Epilogue – Two months later
The floor of the dimly lit chamber was littered with disabled remotes, high above the floor, two men, one dark-haired, the other light, crouched, one behind the other, on a narrow beam as the surviving remotes circled around them, waiting for a chance to break through their defenses. But the young men held fast, and the probes ceased their barrage, retreating to wait for another opportunity to overcome their opponents. Taking advantage of this temporary respite, the light-haired man launched himself over his still-crouching dark-haired companion, landing a meter in front of him, and bringing him closer to their eventual goal – the open doorway; and the remotes seized the chance to attack again.
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"I do not believe this module is meant to be a team exercise." Mace Windu observed as he entered the viewing area, "Do they understand this will count for nothing if they complete it?"
"They are aware of this." Obi-Wan replied, without taking his eyes off the pair below.
"How did they get access to the program? All the higher level sims were supposed to be restricted; we ruled on it before you even left for Tatooine, Anakin." Mace questioned.
Obi-Wan smiled and rubbed his beard absently, "We gave them access to it; on the condition that they would try it as a team." Anakin answered.
"I see; so teaming up was not their choice." Mace deduced.
"Only because they hadn't thought of it until Anakin and I suggested it." Obi-Wan answered, turning his attention toward the older Council Master.
"Do they actually need more training in team work?" Mace asked.
"Probably not; but this was a sim they both failed to complete, so we thought they both needed a boost of confidence." Anakin replied.
"Have you thought that if they are successful it will do little to discourage others from attempting exercises above their age and skill level? Perhaps it was not wise to allow this even at the risk of their self-confidence." Mace stated.
"We discussed this at length when Zak and Ferri came to us about this. Whether they succeed or not, I do not believe it will too terribly difficult to regulate the use of the sim exercises." Obi-Wan assured the older master.
"I hope you are right. Declan will be very displeased if any more young apprentices end up in his quarters." Mace replied with a sigh and then turned to regard them, "I am concerned that their actions will be emulated by their younger brothers before they are ready despite our efforts to control the use of the sims."
"Do you really think that will be a problem?" Anakin questioned.
"I do. You and Obi-Wan are looked upon as heroes; much has been expected of those apprenticed to you. And Zak and Ferri have lived up to those expectations; it is only natural for our younger Jedi look up to them." Mace answered.
"Hero worship?" Obi-Wan guessed, somewhat skeptically.
"Exactly." Mace confirmed, the corners of his mouth turning up in a rare smile, "Sometimes I believe both of you have forgotten your own accomplishments."
Before either of them could respond, Mace had changed the subject, "Well, they seem to have the advantage at the moment." He said as he watched Ferri deflect a shot aimed at his teammate.
"Perhaps, but we will soon see how focused they are; with only four remotes left, the distraction should happen soon." Obi-Wan pointed out.
"Three." Anakin corrected as another droid joined the others littering the floor.
As if on cue, the lights inside the chamber flickered just as the remaining remotes began a concentrated barrage against the pair.
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Zak ducked to avoid the shot he sensed was coming, allowing Ferri, standing slightly behind him, to effectively deflect the shot back at the firing remote, and then remained in his crouched position as the remote retreated allowing Ferri a chance to flip over his head once again. This had been their strategy from the start, and so far, it seemed to be working; only five remotes remained and the pair had advanced to nearly halfway across the beam. With Ferri's forward progress, the surviving droids attacked again as Ferri crouched, holding his weapon defensively to allow Zak the chance to reduce their number. There was a crackling as the laser shot connected with Zak's blade and then the high-pitched whine as the deflected shot struck the firing remote which dropped quickly to the floor below. Ferri smiled as Zak flipped over his head and then crouched as Ferri stood, waiting for the remaining droids to begin their attack anew. But the survivors retreated further, processing this newest development before dispersing in an attempt to flank the pair on the beam.
Ferri sighed, it was this very tactic that had been his undoing the last time, "We can do this." Zak said, "Just stay focused."
"Focus." Ferri replied, tightening the grip on his weapon, watching as one of the remotes moved to cover his back and then flipping to face the potential threat, deflecting a shot from a second probe on his right.
The second probed whined and fell as the first probe fired, this shot deflected harmlessly away from its target.
Standing now back to back with Ferri, Zak heard another probe hit the floor but had no time to savor this latest victory as the probe before him zoomed past, firing off a quick shot before moving out of range.
"Almost there." Ferri murmured.
But then the lights flickered, distracting both apprentices just as the three surviving probes launched an all-out attack.
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"Well, that should give them a boost of confidence." Mace said as he watched the last of the remotes drop harmlessly to the floor and then turned to the other two masters, "Well done, I must say; they have become quite the team."
"Yes, it is hard to believe when you think about where they were four years ago." Obi-Wan concurred, his eyes drawn to the pair now exiting through the open doorway below.
Anakin said nothing, staring down into the now-empty chamber but thinking back to the frightened boy cowering in an abandoned ship on Myrkr. If anyone had told him then that this same boy had not lost his chance at Knighthood, but would become Anakin's own apprentice, he would have doubted the fool's sanity. But the future, as Master Yoda always counseled, was not set in stone. When Ferri agreed to help Obi-Wan find Anakin after he had lost his memory, it had given the boy a chance to change his future. Since then he and Obi-Wan's apprentice, who had been at the root of his betrayal on Myrkr, had done the improbable and become fast friends, partners; forming a bond that rivaled the one between their masters.
Anakin was stirred from his private thoughts by a hand on his shoulder, "Shall we congratulate the victors?" Obi-Wan suggested.
Anakin nodded and turned away from the viewing window, "Please understand that I do not wish to take away from their accomplishment, I am only concerned about how it will affect the behavior of those who look up to them." Mace said as they left the viewing area.
"We will be sure to impress upon them the importance of discouraging the younger ones from copying their actions." Obi-Wan replied, "If they look up to Zak and Ferri, I would think their counsel on that score should be enough."
Mace nodded, apparently satisfied and then turned down the corridor away from the exercise area while Anakin and Obi-Wan headed toward the changing room.
They could hear their apprentices talking animatedly inside the changing room. They hesitated for a moment, listening to the camaraderie between the two former rivals; both young men turned toward them as they entered, their faces flush with their recent success.
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Across the galaxy, another pair was celebrating. Beru Lars, having been diagnosed and treated for an abnormality that had prevented her from carrying a child to full term, was again pregnant. The little family was still only guardedly optimistic; after so many disappointments, it was difficult for any of them not to worry that this one would not end any differently. But as Beru's condition progressed, they would become more and more hopeful until the child was born.
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And on Umbara, yet another covert meeting had come to an end with still no clear agreement as to how to proceed following Salen's death. Twice since Salen had been laid to rest they had met, and on both occasions the meetings had resulted in a stalemate between those who supported the ideals of the departed Umbaran lord and those who were appalled at what had been proposed. Now, once again there had been no resolution, and the members of the opposing factions began to wonder if there ever would be. What Salen's opponents could not know was that his supporters were actually considering a split that would allow them to continue with the work their deceased comrade had started. A move that would eventually put them all at odds with their own government and with the very people they had sworn themselves to protect.
So, here it is at last, the final chapter. My thanks once again to all of you who left words of encouragement and support even during the long intervals between chapters. Without your wonderful reviews, this story would never have been finished; and I am still in awe of how many reviews it garnered. Will there be another? I don't know for sure, but it is certainly a possibility. As you can see from the ending, I have left an opening for one. I suppose in the end it will depend on what you all want. In any case, may the Force be with you, always.
TamsynDell