Chapter 9 - The Power of a Jedi
"You were right about the second stage of Tunan-Ra Master," Anakin remarked when the two Jedi were far away from the room where the negotiations had taken place.
"How so Padawan?"
"I was NOT the right person for the job which is exactly why I was the perfect person for the job. It's kind of weird."
"Yes," Obi-Wan said, clearly lost in thought for a moment, though he quickly recovered. "I could not feel what you felt coming from the Klunj. Oh, I could sense uneasiness, but all the other emotions were hidden from me. You used yourself, how you were feeling to relate to the Klunj, to build an alliance with them. You gave meaning to their confusion."
"And?" Anakin asked, expecting Obi-Wan to say more.
"What you said came in a moment of great honesty and, I imagine, great pain. Those feelings are your own Anakin. Learn from them. No more need be said."
Obi-Wan never stopped surprising him. Anakin's little speech to the Klunj Chieftain had revealed some very un-Jedi like emotions. He figured Obi-Wan would have a lecture ready to chastise him about what he'd shared, and what he was feeling. Instead, Obi-Wan had let the situation pass, had basically said it was okay if Anakin felt those things. Anakin looked hard at his Master once again and realized that despite their closeness he and Obi-Wan kept things from each other. They knew each other better than anyone else and yet in many ways they were strangers. This thought did not bring Anakin comfort.
"So," Anakin said, wanting to change the subject and not liking the silence that had settled in. "How hard did you find the third stage?"
"Oh, in my younger days I found it difficult enough. There is an impatience in youth that makes stage three challenging." Obi-Wan glanced knowingly at Anakin before continuing. "You have handled yourself well today Anakin. I was especially impressed with your abilities in the negotiations. If you do not forget the lessons you have learned so far, then stage 3 should not trouble you."
"Really?" Anakin said this tentatively, still unaccustomed to receiving so much praise from Obi-Wan.
"Yes, Padawan."
Anakin's walk picked up a beat. He was energized, happy to hear Obi-Wan's praise. His Master had confidence in him. Anakin felt like he could do anything.
"We are here."
Anakin didn't need Obi-Wan to tell him this because he had been alert the whole walk over here. They were in one of the large storage rooms that had been built into the basement of the Temple.
This is a strange place to hold a stage of Tunan-Ra.
"Why one of the storage rooms Master? Seems like a strange location for a stage of Tunan-Ra."
Anakin suddenly realized that his question would receive no answer.
Was I that deep in thought?
Obi-Wan was no longer at his side, having vanished without so much as a hint to Anakin that he was leaving.
Strange.
Anakin felt the first object that was flying at him before he saw it. He rolled out of harm's way, only to realize that there were several dozen objects sailing his way. There were power cells, chairs, and the wing of a Jedi Starfighter. He raised one hand and began to pluck the objects out of the sky, but this strategy was slow and more arduous than he thought it would be. A larger power cell hit him square in the midsection and for a second all the wind was knocked out of him. Anger flared up in Anakin but he let it go as he drew the Force to him. On instinct, he leapt far from where he was standing, only to realize that a second longer and the pile of mechanical parts he'd been standing next to would now be on top of him. Anakin saw a flash of clothing off to his left, and proceeded to track the trajectory of whoever it was with his eyes. He moved slowly toward where he anticipated the person would end up, but when he arrived all he saw were several large cans suspended above his head. The cans came crashing down around him with a speed that clearly suggested more than gravity was at work here. Anakin somersaulted to avoid the cans but one still clipped his leg. He fell to the floor with a loud thud.
Ouch, that hurt. Obi-Wan said this would be easy.
Anakin had no time to catch his thoughts because the same Starfighter wing that had missed him before was now barreling down on him. He raised his right hand and pushed against the wing with the Force but it didn't slow down nearly as much as he hoped. Someone very powerful was manipulating this Starfighter wing with the Force.
Master Yoda.
The thought flashed into Anakin's mind at the same time he lowered his hand and dodged the flying wing. It crashed about a foot behind him. Anakin was starting to sweat, and he was already more tired than he should be. He could feel despair and anger welling up inside of him, but this time it was far harder to let the anger go. It was like a blanket, wrapping him in its warmth and protection, and for a moment Anakin felt he was invincible. No object could touch him as long as his anger and despair stayed draped over him. The metal chair that crashed into his side shattered that particular fantasy. He rolled with the force of the chair's impact and was amazed when he only felt slightly dizzy getting to his feet.
That could have broken some ribs.
Anakin needed to regroup, needed time to think, but things were coming at him too quickly. Getting caught off guard right from the beginning had put him at a distinct disadvantage. Another power cell flew past Anakin's ear, and would have hit him if he hadn't redirected it gently with the Force. Anakin's mind ran through numerous plans of action, each one dismissed as quickly as it had been generated. Then, he saw some heavy metal planks on the far edge of the storage room, and decided to make his move. Anakin ran toward the planks, objects whizzing past him as he ran. He simply nudged one of the metal planks causing it to tip over and fall on its side. Quickly steadying it with the Force, he began to pluck the other planks right off the wall. Anakin slid right under the last plank just as a metal chair collided with the wall he had just built. Drenched and breathing heavy Anakin studied the makeshift shelter he had created. It was very much a giant pyramid, and he hoped would afford him some protection while he thought of what to do next. Loud clangs chimed in Anakin's ears, the sound of metal hitting metal. Dents were starting to appear in the plank walls, but they continued to hold. Anakin knew he had to think fast. He didn't know how many Jedi were out there, throwing objects at him, but he knew that they could use the Force just as easily to knock this shelter down as he had used the Force to build it.
A Jedi's strength flows from the Force. Calm, passive, at peace you must be.
Master Yoda's words flashed into Anakin's mind and he realized that in all the commotion he wasn't connecting deeply with the Force. A series of quick breathes got Anakin started, as he let the anger, fear, and desperation slip away, to be replaced by a calm and steely resolve.
The Force is my ally.
He could feel the Force flowing through him, unfettered by his emotions. A loud bang rocked the shelter but inside Anakin felt nothing but peace. He could feel the Jedi attacking him now. One was definitely Master Yoda, who was so strong that touching his presence caused a tear to slip down Anakin's cheek. Barriss Offee was here too. She was a Padawan like Anakin, and apprenticed to Luminara Unduli, who had recently ascended to the Jedi Council. Ki-Adi Mundi, a powerful Jedi Council member, was the third person he sensed. The fourth and final Jedi he felt wasn't much of a surprise. Obi-Wan's disappearance had pretty much clued Anakin into the fact that Obi-Wan was involved in whatever was happening. Still, it jolted Anakin to know that his Master was one of the Jedi lobbing metal objects at his head. Suddenly, Anakin could feel the walls of his makeshift shelter beginning to collapse. He felt no panic upon making this observation, and as he stretched out with the Force it became clear that Ki-Adi Mundi was the one trying to tear down his makeshift defenses. He secretly relished this truth, knowing with full certainty that if it had been Master Yoda the walls would already be down.
But why isn't it Master Yoda? Why aren't the others helping?
He had no time to process those thoughts as one of the planks gave off a sickening groan and fell to the floor. Anakin drew the Force to him again, even more than before, and pushed against the plank walls. The remaining walls collapsed to the ground but instead of fleeing Anakin remained completely still. A metal chair flew directly toward him and was promptly redirected into the wall. Spark plugs flew toward Anakin, who simply waved them off course by a few feet. The fighter wing dropped down toward his head, yet he merely caught it and let it hang there. Then he began moving it around to act as a shield against the other flying objects. He'd wrenched control of the wing away from its master, but couldn't keep up the strength necessary to continue using it as a protective device. He pushed the wing, hard, into a wall close by where it stuck.
No one will be using that against me again.
Then he raised both arms and any objects that flew within a foot of him were stopped dead in their tracks and suspended there. Anakin knew he couldn't keep this effort up. In fact he'd never done anything like this before, a thought that had not occurred to him until just this moment. He was doing things with the Force that he'd never done before, never really known he could do. This thought gave him strength and confidence, and caused him to be knocked off balance when the floorboard beneath his feet suddenly flew up.
Obi-Wan.
Anakin knew that his Master had done that, had anticipated Anakin would become overconfident and thus lose his fine control over the Force. Anakin felt anger and resentment well up in him once again; he so desperately wanted to fight back, to attack. He felt weak just defending himself like this. Suddenly, all the objects stopped coming. Anakin drew in a long breath and allowed his eyes to refocus on his surroundings. Master Yoda was standing atop a huge pile of mechanical parts. Obi-Wan was standing next to the huge pile, calm written on his face. Anakin could feel Barriss Offee somewhere behind him, though he was still unable to see her. Ki-Adi Mundi was the farthest away, situated on the opposite side of the large room.
"Done well you have young Skywalker," Master Yoda's gravelly voice carried all the way down to Anakin. "The end this shall be."
Before Anakin could register what Master Yoda had said a piece of the ceiling broke loose and fell right toward him. He barely rolled out of the way in time. Only he didn't hear any crash. Then, he realized that nothing had happened.
I forgot about that one.
Master Yoda's voice had distracted him and Ki-Adi Mundi's finely tuned brainpower had produced an image of a falling ceiling in his mind. Anakin jumped up quickly, trying to close his mind off to the others. The Force told him to duck and so he did, sending three metal rods sailing past. Anakin didn't know how to make this onslaught stop without attacking, yet he still knew that he had to find someone to end this whole affair. He couldn't dodge forever.
Sometimes defense is the best way to attack an opponent.
Anakin could hear Obi-Wan's voice inside his head. He'd seen this particular statement given truth during his lightsaber duel against Juda-Non. Perhaps it could prove true again. Anakin stretched out with the Force once again and smiled at what he saw. The four Jedi were expending a great deal of energy trying to clobber him with objects. He was tired, but so were they, which meant that sooner or later either they or him would get impatient, make a mistake. It was that way for all beings it seemed, no matter how powerful or disciplined.
"One can only fight for so long", Obi-Wan would say.
Anakin's mind raced forward with what he knew of the four Jedi here with him. Barriss Offee was the sole Padawan, which suggested that she was most likely to become impatient first. Obi-Wan was patient and sometimes overly cautious. He'd gotten Anakin with that floorboard trick, but Anakin sensed that Obi-Wan had barely thrown any objects at him, if any.
He will worry most about hurting me.
Anakin turned his mind to Ki-Adi Mundi, who he knew to be quite adept and powerful, but the realization came that Ki-Adi was the Jedi farthest away from him. In some ways that suggested a greater expenditure of energy on his part versus the other 3, and if Anakin couldn't see him due to the distance they were apart, perhaps Ki-Adi couldn't see him either.
He is tracking me through the Force.
Lastly, was Master Yoda. Clearly, he was the most powerful being in the room. Even Anakin's healthy ego didn't permit him to think otherwise. Master Yoda was also the oldest though. Anakin thought of Yoda sitting on the Jedi Council for so long.
He is not accustomed to using the Force this way anymore. He is bound to be tired. Anakin's mind did all this profiling in a matter of seconds, though it seemed like an eternity, allowing him to craft a plan. Barriss Offee would attack first, of this he was sure. She also had the least amount of control. Ki-Adi Mundi was farthest away and using the Force to track him. Anakin had an idea how he could make these facts about his "enemies" work against them. Anakin felt Barriss Offee's attack coming. Three metal chairs flew in his direction, but instead of pushing the chairs away, he joined with the Force stream Barriss Offee was creating and actually HELPED her push the chairs toward him. They overshot their mark by a fraction, his influence so subtle that he doubted she even knew what he'd done. He knew that by defending himself against the others, he would shine like a beacon in the Force to Ki-Adi Mundi. So, if he couldn't distance his connection to the Force, maybe he could fool Ki-Adi Mundi's connection to it instead. Anakin felt Barriss Offee's presence, felt her connection to the Force, and joined with it. He had no idea if what he was trying would work but something deep inside told him that it should. Suddenly, Anakin heard a distinct thud, and could see where Barriss Offee had rolled into one of the walls of the storage room. Searching the Force, it became clear to Anakin that Ki-Adi Mundi had tried the ceiling allusion again. Because Barriss Offee wasn't prepared to defend herself from an attack during this exercise the allusion caught her completely off guard, and she'd hastily tried to roll out of the way. Unfortunately, she'd misjudged where she was in the room.
One down.
Anakin could feel Ki-Adi Mundi's confusion and slow realization of what had taken place. Anakin knew that he'd be running to help Barriss Offee, which meant that he wouldn't be concentrating on attacking Anakin.
Two down.
Master Yoda and Obi-Wan were straight ahead of him, looking totally unconcerned about what Anakin had just caused to transpire. Anakin still figured Obi-Wan would be more tentative in his attack, which meant that Master Yoda was the greatest danger. Yet, Anakin had no idea how the diminutive Jedi would come at him. He didn't have to wait long to get his answer. Pieces of metal began to fly from the pile of mechanical parts that Master Yoda was standing on. To Anakin's dismay, it looked like the pile was rapidly receding, which of course meant that there was a whole lot of metal sailing towards him. He quickly judged the distance between himself and the pile, making his decision in an instant. Anakin focused the Force on one piece of metal that was flying toward him and redirected it into the outer edge of the pile, near the base where Obi-Wan was standing. He saw the pile begin to tip that direction and saw what he thought was a smile on Obi-Wan's face. Anakin didn't really see the rest. He was hit square in the stomach by a piece of metal and knocked backwards. To his amazement, the other metal seemed to miss him completely, though by all rights it shouldn't have. He staggered and fell, but years of Jedi training had prepared him for falls. He rolled into his fall, and finished propped up on one knee, gasping for breath. He saw now that the pile of mechanical parts was more spread out, much of it spread out right where Obi-Wan had been standing just a few moments before. Master Yoda was no longer perched atop the pile of metal. Anakin scanned the area quickly and felt the panic growing inside of him.
What have I done?
His mind raced back to the events of a few moments ago. He had assumed the falling pile would divert Master Yoda's attention to helping Obi-Wan and away for directing objects at him. He'd assumed Master Yoda wouldn't have the strength left to concentrate on both tasks, and he'd assumed that Obi-Wan would be prepared to deal with the falling pile, given that he wasn't concentrating his energy on attacking Anakin. Somehow, it seemed he had miscalculated. Anakin rose, with some effort, forcing the panic to leave him. He reached out with the Force, trying to move the pile, but nothing seemed to happen. A terrible cry went out in his heart, and desperation filled him with a sense of power that he'd rarely felt before. Desperation turned to anger; anger at himself for making such a huge miscalculation. He could feel his fear, fear that Obi-Wan was gone, and all because he had made a mistake. That fear powered the anger, powered the desperation, and in that moment Anakin felt more powerful than he ever had before. The Force was there in all its magnificence, and it would be easy for him to reach out to it, to wield it like a hammer to smash the pile into dust. It would help him to erase his mistake. Anakin reached to that power, felt it grip him, and directed it at the metallic pile. The last thing Anakin saw in his mind's eye before the darkness took him was a clear image of the pile being torn asunder; his Master freed from the metal prison. In fact though, nothing happened at all.