"Meeting is called to order at 1600," Mace Windu announced.
"Well," Master Mundi commented, "We certainly have much to discuss."
"Indeed we do. Let us begin with what I hope will be the easiest matter: Kenobi. As we all know, Qui-Gon recommended him for the Trials two weeks ago, and we intended to allow him to take them if he wished."
"He is ready," Adi Gallia said. "He has been ready for some time. I am surprised that Jinn did not recommend him sooner."
"I suspect this boy had something to do with Qui-Gon's change of heart," Yarael Poof commented. "He has never been so interested in a youngling before. It was hard enough to get him to take Kenobi."
"I agree," Mace said. "But whatever his motivations may have been, I believe he was sincere in his recommendation. And I think we are in agreement that Kenobi is more than ready."
The other Council members murmured in affirmation.
"I also think we can agree that he has undergone a great trial already. He has defeated the Force-user who brought down his Master, and helped negotiate peace for Naboo. That is no small feat. I propose we consider these Kenobi's Trials, and grant him the rank of Knight."
"I support that proposition," Plo Koon said.
"If the Force-user was a Sith as Qui-Gon suggested, Obi-Wan is the first to kill one in over a thousand years," Adi Gallia commented. "Padawans have been promoted for such acts of valor throughout the history of the Order. I would also support this."
"I as well," Depa said.
"Are there any objections?" Mace asked.
There were none.
"I move to accept the trials Obi-Wan Kenobi has faced on this mission as his Knighthood Trials, and grant him the rank of Jedi Knight."
"Second," Plo Koon said.
"All in favor?" Mace said.
Every hand rose.
"All opposed?"
The hands returned to laps and armrests.
"Abstentions?"
Nothing.
"Motion passes," Windu said. "It is decided then. Kenobi will be granted the rank of Knight."
"Tell him, I will," Yoda said.
Mace dipped his head in acknowledgement. "Very well. Now, on to the next order of business: Sienna Retrograde."
"I still find her story a bit hard to believe," Ki-Adi-Mundi said. "Truthfully, it is only your testimony, Master Yoda, that causes me to accept it."
"Strange, it is," Yoda agreed, "Very strange. Skeptical, I would be, if not for the Force. Knew Master Azimuth long ago I did, but this alone, enough it is not. But the Force, cradle her it does. Like a purrgil, hmm?"
"Like a purrgil indeed," Mace said. "I have never seen the Force behave in such an odd way. It's like she isn't quite…" He trailed off, searching for the right words. "It's like she doesn't belong here."
"It's more than that, though," Oppo Rancisis said. "The analogy of a purrgil strikes me as accurate. While stars and planets are confined to their courses, a purrgil travels freely so far as it is able, and it is its wandering that makes it dangerous."
"You think the girl is dangerous?" Adi Gallia asked.
"I do," Oppo stated firmly. "There is something not right about her presence. The Force cradles her, yes. But it does so the way a river cradles a stone, curling naturally around a disruption. A river can push a stone, but a stone can also divert a river."
Mace leaned forward and steepled his fingers. "There are shatterpoints around her unlike those I have seen before. The only way I can describe them is flexible. And unreadable. Shatterpoints have a natural ebb and flow, appearing for a time and disappearing when an opportunity has passed. But she almost seems to be a constant shatterpoint in and of herself, and that point is in a continual state of flux. Normally, I can glean some idea of the meaning behind a shatterpoint. I cannot read anything around her. And I admit that I find that unsettling."
"Clouded, she is," Yoda commented.
"What should we do with her?" Adi Gallia asked. "Is it wise to allow her into our home, if she is so obscured in the Force?"
"Better to keep her near where we can observe, than off in the corners of the galaxy," Plo Koon said, stroking his breathing apparatus thoughtfully. "A purrgil is not so dangerous if its movements can be monitored. I sense there is more to her than what has yet been revealed."
"Sense this, I do," Yoda agreed. "Watch her, we should."
"How?" Eeth Koth asked. "Do we let her stay in the Temple while she does her research? Do we limit the areas she may visit, or do we let her roam freely? Do we keep her under surveillance?"
"How do we know she isn't connected with the Sith?" Saesee Tiin challenged. "I sense some degree of darkness within her."
"There is far too much light for her to be a Sith," Depa argued. "She has no more darkness than our own Jedi Shadows."
"And yet the darkness is there," Saesee pressed, "and she isn't one of our Shadows. We don't know what her Order teaches. We have never met them, save for Yoda's interaction with one of their Masters when said Master was only a Padawan. Much can change in an individual in only a few years, let alone hundreds."
"I agree," Ki-Adi-Mundi said. "We know next to nothing about her, and next to nothing about her Order. I don't trust her."
"Trust must be cultivated over time," Plo Koon countered. "We cannot learn about her if we send her away. The Force holds no warning."
"But the Force is clouded around her."
"Then perhaps we should look into the cloud, and see if it dissipates."
"The archives are accessible to the public," Depa pointed out. "We have no grounds on which to deny her access. And it would make sense for her to travel to Coruscant with us. The Republic transport is more than large enough. I think the question is where she would stay, and whether we keep an eye on her while she is in the archives."
"We are not in the habit of allowing strangers to stay in our Temple," Ki-Adi said. "She should find lodging elsewhere in the city."
"To be fair, most strangers are not Jedi from other galaxies," Plo Koon commented. "If one of our Padawans found themself in this other Order's domain, would we not want them to show our child hospitality?"
"Plo makes a good point," Mace said. "This is another Order's student, not a random Force-user. Clouded though she may be, it does not seem to be the shroud of the Dark side. And it would be easier to keep an eye on her if she was confined to the Temple rather than wandering the city."
"We could request that she meet with us to discuss the specifics of her Order, if she is willing, and when we are not caught up in other meetings," Depa suggested. "That way, we could learn more about both her and these other Jedi. Knowledge illuminates many shadows, and wisdom mitigates risk. Personally, I am quite intrigued by this Padawan and her claims, and I welcome an opportunity to learn more."
"Depa, you spent the afternoon with young Skywalker. Is there anything he said about Retrograde that is relevant to this conversation?" Mace asked.
The woman took a moment to consider that question. "Nothing in particular. I gather that he is quite fond of her, and views her with an almost hero-worship. From his descriptions, she seems to be patient and to take care to help him learn. She has begun teaching him to fly, and she attempted to teach him how to meditate. I suspect there are many other things she has taught him as well. He believes her to be strong, intelligent, and capable. He feels safe around her, and given his background, that is quite an accomplishment. He clearly trusts her a great deal."
"I am not sure that really helps us here," Even Piel commented. "His moral compass and perceptions are likely skewed. We can't accept his testimony of her character blindly."
"Neither should we be quick to dismiss it," Plo Koon said. "This is a child who has every reason not to trust, and yet he puts his trust in this woman."
Depa hummed. "Perhaps we should table this discussion and move on to what to do with the boy. Our decision on that will affect what we do with Retrograde. If we decide not to train him, I suspect she will step into the role of guardian. She already seems to be serving that purpose to some extent."
"He is strong with the Force, that much is clear," Windu said. "But he is also far older than any youngling we have ever admitted."
"I sense much fear in him," Yoda commented.
Several other Masters murmured their agreement.
"There is fear, yes, but that is to be expected for one of his background," Depa said. "It is a fear beaten into him both literally and figuratively. He was not fortunate enough to be born in the Republic and identified by our Seekers, and he did not grow up in the shelter and security of the Temple. Fear is what he learned to stay alive. I believe with patience and training he can unlearn it, or at least learn to overcome it."
"He's dangerous," Saesee Tiin said. "I sense it as clearly as anything. The seeds of the Dark side are already there."
"I agree," Ki-Adi-Mundi said. "I do not think we should train him."
"Are there not seeds of Darkness in all of us?" Depa asked. "Perhaps fewer in our children, but we who have faced the darkness in the galaxy carry with us some Darkness in ourselves. It is our training and discipline that holds us to the Light."
Plo Koon hummed thoughtfully. "He is quite powerful. I sense potential danger too, but that does not guarantee harm. If we do not train him, who is to say the Sith won't seek him out? He is a beacon in the Force, one which will only grow brighter as he ages."
"If we do train him, who is to say he won't fall?" Ki-Adi countered. "Depa, you make the point that we all have that potential, but we are trained Masters who gained our blemishes mainly throughout our adult lives, when we could keep them from taking hold too deeply. His spots are much deeper. It is far more likely for them to fester as he grows than it would be for one of us."
Depa nodded. "I agree with you to some extent, in that such spots gained young can be harder to overcome. I know this well." She made eye contact with Mace, who knew what she was referring to. As her Master, he had guided her through her struggles about what happened to her family. "But it is not impossible. He would simply require more support than a Temple-raised youngling. We have a better chance at directing his path and preventing such a disaster as Falling if he is one of us than we do if he is set loose in the galaxy."
There was a brief moment of silence as the Masters considered both these stances on the matter, mulling over Ki-Adi and Depa's words.
"He has already had some training," Adi Gallia pointed out. "I would like to know why Padawan Retrograde thought it would be ok to train a random boy in Jedi ways. He is more dangerous half-trained than not at all."
"Is he?" Eeth Koth asked. "Or does he have a better chance at avoiding unsavory Force-users? From what we know, he has been taught a bit of shielding and a bit of meditating. Neither of these are skills specific to Jedi. Meditation in particular is popular in a number of cultures, and it is quite a healthy practice whether one is Force-sensitive or not. Shielding could help him keep himself hidden from those who would wish to exploit his powers."
Plo Koon tapped a claw against the armrest of his chair. "Regardless of whether he should have been trained to begin with, it stands that he already has some training. And I suspect that Retrograde would continue to train him if we do not. I think it would be wiser for us to train him in our ways, under our supervision, than to reject him and risk a half-training by one who has not completed her own learning."
"We could forbid her from training him," Ki-Adi-Mundi mused. "He is technically a Ward of the Order, whether or not he becomes a youngling, and as such we would be within our rights to dictate such a thing."
"But what would we do with him if we aren't going to train him?" Depa asked. "Send him to one of the Corps? Give him to one of the Coruscanti Children's Homes? Send him back to his mother? None of those are good or even plausible options."
There was another moment of silence as folks fell into their own thoughts, trying to come up with solutions to this problem.
Windu sighed heavily. "I wish Jinn had discussed his plans with us before gaining custody of a child."
A few of the Councilors hummed or grunted in agreement.
"Kenobi reported that it was Jinn's dying charge that Kenobi train Skywalker," the Korun Jedi continued after a moment. "As much as I dislike the idea, I admit that we have few options other than training the boy, and I suspect that Kenobi would be willing to go against the Council's wishes if he had to. He gave Jinn his word."
"Obi-Wan is one who has always been good on his word," Plo said fondly. "His integrity is admirable."
"And his stubbornness is as bad as Qui-Gon's," Mace said.
That earned a few huffs and knowing glances shared between the group members as images of the duo's many stubborn moments came to mind.
"We should honor Jinn's final request," Eeth Koth said after a moment. "It may be a complicated situation, but I do not think it is impossible. I am in favor of training the boy."
"How many are currently in favor of training Skywalker?" Mace asked.
Most of the hands in the room lifted.
Mace glanced at Yoda, who was one of the beings who did not raise a hand, and then glanced around the room at the others. "Is anyone still undecided as to their position on the matter?"
No hands.
"Does anyone have any additional comments to add to the discussion, or are we ready to move forward to a vote?"
When no one spoke up with additional thoughts, Mace put the proposition forward as a motion, and they took a vote.
"Motion passes," he said, though this decision had not been unanimous the way Kenobi's knighting had. "What about having Kenobi be the one to train him?"
"I normally would not support allowing someone so newly knighted to take a Padawan, especially a Padawan with such a special case," Depa commented, "but I also think we should honor Jinn's request. And from what little interaction I have seen, it seems that the boy gets along with Obi-Wan. He primarily seeks approval from Retrograde, but he takes Obi-Wan's word to be trustworthy."
"In that case, perhaps it is best if Obi-Wan trains him," Plo said. "We must not forget the length of time the two have already spent together. That foundation may make his transition easier."
A few more Masters commented on the issue, some speaking for and some against. Yoda was one of the voices against, a position to which he held firm even as some of the other Masters were swayed. When the discussion began to go in circles, the issue of whether Obi-Wan should train Anakin was put to an official vote. It was not unanimous, but there was enough of a majority in favor for it to pass.
They also decided to observe Sienna for a time before making any additional decisions (there would be plenty of time for observation and discussion on the flight back to Coruscant), and to spend a great deal of time in meditation.
From there they moved on to other relevant issues. By the time the meeting was adjourned, the Nubian sun was beginning to set, casting a warm pink glow across the room. The Council members dispersed, some to find a meal and others to oversee the funeral arrangements, with the agreement to return in one standard hour for Obi-Wan's knighting. Though he would not be able to go through the entire traditional process, such as the day of meditation, the ceremony itself would be completed as close to normal as possible. The Masters agreed that it would be better for Obi-Wan to be knighted before the funeral, and thus still be able to give Qui-Gon his Padawan braid should he so desire, than for Obi-Wan to wait a day in order to go through all the traditional steps of knighting.
Yoda was the only one who remained in the room. He sent a summons to Obi-Wan, and within ten minutes the young man had made his way to the makeshift Council chamber.
"You wished to see me, Master?" Obi-Wan asked as he straightened from his bow.
The little green Jedi hobbled closer and tapped his gimer stick gently against Obi-Wan's shins. "Kneel."
Obi-Wan sunk to one knee and folded his hands together, tilting his head curiously.
Yoda began to pace a short path across the floor, a slow back and forth in front of the Padawan. "Confer on you the level of Jedi Knight, the Council does," he began.
Obi-Wan broke into a smile.
"But"-Yoda turned sharply and rapped his stick against the floor-"agree with you taking this boy as your Padawan Learner, I do not."
"Qui-Gon believed in him," Obi-Wan said.
Yoda sighed deeply, shaking his head. "The Chosen One the boy may be. Nevertheless, grave danger I fear in his training."
The smile had disappeared from Obi-Wan's face now, replaced with a hint of tension, like a Gorgodon posturing for a fight. "Master Yoda, I gave Qui-Gon my word. I will train Anakin."
"Agh." Yoda turned back to his pacing.
"Without the approval of the Council if I must."
"Qui-Gon's defiance I sense in you," Yoda said, wrapping both clawed hands over the top of his walking stick. "Need that, you do not." He inhaled deeply, releasing some of his frustration. "Agree with you the Council does," he admitted, turning back to Obi-Wan. "Your apprentice, Skywalker will be."
Obi-Wan inclined his head.
"Hmm." Yoda sighed once more. "Dismissed, you are. In forty minutes return, and a Knight you will be."
Obi-Wan knelt in the center of a darkened room. He could feel the presences of the Council members around him, though he could not see them. Curtains had been drawn over the tall windows of the palace room, blocking out the last vestiges of light from the setting sun.
A short green blade lept forth in the darkness, quickly followed by several other blades of varying colors. Obi-Wan noted the extra space between two of them- a space Qui-Gon should have filled. The Council had left the place empty in honor of him.
The blades lowered, coming to hover even with Obi-Wan's shoulders.
"We are all Jedi. The Force speaks through us. Through our actions, the Force proclaims itself and what is real. Today we are here to acknowledge what the Force has proclaimed."
"Obi-Wan Kenobi"—Yoda moved his blade to hover over Obi-Wan's right shoulder—"by the right of the Council"—he swept the blade over Obi-Wan's head, to his left shoulder-"by the will of the Force"—the blade returned to its position over the right shoulder—"dub thee I do, Jedi, Knight of the Republic."
Normally, this would be the moment that the new Knight's former Master would step forward to sever the Padawan braid. In Qui-Gon's absence it was Yoda who took this up. He waved a hand, the Force lifting Obi-Wan's braid from his shoulder, and with an expert flick of his saber he cut the marker of apprenticeship. Obi-Wan caught the braid as Yoda released it, wrapping his fingers gingerly around the object. He then stood, took up his lightsaber, and strode silently from the room.
Knight Kenobi… that would take some getting used to. He looked down at his hand, uncurling his fingers to observe the long, thin braid resting in his palm. It was odd, to hold it like this, when for so long it had hung by his ear. He brought his left hand up and ran his fingers along it, pausing over the many beads and ties woven into the strands. He remembered the day each had been slipped on, pride shining in Qui-Gon's eyes as he awarded his apprentice with these markers of accomplishment. He remembered the day his hair had first been twisted into a stubby little braid, and he remembered the day that Qui-Gon re-braided it anew after Obi-Wan's return from Melida/Daan. Both times, there had been an air of hesitance around the Master, but as the years stretched on Obi-Wan had felt that hesitance fade. Some Masters do the initial braid and then leave its upkeep to the Padawan, but at some point Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan had made a habit of using re-braiding as a time of bonding. Whenever possible, Qui-Gon would fix the braid. After particularly long or difficult missions, the moment would serve as a reminder that they were both still here together. That they had made it through a challenge and had grown from it. That they both still served the Force.
The Master, the Apprentice, and the Force. Three strands intertwined. Only now, two were one. This was not a challenge that would end with Qui-Gon's calloused fingers twisting freshly washed strands of hair into a neat plait, slipping beads back into their proper places. Qui-Gon and the Force were now one.
Obi-Wan took a deep breath and closed his fist over the braid once more.
Later that evening, when the funeral pyre was set, Obi-Wan gently placed the braid beneath one of Qui-Gon's unmoving hands.
Thank you, Master. For everything.
A/N: Hello everyone! Thank you for your patience during my winter hiatus. :) I had a nice break, and now we're back!
I am planning on bi-weekly updates until I have replenished my stash of future chapters. Normally, I like to have two more chapters written every time I post one. That gives me some flexibility for when I have busy weeks without time to write. I currently only have the immediate next chapter written and then some rough drafts of farther future chapters, so I need to take the time to fill in the middle area between them.
I post news about this fic on my tumblr. It can be found at thefirstruleoftimetravel. There, I post updates about when there will be a hiatus, along with some fun stuff like art of the ocs in this fic. :)
I'd like to take a moment and say a big thank you to everyone who has reviewed! All your thoughts mean so much to me. I've decided I'm going to go through and start replying to all those reviews, so don't be too startled when you get an inbox notification in the near future. :)
And, to my guest reviewers I can't pm:
L: Ahhh thank you so much! I'm so glad my story has been able to make you laugh. The swamp scene was one of my favorites to write. :) It's great to hear that you find the characters to be well written, and that you're enjoying Sienna. Is she going to end up causing a rip in space and time? We shall see. ;)
Amelia: Hello there! Thank you for commenting. 3 I'm so glad you're enjoying the story!
Guest who asked about a Yoda & Tulca-Noen scene: Hmmm I actually hadn't thought about that. But, now I'm thinking about it, so perhaps! If I don't end up including one in this story, I am planning to post a collection of oneshots/short stories with the other characters in Sienna's Jedi Order
