"He was trained in the Jedi arts," Qui-Gon said, "my only conclusion can be that it was a Sith Lord."
The Council members looked between one another, disbelief coloring the Force.
"That's impossible," Ki-Adi-Mundi said, turning to Yoda for support. "The Sith have been extinct for a millennium."
"There are a great many things I would have once considered impossible before this mission," Qui-Gon responded evenly.
"I do not believe the Sith could have returned without us knowing," Windu said. But his words were uncertain, and he too looked to Yoda.
"Ah. Hard to see, the Dark Side is," said the little green Master.
"We will use all our resources to unravel this mystery," Windu spoke again, "We will discover the identity of your attacker."
Qui-Gon dipped his head in acknowledgement.
"What do you mean when you say that there are many things you would have considered impossible before this mission?" Plo Koon asked. "What other mysteries have you come across?"
"Two more mysteries," Qui-Gon responded. "The first is a... vergence, in the Force."
"A vergence, you say?" Yoda leaned forward, long ears pricked in intrigue.
"Located around a… person?" Windu asked.
A unique tension rose in the room, curiosity and interest mixed with feelings of unease. A vergence was something to be handled carefully.
"A boy," Qui-Gon confirmed. "His cells have the highest concentration of midi-chlorians I have seen in a lifeform. It is possible he was conceived by the midi-chlorians."
That caused some looks.
"You refer to the prophecy of the one who will bring balance to the Force. You believe it's this… boy?"
"I don't presume to-"
"But you do," Yoda interrupted, "revealed, your opinion is."
"I request the boy be tested, Master."
"Oh. Trained as a Jedi, you request for him, hm?"
"Finding him was the will of the Force. I have no doubt of that," Qui-Gon said. "And… he has already had some training."
"Training? Jedi training?" Mundi said. "From whom?"
"The third mystery of my mission. A young woman, a Jedi Padawan."
"A Padawan?"
"Indeed. Her name is Sienna Retrograde."
"I do not recall any Padawan by that name," Windu said.
"She is not of our Order."
"Speak clearly, you must," Yoda scolded. "Explain yourself."
Qui-Gon inclined his head, accepting the rebuke. "Apologies, Master. She claims to be a Padawan of the Cosmic Order, which she says exists in another galaxy. She further claims to have fallen through a Force portal from her galaxy to ours, and that she has been unable to return home."
"And you believe her story?" Windu asked.
"I do," Qui-Gon said. "The Force rings of nothing but truth around her."
The Council members glanced between one another, and then to Yoda and Windu, the heads of the Order. Windu sighed heavily. "Bring them before us. Both of them."
Qui-Gon half-bowed in acknowledgement. "I am afraid I cannot do that at this time."
"And why is that?"
"They are not presently on Coruscant. The woman was injured, and she and the boy are close. He refused to leave her, and her condition was critical. As I could not abandon my primary mission, they were both left on Rodia so she could receive medical treatment. Obi-Wan is with them as well, with orders for all three of them to come to Coruscant as soon as they are able."
"Ah. Wondered about the location of your Padawan, we did," Yoda said. Then, with a chuckle, "Quite a situation you are in, hmm?"
Qui-Gon allowed a faint smile to cross his lips. "Indeed."
"Let us know as soon as they are on-planet," Windu said. "We will discuss this further then."
Accepting the dismissal, Qui-Gon bowed one last time, and then turned and left the Council chamber.
Windu sighed as the doors slid shut behind the man. "Only Jinn would bring us news of a supposed Sith Lord, supposed child of prophecy, and supposed member of another Order all in one briefing."
Yoda chuckled again. "Many mysteries has he brought us. Exciting, hmm?"
"I suppose that's one word for it."
That earned yet another chuckle from the little green Master. "Betray you, your thoughts do. A headache, you call it."
"Many headaches," Windu agreed.
The murmuring of the other Council members revealed that they agreed with him.
Well, if he had to face the headache that was Qui-Gon Jinn, at least he didn't have to face it alone.
Padmé sat on a couch in Senator Sheev Palpatine's office, listening as the man spoke of the Senate. She had hoped that he might be able to offer some advice on how to bring her case before them, but his words were dismal.
"There is no civility, only politics," Palpatine said, pacing a slow line across the room. "The Republic is not what it once was. The Senate is full of greedy, squabbling delegates. There is no interest in the common good."
Sienna's words from that lunch in the Skywalker residence echoed in Padmé's mind. "Politicians will always do what's in their own best interest." Padmé had been offended by the other woman's words, but it seemed that Sheev had the same attitude.
"I must be frank, Your Majesty, there is little chance the Senate will act on the invasion."
"Chancellor Valorum seems to think there is hope," Padmé pointed out.
Sheev pressed his lips together, an echo of a diplomatic frown. "If I may say so Your Majesty, the Chancellor has little real power. He is mired by baseless accusations of corruption. The bureaucrats are in charge now."
"What options have we?"
Sheev began walking again, coming to stand in front of Padmé. "Our best choice would be to push for the election of a stronger Supreme Chancellor, one who could control the bureaucrats. And give us justice." Sheev paused, his tone taking on a hesitant note, as if he had just thought of an idea. "You... could call for a Vote of No Confidence in Chancellor Valorum."
Padmé stared at the Senator incredulously. "He's been our strongest supporter!"
Sheev turned away, resuming his pacing. "Our only other choice would be to submit a plea to the courts."
Padmé felt her frustration grow. "The courts take even longer to decide things than the Senate," she snapped. "Our people are dying, Senator. We must do something quickly to stop the Federation."
"To be realistic, Your Majesty, I think we are going to have to accept Federation control for the time being." Sheev glanced back at Padmé.
She sighed. "That is something I cannot do."
Padmé returned to her own quarters to prepare for the upcoming Senate meeting. As her handmaidens dressed her, she mulled over the Senator's words. How could he even consider accepting Federation control? Letting the Nubian people suffer and die? She wouldn't stand for it. One way or another, she would find a way to take action, even if it meant storming Theed herself.
Padmé liked Chancellor Valorum. She really didn't want to believe that he was corrupt. He had been so sincere in his horror at what Naboo was facing, and in his hope that the Senate would do what was right. But she supposed she would have to wait and see what happened in the Senate hearing.
She would do what she must. She was not elected to watch her people suffer and die while the Senate squabbled.
And she told them as much, when Chancellor Valorum asked if she would defer her motion and wait for her claims to be investigated.
"If this body is not capable of action," she began, heart sinking at what she was about to say, "I suggest new leadership is needed. I move for a Vote of No Confidence in Chancellor Valorum's leadership."
The Senate erupted in shouting. Chancellor Valorum looked stunned. He sunk into his chair, staring at nothing, as chaos filled the chamber.
"Order! Order!"
The call went unheard as the chaotic discussion continued.
"Now they will elect a new Chancellor," Sheev said. "A strong Chancellor. One who will not let our tragedy continue."
Padmé hoped he was right. But as she left the Senate chamber, where the Senators would no doubt argue for the rest of the night and well into tomorrow, she already began to doubt her decision. What would it matter who was Chancellor if it would take days, weeks, months for them to enact change? It would be too late for Naboo.
There was only one thing left to do. She would solve this mess herself, with or without the Republic.
"Sienna, got any fours?"
"Go fish."
Obi-Wan drew a card from the pile and shuffled it into his hand.
"Anakin, got any sevens?" Sienna asked.
Anakin frowned, but drew three cards out of his hand and leaned forward to pass them to the Padawan. "Aww. How come you always ask for the cards I have?"
Sienna smirked as she spread the four 7's on the floor in front of her. "Because you're thinking 'just need one more seven, just need one more seven, I hope I get a seven' so loudly that they can probably hear you all the way on Coruscant."
"Hey, that's no fair!" The boy cried. "You can't read my mind!"
"Why not?"
"Because it's cheating," Anakin insisted. "And YOU said no cheating."
"Cheating is just something that breaks the agreed upon rules of the game," Sienna said. "Did we agree on no mind-reading?"
Anakin opened his mouth, then closed it again, then said, "Well, no, but-"
"No buts," the woman interrupted. "If you didn't say that it wasn't allowed, then you have to assume that someone's going to try it, and technically they can get away with it."
Anakin pouted. "But it's rude."
"So do something to keep me from reading your mind. I taught you about shields, use them."
The boy concentrated really hard, and managed to bring up a thin layer of shielding.
Sienna nodded in approval. "Good. Now instead of accidentally reading your loudly projected thoughts, I have to look for them. I can still see them, though. We should really meditate more often to work on that."
Anakin groaned, throwing himself dramatically onto his back. "But meditating is sooo boring."
"At first, yes," Sienna agreed, "but it's important."
"Whatever." Anakin sat back up. "It's still your turn, hurry up so I can go."
"Alright, speeder boy," Sienna said. "Obi-Wan, got any fives?"
Obi-Wan sighed, handing his cards over.
"Thank you very much." Sienna placed the four cards on the ground. "Anakin, got any-" she paused. "Ani, mentally shouting 'BANTHA BUTT' is not the same as shielding."
He smirked. "It's working though."
Sienna huffed a laugh. "Yes, but it takes a lot more focus than shields do. And if I really wanted to, I could still find out what cards you have. But I'll play nice. Got any twos?"
Anakin looked down at his cards, then back up at Sienna with a smug expression. "Go fish."
Sienna took her card from the pile, and Anakin turned to Obi-Wan. "Got any fours?"
Obi-Wan tossed Anakin the last card in his hand. "I'm out. Again."
"Aww, don't feel bad, Bee," Sienna said, reaching over to pat his shoulder. "You're dealing with two people who learned cards in pitts of gamblers. It's only natural that we'll beat you."
"And I learned cards from Quinlan Vos," Obi-Wan grumbled. "That man cheats more than he plays by the rules, and I can beat him."
"Hmm. Well, maybe you'll win next time," Sienna said. "Now hand over the sweets."
A beep alerted them to an incoming call on Obi-Wan's comm.
"Oh, would you look at that," Obi-Wan said, standing up, "It seems someone else requires my attention. So sorry, maybe you'll get your winnings next time." The Padawan threw a smirk over his shoulder as he exited the room, taking his sweets with him.
The door slid shut and Obi-Wan flicked his wrist, activating the comm disk. "Master," he greeted, dipping his head to the little blue figure. "Is everything alright?"
"It seems there has been a change of plans," Qui-Gon stated without preamble. He looked mildly annoyed.
"Oh? What happened?"
"For starters, the Queen called for a Vote of No Confidence in Chancellor Valorum."
Obi-Wan's lips parted in shock. "She did what? Why?"
"It seems Senator Palpatine convinced her that it would be the quickest way to get help for Naboo," Qui-Gon said. "That Valorum is corrupt, and that a new Chancellor would be better."
"Well, they are politicians, they're all corrupt in one way or another, but how in the galaxy is that going to matter for Naboo at this moment?"
"It seems even she does not have an answer to that question," Qui-Gon said drily, "because she has decided to return to Naboo and deal with the Trade Federation herself."
"But we only just got her out of there!"
"I know, Padawan, I know," Qui-Gon sighed, and even across the hologram, Obi-Wan could sense the older man's frustration.
Obi-Wan ran a hand over his jaw. He absently noted the stubble there, and made a mental note to shave sometime soon. "Well, then, what's the plan?"
"The Jedi Council has ordered us to return with her. Our mission continues."
"I am still three days out from Coruscant," Obi-Wan said. "When does she wish to depart?"
"I am presently on her ship and we just entered hyperspace. You will have to turn around and meet us on Naboo."
Great. This just kept getting better and better. "In orbit, or on the planet?"
"I will give you more details once I have discussed a plan with the Queen."
"You haven't done so yet?" Obi-Wan asked incredulously.
"No."
"So you are all running back to Naboo without a plan?"
"I am sure a plan will be straightened out in the coming days."
"Well that's reassuring," Obi-Wan said sarcastically.
"It should be good enough for you, Padawan," Qui-Gon returned.
Obi-Wan inclined his head. "Very well. And what about Anakin and Sienna? What are they to do when we reach Naboo?"
Qui-Gon's expression turned thoughtful, and he remained silent for a moment. Then, his features hardened into a look of determination.
Obi-Wan wasn't sure he liked the glint in Qui-Gon's eyes.
"Anakin will come with us," Qui-Gon began, and he held up a hand when Obi-Wan opened his mouth to protest. "I want him watching my every move. The Council has not decided whether he will become a Jedi, and I suspect they will be as stubborn as always and make some comment about his age. But he is the Chosen One, and he will be trained one way or another. He will learn a great deal simply by observing."
"But Master," Obi-Wan said, "you can't just bring a child into an active war zone."
"I would hardly call it a 'war zone.' He will be in no more danger on the planet than he will be up in orbit."
Obi-Wan disagreed with that. He suspected that if Sienna was half as good a pilot as she appeared to be, any ship she flew was likely one of the safest places in the galaxy. "He would be safer still on Rodia. There is plenty of time to drop him and Sienna off before I meet up with you."
Qui-Gon shook his head. "No. Anakin comes with us."
"I don't see-"
"And that is precisely your problem," Qui-Gon interrupted. "You don't see. Be mindful of the Living Force, my very young Padawan. There is more at play here."
Obi-Wan snapped his mouth shut, frustration and a hint of anger curling in his gut. Why wouldn't Qui-Gon listen to him? Did the man always have to be so stubborn? And what was with his attitude?
Obi-Wan inhaled slowly through his nose, then exhaled, releasing his emotions to the Force. "Fine," he conceded. "And what of Sienna?"
At this question, the stubborn fire left Qui-Gon's eyes, and he shrugged his shoulders. "She is welcome to do whatever she feels would be the best use of her time. I will not object to having another Jedi to help us, even if she is from a different Order. But it isn't necessary for her to come with us, if her injury is not yet healed."
"She seems to be healing well," Obi-Wan said.
"Then leave it up to her. But I don't want to end up having to protect both her and the Queen."
Obi-Wan bit his tongue to keep from making another sarcastic comment. Qui-Gon was willing to take a nine year-old boy to battle, but a mildly injured Jedi would be a burden? That was just ridiculous.
"Very well," he said instead, "I will let her know."
"Good. And I will be in touch about our plans sometime soon. I will be speaking to the Queen later tonight, and I expect to have the details ironed out within a day or two."
Obi-Wan nodded. "Anything else, Master?"
Qui-Gon shook his head. "That will be all. May the Force be with you, Padawan."
"And you as well, Master."
The hologram flickered and disappeared with a click. Obi-Wan sighed heavily, then tucked the communicator into his belt and returned to the room where Anakin and Sienna were waiting.
The two glanced up as the door slid open and Obi-Wan stepped inside. They were still sitting on the floor, Sienna reshuffling all the cards in preparation for another round.
"Hey Bee," she greeted, "how'd the call go?"
Obi-Wan paused. "Bee?" He echoed.
Sienna nodded. "Yeah. Obi-Wan Kenobi. Bee."
Obi-Wan tilted his head slightly, considering this. "I suppose that does make sense," he said. As far as nicknames went, his friends usually called him Obi, or even Obes. Bee was a new one. It wasn't something he would have thought up, but it was logical, and he found he didn't mind it.
Sienna hummed. "So, how was the call? I'm guessing that was Jinn?"
Obi-Wan nodded. "Right, the call. Yes, that was Qui-Gon. He has informed me that we are to turn the ship around at once and set course for Naboo."
"Why?" Anakin asked. "I thought you guys were on a super duper important mission to Coruscant."
"Yes, well, now we are on a 'super duper important' mission to Naboo," Obi-Wan said. "The Queen has decided to return to her planet to negotiate with the Trade Federation herself."
"What's a Trade Federation?" Anakin asked.
"It's a political group," Sienna said. "Don't worry about the details right now, Ani. Let Obi-Wan finish."
Obi-Wan shot her a grateful look. He didn't really feel like trying to explain the whole thing to a kid. Qui-Gon had already worn down his patience in the span of about five minutes, he wasn't sure how much he could spare to making the issue of the Trade Federation comprehensible to a child.
Anakin, however, was not impressed. "I'm not a baby," he said, irritation ringing in his tone. "I want to know what's going on."
Obi-Wan sighed. It seemed he would have to find a little more patience after all. "The Trade Federation has invaded Naboo and is harming the people that live there. The Queen is going back to stop them."
"But why?"
Sienna put the cards on the floor in a neat deck. "We can discuss this later. Let Obi-Wan finish."
"But-"
"Anakin."
The boy stopped talking, but the Force echoed with his discontent.
Sienna nodded to Obi-Wan to continue.
"As I was saying, the Queen is returning to Naboo. My Master and I are to assist her in any way necessary, to ensure her safety."
"And what about us?" Sienna asked, gesturing to herself and Anakin.
Obi-Wan exhaled, a hint of displeasure leaking through his shields. "Qui-Gon wants Anakin to shadow him. The Council has yet to decide whether Anakin may be trained as a Jedi, but he wants Anakin to start watching now."
"Ah yes, because it's such a great idea to bring a kid you just met into an active war zone," Sienna said drily in Mando'a.
Obi-Wan hummed in agreement. "Not his brightest idea, but I long ago stopped trying to fully understand his ideas."
"Hey, no fair. You know I don't speak Mandalorian," Anakin whined.
Sienna ignored him. "And what if I say no?"
She had a look in her eye, a sharp, protective glint that reminded Obi-Wan of freshly polished beskar. He could clearly see the Mando blood in her veins, even if her heritage was by adoption, not genetics. Mandalorians protect their Foundlings, and though Sienna was more of a sibling figure than a parent, she still saw herself as responsible for Anakin's wellbeing.
"Then you are welcome to try to argue with Qui-Gon, but I doubt you will be able to sway him. He's a stubborn man."
Sienna smirked. "I'm sure I could be the unstoppable force to his immovable object."
Obi-Wan snorted. "That is something I would like to witness."
"You might get to sometime soon," Sienna quipped. Then, more seriously, "but I guess there isn't really a better solution. Anakin can't just sit on the ship and wait for you guys to clean up the mess on Naboo. And he'll be safer with us than with anyone else. Speaking of which," here she switched back to Basic, "what does Jinn expect me to do while you boys are causing trouble?"
"He said you are welcome to do whatever you feel would be the best use of your time. He is not opposed to the idea of a third Jedi helping out, but he is also aware that you are still recovering from your injuries."
"How considerate," Sienna remarked drily. "Was that in concern for my safety, or not wanting me to slow you two down?"
"No comment."
"Hm." Sienna stood and stretched up on her toes, loosening her muscles after sitting cross-legged on the floor for so long. "Well, time to turn this bird around then. Come on Ani, you should learn how to jump out of and then back into hyperspace."
She made her way to the cockpit, Anakin hot on her heels and sparkling with excitement. Obi-Wan followed behind him.
Sienna slid into the pilot's seat and gestured for Anakin to hop onto her lap. She seemed to immediately regret that decision when the boy accidentally elbowed her in the stomach, drawing a pained hiss from between her teeth. "Careful, Ani."
"Oops. Sorry." He set his hands on his lap, locking his elbows to keep them out of jabbing range.
"Thank you. Now, do you remember which buttons control the hyperdrive?"
Obi-Wan settled into the co-pilot's chair and watched while Sienna walked Anakin through the process of bringing a ship out of hyperspace. Screens were tapped, buttons were pressed, and then the blue blur around the ship separated into white streaks as the vessel lunged back into the normal plane of reality.
Anakin's jaw dropped as the stars snapped into place. He seemed to be speechless for the first time since Obi-Wan had met him. Apparently, jumping out of hyperspace was even more astounding than jumping into it.
"Pretty cool, huh?" Sienna said.
Anakin could only nod in wonder.
She gave him a minute to marvel at the universe stretching out around them while she turned the ship around. "Alright, now we're jumping back into hyperspace. What do we need to do?"
"We need to input the coordinates," Anakin said.
"Mm. Do you want to punch them in?"
"Yeah!"
Sienna slowly recited the coordinates while Anakin tapped the navigation screen.
Obi-Wan frowned. "Wait a moment, those aren't the coordinates for Naboo."
"Nope," Sienna agreed. "They're for open space near Naboo."
Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow. "And?"
"We're now three days ahead of Jinn and the Queen. As much as I would love to go galavanting through a swamp with you guys to kill time, I have something a little more productive in mind."
"And that would be…?"
She smirked. "A surprise."
Anakin tilted his head back to glance up at her, excitement sparkling in his eyes. "A surprise? What kind of surprise?"
"The surprising kind."
Obi-Wan eyed her suspiciously as she instructed Anakin to make the jump to hyperspace. "Why do I feel like your 'surprise' will cause me stress," he muttered.
She laughed. "Relax, Bee. It'll be fun."
"If you say so."
A/N: There seems to have been some kind of bug/glitch where updates were sometimes showing up, sometimes not. I did post chapter 9 last Saturday, and I am sorry that some of you had difficulty seeing it due to the bug. It was annoying for me too, as the traffic graph would show all 9 chapters one moment and then an hour later show only 8. This chapter (10) was supposed to be uploaded on Wednesday, but since the system was still having trouble I decided to wait until I could see chapter 9 showing up for a full day before posting a new chapter. I am hoping that the issue is resolved and that you will be able to see this chapter. I am going to wait a day or two before posting what should be tomorrow's update just in case. So, I will upload chapter 11 on Sunday or Monday.
In other news, I have created a tumblr account. I have absolutely no idea how tumblr works, but I am hoping I will be able to use it to share any important news/updates with you all, and also provide a space for people to ask questions as well as request scenes/drabbles they would like to see. My user is spotted-newt, and the blog specifically for this fic is thefirstruleoftimetravel dot tumblr dot com.
