Achieving a clear mind was struggle for Callera, her best meditation techniques unavailable in the tight corridors of the crowded ship, so she roams the corridors in a steady rhythm in time to her breathing.
"I think even Anakin can sense your distress Callera." Qui-Gon's firm steady voice snaps her out of her reverie.
Callera nods as she takes a deep breath. "I know I'm doing a fairly poor job of knowing peace right now."
"Even without what brought you to us. The events on Tatooine weight heavily on you."
"Yeah. Putting myself on the line in two different ways over two days, how quickly Anakin seems to have taken to me, and just feeling like a stranger in a familiar land in general."
"You spent time on Tatooine before?"
"Yeah, we used it for a sting operation against Vong sympathizers. Claimed it was part of a 'Great River' for Jedi and other Force Sensitives trying to escape the Vong's ultimatum to hand over all 'Jeedai' or their assault would continue. A small group of smugglers and mercenaries who were sympathetic to the Jedi, myself, and Master Kataarn pretended we were a small waystation on the 'River' for a month. Caught a small but important capture crew of theirs before I had to go back to the real refugee camps." Callera's eyes go misty as she finishes, pain and regret washing over her.
"And that camp led to what I saw when you let me in your mind."
Shaking her head in acknowledgement, "When Mirax Horn dropped me off at one of the refugee camps on Dantooine. I fell in with Davos, an ex-military doctor, and his nursing staff. While I had decent training as a combat medic, they taught me so much more. Especially how to calm and work with distressed refugees. When the Vong made landfall, I stayed behind to work with my fellow Jedi and the rearguard Republic military units to buy time for the refugees to evacuate. I thought that was the last time I'd work with Davos, but he reached out to me while I was on Tatooine and asked me to help him because he had a major staffing shortage."
"So you went?"
"I did…and then the 'Peace Brigade' came. Gassed the clinic to try and knock me out, but all it did was send the patient I was seeing into shock and paralysis. When I rushed the young Bothan outside for air, they started shooting. Davos, the nurses, refugees; all fell to their blaster fire." Callera's words hollow. "I'd left my lightsaber in my desk in the staff office because I wanted the refugees to focus on the fact I was a nurse, not a Jedi."
Qui-Gon stands by eyes shining with empathy.
"For the first time, I manifested my blades in hate and anger. I cut down every Peace Brigade member; armed, unarmed, resisting, surrendering. It didn't matter. They'd killed innocents and people to get to me and they…had…to…pay!" The last words hissed out through clenched teeth, memories fresh.
"Breath Callera, they are not here." Qui-Gon's calming voice.
Callera nods and starts breathing harshly through her nose. A few minutes pass and the tension slowly leaves her shaking form. Looking at him with tired pleading eyes, "And this is a person you'd consider to teach a young impressionable boy?"
"Yes, I would." His calm reassuring voice startling Callera with its sincerity. "You regret those actions and you strive to not repeat them. But you are also right in that you are not ready to teach at this moment. When we talk to the Council, I will be petitioning them to let Obi-Wan take his trials and to take Anakin as my apprentice. If they grant that; I will want your help with the boy. I agree that the Order needs to change, and helping me with Anakin will provide a template for others."
"And if they don't agree, Master Qui-Gon?"
"I'll petition for them to take Anakin as an initiate, to spend time with younglings of his age, and for you to work with his generation of younglings under Master Yoda's eyes."
"So then when he is between twelve and fourteen, a case can be made for me to take him as a Padawan."
"Correct. Time for you to heal and help the Order at the same time."
"With all the chaos that is about to occur because of me, will it be responsible of me to be hiding in the Temple while everyone else deals with the fallout."
He nods in concession to her point. "Maybe working with the Younglings when you are at the Temple, in between tasks to help settle the galaxy at the very least."
"Do you think the Council will go for it?"
"They'll want to get to know you and get a measure of you at the very least."
"So probably a rotation of minders while we are there, and they debate both my fate and Anakin's?"
"Think of it this way, it will make Sidious or Maul think twice of coming after you directly if you are always in the presence of a Council member."
Callera's rueful chuckle is all the answer Qui-Gon needs.
"Umm…Master Qui-Gon, Callera. Apologies for the intrusion, do the two of you have a moment to talk?" Padme's voice hesitant from further down the corridor.
Callera turns to face her and waves her over. "Of course. Our issues can wait, your Queen's crisis is a more immediate concern."
Tilting her head in thanks, she approaches the duo. "Threepio and Artoo are still compiling all they can, but I'm afraid it might not be enough. I know you said the Senate itself was useless Callera, but what if we called for 'no confidence in it's leadership' to try and force it to be more reactive?"
"That's probably the worst thing you could do Padme. All that will do is bog things down even more as politicians then focus on who's going to get the top spot." Callera's vehemence startling the young queen.
"Chancellor Vellorum has been one of your staunchest supporters. He did everything he could to find a loophole to send me and my Padawan to try and negotiate with the Federation." Qui-Gon's follow up center's the young woman's frustration.
"Lot of good that did." Padme bites out.
"We know you're frustrated Padme," Callera's words cause the young woman to wearily nod, "and we're going to keep working on finding ways to kick the Trade Federations tin can's off-world with the fewest casualties possible for your people. I know what it's like to want an immediate solution to a problem, we all do. At the same time snapping at the people trying to help does nothing but frustrate everyone."
"Why did you want the tax laws that apply to the Federation?"
"Audits."
Qui-Gon's eyebrows raise in appreciation.
"What can an audit do?" Padme's confusion evident.
"The Trade Federation is doing this because they claim that the Republic made their tax burden too onerous. So if a commission is appointed to 'determine' the truth, you can sic the Treasury Audit Division on them, with the authority to freeze their assets while they determine all the irregularities."
Padme's eyes go wide.
"Never mess with Tax Collectors because they can do more than imprison or kill you, they can destroy you, your family, your business, and reputation with just a single word. Audit."
"If assets are frozen, its harder for them to maintain the blockade because they will not have the resources to do so."
"What if they deny the blockade?"
"That's what the sensor data and the minister's message is for. Also then you can drop accusations that if it's not them, then pirates have managed to get their hands on capital ships and ask for immediate Judicial Forces intervention."
"If they then acknowledge the blockade?"
"It's illegal and you demand Jedi and Judicial Forces intervention. While a Senate 'blessing' can speed things up, either position taken means you can go to the Judicial Forces to take up a role in your system/ Against an illegal blockade or against incredibly geared pirates."
"But none of those are fast solutions! My people are dying now!"
"And more of your people might die if you try a more military approach." Callera's words firm as she stares down the hurting queen. You don't have the arms to go toe to toe with the Federation, even if you manage to ally with the Gungans you'll be outnumbered. You might be throwing more lives way with a direct approach at this time." Callera pauses to let Padme absorb her words.
"Yes you could get lucky and end things quicker if you managed to disrupt the droid network from the capital ship side of things, but with what's available right now the odds of that are unlikely."
"So I should just accept that my people are dying and I am powerless to stop it?"
"No. Not at all. I'm saying look at what's available to you and run as many of those paths to the ground. If a better opportunity comes up to cut off the head of the serpent, I'd even be encouraging it! But with what's available, let's work with the most likely paths of success first. You haven't given in and you are not powerless Padme, you are going to be applying pressure to many of the Federation's pressure points like this. That is powerful and will help your people."
"It can be difficult to be patient in the face of suffering your Highness," Qui-Gon adds to the conversation, "but remember you are not doing 'nothing' as your people are suffering. You are going to plead to the Senate for action and if you follow Callera's advice; you'll be setting many parts of the Republic bureaucracy against the Trade Federation. You will be fighting for your people, never forget that."