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Sarah rubbed her forehead, trying to accept the pain of the headache and move on, but it persisted. Exhaustion and hunger racked every bone in her body. She was thrilled to finally be approaching Coruscant. It had been six months since she had last been back at the Temple. It had been six months since she had said goodbye to Anakin.
Now she was back. She had been granted a short rest period by the Council, and she was thrilled to be returning to the Temple. She had been out of touch with all but a few Jedi during the past months. For a month on Queyta she had been forced to live off of the already barren land. When she finally caught up with the clone troops, she managed to lead them to victory in a large battle.
She was unsure at the time that she would even make it off the planet alive, and she had been shocked when she had led the battle. It had been so intense, and for a moment, she had forgotten that she was still a Jedi Padawan. Her comlink had been destroyed during the first few days of the mission, and she had not spoken to Anakin or to Obi-Wan since. The order to return to the Temple had come through the clones.
Now she approached the familiar skies of Coruscant, and she was simply looking forward to a warm meal and an actual night's sleep somewhere other than a stone floor. She steered the ship into the hangar and hopped out.
Walking up to the long flight of steps to the Temple, she took a deep breath. During the mission, she had not had much time to reflect on what had been said between herself and Anakin. It had only been during the still of night that her thoughts had returned to the words spoken before she had left.
She now found herself inside the vast entrance hall of the Temple, when she suddenly felt a familiar presence behind her. She turned around just in time to see Obi-Wan quickly walking toward her, and she threw herself into a hug.
It may not have been considered a typical gesture for a Jedi, but she had missed him. "Master."
Obi-Wan held her out at arm's length and looked at her. "I see that you're all in one piece."
"Yes, Master."
"I have been worried every day these past months, Padawan. No contact at all from you!" He gave her his tradmark schoolmaster look.
"I apologize, Master." She grinned, and the conversation trailed off into silence.
Obi-Wan finally spoke, "The Council just informed me yesterday of what happened on Queyta. I am so proud of you, Padawan."
"Thank you Master." She glanced around.
"I'm afraid that he is still away." She looked at him when he said this, and she quickly attempted to hide her disappointment. He continued, "I have seen him though. We met up again about three weeks after out initial departure. We worked together until about two weeks ago, when he was sent on another mission."
Sarah had been about to speak when Mace Windu rounded the corner. Sarah gave him a polite bow, which the Master returned. He then turned to Obi-Wan. "Obi-Wan, if I could speak to you for a moment."
Taking the hint, Sarah bowed to the two older Jedi and left for the dining hall. She had not eaten a proper meal in about a week. She was already well into her second helping when she saw Obi-Wan approach. He looked odd, as though he was happy and confused and sad all at the same time.
"Sarah, the Council wishes to speak with you this evening."
"What about?"
"I'm afraid I cannot say," he said. "I think that I am going to go meditate for a while."
Obi-Wan stood and walked quickly away, leaving Sarah staring out after him, confused.
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Obi-Wan headed to his usual spot in the Room of One Thousand Fountains and sat down. His mind was racing. When he had spoken to Mace Windu earlier, the Jedi Master had informed Obi-Wan that the Council had come to an important decision.
They had decided to make Sarah a Jedi Knight.
Obi-Wan had tried hard to mask his surprise. He could not believe it. He still knew little of the mission that she had been on, but the Council apparently was convinced that her actions had merited the rank. It had not been an official Jedi trial, but Obi-Wan knew deep down that Master Yoda must have known what it would take for Sarah to say goodbye to Anakin and take off on a solo mission.
Obi-Wan knew that he had no choice but to accept this turn of events, but there was a part of him that was unsure of this. He did not feel that they had spent enough time on her training. He had not even gotten to see her in action on this deciding mission.
He also wanted Anakin to be there when she became a Knight. Obi-Wan chided himself for remaining under the delusion that both Anakin and Sarah would become Knights at the same time. Looking back, he realized the numerous times that Yoda had mentioned it to Obi-Wan, and he had just not listened.
Obi-Wan decided not to dwell on it, though it all felt like such a blur. He set to preparing himself for this event. He meditated on the past time that he had spent with Sarah, from the first moments on Roden, to all of the times the three had had over the years.
Obi-Wan spent hours sorting through his thoughts and feelings, accepting this new turn of events. It was not the Jedi way to dwell on alternatives to already-made decisions. He simply tried to find the peace that he knew he must have as their training bond was severed and she moved on.
He stayed until just before sunset, allowing the trickling and rushing sounds of the water wash over him. Finally, when it was time, he rose for the Knighting Ceremony.
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That evening, Sarah began walking to the Council Chambers. When she approached the doors, she saw Obi-Wan waiting for her. She had spent the afternoon meditating, wondering what the Council wanted to see her for. She wondered what Obi-Wan was doing here, and why he had such an odd look on his face when he looked at her.
The doors to the Council Chambers automatically opened. Obi-Wan put his hand on her shoulder and led her inside. She was surprised to find that the Council members were all standing, their hoods drawn up, hiding their faces in the shadows.
The crimson light that filtered in through the giant windows reflected the sunset. Sarah looked around, confused. Obi-Wan led her to the center of the chamber, and he then walked slowly towards the entrance, completing the circle, and he drew his own hood up.
They stood there in silence for a moment, the Force flowing freely, though unsettled. The sun slowly sank past the horizon, leaving only the echoes of light, and as soon as darkness fell upon the chambers, the Council members and Obi-Wan all extracted their lightsabers and ignited them. The blades of pure energy burst forth, creating multicolored light illuminating off the walls in beautiful formations.
It had finally dawned on Sarah what this all meant, but she was in shock. She was only nineteen, and though her last mission had been successful, she did not think that it would earn her this.
Yoda limped forward and instructed her to kneel. She obliged. She bowed her head. Together, the members of the Council began to recite the Jedi Code in unison. "There is no emotion."
Sarah took her cue and finished it, "There is peace."
"There is no ignorance," they chanted.
"There is knowledge."
"There is no passion."
She took a deep breath, "There is serenity."
Finally, there was only one voice this time as Obi-Wan stepped forward. "There is no death."
She looked him in the eye and finished, "There is the Force."
Obi-Wan stood at her side, signifying that they were now equals, as a Padawan's place would be accepted as behind their Master. Yoda now stepped forward. "Accept do you, the responsibility and fragility of peace?"
"I do."
"Remain true to the Jedi Code, will you always?"
"I do."
"Accept, do you, your place as a Jedi Knight in this Order?"
Knowing that this was it, she spoke, "I do."
Yoda nodded and with twinkling eyes motioned to Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan drew his lightsaber and severed the thin braid that had been growing over the years. "Rise," said Yoda.
Sarah stood, and Obi-Wan resumed his place in the circle. Alone now, Sarah drew her lightsaber and the blinding blue shot forth. She slowly walked next to Obi-Wan, and stood, now a member of the circle. At once, all of the lightsabers simultaneously deactivated, leaving the group in darkness, all contemplating the strength of the Force in the chambers at that moment.
Without warning, the door to the main part of the Temple opened, and Sarah stepped out alone, a brand new Jedi Knight.
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A/N: So terribly sorry about the delay in updating! I have been somewhat lacking in inspiration for this particular story, so I took the time to clear my head and write a Harry Potter fic. If you're an HP fan, check it out, it's called The Riddled Enigma. In any case, I am now returning to this one, and hopefully I can get back to updating more regularly (if school doesn't kill me first). Anyway, I don't mean to blab excessively like I have been doing, so thanks for reading!