"You're not a Jedi yet." The boy's voice was steady, but I could feel the roiling energy underneath it. I had felt him wake up almost ten minutes ago, shivering despite the blanket he had been tucked in with, and work up the courage to address me.

In my launch seat, I turned away from the streaking iridescence of hyperspace and smiled at him. "Not a Knight, yet, but already a Jedi. Padawan learners are considered Jedi, although we don't yet have the full authority of the Order."

"But you're already so old. Does it have to take that long to be a Jedi Knight?" His eager, positive energy was infectious; just being near him made it difficult to stay still.

"Not at all. You are a learner as long as you need to be, to gain the wisdom and skill needed to be a Knight. A month or a hundred years, whatever it takes."

"Why is it taking you so long?"

I couldn't stifle my broad grin. "Because when I take the Trials, I will no longer be entitled to travel with Qui-Gon. And he is the man I have needed to learn from."

Anakin's face was a caricature of seriousness. "Are the Trials hard?"

"For some," I leaned in conspiratorially, "but not for us."

"How d'you know? About me, I mean." Not only did Anakin make no move to back off, but I could tell he was resisting the urge to get closer, to lay a hand on me - a natural act for a boy his age, and one I suspected had been beaten out of him. I could sense that underlying wariness in the back of his mind, that concern that a fist or foot (or webbed claw) might head his direction at any time. But his Force senses were already well-honed, if instinctual, and he felt no threat from me.

"C'mere, buddy," I said, laying back in the seat and opening my arms. He didn't hesitate; he climbed up onto my left leg and wrapped an arm behind my shoulder. I gave him a quick hug and left one arm wrapped around him. I could feel his heart thrill at the positive, comforting human touch - something that he usually would have felt from his mother only.

I knew that this little tableau was all Adam, rather than Ben. Seven years wasn't long enough to forget the unique joys of being a father, and it was still a difficult loss, knowing that I would never see my boys grow up. My youngest - the one who always wanted Daddy, day or night, joy or pain - would be the same age that Anakin is now.

But a moment was all I could spend on that, because the boy in front of me was not him, and what he needed from me was different.

"I'm what the Jedi call a Seer," I spoke kindly, my eyes mere inches from his. "I see visions of a possible future."

"I'm in them?" He wiggled a bit, getting comfortable; I had a lot less padding to offer him than I used to.

"Yes. You become a powerful Jedi Knight in my visions. I'm sure Qui-Gon has already told you how strong you are with the Force."

"He says I will be a great Jedi! The best!" He squeaked in his excitement.

"Yes, if that's what you choose to do." I pulled him back a bit with my arm to make sure he could see my face. "You will not have to train hard to be powerful, but you will have to train hard to use your power wisely."

Anakin nodded, and then cocked his head to the side. "You freed me and Momma. Why didn't you free the other slaves?" The question came with a wave of anger and frustration, directed not at me, but at things in his memory.

"I'm not powerful enough to do that," I explained simply.

"Sure you are!" He slid down off my leg and stepped back, bouncing and swinging his arms. "You killed Watto. You could have gone and killed the Hutts, too, and then their slaves would have been freed! Jedi can do anything!"

I kept the welcoming smile on my face but recentered my emotions to clear and neutral as I answered. "I could have killed Jabba and the local members of the Desilijic clan, yes. Probably even freed many of the current slaves," the boy nodded enthusiastically at this, "but the Hutts have vast resources, and would have quickly arrived in force to retaliate. If they bothered to leave Tatooine habitable, it would only be to take a hundred times as many slaves." I felt Anakin's confusion and anger at this.

"No, if you want to free the slaves on Tatooine, you need to either put the planet under control of a syndicate that prohibits it, or restore Republic influence to the Outer Rim." I looked at him. "Or maybe you'll come up with a third solution."

"Jedi fight for the Republic, right? So that's a good solution. Restore Republic influence," he offered.

I shook my head. "Jedi fight for what is right. Not for any name or group. Not even for 'the law,' or 'the people.'"

Anakin frowned. "No, Jedi fight for the Republic. Everybody says so. That's why the Republic always wins."

"The Order serves the Republic because they believe it to be right, but their highest loyalty is to the Force and the good of the Galaxy," I countered.

"How do you know what that is? If it's not the law, then what is it?"

I nodded. "That's one of the hard questions. Often, what is good is the law. But not always. And knowing what that is… that's what wisdom is for."

Anakin looked somber. He eyed my knee. I slapped it and spread my arms again.

This time, when he climbed up on me, I scooped his legs up so he fell across me, and hugged his head to my shoulder. He squirmed for a minute, then sighed as he settled in.

"Let me tell you a story," I began, "about a man named Vader."