Chapter 2 – The Great Hall
"You do well not to ask questions that flow so easily into your mind," Obi-Wan said, breaking a short silence. "This walk has only been a short time, and yet you have already learned much. You will do quite well today Anakin."
Obi-Wan's voice held more affection than it normally did, which puzzled Anakin. Was he just trying to move away from talking about Qui-Gon and their duel, or was he just giving Anakin a complement?
"I see that I must move us forward, since you seem to have no questions about the rest of your day."
"I…I'm sorry Master. Please tell me about the rest of the day."
"The second stage of Tunan-Ra involves mediating a dispute. As you know, a Jedi Knight's primary purpose is to help maintain peace and order. Mediating conflicts is one way that this purpose is accomplished. And of course, is the preferred way."
Anakin knew that he should agree with what his Master was saying. Oh, how he did enjoy "aggressive negotiations" though.
"Also, as I'm sure you've discerned, mediating a conflict is a process of moving from hostility to peaceful resolution. Very in keeping with the principles of Tunan-Ra."
Yes, Anakin thought. Clearly, the Jedi that had come up with this ritual were very anal about things being symbolic. Sometimes he wondered if the main way one learned to become a Jedi was to just get the same lesson over and over again until you no longer had the strength to fight against what you were being told, and just believed to make the lessons stop. Boy, he hoped Obi-Wan hadn't picked up on that particular thought.
"The third stage of Tunan-Ra…" Obi-Wan was saying, apparently not having picked up on Anakin's thoughts, "involves pure use of the Force to defend yourself. This is a difficult test, as it tests your control over the Force. The type of control that one can only possess when one is at peace. And obviously you are not permitted to attack. Difficult concepts to learn. To not attack when one is attacked. It seems almost unnatural."
"Very," Anakin said agreeing wholeheartedly. It seemed stupid to just keep defending when someone or something was threatening you. Didn't that just mean you were begging to be killed. Then, another question popped into Anakin's head, and his musings on defense were forgotten.
"I can tell you no more of this stage Anakin, so do not ask," Obi-Wan said before Anakin could ask the question that popped into his head. He realized that for all Obi-Wan had told him about the third stage, and this day in general, Obi-Wan really hadn't told him all that much.
"The fourth and final stage is a private affair. You will meditate for as long as is necessary. You will draw the Force to you, and test your connection to all that is."
"What do you mean, as long as is necessary?"
"The journey is different for everyone Anakin, which is why I can only tell you of what is planned, not what is involved. The Force and you will sort of make an agreement on how long your meditation will be. It varies for all those who experience it. Frankly, I think few Jedi, if any, truly understand the fourth stage. It just is the way it is, much like the Force can be. The fourth stage will teach you trust in the Force, and trust in your own insignificance."
"What!" Anakin said startled. He didn't like that last part for some reason, though he wasn't quite sure why.
"I didn't like it much when Qui-Gon said those words to me either. You will understand in time Padawan. But now any further questions you might have must wait for another time because we are here."
Obi-Wan waved a hand at Anakin indicating the huge door that stood before them. Anakin stood transfixed for a moment. The door seemed almost…alive. Which wasn't possible Anakin thought. And yet, the door positively glowed with life and power, as though Anakin were about to step into an awesome and terrifying place.
Is the Force really THIS powerful?
"It is quite a feeling isn't it," Obi-Wan's powerful voice remarked, cutting into Anakin's reverie. Second, only to the Room of a Thousand Fountains as my favorite place in the Temple."
Anakin stared once again at the door to the Great Hall. He'd heard tales but never been here himself. Frankly, he was dumbstruck by it all.
"And this is just the outside. Wait until you get inside," Obi-Wan said at his side. "We seem to be wasting time. Perhaps you should let us in."
"Huh?" Anakin said confused.
"The door, the Force knows that this is your day of Tunan-Ra. Others have entered before us, but now the door will open only for you. Touch it and you will touch your destiny."
Anakin held his arm out, palm forward, and pressed into the seal that adorned the door. And in that moment Anakin noticed that the door was rather plain. What he had thought was gold, was more like a cold gray alloy. The door seemed to shrink in size, though Anakin knew that it was still the same size. The Great Seal was a triple ring designed in such a way that the image appeared to form a fourth ring around the other three. It wasn't really physically possible as Anakin understood physics, but nevertheless it was there. A Jedi connects to the individual, the individual connects to all other life, and all other life connects to the Jedi. And surrounding and binding them all, the Force. The door gave a powerful shudder as Anakin touched it. He saw brief visions. Obi-Wan smiling. Obi-Wan...horrified. A young woman, it looked a little like Padme Amidala, looking at him with love. An old face, looking at him with…contempt. And a black mask that looked at him…like a mirror. A terrible chill came over Anakin and he thought he'd never get the door open when he heard the breathing.
"Welcome Padawan Skywalker," Mace Windu's voice boomed through the Great Hall.
Anakin suddenly came out of his daze, and was shocked that no one seemed to take notice of what he'd just experienced. He looked around and saw the entire Jedi Council there. Obi-Wan was still standing next to him, and a boy, a few years younger than Anakin was standing with the Council members. Anakin took in the boy first. He had black hair streaked with purple. His skin seemed almost translucent it was so pale. The boy's eyes were black orbs that definitely showed fear, but also eagerness.
"This is Jarven, one of the young ones here at the Temple. He has not been taken as apprentice to a Master yet, but his skill leaves little doubt that he will soon be chosen."
Anakin heard Mace say those words and wondered if that meant he was going to take Jarven as his Padawan. The boy must be special indeed if Mace Windu was considering taking him as an apprentice. He turned his attention to Jarven once more, bowed slightly, and began to take in the Great Hall. It was an open expanse that seemed to go on forever in all directions. The ceiling and walls curved into an almost egg shaped room. Light shown brightly through the expansive windows and skylight. Famous Jedi quotes or words of wisdom were spaced out on the walls, in different writing styles and dialects. Blue alternated with Green as the dominant colors in the room, and yet they really blended together in such a way that they formed a color Anakin had no name for. It was in a word, awesome.