I’ve always wondered about the childhood of Luke Skywalker, even
 though he is said to have been an ordinary boy. Some books give 
little hints about him. This story takes place on Alderaan where 
Owen and Beru Lars have rented a farm. They both fought in the 
clone wars, and when they ended they moved to Aldera and set up home.

The usual disclaimers apply. All things in the Star Wars Universe 
belong to George Lucas and Lucasfilm. I am not making a credit 
out of this story.
							
	Anna

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			The Gift
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“Owen, you know as well as I do that Luke’s just not a farmer. 
No matter how hard you try and make him one.”
Owen Lars sighed wearily. Another hard year trying to keep his 
family on their property were taking their toll. He turned to 
the little woman next to him and wrapped his arms around her.
Beru raised her eyes to his as a startled expression crossed 
her face. It had been a long time since Owen had shown any 
spontaneous affection to her and especially to Luke.
Her face softened into a smile, he was her pride and joy. She 
loved him with a fierce determination ever since Obi-Wan had 
brought him whimpering into their lives. Beru had not been able 
to have children, they’d known that when they had married, but 
Owen had said that it didn’t matter, There were always children 
needing a good home and one day they would find one to love. Owen 
loved the boy too, but found it difficult to let him know. He was 
so afraid for him.

17 years previously

Obi-Wan had contacted them asking for a great favour. Owen had 
been suspicious at first, he always was of any scheme Obi-Wan 
involved himself in. They were so different the brothers. Owen 
was a stoic, a man of the soil, dependable and solid, whereas 
Obi-Wan was dashing and dangerous, had flown the galaxy and 
achieved great things as a general and Jedi Knight.
Beru knew that all was not well in the Empire currently and 
that Obi-Wan was running from someone or something. The last 
message they’d received had for the first time shown a hint 
of despair about the Jedi. He was unhappy and afraid.
Owen watched the small speeder approach the farm he’d rented 
on the outskirts of Aldera. They had known he would come, but 
not when.
“Brother” Owen had gruffly greeted Obi-Wan.
“Owen”, the Jedi returned.
Beru ran out of the house and greeted the Jedi warmly. “Come 
inside and rest. You look exhausted”. It was true he did look 
tired, but this was more than simple fatigue. His eyes were 
red-rimmed possibly from weeping, lack of sleep or both and 
Beru could have sworn that he’d lost weight.
Owen looked concerned he’d never seen Obi Wan like this. The 
Jedi moved from the small craft carrying a large hold-all and 
limped after Beru. 
“You’re hurt!” she exclaimed. “Let me call a healer or take you 
to the nearest centre”.
“No!” he broke in. “I’m sorry Beru I didn’t mean to snap at you. 
But it is imperative for all our sakes that no-one knows I’m here.”
The couple looked confused. “What kind of trouble are you in?” asked 
Owen.
“I don’t know where to begin, it’s a catastrophe of immense 
proportions and it’s all my fault. My pride has brought the 
galaxy to this.” he put his hand over his eyes. “It’s better 
that you don’t know too much, but I’ll tell you what I can and 
I still have that favour to ask. What I’ll do if you say no I 
haven’t worked out yet”.

The bag he’d been carrying moved slightly. Beru jumped back from 
it giving a sharp little cry of alarm. “There’s something alive 
in that bag. Obi Wan you can’t carry animals in a bag like that 
it will kill them.”
She picked it up and ran into the house, the bag was locked. 
Kneeling she noticed the carefully punctured holes in the side 
for ventilation. A mewling cry issued forth. It sounded almost 
human. “Obi Wan what have you got in there?”
He knelt down and punched in the code and the catch sprang open.

“A....a baby?” She went ashen and stared first at a dumbstruck 
Owen, then at an impassive Obi Wan. She bent forward and lifted 
the tiny form into her arms. Tiny star-like fists clenched and 
waved. Trembling she stretched out her hand and the tiny fingers 
latched on to one of her own. The baby opened the bluest eyes 
Beru had ever seen and gently she smoothed a tuft of blonde hair.
Obi Wan breathed heavily and turned to Owen. This is the favour I 
have to ask of you. Don’t say anything until you’ve heard me out. 
It could be a mixed blessing in more ways than one.”
Owen looked at his wife who held the baby as if it was infinitely 
precious. He sat down and nodded to his brother to begin.

“You know about the unrest in the galaxy recently I presume. There 
has been chaos everywhere since the war ended and things were 
beginning to get out of control. The Jedi have been guardians 
of peace and justice in the galaxy for thousands of years, but 
even some of them have grown corrupt. Since the war the only person 
to have mananged any order has been Senator Palpatine and I feel he 
is the most corrupt of all”. Obi Wan shut his eyes briefly for a 
second. “Palpatine was trained as a Jedi but instead made his way 
into politics via the Senate. He has just declared himself 
.....Emperor”.

The baby started to cry, not loudly but little whimpering sobs 
that tore at Beru’s heart. Her brother-in-law caressed the baby’s 
soft cheek and prepared to continue. Owen stood up and paced 
round the room. He’d met Palpatine once when he served with 
Bail Organa during the clone wars and hadn’t liked or trusted 
the man. He was too smooth and well, had just made Owen shudder.

Obi Wan continued steadily “He has also started to exterminate 
the Jedi. Many have already been killed or arrested. Others 
have just disappeared. His greatest creation is a dark Sith 
lord by the name of Darth Vader and he has the ability to 
seek out the Jedi and destroy them.. Anyone with any force 
ability is in grave danger. Palpatine means to destroy the 
Jedi and amass as much evil power for himself as he can. We 
never thought that he’d actually do it.”
Owen gestured towards the baby in his wife’s arms. “How does 
this little person fit into all this.?”
Obi Wan looked at Beru and then at Owen. “If you won’t take 
the baby, you must forget you ever saw him”.
“Him?” asked Beru. “It’s a boy?”
The Jedi waved his hands and then buried his face in them. 
“Do you remember Anakin?”
Owen  nodded as understanding came across his face.
“Anakin has joined the Emperor, has deserted his wife and has 
turned to evil. It’s all my fault. He has turned into Darth Vader”.
Complete silence greeted Obi Wan. Beru looked at the baby and then 
at her husband. “This is Anakin’s child?”
She remembered the lanky young man when he’d visited once or twice 
with Obi Wan. He’d turned into a dark lord of the Sith; to evil 
and he was the father of this beautiful baby. How? “What about 
his mother, where is she. Cannot she look after the child?”
“Padme has gone into hiding. Anakin never knew she was pregnant 
when he left her. He accused her of the most terrible things, 
but she was completely innocent. He was making it easier on 
himself and feeding off Palpatine’s lies. If they ever find 
out about this baby they will kill him and me too. But I’ve 
given my life to protect him, only it’s too dangerous for me 
to keep the boy. He is strong with the force and would be 
considered a threat to our Emperor. If they find Padme they 
will kill her too.”

Beru had met Padme only once, a beautiful girl who had come 
to see them with Anakin. Beru had thought that Obi Wan had been 
a little too interested in his friends wife, but knew that as 
an honourable man he would have worshipped from afar. Rumour 
had it she was the Queen of a small nation, but she’d seemed 
so ordinary and very much in love with her tall husband. That 
had been a couple of years ago and evil changed things greatly.
“She didn’t want to give up the baby, but knows it’s for the 
best. She’s entrusted him to me and I told her I would take 
him to you. She remembered you very favourably from a visit 
a few years ago. She also knows that you are unable to have 
family of your own and your longing for family.” He stared 
at Owen. “If you agree to adopt the baby he will be told very 
little of his past. The less he knows the safer he will be. 
Padme had good feelings of you too Owen, she trusts you to 
keep him safe.  The force runs strong in his family.”

“What is his name?” asked Beru quietly.
“I’ll only tell you that if you agree to keep him, for 
your own safety and his, but you are very much my last 
hope.”
Obi-Wan picked up the bag and collected the sleeping 
infant from a reluctant Beru. Carefully he wrapped the 
baby in blankets and placed him inside. “I’ll return in 
one hour with the rest of his things. If you decide to 
adopt him you cannot stay on Alderaan. I have a property 
on Tatooine. Yes Owen, that dustball. Anakin was born there 
and so was I. Anakin will never return there as he’s wiped 
his previous life from his memory and his records. To us 
and his son there, Anakin Skywalker is dead.
I’m offering you the chance to move to Tatooine to care for 
the boy. I won’t interfere until he is ready to know the 
truth. Think about it,  I’ll be back in one hour.”

“Owen I want to care for that baby so much. You don’t know 
what it feels like to only be half a woman. The Emperor and 
his kind took away my choice to have family, and I know that 
you still love me and that it doesn’t really matter, but it 
does matter to me.”
He held her tightly in his embrace and kissed her on her 
tear stained cheeks. He’d thought she was resigned to not 
having children, but now he saw how deeply she’d been hurt 
and how desperate she was for a child of her own to love.
“Owen I’m asking you to give up such a lot, but the baby 
needs us. If we don’t take him, he will die. I know you 
don’t always agree with .Obi-Wan’s philosophies on life. 
You probably think he has got us all into this mess. But 
for once I don’t think he exaggerated. Do you?”
“No, I guess not. He should have stuck to farming Beru like 
our father wanted us too. Anakin should have stayed away 
from him as well . Obi-Wan has been nothing but trouble. 
If we agree to do this he has to keep out of our 
lives. They say Jedi can sense other Jedi. Well I’m not 
having a dark lord of the Sith turning up on our doorstep 
and taking the child away. We’ll raise him to be a farmer 
and keep him safe. I think Obi-Wan is wrong about this, 
how could such a tiny being be strong with the force, it’s 
probably just wishful thinking on his part”.
“Do you mean it Owen can we raise him as our own?”
“Beru Lars, as soon as he wound his little hand around your 
fingers I knew he’d wound himself around your heart and there 
was no way that I’d be able to deny you this. You know I love 
you.”
She threw her arms round her husband and he smoothed her hair 
with his rough hands. Life had never been easy for Owen, 
Obi Wan had always been the one who had led a charmed life. 
But Owen would never let her or the baby down.
“I mean it Beru. Obi-Wan has to get out of our lives 
and not interfere. If we can keep the boy away from all the 
force nonsense he will be safe.”
Beru closed her eyes secure in his embrace. Somehow Owen ,she 
thought I don’t think you can always order destiny around.

True to his word the speeder could be heard approaching the 
property exactly one hour later. This time he was not alone. 
A slender figure with brown red-rimmed eyes and a beautiful 
pale face sat sobbing silently next to the Jedi. Obi-Wan 
clambered out and helped the woman out and supported her into 
the house. Just before they reached the door he put his arm 
around her and kissed her brow. In that fashion they walked 
into the house. Looking for all the world like a couple 
coming visiting with their baby.
Beru watched from the doorway as the little scene unfolded. 
There’s a lot there that they are not talking about, she thought.
“Owen!” she called. “Obi-Wan’s back with a visitor. He’s 
brought Padme.”

“I came to thank you for agreeing to do this. I cannot keep 
my babies safe”
Beru blinked. Had she said babies?. No it must have been a 
mistake on my part and she is crying so much it’s difficult 
to hear her words clearly. Beru missed the warning look Obi-Wan 
threw at Padme.
“I will always be indebted to you. Keep him close to your heart”
“But how did you know that we’d agreed to take your son?” Beru 
asked in bewilderment. “Obi-Wan said you would” replied Padme 
simply. Owen directed a told-you-so glare at his wife, who 
ignored him.
The Jedi Knight spoke up quickly as time was running out. Vader 
was unaware ofObi-Wan’s whereabouts at the present time, but it 
wouldn’t be long before they found out and came for him too. It 
was his duty to get the new little family out of sight. “The rent 
for this place has been paid for you by Padme. As has your passage
 to Tatooine, but you won’t be travelling by a direct route. Some 
doubling back is done to put Imperial agents off the scent. I will 
meet you in three days at the Bakklavva Spaceport on Triadon, where 
I’ve arranged to hire a ship. It’s a private charter, so no-one will
 be able to trace us and I will be flying it so that our final 
destination is completely unknown”.

“We pay our own way”, Owen growled.
“No, you must let me do this for my son. I have the money and 
when I’m dead I would want him to know that I loved him.”
She sounds so certain of her own death thought Beru anxiously.
“The force runs strong in my family Beru Lars I await my destiny. 
I’ve also put a deposit on a small moisture farm outside Anchorhead. 
I hope you will accept this from me also. It is my son’s heritage. 
You can arrange a loan to pay the rest.”
“I don’t need to do that, my lady.” Merdom had heard the rumours 
about Padme, but didn’t know if they were true. She was indubitably 
an aristocrat. “I was saving this to tell my wife, but you all might 
as well share my surprise. We’ve saved enough to buy our own farm and 
in the Outer Rim territories it will be cheaper to make a living. I 
can pay for my family.”
“Then all I can say is may the force be with you.” She broke down a
nd sobbed, burying her face in the Jedi’s shoulder. The baby clutched 
in her arms cried in sympathy with his distressed mother.”He,...he..
never cries” she wept. It was the sound of a heart breaking. “Ssh Luke, 
ssh my son”, she crooned. “His name is Luke Skywalker” she offered 
quietly. “It means light”.

The Lars family and Obi Wan left the young mother to say her final 
farewell to her baby son. When they returned Padme embraced Owen 
and Beru, then handed the baby to Beru. “Take care of my son and 
never let him forget that I love him, please you’ll do that for me, 
please. She started to cry again and made for the door, turned ran 
to Luke and kissed him one last time. Obi-Wan held out his arms 
and Padme ran into them and he escorted the distraught girl from 
the house.

They never saw her again.

The couple looked at each other in silent amazement. They were 
now to be parents to this tiny scrap of humanity. Beru held the 
infant out to Owen who accepted him gingerly. The baby opened his 
incredibly blue eyes and fixed Owen with an almost knowing stare. 
There was something old in those eyes as if he’d already seen too 
much in his short life. He opened his mouth and gave a sleepy yawn. 
Beru fumbled in the bag his mother had left and pulled out several 
bottles filled with milk. Some clothes, diapers and a fluffy toy 
like a woolly buwatu.
“I swear to him that I’ll protect this child with my life Beru. 
He’s special and we must protect him from Palpatine and Vader.”
“Especially Vader. They say that the Jedi always know their own.”
“We have to hope that is not the case Beru”.
“We also have to protect him from Obi-Wan. He can be manipulative 
and sly. He’s responsible for a lot of this mess.”
“Owen ! He only did what he thought was right.”
“He thought he could train Anakin to be a Jedi instead of Yoda. 
He was wrong. Anakin was powerful but quick tempered and the 
training was incomplete when Palpatine got his hands on him.”
“I think you’re being harsh Owen”
“No Beru we have to think of the baby now, and I want Obi-Wan 
out of our lives.”
“That can never be Owen.” They jumped at the sound of his voice 
behind them. Padme’s hiding place must be close by. “I too have 
made promises to Padme. I will also live on Tatooine, but I promise 
not to interfere. I have to hide from the Empire as my life is 
forfeit. Vader and I dueled and he fell into a molten pit. When 
he clawed his way out the fire had burned the evil permanently 
into his soul and Anakin Skywalker had gone for ever. There was 
no way I could mention Padme and her pregnancy. She would have 
been taken to Palpatine and the child used to serve the Emperor.”
“Then why did you come here, surely you’ll have been followed” 
cried Beru.
“Anakin/Vader needed treatment and I sensed he would give me 
time to leave. He has the anticipation of hunting me down. He 
doesn’t imagine I will run and hide. I will watch over you and 
the boy”.
“We don’t need you”.
“Whether you need me or not I will be there. Now I must hurry 
you. The bookings are for tomorrow.”

The Jedi left with a swirl of his brown cloak. Leaving the Lars 
family alone once more. Beru picked up the sleeping baby and 
moved through to the bedroom to pack.

Three weeks later she opened her eyes on the twin suns of Tatooine. 
Owen was already up checking the moisture vaporaters and baby Luke 
snuffled in his cot. All she could see was endless dunes of sand, 
but the knowledge of ‘Ben’ Kenobi’s serene presence in a tiny hut 
across the Jundland Wastes, right on the edge of the Dune Sea made 
her feel nearly safe. Owen too, though he would never admit it.
She picked Luke up and cradled him in her arms and he opened eyes 
as blue as the sky above. Together they would keep him safe.

					The End
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This story originally started out as something else, but evolved 
into the finished item above. Beru Lars took on the baby Luke and 
loved him.

		Anna.S.Hamilton@BTInternet.com