"Correct you were, Qui-Gon," Yoda says.
"His cells contain a high concentration of midi-chlorians." Mace Windu adds.
"He's to be trained, then." Qui-Gon surmises, unable to hide a tiny hint of pride in his voice.
The council members exchange dubious glances.
"No. He will not be trained." Windu replies tersely.
Tears begin to form in the crestfallen boy's eyes. He begins to sniffle.
"No?!"
"He is too old. There is already too much anger in him." Windu explains.
"He is the chosen one...you must see it." Qui-Gon urges. Out of the corner of his eye, Qui-Gon notices his apprentice (not-so) subtly roll his eyes.
"Clouded, this boy's future is. Masked by his youth."
"I will train him, then. I'll take Anakin as my Padawan learner." Qui-Gon negotiates, placing his hands on Anakin's shoulders.
Obi-Wan reacts with surprise that he hurriedly masks. He'd be lying if he said it didn't sting that Qui-Gon was so eager to replace him.
Well... that was absolutely fine, because Obi-Wan was ready for the trials anyways. Kenobi crosses his arms, still maintaining a peaceable look on his face.
Anakin watches with interest.
"An apprentice, you have, Qui-Gon. Impossible, to take on a second."
"Obi-Wan is ready…" Qui-Gon bargains.
"I am ready to face the trials," Obi-Wan agrees, stepping forward.
"Ready so early, are you? What know you, of ready?"
Obi-Wan nods solemnly.
"Trained, the boy cannot be," Yoda says, shifting his glance back to Anakin, a distinct finality in his voice.
Qui-Gon bristles for just a brief second, quickly replacing it with a façade of serenity. "What am I to do with Anakin, then?"
A tense silence fills the room, before finally; "The boy must be returned to his Mother,"
Anakin glances worriedly at Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan. He sees the growing near-anticipation on Obi-Wan's face, and he can't help feeling a bit offended by his duplicity. Meanwhile, he sees a look of shock and indignation on Qui-Gon's face; something surprising for Anakin to see on the normally serene man's face.
"You wish to condemn this child back to a life of slavery? I will not send him back to that life. I promised his mother that he would be trained as a Jedi."
Obi-Wan huffs. "Masters, if I may, my Master is not-"
Qui-Gon glares at Obi-Wan, effectively silencing him.
"If it is the will of the force, then the boy's fate is not up to us," Mace responds blatantly. "With as clouded as his future is, it would be safer for everyone if he remained a slave."
Nearly half the room gasps. The other half remains silent.
Before Qui-Gon can say anything, Ki-Adi Mundi is already speaking.
"Master Windu. Your view is...harsh. A Jedi is supposed to value each life equally and you are fully ready to throw away young Skywalker's,"
Qui-Gon exhales. Perhaps the council members were less dictated by Windu's opinion than he originally thought.
"I disagree, Master Mundi. This boy is dangerous," Depa Bilaba interjects. A few other council members murmur in agreement.
Nevermind, then.
"...What's dangerous is not allowing Anakin the proper training so that he can hone his abilities naturally. What's dangerous is being selfish enough to withhold a child from the destiny he was born to fulfill out of your own fear. And what's far, far, more dangerous than Anakin could ever be is how deeply rooted fear is in the hearts of this very council!"
Even Obi-Wan seemed startled at Qui-Gon's outburst. A tension so thick you could cut it with a lightsaber fills the entire room, and nobody said a word for what felt like an eternity.
"...You are on thin ice, Master Jinn. I suggest you watch your tone and let young Skywalker's affairs be dealt with by us." Windu hisses.
"No." Qui-Gon snaps, staring Windu down.
"And what exactly do you mean by 'no'? Are you defying the will of the council outright, Master Jinn?" Depa Bilaba demands.
"I mean exactly what I said. Your judgment is based wholly on your fear of a small, innocent boy whom I just rescued from unfair bondage that you did nothing to prevent or diffuse because of your own selfish political reasons; and beyond that, you were willing to send him directly back into his past brutal reality just to qualm your own fears." Qui-Gon said directly, his voice rising and deepening in anger.
"There's a difference between our fears and his fears. Our fear is a healthy fear for the galaxy; his fears are a selfish fear from years without the Jedi way." Mace continues without skipping a beat. "If you were truly the Jedi master you claim you are, you understand to trust the judgment of-"
"I was once proud of being a Jedi, but if this is where it leads...then I'm done." Qui-Gon resigned soberly, his brow furrowed but his voice never faltering. Looking Mace dead in the eye, he went on sternly, "The path you are leading the Jedi is one of fearing fear when the Jedi Way clearly states that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself. And if the Jedi order is so shaken by a small child's vague, unforeseen future, so shaken that they will resort to such inhumane acts as to transplant a nine-year-old back to Hutt space, then I want no part in it, for it is no Jedi Order to me." Pointing to Mace, he continues, "Master Windu, I implore you! You've been to Tatooine on countless occasions! You've seen how horrifying it is. Not only have you done nothing about it, but you're actually daring to send an unarmed, unrecorded child to suffer and die there, all because of your own fears, fears of a vague future we do not know yet exists!" Holding up his fingers, he counts, "That's fear of a child's fear, fear of the undecided, fear of a small child, fear of said small child's gifts, and fear of political regimes."
Qui-Gon tucks his hands inside his robes and says in a clear, calm voice, "If this is the Jedi Order I am to represent to the universe, I'm sorry, but I cannot. I hereby revoke my title as Master, and I will be leaving your offending presence immediately." Turning on his heel, with the adoring, wide-eyed Anakin following closely behind, Qui-Gon left the council room at once.
Obi-Wan turns to follow, but before he could follow after his mentor, Master Windu's beckoning call rings out across the council floor. "Stay where you are, Padawan Kenobi. It is now imperative that we discuss your knighthood and your assignment to Naboo."