Relief washed over Adrina when Anakin's fighter safely docked in the hangar and he emerged shaken, but alive and exhilarated. Astonishment and pride joined with her relief when she learned that her own little brother had blown up the droid control ship, effectively ending the Trade Federation occupation.
Adrina quietly pulled Anakin aside when the crowd around him dispersed. There was unhappy news to share and she did not want Anakin to learn of Master Jinn's death from a stranger. Vehemently denying the truth at first, Adrina held her brother close as tears streamed down his cheeks. She knew the pain of losing a father and although Anakin had not known Qui-Gon Jinn long, he had greatly impacted Anakin.
The Queen faced no opposition after the destruction of the droid control ship. The Viceroy was captured and Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, Naboo's own former senator, was on his way, accompanied by the majority of the Jedi Council. Victory mingled with grief for those who lost loved ones. In accordance with Naboo customs, the dead would be buried the following day. Master Jinn's body, as a Jedi, would be burned on a pyre that evening and his ashes taken to the Jedi Temple.
Adrina and Anakin flanked Obi-Wan when the Chancellor's shuttle touched down. Padmé, resplendently garbed as Queen Amidala, approached crestfallen Nute Gunray and Rune Haako. "Now, Viceroy, you're going to have to go back to the Senate and explain all this."
"I think you can kiss your trade franchise goodbye." Unlike the Queen, Panaka made no attempt to conceal his smug pleasure. Panaka led the two Neimoidians towards the Chancellor's craft, followed closely by two security personnel. Obi-Wan followed a step behind, trailed by the Skywalkers, when the landing ramp began to lower.
Flanked by five Royal Guards, Chancellor Palpatine strode down the ramp. Obi-Wan and Anakin bowed low. Biting the inside of her cheek, Adrina bent slightly at the waist.
"We are indebted to you for your bravery, Obi-Wan Kenobi." Palpatine smiled as he spoke. "And you, Young Skywalker." Adrina stiffened when Palpatine turned his eyes to her brother. "We shall watch your career with great interest."
Obi-Wan and Anakin bowed again when the Jedi Master's exited the ship, headed by Ki-Adi-Mundi. Adrina bowed. She smiled internally when she saw Master Yoda. She immediately sobered, however, remembering why the Jedi Masters were on Naboo.
It would be a grim night.
0
Obi-Wan knelt on one knee as Yoda paced slowly back and forth in front of him. "Confer on you the level of Jedi Knight the Council does," Yoda said. "But agree on you taking this boy as your Padawan learner, I do not."
"Qui-Gon believed in him," Obi-Wan replied evenly. He had anticipated the Council's disagreement. Yoda sighed, stopping in front of Obi-Wan.
"The Chosen One the boy may be," Yoda allowed. "Nevertheless, grave danger I feel in his training."
Obi-Wan sighed. He, too, had felt the danger. "Master Yoda, I gave Qui-Gon my word. I will train Anakin. Without the approval of the Council if I must." He couldn't deny Qui-Gon's dying wish, no matter how inadequate he felt, no matter how unwise this course of action seemed.
Yoda shook his head sadly. "Qui-Gon's defiance I sense in you," Yoda muttered. "Need that you do not." Yoda sighed. "Agree with you the Council does." Yoda's eyes pierced Obi-Wan. "Your apprentice, the boy will be."
Obi-Wan bowed his head low, relieved he did not have to go against the Council. Qui-Gon would have been pleased. "What of Adrina?"
"A choice, we will give her," Yoda said gravely. "The Service Corps she may join or leave the Temple she may." Their decision was more generous than Obi-Wan had expected. "But allowed to distract young Skywalker, she will not be."
Obi-Wan nodded. He could well imagine the difficulties Anakin would face. Training to be a Jedi challenged even the most dedicated students. Although Anakin harbored a passionate desire to be a Jedi, he knew little about what it meant to be a Jedi or the sacrifices he would be called to make. Besides the rigors of training and how far behind other children his age he was, Obi-Wan could imagine the treatment he would receive from the other children and Jedi. There was always a stiff competition to become a padawan, but Anakin completely flaunted policy. Indeed, Anakin's very presence went against countless years of strictly upheld tradition - something many Jedi did not tolerate graciously. Adrina, too, would not have an easy time if she chose to join the Service Corps.
They both had a long road ahead of him.
Obi-Wan swallowed hard. It wasn't just Anakin, however. As his master, Obi-Wan was responsible for Anakin. The burden of training and integration fell squarely upon him. Just yesterday he was still a padawan learner! Fresh grief filled him. Qui-Gon would not have felt any of Obi-Wan's trepidation. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, allowing the peace of the Force to wash over him.
"Knight Obi-Wan," Yoda's gravely voice broke Obi-Wan from his reverie. Yoda hobbled over to Obi-Wan and nudged him gently with his cane. "Not alone, you are. Grief, we all feel. Missed, Qui-Gon will be. One with the Force, he is. Grieve, we should not."
Obi-Wan managed a small smile. "Yes, Master Yoda. Qui-Gon is at peace with the Force." Besides, Qui-Gon would not have wanted Obi-Wan to mourn. Qui-Gon hated fusses.
"Help you, the Council will. Easy it is not to train a padawan learner. Difficult the boy will be."
"Thank you," Obi-Wan murmured. He did not want to admit his own doubts about his abilities, but he was grateful that the Council had always been gracious.
But when Yoda took his leave, Obi-Wan's heavy doubts returned.
0
Adrina kept her eyes low when Mace Windu led her into a council chamber in the Queen's palace. He had found her as she was preparing for Qui-Gon Jinn's funeral. She sat in the chair opposite Master Windu and folded her hands in her lap. Windu's eyes bore into her, but she did not meet them.
"The Council has decided," Windu said finally. Her eyes flickered briefly up to his before returning to the ground. "Anakin will be trained. Obi-Wan Kenobi has requested to take him as a padawan learner."
Adrina's head snapped up. Astonishment flickered across her face before schooling her features. "Thank you, Master Windu. Anakin won't disappoint you."
Windu's mouth puckered slightly. "We will see."
Adrina stomped her indignation down. Anakin would prove himself. Then everyone would see – Anakin belonged there.
Windu leaned forward, propping his arms on his knees. He studied her carefully. "You have a choice to make, Adrina Skywalker. You will not become a Jedi. However," he paused. "Although you will not be allowed to become a Jedi Knight, you may enter the ServiceCorps, where Younglings who are not claimed as a padawan are placed. In the ServiceCorps, you could work in agriculture, exploration, teaching, or healing. As a member of the ServiceCorps, you would be held to the same Jedi Code as a Jedi Knight. If this does not appeal to you, you may find a job elsewhere, outside of the Temple. Should you choose to work beyond the Temple, know that the Council will assist in your job search, but once you have secured a position, you will be fully responsible for yourself. The Temple doors will be closed to you."
Adrina swallowed hard, mind racing. The Council's decision was wholly unexpected. Although the ServiceCorps sounded more intriguing than being a Jedi Knight, the only true appeal the ServiceCorps held was its access to Anakin. She did not misunderstand Mace Windu's ending statement; if she did not choose the ServiceCorps, she would never see her brother again. There was no option for her, regardless of how she felt about the Jedi's policy on attachment, regardless of how little she knew about the ServiceCorps.
"You understand," Windu spoke before she could answer. "That we will be training young Anakin in all aspects of the Jedi way, as if he had always been with us."
"Yes," Adrina said slowly.
"Jedi are forbidden from forming attachments."
Adrina frowned. Windu studied her with a practiced eye. Taking a deep breath, she lowered her eyes. Adrina worked to keep her voice level and respectful. "You are saying that no matter which path I choose, I won't be able to see my brother. That he will be cut off from me from this day forward."
Windu sighed, leaning back and splaying his hands on his thighs. "That, I'm afraid, would do more harm than good at this point," Windu said. "His attachment to you is deep. Attempting to sever it would not be conducive to his training. His training will be difficult enough for him and we do not seek to make it more challenging."
Adrina studied him carefully through lowered eyes. "I don't understand what you are suggesting then, Master Windu."
"The Council requests that you support the Jedi Code and his training. Limit your interaction with young Anakin. Allow him to be immersed. Support the Code. It is the only way he will be successful," Windu said.
Adrina swallowed hard. "I would be...honored to work in the ServiceCorps." Adrina said quietly. The words nearly choked her. She knew her father, if he were alive, would despise the choice, but her father was dead and it was her decision to make and her family to protect.
Windu nodded as if he had known that would be her choice. She supposed she knew it, too. There had never been a choice, not for her. "When we return to Coruscant, you will go before the Reassignment Council. They will discover where your talents lay and will place you accordingly. The road before you is no less difficult than young Anakin's. But the Council did not take this decision lightly." His eyes pierced her.
"Thank you, Master Windu," Adrina murmured with a weak smile.
Windu studied her for a moment and steepled his hands.
Heart beating fast, Adrina said, "May I ask a question, Master Windu?" At his slow nod, Adrina continued. "Why do the Jedi forbid attachments?"
The corner of Windu's mouth twitched upwards. "Attachments lead to emotions of the dark side."
Adrina contained a long suffering sigh and roll of the eyes. She did not understand why the Jedi were always going on about the dark side. She wondered if the Jedi would have fewer issues with the 'dark side' if they focused on it less. "What emotions?"
"Hate, anger, and fear; they are all emotions that lead to and are of the dark side of the Force."
Adrina frowned. She could not deny that those emotions bred evil things. Later, she would have to ask Obi-Wan why the Jedi weren't taught to simply control their emotions, rather than let their emotions control them – a beneficial skill in every situation.
"Soon you will understand." Windu said, as if sensing her thoughts. "The ways of the Force are many and complex. You may not understand the Jedi Code yet, but in time you will see its wisdom."
Adrina ducked her head to conceal her frustration. "Yes, Master Windu." She swallowed hard. "I will not do anything to hinder Anakin's training. Even if I do not yet understand it."
"Very well." Windu stood. Adrina hastily followed, bowing as she had noticed other Jedi doing before they parted ways. Adrina watched Windu stride from the room. When she was safely alone, she sank heavily into the chair and let her head fall into her hands.
Fear settled into her heart. What had she just agreed to?
0
Red and orange flames danced on somber faces, creating light and shadows alike. The night was pitch black and silent except for Qui-Gon Jinn's crackling funeral pyre. Even the stars had cloaked themselves in darkness. The Jedi's hoods cloaked their heads, adding to the solemnity and desolation of Qui-Gon's funeral.
Adrina stood behind Obi-Wan and Anakin, hands clasped in front of her. "What will happen to me now?" Adrina heard Anakin ask Obi-Wan morosely.
Adrina bit her lip, regretting that she had not been able to talk to Anakin before the funeral service began. Uselessness washed over her. Although Anakin didn't know it yet, Obi-Wan was his Master now – a better master than Anakin had ever had. She cringed at the term, reminding her too much of slavery – and the Jedi were not slaves. But as Anakin's Jedi teacher, she would no longer be the most important person in her brother's life, Obi-Wan Kenobi would be, and it stung. It was a foolish sentiment, she knew. She had wanted Anakin to be trained. She knew the changes it would necessitate. She had known all this. Why, then, did everything seem to be spiraling out of control?
"The Council has granted me permission to train you," Obi-Wan said softly. Jealousy reared its head; Adrina had wanted to be the one to tell Anakin. "You will be a Jedi. I promise."
Anakin merely nodded. Adrina swallowed hard and bowed her head. Anakin had taken Qui-Gon's death harder than she had anticipated.
Adrina watched Qui-Gon's body burn. She understood that it was a Jedi and Naboo custom, but the idea of setting fire to a loved one made her skin crawl. The last memory of a loved one should never be watching them shrivel to an unrecognizable mass of charred remains that crumbled to ash. That was no way to remember someone.
She wrapped her arms around herself and looked away from the pyre when she could no longer bear to see her own skeletons in the flames.
0
Adrina stretched languidly in the plush bed, blinking against the bright morning sun. The soft mattress was undoubtedly one of the most luxurious things she had ever touched. But, then, everything about the room was luxurious. The most beautiful stone covered the floor and the windows were made with actual glass! Certain a mistake had been made, Adrina had balked when a palace worker had told her the room was for her own particular use. The room was nearly larger than her home, though she had never thought of her home as being small; it had always seemed cozy.
Despite the extreme comfort of the mattress, sleep eluded Adrina for much of the night. She had hoped that the long, hot bath – with actual water! - she had been graciously allowed following Master Jinn's funeral would help calm her mind, but it had not. Instead, she scrubbed her skin until it glowed pink and painstakingly washed her long hair before crawling into the bed and weeping.
It was the first night she had ever slept alone in a room, and Adrina found she did not like it.
Adrina jerked upright when the door chimed. An insistent rap immediately followed. Kicking her feet over the side of the bed with a groan, Adrina padded over to the door. She wrapped a blanket around her shoulders; the plain white night dress Padmé had lent her did nothing to ward away the morning chill.
"Open up, Rina!" Anakin's impatient voice sounded on the other side of the door. "Come on, you gotta be awake!"
Smiling blearily, Adrina keyed the door open. Anakin was as bright eyed as he always was in the morning, but a weary Obi-Wan stood behind him. Doubtless Obi-Wan had not expected Anakin's early exuberance when Anakin took Qui-Gon's bed in their shared room. "Good," Adrina began, her voice gravely from sleep. She cleared her throat. "Good morning, Ani." She stepped aside and gestured for Anakin and Obi-Wan to come into her borrowed room.
Obi-Wan offered Adrina a weak smile as he stepped gingerly into the room. "Is he always an early riser?" He murmured.
"Yes." Adrina yawned. She tried to shake the sleep from her head. She was normally more alert in the mornings.
Obi-Wan winced.
"It's a big day!" Anakin exclaimed.
"It certainly is." Adrina smiled and ruffled Anakin's shaggy hair. "Your hair is going to disappear today!"
"And I get new clothes!"
Adrina smiled at Anakin's rightful exuberance. Anakin hadn't had new clothing in years. She worried about him, though. Despite his cheerfulness, there was a shadow in the recesses of his eyes.
"I can't wait to see what clothes you get at the Temple. I bet you're gonna look awesome." Anakin grinned. "And there's the parade this afternoon!" Adrina managed a small smile. Unlike Anakin, Adrina had never been one for parties and vehemently disliked crowds.
Adrina glanced at Obi-Wan. He had slid into a plush chair and was looking marginally more personable. She crouched next to him. "You can go back to bed, if you want. I can look after Ani."
"No, I'm fine." His lips twisted in a rueful half-smile. "I wouldn't sleep, anyway." A sentiment Adrina understood far too well. "Besides, Anakin is my responsibility."
Adrina swallowed her pride and jealousy. Obi-Wan was right. Anakin was Obi-Wan's responsibility now and she had promised Mace Windu that she would do nothing to hinder Anakin's training. A promise was a promise, even if it meant feeling unneeded. She looked over her shoulder. "Ani, did you make your bed this morning?"
Anakin's eyes widened before dashing out of the room, as she expected he would.
Obi-Wan turned curious eyes to her. His eyes drifted downwards, as if noticing she was in her nightgown, and color tinted his cheeks. Adrina couldn't imagine why, as the gown was perfectly modest. "You look like you had a rough night," Adrina commented gently.
Obi-Wan gave her a wry smile. "You could say that."
"May I ask you a question?"
"Of course."
Adrina licked her lips. "Master Windu said that you requested Anakin be your padawan. Why? I know how you feel about his training."
Obi-Wan looked away. For several moments Adrina did not think he would respond. Finally, he said, "I promised Master Qui-Gon." His eyes flickered to her. "I still feel it is dangerous, but..."
"You promised Master Jinn," Adrina finished softly. "You loved him very much."
"Attachments are forbidden." Obi-Wan's statement was harsher than intended, but Adrina didn't miss a beat.
"And that's a load of bantha poodoo," Adrina retorted, not unkindly. "The Council can forbid all they want. Attachments are natural. We can't help them. They connect us to the world. They make us stronger."
Obi-Wan pursed his lips. He exhaled and shook his head. "I felt it, Adrina." His eyes bored into hers. "When the Sith killed Master Qui-Gon, I felt the pull of the Dark Side. It called to me."
Adrina nodded. "Yet here you are."
Obi-Wan blinked as if he had expected harsh judgment.
She tilted her head. "Do you think now you might be better able to help Ani, if he ever feels the pull?"
Obi-Wan hitched a shoulder. "Possibly."
Adrina gave a confident nod. "Just have faith in yourself and you'll be fine." Shmi's voice echoed in her mind; it was the same advice Adrina had received many times. "Ani is a wonderful boy, but he's very headstrong and will question you about everything; he is very inquisitive. It will probably get him in trouble. But something tells me you can relate to that."
Obi-Wan's mouth fell open.
Adrina raised an eyebrow. "You said yourself that you are obstinate, so I don't see why you look so shocked."
Obi-Wan couldn't deny it. The door chimed and the door opened with a wave of Obi-Wan's hand. Adrina blinked. "It's Anakin," Obi-Wan murmured.
"I saw Padmé!" Anakin announced. His eyes shone with excitement. "And she told me to tell you that there's a dress in the closet for you to wear to the parade and the party if you want."
Adrina frowned. "She didn't have to do that." Although she had been dreading showing up to a fancy celebration with the Queen in her filthy clothing, she hated that she wasn't able to supply her own suitable clothing.
Sure enough, a simple light blue gown hung in the wardrobe. Adrina carefully removed it. It was the softest material Adrina had ever felt and she wasn't quite certain what the material was called. She worried that her calloused fingers would snag the delicate cloth. Below the bust was a dark blue sash about two inches wide. The same light blue materiel flowed down from the sash like a waterfall. Long sleeved, the sleeves were fitted just to the elbow before flaring. Delicate white embroidered flowers decorated the hems of the dress and sleeves. There was no doubt that the dress was beautiful.
"I can't wear this," Adrina whispered. "It's too much." Such an exquisite gown had no place on her body.
Anakin wrapped his left arm around his sister's waist. "Oh, come on, Rina. You have to! You'll look so beautiful. Think how happy Mom would be!"
Adrina slowly returned the gown to the wardrobe, running her hand down the fabric gently. "For you, Ani. I'll wear it for you."
0
Theed was radiant in the early morning sunshine. Light glistened off the pale stone buildings, a decoration of itself. Streamers and lanterns marked the occasion with colorful cheer. Thrown by young children from high balconies, confetti drifted to the ground. The plaza at the steps of the palace was filled with citizens of Naboo, human and Gungan alike. Everyone wore their best and brightest clothing.
Standing beside Anakin and Obi-Wan on the Palace steps with the Queen's retinue, Adrina watched a Gungan marching band fill the air with festive music as they marched down the plaza to the cheers of the crowd. Jar Jar Binks proceeded Boss Nass behind the marching band. Governor Bibble stood at the forefront on the steps, holding a large glowing sphere of light as a symbolic offering to Boss Nass. The Queen and Chancellor Palpatine stood to his left. Qui-Gon Jinn's absence was felt keenly, but a time of great celebration was no place for mourning.
Boss Nass made his way up the steps, Captain Tarpals and Jar Jar a step behind to his left and right. Queen Amidala stepped forward and met him at the top. Governor Bibble handed the Queen the sphere, who then handed it solemnly to Boss Nass. He held it for a moment before lifting it high over his head.
"Peace!" Boss Nass shouted, drawing out the syllables. The crowds cheered uproariously, jumping up and down gleefully.
Adrina felt it deep in her bones - peace.