Obi-Wan stood by her Master's side as they gave their report to the Jedi Council. Most of the time, she kept her peace, only speaking when called upon to give extra details, and finally the report of events as they pertained to the Naboo situation was nearing completion. They'd gone over Obi-Wan's bad feeling at the beginning, Qui-Gon had talked of how he had felt that the Trade Federation intended to destroy the young King, and now her Master was recounting his battle with the unknown assailant on Tatooine.
"He was trained in the Jedi arts," Qui-Gon asserted. "His fighting style reminded me of some of the forms my Padawan has been learning under the supervision of Masters Yoda and Windu," he added with clear concern. "And there was a darkness about him. I feel certain that he was -" Qui-Gon hesitated. He didn't want to voice his suspicions, for fear that they were right, but Jedi did not give in to their fears. "A Sith Lord," he proclaimed.
"Impossible," Master Mundi denied immediately, in shock rather than derision. "The Sith have been extinct for a millennium."
Obi-Wan felt one of her eyebrows raise itself, quite without her permission, towards her hairline. It boggled the mind. Extinct? Did they forget what had become of her Master's last apprentice already? Granted, Xanatos was dead now, but he had been more than just a 'fallen Jedi' before his end had come about.
"I do not believe the Sith could have returned without us knowing," Master Windu denied, clearly more mindful of the recent trouble than Master Mundi. Then again, Master Mundi hadn't been on Coruscant when Xanatos had gone bad. Master Windu had been a witness, and had been one who comforted Qui-Gon in the wake of the man's self-perceived failure.
"Ah," Yoda spoke up. "Hard to see, the Dark Side is," he warned and reminded the collective.
"We will use all our resources to unravel this mystery," Master Windu promised. "We will discover the identity of your attacker."
Obi-Wan observed that her Master seemed to age before her eyes, rather than becoming lighter as this burden was shared. She could tell then that her Master believed that none of them would find the information they needed until it was too late to be of any benefit.
"May the Force be with you," Master Windu dismissed.
Both the Master and Padawan bowed, but they did not move from where they stood when they straightened.
"More to say have you?" Yoda enquired.
"I wish to nominate my Padawan to take her Knight Trials," Qui-Gon stated frankly, surprising Obi-Wan, since that was not what she had expected him to say next. "I believe that she is ready. Very likely she has been ready for longer that I have been aware."
"Our own council we will keep on who is ready," Yoda countered, though his tone was thoughtful rather than objecting, and he hummed in consideration.
Obi-Wan breathed deeply, welcoming in the calm of the Force as she felt the weight of twelve sets of eyes fix on her and attempt to measure her worth.
"What do you have to say to this nomination, Padawan Kenobi?" Master Poof asked, his voice serene yet his tone just as probing as the question itself.
Obi-Wan didn't answer instantly, but rather gave the question the consideration that it – and of course the nomination itself – deserved. She turned to face the Quermian Master so that she could address her answer directly to him, since he had asked it.
"I say," she started slowly, "that even if I were to take the trials and be knighted, I would still wear a portion of my hair in a braid, to remind myself that however much I may advance, I will still be learning more about the Force every day that I live," she answered carefully. "At the same time, that my Master believes me worthy to take the Trials brings warmth to my heart."
Master Poof bent his long neck in solemn approval of the answer she had given.
From another quarter of the room, three simple words of Shyriiwook echoed through the room. Master Tyvokka rarely spoke up in Council Sessions, but when he did, his word was listened to as attentively as Master Yoda.
Everyone present understood the language, as necessity, and so the commendation rung in their minds as well as their ears. She'll do well.
Obi-Wan bowed deeply to the aging Wookie Master, unable to utter a word for the awe and gratitude she felt towards him for his commendation of her promotion.
"Perhaps we could arrange for the Trials to take place in a week? I think that will be best," suggested Master Koth.
"A week," Master Windu agreed. Each member of the Council had their place and duties beyond that room, and for Master Windu, it was the general administration of the Temple as a whole, though different parts of the Temple were run by other Masters of the Order.
"Now, perhaps you would tell us about the bright Force Presence that you have left waiting beyond the door of this chamber?" suggested Master Koon through his breathing mask.
Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan both bowed, and Qui-Gon waved for Obi-Wan to fetch the child, while he gave a brief explanation of her discovery.
"While on Tatooine, my Padawan discovered a child with great Force Potential. I believe the child to be a vergence in the Force," he added quickly before his student returned.
"I heard that, Master," she muttered at him darkly as she past him, a hand on Anakin's shoulder as she brought him to stand before Masters Yoda and Windu specifically. "Masters, this is Anakin Skywalker, of Tatooine," she presented. "I respectfully request that he be sponsored by the Temple to the Corellian Academy."
"Sponsor!" Master Yoda repeated with some surprise. "A long time it has been, since sponsor a child's education, the Order has."
"But it is not without precedent," Obi-Wan persisted earnestly, though still politely. She didn't want this request to be turned down, after all.
Yoda chuckled. "Deny that, I do not," he agreed. "More common, it used to be. Come closer, young Skywalker," Yoda requested with a wave.
Anakin looked up at Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon nervously, and upon receiving encouraging smiles from them both, obediently stepped up to be before Master Yoda.
"How feel you?" the Trog asked.
"Cold, Sir," Anakin admitted. "But Mistress Kenobi said I'll get used to not living on a desert planet soon enough. Um... Nervous, but excited too. I really do want to go to school, and I'd be able to look after my mother if I went, wouldn't I?" he asked, looking over his shoulder to Obi-Wan to check.
"Your thoughts linger on your mother," Master Mundi observed.
Anakin nodded. "She's all I've had for a long time," he said, "and I'm in a strange new place, but she always tells me to be brave and follow my heart."
"Clouded, your future is. Mired in uncertainty, with many paths to choose from," Master Yoda mused as he considered the child before him. "But this is the future often. Carrying light and hope, you are, yes," he added, and hummed thoughtfully. "To the Corellian Academy, sponsored the boy will be," he decided.
Anakin's face split into a smile. "Yipee!" he cheered, and bounced back to Obi-Wan to wrap his arms around her waist in a hug.
The child's pure joy was infectious, and even the stoic Master Windu cracked into a small smile as others in the room chuckled softly. Obi-Wan half wanted to run off to her friends and tell them that she'd seen Master Windu smile, but she knew that none of them would believe her. She barely believed it herself. Sure he smirked a lot, but actually smile? Whole other thing.
"Thank the Masters for their generosity, Anakin," Obi-Wan urged, separating him from her with a gentle hand on his shoulder once she got over the surprise of seeing so many serious Jedi Masters taking a moment to bask in the pure joy the boy... and the Force, as well. All sharing freely in that single bright moment.
Anakin released her, turned, and bowed deeply to Master Yoda.
"Thank you very much Sir," the child said, unable to wipe the utterly thrilled expression from his face.
"Most welcome, you are, Youngling," Master Yoda answered with a fond chuckle. "May the Force be with you," he declared, and with a wave of his hand, the trio was dismissed from the Council chamber.
~oOo~
Obi-Wan took Anakin to the temporary residence provided for the Skywalkers by the Supreme Chancellor, where Anakin leapt into Shmi's arms and crowed the good news proudly.
"Thank you," Shmi said, her eyes tearing up as she smiled over at Obi-Wan. "I don't think we can ever thank you enough."
Obi-Wan wrapped an arm around Shmi's shoulders. "Make this one eat his vegetables and do all his homework to top standard in proper time," she answered easily. "That will be thanks enough to me."
"I will!" Anakin swore. "I'll be the best in the whole class!"
"And be sure to pop his ego now and then," Obi-Wan added to Shmi seriously.
Shmi laughed, and simply held her son tighter to her.
"But what comes next?" Shmi asked.
Obi-Wan winced, and pulled out a datapad from the bag she had been carrying. "Now," she said with a sigh, "now we deal with filling in all the forms you're going to need to live on Corellia and enrol Anakin into the Academy. Let's start with housing. You're going to need somewhere with space, if Anakin here is going to continue to work on his pod, or build other space craft in the back-yard."
Anakin fairly beamed at the prospect.
"And while the Order will give you and Anakin an allowance while Anakin is at the Academy, it won't be large, so you'll want to find some work as well..." Obi-Wan continued.
Shmi nodded in agreement, and guided the conversation towards the nearest table where they could sit and go over the documents.
About five minutes in, Anakin started to fidget in his seat.
"Patience is a virtue," Obi-Wan scolded lightly. "But it is boring, I know," she allowed.
"Why don't you go and do some more work on See-Threepio?" Shmi suggested to her son gently. "You don't really need to sit through all this just yet. When you decide to move out of home and have children of your own, that will be soon enough for you to worry about these things," she said with fond happiness.
"'Kay!" Anakin agreed easily, and slipped off his chair to find his unfinished protocol droid.
All the forms were finally and completely filled out only a little less than a standard hour later, at which time Finis Valorum appeared at the door.
"Supreme Chancellor," Obi-Wan greeted, and as she had just stood from her seat anyway, easily bowed to the man. "May I enquire how the Session went?"
Valorum took a deep breath, held it for a moment, and then let it out slowly. "It was radical," he stated plainly. "King Amidala decried the Senate's inaction when they had enough evidence to mount an investigation several days ago and yet failed to do so, went on to denounce his own Senator for failure to uphold the wishes and needs of his people as he had sworn to do when taking the office, and called out the bureaucratic process as failing to appropriately serve the people it had been created to aid."
Obi-Wan and Shmi both blinked in shock at that, and Obi-Wan's eyebrows rocketed up towards her hair, while Shmi's mouth fell open slightly.
"He's been busy then," Obi-Wan decided softly after letting that all sink in.
Valorum chuckled. "Oh yes," he agreed. "King Amidala then went on to accuse the Trade Federation of illegally invading Naboo's sovereignty after having attempted to murder Ambassadors sent by myself to force a settlement between them, and when the representative of the Trade Federation objected, the young man produced proof," the Chancellor recalled with a grin. "I didn't know you'd given him a copy of your recordings," he commented to Obi-Wan.
She shrugged a little sheepishly in answer. "It seemed an appropriate action, and you had proof to supply even if I hadn't given a copy to his highness," she pointed out.
Valorum nodded. "Indeed," he agreed with a smile. "Indeed," he repeated. "And I would have, but he beat me to it," he added as he reached into a pocket of his robe. From within, he removed a holo-recording. "This was my favourite moment of the Session though," he declared, simultaneously smiling and solemn, and turned on the device to play back.
King Amidala's face, painted and beneath an elaborate head-dress, appeared in the blue, flickering tones of the projector.
"I was not elected to watch my people, nor indeed all the life that exists only on Naboo, suffer and die while you discuss this invasion over tea and biscuits!" King Amidala snapped at the unseen Senate. "It saddens me to realise that the Republic no longer functions, and that bureaucracy, which was initially created for the sake of aiding the people that this body serves, may be the reason!"
Obi-Wan smiled proudly at that. Padme was quite the sponge for information, any information, and seemed to have quite a talent for using it. The teenager wielded his words with the same skill Master Windu did his lightsaber.
"I pray that sanity and compassion will be restored to the Senate before the beauty, life, and diversity of Naboo is extinct. With the way matters appear to be progressing, I expect that extermination will probably begin to happen some time next week," King Amidala said before Valorum turned off the holo-recording.
"Quite the speech," Shmi praised faintly.
"I understand that King Amidala will be going back to Naboo soon," Valorum said as he tucked the device back into the pocket of his robe. "I'd appreciate it if you and your Master would go with him. Protect him as best you can and bring back a report of the forces that the Trade Federation has there. I've never liked that they had enough power to merit a seat in the Senate, and if the Force is with us, then it might see that privilege at least removed."
Obi-Wan nodded in understanding, but her face showed a hint of doubt.
"I will, of course, make this a formal request to the Jedi Council," Valorum assured her.
The sliver of tension in Obi-Wan's frame left her at that. Doing things like that without utilising the proper channels would not set a welcome precedent to the rest of Order.
"Now, I believe that a certain young man was going to educate me as to what a pod racer was?" Valorum asked, clapping his hands together and letting an eager smile light up his face.
"It is something that gives me grey hairs," Shmi scolded firmly, then relented with a smile that was only a little sad. "But it makes him happier than anything else he's found yet in the galaxy," she added, then called for Anakin.
"I'd better return to the Temple," Obi-Wan excused herself once Anakin joined them. "I'll see you later Ani," she promised. "Force be with you Shmi, Chancellor," she bid, hugging the former and bowing to the latter.
"See you later Mistress Kenobi!" Anakin called after her, waving, before he grabbed the Chancellor's hand and started rattling off about pod racing enthusiastically, much to the old man's amusement.
~oOo~
"The Skywalkers are taken care of?" Qui-Gon asked as he and Obi-Wan headed down to where King Amidala's starship – now properly fixed up once more – was waiting to take off.
"They are," Obi-Wan agreed with a peaceful smile. "Anakin is very excited to go to school, and Shmi is looking forward to being able to start her own business to support herself and her son beyond the stipend that the Temple will give them."
"I'm glad," Qui-Gon said, though there was something in his tone which completely contradicted his words.
Obi-Wan sighed and folded her arms under her bosom. "What is it Master?" she demanded wearily.
"It's just... I feel that Anakin is the Chosen One, and should be trained," Qui-Gon answered with a frown.
Obi-Wan rolled her eyes. She'd never given any credit to ancient prophecies. No Force Vision was ever relevant more than a year or two in advance at most. If there was an ancient prophecy about a 'Chosen One' (and she knew there was, as it was in the Archives), then Obi-Wan suspected it of having been long fulfilled. Though the fulfilment had clearly not been recorded as the prophecy had been. Besides, her Master knew next to nothing about the movements of the Unifying Force, however in tune he was with the Living Force.
"He is being trained," Obi-Wan pointed out instead of voicing her true opinion on the prophecy. An alternate truth would do just as well for this discussion. "Nowhere in that prophecy does it say that the one to bring balance to the Force has to be a Jedi."
"Who would destroy the Sith, if not a Jedi?" Qui-Gon countered.
"Sith have been known to destroy themselves in the past," Obi-Wan joked with a smirk. "The prophecy does say that a child will be born in a time of great despair though, and I don't remember anything happening nine years ago that was particularly horrifying," she added pointedly.
Qui-Gon turned a put-out, mildly frustrated expression on his Padawan.
"Your logic is infuriating," he informed her. "I will be glad when you are no longer my Padawan and forever using it against me."
"Aw, don't say that Master," Obi-Wan replied teasingly, smiling a tiny bit smugly. "You'd miss me."
"You mean you'd actually leave me alone just because you wouldn't be my Padawan any more?" he countered.
"No," Obi-Wan answered, honestly and instantly.
"Then I'll have no occasion to miss you," Qui-Gon affirmed with a smile.
While the ship's crew had been making last checks, and the two Jedi had been talking, the King's security team arrived.
Not long after, King Amidala and his attendants joined them as well.
"Your majesty, it is our pleasure to continue to serve, and protect you," Qui-Gon greeted with a bow.
"I welcome your help," King Amidala replied.
Obi-Wan noted that, beneath the face-paint, it was Padme instead of his body-double that had been wearing the royal accoutrement on the journey to Coruscant. She wondered how long Padme would remain in his robes. They were rather a lot more cumbersome-looking than the simple attendant robes.
"I fear that the Trade Federation truly does mean to destroy me," the King admitted. "Just as you suggested when we left," he added, "and Chancellor Valorum agrees with you."
"I assure you, neither I nor my apprentice will allow that to happen," Qui-Gon promised the young King.
Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon took up guard position on either side of the King as they moved up the ramp of the ship.
"We-sa goin' home!" Jar-Jar cheered before he too followed them up the ramp and into the ship, R2 at his side. No new astromech droids had been purchased for the ship. R2-D2 was part of the group now, and would be trusted with all the duties of his station as well as accompanying them when they left the ship. A speeder had been loaded aboard into the old droid bay.
"You're very cheerful for a clumsy Gungan heading back to a world that's nearly overrun by a droid army," Obi-Wan quipped when Jar-Jar finally reached the top of the ramp. "Come on," she urged as the creature gulped nervously at the reminder. "The King wants you in his throne room with the rest of us for a planning session."
"Me-sa?" Jar-Jar asked, surprised.
Obi-Wan huffed with a smile. "You-sa," she agreed wryly.
~oOo~
"As soon as we land, the Federation will arrest you, and force you to sign the treaty," Captain Panaka declared.
"I agree," Qui-Gon added lowly. "I'm not sure what you wish to accomplish by this," he admitted.
"I will take back what's ours," King Amidala asserted calmly, resplendent in black and purple robes as he sat on his throne, a gold head-dress over his brow.
"There are too few of us, your highness," Panaka protested. "We have no army."
"And I can only protect you, I can't fight a war for you," Qui-Gon added, sympathetic but genuinely helpless in this matter.
King Amidala shifted his calm brown gaze from the two most senior and experienced persons present to a pair of younger beings.
"Jar-Jar Binks," he called.
"Me-sa, your highness?" the Gungan asked, surprised as he pointed a finger to his own chest, just to check.
"Yes," Amidala confirmed. "Would it be possible to approach the Gungans for help in ridding our world of these invaders?" he asked.
Jar-Jar brought a hand up to his chin in thought. "Hmm, should be," he agreed. "But Gungans no likin' outsiders, an' with all the mechaneeks trompin' around out there, they won't be givin' a warm welcome."
"I wouldn't expect one, especially under these circumstances," the young King agreed. "But to defend our home, I need all the help I can get."
"Should be do-able," Jar-Jar reaffirmed. "If-en the Bosses is willin' to listen to yous at all. We-sa warriors. Gungans no givin' up without a fight."
The King nodded gratefully to the Gungan that had effectively, if inadvertently, become the ambassador of his people before the planet's ruler. Then his gaze shifted forward from Jar-Jar to Obi-Wan. "Speaking of which," he continued. "Mistress Kenobi, your recordings were most insightful. You have my gratitude."
Obi-Wan bowed wordlessly.
"But I have a question," Amidala continued.
Obi-Wan straightened, ready to hear and answer as best she could.
"What can you remember of how the battle station was arranged?" Amidala asked. Battle station, yes, it seemed foolish to call it simply a space station now, when it was known to be the control ship of the droid army that had invaded Naboo. "We will need to take out the control ship if we truly wish to win this fight."
Obi-Wan tilted her head back and closed her eyes, opening her mind to the Force, asking it to clarify her memories and whisper to her things that she had missed initially.
"The station will be well guarded, and the weapons on your fighters may not penetrate the shields," she said, starting with the bad news. "There is an opening though. The power generator of the station is accessible if you simply go far enough into the hangar aboard ship. It would be risky, flying in, turning around, shooting out the generator and flying out again before the station explodes around you, but it is theoretically possible."
"And my pilots will be risking their lives as it is, simply by flying out and making an attack on the battle station," Amidala concluded, voicing the words that Obi-Wan had judiciously avoided.
She bowed her head in acknowledgement.