Yoda felt it when the Force shuddered - the Temple around him wavered for a moment in what seemed to be a combination of fear and anticipation - but it was the sense of wrongness in the Force that superseded all else.
It was subtle enough that he doubted many had noticed it. Indeed it appeared that he was the only council member who had felt it. He did not feel any warning from the Force, but it was disquieting nonetheless, and he reached towards the cause with caution.
"What do you sense?" Master Windu must have noticed his unease.
"A disturbance in the Force around the Temple, there is."
Master Rancisis nodded, a frown creasing his face. "I sense great pain."
"No immediate danger do I sense." Yoda closed his eyes, allowing the Force to guide him towards the disturbance, and he found the pain that Master Rancisis was feeling. "But great pain, there is. Yes, great pain."
He could feel the signatures of the other masters in the room as they joined him in searching and feeling. It was no longer necessary for them to speak of their findings aloud as they worked together to assess the disturbance.
Pain and guilt swirled in the Force. Fear was accompanied by the echo of screams, and the smell of burning flesh - the Temple itself seemed to reject what was slowly coalescing into a moving presence.
But who was it that felt such guilt and pain?
A great gaping hole. That's what the presence felt like, and the council abandoned their meditation as they felt it near. The signature was difficult to read, deflecting any of Yoda's attempts as easily as water sliding from feathers.
Now that he was no longer meditating, Yoda realized that he was cold, and it was with curiosity that he noticed Master Fisto and Master Tiin pulling their own robes closer.
The Council members who were not present were summoned, and soon almost all of them were there. Masters Mundi and Koon were able to leave their duties to remote in, but Masters Ti, Kolar and Kenobi were missing.
The presence was just outside the door, now, and still it hadn't entered. Yoda made one more attempt to touch it, for - despite its evasiveness - the signature echoed with a terrible familiarity.
Yet even as he reached through the Force, there was an abrupt change in the presence. The sprawling guilt and pain suddenly focused into one spot, and then it disappeared behind a durasteel wall. It was like a pillar of ice in the Force, and Yoda could feel the shock from his fellow councilors.
"What happened?" Ki-Adi-Mundi's voice broke the silence, and his blue image crackled.
There was no time to explain the subtleties of the Force in the temple to the absent councilor, however, since at that moment the door opened, and Skywalker stepped through.
The whole of the council – whether they were doing it consciously or not – had raised their shields against the steely signature of the young man before them. A young man who had never felt like this in all the time that they had known him.
Yoda didn't raise his shields; feeling a weight to his actions in the Force, he instead accepted the changes and feelings that seeped into the air around Skywalker, releasing his anxieties as he did so.
The man before them did not feel like Skywalker - nor did he act like him. His hands were clasped behind his back as he stiltedly marched forward, standing stiffly in the middle of the room to level a steely stare right at Yoda.
Obi-Wan entered quietly from behind, walking towards his chair to sit down without a word. He crossed his legs - perhaps in an attempt to appear nonchalant - but Yoda could see the tension in every line of the other master's posture, and was not fooled.
"You wished to speak with me." Skywalker's voice was clipped, and Yoda noticed that he neither bowed nor referred to them as "masters." It wasn't necessarily overt, but the disrespect was definitely there.
"A great disturbance in the Force, we have sensed." Yoda made an effort to keep himself open in the Force, but Skywalker's presence was so cold that it burned. "In the center of it, you were. Affected you greatly, Obi-Wan told us it did."
"Kenobi spoke the truth." Skywalker replied, and Yoda felt a few of the council bristle at the disrespect. "I had a vision. I assume you wish to know what it was about."
"We do." Master Windu nodded, and Yoda sensed that Mace seemed shocked by something. The Korun master had put up walls of his own, and Yoda made a note to discover the reason later on. Mace's voice showed none of his trepidation, however. "Whatever you saw in your vision has affected the whole of the Force."
Skywalker seemed reluctant to respond, closing his eyes for a moment before speaking. "My vision … has confused me. I must meditate on it before I can give an adequate report."
"It was felt by all of us, Young Skywalker." Master Tiin spoke, his words quiet. "The Force may have given you this vision, but we sense that it concerns us all."
"Even we who are not currently on Coruscant felt it." Master Koon added.
Movement caught Yoda's eye, and he saw Obi-Wan lean his chin on his hand, effectively covering his mouth. Unfortunately the other master had been too slow to completely hide his grimace. That Master Kenobi was so clearly worried for his old Padawan did not bode well.
Yoda felt his worry deepen.
"The Force granted me a vision of the future." Skywalker did not speak loudly, but his voice seemed to penetrate the entire room, his breathing unnaturally even. "I saw more than twenty years in less than an instant. I cannot tell you what happened. I require time to meditate and recover."
Yoda was surprised to hear the young man ask for time to recover. In all of his time knowing Anakin Skywalker, the boy had never admitted weakness. It was even less likely to hear him ask for time to overcome it.
Based on the expressions of the other council members - many of whom had served during Skywalker's Padawan years - they were just as surprised as him.
"Surely you can tell us of a few key moments?" Master Mundi intoned. "Things that stuck out to you from the vision?"
Skywalker's face twisted as he shakily inhaled. "The contents of the vision are sensitive-"
"Could the council not see fit to prolong this inquiry for a few days?" Kenobi interposed, and Skywalker closed his eyes in what appeared to be a mixture of relief and slight frustration. "That would give Anakin time to meditate and recuperate from his vision."
A weight settled upon the room in the Force - a slight pressure that appeared to be waiting for their response. Master Windu gave Yoda a significant look, briefly glancing at the other masters present, and after a moment of reflection, Yoda nodded.
"We will grant your request, Master Kenobi." Windu said, not unkindly, and Skywalker inhaled sharply. "Take your apprentice to the healers; we will await news on his condition."
"Don't forget to submit to the healers yourself, Master Kenobi, along with young Ahsoka." Plo Koon added.
Kenobi was already out of his seat, and appeared to be hesitantly approaching his old student. Yoda watched with interest as Skywalker stayed standing where he was, and for a long moment seemed to be ignoring Obi-Wan. The council chambers - where pressure had once been felt - were now flooded with tension, and Kenobi seemed to be the cause.
Then - abruptly - Skywalker inclined his head, before sweeping out of the room with his cloak billowing behind him.
Obi-Wan, for an instant, appeared deflated - his eyes full, but his Force-presence lost and empty. Then he straightened, turning to give his own bow to the council. "I thank the council for their understanding in this matter, and," here he turned to Master Koon, "I will be certain to submit myself to the healers, along with Padawan Tano and Knight Skywalker." Then he was following his apprentice from the room, tension trailing behind him as he left the council with more questions than before.
Yoda knew, with a certainty that could only come with confirmation from the Force, that this was only the beginning.
I wanted to get the posted by the Fourth, since honestly y'all deserve it. :) Happy Star Wars Day!
*sigh* this chapter was really something. I feel like I was on Wookieepedia for hours, and I still don't know nearly enough! Here's a little Star Wars day treat for you all, though - a comprehensive list of the Masters on the Jedi Council, along with some random tidbits about them so I can tell them all apart (please keep in mind that I'm a lunatic, and so my notes will reflect that)
1: Yoda - you would hope I know him at least a little
2: Mace Windu - same with maboi Mace
3: Obi-Wan Kenobi - bruh don't EVEN
4: Stass Allie - good healer and cousin to Adi Gallia
5: Agen Kolar - strike first and ask questions later - great dualist - murdered by Palps
6: Ki-Adi-Mundi - very wise - binary brain - BIG BRAIN - pragmatic - usually more skeptical - excellent strategist
7: Plo Koon - known for treating the clones like people -Father to the clones? - calls Ahsoka "little 'soka" - basically just a dad? Very good pilot regardless - wise - compassionate!!
8: Coleman Kcaj - Ongree (why yes, I am hungry-) - prefers talking to fighting - survived the purge
9: Shaak Ti - Mother to the clones - compassionate - good gurl - replaced Yaddle
10: Saesee Tiin - excellent pilot, telepathic abilities - keeps to himself mostly, but can lead - excellent dualist -still murdered by Palps
11: Kit Fisto -very good with saber - laid back - trained Bant - smiley - friendly and has a sense of humor - still murdered by Palps
and 12: Oppo Rancisis - old boi - still not as old as Yoda - big snek with beard - survived the purge - very wise -traditionalist - trained by Yaddle!
So yeah. Feel free to judge, lol. Regardless of all of that, I hope that you enjoyed this somewhat shorter chapter from Yoda's POV. I was really REALLY struggling with writer's block, so huge shoutout to my brother (another devoted Star Wars fan) who pretty much talked me through the whole process and gave me invaluable feedback. He is the reason that this chapter is releasing now, so you can direct all of your thanks to him, lol.
I really wanted to do this confrontation the justice that it deserved, so let me know what you all thought! We'll be back with Anakin/Vader in the next chapter, so the feels are about to go down. Thank you all for your support - it means a lot to me to know that I'm not the only one enjoying this.
May the Fourth be with you, my gremlins!