Yoda looked up at Vokra Che as she exited his spare bedroom where she had disappeared with Anakin Skywalker hours ago. Dawn was coming to Coruscant, bathing the room in soft pinks and yellows. It was the normal time Yoda rose, but the Grandmaster had not slept that night.
"Assessment on Skywalker you have?" asked Yoda. Anakin's turbulent Force signature was finally at peace that only deep sleep could manage. For hours his Force Signature had rolled in Yoda's room as he poured the story out to the Grandmaster, and again when he repeated it for Master Che.
"He came to us just in time" Master Che admitted, "Master Kenobi was right in his assessment on Knight Skywalker. He has deep mental scarring from his deed on Tatooine. This has made controlling his emotions and impulses very difficult. But more worrisome Master Yoda, is the fact that some areas are fresh; like someone has deliberately been poking the scars to make them fester."
As Yoda processed this bit of news, Master Che grew sterner as she gave Yoda her best Healer glare. "Master Yoda, I'm taking Knight Skywalker off of active duty until his mind is healed. Someone is trying to influence him, and he doesn't even know it. He can't feel the parts that are being manipulated for darker purposes. I can't tell for certain Master Yoda because of the severity of the scarring, but I suspect the scars in his mind stretch back to his childhood."
"Troubling this news is" murmured Yoda, "But agree with you I do. Knight Skywalker must heal. Discuss all of this I will with the Council."
Master Che looked instantly relieved when the small master agreed with her. "Good"
Yoda glanced at the room once more, "Sleep long he will?"
"The Force suggestion I gave him ought to keep him out for most of the day. I'm guessing that due to the upcoming Council Meeting that I will not be able to see Obi-Wan today?" Vokra said with a resigned air, that borderlined anger.
Yoda shook his head.
"Of course, that always seems to be the case with Obi-Wan" grumbled Vokra. Master Che had been trying since Obi-Wan was accepted back in the Order after the incident of Melida/Daan to get the boy to see a mind healer. But it seemed the very Force was blocking her path. Never had she seen a Jedi able to slip through her net, but time after time Obi-Wan managed to dance his way out of seeing a mind healer. A talent that he must have inherited from his Master, because Qui-Gon had the same talent of avoiding mind healers and that was one man who needed it. Vokra was certain that a few of the problems Obi-Wan was bound to have stemmed from how pig-headed that man was; and how he dealt with his problems, by denying he had any.
It was common knowledge among the older Jedi's that the Jinn and Kenobi partnership had an extremely rocky beginning. Che knew some of the blame lay on the being at her feet. She had heard the whispers that the little green master had pushed for that partnership, determined that Obi-Wan would bring Qui-Gon back from the brink. It was a huge burden for someone who had just turned 13. But that was another thing the Force seemed to love, making Obi-Wan bear burdens that a person his age should not have endured.
Yoda seemed to stare at something behind Vokra before answering. "Changed that shall be."
Vokra just shook her head, "With all due respect Master Yoda, but I can sooner see Hoth unfreezing than getting Obi-Wan to see a mind healer. I was blocked by Qui-Gon when he was a Padawan, the Council when Qui-Gon passed, when Obi-Wan became a Master of Anakin, and by Obi-Wan himself. It's a miracle that he urged Anakin to come see me, when he was adamant not to come in himself."
Yoda's frowned deepened but he did not argue with Che assessment. "Wrong we were, blocked Obi-Wan from seeing you we should not have. Sorry I am."
Vokra couldn't help but stare at the little green Master. She had not expected Yoda to actually apologize.
She sighed, "Again all due respect Master Yoda, but you should be apologizing to Obi-Wan. That poor boy has been shuffled to the side, ignored, and through it all is expected to be the perfect Jedi. Every time that boy has been through a major tragedy he has never been able to grieve. Obi-Wan was probably the only Jedi ready for this war, because he's had to learn to lock away his grief to carry on. It's a wonder that he is not insane."
Yoda's ears had drooped continuously during this speech. Vokra was right. Yoda had lost sight of what was good for Obi-Wan, he hadn't cared for his great-grandpadawan. Yoda had never seen the fine cracks on Obi-Wan's armor as they pushed the young man to his limits and beyond. Yoda imagined that if Obi-Wan received a great enough blow, he would shatter, both in mind and soul.
The Force whispered in his ear how true this thought was. It pushed a vision into his eyes. A tired worn down Obi-Wan, with hair white as snow. His shoulders bowed by grief, and his eyes, once so full of life and laugher were dull. "Crazy Old Ben Kenobi," the Force whispered. "Last of the Jedi."
Yoda pressed his eyes closed, his gnarled hand curling tight against his cane. Yoda had received many visions over his long life, but never had one sent fear through him like this. What could have happened that Obi-Wan was the last Jedi? The Force was quiet on this question. But Yoda was filled with a sense that this future was one of many paths, only that had already been altered.
A beeping broke through Obi-Wan shallow sleep, jerking him to full awareness in seconds.
If Obi-Wan hadn't been so tired he doubted he would have fallen asleep after Ahsoka left. However since the war began, he had had so few chances to sleep in a real bed, so few times getting an actual restful sleep. This was one such night were the ghosts of his past kept him from getting the much needed rest.
Since the war began Obi-Wan had constantly been on the move. Jumping from one planet to the next, never having time to rest or even grieve.
He was no longer the peace keeper the Jedi were supposed to be but a General, a war monger. He felt like he had fallen so far from who he once was. Sometimes Obi-Wan felt like he was still that young boy who was left on a war torn planet, struggling to survive and to keep hope in the face of so much death.
Except there would be no Qui-Gon coming to help, Obi-Wan was alone.
With the ease of longtime practice, Obi-Wan pushed these thoughts away and grabbed his flashing comm-link, the source of present trouble.
Obi-Wan was not surprised to see that the message was for an emergency Council meeting that would take place after the 11th bell. It was enough time to make Obi-Wan look like he hadn't spent the whole night haunted by the past, which he had been.
He stumbled to the fresher and splashed cold water on his face and comb through his hair and beard. Once he was finished with the rest of his morning absolutions he grabbed his robes. Obi-Wan almost felt like he should be donning his armor as he dressed. He was not foolish enough to think this meeting wasn't about Anakin. He also knew he would have to fight for Anakin. to become his Champion for staying in the Jedi like he had in his Padawan days.
Obi-Wan hated to think of those early days when he fought with tongue and sword to keep Anakin by his side.
Obi-Wan had struggled to remain in the light because of all the fear and anger that coursed through him. Fear that he would lose Anakin every month, fear he would be to slow or not strong enough to win the Agoge. And Anger that so many in the Temple thought he was not worthy to teach Anakin. Anger at how some of these competitors brought his past into the fight. Bandomeer, Xanatos, the Melinda/Daan incident and even Buck's death.
It was through sheer will power and a promise he had made to Qui-Gon that he wouldn't fall kept Obi-Wan from giving into these emotions. But some days he felt like that scared, anger twelve year old who fought for his place in the Order.
A part of him still wished Anakin and Ahsoka had never found out about the Agoge, that they had never seen the desperate fights to keep the only thing he cared about at his side. But it had helped Anakin, brought to light a serious problem. For that alone Obi-Wan would lock those feelings away and soldier on.
He shrugged on his dark brown robe and walked towards the Council Chamber.
The halls were silent as he walked through them. So many Jedi were gone from the Temple, it was hard to believe at one time the halls were filled with Masters, Knights, Padawans, and Initiates going through their days. Obi-Wan sighed, it was another sign how the war had changed so much for the Jedi.
It didn't take him long to make it to the lift and ride it up to the Council Chamber. And was glad to see that he was one of the first to arrive in the Council Chamber. It gave him time to focus and get a better gauge on his fellow Councilors. It was one of the few times since the war began that all 12 masters were present on the planet and would sit in their chairs in the Chamber. Almost every Master who entered had an air of curiosity of what the meeting was about or dread that this meeting meant another dark turn for the galaxy. Even Master Windu had an air of annoyance and curiosity. This was how Obi-Wan knew Yoda hadn't discussed any of this with the Master of the Order beforehand. Obi-Wan knew Mace would be as blindsided as the rest of the Council.
Finally after all the rest of the Council had been seated did Master Yoda come hobbling in. The old Master seemed older than many had ever seen him. No one dared say anything until the little Master had sat down. Only then did Mace break the silence.
"Master Yoda?" he said waiting for the Grandmaster to speak.
Yoda sighed and folded his clawed hands over his cane. "Unsettling news I learned last night, learned of a Padawan that brushed heavily against the darkside during the final days of his apprenticeship" Yoda paused casting a small glance at Obi-Wan before continuing. "Revealed to me Anakin Skywalker did of his brush with the darkside during his Padawan days. Slaughtered an entire tribe of Tusken Raiders he did, when he found his tortured Mother among them" said Yoda looking sad. "The agony of being unable to save her, and her dying in his arms caused the brush."
The disbelief was thick in the air at these words. But it quickly turned to vindication as all many saw this as the confirmation of why they shouldn't have allowed Anakin into the Order in the first place.
It stung Obi-Wan to feel these emotions in the Force, to know that some of his oldest friends had been waiting for this day for so long. Had they always believed that he would fail as a Master? That Anakin would someday ignore his teachings and turn dark? He had only to wait a few moments before the Council turned to him.
"Did you know about his brush with the Darkside Master Kenobi" asked Mundi, a slight note of accusation in his voice.
Obi-Wan bit back the growl that wanted to escape, he could feel the weight of many of his fellow Councilors as they waited for his answer.
"No I did not. At the time I thought his anger and grief was from the loss of his hand and the dozens of Jedi killed at the first battle of Geonosis. I know that many of those left in our Order struggled those first few days after we went to war," Obi-Wan said fixing a stare at quite a few of the Council, who had acted just as Obi-Wan described.
Those first few days had been rough for the Jedi Order as they tried to adjust to the huge loss of life that had occurred. So many Master and Knights had been killed in a single day, the Force rang with grief for days.
"Still you were the boy's Master, you should have seen when your Padawan turned to the Darkside," accused Councilor Falize.
Obi-Wan refused to let the anger he was feeling show, but the Force around him seemed to chill the room. "I seem to recall when my Master's second Padawan Xanatos fell, and my Master blamed himself for not seeing his journey to darkness. Many on this Council, you included Falize tried for years to tell my Master that it wasn't his fault he didn't see the dark path Xanatos was traveling. Has the Council allowed the darkness to blind them so much in the last twenty year, or have you spent too much time in this tower looking down upon your fellow Jedi!"
At these words, many in the Council lowered their eyes, unable to look at Obi-Wan.
Seeing that the Council had been sufficiently cowed for the moment Obi-Wan continued. "I know how many of you feel about my former Padawan. And I know for a fact that if you were not bound by the Agora's rule of no Councilors can challenge a Padawan's Master , you would have also challenged me to claim him as your own. Many times you have let these feelings sway your decisions regarding my Padawan. I have kept my silence but in this matter I will not. Anakin was a Padawan at a time, and as such his actions must be viewed by that factor. And the fact he already had mental scarring from trauma in his childhood."
"Master Che reports she only suspected it reached back further into his childhood" shot back Falize.
Obi-Wan stared at the Councilor coolly. "Living 9 years as a slave will leave those scars and another 9 worrying constantly for the safety of his Mother. I warned this Council that we should have sent someone to free his Mother, but the Council would not listen to a newly knighted Knight."
"You blame this Council?" asked Windu coolly looking across the room at Kenobi.
"I blame myself, the Council, and the Jedi as a whole" said Obi-Wan evenly. "Anakin is like no other Jedi Knight or Padawan, and never will be. He has experienced things no sentient should, and instead of us trying to fit him into a box to match everyone else, we should have worked with him. I turned a blind eyes to many of his problems because it was easier at the time. Maybe if I had been more attentive than maybe I could have prevented this."
"Enough this is" Yoda's voice rang out. "Fault this is not Obi-Wan. Gone about training Skywalker a different way we should. Past it is, look to future we must. Question, does the future have Skywalker as member of this Order or not." He huffed, "Jedi we are, put aside the pettiness we will."
"Yes let us continue," Obi-Wan seconded. The human Master settled more firmly into his chair and crossed his legs, his body language clear that he was prepared for battle.
Anakin had been waiting in the anteroom for over two hours as the Council decided his fate. Ahsoka had been sitting beside him that whole time, entwining their fingers as a sign of support. Neither said anything during this time, both knowing words were not going to fix or help the situation. It was almost a relief when the doors opened and Anakin was called in.
Usually the Force was calm and sage inside the Council chamber, but Anakin could feel the residue of charged emotions in the room, like what happened when he and Obi-Wan argued. Sneaking a glance at his Master he saw the same look on his face that he often got after an argument. And a small part of Anakin was warmed as he knew that his Master had argued for him, fought for him like so many times before. Only this time Anakin was aware of his Master's actions.
Obi-Wan catching his old Padawan's glance gave him a small smile before letting his face smooth out and become neutral. But that small smile was enough for the fist around Anakin's heart to ease up a bit making it easier to breath.
Reaching the middle of the room, Anakin gave the assembled Master a real respectful bow, instead of one that was barely respectful which was his usual greeting. "Masters."
"Knight Skywalker, you are aware of why you have been called before this Council," spoke Master Windu.
"Yes Master Windu, I am."
"We will not rehash the details of your crime. We have already heard testimony from both Master Yoda and Master Kenobi about the situation. And we have come to a decision."
Anakin bowed his head, "I will accept any decision the Council has made." He could practically feel the shock at his humble behavior.
Master Windu looked hard at Anakin before he began to speak. "Knight Skywalker, this Council has decided to officially put you on probation for 6 months. You will not be allowed to leave the Temple during that time, nor contact anyone outside of it. Every evening you must turn yourself into the custody of your former master, Master Yoda, or myself. You will continue to see Master Che until she deems your mind healed."
Mace paused to allow Anakin to absorb the decision. Instead of the anger the Master expected from the Knight, he felt only relief and acceptance. It was quite a shock to the Master of the Order. Who dared to hope maybe the Knight in front of him might finally learn humility.
"Understand Knight Skywalker if you had been a Knight you would have been expelled for your actions. But this Council has judged you by what you were at the time, a Padawan. For a moment you embraced the Darkside and slaughtered the Tusken tribe. But you returned to the Lightside. A Trial of Spirit many would fail. This Council hopes the next six months will give you a chance to recover and find balance. Do you have any questions?"
"What about my Padawan, my men?" asked Anakin quietly his head bowed.
"Padawan Tano will remain at the Temple with you and catch up with her lessons that the war has previously kept her from. Until you are cleared to go back into the field, command of the 501st will be left with Master Kenobi along with the 212th. Your former Master had a lot to say when we suggested breaking up the 501st for the time being," Windu said in his usual voice.
However Anakin could hear for the first time, the undercurrent sound of amusement.
"They will be glad to hear that," he said quietly. "Thank-you."
"Thank Master Kenobi, he championed very hard for you. You are dismissed Knight Skywalker."
Anakin looked at his Master, trying to catch his eye. However Obi-Wan seemed to be glaring at someone over Anakin's shoulder. Peeking over his shoulder he saw a green skinned Master with white hair returning Obi-Wan's glare. Anakin didn't know this Councilor very well. But he had a feeling that Falize had been pulling to kick him out by the glare he was leveling back at Obi-Wan.
"Thank-you Masters," bowed Anakin before leaving the Chambers.
Ahsoka was still waiting for him in the hallway and she jumped up when she saw him. "Master what happened!"
Anakin surprised her by smiling at her, but before he could say anything the doors of the Chamber opened and the Councilors made their way out. Half of them nodded at Anakin, the other half glared.
Obi-Wan was one of the last to walk out and he stopped next to Anakin. Anakin looked at Ahsoka, "Snips can you wait down the hall, I'll explain everything in a minute."
Ahsoka looked reluctant, but did as Anakin asked of her heading down the hallway. Obi-Wan looked at Anakin curiously before letting out an umph as Anakin tackled him in a hug.
"Thank-you Master for fighting for me," whispered Anakin.
"Your welcome Anakin," Obi-Wan said warmly returning the hug. It was nice to hold his former Padawan like this. It had been a while since Obi-Wan received something as simple as a plain hug.
Anakin reluctantly let go after a few moments. "That went better than I was expecting," sighed Anakin in relief.
"Indeed," agreed Obi-Wan, he couldn't quite believe that he managed to sway the Council as he did. He leveled Anakin a hard look though.
"You will have to follow the rules the Council has set down. No sneaking out of the Temple and no contact with anyone outside of it. That includes Padme, Anakin. No notes, no comm calls, and no sending someone with messages."
Anakin hung his head. There was a part of Anakin that had hoped Obi-Wan would let him bend that rule. However he realized how lucky he was to even still be a Jedi. He won't squander this chance. Obi-Wan took pity on his Padawan.
"However I will make 2 small exceptions, technically your six months do not start until tomorrow. Spend this night with your wife, explain what has happened. Second record a message for your troops, they will need to hear it from you that you will not be with them for the next six months and your assurance they will not be split apart."
Anakin was shocked, but he quickly regained his wits and threw himself into his Master's arms. "Thank-you Master," he whispered.
Obi-Wan smiled warmly, "You're welcome Anakin, now get going, remember to record that message for the troops."
Anakin flashed him a smile before doing as he was told. "I will Master."
Obi-Wan smiled as he watched his apprentice bound away. Ahsoka following close behind.
Obi-Wan felt a sense of peace in that moment. Which of course meant that it couldn't last as he heard the sound of wood hitting the floor, signifying that Master Yoda was heading towards him.
"Master Yoda," Obi-Wan greeted when the small Master came to stand beside him.
"Speak to you tonight I will. Much to discuss we have about you."
"I am unaware of any urgent matter to be discussed," Obi-Wan hedged, trying to get an idea what Yoda wanted to talk to him about.
"Long overdue this issue is," Yoda said ominously.
The hairs on the back of Obi-Wan's neck that rose only when talking about his feelings and or a healer was in the wings ready to pounce on him, started to tingle and rise. Giving Obi-Wan a very bad feeling about what Yoda wanted to talk to him about.
"I'm sorry Mater, but I must decline. I must see to my troops and that the transition from Anakin's command to my own runs smoothly. If you will excuse me." With that Obi-Wan all but fled from the small Master's presence.
Yoda frowned darkly at his retreating back. "Stubborn your Padawan is. Learned too much from you."
"I may have helped him develop a hyperawareness when a healer was involved in anything. He probably smelled Master Che's presence on you," Qui-Gon said with a small chuckle for only Yoda to hear.
"Blame you I do. Avoided the Healers you did so. Now student is worst then the Master."
"Obi-Wan is going to need you, Anakin, Ahsoka, the Clones and everybody else who cares for him. Because he will not fight for himself. He had fought for so many others, now it is time for all of us to fight for Obi-Wan before he receives a blow that will finally shatter him. Even the strongest of metals crumble to dust when enough pressure is applied."
I hoped you enjoyed this chapter, thanks for reading!