Chapter 28 Sharing the Gift
"So, you're coming to Coruscant with us after all." Zak said as he started rinsing the dishes they had brought into the kitchen.
"Yes, well; I don't have anything pressing at the moment so I thought I'd give the Chancellor a hand." Boba replied.
"Because of your many talents." Zak finished for him with just a hint of sarcasm.
"Right! You've seen me in action; you can understand what I could do for, you know, the Republic, whatever." Boba said.
"Oh, sure." Zak answered, trying to sound sincere.
"Plus you and me; we make a great team, don't we?" Boba asked.
This Zak could not disagree with; he liked working with this bounty hunter. "The best." He replied.
"Do you think I'll be staying at the Jedi Temple?" Boba wondered.
"Er…no, only Jedi can stay there." Zak told him, and then, when Boba looked disappointed, added. "But I'll bet the Chancellor has a place all ready for you."
"Oh, you think so?" Boba asked.
"Yes, of course; he's asked you to come to work for him; he's certainly not going to make you sleep on the parking deck." Zak answered.
"And you can come to see me?" Boba asked, hopefully.
"When Master Obi-Wan lets me; sure. But if you're working for the Chancellor, we'll probably see each other a lot." Zak replied.
"Oh, right; because we'll be working together." Boba said.
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"What are they talking about?" Padme asked Anakin as he came from the direction of the kitchen.
"It sounds as if Boba has decided to take up on the offer from Chancellor Organa." Anakin answered and smiled. "He just asked Zak if he would be staying at the Jedi Temple."
"Oh, now there's a picture!" Obi-Wan said and they all laughed.
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Later when the kitchen had been cleaned up, Anakin and Obi-Wan decided it was time, at last, to contact Master Yoda. The communications console was located in the front room, but so was Boba.
"Boba, we need to make a private transmission, could you find somewhere else to be for a little bit?" Anakin asked.
"Oh, umm…yeah, uh….sure." Boba replied as he got up from where he was sitting and turned off the view screen. "Sorry."
"Nothing to be sorry about." Anakin assured him.
"Come on, Boba; we can go outside." Zak suggested from the entranceway.
"I want you here for this, Zak; it concerns you too." Obi-Wan told him.
"Oh, I don't think…that is I thought…isn't this about, well, you know." Zak stammered.
"It's about what happened earlier, yes." Obi-Wan answered.
"But that doesn't have anything to do with me." Zak argued.
"Wrong, Padawan; as a Jedi, and especially as my apprentice, it has everything to do with you." Obi-Wan corrected.
"Oh, I see, Jedi business; I'll see ya' later then, buddy." Boba said understandingly as he walked out of the room leaving them alone.
"I still don't know what this has to do with me." Zak said.
"Well, first of all, Zak, you felt what happened; you told me that." Anakin began.
"Well, yes." Zak admitted.
"And you said my children felt it." Anakin continued.
"Yes." Zak replied.
"Now, Master Qui-Gon also said that Master Yoda knew when it happened. So this seems to be more widespread than we thought. In any case, since you felt it, and you are my Padawan; you should tell Master Yoda what you felt." Obi-Wan concluded. "Do you understand now?"
"Yes, Master." Zak answered.
"Alright, here we go." Anakin announced as Master Yoda's image appeared in the room with them.
"Ah, Anakin; hoped to hear from you we have." Master Yoda said.
"Thank you, Master Yoda; I…well, I understand you know what's happened." Anakin replied.
"Hmm…yes, felt it we did; powerful it was." Yoda answered.
"We? I don't understand; I thought you just knew about it…you mean you actually felt it?" Anakin asked incredulously.
"Oh, yes; Master Windu and I both felt it. Together we were when it happened. Master Ki Adi Mundi felt it also. Contacted us from Ansion he did." Yoda informed him. "Felt by many of us here it was, Anakin."
"I'm still not sure what this all means, Master Yoda." Anakin said.
"Anakin, changed you are now; know that you should." Yoda replied.
"Yes, I feel different; but…" Anakin trailed off.
"Master Yoda, I think Anakin is not really sure what he's supposed to do now." Obi-Wan interceded.
"Hmmm…yes, confused you are, Master Skywalker. Come to the Temple you should, a special meeting we will call." Yoda instructed.
"But Master Yoda; I have a family, I can't just leave them to join the Jedi again." Anakin replied.
"You never left, Anakin…hmm…abandon your family we do not ask of you. Show us what you have found is all we ask. Important it is for the Jedi to grow, hmm…help us to do that you can, young Skywalker." Yoda told him.
"But I don't know how I can teach this; I don't even understand it myself." Anakin protested.
"Show us; and help each other we can. The Chosen One you are, Anakin; deny that you cannot." Yoda answered.
"I know; sometimes I wish I weren't." Anakin said.
"Know this I do, Anakin; long have I watched you struggle with your destiny. Easy it has not been for and for your brother. But found yourself you have, Anakin, and stronger it has already made you and Obi-Wan. To leave your family is not called for. Part of you they are and part of you they must stay." Yoda replied.
"Master Yoda, Qui-Gon said that Obi-Wan's destiny is wrapped up with mine." Anakin stated.
"Yes, destined to train you he was; made you what you have become he did. Bound together you are." Yoda answered. "Understand this do you, Obi-Wan?"
"I think so, yes; Master Yoda. But does that mean Qui-Gon had to die in order to allow me to fulfill my part of this destiny?" Obi-Wan asked.
"Hmm…difficult it is to know this, Obi-Wan; told that to you himself he did." Yoda answered. "But important your role was in the training of the Chosen One. Understand that you must."
"Yes, Master Yoda." Obi-Wan replied quietly.
"No guilt must you feel at Qui-Gon's passing; talked of this many times we have." Yoda reminded him.
"I don't, Master Yoda; not any more." Obi-Wan said.
"I've talked with him about that too, Master Yoda; I think he's moved on already." Anakin added.
"Listened to your brother you did, hmm…Obi-Wan; good it is to hear." Yoda answered. "Zak, how feel you?"
"Master Yoda?" Zak asked surprised to be drawn into the discussion so quickly.
"How feel you?" Yoda asked again.
"Umm…I'm not sure." Zak answered; he was still not sure how he felt about what had happened.
"No, Zak; not about what passed between them. How feel you, right now?" Yoda asked to clarify what actually meant.
"Oh; well, I…" Zak hesitated.
"Feel left out I think. Is that it?" Yoda asked.
Zak looked down at the floor.
"Tell him, Padawan." Obi-Wan urged.
"I can't." Zak whispered.
"Understandable it is that you feel this way, young one. Felt rejection once before you have and think rejection again this is." Yoda told him. "But understand you must that your master's Padawan you still are; wishes still to be your master he does. Told you this he did, hmm."
"Yes, Master Yoda." Zak admitted.
"Then, believe him you do not?" Yoda asked. "Because believe him you should, young Zak; important your training is to him."
"Yes, Master Yoda." Zak repeated.
"Comparing yourself to Master Anakin you are, Zak; do that you cannot. Different you are from him; but no less gifted are you." Yoda told him.
"That's not true, Master Yoda; I could never do…" Zak began.
"So important is it that you be as powerful as Master Anakin, Zak?" Yoda interrupted. "Then all of us like you should feel; the Chosen One, Master Anakin is, no comparison can there be between us. Understand this do you, Zak?"
"Oh, I hadn't thought about it like that." Zak answered.
"A long time did Master Obi-Wan meditate on who to choose for his Padawan. Make this decision lightly he did not. Know that you did not, hmmm." Yoda added.
Zak looked up at his master who looked down at him with kindness and understanding, "I…I should have." Zak answered.
"Yes; now no more talk we will hear of this, hmm, Zak? Wanted you are; loved you are, by all of us, but mostly by Master Obi-Wan. Know that you should by now." Yoda said.
"Yes, I guess I just forgot; I'm sorry, Master." Zak replied, more to Obi-Wan than to Yoda.
Obi-Wan said nothing but put a hand on Zak's shoulder; it was enough, Zak felt a resurgence of the love he had felt earlier and took a deep breath as it washed through him.
"Hmm…better you feel now?" Yoda asked.
"Yes, Master Yoda." Zak answered.
"Yes, feel it I do, Zak." Yoda replied then turned his attention to Anakin, "Now, Anakin; when will you come to us?"
"Well, we still have the little girl here that the Chancellor wants to adopt; so I think we should check to see when he and the Queen can meet us to pick her up." Anakin said.
"Arrange this I can, Anakin; in three days shall we say?" Yoda asked.
"Three days; yes, I think that should do." Anakin agreed.
"Good; and your family, bring them too you must, Anakin." Yoda added.
"Oh…alright, thank you, Master." Anakin replied.
"Proud I am of you, Obi-Wan; trained the Chosen One well you have." Yoda told the Jedi Master.
"Thank you, Master Yoda." Obi-Wan answered.
"And, Zak; remember you must what you have been told by all of us, hmm." Yoda reminded Obi-Wan's apprentice.
"I will, Master Yoda." Zak promised.
"See you in three days, I will. The full Council there will be to meet with you." Yoda said to end their discussion.
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"Well, I hope you're ready, Boba; because we're leaving for Coruscant in three days." Zak announced.
"Oh; well I guess Captain Skywalker is going to have to take me to get my ship then." Boba said.
"What ship? How could you have a ship, you're not even old enough to get a pilot's license?" Zak wondered.
"It's my Dad's; and you don't need a license to do the kind of work I do." Boba bragged.
"But if you go to work for the Chancellor, you won't be able to fly without a license. He works for the government." Zak argued.
"Oh, well; I can take care of that." Boba replied confidently.
"No, you can't; not anymore. You have an honest job waiting for you, you can't go around 'taking care' of things anymore." Zak countered.
"Well, what am I going to do? I can't just leave it here." Boba protested.
"Sure you can. Master Anakin can keep it for you until you have a chance be licensed to fly." Zak told him.
"Really? He'd do that?" Boba asked.
"Of course; he'd have no reason not to." Zak answered.
"Oh, good; then all he has to do is take me to it and I can move it." Boba replied, sounding very satisfied with this solution.
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"Are you sure Master Yoda wants all of us, Anakin?" Padme asked again.
"Yes, I've already told you; he said bring your family, those were his exact words." Anakin told her yet again. "Go ask Obi-Wan if you don't want to believe me. He heard it too."
"Oh…well, I guess I'd better start getting ready then." Padme replied. "So then, all of us are going, Boba and Gemma too?" Padme asked. "The yacht will be a little cramped."
"We'll take the Nubian then; I don't think the queen will mind, will she?" Anakin answered.
"Oh, I don't think she will…oh, that reminds me…" Padme said.
"Reminds you?" Anakin asked.
"I have been talking with Sio and…" Padme began.
"Sio Bibble, the governor?" Anakin cut her off.
"Yes, he would like me to take an appointment as his aid." Padme finished, unsure of what Anakin would think of this suggestion.
"Oh! I think that's…I love it; you miss the politics, and this would give you a perfect reason to get involved." Anakin replied enthusiastically.
"That's it? No argument about being with the children?" Padme asked. "I thought for sure that you would put up more of a fight."
"Padme, I want you to be happy; and if doing this will make you happy, then I think you should do it. I know you, and you probably have already figured out how to take care of the children if you do this." Anakin explained.
"Oh, Annie! I'm so glad you feel that way!" Padme exclaimed as she threw her arms around him.
The conversation at dinner that evening was full of plans for the trip only three days away. Anakin had agreed with Zak's idea to leave Boba's ship, Slave I, at the base until Boba was officially allowed to pilot it. He, Zak and Boba would travel out to where it was and Anakin would fly it back to the base while Zak and Boba took the speeder there to meet him. Boba was reluctant at first to let anyone else fly the ship, but Anakin and Obi-Wan both convinced him it was for the best. Gemma was the most excited of all; she understood very well that she was going to meet her new mommy and daddy and she was brimming with anticipation. Obi-Wan, feeling better than he had in over a month, was eager to get home; although he felt a twinge of sadness knowing that the time he had spent with his brother was nearly at an end. He would miss him and his family. After they had eaten, he went outside to ponder the stars again and reflect on the precious time he had spent here with them. Anakin joined him as short time later.
"It's not forever, you know." Anakin said as he began to knead Obi-Wan's troublesome shoulder.
"I know; but I will miss you all the same." Obi-Wan admitted.
"Why? We're always connected; always together." Anakin replied. "Especially now."
Obi-Wan was silent and Anakin continued.
"We work well together; we always have. I know that's what you're thinking about too." He said.
Obi-Wan sighed; this mind reading thing was becoming a bother.
Anakin laughed, "I know; I know; but it does come in handy sometimes." He responded.
"I'll always be there for you, my brother; if you ever need me…and I know that you will always be there for me." Anakin went on. "After all, according to Master Yoda, I never left the Order."
Obi-Wan laughed at that, "It's about time you figured that out." He said.