"Your mother is in danger", Luke tells him one day with an expression of deep concern on his face. Ben noticed the Master was distraught for quite some time now. Irin, Dorn and Rennek too, so they use the Master's absent-mindedness to pester Ben even more. He has a sort of seniority in the brethren, but his title is more a burden than a privilege. They all know just how powerful he is, but at the same time, relish at how many constraints he has on him, imposed by his uncle. It is just maddening. The delinquents are no more than 5 years his juniors and still they act like total brats.
"Why do you tell me this, Master?" Ben asks rather brazenly, frustrated by his artificially created helplessness and by Luke straightforward demand to do something with his hands tied. The politics… the politics will be anyone's undoing in this galaxy. He wished he could spare her the pain, but she is way too stubborn and way too committed to the cause to back down.
"Stop the foolishness, Ben", Luke says, sternly. "It doesn't become you. Her political enemies plot her demise. I need you to take over the academy for awhile, while I'm gone".
Ben's jaw drops.
"Me?" Ben swallows hard, but is quick to re-compose himself. "No. Leave me to those half-lifes and I'll end breaking someone's throat".
His dark sincerity seems to be amusing to Luke, and it's a first.
"You're probably right", the man almost snorts through his nose. "They're a handful".
"That is an understatement", Ben exclaims, wryly. But a warmth waxes in his heart and the anxiety over his Master's true intentions wanes to non-existence. He trusts him so much that he'd leave his beloved school under his watch. But as he inspects the man's features, wrinkles of worry and sun damage on his face, he realizes. The crisis must be overwhelming for him to interfere, his inner criticism rattles him again. Apart from few trips to Hosnian system and Coruscant, Luke was careful not to interfere with the New Republic, knowing the last time Jedi Council meddled with the politics it ended in the rise of the Sith. Besides, the Centralists were very skeptical of the Jedi order and their appearance with their quaint tabards and peculiar weapons and that ridiculous hair-styles Ben has shaken off only 2 years prior would cause his mother more harm than good. It is not a Jedi way to wield that sort of influence over people, Ben, Luke told him and Ben complied. He understood perfectly. Jedi had enough power to mentally subdue whole planetary systems – even this sorry bunch of miscreants could do the same, provided they didn't kill one other in endless bickering first – but just because they had that potential, didn't mean they were meant to exploit it.
He ponders for a moment. Was this the same crisis that Dark Side creature talked about? Ben both shudders at the prospect of his mother coming to harm's way and of Luke realizing he was talking to the Dark Side so openly. But the Jedi seems unaware for now.
"Take me with you… Master", Ben says abruptly. "She is my mother".
The look on Skywalker's face tells him he purposefully led this conversation to this point. He was loyal to his mother to his death, and even his death probably won't change that. Ben's pale cheeks turn to shade of a rose as he realizes he uncovered just how much of his mom's boy he is still.
Damn it, Luke, he grunts mentally.
But old man's face is one of contentment.
"Good", he says. "And to whom do we leave the academy, then?"
We, Ben blinks in amazement. Gods, this is really a big sort of crisis.
But he has no doubt in his mind.
"Ask Kora, Schimbie and Ceth", Ben says. Kora is Twi'lek, a tough girl brought up in poverty of Lothal, and completely immune to the usual padawan bullshit; despite all her timidity, Schimbie is smart, level-headed and a great swordswoman; and Ceth is a modest farmer's son, big-boned lad whose imposing height and weight are enough to keep Irin and other troublemakers at bay, without him even having to use the Force. Together, they wield enough power not to let everything fall to pieces.
"Good", Luke says. "That's settled then. We'll leave at dawn. Pack only the most necessary things".
"And my weapon?" Ben asks, at the same time dreading he will say no and that he'll say yes.
"Take it with you", the Master replies. "And hope we won't need those any time soon, except in training".
Ben's disproportionately infantile fantasy can't help but wander into the images of plasma beams clashing against the enemies of the New Republic, but he snaps out of it fast.
Leia. His heart sinks. Politics be damned. She should've insisted on becoming a Jedi herself, not relinquishing it all just because she was so damn stubborn and skeptical. Luke offered her more than once to train her in the ways of the Force, at least to the extent that she could defend herself better, but she'd refuse every time with some snarky remark.
"I don't want to change my hair", was one of her most common tongue-in-cheek responses.
That's one of the things he never understood about his mother. That, and the fact that she fell in love with his father.
There is a knock on his door, and he already knows who it isn't. It's Dorn this time: a gilded youth of 20 and a middle-class Hosnian, but with high aspirations – tall, lean, soft spoken, elegant, and pretty vacuous by Ben's standards. However, the bland beautiful face now has a secret, something almost resembling identity.
"What do you want?" Ben says impolitely. He is not particularly fond of him, or anyone else save for those three he appointed as temporary guardians of the Temple.
"Is it true?" Dorn mutters visibly enchanted with… something.
So, the word of their mission spread so quickly?
"Yes", Ben grunts, turning his back to the young man so he might wrap his saber into scabbard, then into linen. He tucks it neatly in his rucksack, right alongside his pen set. No need to carry that ancient thing around, but it is a sort of good luck charm for him, or at least he likes to pretend it is.
Dorn appears right by his side. His green eyes wide with awe and terror. No, he meant something altogether different.
"So, it is true", he says, finding some sort of faint recognition in Ben. "The Dark Side spoke to you as well".
As well, Ben winces at the thought of his lost exclusivity and the fact he was exposed in his forbidden musings.
He grabs the young man by the throat and picks him up from the ground.
"You will say nothing of this to anyone", he growls in authoritative low tone, using all his strength to Force manipulate Dorn into oblivion. "You spoke to no one, and no one spoke to you. Let alone Dark Side. It is preposterous".
Dorn falls back, fighting for air.
"Get out", Ben growls at him. He has to restrain himself not to punch the fool right through the stone wall of his cabin. The boy staggers to exit, dazed and disoriented. The aftertaste of this manipulation will not draw Luke's attention, given he is already preparing his old X-wing to take them to Hosnian Prime.
Ben tenses. No one can know of this. That creature will pay for its insolence. The moment they finish their mission with the Senate, he'll tell Luke everything about it. Nothing will be left unsaid. He was a fool for keeping this to himself for so long.
But then again, his parents both wanted a normal child, not some kind of a freak with at least two conflicting voices in his head. He hoped he could wish the influence away, but it became like a second skin to him over the years.
No, he will end this immediately.
As soon as they come back.