Author's Notes: Thanks, Jade. I'm happy you enjoyed chapter 2. I love
writing Luke and Anakin. It was the father/son relationship and Anakin's
redemption that made me fall in love with SW in the first place. Here's
ch. 3, and I will post again on Sunday.
Disclaimer: George Lucas owns Star Wars. I write for fun, not money.
Fear Part 3
The final bell rang, and the teacher looked up from the papers she was grading to nod a dismissal at the class. Gil deliberately knocked his datapads off his desk and slowly knelt to gather them up as the other boys and girls hurried out of the classroom.
Most of the other twenty students ignored him, but there were several who had taken to taunting him, and he was hoping he could avoid them if he took his time leaving.
School was the bane of Gil's existence right now. He enjoyed everything else about Naboo. It was the most beautiful place he'd ever seen. The lake retreat, now the Jedi Academy, was comfortable and cozy, and he had a room all to himself for the first time in his life.
He missed his old friends from Nar Shaddaa, but he was learning to like the other padawans. Elissa and Tera enjoyed fussing over him and helping him with his schoolwork, which was fortunate. He was very behind in school. And he hero-worshipped his Jedi Masters.
Anakin and Luke were absolutely amazing. They could do things he'd never imagined anyone being able to do. He would never forget meeting them for the first time on Nar Shaddaa. They had changed their entire appearances before his very eyes. And they were kind to him. It was a new experience for Gil. Few adults, especially men, had been kind to him.
Mixed with his admiration was a bit of longing and envy. He had never known his parents. Not well enough to remember anyway. Like Gil, they had been slaves and they'd been sold to another owner when he was very young.
He almost couldn't help feeling a little jealous and wistful when he saw how close Anakin and Luke were. They were always talking and laughing together, and Gil had noticed that Anakin frequently placed his arm around Luke's shoulders or curled his hand around the back of Luke's neck. It made Gil sad that he would never know a parent's love, and at the same time, made him want to grow closer to his Jedi teachers.
He didn't want to admit it. He'd always prided himself on being tough and self-reliant, but he longed for their approval and affection. They'd done so much for him already, rescuing him from the harsh streets of the Hutt moon, and now accepting him as one of their students and giving him the chance to become a Jedi. He would be the best padawan of all. He would listen and work hard and make them proud.
Of course, that would be easier to accomplish once he actually had his first lesson. Luke was supposed to have begun working with him yesterday afternoon, but they had discovered the graffiti and instead Luke had been busy installing the electric fence around the property while the padawans and Threepio cleaned the terrace doors.
Gil would have much rather spent the afternoon tracking down whoever was responsible and learning to wield a lightsaber with the vandal as an opponent.
If Anakin had been there instead of Luke, perhaps they could have done that, or something similar. He seemed more like a take-charge kind of person than Luke, and Gil was pretty sure he would have wanted to teach the idiot with a paint can some manners.
Well, at least he could have his first Jedi lesson when he got home. Luke had promised that they would make up for lost time this afternoon. It was something to look forward to, because school sure wasn't any fun.
Gil finished gathering his datapads and slowly made his way outside. His STAP bike was parked in the rack by the side of the school. On rainy days someone drove him in the landspeeder, but the rest of the time he rode his bike.
The other kids all seemed to heading for home, and he thought at first that he had managed to evade the bullies, but as he rounded the corner of the school, several boys who had been standing at a nearby tree approached.
"Hey, Anonymous! What took you so long?" One of the boys called. He was a handsome boy with black hair and gray eyes. His name was Reynard Kane and he was in the class ahead of Gil. He wasn't much bigger than Gil, only an inch or so taller, and thin, but he was very clever and a recognized leader among the other students.
He had begun calling Gil "Anonymous" on the first day, once they'd discovered he had no last name. It didn't matter to Reynard and his cronies that none of the slaves on Nar Shaddaa had last names. The Hutts didn't bother giving surnames to their slaves, and if Gil's parents had had one, he'd never learned it.
The only thing that mattered to Reynard was that Gil was different. Different because he had no surname, had no parents, was several years behind in schoolwork, and wasn't from the local village. And because Gil was different, he was fair game.
"You better hurry. You don't want to be late for your Jedi lessons," Reynard sneered. He and his friends-three of them, all taller and heavier than either Reynard or Gil-came close.
Reynard stepped right in front of Gil, his eyes narrowed. "You are one of them, aren't you? One of the Jedi?"
Gil frowned slightly, not sure what Reynard was getting at here. The other boy and his three buddies-Gil had begun thinking of them as the Goon Squad- had picked on him from day one, but before they'd only teased him about being stupid at school and not having a real family. The fact that he was a Jedi padawan had never been mentioned.
"Well, we know you can't read or write, but are you too stupid to talk?" Reynard demanded.
One of the Goons elbowed Reynard. "He just doesn't want to admit it."
Reynard gave a short, harsh laugh. "Can't blame him for that. Maybe he's not such an idiot after all." They all laughed, but it died quickly when Gil tried to make his way around them to his bike.
"Hey, we're not done yet," Reynard grabbed his arm. "You tell your Jedi friends they better get out of here. We don't want them on Naboo, or anywhere else. My mom and dad know what they're up to. And they're not gonna get away with it."
Gil jerked his arm away. "Why don't you come out to the retreat and tell them yourself?"
"I'm not crazy. I'm not going near those demon Force-users. But we've got other ways so they better watch out. You tell them, Anonymous," Reynard turned to leave, but not before giving Gil a shove.
The shove was more than Gil could take. He knew enough about fighting and survival skills that he could easily outmatch any of the others one on one. He'd made himself hold back these past couple of weeks for two reasons.
First, so far the bullying had been only verbal, and Gil suspected that Anakin and Luke would not approve of him being the first to resort to violence. Besides that, Gil doubted that Reynard and the Goons would be considerate enough to allow him to fight them one by one. No, they would gang up on him. Gil was a fairly good fighter-he couldn't have survived on Nar Shaddaa if he wasn't-but not good enough to win in a four against one brawl.
Right now, though, those reasons didn't seem to matter. Reynard had crossed the line with that shove, and Gil had had all he could take. Dropping his datapads on the ground, he charged straight at the other boy's retreating back. He had the short-lived pleasure of knocking Reynard down and getting in one good punch before the Goons were upon him.
Anakin took a deep breath, squared his shoulders, and walked slowly onto the terrace where Luke, Tera, and Elissa waited. He was not looking forward to the task ahead, but it was overdue. He was about to talk about his past with the padawans.
He hadn't brought it up before partly because he'd halfway assumed they knew already. He had never tried to hide his former identity as Darth Vader. It was common knowledge to many people around the galaxy. But once he'd thought closely about it he'd realized that it was quite possible that the padawans did not know.
Elissa came from Roon, a planet so isolated from the rest of the galaxy that years could go by without it having any visitors. Gil had grown up as an uneducated slave-Anakin didn't know how much of current galactic events he'd picked up while struggling to survive on Nar Shaddaa. Even Tera had lived a very sheltered life in Otoh Gunga. During Palpatine's reign, the gungans had gradually withdrawn back to their own underwater cities and their contact with humans had diminished.
So now he had to talk with them about why he had turned to the dark side and how that decision had affected so many others, right up to the anti- Jedi sentiment that had led to the vandalism at the retreat.
He dreaded it.
Luke and the padawans had dragged several soft, comfortable chairs into a circle. They were already seated facing the terrace door when he came out. He gave them a weak smile as he took an empty chair beside Luke and then gave his son a grateful look as he sensed Luke sending him a wave of reassurance.
//It'll be all right, Father. Don't worry.//
//Easy for you to say. You're not the one confessing.// he countered. But he patted Luke's arm in silent gratitude for his support.
"Before we begin our afternoon session, I need to talk with you about what's going on in the village, and elsewhere on Naboo as well, I'm sorry to say," Anakin began. "I wanted to wait for Gil so I would only have to go through it once, but he seems to be taking his time coming home so I'm going ahead. I'll speak with him about this when he does get here, and Luke can go on and be working with you two."
The girls were watching him expectantly. Anakin took another deep breath and found he couldn't look them in the eye. This confession was going to be even harder than he'd thought it would be.
He'd opened his mouth to begin, although he wasn't quite sure what he was going to say yet, when Artoo rolled up, beeping excitedly, and a moment later they all heard Threepio calling, "Oh, my. Master Gil, are you all right? Master Anakin, Master Luke, come quickly!"
They all rushed inside to find Gil standing in the foyer with a black eye, bloody nose, and several other bruises and scrapes on his face.
"What happened?" Anakin demanded, as they gathered around.
Gil muttered something unintelligible.
Luke took his arm and gently led him to a sofa in the living room. "Come on in here and lie down. Let me heal you first, and then you can tell us about it."
Anakin followed, with Tera and Elissa right behind. The droids hovered in the doorway; Artoo humming softly and Threepio prattling on about how they just couldn't seem to escape uncivilized, violent beings wherever they went.
The other Jedi watched, somewhat awe-struck, as Luke closed his eyes and entered a healing trance. His hands rested lightly on each bruise and cut, and left them healed. Even Anakin, who had seen Luke heal on several other occasions, shook his head in amazement. There had been healers in the old Jedi Order, but he'd never seen anything like Luke's abilities, which were even more remarkable considering that his son had never been trained as a healer but simply allowed the Force to lead him.
"Is that better?" Luke asked when he finally opened his eyes and let his hands fall back to his sides.
Gil sat up and nodded, gingerly touching his face with his fingers. "How did you do that?"
"I guess I'm a healer," Luke gave an almost embarrassed shrug.
"And one of the best I've ever seen," Anakin added proudly, resting his hand on his son's shoulder.
Luke smiled at him before turning his attention back to their youngest padawan. "So what happened, Gil?" he asked sympathetically.
Haltingly, Gil told them about the afternoon. It took a while because he had to go back and explain everything that had been going on since he'd started school-something he'd wanted to keep private, but that was no longer possible. They all looked somber when he'd finished.
"You should have told us about this before, Gil. We could have helped you," Anakin placed an arm around him and pulled Gil close in a one-armed hug.
Gil scowled fiercely at the floor, to hold back tears, and said, "It wasn't that bad until today." He spoke crossly so they wouldn't see how moved he was, but Anakin didn't seem fooled.
He kept his arm around Gil as he looked around at them all. "Sit down, everyone. This leads back to what I was getting ready to say on the terrace. Apparently, some people feel even more strongly against us than I realized. You all need to know why."
When they were all seated and gazing at him once more, he asked, "Do you know who I am?"
The padawans looked puzzled.
"You're a Jedi Master, Anakin Skywalker," Elissa answered.
"Yes, I am now, thanks to my son," Once again he gave Luke a grateful look. "But until a few months ago, I was the Emperor's second-in-command. I was known as Darth Vader then."
Gil stiffened and Tera gasped. Elissa's expression grew troubled. Unlike the other two, she didn't recognize the name, but she did know Emperor Palpatine had been renowned for his ruthlessness and cruelty. Anyone associated with him could not have been good. Could he?
"We were Sith Lords. Do you know what that means?" Anakin pressed on relentlessly. Now that he'd begun, he was determined to see this through. As the padawans silently shook their heads, he continued. "To put it very simply, the Sith are the opposite of the Jedi. The Jedi use the light side of the Force, for knowledge and defense. The Sith use the dark side of the Force, for power and aggression."
"I won't go into the details now, but many years ago, the Sith and Jedi fought a great war. The Jedi won and thought they'd vanquished the Sith forever. They didn't know that the few remaining Sith went into hiding and secretly plotted to regain control. For a thousand years, the Old Republic governed the galaxy with the help of the Jedi. Thirty-five years ago, it began to crumble."
"Palpatine was the last Sith Master, and I suspect he was the most powerful and clever of them all. He fulfilled the Sith dream of toppling the Republic and the Jedi," he bowed his head in shame. "I have to admit that I became his apprentice and helped him establish the Empire."
There was a long silence. Even without looking up, Anakin could tell the padawans were sitting in stunned horror. He heard footsteps on the marble floor, and then Luke was there sitting beside him, opposite from Gil. The young Jedi laid a comforting hand on his father's arm and spoke firmly into the uneasy silence.
"Please realize one thing. Father was never like the Emperor. Palpatine acted out of greed, cruelty, and a lust for power. Father acted out of despair and hopelessness. He truly believed that the Empire would be good for most people in the galaxy. He was mistaken, but he did have valid reasons for losing faith in the Republic," Luke gazed intently at each of the padawans, hoping desperately that they could see how remorseful his father was and be able to accept him.
There was another pause. Tera, Elissa, and Gil did not seem to be able to say anything. Luke went on, "Please understand, too, that Father is very sorry, and he's trying to make amends. He saved us all from Palpatine and he did something that was considered impossible-he renounced the dark side and returned to the light."
Luke's hand was still resting on his father's arm. Anakin reached with his other hand to lay it on top of Luke's. For a moment he was overcome with emotion at his son's uncondidtional love and support. He didn't deserve it. He would never deserve it. All he could do was return his son's love and try to be the best father possible now. He sent Luke a rush of grateful affection, then turned his attention back to the padawans.
"We'll talk more about this as we go along. I want you all to understand the temptations and dangers of the dark side, and I'll answer any questions you might have, but we need to talk about what's going on now."
"Luke and I decided to have the Jedi Academy here when we received the lake retreat. We both thought it would be a wonderful place to train the new generation of Jedi because it's so peaceful and quiet, yet full of life."
"Unfortunately, there is a group of people who are not happy about the Jedi being established again. When Luke and I returned to the retreat and announced that the Jedi Academy was ready to begin, they began complaining. There have been some articles in the village paper and reports on the local holonet channel. And when I went to Theed the other day, King Tripday informed me that some of the anti-Jedi sentiment has spread to the other cities. It does seem to be a pretty small group. Most people on Naboo and throughout the galaxy do want us to re-form. But this little group against us has a very loud voice."
"But why? I thought everyone loved the Jedi," Elissa asked quietly.
Anakin shook his head. "Oh, no. The Jedi have always had enemies, but it is a little different now. They're afraid, Elissa. They're afraid one of our students will turn to the dark side and become another Palpatine or Vader."
"But we won't!" Gil burst out.
"I don't believe you will," Anakin agreed. "But they don't know that. Even if none of the Jedi turn in our lifetime, they're still afraid of it happening someday in the distant future. And they do have reason to be afraid."
"After all, the galaxy is only just beginning to recover from the damage Palpatine, and I, did. Most people don't understand the difference between the Sith and the Jedi. They just know we all have these mystical powers they don't understand."
"We need to be sensitive to this group's concerns. We're going to have to show them that the Jedi have learned from the past and that we're committed to not making the same mistakes that can lead someone to turning to the dark side. We're going to have to show them that the galaxy will be better for having a Jedi Order again," he finished.
"How do wesa do that?" Tera wanted to know.
"By being honest, by not making obvious public displays of our powers. I think that would really alarm these people. Just by showing them that we mean no ham. And it will probably take some time. I don't think we can expect to change their minds overnight, but hopefully, in time, we can win them over," Luke replied.
Anakin sighed. "I feel that I owe all of you an apology. I've made things more difficult for us all now by my past mistakes. I hope you can forgive me and accept me as your teacher."
"Of course wesa can," Tera declared. Elissa and Gil nodded emphatically. The next thing Anakin knew, the three of them had gathered around and embraced him.
Tears came to his eyes and he could only whisper, "Thank you."
Luke smiled at him. //See, Father. I told you it would be all right.// Aloud he said, "Not making spectacles of ourselves doesn't mean we have to be punching bags, though. Father, why don't you show Gil how to surround himself with a Force-bubble this afternoon? That ought to keep those bullies at bay. And starting tonight, we'll all help you study, Gil. You'll be caught up in no time."
Gil just nodded, but his eyes were suddenly shining. Maybe he really did have some real friends now. In spite of everything, he felt encouraged. After all, with all the Jedi standing together, how bad could things be?
TBCa
Disclaimer: George Lucas owns Star Wars. I write for fun, not money.
Fear Part 3
The final bell rang, and the teacher looked up from the papers she was grading to nod a dismissal at the class. Gil deliberately knocked his datapads off his desk and slowly knelt to gather them up as the other boys and girls hurried out of the classroom.
Most of the other twenty students ignored him, but there were several who had taken to taunting him, and he was hoping he could avoid them if he took his time leaving.
School was the bane of Gil's existence right now. He enjoyed everything else about Naboo. It was the most beautiful place he'd ever seen. The lake retreat, now the Jedi Academy, was comfortable and cozy, and he had a room all to himself for the first time in his life.
He missed his old friends from Nar Shaddaa, but he was learning to like the other padawans. Elissa and Tera enjoyed fussing over him and helping him with his schoolwork, which was fortunate. He was very behind in school. And he hero-worshipped his Jedi Masters.
Anakin and Luke were absolutely amazing. They could do things he'd never imagined anyone being able to do. He would never forget meeting them for the first time on Nar Shaddaa. They had changed their entire appearances before his very eyes. And they were kind to him. It was a new experience for Gil. Few adults, especially men, had been kind to him.
Mixed with his admiration was a bit of longing and envy. He had never known his parents. Not well enough to remember anyway. Like Gil, they had been slaves and they'd been sold to another owner when he was very young.
He almost couldn't help feeling a little jealous and wistful when he saw how close Anakin and Luke were. They were always talking and laughing together, and Gil had noticed that Anakin frequently placed his arm around Luke's shoulders or curled his hand around the back of Luke's neck. It made Gil sad that he would never know a parent's love, and at the same time, made him want to grow closer to his Jedi teachers.
He didn't want to admit it. He'd always prided himself on being tough and self-reliant, but he longed for their approval and affection. They'd done so much for him already, rescuing him from the harsh streets of the Hutt moon, and now accepting him as one of their students and giving him the chance to become a Jedi. He would be the best padawan of all. He would listen and work hard and make them proud.
Of course, that would be easier to accomplish once he actually had his first lesson. Luke was supposed to have begun working with him yesterday afternoon, but they had discovered the graffiti and instead Luke had been busy installing the electric fence around the property while the padawans and Threepio cleaned the terrace doors.
Gil would have much rather spent the afternoon tracking down whoever was responsible and learning to wield a lightsaber with the vandal as an opponent.
If Anakin had been there instead of Luke, perhaps they could have done that, or something similar. He seemed more like a take-charge kind of person than Luke, and Gil was pretty sure he would have wanted to teach the idiot with a paint can some manners.
Well, at least he could have his first Jedi lesson when he got home. Luke had promised that they would make up for lost time this afternoon. It was something to look forward to, because school sure wasn't any fun.
Gil finished gathering his datapads and slowly made his way outside. His STAP bike was parked in the rack by the side of the school. On rainy days someone drove him in the landspeeder, but the rest of the time he rode his bike.
The other kids all seemed to heading for home, and he thought at first that he had managed to evade the bullies, but as he rounded the corner of the school, several boys who had been standing at a nearby tree approached.
"Hey, Anonymous! What took you so long?" One of the boys called. He was a handsome boy with black hair and gray eyes. His name was Reynard Kane and he was in the class ahead of Gil. He wasn't much bigger than Gil, only an inch or so taller, and thin, but he was very clever and a recognized leader among the other students.
He had begun calling Gil "Anonymous" on the first day, once they'd discovered he had no last name. It didn't matter to Reynard and his cronies that none of the slaves on Nar Shaddaa had last names. The Hutts didn't bother giving surnames to their slaves, and if Gil's parents had had one, he'd never learned it.
The only thing that mattered to Reynard was that Gil was different. Different because he had no surname, had no parents, was several years behind in schoolwork, and wasn't from the local village. And because Gil was different, he was fair game.
"You better hurry. You don't want to be late for your Jedi lessons," Reynard sneered. He and his friends-three of them, all taller and heavier than either Reynard or Gil-came close.
Reynard stepped right in front of Gil, his eyes narrowed. "You are one of them, aren't you? One of the Jedi?"
Gil frowned slightly, not sure what Reynard was getting at here. The other boy and his three buddies-Gil had begun thinking of them as the Goon Squad- had picked on him from day one, but before they'd only teased him about being stupid at school and not having a real family. The fact that he was a Jedi padawan had never been mentioned.
"Well, we know you can't read or write, but are you too stupid to talk?" Reynard demanded.
One of the Goons elbowed Reynard. "He just doesn't want to admit it."
Reynard gave a short, harsh laugh. "Can't blame him for that. Maybe he's not such an idiot after all." They all laughed, but it died quickly when Gil tried to make his way around them to his bike.
"Hey, we're not done yet," Reynard grabbed his arm. "You tell your Jedi friends they better get out of here. We don't want them on Naboo, or anywhere else. My mom and dad know what they're up to. And they're not gonna get away with it."
Gil jerked his arm away. "Why don't you come out to the retreat and tell them yourself?"
"I'm not crazy. I'm not going near those demon Force-users. But we've got other ways so they better watch out. You tell them, Anonymous," Reynard turned to leave, but not before giving Gil a shove.
The shove was more than Gil could take. He knew enough about fighting and survival skills that he could easily outmatch any of the others one on one. He'd made himself hold back these past couple of weeks for two reasons.
First, so far the bullying had been only verbal, and Gil suspected that Anakin and Luke would not approve of him being the first to resort to violence. Besides that, Gil doubted that Reynard and the Goons would be considerate enough to allow him to fight them one by one. No, they would gang up on him. Gil was a fairly good fighter-he couldn't have survived on Nar Shaddaa if he wasn't-but not good enough to win in a four against one brawl.
Right now, though, those reasons didn't seem to matter. Reynard had crossed the line with that shove, and Gil had had all he could take. Dropping his datapads on the ground, he charged straight at the other boy's retreating back. He had the short-lived pleasure of knocking Reynard down and getting in one good punch before the Goons were upon him.
Anakin took a deep breath, squared his shoulders, and walked slowly onto the terrace where Luke, Tera, and Elissa waited. He was not looking forward to the task ahead, but it was overdue. He was about to talk about his past with the padawans.
He hadn't brought it up before partly because he'd halfway assumed they knew already. He had never tried to hide his former identity as Darth Vader. It was common knowledge to many people around the galaxy. But once he'd thought closely about it he'd realized that it was quite possible that the padawans did not know.
Elissa came from Roon, a planet so isolated from the rest of the galaxy that years could go by without it having any visitors. Gil had grown up as an uneducated slave-Anakin didn't know how much of current galactic events he'd picked up while struggling to survive on Nar Shaddaa. Even Tera had lived a very sheltered life in Otoh Gunga. During Palpatine's reign, the gungans had gradually withdrawn back to their own underwater cities and their contact with humans had diminished.
So now he had to talk with them about why he had turned to the dark side and how that decision had affected so many others, right up to the anti- Jedi sentiment that had led to the vandalism at the retreat.
He dreaded it.
Luke and the padawans had dragged several soft, comfortable chairs into a circle. They were already seated facing the terrace door when he came out. He gave them a weak smile as he took an empty chair beside Luke and then gave his son a grateful look as he sensed Luke sending him a wave of reassurance.
//It'll be all right, Father. Don't worry.//
//Easy for you to say. You're not the one confessing.// he countered. But he patted Luke's arm in silent gratitude for his support.
"Before we begin our afternoon session, I need to talk with you about what's going on in the village, and elsewhere on Naboo as well, I'm sorry to say," Anakin began. "I wanted to wait for Gil so I would only have to go through it once, but he seems to be taking his time coming home so I'm going ahead. I'll speak with him about this when he does get here, and Luke can go on and be working with you two."
The girls were watching him expectantly. Anakin took another deep breath and found he couldn't look them in the eye. This confession was going to be even harder than he'd thought it would be.
He'd opened his mouth to begin, although he wasn't quite sure what he was going to say yet, when Artoo rolled up, beeping excitedly, and a moment later they all heard Threepio calling, "Oh, my. Master Gil, are you all right? Master Anakin, Master Luke, come quickly!"
They all rushed inside to find Gil standing in the foyer with a black eye, bloody nose, and several other bruises and scrapes on his face.
"What happened?" Anakin demanded, as they gathered around.
Gil muttered something unintelligible.
Luke took his arm and gently led him to a sofa in the living room. "Come on in here and lie down. Let me heal you first, and then you can tell us about it."
Anakin followed, with Tera and Elissa right behind. The droids hovered in the doorway; Artoo humming softly and Threepio prattling on about how they just couldn't seem to escape uncivilized, violent beings wherever they went.
The other Jedi watched, somewhat awe-struck, as Luke closed his eyes and entered a healing trance. His hands rested lightly on each bruise and cut, and left them healed. Even Anakin, who had seen Luke heal on several other occasions, shook his head in amazement. There had been healers in the old Jedi Order, but he'd never seen anything like Luke's abilities, which were even more remarkable considering that his son had never been trained as a healer but simply allowed the Force to lead him.
"Is that better?" Luke asked when he finally opened his eyes and let his hands fall back to his sides.
Gil sat up and nodded, gingerly touching his face with his fingers. "How did you do that?"
"I guess I'm a healer," Luke gave an almost embarrassed shrug.
"And one of the best I've ever seen," Anakin added proudly, resting his hand on his son's shoulder.
Luke smiled at him before turning his attention back to their youngest padawan. "So what happened, Gil?" he asked sympathetically.
Haltingly, Gil told them about the afternoon. It took a while because he had to go back and explain everything that had been going on since he'd started school-something he'd wanted to keep private, but that was no longer possible. They all looked somber when he'd finished.
"You should have told us about this before, Gil. We could have helped you," Anakin placed an arm around him and pulled Gil close in a one-armed hug.
Gil scowled fiercely at the floor, to hold back tears, and said, "It wasn't that bad until today." He spoke crossly so they wouldn't see how moved he was, but Anakin didn't seem fooled.
He kept his arm around Gil as he looked around at them all. "Sit down, everyone. This leads back to what I was getting ready to say on the terrace. Apparently, some people feel even more strongly against us than I realized. You all need to know why."
When they were all seated and gazing at him once more, he asked, "Do you know who I am?"
The padawans looked puzzled.
"You're a Jedi Master, Anakin Skywalker," Elissa answered.
"Yes, I am now, thanks to my son," Once again he gave Luke a grateful look. "But until a few months ago, I was the Emperor's second-in-command. I was known as Darth Vader then."
Gil stiffened and Tera gasped. Elissa's expression grew troubled. Unlike the other two, she didn't recognize the name, but she did know Emperor Palpatine had been renowned for his ruthlessness and cruelty. Anyone associated with him could not have been good. Could he?
"We were Sith Lords. Do you know what that means?" Anakin pressed on relentlessly. Now that he'd begun, he was determined to see this through. As the padawans silently shook their heads, he continued. "To put it very simply, the Sith are the opposite of the Jedi. The Jedi use the light side of the Force, for knowledge and defense. The Sith use the dark side of the Force, for power and aggression."
"I won't go into the details now, but many years ago, the Sith and Jedi fought a great war. The Jedi won and thought they'd vanquished the Sith forever. They didn't know that the few remaining Sith went into hiding and secretly plotted to regain control. For a thousand years, the Old Republic governed the galaxy with the help of the Jedi. Thirty-five years ago, it began to crumble."
"Palpatine was the last Sith Master, and I suspect he was the most powerful and clever of them all. He fulfilled the Sith dream of toppling the Republic and the Jedi," he bowed his head in shame. "I have to admit that I became his apprentice and helped him establish the Empire."
There was a long silence. Even without looking up, Anakin could tell the padawans were sitting in stunned horror. He heard footsteps on the marble floor, and then Luke was there sitting beside him, opposite from Gil. The young Jedi laid a comforting hand on his father's arm and spoke firmly into the uneasy silence.
"Please realize one thing. Father was never like the Emperor. Palpatine acted out of greed, cruelty, and a lust for power. Father acted out of despair and hopelessness. He truly believed that the Empire would be good for most people in the galaxy. He was mistaken, but he did have valid reasons for losing faith in the Republic," Luke gazed intently at each of the padawans, hoping desperately that they could see how remorseful his father was and be able to accept him.
There was another pause. Tera, Elissa, and Gil did not seem to be able to say anything. Luke went on, "Please understand, too, that Father is very sorry, and he's trying to make amends. He saved us all from Palpatine and he did something that was considered impossible-he renounced the dark side and returned to the light."
Luke's hand was still resting on his father's arm. Anakin reached with his other hand to lay it on top of Luke's. For a moment he was overcome with emotion at his son's uncondidtional love and support. He didn't deserve it. He would never deserve it. All he could do was return his son's love and try to be the best father possible now. He sent Luke a rush of grateful affection, then turned his attention back to the padawans.
"We'll talk more about this as we go along. I want you all to understand the temptations and dangers of the dark side, and I'll answer any questions you might have, but we need to talk about what's going on now."
"Luke and I decided to have the Jedi Academy here when we received the lake retreat. We both thought it would be a wonderful place to train the new generation of Jedi because it's so peaceful and quiet, yet full of life."
"Unfortunately, there is a group of people who are not happy about the Jedi being established again. When Luke and I returned to the retreat and announced that the Jedi Academy was ready to begin, they began complaining. There have been some articles in the village paper and reports on the local holonet channel. And when I went to Theed the other day, King Tripday informed me that some of the anti-Jedi sentiment has spread to the other cities. It does seem to be a pretty small group. Most people on Naboo and throughout the galaxy do want us to re-form. But this little group against us has a very loud voice."
"But why? I thought everyone loved the Jedi," Elissa asked quietly.
Anakin shook his head. "Oh, no. The Jedi have always had enemies, but it is a little different now. They're afraid, Elissa. They're afraid one of our students will turn to the dark side and become another Palpatine or Vader."
"But we won't!" Gil burst out.
"I don't believe you will," Anakin agreed. "But they don't know that. Even if none of the Jedi turn in our lifetime, they're still afraid of it happening someday in the distant future. And they do have reason to be afraid."
"After all, the galaxy is only just beginning to recover from the damage Palpatine, and I, did. Most people don't understand the difference between the Sith and the Jedi. They just know we all have these mystical powers they don't understand."
"We need to be sensitive to this group's concerns. We're going to have to show them that the Jedi have learned from the past and that we're committed to not making the same mistakes that can lead someone to turning to the dark side. We're going to have to show them that the galaxy will be better for having a Jedi Order again," he finished.
"How do wesa do that?" Tera wanted to know.
"By being honest, by not making obvious public displays of our powers. I think that would really alarm these people. Just by showing them that we mean no ham. And it will probably take some time. I don't think we can expect to change their minds overnight, but hopefully, in time, we can win them over," Luke replied.
Anakin sighed. "I feel that I owe all of you an apology. I've made things more difficult for us all now by my past mistakes. I hope you can forgive me and accept me as your teacher."
"Of course wesa can," Tera declared. Elissa and Gil nodded emphatically. The next thing Anakin knew, the three of them had gathered around and embraced him.
Tears came to his eyes and he could only whisper, "Thank you."
Luke smiled at him. //See, Father. I told you it would be all right.// Aloud he said, "Not making spectacles of ourselves doesn't mean we have to be punching bags, though. Father, why don't you show Gil how to surround himself with a Force-bubble this afternoon? That ought to keep those bullies at bay. And starting tonight, we'll all help you study, Gil. You'll be caught up in no time."
Gil just nodded, but his eyes were suddenly shining. Maybe he really did have some real friends now. In spite of everything, he felt encouraged. After all, with all the Jedi standing together, how bad could things be?
TBCa
