Chapter 12. A New Kind of Jedi
Since he began to work for the Supreme Chancellor Anakin's world had expanded dramatically, as though he had stepped out of a dark cave into the blinding light of the desert.
As the Chancellor had predicted, and to the surprise of some Jedi Council members, Anakin was equal to the specific tasks he had been given. With respectable efficiency he correctly had analyzed the strengths (there were few) and the weaknesses (there were many) of the Senate's security establishment and had devised ways of addressing the problems. The discipline, subtlety and rigorousness of his Jedi training gave Anakin untold advantages over most of the ordinary souls he encountered in what Palpatine referred to as "the world outside the Temple."
What Anakin did not understand, because of his inexperience, was the enmity that his privileged position aroused at all levels of the Senates' complex bureaucracy of career civil servants. Anakin took his unparalleled access to the Chancellor for granted. He never questioned the fact that all of his requests for funding for additional personnel or weapons were authorized immediately without becoming bogged down in the normal budgetary process. If he decided to reorganize a working group he simply went ahead and did it, with all necessary permissions in place. Without a title other than the vague and all-purpose "Chancellor's Adviser", and without the limitations of a rank within the system, Anakin's presence was like a dark cloud hanging over the heads of many of the Senate's functionaries. They never knew when or where he would swoop down and make their lives miserable.
Anakin neither knew nor cared what the bureaucrats thought of him. He accepted his top security clearance as a matter of course. His work and his priorities were decided in his weekly meetings with the Chancellor, and true to his training he tackled each with focus and efficiency.
In that sense it wasn't much different from his life in the Temple. Wherever he went, Anakin seemed to dwell outside the mainstream.
The Jedi Council, in the meantime, took pains subtly to increase the Jedi presence in the Senate in a number of areas. With Jedi Knights in shorter and shorter supply because of their wartime command duties, older Padawans were assigned to diverse functional areas. Master Medulla and his Padawan, Brith, were hard at work in the Senate archives, reading between the lines as best they could in the ancient materials regarding the Sith. Lon Erian, whose skill with puzzles, codes and ciphers was akin to Anakin's piloting ability, was assigned to the Senate's Intelligence Unit. V'ar and several other Padawans whom Anakin had taught in his saber Master Class appeared regularly in various departments.
The Jedi watched the Senate. The Bureaucrats watched their backs. The Chancellor watched Anakin. The Senators watched one another for signs of Separatist loyalties. The war continued to rage in many sectors of the Galaxy, bringing entire systems to their knees and bringing suspicion, treachery, death and destruction wherever it touched.
And Anakin had a new suit.
The first time Anakin wore his new clothing he was deeply uncomfortable. The clothes themselves finally had achieved a level of functionality that he could live with. But the step outside of the Jedi identity that they represented was a completely different matter. He drew the line at wearing them within the Temple, so he kept one set in a small office he had commandeered for himself down near the training rooms and changed when he got to the Senate building. The other set was stored at Padmé's apartment when not in use.
Anakin profoundly disliked that fact that the suit not only made him feel different, but also, as the Chancellor had predicted, changed the way others reacted to him. The boy in the Jedi robes was a different presence than the man in the dark, expensively tailored clothing that might or might not have been a uniform. Whatever it was made people stop and take notice; and being a Jedi, Anakin perceived their reactions very clearly.
It just seemed absurd to him that people would react so strongly to something that was nonessential.
Zangan and Tibbs were among the first to see him in it when his unwelcome presence darkened their doorstep yet again on that particular morning.
"Well, well, well," sneered Zangan. "Either the Jedi got themselves a new tailor or the Chancellor got himself a new kind of Jedi." Tibbs just peered at him through narrowed eyes.
Anakin chose to appear to ignore the comment, but it irritated him so much that he decided to move up the deadline on a new set of security protocols more than was reasonable and demanded its completion by the end of the week. Zangan's and Tibbs' combined hostility felt like daggers and followed him all the way to his next task. Anakin didn't care. Their antagonism was nothing compared to his own.
As it turned out, Zangan's comment set the tone for the rest of the day.
Anakin's next stop was the first meeting of a close-quarters combat re-training class he had arranged for experienced personnel. That was no better. The Security Force veterans who had been required to take the class took the re-training as an insult and brought their resentment with them. Anakin knew that the first class set the tone, the pace and the agenda. Even his limited teaching experience in the Temple had shown him how important it was to take charge immediately.
When he walked into the training room Anakin learned that his appearance, which had not changed at all from fifteen minutes earlier, had a completely different meaning for this group.
"Who's the little prince?" someone snickered at the back of the room. Several people laughed. Clearly to them he looked like someone who had wandered out of a royal reception upstairs and gotten lost.
Anakin sighed inwardly. This group would have responded better to a Jedi of any age. He should have changed clothes before coming.
Blast, he thought, invoking Obi-Wan for comfort. The throught was opportune because it put him in mind of a favorite lecture of his Master's that had to do with going directly to the issue at the heart of a matter rather than getting lost in nonessentials.
Right. The issue was respect. Preferably mixed with a little fear.
Anakin started talking to the group about what they were going to be doing. As he spoke he began to strip down. First he unclipped his light saber hilt from his belt and tossed it into the air a couple of times. Just enough to remind them that, clothing notwithstanding, he was a Jedi. Then he put it aside and removed his belt. Then his jacket came off and was tossed aside. Anakin was still talking. Then the gloves came off. First the left. Then the right. The sight of his artificial hand had the intended effect. There was a collective inward pause.
"Where'd you lose the hand, princeling?" someone bold called out from the rear of the group.
"Geonosis," said Anakin. There were a few nods and murmurs. The first battle of the war.
He threw the gloves aside and started to roll up the sleeves of his shirt. There was no visible end to the artificial limb. When the sleeves were rolled up above his elbows Anakin paused, hands on hips, and looked at the group. He could sense that everyone's attention was on his metallic arm. The class was by now appropriately hushed.
Next Anakin selected the member of the class for a demonstration who, to his perception, had the worst attitude. Either that or he reminded Anakin of Zangan. It was a tall, middle-aged Cixassian. And he was going down.
Never losing the train of what he was saying Anakin demonstrated the appropriate responses to six different types of attacks. Each time the Cixassian ended up either on the floor or in a lock hold so quickly that neither he nor the class understood what had happened. The atmosphere in the room changed immediately. They all wanted to learn how to do that.
That was no challenge at all, Anakin thought. He kept forgetting how easy it was to manipulate the Force-blind.
The rest of the class went so smoothly that he ended it a half-hour early. He rolled down his sleeves, put his gloves back on and retrieved his light saber, belt and jacket, scowling slightly at the disliked piece of clothing as he did so.
Stepping out into the hallway Anakin allowed himself a much-needed treat.
Padmé?
Here. I'm about to introduce the Military Training Act.
Wrapped up in his own work, Anakin had forgotten all about it. Cringing inwardly at an imaginary Sabé pointing a finger at him and saying "selfish," Anakin sprinted up to the vast Senate Chamber to watch at least part of the debate. There, to his surprise, he found Master Windu, Master Koon, Lon Erian and V'ar, all watching from the rear of the upper gallery where Anakin had planned to position himself. Their collective stare made him remember with acute discomfort how he was dressed, and he had to struggle to lock down his shielding before they caught his embarrassment.
This really was getting annoying.
He managed to put aside his personal concerns when Chancellor Palpatine called upon the Senator from Naboo and Padmé's pod moved to the center of the great hall. Anakin listened with pride and pleasure as she outlined the need for the bill and the safeguards against misuse of the new Training Academy, and called for a prompt favorable vote.
Despite Padmé's articulate arguments in favor of the bill, there was a short but lively debate. The opponents expressed the same concerns that Padmé had felt before she grudgingly took on responsibility for the legislation.
"We don't need that many Officers," a member of the Malasterian delegation argued when it was his turn to speak, "and we certainly won't need them at the war's end. The Jedi are doing a fine job as commanders."
"If the war keeps on much longer, there won't be any Jedi left!" yelled someone, out of turn. Cold-blooded laughter erupted from pockets throughout the vast room until the Chancellor called for order.
Anakin quickly glanced at Master Windu's face. At the moment it appeared to be cut out of stone.
The debate continued for a short while until the Chancellor used his emergency powers to compel an immediate vote. The Military Training Act passed by an overwhelming majority.
Anakin left the Chamber after the vote to make sure he would be on time for his next task. V'ar followed him and they walked down the corridor together in silence for a while.
Finally V'ar couldn't resist making a comment.
"Nice clothes," she said dryly. "What are they, political camouflage?"
"Don't ask," Anakin replied in his most long-suffering voice.
V'ar grinned but didn't take it any further.
"Listen," Anakin said after another pause. "That comment about 'soon there won't be any more Jedi left' – what was that all about?"
V'ar shrugged. "I guess it's a reference to the number of Jedi Knights we're losing in the course of combat duty." She glanced at Anakin sideways as he slowed to a stop and looked at her. "Did you know that Master P'taat was killed last week?"
Anakin shook his head.
"The funny thing about it," V'ar went on, "is that it seemed to be a personally targeted attack. The unit he was commanding wasn't in battle at the time."
Anakin frowned. "Like Gren's Master."
V'ar nodded and agreed. "In a way. Each one is a little different, but they're all suspicious."
They stood together in silence for a moment, lost in thought.
"I didn't think that Jedi Knights are that easily killed," Anakin said.
"Neither did I," V'ar agreed. "We have four Master-less Padawans in the Temple now. It seems like there's a new one every week."
Anakin started thinking about the way Obi-Wan had been attacked on Naboo. Come to think of it, he hadn't heard from his former Master yet.
V'ar took her leave and headed back to her assignment in the Senate Data Center. Anakin was heading back down to the training rooms to oversee the induction of new recruits when Lon came up behind him.
"Hey, soldier boy," Lon said silkily, with yet a different take on Anakin's now thoroughly unloved new suit, "planning to do a little dressing up and marching around?"
Anakin briefly wondered whether the present circumstances would allow him to get away with giving Lon a severe pounding, but decided to postpone that pleasure for another time. Taking down a Jedi required more thought and consideration than he had time for right now.
"I'm late," Anakin said over his shoulder as he headed off in the other direction, "and you're an idiot."
He reflected bitterly over Lon's laughter that the day wasn't even half over yet.
* * * * *
At the end of that long, long day Anakin looked around and took stock. It was late evening already and he had worked through since early morning. His last tour through the inner guts of the Senate building to inspect the deployment of the night shift had taken him through quiet hallways and smaller, more hushed working groups than were commonly found during the day. He double-checked security in the Data Center, the Senate's communications nerve center, and headed up to the office levels for the reward he craved.
Padmé?
Here. Even the single thought felt weary, and worried.
Still working?
I could ask you the same thing, she replied. Anakin smiled but didn't answer right away.
Where are you? she wondered after a brief silence.
"Here."
Padmé jumped to hear his voice and looked up to see him leaning in the doorway.
"Don't do that!" Her eyes automatically checked the outer office. It was empty. She had sent Dellia home hours ago.
Of course it was empty. Anakin wouldn't be here if there were any danger that he would be seen after hours like this. Their acquaintance was common knowledge, but Anakin took enormous pains to shield her from any allegations about a more compromising relationship.
"Sorry." Anakin didn't look at all sorry.
Padmé forgot her fright when she let her eyes rest on him for a moment.
By all the Gods, she thought, you could sculpt him in that outfit and put the statue in a park somewhere as some kind of a mythical hero. It was a shock to see Anakin dressed in something other than his familiar Jedi robes. It gave him a completely different air. More imposing. More...noticeable…in every way.
"You look gorgeous," she said sincerely.
It was the first positive reaction to his new clothes that Anakin had received, and because it came from Padmé it instantly cancelled out all the other humiliating ones. Just being in her presence smoothed out all of his rough edges, and the first time all day his spirit found some peace.
Anakin pushed himself away from the doorjamb and sauntered up behind her, reaching out to rub her neck with his living hand. He could feel her immediately relax into his touch. Although he had mastered the use of his artificial arm in all of its capabilities, Anakin still didn't like to touch her with it any more than necessary. He had become highly skilled in the art of the one-armed back rub.
"What's the matter?" He leaned down and kissed the top of her head, lingering a little to take in the softness and scent of her hair.
Padmé leaned back into him. Now that she had let go a little she became aware of her weariness.
"Um…the war, to start with."
"Always a worry." He kept massaging gently. He had an uncanny knack for finding knots of tension. "What else?"
Padmé groaned as he found the tightness in her neck. "Against my better judgment I've arranged for Balé to come to Coruscant for two weeks."
"It's been so long since I've seen her," Anakin said wistfully. "She probably won't remember me."
Padmé didn't think there was much danger of that, but decided to let him find that out for himself when the time came.
"I'm worried about her safety on the journey."
Anakin stopped rubbing and focused. "Who is bringing her?"
"Dormé, of course. Captain Typho and a handpicked team. They are getting a ride with a Republican Army transport that is returning to Coruscant next week. Captain Typho thought it better not to travel through the Sector in a Nubian vessel."
"Makes sense," Anakin said, starting to find a few more knots.
Ow!
Sorry.
"They should be all right. The transports are well armored and defended."
Padmé looked down at the data pad she had been studying when Anakin startled her and frowned.
"Something doesn't make sense."
Anakin's fingers were starting to snake around her shoulders. She could feel the tension drain away, making it difficult to concentrate.
"The official reports I get about military activity in the Sector…ooh, that feels good…don't always tally with the ones I get from home. Oof."
"How are they different?" His hand slid around to her other shoulder.
"Mmm…in odd ways. Some of the disparities are significant. Some are smaller. Like…this transport that is bringing Balé and my staff. It's not listed anywhere in the official documents. Nor is its mission."
Anakin stopped rubbing again "That's strange."
Padmé leaned back and looked up at him. "That's what I thought."
He bent down for an upside-down kiss that made her laugh. "I'll check it out for you, if you like."
"You can do that?"
"Sure. I have the top security clearance."
He said it so nonchalantly. Padmé wondered whether he had the slightest idea how privileged his position was. Probably not. Knowing Anakin he was doubtless unaware of the jealousy of the career bureaucrats in the Senate about his free hand with everything. She shook her head. He was such a funny mixture of fierce pride and utter ingenuousness.
Anakin dropped down on one knee next to her so they were face to face.
"What are you shaking your head about?"
"You." Padmé smiled. "I accept your offer. I would really like to know what is going on."
"Done." Anakin wanted to go. He wanted to get Padmé out of this building and away from this atmosphere. Everything weighed on her so much. He wanted to see her happy for a while. "The day is over, Senator. Time to go home."
Padmé allowed herself to be guided out of her office and up to the transport platform. Anakin subtly but very noticeably adjusted his demeanor the minute they stepped into the public corridor. Positioning himself just behind her left shoulder, he became attentive but formal. Distant. Businesslike. Padmé walked those two steps ahead of him in silence, letting herself be steered and guarded, as by a bodyguard. No one watching them could have had any question about their relationship.
Let's go play, suggested the stern-faced, correct and professional bodyguard.
What do you have in mind? asked the Senator as she walked ahead of him through the winding corridors, expressing nothing on her face other than the intention to reach her destination.
Anything that will make you forget about all this for a while, came the reply as he checked the lift before allowing her to enter it and then double-checked the hall behind them before stepping inside with her.
The Senator pondered the options as they stood side by side in the lift, a respectable distance apart, staring straight ahead. There was only one thing she wanted.
You. Me. Bed. she specified as they stepped out onto the windy platform. Their routine was that if there were other people on the platform the Senator left alone. If not, they left together. Tonight there were several clusters of people awaiting their transports.
Anakin felt her keen disappointment.
Don't worry. I'll be there before you know it.
The Senator had to be content with that. She was looking forward to bedtime.
The bodyguard was looking forward to her relieving him of his suit.
