Disclaimer: George Lucas owns Star Wars
A Shift in the Force: Chapter Fifteen: A Padawan's Path
AN: This chapter, I believe, will be the last one of Anakin and Talik when they are ten, so that's exciting.
I see everyone's still enjoying how Sabé 's suffering in silence, my gods I don't know how that girl does it, but I'm all for it!
Subtle feelings for one another is what I live for. And one day there will be blatant Sobiwan in this fic.
Talik was sluggish and confused as she came round.
Where was she? The last thing she remembered with the frigid cold of Hoth, and then nothing, nothing since she'd stumbled out of that creature's den to freedom.
Talik would have preferred to remain in that blissful oblivion, but she could not simply sink back into the blackness.
So Talik blinked her eyes open, wincing at the artificial light bouncing off the walls, seeming so glaring to her eyes. It took her a moment to adjust to the light, and then she had to blink.
She was propped up by a number of pillows, on a medical bed that the medical ward of the Jedi Temple was known to stock (Talik had seen her master on enough of them to commit them to memory).
A loud beep of excitement had her twisting her head on the pillows to look to the side, where Arthree could be seen, his radar eye blinking as he tittered.
It was probably as close to relief as a droid could possibly get and Talik reached a hand out with a smile, patting his domed-shaped head.
Arthree hooted and beeped and Talik wished she had Sabé's ability to comprehend what those beeps meant, but it seemed she didn't have to, as a small chuckle had followed Arthree's noise.
"He's glad you're feeling better and thinks you should stay away from icy planets," Talik's master mentioned with amusement and Talik twisted her head to look at her so suddenly that her head swam, but her sight didn't.
Sabé Amidala was nestled comfortably in the chair beside her bed, holding a datapad loosely in her hands.
She couldn't have been a dream, Talik decided. Not Master.
The fall of her braids over her shoulders was much too haphazard and the presence of the lines of tension on her face would not have been so.
"Master," Talik whispered, the word choked with emotion.
"And I am glad you are well," Sabé told her, her eyes flicking to the astromech briefly before they returned to Talik. "You got yourself into a bit of trouble on Hoth while I was gone."
She wasn't admonishing, merely stating the facts, but Talik could still feel the heat flooding her face in embarrassment and shameful tears filling her eyes.
"M-Master, I'm so sorry!"
Sabé's brow creased in confusion. "Sorry? What for, Padawan? You had no way of knowing what was on Hoth, being attacked by a Wampa."
"But I should have been focused on my surroundings!"
Sabé made an annoyed noise in the back of her throat. "Talik," she said, with just a touch of reproving that made Talik flinch, "if a Wampa could take out Garen Muln, a full-fledged Jedi Knight, then you can't blame yourself. Yes, you should be aware of your surroundings, but there will be things that slip through the cracks. You mustn't blame yourself."
Her master reached out a hand to cup her Padawan's cheek, rubbing the tears away.
"And you managed to get away from the Wampa on your own," Sabé added, giving her a gentle smile. "Not even Garen could manage that…though he was suffering from a bit more blood loss," she conceded.
"Garen Muln?" Talik was so confused. "Was that his distress call?"
Sabé nodded. "Garen crash landed on Hoth and was taken by surprise and dragged off to be eaten by a Wampa when we found him."
"Is Knight Muln all right?" Talik asked with wide eyes, remembering the feeling of waking up in that cavern with her feet stuck to the icy ceiling.
"Garen's still in the bacta tank," Sabé said, nodding in the general direction of the bacta tanks, even though Talik couldn't see them, she knew they were there, "but Master Che believes he'll make a full recovery, it'll just take him a little longer than you."
Talik raised a hand to the side of her face where the creature –Wampa, Master had called it– had hit her, her fingers tracing lightly over the skin.
"Master Che said your face might feel a little tender where it slashed you," Sabé added, her eyes tracking the movement. "But that will fade…you're as good as new, Talik."
The Jedi didn't endorse vanity, but if there was one thing Talik was glad of, it was the lack of disfiguring scars. Her master liked to claim that her one vanity was her hair (but Talik knew that she would cut through it if she had to) and she had scars that she wasn't afraid to show off.
"No scars?" Talik asked.
"Not this time."
Scars were sometimes unavoidable, and Talik knew quite well of Sabé's disregard for her own health, and she knew that sometimes the bacta had very little affect on the injuries Jedi sustained.
"Anakin's been very worried about you," Sabé added and Talik blinked in surprise. "Obi-Wan had to force him to leave in order to get some sleep, but—"
"Talik!"
A small boy barreled into the room with a head of blonde hair and a short Padawan braid swinging from the speed he'd been moving in.
"How many times do I have to say it, Anakin! No running in the medical ward!"
Obi-Wan appeared not a moment later looking particularly harried from the speed of his young Padawan.
Anakin ignored him in favor of his new friend. "Talik! You're all better!"
"No white-furred monster can keep me down," Talik promised, giving the boy a half-smile.
"How did you get away?"
"Well—"
Sabé stood and Arthree wheeled towards her, beeping quietly only to back away as she gave a wave of her own hand. "Why don't you two chat while Obi-Wan and I talk?"
She didn't wait for an answer, already moving towards the open doorway and Obi-Wan followed her, confusion wrinkling his brow. "What is it?"
"As the Millennium Falcon will remain in my possession for the next week, Master Yoda has requested that I lead several younglings that have become Padawans to Ilum to search the crystal caves…perhaps you would like to join us, since you lost your previous lightsaber on Naboo."
Obi-Wan was grateful for how matter of fact her words her spoken. He didn't like to speak of what had occurred between himself, Qui-Gon, and the Sith (Darth Maul, he remembered the Neimoidians had called him), not when the wounds were so fresh.
"Anakin—"
"The Council feels he should wait to go to Ilum for his crystal," Sabé cut across him smoothly. "He knows nothing of the Jedi's teachings, he doesn't understand the importance and the dedication that go into making a 'saber, not yet."
It was easy to forget that Sabé had once been apprenticed to the Grandmaster of the Jedi.
"You're not wrong," Obi-Wan agreed, "but he will need someone to look after him while I'm gone."
Sabé's lips twisted in amusement. "I'm sure Bant Eerin would be happy to look after your Padawan." Her eyes were focused on a point beyond Obi-Wan's shoulder and he turned to see the Mon Calamari Jedi standing there.
"Obi-Wan Kenobi," she said, her large eyes narrowed, "just what have you been up to this time?"
Sabé left him before he could come up with a suitable excuse and her laughter echoed in his mind as he attempted to appease his friend.
Anakin was very sulky about the whole thing, and the image of him with his arms crossed, his lower lip jutting out in a pout as he avoided looking at Obi-Wan as the Jedi attempted to placate him was rather like a younger brother mad at his older for leaving him alone.
When Talik remarked that to Sabé, her master had been quite amused.
But now she stood by her master's side, her master, who was the picture of serenity, waiting for the new Padawans to arrive.
"How many are to join us?" Obi-Wan asked as he stepped down the Falcon's ramp.
"Four," Sabé mused, her eyes focused on something in the distance, "it looks like they're running late."
And it seemed they indeed were, as the Padawans came rushing forward, breathless in their haste to arrive on time (though, on time would be pushing it a bit, Sabé thought).
Of the Padawans, there were three boys and one girl. The girl was a Nautolan, with one boy a Humanoid, another a Twi'lek, and the last a Rodian.
"Knight Amidala, Knight Kenobi," they all said with bows and varying levels of respect (or absolutely none).
"Well met, Padawans," Sabé said, her eyes glittering as she smiled. "To pass the Initiate Trials is one thing, but to become a Padawan is not a path to take lightly…and so begins your first true task, for there is no greater challenge or honor than embarking to find the crystal to your lightsaber."
Gleeful light glinted in their eyes at that.
"It is you that will craft the hilt and make sure the pieces are aligned properly," Sabé continued, "but first you must find your crystal. I leave the crafting of your lightsabers in your capable hands."
"Is it true that the crystals can only be found in the caves of Ilum?" The Rodian male asked, bobbing excitedly on his feet.
"The crystals are in the most abundance on Ilum," Obi-Wan spoke for her, drawing the attention from her and towards him, "but it is true that these crystals can be found on other planets."
"But challenges still lie ahead of you," Sabé promised, "it is no simple thing to choose a crystal that resonates with you…the Crystal Caves are very sacred to the Jedi, but that does not mean that it won't try to trick you. The Force is strong on Ilum and it will test you. You will only succeed if you are ready for the challenge."
She quirked an eyebrow as if to ask if anyone wanted to turn back, but it was clear that none of the four had any desire to do so.
"Now, let us board, Hyperspace will decrease our time in space to only a few hours, but it will only grow colder on Ilum; it is best not to wait."
And then they were all inside the craft with Obi-Wan and Sabé nestled in the cockpit and Talik locking Arthree into place so he wouldn't bounce around.
"Is Anakin still mad at you?" she asked Obi-Wan as she maneuvered the ship out into the traffic of Coruscant, making for space.
"I presume so," Obi-Wan gave a small sigh. "He's very…passionate."
Sabé arched an eyebrow. "Passion is not a bad thing."
But wasn't it? Obi-Wan merely shook his head at his friend, repeating the familiar Code in his mind:
There is no emotion, there is peace
There is no ignorance, there is knowledge
There is no passion, there is serenity
There is no chaos, there is harmony
There is no death, there is the Force
"Change is not a bad thing, either, you know," Sabé remarked, pulling the lever to jolt them into Hyperspace. "Maybe that's why so many good Jedi have Fallen."
"Or maybe they should have been firm in their ideals."
The look she threw towards him was just a touch exasperated. "And what if the Jedi's ideals are wrong?"
Obi-Wan opened his mouth, half-vexed and half-exasperated as well when Talik entered the cockpit.
"How long are we going to be in Hyperspace?" the Twi'lek asked, grasping the back of her master's seat in order to keep upright better as the ship swayed.
"An hour," Sabé said, flicking a few buttons, "two at the most…want to avoid the Padawans?"
Talik merely shifted uncomfortably in response. She was a ten year old Padawan with field training under her belt and the four on the ship were at the least three years her senior, yet Talik held seniority in experience.
"You could have stayed with Anakin," Sabé mentioned lightly, "you didn't have to come, Talik. If you don't feel well enough—"
"I'm fine, Master, you don't have to worry about me," Talik huffed, puffing out her cheeks slightly as she did so, an action that made her seem much younger. "I'm here to keep you company."
Amusement filtered through their bond, but Sabé said nothing concerning it. "Talik," she hummed instead, her eyes glinting, "would you like to tell Master Obi-Wan your views on the Jedi Order?"
"You're corrupting your Padawan now?"
"Padawans exist to be corrupted, my dear," Sabé replied and Obi-Wan flushed at the endearing term, "now hush."
"The Jedi claim to experience true freedom when they are so restrictive, if there is a group that experiences freedom, it would be the Sith," Talik explained. The Dark Side of the Force was, after all, a subject that her master specialized in, and Talik had picked up a few things from her. "Besides, couldn't it be argued that the Jedi created the Sith and then punished them for it?"
Obi-Wan looked vaguely startled at the prospect, but a glance to Sabé, with the proud smile on her lips, told Talik she was doing well.
"When the Jedi first began a group branched off from them, right? They followed a separate Code, right?" she directed the question towards her master who nodded approvingly.
"Xendor," Sabé agreed, "and the Legions of Lettow. Xendor felt that the Order was too exclusionary and left to set up his own academy on Bogan."
"But then other Jedi left," Talik added, "interested in the different teachings that were taught there and the Jedi grew weary and decided to decimate them, right? That was all during the Great Schism, right?"
"Well, Obi-Wan?" Sabé prompted. "There are two sides to every conflict, you know? But it also goes to show that fear of change appears to be a life-long condition for the Jedi Order."
Obi-Wan could concede that she might have been right about certain things, but he could not agree with the kind of action she wished to take.
"And I'm not saying that the Jedi Code is all bad," Sabé added, "it's just that there are a couple of things that have just never sat well with me…and you don't have to agree with me, I know how set you are in your views."
If there was one thing that Sabé was serious about, it was her reasons for questioning the way the Order worked. Sometimes Obi-Wan wondered if one day she'd decide that she'd had enough and go off to make her own Jedi Order that was far less restrictive. But there was an undercurrent of rippling amusement.
"You're making fun of me," he realized.
"Of course not," Sabé smiled widely, "I'd be much too frightened to tease one as skilled as you, Master Kenobi."
Her eyes gleamed, though, contradicting her words and Obi-Wan muttered a few choice phrases under his breath while Talik giggled.
Ilum was as frigid as Talik remembered, even bundled up in her warm coat. There had been a bit more sun then, but the cold was no different. And she'd found that single green crystal no matter how many times the Caves had tried to trick her.
"I thought you were going to stay in the ship while the Padawans and Obi-Wan go off and find their crystals," a voice mentioned behind Talik and she turned to look on Sabé.
Her master's brow was wrinkled in confusion as she crossed her arms.
It was a very different look from the one she had given Obi-Wan when he'd descended the ramp, but Talik's still child-like mind discarded that information for a later date when she could actually begin to comprehend it.
"I'm just going to have a look around, is that so bad?" Talik pouted but Sabé merely arched an eyebrow, looking a bit like an older sister unamused of her younger sister's antics (a descriptor that both would find endlessly humorous).
"Have you developed a new fondness for ice-planets?" Sabé responded with a smooth smile.
Talik wrinkled her nose and her master laughed, though the laughter was choked by a gust of wind as Talik wandered around the caves, hesitant to go in.
She'd been thinking about Jar'Kai a lot since she'd woken up in the Jedi Temple. The way her master had moved during the Battle of Theed had been most impressive, but her master's ability to use two blades simultaneously had always been a bit awe-inspiring.
But Talik had never really taken it into consideration just how helpful it could be in a battle with so many opponents.
And Master was fearless, Talik thought, I couldn't imagine facing down that many enemies without fear.
But her master was a Jedi Guardian, she was a trained warrior, and Talik was just a Padawan. And Talik remembered a time when she had said she'd wanted to be just like her master, to be a Jedi Guardian, but now Talik wasn't so sure.
Talik looked down at her hands.
"Master, why do you believe so much in the Force?" Talik had asked early into her apprenticeship, regarding her new master with curiosity.
Everyone in the Temple believed in the Force, yes, but no one spoke of it in such a reverent tone as Sabé Amidala did.
"The Force helped to bring me into existence," her master had said. "I am grateful for that. The Force creates life, Talik, never forget that."
And wouldn't it be something to be like Vokara Che, great in the healing arts, and able to use the Force to heal others?
Talik closed her palm, starting at the feel of something cool against her skin, stunned to find a green crystal in the center of her hand, shining with promise.
Sabé knelt into the snow when a violet shine caught her eye and she dug away the snow, ignoring the bite of the cold to find a purple gem glimmering there.
Just in case, the Force whispered in her ear.
"Go back to the sand dune, you're not wanted here."
Anakin was beginning to see why Talik and her master's group ate in the apartment (it was always 'the apartment', never 'Sabé's apartment' because Sabé didn't technically own it, Ruwee Naberrie, her father, did), temperamental Initiates and Padawans clearly didn't like special cases.
"Back off, sleemo," Talik said, materializing at his elbow with a frosty glare for the mouthy Togruta. "Just because you didn't get the master that killed the first Sith in centuries doesn't mean you get to be a nerfherder to the one that did."
Anakin smirked as the boy glared. Obi-Wan's prowess had spread through the Temple like wildfire, and if there was one thing that was good about it, it was that it discouraged others from crossing Anakin, the former-slave Padawan thought too old to begin training). But Obi-Wan never talked about what happened, or, more specifically, how he'd managed to defeat the Sith.
All Anakin knew was that his master was spending a great deal of time with Aayla Secura, a close friend of Sabé's who favored the lightsaber form of Soresu (Anakin didn't understand all the forms yet, but he would).
"Come on, let's go sit," Talik said, dragging Anakin away, balancing her own tray of food on one hand as they left the room to make for their usual spot in the Room of a Thousand Fountains, which was a large greenhouse located in the base of the Temple with waterfalls and enough flora to be a haven to a boy born in a barren wasteland.
"I wish we could eat back at the apartment, but Master Aayla's busy," Talik said with a frown, "and we're not really supposed to go there by ourselves."
Talik may have been a Jedi Padawan, but she was still a child that lacked even the rudimentary skill to make Bantha stew.
"Your master's not back from her mission yet?" Anakin asked.
Sabé had left earlier that week to settle a dispute on Dantooine that was expanding at exponential proportions.
"No," Talik said, wrinkling her nose, "I think she would have preferred anyone to Master Krell."
Pong Krell was a Besalisk Jedi Master with four arms that wielded two double-bladed lightsabers and practiced the same Jar'Kai style as Sabé , only with a few variations.
"She doesn't like him?"
"Master thinks his tactics are too aggressive," Talik said, swallowing her chou-shou. "There is value in using your smarts over your strength in battle."
A Jedi Guardian who preferred not to fight. The irony had not been lost to Anakin.
"What're the Jedi types?" Anakin prompted her after they had descended into a short silence.
Talik jerked out of her thoughts, swallowing some juice. "Well, there's three main types: Jedi Guardian, Jedi Consular, and Jedi Sentinel. The Jedi Guardians, which is what Master is, technically—"
"Technically?"
Talik shrugged sheepishly. "Master's hard to pin down. The Jedi Guardians are the first line of defense, they're the warriors of the Jedi. Then there are the Jedi Consulars, and they're kind of the peacekeepers of the Jedi, they avoid violence. And then there are the Jedi Sentinels, and they kind of specialize in anything that can combine the Jedi with civilian duties…like Slicers that can infiltrate computer networks, and Jedi Shadows."
"Jedi Shadows?" Anakin had heard the term before but he didn't quite understand what it was. "What do they do?"
"They're in charge of finding any relics of the Dark Side, sometimes destroying, sometimes bringing it back to the Temple for study," Talik explained, "that's usually what Master does, she's good at espionage…which is not as bad it sounds…"
It sounded pretty bad, but Anakin trusted Sabé Amidala, and he had long before they had met in the flesh…back when she had merely been a soothing presence in his dreams.
"Come on," Anakin laughed, "I want to practice with those training 'sabers before anyone gets there!"
Talik made a great show of being put upon, but she still let him drag her out of the greenhouse and up the stairs, and that's when they heard the voices.
"Maybe you should spend some time in the medical ward, Sabé," came Kit Fisto's soothing tone. "You're looking a bit ragged."
Even Anakin could sense the bubble of tension within the Nabooan Jedi.
"Ragged?" Sabé nearly growled. "Master Krell almost decapitated me twice and the violence on Dantooine could have been sorted out fairly easily with far less casualties. I refuse to partner with anyone who has such a disregard for life and the living Force!"
"Are you going to tell Master Yoda that?"
The two peeked their heads around the corner to look at the two speaking in time to see an expression that a Nautolan's equivalent of an eyebrow-raise, but Talik's eyes focused on her master.
She did indeed look a bit worse for wear. Her jerking was burned and parts of her cloak was cinders, and there were a few scraps and cuts along her face and arm, but she seemed to be in good health regardless.
"That is exactly what I'm going to tell my old master!" Sabé promised.
"Master!"
A sudden blur of lavender latched onto her around her hip, and though the movement jarred her, she didn't show it.
"Talik," Sabé smiled warmly, "have you been keeping out of trouble for Master Aayla?"
Talik grinned, recalling the other day when she and Anakin had managed to dye Aayla's lekku leather wraps a bright green.
"I'm not sure I want to know," Sabé remarked shrewdly, taking in the same grin on Anakin's face as he moved forward to join them.
He hovered awkwardly before Sabé offered him a one-armed hug freely that reminded him of his mother. If there was one thing Sabé was good at, it was her ability to help him forget about the Order's non-attachment rule.
"And remember, you only get in trouble if you get caught." She winked and Anakin snorted whilst Talik giggled.
"We were going to practice lightsaber forms," Anakin added. "Are you coming?"
"I might be interested," Sabé said evasively with a twinkle in her eye as she swatted them forward. "Run along, I'll be there shortly."
And the two raced off with laughter echoing off the walls.
"Terrors, those two," Kit uttered in faint amusement, "they'll take the Temple by storm one day."
"One day," Sabé agreed as they followed the Padawans up the stairs at a more leisure pace. "Did anything of importance happen while I was away?"
"Well, only one thing comes to mind," Kit admitted grudgingly, "do you remember Master Dooku?"
"Of course," Sabé said, blinking in surprise. Who didn't know Master Dooku? He was the Temple's most accomplished in lightsaber dueling, particularly in the style of Makashi.
"He's left the Order."
"He's done what?" Sabé gasped, goggling at him. That was something she had not expected; this was Dooku they were talking about.
"The rumor is the loss of his old Padawan was what drove him to leave," Kit continued, referencing Qui-Gon Jinn's passing.
"I'm sure it's more than that," Sabé responded with a frown on her lips.
Something was amiss, but she wasn't sure what, at least, not yet.
"Come on, Master! Hurry up! You and Master Kit are slower than the dead!"
Sabé laughed with her old friend at her Padawan's vexation.
But for now she would put it out of her mind. There was an enthralling young Twi'lek in need of instruction and she had chosen Sabé long before Sabé had chosen her.
And they'd barely scratched the surface of Talik Shala's potential, and Sabé couldn't wait to see how the Jedi grew.
AN: Part I is complete! On to Part II! If you're lucky I might post another chapter this weekend, but if not, ah well…
Technically, the Crystal Caves of Ilum are meant to host only blue and green crystals, but I tweaked it for my use.
The next one will jump to when they are nearly fourteen, since that's when the fun begins (I believe that even though Anakin was made a Padawan at ten he didn't go on any missions with Obi-Wan for awhile, especially since he hadn't had any previous Temple instruction)
And there'll be a lot more of the Anakin-Talik moments (they are my brotp now, the bastards) to look forward to as well as some chaotic missions, questioning of the Code, falling in love even though it's against the Jedi Code…all good things ;)
As always: PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!
