The mood in the Lars was tense, as Owen and Beru sat on one side of the table and me on the other. Luke was still ecstatic from the dewback's recovery, but it was clear he could sense the discord between his guardians and myself.
"Hey Ben," he tugged at my robe, as if trying to dissolve the tension. "I built a model Skyhopper, wanna see?"
"Certainly," I smiled down at the child, as Owen huffed and Beru placed a calming hand on his arm.
"Luke," she beckoned the child closer and he went to her obediently. Beru gently brushed the hair back from his forehead. "Your uncle and I need to talk to Ben. You can show him your toy later."
"Auntie," Luke whined. "It's a model, not a toy."
Beru laughed and ruffled his hair. "Alright, now go play."
When the child was safely gone from the room I was confronted with the severe expressions of both Owen and Beru. But explaining myself is old hat now it seems, and it does not cause me the anxiety it once did.
"What was that?" Owen asked gruffly.
I spread my hands and shrugged. "Luke seems to have an aptitude for healing through the Force."
"I thought you said that here in the desert his…abilities may be dampened?" Beru looked concerned.
"I still believe that," I told her solemnly. "But his power is raw and immense – it will still bleed through, if he wants something enough."
"What did you do to Darklighter and his boy?" Owen demanded.
I grimaced, not quite happy to reveal all of my Jedi secrets. "A simple mind trick," I tried to shrug off the question. "They were not harmed, they will simply have no reason to doubt the reason I gave for the animal's recovery."
But Owen looked angry, I could see it in the tremor of his clenched fist in the table, in the twitch in his cheek. "Have you ever done anything like that to us?" he asked, his voice low and dangerous.
"No," I told him, locking his gaze and hoping he would find the truth in it.
"Be sure that you don't," Owen almost spat at me. "My mind is my own."
"It is a disturbing power," Beru said, and although she was calm I could see she had grown wary of me. "We would not like you to teach Luke how to do that."
I cocked my head, considering her choice of words, and what she had left unsaid. "But…you would like me to teach him something?"
Owen huffed and looked away, clearly unhappy and willing to let Beru continue the conversation.
"Luke was very…difficult while you were away," she said. "Sometimes he would get upset over the smallest things – I killed a sand-gnat in his room and he cried for hours. He gets nightmares sometimes, that he's hiding in the dark from a bad man who is coming for him and will wake up screaming. The other day he wanted his bantha toy from the table and it floated through the air towards him."
I sighed, stroking my beard in contemplation as if I could find the answers there. "In the Republic he would have already started Jedi training at the Temple," I told her. "He would be learning to control his powers, but with no guidance they are manifesting in ways we can't anticipate. Unchecked he will only get stronger."
Owen was still resolutely looking away, and Beru glanced at him and squeezed his hand. "We have discussed it, and will allow you to teach him to control his powers."
"But not use them," I nodded, understanding her unspoken limitation.
"We just want him to be safe," Beru told me, her eyes wet. "And happy – since you cannot take his powers away, we thought perhaps you could at least help him…limit them."
They were asking the same favor as Bo-Katan had, I realised to my sorrow. In days gone past parents were ecstatic to learn their child was Force sensitive - eager for the Jedi to share their knowledge. But now the Empire reigned, the Jedi were seen as traitors and parents all across the galaxy probably watched in dread as their children showed signs of Force abilities. What will happen to these children, I wonder – will they learn the control on their own, or seek self-discipline through other methods? Would the Emperor gather them around him, to seed them with the dark side? It was a thought to terrible to contemplate.
But my concern is one child, and what would be best for him. In my opinion, that means full training, but I know the limitations I face with Owen and Beru.
"I can teach him discipline and control, which may dampen outward use of the Force," I said to Beru. "If that is what you want."
"None of this is what we want," Owen spoke up with a scowl. "But I accept this is what we must do, for Luke's sake."
"Wonderful," I said, unable to keep the grin from my face. "When can I start?"
As you can imagine, Qui-Gon, my enthusiasm did me no favors. Yet Owen permitted me to spend some time with the boy (under Beru's supervision of course) and he showed me his model Skyhopper and a few of his other toys. He is very strong in the Force, and the light within him is growing day by day. Although I fear I cannot teach him as I should, perhaps controlling his powers is the best option for now, to avoid detection by the Empire. Perhaps if I do well I will be able to convince the Lars couple that Jedi training isn't the death knell they seem to think it will be. Time will tell.
In the meantime, I worry for little Leia. First Bo-Katan's daughter Mara acting out through the Force, and now Luke – how is Leia to be concealed if she is doing the same? Alderaan is a fertile world where the Living Force is strong, and I worry for her being in the Core, right under the nose of the Emperor.
I must contact Bail Organa.
Ben Kenobi
