Chapter 9
Anakin left the boy with instructions to remain meditating.
He'd complained, of course. He barely knew how, and like his Master, he didn't like it.
He'd also complained more when his Master went to visit Aubrie. He wanted to talk to Yoda about the fight, as well.
Anakin had ignored his complaints, and as he entered the medical bay, he repeated Asher's final words.
"Asher says sorry, Aubrie."
Mace Windu and Yoda were sitting by Aubrie's bedside. She was conscious, and bandaged up. The only visible part of her was her face and hands.
Aubrie coughed hoarsely. "I'm not exactly sure if he needs to apologize," she rasped. "Or what he did wrong."
Anakin shrugged.
"Skywalker, sit down," Mace Windu said as he waved to a chair. "We have much to discuss. Especially Asher."
Anakin sat obediently.
"You didn't tell me," he began, "What Asher's midi-chlorian count was."
Aubrie and Mace exchanged uncertain glances.
"It... It wasn't," tried Aubrie.
"Wasn't?" echoed Anakin.
Yoda tapped the ground with his stick for attention. "Special, your Padawan is," the Grand Master affirmed. "Fluctuating, is his Midichlorian count."
Anakin stared.
"Your padawan," Yoda continued, "14 years ago, at his birth, was considered a candidate for the host for the force. When the previous candidate, a tree, died."
Anakin leant forward. "Host? Candidate? Doesn't the force control itself?"
Yoda tapped the ground again. "Control it he does not. Utilize it he can. The Force gifts him with infinite power, in exchange for his body."
Mace Windu started. Aubrie looked shocked.
"In...finite?" Mace Windu stammered.
Yoda frowned. "Theoretically, yes. More correctly, you should say, limitless. Normally, only to a limit can a force user go. With practice. With infinite practice, infinite power Asher possesses."
Anakin stared blankly. "But... Then why did you let me train him? Why -"
"The Chosen One, you are," Yoda intoned. "Underestimate yourself you should not."
Anakin droped his gaze. "I... also know my weaknesses."
Mace Windu leaned forward. "This is not like you Anakin," he frowned. "You've... changed."
Aubrie blinked. What had Anakin been like... before Jabiim? Arrogant? Proud? Angry?
Yoda reached into his cloak and withdrew a single holocron. "Teach you much of the force and your apprentice, this will, Skywalker."
Anakin took it numbly. Aubrie could see it was one of the holocrons reserved for Masters only.
"Thank... Thank you," Anakin mumbled, and put it into his cloak.
There was a long silence before Mace Windu turned to Aubrie. "Padawan," he began. "We cannot leave you masterless. If I had a choice, I would assign you to -"
Yoda cut him off. "A choice you have not, Windu. Let her be with Skywalker and Asher until we find her a master."
Mace settled back in his chair. "Then, that's settled."
Yoda stood. "Skywalker, you are free to go."
Anakin cracked a smile. In other words, get out of here. He bowed. "Masters, Aubrie," he said, and left.
"Anakin... I don't know much about him," Aubrie said as she stared off into space. "I've been told he's the Chosen One. But what else?"
Mace sighed. "Skywalker's path was... Confusing," he began. "He was nine years old when we met him. He'd been a slave on Tatooine. His mother was named Shmi Skywalker."
Aubrie frowned. "Didn't you say that Anakin was... concieved by the force?"
"Our primary theory, that is," Yoda confirmed.
Mace continued. "The queen of Naboo was escaping the CIS with Master Qui-Gon and his apprentice, Obi-Wan. You know of the seige of Naboo?"
Aubrie nodded.
"They had to repair their hyperdrive, and they landed on Tatooine, where they were met by 9-year old slave boy Anakin Skywalker."
Anakin? A slave? Aubrie couldn't picture that.
"They had no money to buy a hyperdrive, so Anakin struck a deal with his owner and the junk dealers. He won a podrace, and he was free. The prize money would go to the hyperdrive. And Qui-Gon had an interest in the boy, especially after Shmi told him that Anakin had no father. He suspected the boy to be the chosen one, and he came to Coroscant after he had single handedly, and accidentally, destroyed the CIS battleship."
Aubrie twitched a finger over a datapad, and an overhead screen popped over the bed. "And was trained as a Jedi?"
Yoda and Mace nodded.
Aubrie furiously began punching in numbers, and an image scrolled to the front. It was a masked boy, wielding a training saber.
"Is this him?"
Mace examined the holo carefully, but Yoda nodded.
Suddenly an alarm shrilled, and a nurse entered the room. "Masters," he said respectfully. "Time is up."
Yoda and Mace Windu acknowledged the suggestion and began to leave the room. Just before he left, Yoda turned.
"Turmoil I sense in you, Wyn. Fight it or feed it."
Aubrie blinked. What was that supposed to mean?
Anakin entered the dorm. He'd enjoyed a few hours with his wife, and was now ready to talk to Asher. About a lot.
He was met by a very strange sight when he entered.
Asher was levitating about a foot off the ground, and all of the holographic tools had been spilt all over the floor. Every now and then, he would twitch his fingers and a tool would move and touch a semi-solid hologram.
Anakin waited for a second, but Asher's concentration snapped and he dropped to the ground. "Master," he sighed.
Anakin entered the room and circled the boy. "Asher, what are you doing?"
Asher frowned, the extracted a sheath of papers from underneath the tools. "Uhh, I got bored."
They were the plans for an ARC-170 fighter, the type that Asher admired. Except the hologram looked nothing like one.
Asher had modified it so heavily, that it didn't look like a starfighter.
The only thing that remained the same was the crew seats. The nose had been shrunk, the wings twisted into a reverse delta, housing massive engines, the size of the body, the ship was about two times smaller, the primary laser cannons had been sunk into the wings, and there was a larger cargo capacity.
Anakin gave a low whistle. "That... Thing... Is a ARC-170?"
Asher touched one more section if it with a tool, then grinned. "Yeah. I got carried away. Wanna see the simulation results?"
Anakin sighed. Life with Obi-Wan with Anakin as an apprentice couldn't have been more stressful.
"Yeah, whatever," he grunted, and began cleaning the tools.
Asher smirked behind him, and hit "calculate statistics".
"Power, 9.2; Speed, 9.5; Agility, 8.9; Weapons, 8.8," he called out.
Anakin spun around. "9.5 speed and 8.9 agility for an ARC-170? You're joking."
Asher shrugged. "I have a talent for this."
Scrutinizing the holo, Anakin suddenly grinned. "You do realize, ARC-170s are 3 person starfighters, so..."
Asher's face went downcast. "Oh... I kinda forgot that."
"...so you'll be glad to know that Aubrie's coming to stay until she gets a new master."
Asher broke out in a grin. "I'd like to see her. Personally."
Anakin kept on scrutinizing the holo. Suddenly, he broke into a grin. "You know, anyone would think you liked her."
Asher stiffened. "Not after Jabiim."
Anakin sighed and set down the holo. "Jabiim and others come and go, Asher. Learn to accept them."
"My family -" began Asher.
"I have no family," Anakin said bitterly. "My mother was killed. I know how you feel."
Asher stared at the ground. "Aah... So can we see Aubrie?"
Anakin grinned. "After you do your meditation homework."
Surprisingly, Asher sighed, shrugged, and sat down again.
Anakin smirked. "That's a first."
"First time for everything, master."
Grinning, Anakin lowered himself to the ground next to Asher.
"Well, why not?"
After a few seconds, Asher opened one eye. "Are we finished yet?"