A Time To Train
Starring: Ol' Ben Kenobi, Uncle Owen, and a special guest star
Rated: PG for Owen's grumpiness
The cloaked hermit approached the aging moisture farmer on the streets of Anchorhead. "Good day, sir," the older man said to the farmer. "Care to treat me to a drink of water?"
Gruffly, the moisture farmer replied, "Come on." He walked briskly to a small, out-of-the-way cantina, not looking to see if the hermit was following him. They arrived at the cantina, got their water, and sat in a quiet, secluded table in the back. The watering hole wasn't busy and the bartender--like most of his profession on Tatooine--minded his own business.
"What do you want?" Owen Lars demanded, sipping his water.
"I needed to speak with you about Luke, but I think you already know that," Obi-Wan said. "The boy is thirteen now and the time has come for him to be trained."
Lars frowned. "Trained? For what?"
"To become a Jedi," Obi-Wan said matter-of-factly.
Owen slammed down his glass. "Absolutely not! Are you insane?" he hissed in a whisper.
"You knew the day would come when he would have to be trained. That was a condition of leaving him with you and your wife. He's already demonstrated abilities that are unusual."
Owen snorted. "Like what, tinkering with stuff? Flying with the other wanna-be space jockeys?"
Obi-Wan nodded. "Flying better than all of them, even ones nearly twice his age. He would be podracing in Mos Espa if the Empire hadn't banned the sport. How long do you think it will be before an Imperial or one of the Hutts notices there's something special about him and he's not able to defend himself?"
"That will never happen," Owen insisted, tapping his forefinger on the table. "As long as he stays on the farm, he'll be safe."
Obi-Wan smiled knowingly. "Luke won't stay on the farm forever. There's a restlessness and a desire for more than what Tatooine has to offer, isn't there?"
Owen exhaled with irritation. "My stepmother used to say how her son was always looking to the skies, how he was always dreaming. Well, he followed his dreams all right, and look where they led him. An early grave, leaving his son an orphan. Besides, even then I could see how that hocus pocus stuff messed with his head."
"You don't know how important it is that Luke claim his heritage. Everything depends on it," Obi-Wan said.
"He's a child and he's not going to be a pawn. What's one Jedi going to do that thousands couldn't do during the Clone Wars?"
"Luke is different," Obi-Wan began, but Owen was on his feet.
"Look, I put up with you hanging around and watching at a distance all of this time. You even helped save Luke once. But this is it, Wizard. Luke is going to be a normal young man and someday, he'll appreciate farm life. He'll be happy. Keep him out of your damn fool idealistic crusade and stay away from us." The moisture farmer stalked out of the cantina.
***
Back in his lonely hovel, Obi-Wan spoke aloud to his long-gone Master. "I thought the time was right. But the Larses have become attached to the boy. They don't wish for me to train him."
*Be patient, Obi-Wan. The Living Force will determine when the time is right for the boy to be trained. It will bring him to you.*
"But his age...he's even older than Anakin was when his training began."
*The boy will be fine. The Force determines when Luke will be trained, not the rules of a dead Order.*
"Yes, Master." He shall wait.
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