The proof that Anakin Skywalker had broken the Jedi Code to wed Senator Padme Amidala had been sent to the Council anonymously, though the wedding certificate proved to be authentic. After a long debate among the Council members, a compromise was reached. Since some did in fact believe Anakin to be the "Chosen One", destined to bring balance to the Force, and Anakin himself was such a public figure for the Jedi, they decided to give him a second chance. He could immediately divorce the Senator, and the whole scandal would be covered up, or he could refuse, and be expelled.

In the end, Anakin refused.

Obi-Wan Kenobi was crushed. For all of their problems, he and Anakin had been good friends. But, not good enough, it seemed, as he hadn't even realized that his own padawan had gotten married right under his very nose.

His conflicting feelings built up inside him for a time, until one night, he had a dream.

Anakin's face, those yellow eyes, then that mask, that awful black mask—

Had a catastrophe been diverted, or were the images in the dream jut the products of his overactive imagination?

To be truthful, he'd rather not know.

Luke Skywalker had been brought to the Jedi Temple shortly after Anakin's expulsion. Obi-Wan watched him grow for ten years, and couldn't help but noticing the similarities between he and Anakin.

Anakin's hair, Anakin's eyes, Anakin's temper.

When he took Luke as his padawan, he swore to the Force that he wouldn't fail with him as he had with Anakin.

And so far, that had proved to be difficult.

Luke was rebellious, to say the least. And his friendship with Mara Jade worried him.

They'd been close friends since the creche, which was fairly normal. Younglings tended to form friendships with one another during that time, though most of them drifted apart by the time they were padawans.

Luke and Mara hadn't.

Nor did either of them have many friends other than each other. Luke was fairly outgoing, but Mara wasn't. They seemed to have their own little world all to themselves.

Obi-Wan was afraid that Luke and Mara's relationship may, in the end, parallel Anakin and Padme's.

Obi-Wan was jolted from his musings by the low 'swish' of the door opening. He looked to the entrance in time to see Luke Skywalker dart into the room.

"Master," the boy said, self consciously smoothing his robe.

"Luke," Obi-Wan replied, sighing. "I've been looking for you for hours—"

"But I was just—"

"Meditating, I know. And you're not in trouble, as that is exactly what I asked you to do. However, Mara Jade wasn't supposed to accompany you."

Luke shrugged nonchalantly, moving into the small kitchenette for a glass of water. He and Obi-Wan had had this conversation many times before, so it wasn't as if he was concerned.

"She was finished with 'saber training," he said, raising the glass to his lips.

"Which she did alone, just as you were supposed to meditate alone."

Luke didn't correct his Master on his wrong assumption.

Obi-Wan let out an exasperated breath. "Luke, your friendship with Mara concerns me."

"Don't I know it?" muttered Luke, rolling his eyes.

"Luke!" snapped Obi-Wan. "This is a serious matter!"

"Of course it is. It wouldn't be to any normal person, but to us Jedi, it's the world."

"Jedi are not normal people, Luke, and they cannot have attachments."

"I know," Luke singsonged, his annoyance seeping through.

Obi-Wan stood up abruptly and advanced towards the kitchen. "Tell me, Luke . . . tell me, if a Sith was about to either kill Mara or a blow up a building full of innocent civilians, who would you try to save?"

"The civilians," answered Luke automatically, even though he was disturbed to find that he wasn't completely sure.

Obi-Wan stared at him with suspicion, almost as if he could sense his padawan's indecision. Luke carefully reexamined his shields and was relieved to find them completely intact.

"The civilians, of course," Luke replied. "Mara is a Jedi. She's pledged her life to the Order, and she can't be put before innocent people." The words tasted bad in his mouth, and Luke knew at that moment who he would choose in that situation.

Mara.

He'd choose her without a second thought.

Luke felt a stab of discomfort at that. He shouldn't be thinking this way, it wasn't . . . Jedi-like. The civilians come first, not her . . .

But, to him, she came first. Even though something like that shouldn't matter to a Jedi, it mattered to him.

"Why were you looking for me earlier?" he said, forcibly pushing his contradicting thoughts from the forefront of his mind.

Obi-Wan stared at him for a moment longer before turning away and speaking. "The Council wants to meet with us. We're to go on a mission."

"That's good," said Luke, nodding. "Nice . . . change of scenery. What do they want us to do?"

"I don't know. We're to meet with them tomorrow morning. So, I suggest you get some sleep. Its late as is."

With a last look, Obi-Wan left the room, leaving Luke alone with his thoughts.

Author's Note: Chapter's finally up! The next few chapters should explain more about things like what happened to Leia, etc, etc.

Thanks for reviewing!

Anna