First chap = Disclaimers

YAY a new chap! Special thanks to all my readers: Cammy, jjf, FireSenshi, Phoenix Wolf, Jedi_Sylvar, cmichaels, Lanna, martin, SilverSeer, Lynx & vader, Lady Z, Anne, Pengy 737, Shorty Sc22, HeidiM, Mordant, Master Solo, and anyone I missed.

Lets see, for requests, I have added more Ani in this chapter but his big part is going to be in the next chapter, so you'll have to wait. Binks shows up again. (No, I'm not done with my plot device yet, he has an important part later on.) Umm, I haven't really been able to plot out the first conversation between Obi and Jacen yet, but I might get inspired later on.

So everyone knows, I'm not exactly always non-Kyp. I just needed a nasty guy that wasn't evil but wasn't a great hero type. So, I picked Kyp because he was the easiest to attack and maintain.

One more thing. Most of this chapter, as I overlook it, is totally pointless. But, hey, Sometimes you need to write fluff.

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Anakin swung his lightsaber back and forth and centered himself. He was blindfolded, which was nothing new, but this time, he had to jump from log to log so he wouldn't fall into the swamp.

"Easy Anakin. Let the Force guide you, do not be hasty." Obi-Wan's voice was calm as always.

Anakin took a breath and jumped. He landed on the next stump and stayed crouched as it wobbled a bit beneath his feet. When he was stable, he straightened back up. He heard something whip past his ear. As the Force hadn't warned him, he assumed it was meant as a non-threatening distraction from his master. He was about to take the next leap when another being decided to share the unstable log with him. It left quickly, causing the log to wobbled and send Anakin into the swamp.

As Anakin pulled his head above the slimy water, he could hear the sound of his Master's guffaws. Frustrated, he pulled the blindfold off to reveal not only his Master, but a sheepish looking Qui-Gon and Han trying to look very serious and sorry and not succeeding.

Growling, Anakin began to swim to the shore where the three elder men stood. Halfway there, he felt something heavy land on his shoulder causing him to bob under for a second. As he spit to swamp water out of his mouth, he could see a very muddy Binks wagging his tail at Qui-Gon who was holding a ball.

Anakin pulled himself up and out of the water and summoned his best glare.

"Your father bought Binks a new toy." Obi-Wan managed to stop giggling for a second to inform Anakin as to the reason of the demise of his exercise.

"I am sorry, Anakin. I did not know that you were out here." Qui-Gon apologized.

Anakin sighed. "May I go get cleaned up Master?"

"Of course." Obi-Wan managed to keep down his chuckling to a couple of snorts.

Anakin strode away and pretended not to hear the gales of laughter that followed. It was good to hear Obi-Wan laugh. With all the pressure they'd been under, he couldn't remember the last time he'd actually found something that funny. In truth, he wasn't sure he'd ever seen Obi-Wan not serious. Qui-Gon used to tell him stories when he was younger about Obi-Wan's errant humor, but Anakin had never seen the lightheartedness that Qui-Gon remembered. He never expected to either.

Obi-Wan never took any mistake he made lightly. If he erred, he did his best to make it never happen again. It was almost funny. Obi-Wan could forgive almost anyone their faults, but he never forgave himself.

With a sigh of relief, Anakin came in view of the Academy building and headed toward it.

"You know, most people take baths in clean water."

Anakin twirled around to see his grandfather leaning against a beat up ship.

 "Unless, of course, this is some new training method of Obi-Wan's…"

Anakin smiled. "What are you doing? Taking that thing apart for old rusty parts that nobody wants?"

"HEY!" Jaina's voice came out from under the ship. "This happens to be last year's birthday present."

"Ugh, you want that? I lived a decade of my life on a rickety ship. They aren't that grand."

"They are when they're fixed up."

"Well, when you have to choose between eating and getting a new fuel injector, you kind of lose your appreciation for the classics."

"I didn't." Ani interrupted.

"That is because you are strange and your granddaughter apparently takes after you, Ani." Obi-Wan had gotten over his giggling fit and was calmly wandering his way along and decide to join their conversation.

"HEY! What is this, Pick on Jaina Day?"

"Not at all, your Grandfather is an excellent mechanic you should be proud that I considered your talent worthy of him."

"You called him strange."

"He is."

"And you inferred that I was as strange as he is."

"I did."

"How is that not an insult?"

"It depends on how you think he's strange."

Jaina frowned at Obi-Wan. "Was 'Leaps of Confusing Logic' a required course at the Old Temple?"

"No, but the only way to deal with a politician is to say something non-coherent that sounds philosophically deep. You wouldn't believe how many disputes I've settled with random thoughts and backhanded compliments."

"You're right, I don't believe you."

Ani chuckled. "Don't challenge Obi, he can stand there for hours talking about various successful missions."

"With that smug, irritating personality? I don't believe it."

Anakin bristled. He may have made up with his sister, but he didn't like how she talked to Obi-Wan.

Obi, on the other hand, was quite enjoying aggravating her. "I'm irritating? In my much longer experience, I have found space pilots to be the most egotistical."

"You're saying I'm egotistical?"

"Now, that depends on whether you consider yourself a pilot."

"Can't you ever just say 'yes' to a question?"

"Yes."

Anakin looked at his namesake who just shrugged his shoulders. This had to be one of the stupidest conversations they'd ever heard. Pointing his thumb towards the building, Anakin started to move away followed quickly by Ani. It was time to let Jaina and Obi fight in peace.

Jaina watched them leave. "See, you chased them off."

"I did no such thing."

"Then why are they leaving?"

"Maybe you chased them off?"

"I did not."

"That depends on your point of view."

"And your point of view is always right?"

"No, but it is if you can't prove otherwise."

"What is it with you? Do you have to be so infuriating?"

"I'm not infuriating to other people, just to you. Well, and Kyp, but that's for a different reason."

"How do you know you don't infuriate me because of what you did to Kyp?"

"Because."

"Because what?"

"Just because."

"What, do you think I secretly enjoyed what you did to him?"

"You didn't immediately attack back now did you?"

"How do you know I didn't just plot out my retaliation?"

"Because that is what I would do, and you aren't like me."

"Meaning I'm not the famous Clone War General?"

"Meaning, you are much too strong in the Living Force. Your reactions are immediate to your surroundings. I am almost totally reliant on the Unifying Force. I have to be in contact with the past and the future. Plotting is painful for you, focusing here and now is difficult for me."

Jaina forgot her earlier ire. "I've never thought of the Force as having separate parts except for light and dark."

Obi-Wan grinned. "Well, I hate to break up a good banter, but far be it from me to miss an opportunity to lecture."

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Qui-Gon sighed listening to yet another debate among the gathered Jedi. Somehow, he figured that it was going to end badly. Across from his chair, Mara gave him an encouraging smile as he answered the same questions over and over again.

"Master Jinn, do you truly think that Master Kenobi is competent enough to correctly identify the situation? I mean, it is his word the Senate will be trusting. Anakin Skywalker is not trusted, the boy was too young, and no-one knows you. He made a great many mistakes in his life before."

Mara took in a breath. Never had she seen that particular spark in Qui-Gon's eyes. She felt him release a potent burst of anger into the Force. What he was angry about surprised her, for he wasn't angry about the challenge of his veracity.

"Are you suggesting Knight Whoever-You-are that Obi-Wan Kenobi was incompetent?"

"He made mistakes in very crucial areas. If not for Master Yoda, his plans would have been in vain."

"You simple minded moron. How did you ever pass your trials? Obi-Wan Kenobi knew that Master Yoda was alive. He also knew that he could persuade him to train Luke. Do you think him so weak as to not foresee his own death? Did he not choose that path to secure the escape of Master Skywalker?"

"If he was so gifted in foresight, why did he not foresee Anakin Skywalker's turning?"

"Who told you he didn't?"

A hush covered the room.

"He chose to unleash that havoc?" Another Knight asked.
"That havoc was already unleashed before Anakin Skywalker. What Obi-Wan did was train him in the light. What do you think would have happened if the Emperor trained the boy solely in the darkside?"

"It was still not his choice."

"You are correct. It was not his choice. It was mine. If you wish to blame Darth Vader on someone, blame me. I should never have inflicted so bright and dangerous a pupil on a man who was barely knighted. If you'll excuse me, I think I have had enough of your unproductive discussion."

Qui-Gon walked swiftly from the buzzing room. Mara followed. It took her fifteen minutes to find him in a small garden, near a fountain.

"You know, the Temple had a beautiful room. They called it the room of a thousand fountains. It was gorgeous. The Temple was gorgeous. Obi-Wan, when he was young, had a beautiful soul. I killed it over time. He was always so desperate to please. Always too desperate for my love, he wanted to protect me. He would have cut out his tongue if I asked it of him. He would have gone blind if he thought it would make me follow the council and keep me safe."

Mara looked at him. "I didn't know you were that close."

"We were."

"I thought you said Jedi didn't love?"

"Love? Sith, I was practically his Father."

"Oh."

"Oh, you meant love. Umm, no. That would have been Tahl."

Mara nodded, pretending to understand. "So, you made him apprentice Anakin? He made Luke think it was his idea."

"He would. Like I said, he always protected me. I used it. He warned me about Anakin. He told me the boy was dangerous, but I didn't listen. So, what did I do? I used my dieing breath to command a hysterical apprentice to train the Chosen One. How could I do that to my own Padawan?"

Mara was very glad she had been both a smuggler and a Jedi. It helped he keep her face placid. True confessions were bad enough, but this was a confusing confession. What the Sith was a Chosen One? Why was Obi-Wan at Qui-Gon's death bed? And Why did Qui-Gon call Obi-Wan his padawan?

"I thought Yoda trained Obi-Wan."

Pain crossed his feature before he responded. "Yoda trained many of the initiates. He had selected Obi-Wan to be in one of his groups. He was always a favorite of Yoda's. BUT, initiates are to be taken as an apprentice by their thirteenth birthday. I was Obi-Wan's Master, and I can't count the number of times I almost killed him with my stubbornness. Fortunately, Obi-Wan was the one Jedi more stubborn than I. By the time he was ready to take his trials, we were very close. I think it broke something inside of him when we parted. It is still broken, and I can't fix it."

Mara nodded. "I didn't know."

"Of course you didn't. Obi-Wan doesn't exactly give out information unless it is absolutely necessary. Besides, I shouldn't be burdening you with my own angst."

Mara watched a tortured man return to the placid one she had known for the last few weeks. He smiled at her.

"Well, back to the interrogation room. I'm certain they have some wonderfully scathing remarks to give me."

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A vote was taken later that day. Eighty percent of Jedi Masters and Knights agreed to support the cloned Jedi. The Order would officially support the pursuit of Callista Ming.

Jaina wandered down the corridors after the vote. A smile caught her lips as she rounded a corner. Jacen was leaning very close to Tenel Ka. Jaina was about to leave when she heard her brother remark: "You're right. You really can't see that scar anymore."

Jaina wanted to scream. Her brother seemed to have adopted Luke's method of courting red heads. 'Take everything really, really slowly.' She continued towards them as there was nothing to interrupt.

"Hello Jaina." Tenel Ka greeted her.

"Hi."

Jacen looked at his twin. "Where were you this afternoon? You were supposed to practice with me and than we were going to meet Tenel when she arrived."

"I'm sorry. I forgot."

"You forgot? Jaina, you don't forget anything."

"Well, I was preoccupied."

"With what?" Tenel Ka asked sincerely interested.

"I, was, umm in a debate about Knighting practices."

Jacen grinned. "So, did you beat Kyp's theories into the ground?"

"I, well, let's just say that from a certain point of view…"

"Yes?" Jacen asked excited.

"I totally and completely lost."

"What?"

"Jacen, for your own sake, never debate Obi-Wan Kenobi on Jedi philosophy. His theory is that the reason it takes a shorter time for the Jedi to become knighted now is that they focus on their areas of expertise. If focused on enough, they can master all the skills, but still don't have an established, balanced base."

Tenel Ka frowned. "But Master Luke focuses on balancing and teaching all aspects of Jedi life."

"Kenobi thinks that it isn't about skill, but rather a knowing of the balance of the Force. For every strong member of the Unifying Force they have to be tethered to a strong Living Force in the current system. Apparently, he sees this as both an advantage and a weakness. They are stronger when in harmony, but weaker when one is missing. If a Jedi is not trained to use their weaker Force strength, they will be at a disadvantage in desperate situations."

Jacen shook his head. "You debated that? That has to be one of the most confusing theories I've ever heard. Isn't the Force just the Force? Light or Dark?"

"That I can definitely answer 'no' to. He spent half an hour pointing out the differences between the Living and the Unifying. I got the impression we never made it through the basics."

"What gave you that impression?" Tenel asked.

"When I sat staring at a muja fruit and he told me to feel its life and then feel its past. Apparently, I was supposed to get some great epiphany out of connecting with a piece of fruit. He gave up on me when I told him I only knew that its future was being eaten."

Jacen groaned. "Well, I guess we know what he thought about as a crabby old hermit. Why did you spend your time like that Jaina? Couldn't you have debated something more meaningful than fruit? I mean he is one of the elite Jedi Masters."

"We debated that because that was what he wanted to debate, and if he wanted to talk about fruit, Jacen Solo, I don't think you have room to criticize. You can't even master asking out a girl." Jaina walked off.

Jacen looked at Tenel Ka. "What was that all about?"

Tenek shook her head. "Your aunt is correct, Jacen. Men are truly clueless."