Author's Note: Hello! This is my first public fanfic! This story was inspired by Jason Fry's Weapon of a Jedi, a 2015 YA Canon novel that's part of the "Journey to The Force Awakens" tie-in series. I recommend checking it out! A few of Obi-Wan's lines in this story are taken directly from WoaJ. I was touched by Luke's characterization and his memories of Obi-Wan, and the mental images those passages conjured wouldn't leave me, so I just had to write them down. Hope you enjoy, and MTFBWY -EN.
Update: fixed formatting
End of Exile
Beneath the setting suns of Tatooine, the last of the Jedi taught the first of the new. Old Ben Kenobi sat cross-legged on the sandy floor, watching Luke Skywalker as the younger man attempted his first guided meditation. "A Jedi must let go of his fear before he can clear his mind, for fear leads to anger, and therein waits the temptation of the Dark Side," Ben said. He softened his tone. "I know, Luke, you're angry at the Empire..." Gently now, he thought. Let him process. He's been through so much.
"I won't let it get in the way," Luke said quietly, eyes closed.
"Honor your feelings and grieve. When you are ready, release your pain and begin."
"I'll try." Despite his doubts, the young man was already beginning to recognize his innate power, and the great potential that grew from it, potential Ben had seen only in Anakin. Like his father before him, Luke would be a beacon in the Force...or a vortex of its dark side. Their shared anger tugged at Luke's heart, intermixed with such ache.
"There," Ben said, recognizing the shift in energy around Luke, an aura he hadn't felt in years. A part of him thrilled inside at finally feeling Luke reach for the Force and have it respond. "Focus on the emotions uppermost in your mind. Feel them, and be honest with yourself on how they affect you. Do not hide anything." He closed his own eyes and mentally observed his new student. "Let each of them go, in turn, submitting yourself to the life energy around you. Make yourself an empty vessel. Only then shall the Force fill you."
Luke complied, and from what Ben sensed in him, was evidently unsure that surrender to the emotionless universe could bring peace. But it always did. Even on a planet as harsh as Tatooine.
A distant part of old Ben Kenobi contrasted his view of the Force with his adversary, Darth Maul. The Sith would've leaned into Luke's pain - and coax such terrible power from him. As it stood, Ben could only focus on this first lesson, guiding the boy for the rest of the evening, and hopefully begin to foster an approach of patience and discipline.
While Luke tried to meditate, Ben went over his belongings. He'd possessed nothing of any worth to trade for a transport, but he had some credits stashed away for just this purpose. Overall he'd gathered few supplies, mostly for teaching. Twenty years of vigil and little but the boy had value. He cursed himself again. I should've known the Empire would intercept Leia. Even in the Outer Rim she was famous for her stand against the Empire. Now they had to embark on a private craft and take any number of risks...
His thoughts of the future drawing him from the present, Ben centered himself by way of further instruction. This is what the Force wills. Pay attention.
"Even the eldest and wisest Jedi Masters had to dedicate their life to meditation. Enlightenment does not come easily. And excellence does not arrive in a day. Take some pleasure in the exercise, but let the Force be your guide. Do not presume to guide it." He was giving Luke a lot to take in. I ought to slow down. There'll be plenty of time to teach. A more practical lesson might be in order.
Running the basic lightsaber forms and reflex drills would be Luke's next challenge. He'd be excited to use such an exotic weapon, one of near-myth, and the last physical link to his father.
"The fundamentals are important, as they are with any skill, but doubly so for the wielding of a lightsaber," Ben was facing Luke, some three meters apart, in the basement of the abandoned house where they'd taken shelter. The lightsaber likely wouldn't draw any attention in the ruined tenements of Bestine, as they were so sparsely populated, but Ben hadn't lived this long by taking chances.
"My own master kept me focused on the basics so I was able to perform them instinctively. From there, I immersed myself in the Force, ready for anything." Luke seemed awed. He undercut it with, "Hard to believe you were ever just a student."
"And at your age I wouldn't believe I'd become a Master." Or the last of the Jedi. Another weight settled on Ben and yoked him. He turned to glibness to relieve the pressure. "Of course that was back when Tatooine was mostly ocean." That earned a smile from Luke which quickly faded. "I didn't think I'd ever leave Tatooine. Or that you would, either."
"The way of life is change." Speaking of the past, Ben expected no end of questions from Luke about his father. He could answer more truthfully than Owen, but he wasn't up for the challenge if Luke inquired after Vader. No questions came. Luke seemed more concerned this evening with the family he'd just lost than the family he never had. Instead, perhaps already sensing Ben's anxiety, he stood ready. Ben nodded, and Luke thumbed the saber's activation switch with a heavy hand, feet splayed and knees bent. He took one more look at Ben and adjusted, shaking his shoulders out. The lightsaber thrummed with unbridled energy. A heart of kyber and the will of the Force guided the weapon, calling out the siren-song of destiny to its champion.
The blue-bladed lightsaber was Anakin's second, after losing his first - and his hand - to Geonosis, quite close to Tatooine. Constructed just before his ascension to Knighthood, the weapon had seen the length and breadth of the Clone Wars, felling droids and CIS soldiers from Christophsis to Coruscant. And it had even been used for incredible devastation - to slaughter the Jedi in their holy temple, murder the Separatist Council on Mustafar, and duel Ben himself before he dispatched Anakin - without striking a killing blow, leaving his former friend to a terrible death. The moment he had destroyed Luke's father and took the blade haunted him every night. Thank the Force Luke had only the faintest idea of the weapon's history - or he might very well turn it on Ben. It cut through the cooling air, sizzled brighter than the twin suns, and at rest was quieter than the whisper of wind on sand, already adjusting to its new owner.
Luke went through the basic lightsaber stances and motions in Form I - advance, retreat, parry, strike, deflect - as Ben showed him with his own saber side-by-side. They practiced the fundamentals for a dozen minutes or so, then shifted to a quick lesson in the other Forms, with a particular emphasis on Form V. He explained it to Luke as his father's form - that was the truth - and the boy's eyes widened. Luke took to the lesson with more vigor than before.
Ben used his lightsaber so rarely he fancied a bit of sparring, despite Luke's current lack of skill. But then he remembered the last time he wielded his blade against another's, in a duel against Maul, and wished Luke to never go near such danger…despite the fact he may have to face down Vader in the next few years. But Ben would be with him, as would Leia. So he kept him through the paces.
"Again."
Sweat beaded Luke's forehead, and his breath grew labored over almost an hour of constant drill, yet doggedly he persisted, ever-poised for more action. Farm chores were a far cry from swordsmanship, but when he set his mind to something, he endured and saw it finished. He'd inherited that stubbornness from his parents and the Lars.
"Enough."
Wordlessly, Luke released his stance and dropped to the ground, exhausted. He drank some water next to a congratulatory R2, then nibbled at rations, trying to eye Ben's reactions discreetly. When the older man gave no response, he asked outright. "How did I do?"
"For a first lesson, splendidly." Ben ventured a comment he wasn't sure of. "Your father's lightsaber suits you." "I'm not used to it yet," Luke said, clipping the saber to his belt. "Soon its weight shall be familiar to you - the burden and blessing all Jedi are bestowed. That weapon is your life. A true Jedi needs no other." Luke nodded solemnly, then held the lightsaber a little tighter against himself.
Perhaps for a young man who had just witnessed much death, Ben thought he should've focused on the more peaceful aspects of a Jedi's work. But Luke had to defeat the Sith and restore freedom to the galaxy. That called for a warrior greater than all the rest. One who should've been guided from infancy, like the Jedi of old.
Not for the first time, Ben wondered how Master Yoda would train Luke. No doubt he would continue the twins' journey when the Rebellion could afford their absence, but those crucial first steps and first battles would fall to himself alone. Qui-Gon had offered his own wisdom during their communion, reassuring Ben to trust his instincts. Ben, of course, had his doubts after failing Anakin so deeply. Why must it be me? He had often bemoaned. Potential fellow students were dead or indisposed; reading between the lines of HoloNet propaganda, Ben had gathered that Ezra Bridger was missing and Caleb Dume was dead. Ahsoka had no doubt been killed during the Purge - none could help Luke now. At least with Leia they'll balance each other. Any member of the HIgh Council or the more illustrious Masters could instruct the young Skywalker far better than Old Ben Kenobi, a half-dead hermit whose time had passed long ago. Aayla Secura, Shaak Ti, Taron Malicos, Plo Koon - Depa Billaba, if she had taken Luke as a Padawan when he was the same age as Caleb - all could shape Luke into the man he needed to become. Yet all had perished save for Obi-Wan Kenobi. The one man Anakin Skywalker loved and came to hate more than every being in the galaxy...except Palpatine. Darth Sidious. The death of the Jedi was too high a price to pay to stop Sidious, and it hadn't been enough. Now their deaths were a dark debt, the only counter preventing the Emperor from securing Luke or Leia. The galaxy's last hopes...
Kenobi was too close to the Skywalker bloodline, too attached to the end of the Order. Yet an apprentice this powerful - the true Chosen One - couldn't be passed on to another. Qui-Gon had done that out of necessity and it set in motion... No, he wouldn't dwell again. This was his duty. And he would see it fulfilled.
While ruminating Ben had missed some conversation he wanted to hear. He'd spent so little time with the boy, and when he did he only barely hinted at the Force so as to not incur Owen's overprotective wrath. He was interested in all Luke had to say and hoped it would give insight to the man he was becoming, the Jedi Knight he was destined to be. No, even that isn't certain. He could claim the other half of his paternal birthright and become...Sith. A new Dark Lord. Ben suppressed a shudder. Luke seemed so gentle now, innocent, but hadn't Anakin been the same way as a child? And now Luke was the same age losing his family as Anakin lost his mother. An undercurrent of darkness rushed in the soul of the young Skywalker. Soon, he would shape the fate of the galaxy, for good or ill. Now, at least, he was involved in the mundane, tinkering with C-3PO. Considering R2's presence, Ben was absolutely certain this protocol droid was the very same Anakin built in his childhood. The Force had seen fit to unite the creation with the son of his maker. Leaning against the landspeeder, C-3PO propped up his damaged arm for Luke to work on. It appeared he was providing information to his new owner. Ben recalled the droid loved to talk.
"...well, of course! Thank you. And indeed, sir, if my memory banks are reliable, an Imperial garrison was stationed not too far from this system - though I believe their numbers have thinned recently." "Let's hope so," Luke said. "That warship I saw was more action than we've had in years. If the Empire comes down on Tatooine, no one will be ready." "Another reason why we should be off this dreadful planet as soon as possible. Ah, no offense, master Luke." "None taken, Threepio. You two are more important than my homeworld pride. That little guy," he gestured toward R2 with a hydrospanner, "will be a big help to the Rebellion."
Beep beep!
"And he is most pleased to be so, sir." 3PO lowered the volume of his vocabulator. "A touch egotistical, that one."
Boop! Bwrap.
"I'm only stating the facts. Don't you turn it on me!" Luke glanced at Ben and shook his head, who smiled.
A minute more of repair work and Luke's face grew dark. "The Rebellion," he muttered, half to himself, half to Ben. Louder, he said, "I guess I'll never see Deak or Fixer again. Biggs and Tank, maybe, but not the others. Camie…"
Ben let him process, then offered advice when he felt the moment presented itself. "By leaving them now, you gain the ability to help them in the future, far more than you ever could by staying here." There was a studying look on Luke's face. "Be mindful of your attachments. They could give you strength - or lead you into danger."
After a few moments of quiet contemplation, 3PO chimed in. "Leaving home can be a terrible experience. I don't recommend it."
Luke came to him just after supper. The droids were each hooked up to portable batteries, and the electric glow backlit Luke's blanketed form - Tatooine's nights were deathly cold in a hovel with no climate control.
"I've been thinking," Luke said. "Oh?" Ben placed his stew bowl aside, settling into his robe and stoking the cookfire for some extra warmth. "It was you. You helped me in that speeder accident. You fought Jabba's water taxmen, you made me those toys, and you saved the Marstaps' farm. That's why Uncle Owen didn't want you around. And..." his voice trailed off. "...and you want me to restore the Order."
Ben's breath caught. His insight is strong.
"I swore to watch over you," Ben began by way of explanation, placing his hand on the boy's shoulder. "And I did. Luke, this life is a perilous one. You will be tested like you've never been before. And danger abounds. Sand People are fearsome, yes, but they want to be left alone. How will you face someone whose only goal is your total destruction?"
Luke rose to his full height. In his-swept back hair and assured stature, Ben could see too much Anakin in him. Yet enough that was his own.
"As a Jedi."
His destiny awaits. Now for the phrase I've whispered a hundred times. He hoped it would not be the first step on the path of destruction, as it had been for Luke's father...
"Then henceforth I take you as my Padawan learner."
The Padawan sat, and his Master told stories of the thousand generations that preceded them.
Ben ended the tales with one from his set of misadventures. During the great drought years hence, he'd patrolled the Lars homestead at night, searching for signs of Jabba's henchmen - and once ran almost headfirst into Beru. "I was afraid your uncle would spring out and shoot me. Thank goodness she kept quiet after telling me everything was alright." Luke laughed, his first sign of joy in two days. "Aunt Beru always had a soft spot for you. And she could always temper Uncle Owen. I guess you're not half as stealthy as you think you are." "I suppose not."
In a single moment, Luke turned silent, his face fell, and Ben didn't need the Force to feel Luke's sorrow...and anger. "I'm sorry," Ben said. "It's not your fault," Luke muttered. "It's...them. The Empire."
"A government built on oppression cannot last forever."
Luke met his gaze and Ben saw the anguish of Padmé roiling alongside the rage of Anakin. "It doesn't have to. They'll only need to destroy the Rebellion and the Jedi."
That was too similar to his recent line of thinking, a haunting sequence that left him restless at night. "All the more reason for you to be trained." Ben cast out his feelings as a test, probing the rim of Luke's energy. The boy sat up reflexively. He is ready.
"Let me tell you something. These are the opening words of the Jedi Code, which guided us in our duty. Know the mantras well, and hold to their strictures. Repeat after me. There is no emotion, there is peace..."
R2-D2 kept the first watch on the pitted roof. Ben rose from his bedroll to visit with the droid, unable to sleep. Luke had passed out soundly, exhausted from the day's adventures - and losses. On his way to R2's perch, Ben stepped over a powered-off 3PO. The protocol droid was death-still in his suspension, yet arranged in such a way that he could spring to life in a moment's notice, with no need of respiration or restraint. How alike were droids to sentient beings, especially humans, and how cruelly they were treated as mindless slaves. Battle droids built by the CIS had claimed countless lives in the Clone War - despite his years of exile, and much to his shame, Old Ben could never pass by a droid without expecting a blaster bolt.
On his way out, Ben sagged with premature age. Thankfully he was not short of breath - Tatooine may have marred him, but she harshly instilled survival. He avoided looking in the mirror these days. The man he'd become felt unrecognizable...yet wasn't this who he was always fated to be? And these droids again, this boy, his sister - destiny hung over their heads more powerfully than any others.
R2 rolled up when he saw the Jedi come his way.
"Hello, old friend."
Boop! Bwrap, too-wee.
"Has it really been that long?" Ben settled in next to the droid. The roof was cool to the touch. He kept his hands in his robe and back to the wind.
Bew tooo bee.
They dwelt in reminiscence for a few moments. Of course, they spoke more about the boy than anything else. "If he knew half the things you've seen..."
Be-oop wa ba bee oop?
Ben grinned. "Yes, I suppose his head would spin faster than yours."
We-ooh?
"Indeed he is. No doubt you're wishing to be his constant companion."
Beep beep!
"Your enthusiasm always helped in the darkest hours. I take it your counterpart's mind has been wiped?"
Beepaa...
"A necessary precaution, unfortunately." R2 became quiet. Ben patted the droid's dome.
"We must all make sacrifices in the days to come. And more horrors shall we suffer before the end."
The two sat for a time, watching the stars, hidden from the lamplight glow of a hundred clustered hovels. "If...anything should happen to me," Ben leaned in. The droid already knew what he was going to say. "Protect that boy and his sister as you protected his parents."
Boo-oop.
"I miss them too. Now, all our hopes lie with so precious few."
Obi-Wan Kenobi prayed to the Force on his last night of exile. He looked not to his master for guidance - this time, he went into the far reaches of his mortal soul, glittering as the galaxy above, growing more brilliant with each breath. The Force was with him, and after almost six decades of life, he was on the cusp of being at one with it - a journey undertaken by so few in a realm of trillions. Only the Whills had been graced with the secret until Qui-Gon found the path.
He could almost hear Qui-Gon reciting their ancient prophecies. And others keeping to their stations: Satine leading her people, Ahsoka aiding the Organas, Anakin presiding over his troops, Yoda offering centuries of wisdom in a few riddles, and voices from the future intoning songs of rebuilding and resistance...he could see in an island in the sea and a city in the clouds - anything more was held just beyond his view.
Amid his visions, the opening lines of the Jedi Code finally bid him to sleep where he rested against rocks wearing down to cascades of sand. The words refused to leave, cradling him as his consciousness journeyed into slumber, though he knew not why they lingered. Not yet. Qui-Gon lent them voice, speaking to his apprentice one last time, and in the infinite moment of all existence.
There is no death, Obi-Wan Kenobi.
There is only the Force...
