Chapter 10
"Ben hasn't contacted us in a while," Luke said to Mara as they sat in living quarters in the Jedi Academy. "I wonder why he hasn't."
"I'm sure he has a good reason to do so," Mara said. "We shouldn't force him to constantly contact us."
"But it has been three months, Mara," Luke said. "And we've sent him several messages already and he hasn't returned any of them."
"Don't worry so much, Farmboy," Mara said. "Too much worrying will make you go bald."
"What if something's happened to him?" Luke asked.
"Isn't it the mother's job to worry about her children?" Mara said and smiled, but then her smiled faded. "Luke, you are worrying too much. Ben is fine; he can take care of himself. He is a perfectly capable Jedi after all, and he is with Sol. Both are very strong together."
"But that's just it Mara, Ben is a Jedi," Luke said. "It's my responsibility to make sure every Jedi is safe. If they aren't then I have failed as a Master."
"Luke, Ben is fine, and you don't have to constantly watch over the Jedi Order," Mara said. "One day some one will take your place, and one day even the current Council will be replaced. You can't always be there."
Luke knew Mara was completely correct, but he could not keep himself from worrying. "Do you remember the day he graduated from the Academy?"
"How could I not?" Mara said. "It was great that finally became a Jedi. We were so proud of him, and all the others."
"I know we were, but I felt something within him that day," Luke said. "I sensed some kind of fear within him, a feeling of apprehension."
"I know, I did too," Mara said. "That's why I tried talking to him before he left but he wouldn't say anything."
"And we didn't want to force him to tell us what he was thinking, so we didn't push him on the issue," Luke said. "But immediately after he stopped messaging us I felt that fear in him disappear."
"I did too," Mara said. "Whatever he was afraid of he probably overcame. He probably decided not to call us and just to keep his change to himself."
"But then why did he stop contacting us from then on?" Luke said. "At some point he would have tried to contact us, even if only to say hi. And even more, something feels different about him, but I don't know what."
"Luke, if it would make you feel better, both for your sake and mine, we can go find him." Mara said.
"But how, Mara? We don't know where he is."
"No, but when he contacted us last he said he was in the Unknown Regions in Sector Lamda. We can start searching there."
Luke nodded his head. "Yes, that's right, we can start looking there."
"I'll get the Jade Shadow ready." Mara said and started to head off to her ship.
"Mara, thank you for doing this." Luke said.
"Luke, don't worry," Mara said. "I know Ben can take care of himself, but I'm worried about him also. But like I said, we will not always be there to help him."
"I know," Luke said and kissed her. "But at least for now, we can."