Chapter 9. Ben
As promised, neither Obi-Wan nor I mentioned my new building powers to anyone, except my mother, of course. We swore her to secrecy. At first, she smiled at my excitement, but then became somewhat concerned when Obi-Wan let her know that no other Jedi had ever had such a power. Yoda promptly informed the Council of my new power. Obi-Wan told me they had greeted the news with polite interest. Some of the Masters had been keenly interested, even excited-I guessed that was Anakin's reaction. But none had asked to see me or had demanded a demonstration of my powers. Obi-Wan was to keep them continually informed of my progress and the development of my powers.
I had gone back to the Archives the very next day after speaking with Master Yoda. Chief Librarian Nu had not granted me access to the restricted section. However, she had allowed me to look at a holocron, just not the holocron I originally intended. When I asked her if I could look at the Holocron of Prophecy, Master Nu told me that it wasn't in the Holocron Vault. Master Yoda took it back to his room to inspect it. I wondered what he was searching for in it. Afterwards, I asked her if I could see Yoda's holocron. This she allowed. As she could not enter the Vault herself, she had asked Master Windu, who was also in the Archives, to retrieve it for me. He brought it to me without a word. It was small and emitted a blue glow when I opened it. There was a hologram of Master Yoda, speaking in his distinctive voice. Jocasta Nu hovered anxiously by my side, ready to step in if needed. But she needn't have worried. There was no dangerous information in this holocron. Just as Yoda had mentioned, he spoke only about the Jedi Code. He went into great detail about the origins of the original Code, why Jedi never use their powers to attack and perfecting self-discipline. Yet there was nothing mentioned about the change to the attachment rule, which I had hoped to hear. I wondered if there was more advanced material in there that I could not hear because of my age and rank. Maybe I would look at it again when I was older.
I wondered if Master Yoda had ever found any information on building powers in the Archives. If he had, he never said anything about it to me or Obi-Wan. I was pretty sure Obi-Wan would have told me if Yoda had found something.
Three weeks later, Obi-Wan announced at breakfast that there would be a change to our everyday routine.
"We're going to meet Master Windu and his Padawan for a joint practice duel this afternoon," Obi-Wan told me.
I swallowed my milk and hastily put my cup down, hoping he didn't notice that my hand was shaking slightly with excitement.
"Joint?" I asked him.
"Yes, Master Windu and I will practice together first while you observe. After that, you and Padawan Snoke will face each other. Don't forget, dueling is the greatest sort of preparation for the real thing that you could possibly have. You're ready for this, Emma."
All right! I hadn't practiced against anyone except for Obi-Wan yet. He must feel that I would be able to do this. And to watch Obi-Wan against Mace Windu … that would really be something. I wondered how I would fare against Ben. After all, he had been practicing much longer than I had.
I patiently sat through my morning lessons, but I couldn't wait for the afternoon. I half-listened to a Jedi Master drone on and on about Xendor, a Jedi Knight who was the first Jedi to turn to the dark side. While he talked about the war known as the First Great Schism, I thought about my strategy for the afternoon's duel. I couldn't exactly use my building powers. Mace and Obi-Wan knew about it, but Ben did not, and it had to remain that way. I would have to rely on the lightsaber skills I had learned over the past two and a half months.
After I finished my workout at the gym, Obi-Wan and I walked outside to a courtyard to meet Mace and Ben for our lightsaber duels.
It was Selona, the third month of the year. It was still a little chilly, but spring was in the air. It was clear and sunny today, a nice day to be outside. We were meeting Mace and Ben at the Jedi Temple training ground, the courtyard where younglings and other Jedi trained.
As we entered the courtyard, I noticed a relatively small tree with yellow leaves.
"What kind of tree is that?" I asked Obi-Wan. "It's really pretty."
"That is the Great Tree, also known as an Uneti tree. It is a very uncommon and old Force-sensitive tree that also grows on a few other planets, such as Ahch-To. This particular tree was once located at our Temple on Ossus."
"You mean this tree actually has Force powers?" I asked, awed.
"Yes," Obi-Wan said simply. "It is a very special and sacred tree. It can live for thousands of years."
There was a clan of younglings practicing, and small groups of Jedi walking around the grounds. It wasn't going to be a private training session. I wondered why we hadn't just gone to our usual training room. Maybe the Masters wanted Ben and me to practice in a different location to see how we dealt with distractions. This notion reminded me of the episode of Rebels when Kanan was training Ezra. Ezra was complaining about Zeb bothering him. Kanan told Ezra there would always be distractions, and he must learn to focus despite any disturbances or interruptions around him.
"Ben must have stronger Force powers than I do," I said. I wasn't really bothered by this; I just figured it would help him during the duel.
"You're probably not going to use the Force against Ben," Obi-Wan said. "I would imagine that the two of you are about evenly matched."
"Wait, I'm not going to use the Force?" I asked, confused. "Just my lightsaber?"
"Well, it is a lightsaber duel, after all," Obi-Wan said, smiling. Then he turned serious. "When you use the Force, use it to strengthen your own skills. Through the Force, you will be able to sense and be prepared for Ben's moves. You don't want to use the Force against another Jedi. It would be inappropriate."
"Got it," I told him. No levitating Ben.
I greeted Ben. "Are you ready for this?"
"I am," Ben said positively. He shot me a mock-stern look. "I hope you've been practicing a lot and diligently."
I laughed and patted my lightsaber. "I have."
"Alright, you two," Obi-Wan called us to attention. "Time to watch your Masters."
We watched Obi-Wan and Mace's training session. They bowed to each other and moved into their ready stances. I knew Obi-Wan was going to use Form III, but I wasn't sure about Mace.
"Do you know what form Master Windu will use?" I asked Ben.
"Let's see … maybe Form V?" Ben suggested.
"You don't think he'll use Form VII, do you?" I asked uneasily. I remembered how surprised I had been to learn that Mace Windu knew how to use it. Not only that, but the fact also that he had created a version of it!
"Vaapad? No." Ben shook his head definitively. Then he added, "Maybe one day Master Windu will teach it to me." Ben looked hopeful. I wondered why Ben wanted to learn the most aggressive lightsaber form. Mace seemed really cautious about teaching it. He had only taught Vaapad to one person, his old Padawan, Depa Billaba. I didn't say anything, but privately I doubted Mace would ever teach it to anyone again, especially after what Caleb suspected had happened to Master Billaba. It was too dangerous. Mace was the only Jedi who practiced Vaapad who hadn't fallen to the dark side.
I wondered if Ben knew there was a teaching by Mace Windu on Vaapad in the Holocron of Prophecy. I decided not to mention there was also a lesson in Caleb's holocron.
"I just hope he doesn't use it now, in this practice session." I reiterated my earlier concern. But there was no reason for Mace to use it for the duel. After all, Obi-Wan was not a Sith; why should Mace go to the edges of the dark side?
"He won't." Ben sounded absolutely certain.
"How can you be sure?" I asked, a little nervously.
"Because it's not a real fight," Ben said reasonably. "Master Kenobi does not use the dark side, so Vaapad would not be as effective a technique against him. Besides, this is just a friendly competition. Even if he did use it, he would be restrained. But he won't," he hurriedly added.
I watched as Obi-Wan moved into the defensive posture I knew so well from our training sessions together. Both he and Mace looked deep in concentration. I had learned that Jedi took their lightsaber practices very seriously.
I watched them move back and forth, practically flying with their speed. Mace attacked first, moving swiftly toward Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan successfully parried the blow. Then he struck, and Mace blocked his move. Back and forth they went, their lightsabers clashing as they flew across the courtyard.
To my immense relief, Mace was not fighting with Vaapad; he appeared to be using a combination of Forms II and V.
As we watched them duel, Ben and I talked about why we thought our respective Masters would win.
"Well," I said jokingly, "if my father has the high ground, he'll win for sure." There was no high ground; the courtyard was a completely flat surface. Ben looked confused. "What do you mean?" he asked. "Master Kenobi can't use Sokan here."
"I know he can't use High Ground Defense here," I told him. "I was just kidding; he always wins with it. But I think he'll win regardless. He's a great duelist."
"Master Windu's really strong," Ben said. "He's never lost a duel before ... except to Master Yoda and Count Dooku. But all the Jedi recognize him as the second-best duelist in the entire Order. Some even think he's the best, even though Master Yoda is the most powerful with the Force. And he's an expert in every single form of lightsaber combat."
And he used Vaapad to defeat Darth Sidious, I thought. I knew how powerful Mace was. But I still thought my father had a decent shot at winning.
"They're both really strong and powerful," I said. "I think they have an equally good chance of winning this duel."
Obi-Wan moved to the side as Mace struck at him. He turned, spun, and then swiftly attacked Mace. The movement appeared to be effortless and graceful. For a second, I thought Obi-Wan had cut Mace's arm, but Mace jumped to avoid the blow. It looked to me like they were both superlative duelists. This was going to be a close one.
"I still think Master Windu is going to win, even without using Vaapad," Ben told me. "After all, he knows Shatterpoint."
"What's Shatterpoint?" I wanted to know.
"It's a rare Force power that allows the user to sense a weakness in an object or person," Ben explained. "So Master Windu will be able to sense a weakness in Master Kenobi's defense."
"There won't be a weakness in his defense," I said staunchly. "I've heard my father is the most wonderful master of Form III ever."
We watched as Obi-Wan dodged a hit, spun, and effectively parried an onslaught of strikes. Over and over, he successfully blocked Mace. I wondered if Mace was becoming frustrated. If he was, he didn't let on. He continued to attack Obi-Wan, his feet moving quickly. He never once lost his balance. He parried and jabbed, driving Obi-Wan back. But Obi-Wan was putting up a perfect defense, and did not allow Mace any room to succeed in his relentless attacks.
Ben and I weren't the only ones watching their duel. Jedi Knights nudged each other when one of the combatants executed a particularly impressive move. The younglings had stopped practicing and moved to one side of the courtyard. They watched the two Masters, wide-eyed, as if they were mesmerized.
The duel seemed to last a very long time. Neither Obi-Wan nor Mace showed any signs of tiring. Obi-Wan kept deflecting as Mace advanced. Finally, Obi-Wan dodged another blow, spun in a complete circle, and struck at Mace. But Mace was quicker and almost knocked Obi-Wan's lightsaber from his hand. Obi-Wan did a somersault, and Mace struck again, nearly slicing Obi-Wan's leg. I gasped and braced for the next attack, sure that it would end the duel. Obi-Wan was still on the ground. At that moment, Mace raised his lightsaber, and I recognized Form V's the Falling Avalanche. Just as the blow was about to hit Obi-Wan, he rolled to the side and Mace's lightsaber hit the ground. Mace exclaimed in disbelief, and Obi-Wan swiftly struck Mace in his side. He had won, but barely.
Mace conceded the duel.
"Congratulations, Obi-Wan," Mace said as they shook hands. "You outperformed me today. I've said it before, you are undoubtedly the greatest Soresu master of all time."
Obi-Wan looked pleased with Master Windu's praise. "You almost got me with that last strike. It could have gone either way."
I complimented my father on his win. "That looked close," I said to him. "Both of you are amazing fighters."
"It was close," Obi-Wan readily admitted. "But I allowed the Force to guide me. And my patience paid off."
"Now it's your turn," Obi-Wan said as I picked up my lightsaber. "Remember everything you've learned. You will win the duel by either disarming Ben or if your lightsaber touches him. And don't forget: The Force is your ally."
"Here." Mace handed Ben a lightsaber.
"You're giving me a training lightsaber?" Ben asked in disbelief, looking and sounding offended. "You think I can't fight without hurting her?"
"It's for Emma's safety," Mace told him. "It is just a precaution. I will give you back your lightsaber after this training session. Master Kenobi and I practiced with training lightsabers as well. It is necessary during a practice duel."
"Of course, Master." Ben nodded and dutifully took the training lightsaber without another word of complaint.
Wow, Ben already had a real lightsaber? He must be really good. I wondered when I would be ready for one. Obi-Wan had said whenever I was, he would take me to Illum to get a crystal and help me construct it. I couldn't wait for that!
"Don't worry, I'll go easy on you," Ben said with a grin.
"Don't hold back," I returned his banter. We bowed to each other. It was too bad I couldn't use my building power in my duel against Ben. Nothing new had happened with it since my visit to Master Yoda. I hadn't created anything else besides the picture over the past few weeks.
I assumed the Jedi ready position. Ben moved into the same opening stance.
Ben and I slowly circled each other. I moved first, rushing toward him and attempting to hit his left arm. Ben dodged the attack, spun, and swung at my arm. I blocked him and we attacked and parried, running around the courtyard. I remembered the sequences I had practiced with Obi-Wan and focused on implementing those. Ben moved swiftly, faster than I was used to with Obi-Wan. I had to work to keep up with his quick movements.
Ben was using a combination of Forms I and V, while I solely used Form I, which I was most comfortable with. He fought aggressively, just like Mace. Over and over, he attacked. I was forced into playing defense for a while. When I finally had an opportunity to strike again, I brought my lightsaber behind my back and swung it around to slash at his right arm. I missed. When he struck at my leg, I turned and blocked him low, crouching on the ground, then sprang up and aimed at his hand. I was attempting to disarm him, but he moved so fast he was already on the other side, and I swung at air. I quickly turned and parried his next strike at my side. He spun again, and I aimed for his back. Ben flipped with effortless grace, parried and then countered with a strike that nearly got my knee.
It was time to take it up a notch. I surprised Ben with a cartwheel away from his blade, then turned and, with a strong, wide hit, I angled my blade to crash down on his arm. He jumped out of the way as I followed him across the courtyard.
Ben feinted to the right, then followed with a sweep of his lightsaber to my left side. I blocked it just in time.
Ben seemed really advanced compared to me. I pushed my doubts away and concentrated on blocking a high strike. I quickly countered with a low strike. Ben blocked that, pushing me away. I lost my footing, and I flew backwards, nearly smashing into the uneti tree. I regained my balance in the nick of time. Ben pressed his advantage with a number of powerful strikes. I didn't know about him, but I was growing tired.
With one swift stroke, Ben used the Disarming Slash. I wasn't as quick as Obi-Wan. I jumped back as my lightsaber was knocked out of my hand. In one quick movement, Ben dashed forward and grabbed my lightsaber before I could reach it.
I stared at my lightsaber in Ben's hand, disappointment washing over me. He had disarmed me, and I had lost.
"Solah," I whispered.
Ben returned my lightsaber. "Good match," he said, holding out his hand.
"Good match," I repeated, shaking his hand.
I walked over to Obi-Wan, ready for his comments on the duel.
"You fought very well, Emma," Obi-Wan told me. He did not sound at all disappointed or upset. He didn't admonish me for losing.
"Ben must be more disciplined than me," I said, somewhat sourly.
"You were tired, and Ben overpowered you," Obi-Wan observed. "The purpose of a duel is to assess your skills and learn from your mistakes. You seemed to lose focus at the end. Were you somewhat unsure of your abilities?"
"A little," I admitted. "I mean, when compared with Ben, I felt inadequate. He knows more than I do."
"Don't forget, Ben has lived here since he was a baby," Obi-Wan reminded me. "You have only been training for almost one month. You did remarkably well, all things considered."
"You must have confidence when you face an adversary," Obi-Wan continued. "Both of you fought hard today. I saw that Ben utilized feints to attack you and found a flaw in your defense. You'll have to learn to create a tighter defense. We'll work on that. And you're not accustomed to fighting against Form V."
"On the positive side, you used the sequences we practiced together. You acted on instinct. And Ben moved faster than we do in training. Yet you were able to keep going. Furthermore, you improvised with different skills at appropriate times. That shows me you were using the Force."
"I used it to strengthen my skills, just like you told me," I said. "I called upon the Force. I let it guide my moves and my lightsaber."
"You're learning," Obi-Wan said, smiling at me.
I watched as Mace spoke to Ben. From the duel, I had learned that Ben showed a preference for aggressive fighting and exhibited self-control. Maybe Mace would teach him Vaapad one day, after all. I hoped not.
"Good work, Ben," I heard Mace say. He patted his Padawan on the shoulder. Then he did something that astounded me … he actually smiled!
Apparently, Mace Windu wasn't completely lacking in emotion.
Ben had told me that Master Windu, although a strict teacher, was kind and compassionate. I must have missed all that in the prequel trilogy.
"It's time for a well-deserved break," Obi-Wan said to me. "We're ending a little earlier than usual today, so you'll have some extra time before dinner."
"Do you want to go to the common room?" Ben asked me. There was a community room in our Padawan dormitory, where all the Padawans gathered to relax and spend time together when we were not training.
"Let's go to my room," I said. "There's something I want to ask you." I wanted to discuss our duel, and I didn't want anyone to overhear me. I wasn't ashamed that I had lost, but I didn't want any of the Padawans to learn about my lightsaber weaknesses. Just in case Obi-Wan arranged another practice duel.
We exited the courtyard and walked back inside the Temple. We went directly to the Padawan dormitory. As we passed the common room, I noticed a small group of three older girls sitting on one of the couches. I waved at them as we passed but didn't stop to talk.
By the time we reached my room, I had regained my usual cheerful nature. The duel was over, and I would learn what I had done wrong and do better the next time.
This was the only time when I was happy there was practically nothing in my room. I didn't have to worry about having a messy room. At least it was easy to keep neat and tidy.
"So what do you want to ask me?" Ben picked up the picture I had placed on my desk and looked at it. He smiled. "This is a nice family picture."
"Thanks. I wanted to ask you about our duel. I need to figure out exactly how I lost."
"I thought you did great," Ben said. "I had to work hard."
"That's nice of you to say," I told him. "You were moving so fast I had trouble keeping up with you."
"That's due to Master Windu's training," Ben commended his Master. "I believe he chose me to be his Padawan because he told me my skills were superior to those of any other youngling he had seen. He also sensed my dedication. He's really helped me enhance my abilities. He says I will train even more strenuously when I am older, but he thinks I have great potential to become an instructor, maybe even a Battlemaster!"
"In any case," Ben continued, "the turning point was when you lost your balance and almost fell into the tree. After that, I kept using Form V so you weren't able to counterattack. Once your defense was down, I was able to disarm you. I was kind of surprised that you didn't use Soresu. I expected that you would. Once I realized that you didn't really know Form V, I decided to fight mostly with that style. I might specialize in Form V."
So, it was a weak defense that cost me the duel. Obi-Wan was right. I would have to really work on that. Maybe I would end up concentrating on Form III, just like my father. I couldn't ask for a better master.
"When you won the duel, did Master Windu say he was proud of you? I heard him say good work. Has he ever said he was proud of you?" I imagined it would take some pretty extraordinary feats for Mace to say that to anyone.
"Not exactly," Ben admitted. "But I'm still a new Padawan. I'm sure he'll say it someday, when I've proved myself worthy."
I was really glad I had parents who told me they were proud of me when I deserved to hear it. I recalled my conversation with Caleb on this topic. Now that I had mentioned it to him, I hoped he would say it in the future to Ezra. It had always bothered me that Kanan never said he was proud of Ezra.
"Well, congrats on winning," I said. I held up my hand.
Ben looked at me blankly. "What are you doing? We already shook hands."
I laughed. "I'm introducing you to the high five."
"High five?" Ben repeated. "What does that mean?"
"It's very popular where I come from," I told him. "You do this when you say hello or congratulate someone or celebrate. You just raise your hand and smack my palm."
"Hah!" Ben high-fived me back with glee.
Ben examined the piles of books on my desk. "Ugh, I read this book," Ben said, picking up the top book on the history of the Senate. "It's really boring."
"Tell me about it," I agreed. "I read it right before I want to fall asleep."
"What's this?" Ben held up my Star Wars Rebels book. Oh no. I must have forgotten to put it back in my duffel bag.
"Oh, nothing really. It's just a book I brought with me from home," I told him.
Ben flipped through the book. "It looks like a book about Jedi. Hey-neat droid." He pointed to a picture of Chopper.
I grabbed the book before he could see Caleb's name mentioned. Ben likely knew Master Billaba's Padawan, and I didn't want to have to answer any uncomfortable questions. I placed it at the bottom of a stack of books. I would have to remember to hide it later.
"It's cool that you already have your own lightsaber," I mentioned, speedily changing the subject. I hoped to distract him from his discovery of the book.
"Cool?" Ben asked, looking bemused. "It is not cool in this room."
I laughed. "Yes, it's another Earth term. It means awesome or magnificent."
"So, when did you get your own lightsaber?" I wanted to continue this discussion.
"About eight months ago, after I passed my Initiate Trials."
"Then you went to the Temple on Ilum, right?" I knew a little about the Gathering from watching The Clone Wars, but I was excited to hear Ben's first-hand account of it.
"Right, to the Crystal Caves underneath the Temple. Master Yoda led my group."
"There were hundreds of crystals there. I didn't know how I would ever locate the one I was meant to find. Eventually, I came across it. But first I had to pass my test."
"Test?" I repeated. "You mean you had to face and conquer your fears before you found the crystal?"
"Yes. As it turned out, my personal fear was self-doubt. I knew I was skilled, ranked highly among the younglings, but I still lacked confidence when it came to combat. I didn't think I had the courage to confront someone stronger than me."
"So here I was, searching for my crystal. Suddenly, there was a flash of red. I closed my eyes to focus, and when I opened them, I saw a Sith Lord in front of me. He was holding a red lightsaber. Next to him was one of the younglings who had entered the cave with me, a boy named James. He and I weren't exactly friends; in fact, he was rather nasty to me at times."
"What happened next?" I asked, enthralled by his tale.
"The Sith Lord spoke to me. He said, 'You have a choice. You can either face me and try to save this boy, or you can go to the next cave and find your crystal.'"
"I wasn't sure what to do. I was petrified at the thought of fighting a Sith Lord. I knew I couldn't possibly beat him. The thought of getting out of there and retrieving my crystal was tempting. But when I looked at James' terrified face, I knew I couldn't just leave him there. Even if I died in the attempt, I couldn't leave him behind."
"So, your test was to face a Sith Lord and help a youngling who had been mean to you." This sounded really intense.
"I faced the Sith Lord, determined to save James. At that moment, the image disappeared. I realized it had been an illusion. I had learned to believe in myself and my abilities. Once I had learned my lesson, I found my crystal. I saw a glimmer of shining light and realized it must be my crystal. I heard beautiful music when I touched a crystal near the bottom of the cave. When I picked it up, the kyber crystal became blue. When I returned to the Temple, I constructed my blue lightsaber. I knew I was ready to become a Padawan."
"That's some story." I paused. I wondered what would happen when I was ready to construct my own lightsaber, what test I would face.
"I'm really thirsty," Ben commented. "Do you want to go to the dining hall for a smoothie break?" My health-conscious mother had instituted smoothie machines in all the dining halls. They were a big hit with all the Jedi; even Master Yoda was said to have a fondness for strawberry smoothies. "I could really go for a chocolate smoothie."
"Sounds great," I said. "Let's go."
There was a knock on my door. "Come in," I called.
Palpatine Cohen walked into my room. "Hi, Emma," he greeted me. "I wanted to ask you about-" He stopped when he noticed Ben sitting on the floor next to me. "Hello, little Snoke," Palpatine said condescendingly, looking down on the boy.
Ben did have good control over his emotions. He remained unfazed, but I bristled on behalf of my friend. Sometimes Palpatine could be a bit of a bully.
"I'll meet you in the dining hall for our smoothies," Ben said to me. He didn't say a word to Palpatine.
When Ben left, I turned to Palpatine. "Cut it out," I said flatly. "You're behaving like a bully, and I don't like it."
Palpatine's face was as red as his hair.
"You don't understand," Palpatine said.
"Then explain it. What's the real reason you don't like Ben?" I pressed him. "Palpatine, please tell me."
"It's nothing," Palpatine insisted stoically.
"It's not good to keep your feelings all bottled up inside," I told him, repeating something my mother had said. "You don't want to get an ulcer."
Palpatine opened his mouth to object, then shrugged. "I might as well tell you, and then you'll understand."
I patted the spot next to me. Palpatine sat down and faced me. "I fought in this year's Apprentice Tournament. Do you know what that is?"
I nodded. Obi-Wan had told me all about the Apprentice Tournament. It was held every year at the Jedi Temple here on Coruscant. It was a good time for Jedi Knights and Masters to observe the Initiates as they demonstrated their skills in one-on-one lightsaber duels. From this group, they would choose their new Padawans.
"I made it to the last round," Palpatine said proudly, lifting his chin slightly. "I came in second place."
"That's great," I told him, impressed.
"Master Windu was there. He came over to me when the tournament was over and told me I did well. He even said I would surely make a good Padawan, and that a master would unquestionably choose me soon. Then he patted me on the shoulder. I hoped …" He looked uncertainly at me.
So that was it. Palpatine had expected Mace to select him.
"Then right after he defeated the former Supreme Chancellor, he picked Ben Snoke. I don't know what happened. He was going to choose me! I should be Master Windu's apprentice, not Ben Snoke!" Palpatine was practically shouting now. He kicked at the floor with his foot. The words poured out of him, as if he had been holding them back for a long time.
I realized Palpatine was jealous of Ben.
Palpatine took a deep, shuddering breath, trying to get control of himself. "If I'm not chosen by the time I'm thirteen, I'll get reassigned to the Jedi Service Corps and then I'll never become a Knight!" Palpatine looked like he was going to cry.
"A lot can happen in a year," I tried to console him. "And anyway, Master Qui-Gon didn't choose my father to be his Padawan until he was twelve, almost thirteen," I said encouragingly.
Palpatine didn't say anything. He continued to angrily kick my floor.
"Let go of your anger and jealousy," I advised Palpatine, not caring if I sounded like I was lecturing him. We didn't need Darth Cohen on our hands. "It is not the Jedi way."
"I know," Palpatine said, somewhat abashed. I didn't know if he was embarrassed or angry. Now he seemed slightly ashamed of his behavior.
"Why don't you come with me to get a smoothie?" I invited, hoping to broker a peace between him and Ben.
"No thanks," Palpatine declined my offer.
"Are you alright?" I was concerned about Palpatine. His anger had abated, but I was still worried about him.
Palpatine nodded. "Thanks for listening, Emma. You were right. It did help to talk about it." He said goodbye and left my room.
I stared at his retreating back. There had to be a way to bring my two friends together.
