Epilogue…
Phantoms...
"Trust your Master, you should, Obi-Wan." Yoda poked the padawan learner in the shin with the end of his gimer stick. "A wise Jedi Master, Qui-Gon is. Headstrong and defiant, but wise nonetheless. Learn much from him, you could."
"But he never listens to me!"
"Enough, Obi-Wan!" Yoda's voice sounded harsher than he intended, and he turned and smiled. "Persistent, you are. A great strength, that can be. But patience, you must learn as well, if a Jedi Knight, you wish to become."
"Yes, Master Yoda." Obi-Wan bowed respectfully.
Yoda nodded and continued to hobble down the hallway, Obi-Wan following quietly beside him. When they approached Yoda's quarters, where he and Obi-Wan would part ways, Obi-Wan cleared his throat discreetly.
Yoda arched a brow. "Something concerns you, young Obi-Wan?"
Obi-Wan swallowed visibly. Then, seeming to realize that indecisiveness was not a positive characteristic in a Jedi, he lifted his chin.
"I am concerned about Master Qui-Gon."
Yoda stopped and looked up at Obi-Wan Kenobi. The boy was a cool, placid lake in the Force. Unlike his peers, the padawan lacked the roiling thunderheads of conflict that plagued other budding youths. The only sign of tension in the young man was the barely perceptible tremor in his voice. Having known the boy all his life, Yoda knew that this slight timbre signified an immense revelation for Obi-Wan.
Yoda faced Obi-Wan and placed his hands atop his gimer stick. "Your concern, share," he said simply.
Obi-Wan nodded. "I've been having these dreams.…"
Yoda waited.
Obi-Wan stared at Yoda for a long while, as if choosing his words carefully. "In them, I'm cradling his head in my lap, and he's.…dying."
Furrowing his brow, Yoda closed his eyes and breathed in the currents of the Force. Images flashed before his eyes, and he sank deeper into himself. Qui-Gon lay on a cold floor, the light in his eyes fading. The image began to fade. The more Yoda tried to resolve the image, to try and grasp at the details, the more quickly the vision dissipated.
Cold.
A dark cloud wrapped itself around the image….
Yoda opened his eyes wide.
"Did you see it, Master Yoda?"
Yoda stared at the top of his gimer stick, noticing that the nails on his fingers had gouged the twist of wood in his hands.
"Master Yoda? Are you all right?"
Yoda swallowed.
"Master Qui-Gon would tell me that they're just dreams," Obi-Wan continued, "that they pass in time. I just can't help thinking that I'm seeing…the future."
Yoda looked up, his face stern. "Mindful of the future, you should be, Obi-Wan." He looked back to his weathered hands, his throat tight. "But always in motion, the future is. Careful, you must be, that in your hopes to prevent what you dread, become of the cause of it, you do not."
Obi-Wan pulled his eyebrows together and squinted in obvious confusion.
Yoda turned without another word and entered his quarters. When the door slid shut behind him, he fell hard against it, panting.
"Qui-Gon and his padawan had some difficulty escaping the Trade Federation blockade and have suffered significant damage to their hyperdrive generator. The Queen is with them."
Yoda heard Mace slide onto the hassock next to him, but did not open his eyes. He continued to reach out into the Force, searching for the elusive dark threads that he had sensed.
"They are going to Tatooine to attempt repairs."
Yoda opened his eyes with a start. "Tatooine, you say?" He glanced around for a glass of water to soothe his suddenly dry throat.
Mace did not seem to notice. "I hadn't heard of it either, until now. It's a remote desert planet on the Outer Rim. Apparently it was uninhabited until about two hundred years ago or so, when the Hutts decided it was an ideal location to establish a new base of operations outside of normal Hutt space."
"Tatooine…." Yoda whispered. His gaze settled on an empty glass resting on a countertop several meters away. Yoda frowned. Swallowing hard, he closed his eyes again. "When return to Coruscant, Qui-Gon does, assemble the Council, we should. Sense, I do, that much to report, he will have."
"Understood." Mace stood and left.
"He was trained in the Jedi arts. My only conclusion can be that he was a Sith Lord."
Yoda clenched his jaw and glanced about the room.
"Impossible," Ki-Adi-Mundi replied in his binary way. "The Sith have been extinct for a millennium."
Mace joined in. "I…do not believe the Sith could have returned without us knowing."
Every Council member turned to Yoda, as if seeking confirmation. Yoda glanced from one to another, before settling his gaze on Mace Windu. "Ah, hard to see, the dark side is."
Mace knitted his brows before returning his attention to Qui-Gon Jinn and his padawan. "We will use all our resources to unravel this mystery. We will discover the identity of your attacker." Mace threw Yoda a sidelong glance. "May the Force be with you."
Obi-Wan turned to leave immediately at the obvious dismissal, but Qui-Gon remained rooted to his position. The other Council members' stares flitted amongst each other as an uncomfortable silence descended on the room.
Yoda extended a finger. "Master Qui-Gon, more to say, have you?"
"With your permission, my Master." Qui-Gon stared directly at Yoda intently. "I have discovered a vergence in the Force."
Yoda noticed the furtive stares of the other Jedi Masters, but ignored them. "A vergence, you say?"
"Located around…a person?" Mace leaned forward slightly, his gaze focused firmly on Qui-Gon.
"A boy," Qui-Gon replied matter-of-factly. "His cells have the highest midi-chlorian count I have ever seen in a life form. It is possible that he was conceived by the midi-chlorians."
When Mace spoke again, the words were drowned out by the sudden pounding in Yoda's ears.
Qui-Gon's stare dashed about the chamber. "I don't presume to—"
"But you do!" Yoda interrupted, pointing a finger at the Jedi Master who stood at the center of the chamber. "Revealed, your opinion is."
Qui-Gon lifted his chin. "I request the boy be tested, Master."
Yoda lifted his right eyebrow and leaned forward. "Oh? Trained as a Jedi, you request for him, hmmm?"
"Finding him was the will of the Force. I have no doubt of that."
Yoda leaned back in his chair. Staring hard at Mace, Yoda contemplated the news. He closed his eyes, breathing deeply.
Cold.
Yoda drew the corners of his mouth downward, but said nothing.
Mace Windu sighed. "Bring him before us, then."
When Qui-Gon left the chambers, Yoda beckoned to Mace. His friend leaned forward to place his ear near Yoda's mouth.
"Discuss this alone, we should."
Mace nodded silently and dismissed the Council.
"A ship…a cup…."
Yoda stared intently at the boy in the Force. Fear rolled off the youngling in waves.
Cold waves.
"A ship…a speeder."
Mace lowered the data pad in his hand and looked to Yoda.
"How feel you?" Yoda asked.
"Cold, sir," the child responded honestly. For someone who had never been trained to control his emotions, the youngling was demonstrating remarkable skill at it. Despite this, the frozen dread that gripped the boy was palpable in the Force. It was a dread that felt all too familiar.
"Afraid, are you?"
"No, sir."
Yoda shook his head. "See through you, we can."
"Be mindful of your feelings," Mace interjected. Yoda looked sidelong at Mace, knowing full well that the words would mean nothing to the child. He stared around the room, realizing just how alien the boy's impression in the Force must seem to the other Jedi gathered there.
"Your thoughts dwell on your mother," Ki-Adi-Mundi offered. It was a natural thing for a Jedi to do, hoping that by revealing the source of the fear, the boy would confront it and release it. Yoda watched the boy cringe in the Force at the mention of his mother and frowned.
"I miss her," the youngling said simply.
Yoda nodded. But that was not the heart of the child's dread. "Hmmm…afraid to lose her, I think, hmmm?"
A flash of anger shone in the boy's eyes. "What has that got to do with anything?"
Yoda's eyes widened. He could feel the confusion among the others. None of them understood the boy; none of them knew what to say.
None of them knew fear.
"Everything," Yoda cried. "Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering."
The other Jedi nodded, but Yoda knew that only the boy had any real hope of grasping the lesson. He stared intently at the youngling, gauging his reaction. Slowly the tendrils of dread receded into the boy, where he clasped them down tightly.
Yoda swallowed and leaned backward into his chair, chancing fleeting looks at the other Jedi Masters. All of their attention was directed at the boy.
"I sense much fear in you," Yoda sighed.
Dissonance.
Council members stood and paced in front of their chairs. Wise and learned scholars of the Force raised their voices to be heard above the din, gesticulating animatedly. As Yoda surveyed the chamber silently, it became clear that there were two distinct points of view being fought for—two camps within the Jedi Council.
The younger Council members—Depa Billaba, Eeth Koth, Adi Gallia, Even Piell, and Plo Koon—were arguing vehemently that Anakin Skywalker should be trained as a padawan. The specifics of their positions varied to some degree, which served only to add to the discord in the spacious room, but they all wanted to train the child.
"He is the Chosen One," Master Billaba announced loudly. "Surely you all see this. The Force wraps itself around him like a mother swaddles a newborn. We cannot abandon him."
"Yes!" Adi Gallia joined in. "He would be a great asset to us. We would be foolish not to train him."
"The boy does have an unprecedented midi-chlorian count," Ki-Adi-Mundi offered. He had remained squarely in the center of the dispute, arguing for and against both sides as he clearly tried to select a position. "But he also has an unusually strong attachment to his mother."
"Ki!" yelled Eeth Koth. "There is nothing unusual about a child's attachment to his mother!"
The older members, who remained seated for the most part, passed fleeting looks amongst themselves.
"There is for a Jedi," countered Opo Rancisis, his weathered voice raspy but firm. "I do not believe it would be reasonable for us to expect that this boy could ever learn to release this attachment." He looked to Yoda. "As much as the Force cradles this boy, so does the fear that Master Yoda mentioned ensconce him. It would be a mistake to train him."
"The boy is dangerous," Mace said aloud. The room quieted immediately. He leaned forward. "You don't need any special gifts from the Force to recognize that his mother is the boy's shatterpoint. Qui-Gon's choice to separate them was a mistake, and it is only a matter of time before the boy decides he should go back to free his mother." He looked around the room, settling his gaze on each of the Masters before moving on to the next. "Now consider how much damage a trained Jedi with Skywalker's potential could do in a quest to save his mother."
Depa Billaba stared at Mace for a long moment, and then fell into her seat.
Even Piell placed a finger to his chin, obviously considering Mace's words. "If the attachment to his mother is as strong as we believe, consider how much damage an untrained Force adept with Skywalker's potential could do."
"He is too old," Yaddle replied. "He will not let go of his attachments. What's more, I think that he will only develop new ones. I can already sense an abiding attachment to Master Qui-Gon Jinn."
"Then he needs guidance!" Even Piell responded. "We must guide him through these attachments. We can only accomplish that by training him."
The chamber erupted.
"Dangerous…"
"…guidance."
"Irresponsible…"
Yoda's mind swirled. Closing his eyes, he sank into the Force, pulling the image of Anakin Skywalker to the forefront of his mind. Fleeting visions appeared and vanished in a maelstrom of imagery. Yoda tried to discern some pattern, but none emerged. Breathing even more deeply, Yoda dove farther into the currents of the Force.
There.
A shadow.
It followed the various pathways the boy's life would take. The kaleidoscope of possible futures halted in a single office that Yoda did not recognize. Mace Windu stood above the Shadow, his eyes ablaze. The boy watched the Jedi Master intently, but did nothing.
The image vanished.
When Yoda opened his eyes, he felt a surge of pain in his hands as his nails dug deeply into his palms.
The other Masters were staring at him.
"Master Yoda?" Mace whispered, his face full of concern.
Yoda waved his hand before him dismissively, then locked his gaze on Even Piell, the Jedi Master who seemed to lead the group most in favor of training the boy.
"He is too old," Yoda said emphatically. "Train him, we will not."
The other Jedi Masters glanced at one another uncomfortably. Although it was true that the Head of the Council could be overridden, it had never been done in any of the gathered Masters' memories. While it was clear that consensus had not been achieved, Yoda's tone brooked no further discussion.
Mace's gaze lingered on Yoda for a long moment. Then he leaned back in his chair and brought his steepled fingers to his chin.
"Very well," Mace announced.
"You are certain about this, Yoda?" Mace asked when they were finally alone.
"Yes, my friend," Yoda replied. "Train the boy, we should not. Focus our attention on the Sith, we should."
"Then you believe that it was a Sith that Qui-Gon encountered?"
Yoda nodded.
"But it makes no sense! They were wiped out a millennia ago."
"Presume too much, you do," Yoda answered. "Trust me, you should, that returned, the Sith have. Find them and discover their aims, our primary mission should be."
"It will be difficult to continue to hold the rest of the Council at bay with this."
"Trust in our judgment, they do."
"He is the Chosen One! You must see it!" Qui-Gon pleaded. Several Jedi Masters shifted uncomfortably in their seats.
"Mmmm…clouded, this boy's future is," Yoda replied.
Qui-Gon's stared at Yoda, incredulous. Yoda sensed the defiance surge in the rebellious Jedi Master. Yoda sighed inwardly.
"I will train him then," Qui-Gon announced. "I take Anakin Skywalker as my Padawan learner."
Obi-Wan glared at his Master.
Yoda's eyes widened. This was not a tack he had expected Qui-Gon to take. He pursed his lips thoughtfully. He had not considered the possibility that Qui-Gon might choose to train the child himself, and it was now clear that he was forcing the Order to either accept the boy or lose yet another Jedi Master. Yoda frowned.
"An apprentice, you have, Qui-Gon. Impossible to take a second." Yoda sighed inwardly, sensing that Qui-Gon would not be dissuaded by this.
"The Code forbids it," Mace agreed.
"Obi-Wan is ready," Qui-Gon replied simply.
"I am ready to face the trials," Kenobi offered quickly.
"Our own counsel, we will keep, on who is ready," Yoda answered.
"He is headstrong," Qui-Gon glanced at the young padawan at his side, "and has much to learn of the Living Force, but he is capable. There is little more he can learn from me." The Master and padawan stared at each other.
Quiet tension filled the room. "Young Skywalker's fate will be decided later," Yoda announced.
"Now is not the time for this," Mace interjected. "The Senate is voting in a new Supreme Chancellor, and Queen Amidala is returning home, which will put pressure on the Federation and could widen the confrontation."
"And draw out the Queen's attacker," said Ki-Adi-Mundi.
"Go with the Queen to Naboo and discover the identity of this dark warrior," Mace ordered. "This is the clue we need to unravel the mystery of the Sith."
Several Jedi Masters threw confused glances in Mace's direction. Yoda knew they were surprised by his unexplained acceptance of the existence of the Sith. He drew his lips tight and raised his hand.
"May the Force be with you," he said, dismissing the session.
"Yoda, you have to accept the decision of the Council, even if you don't agree with it!"
Yoda fumed. "Have to do nothing, but outlive you all, I do!"
Mace chuckled. "I understand your frustration, but it was your suggestion to put it to a vote. Now you'll just have to live with the consequences."
Yoda turned and stared at Mace, a sadness so pervasive gripping his chest, he found it almost impossible to breathe. His ears drooped so that the tips hovered just above his slumped shoulders. "No, Mace. Live with the consequences, we all will."
"Confer on you the level of Jedi Knight, the Council does," Yoda hobbled around the massive chamber, his gimer stick thudding against the floor with each step. He stopped and glared at Obi-Wan. "But agree with your taking this boy as your Padawan learner…I do not."
"Qui-Gon believed in him," Obi-Wan insisted.
Yoda sighed. "The Chosen One, the boy may be. Nevertheless, great danger I fear in his training."
"Master Yoda, I gave Qui-Gon my word. I will train Anakin."
Yoda grunted.
"Without the approval of the Council, if I must," Obi-Wan continued.
Yoda stared away from the new Jedi Knight. "Qui-Gon's defiance, I sense in you. Need that, you do not." Yoda bowed his head and sighed. "Agree with you, the Council does. Your apprentice, Skywalker will be."
Flames licked the sky, rising and falling in the darkness and setting the small gathering aglow. Yoda stared into the pyre, watching tiny glowing embers dance about in the fire. Deeper into the blaze, he watched the consumption of Qui-Gon Jinn's body in the Great Burning.
Yoda felt Mace shift beside him. His friend stared into the flames, his face unreadable. Yoda looked down at Mace's hands, noting that they were balled into fists so tight that his dark skin paled across the ridges of his knuckles. The relaxation took longer than Yoda had expected but, in the end, Mace opened his hands, interlocking his fingers in front of him, and rested them gently on his lap.
"There is no doubt, the mysterious warrior was a Sith," Mace said simply as he stared ahead.
Yoda regarded Mace carefully. The Sith were no longer in hiding, so his knowledge of them had to be brought to bear in earnest.
"Mmmmm...always two there are," he whispered, scrutinizing Mace's face as he spoke. "No more, no less. A Master and an apprentice."
Mace glanced sidelong at Yoda, an unspoken question in his eyes.
Yoda waited.
Mace seemed to resolve the question in his own mind quickly, because he looked away and stared once again at the pyre. "But which was destroyed," he asked the rising smoke, "the Master or the apprentice?"
Yoda did not need to seek the guidance of the Force for the answer. He knew that the Master would only reveal himself at a time of his choosing. It was entirely possible that the one who was destroyed was no more than an apprentice in waiting, as the Iktotchi had been.
Yoda frowned.
Mace tilted his head, as if expecting an answer.
"Revealed the Sith will be," Yoda replied, "when already in motion, their plan is. Patience, we must have, until the muddy waters clear."
