11
The silver door opened before Anakin. Taking one last deep breath, he entered the room.
Only to be enveloped in complete darkness.
Unsure of what to do Anakin stood there for a few seconds, trying to reach out through the Force, only to find it was completely different than he had ever felt it before.
Around him he felt it pulsating in the room, yet when he tried to go beyond the confines of the room it was as if someone placed a damper on it. Just faintly could he make out the rest of the Jedi in the Temple and, like the softest whisper, the rest of Coruscant.
Regardless, the search gained him no new insight as to what he should do.
Snap-hiss.
Anaking whirled around to find the sound. There was still no light in the room except for an eerie red glow. Able to finally see, he was disturbed to find that the room seemed to be without walls for the light did not reflect of any surface. Even more disturbing, the red lightsaber blade providing the only illumination hovered above the ground.
Reaching out to the Force to control his nervousness, Anakin approached the lightsaber cautiously. He did not move to attack it, but his right hand stayed close to his own.
Suddenly the red blade swung at him, aiming to slice his legs out from under him. Anakin jumped while grabbing his lightsaber off his belt and igniting it. He landed and circled the deadly weapon before him. A cloaked form became visible. Its hand holding the lightsaber was covered by the dark cloak it wore. Anakin held his own weapon close to him, waiting for another attack. He did not want to start fighting this strange apparition without understanding why it was here and what it wanted with him.
The red blade swung out again, making Anakin block to his left. The two lightsabers stayed crossed then the cloaked figure swung at Anakin's right, then his left again.
Both times he blocked the attacks, moving around the figure in a circle.
For several minutes they danced around, Anakin always on the defense. Thoughts ran through his head but he forced himself to focus on the task at hand and not get distracted by them. The lightsabers flashed and hummed, clashing together to throw a light that was almost purple in the room. Anakin focused more on the Force, and Padmé flashed through his mind – especially the words she promised to him. The Force surged through Anakin like he never felt before.
The other figure stopped attacking Anakin as suddenly as he started. The red lightsaber drew close to the cloaked person, enabling Anakin to see that a dark hood was pulled over the apparition's face. Anakin withdrew his own blue blade, keeping it ignited but in a neutral position.
"Your thoughts dwell on your mother," the figure rasped in a deep voice.
Anakin stared at it.
"She has passed from this life, yet you still cling to her."
That statement made Anakin bristle with anger, but he maintained control over his feelings and made no move to attack the masked Jedi. The mysterious figure spoke more, in the backwards expression of Yoda:
"Weave a web around you, you have started. Careful you must be or ruin you it will. On Padmé do your thoughts dwell, around her is this web woven."
The thing paused.
"I am your destiny, Anakin Skywalker. Your future is not clouded – Yoda was wrong…about a great many things."
No. You are not my destiny. I am in control of my destiny.
In his mind, Anakin told himself that this was not real; this Dark Jedi was trying to stir his emotions and make him loose control…
The red lightsaber twirled around in the bearer's hand, daring Anakin to attack. Anakin's grip on his own lightsaber tightened as the fleeting thought of swinging went through his mind.
Yes…he could do it. He could raise his lightsaber, bring it back and swing –
The dark figure would have no idea what happened to it. Anakin was faster, stronger, more adept in the Force than the other Jedi, than this thing.
He could see the figure's head rolling across the floor, a threat no more to him. Or the rest of the Jedi.
No.
It was a simple word. One his mother said he learned first, like so many other children in the galaxy. And he used it to plague her – and later on the Jedi, Obi-Wan included.
"Anakin..." the thing hissed, "you cannot run from what awaits you. The choices you make are not choices – you merely react to a world. You know what you will become and you know you have no choice against it."
No. I don't think so. I control my destiny!
"You control nothing! Your failure to understand this will be your undoing!"
Anakin simply kept his gaze on the faceless thing. He knew he was infuriating it. The more it taunted him the more desperate its voice became.
Realizing that Anakin could not be swayed with this method of persuasion the figure switched tactics. It threatened, "If you do not accept your destiny you will loose what you hold closest to you."
Losing Padmé…or joining this darkness, this Dark Jedi, through striking him down…
Anakin could not accept either. He closed his eyes.
Padmé was in the room with him; whispering to him what he should do, telling him that she feared nothing.
"Choose!"
In an epiphany Anakin realized she would love him. Instantaneously his sense of the Force expanded out of the room, reaching out to the entire galaxy.
Even in death Padmé would love him.
Love was the Force.
His mother was already in the Force, she may have passed away physically, but she was still with Anakin. As long as he could remember her, and as long as he had a connection to the Force, she was with him. Anakin knew it would be the same for Padmé.
There was no death.
Only the Force.
"I choose neither," Anakin said steadily, holding his lightsaber.
The pain for those he loved grew stronger, almost overwhelming Anakin but he stood his course. The cloaked figure let out a yell of frustration. It brought the red lightsaber back, ready to make its final cut.
"THERE IS NO DEATH! THERE IS ONLY THE FORCE!" Anakin bellowed at the top of his lungs, raising his lightsaber over his head so that it was parallel to the floor.
He closed his eyes, waiting for the Force to greet him; he would be with Padmé and his mother –
The sound of a door flying open brought Anakin out of his trance and he cracked one eye open. There, just across the room, was an open door. His heart pounding, he thumbed his lightsaber off and clipped it back onto his belt.
Each step seeming an eternity, he walked over to the open door. Anakin close his eyes and let the Force guide him to the door. Once he was out of the room he opened his eyes slowly.
Obi-Wan stood in front of him, a large smile growing on his face. The High Council formed a ring around Obi-Wan, watching Anakin with great interest.
Without a word, Yoda turned and began to walk away. The rest of the Council followed, Obi-Wan and Anakin in tow.
As he followed the Council and Obi-Wan, Anakin's hands began to shake. His mind could not comprehend the meaning of what just happened to him. Despite his beginnings as a slave and being too old for standard training, he had become a Jedi. Not just a Padawan – a full-fledged Knight.
In his heart, he knew his mother was proud, wherever she was after death. Padmé would be proud when he told her. Next to him, he could feel the pride radiating through his Master, no, former Master. While his mother was dead, a part of the Force, these two other people cared greatly for Anakin. Perhaps he was not as alone as he thought.
Shortly they reached the Council chamber. On their journey through the Temple, they caught side-glances and hushed whispers. News of a Padawan taking the trials traveled fast in the Temple, and the rumor that the Chosen One was passing through his this night flew like wildfire.
Yoda lead the way into the Council room, standing before his seat. The rest of the Masters followed suit, and Obi-Wan lead Anakin to the center of the room so that he stood directly in front of Yoda. When everyone stood in the proper place, Yoda spoke:
"Witnessed the success of Anakin Skywalker we have. His dedication to the Force and the Order shall he give by reciting the Jedi Code, and completed is his training. A Jedi Knight he shall be."
Yoda fell silent and looked to Anakin, who swallowed nervously before beginning.
"There is no emotion; there is peace." Anakin's voice sounded hollow and dry to himself, but he continued, "There is no ignorance; there is knowledge. There is no –"
"Masters!" a Jedi cried out, opening the door to the Council chamber and cutting off Anakin.
As one, the whole room turned to gape at the intruder. Several seconds of heavy silence passed.
"What do you think you are doing? Can you not see that we are in the middle of a Knighting Ceremony?" Mace roared, truly loosing his temper for the first time that Anakin ever saw.
The poor Jedi who came into the room trembled.
"Apologies, Masters…it's Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, he says it's an extreme emergency."
"I do not care what kind of emergency the Chancellor is having! I do not care if the sun has blown up and we all have three seconds to live! YOU DO NOT INTERRUPT A KNIGHTING CEREMONY!"
"I'm sorry Master Windu, but he said it was urgent, that I had to get you right away, no matter what…"
Mace looked to Yoda, seething. A blink from the smaller Jedi calmed him down and he regained control of his anger.
"What did the Chancellor say about this emergency?" he asked in a steady voice, all traces of anger gone.
"He said something about one of the Republic systems being under attack."
"Sithspawn," Obi-Wan muttered under his breath. As soon as he said it, he glanced around the room. Anakin looked at him, trying to restrain a chuckle despite the severity of the situation. The comment went unnoticed among the Masters.
Mace sighed heavily before responding.
"In that case, we shall go."
"Yes, go we shall. Defend this Republic we must," Yoda agreed with a heavy tone of surrender.
"Anakin, Obi-Wan, would you please go with us? The Chancellor will most likely want to speak with you too," Mace said as he stepped past the two. His voice had an edge like a little of his anger was creeping back.
"Absolutely," Obi-Wan answered for the both of them. He followed Mace and Yoda out of the Council room, with Anakin in tow.
Anakin had no choice but to go with the Masters. The last thing he wanted to do was go to Palpatine's office. Something about the dark figure reminded Anakin of the Supreme Chancellor. After that, he told himself, he could go see Padmé – without worry.