started showing signs of being force-sensitive."
Beru glanced back and forth between the two men nervously. "I'll go check on the tea."
"What are you doing here, Kenobi?" Owen wiped his hands onto a rag, then stuffed it into one of his pockets.
"I've come to start Luke's training. I believe it's time." Obi Wan glanced back to the toddler who was sitting happily on a rug playing with one of his starship toys.
Owen shook his head. "You mean to tell me that you bring us this child, only to come back and take him away? I don't think so, Kenobi."
Obi Wan frowned. "Of course not, Owen. You misunderstand me. I would not be taking the child away from you and Beru. I would only be coming to train him for a few hours a day, at most. He's far too young to train longer than that."
Owen grunted. "He's far too young. Period."
"Then the boy hasn't shown any signs of using the force?" Obi Wan asked. "I find that hard to believe, given his father's talents."
"Whether he has or hasn't, that's none of your concern. He's our child now. And, he won't be a Jedi like his father." Owen stated harshly.
"I see. I am sorry you feel that way." Obi Wan shook his head sadly. "If you change your mind…"
"We won't." Owen said as he crossed his arms over his chest defensively.
Obi Wan sighed. "I see. Very well then." He glanced again at Luke before bowing to Owen and walking calmly out of the homestead. As he mounted astride the eopie, he could hear Luke's cries. 'No, they have made their decision. I cannot change that,' he thought sadly as he rode back across the desert sands towards his small hut.
#
Beru walked out of the kitchen carrying a tray loaded down with the tea pot, cups and a plate of biscuits. "Where's Ben?" She asked as she glanced around the courtyard.
"He just left." Owen said as he marched across the courtyard to the garage.
She frowned as she set the tea tray on the dining table. She stopped to pick up Luke from his play mat before heading into the garage. Luke carried his toy starship in his arm, tucked close to his side. He had tears streaming down his plump cheeks. She patted him on the back, making soothing shushing sounds, while the boy cried.
"Left? But he wanted to talk with us about Luke!" She said as she entered the garage.
"Yes, and we discussed him." Owen grumbled.
"Owen! What did he say?"
"He wants to start training the boy." Owen leaned against the workbench.
Beru stopped short. She felt as if her heart froze. "He wanted to take him away?"
"No," Owen replied. "He said it would only be for a few hours a day, at most."
Beru breathed out a sigh of relief. She pulled Luke closer to her, and kissed the top of his head. "Oh. Well, when does he want to start?"
"I told him no, Beru." Owen murmured softly.
"What? You told him no?" Beru couldn't believe her ears. Owen knew how scared she was of Luke using his force abilities and getting lost. "Luke needs to learn how to control it, Owen!"
Owen slammed the hydospanner down on the workbench. "We can teach him that!"
Beru shook her head. "No, Owen, we can't! We don't know the first thing about how the force works! Luke needs to learn from him! He's going to be a Jedi when he grows up!"
"No, he won't! He'll be a farmer like me!" Owen yelled. "Remember what happened to Anakin? That Sand People Village? You want our boy to grow up to be a Jedi, like his father?"
"Lower your voice, Owen. We shouldn't argue in front of him, it's not right." Beru released a shaky breath she had been holding. "Of course, I remember! How could I forget the look on his face when he returned carrying Shmi's body? But, I also know Luke has a lot of his father in him! He needs to learn, and we can't teach him. Only Ben can."
"Well, I said no, and that's that. Luke will be a farmer when he grows up. He'll forget about being able to use the force. It's for his own good and safety." He sighed deeply. He spoke softly. "Beru, you know as well as I do that the Empire is hunting Jedi as we speak. If we allow him to train to become a Jedi, like Anakin, he'll meet his father's fate. No, no training, Beru." Owen picked up the hydrospanner and started back to work.
Beru shook her head as she patted the little boy on his back. She could tell Owen was done discussing it, but she wasn't ready to give up on the subject just yet.
#
Owen leaned heavily against the workbench as he listened to Beru's footsteps recede from the garage. He sighed deeply as he set the hydrospanner down and rubbed his fingers over his face. 'Damn, Kenobi,' he thought as he played back the argument he just had with Beru in his head.
She had always wanted a child, but it seemed they were plagued with infertility problems from the beginning of their marriage, having miscarriage after miscarriage. When the Jedi master had first contacted them regarding Luke, Owen thought it was a dream come true.
They had just returned from Mos Espa, where they had a consultation with a fertility clinic when Owen heard his comlink chime. He looked in confusion at Beru when he heard the unfamiliar crisp Coruscanti accent come over the comlink.
"Mr. Lars. This is Ben Kenobi. I'm afraid I have some bad news." The voice said.
"This is Owen. Ben Kenobi? I'm sorry, but do I know you?" He asked as Beru looked on in confusion.
"No, I'm afraid we have never met before. Your step-brother was a close friend of mine."
Anakin.
"Yes, go on." Owen said slowly.
"I'm sorry to say that… Anakin has been killed defending the Jedi temple on Coruscant." The voice seemed to tremble slightly, and was quiet for a long moment.
Owen swallowed hard as he closed his eyes in sorrow. While he had only met his step-brother once, the young man had made a deep impression upon him. "I'm sorry to hear this too." Beru stepped closer and placed her hands on his shoulder in support.
"Mr. Lars, I'm afraid there's more." The voice hesitated. "I don't know quite how to say this. Anakin's wife has died in childbirth. The baby, a boy she named Luke, is alive and healthy, but is in need of a family."
Beru's breath caught in her throat. She looked at Owen with hope in her eyes. Owen nodded at the unasked question that hovered between them. "Yes, we will take him in. He will be loved here."
"I was hoping you would say that. I'm on my way to Tatooine now. I apologize for using a cloaked signal. It is a dangerous time to be a Jedi. I did not want to take any chances that would place the baby in danger. I should reach Tatooine by tomorrow evening. I'll bring the child out to your homestead." The voice stated. Owen thought he heard a twinge of sadness in the man's voice, but at the beaming look he received from his wife, he placed it from his mind.
A child. It seemed as if the Force had answered their prayers.
#
Lydia set the mug of tea at Ben's side. "How did it go at the Lars place today?" She asked gently.
"It didn't, I'm afraid." Obi Wan picked up the mug and sipped the hot drink carefully. "Owen wants no part of Luke being trained in the ways of the Force."
She frowned as she curled up on the couch beside him. "What are you going to do?"
Obi Wan frowned as he sat in deep thought. He was silent for several minutes.
"I will have to wait until he changes his mind. Until then, I'll keep watching from afar, making sure the child is safe."
She placed her hand over his. "I'll do what I can to help, as well. I make regular deliveries out to their place. Plus, Beru and I are friends. Between the two of us, we'll watch over him."
Obi Wan reached over and cupped her cheek gently in his hand. He leaned over and kissed her softly. He rested his forehead against hers as he murmured his thanks.