Part 24: Confessions, Promotions.
"Masters," Obi-Wan bowed gracefully before the two Councillors after he entered their meeting room. Yoda was upon his usual chair, while Mace was standing before one of the large plasteel windows, which displayed views of the capital. The Korun Master ushered him to join his stance.
"Where is your apprentice?" he asked.
"Undergoing the first of his physical therapy sessions," Obi-Wan replied. "He's anxious to return to active duty, but I would rather he had some leave in light of his mother's death."
"Granted that will be," Yoda decided. "But not for long. The shroud of the dark side has fallen. Begun, the Clone War has."
Obi-Wan bowed his head. "The information Senator Amidala and I discovered on Kamino serves to darken that war even further."
"We read your report," Mace informed him, turning from the plasteel. "It is troubling that someone has planned our demise. The Order's numbers have been diminishing too much of late, and the battle on Geonosis has only worsened matters."
"Plan for such a future, we must," Yoda proposed. "Small the Order has become, despite Master Qui-Gon's efforts. Too many Jedi we have lost."
"Is Skywalker ready for the Trials?" Mace asked Obi-Wan.
"There is little else that Qui-Gon and I can teach him," he answered carefully, knowing that the Masters had asked him here to ensure he had no objection when the motion was declared before a full Council session. "Anakin believes that he is ready. I see no reason to hold him back from realising his dream, other than what happened on Tatooine."
"Powerful wave of darkness he endured," Yoda murmured. "Regret he does now. Amends he wishes to make. Jedi he will be, too soon or no."
"Many Padawans will realise the Trials sooner than we would wish because of yesterday," Mace remarked, understanding Obi-Wan's doubts.
"Vital to the future Skywalker is," Yoda murmured. "As are you, Master Obi-Wan. Join the Council you will."
Obi-Wan gasped, surprised at the unlooked for offer. "Masters, I am honoured, but are you sure? I know that I haven't been the conventional Jedi..."
"Agreed a long time ago this was," Yoda interrupted. "A great Jedi you will become. Foreseen it I have. Strong runs the Force in your family."
"Speaking of family," Obi-Wan turned to face both of them. "I have asked Senator Amidala to marry me, and she has accepted. I now seek the Council's blessing."
"Granted, Master Obi-Wan," Yoda uttered with a grin, and Mace broke into a rare smile too before adding his consent with a nod. "Only the second Councillor to form an attachment. Make sure you are not the last, we must."
"When do you plan to have the ceremony?" Mace asked him.
"Very soon," Obi-Wan replied. "I hope to escort Padmé back to Naboo, and we will marry then. Of course, if the Order needs me, we will delay."
"Leave you may have," Yoda informed him. "But expect a long one you must not."
"I don't, Master," Obi-Wan assured him. "We are prepared for that eventuality."
"Talk with Senator Amidala we must," Yoda added. "The help of our friends in the Senate we will need regarding Kamino."
"Do not ask her to come to the Temple," Mace said, picking up from where Yoda left off. "We must be discreet in our actions for now." He waited for Obi-Wan to incline his head in acknowledgement before continuing. "When will you break the news to Anakin?"
"I mean to visit him after this meeting," Obi-Wan answered. "It is not a task I relish, but it must be done. Hopefully the news of his Trials will console him."
"Make sure he is fully prepared for them, Obi-Wan," Mace remarked. "Much of his performance within them will have an impact on his future with the Order."
Obi-Wan wondered at Mace's words as he left the Council Chamber, the meaning behind them troubling him, as he took the turbolift to the grand entrance hall before crossing that large expanse in quest of the Healers ward. Located in a relatively isolated spot of the temple, the ward possessed similar rooms to the rest of building, but with a security system which almost rivalled that placed around the crechling centre, in order to protect those patients within, and the Jedi without, from the emotional and sometimes mental and or physical trauma the former endured to bring them to that part of the ancient building.
After stepping through the small Ysalamiri barrier which created a thin Force resistant bubble between the ward and the rest of the Temple, Obi-Wan headed for the physical therapy rooms. Laid out like training salles, they were designed to aid members of the Jedi who lost their limbs in their service to the Republic, to deal with or without the replacement they were given during surgery.
His Padawan was one of the first to be given the new robotic style of replacement limbs, and from what Obi-Wan could sense, Anakin was already learning not only how to use the arm, but to tinker with it as well. He held no doubt that his apprentice's knowledge of machines probably rivalled that of the designers of the arm, but Obi-Wan was concerned as to how Anakin felt about the arm, how it would affect the rest of his life in the Order. As he came upon the salle where Anakin was training, he could see the youth practising Katas, adjusting to the additional weight of the arm both with his body and within the Force.
"Master," he cried, coming to a complete halt the moment he sensed Obi-Wan's arrival, closing his lightsaber down.
Faced with such enthusiasm, Obi-Wan hated to cause distress. But he could not afford to delay the matter any longer, as he and Padmé would leave for Naboo after the Senate declared a recess tomorrow afternoon. "I am pleased to see you coping so well, Anakin. How does the arm feel?"
"It feels good," Anakin replied, his face sobering a little. "A lesson to my impulsiveness. I shall heed to your plan next time."
Obi-Wan nodded, somewhat surprised by this show of maturity. "I have some news for you. The Council has asked me to prepare you for your trials after our leave is up."
Anakin was stunned, but only for a moment, whereupon a grin lit up his face that rivalled the one he displayed during his victory on Boota Eve. "I knew it. I knew I would be one of the youngest knights the Order has produced."
Obi-Wan frowned at the reply, but let it pass in view of what else he had to tell him. "There is more I have to tell you. Master Yoda and Master Windu have conferred a place on the Council upon me."
He was not sure how Anakin would take this piece of news, but his pupil did smile and reply positively. "I glad, Master. There is no one who deserves such an honour more. Is that all you have to tell me?"
"No, there is one more piece of news." Obi-Wan took a deep breath. "Padmé and I are getting married."
In an instant, the gladness was gone, replaced by white hot anger, mixed with a dose of incredulity. So powerful were these feelings apparent in the Force, that Obi-Wan almost stumbled under the strength of their wave.
"What?" was the first verbal response, a word said with such harshness of tone that his Master visibly flinched. "When did this happen?" he finally asked, the struggle evident in his voice. "How long have you kept this from me?"
"We've been discreet," Obi-Wan corrected gently. "The nature of our relationship was apparent, if you chose to look. We both knew how difficult this would be for you."
"I'm sure you did," Anakin scoffed.
"Anakin," Obi-Wan admonished mildly. "You know Padmé and I have been friends for a long time. You were present at the beginning and end of every field mission, where I asked for privacy while I sent a comm to her. I never hid the her identity, nor how I feel about her. We realised this affection between us ten years ago, in Mos Espa. But we held back because of our responsibilities. Now with the Clone War upon us, we realised that we can afford to wait no longer without presuming our future." He took another breath. "I know this will be difficult for you to come to terms with, but you must."
"Must I!" Anakin countered. "Who are you to dictate my emotions!"
"I am your Master," Obi-Wan replied. "And I hope, your friend. Anakin, we are worried about you. So is the Council. The state of your emotions, your inability to keep them disciplined, this is what holds you back from becoming a great Jedi. What has kept Qui-Gon and myself from declaring that you were ready for your trials earlier. You have to learn to let go of everything you are afraid to loose."
"This, coming from you," Anakin uttered. "You hypocrite. By attaching yourself to her, you're breaking the Code."
"I am not," Obi-Wan said calmly. "Attachment is forbidden, possession is forbidden. But how can you love someone and possess them? Or be attached to them? To truly love someone, is to learn to let them follow their own path, at the expense of your selfish desires. That is the foundation of every union, whoever you choose to be. I love Padmé, but if she chose not to return that affection, I would let her go, just as she would me if the situation were reversed. When she fell from the gunship on Geonosis, I knew she would be alright, I could sense such an outcome in the Force. I also knew that I should continue with doing my duty, as she would have if I had fallen. The Order does not teach us to ignore emotion, or to isolate ourselves from our feelings, but to accept them, then let them go."
Anakin drew in a breath, then abruptly seemed to calm down. "Can I go and see her? Talk to her about this?"
"Of course, you don't need to ask my permission," Obi-Wan replied. "She's in her apartment, packing for our departure."
His apprentice nodded, then walked past him silently, exiting the training salle without another word, though the state of his feelings within the Force was quite eloquent. Obi-Wan sighed as he stared after him, a mixture of emotions clouding his own mind, none of them worth dwelling upon. Closing his eyes, he sent a message to Padmé, hoping to warn her of her forthcoming visitor, and the mood he was likely to be in. When Anakin disappeared out of his sight, he left the room and went to see another patient in the healer's ward.
"Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon greeted, smiling as his former apprentice entered the room. "I was just about to return to our quarters. How are you?"
"I am well, thank you, Master," Obi-Wan replied, habit and affection keeping him from addressing his former mentor by his name. "It won't be our quarters for much longer, I'm afraid. Padmé and I are getting married."
Qui-Gon's smile grew larger before he briefly embraced his former padawan. "My congratulations, Obi-Wan. It is about time. When is to be the ceremony?"
"Not long after the Senate goes into recess," Obi-Wan replied. "I've just been to tell Anakin, who did not take the news well. Nor did I expect him to."
"Give him time, padawan mine," Qui-Gon advised. "He will come to terms with your relationship eventually."
"I will," Obi-Wan promised. "How are you? Did the healers give you any indication as to when your next stasis will be?"
"In a few months," Qui-Gon shrugged, brushing the concern aside, his usual resolve to protect his protégé, which always caused Obi-Wan to worry even more. "Come. Walk with me and tell me what else I have missed."
Padmé received a general idea of Obi-Wan's message, her sensitivity in the Force no longer heightened by danger or anxiety, but it was enough to understand who was coming, and prepare herself for his arrival. She too, had been about delivering the news of her forthcoming nuptials, first to her sister Sola over the comm, then to her staff, before preparing for her return to Naboo, and writing the general announcement for the HoloNet. Her sister, handmaidens and security officers had taken the news extremely well, the former managing to make her blush as they teased her concerning the signs of affection which they noticed, and her usual dismissive response, out of a care for being discreet.
Now all need for discretion was to be lost, for when the announcement was put on the HoloNet, the Republic would descend into a frenzy, translating the wedding into the romantic story of the age, a media circus she hoped to escape the worse of, while she and Obi-Wan celebrated their wedding in Varykino.
When Dormé gave her notice of Anakin's arrival, she was in the middle of examining the latest news from the Senate, exclaiming at Jar Jar's actions in her absence. She respected Palpatine, both as her former Senator and Chancellor, but she had no desire to grant him executive powers, especially in light of the information she and Obi-Wan discovered on Kamino. But the reports now associated her opinions with her representative, giving the motion an unlooked for and potentially alarming show of support.
"Anakin, how are you?" she asked him, taking care not to glance at his new arm. Curiosity and compassion were equal in her thoughts, along with a slight feeling of guilt that she had not arrived sooner with her reinforcements, perhaps being able to prevent this injury.
"Why didn't you tell me you were in love with him?" He thundered back at her, his volume and tone causing her handmaiden to flinch.
Padmé turned to her friend and attendant. "Dormé, could you go and oversee the packing, please?"
"Of course, milady," Dormé replied before leaving the room. Padmé waited for the doors to her bedroom to close before she turned to reply to Anakin. "Lower your voice, please, Ani. I didn't tell you, because I knew it would provoke this reaction."
He seemed to recoil at her calm response, falling into the sofa across from her. His whole posture appeared suddenly exhausted, as if he were struggling to bear the weight of the universe. "It is true then," he murmured, his hands coming to travel over his face and through his hair. "You will marry him."
"Ani," Padmé uttered gently. "I am so sorry. We knew this news would sadden you. It is why Obi-Wan and I took such pains to be discreet over the years."
He nodded, even while his mind still rebelled. "All that time after Naboo, I dreamt of you. Of living there, married to you, shut off from everything but our love. How did I not notice you and he right under my nose?"
"Your dreams can deceive you," Padmé remarked, even though his question was rhetorical. "I hope someday, you can come to terms with this, Ani. Both Obi-Wan and I will understand however if you do not wish to come to the wedding."
He moved his hands from his face to look at her, appearing somewhat composed. "When will that be?" He smiled. "I must apologise to my Master. I was too busy yelling at him to ask and offer my congratulations."
"I'm sure he understands," Padmé replied. "As for the wedding, it is too be on Naboo, as soon as possible. With the war, the Senate will not be in recess for long, and Obi-Wan will be called to the field, I imagine."
"He might not be," Anakin mused. "But I'll let him tell you that piece of news. As for me, after my leave I will take the Trials."
Padmé was shocked, but she managed to conceal it with her usual poise. "I'm glad, it is what you always wanted. But forgive me, do not Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon need to know what happened on Tatooine?"
Anakin sobered. "I will tell them, but after their leave is up. I have learned my lesson, Padmé, and I do deeply regret my actions after my mother..." he swallowed a sob, "passed away. But I will become a Jedi. I know this as well as I know my own soul."
"I'm sure you will," Padmé replied, resolving to ask her affianced about the matter when he visited her as promised later. "So, what do you intend to do with your leave?"
As the orbital mirrors rotated to allow the skies of Coruscant to gradually darken into night, the Senator from Naboo was still entertaining, her social obligations a necessary course to endure before she could justifiably leave for her home world. Various Senators commed her, with a multitude of messages, most of them invites for the numerous social events and gatherings which had been arranged as part of the political junket to occur while the Senate was in recess. Padmé pleaded her excuses to all of them, gratified that her nuptials would prevent her from attending them, for it was while she was present that her disgust for politicians would evolve on a par to rival Obi-Wan's.
When that Master of the Jedi finally arrived at her apartment, she was talking with Bail Organa, the Senator from Alderaan. Since her inception to the political arena, Bail had become a very close friend and ally, his views and stance in the Republic resembling her own, along with a character she could respect and admire for remaining unsullied by scurrilous corruption or petty self interest.
He broke into a smile as the Jedi entered the room unannounced, talking with a beaming and blushing Dormé, who, like all of her handmaidens and household staff, had fallen under the charm of the man that was soon to be the husband of her mistress. "Obi-Wan, I hear congratulations are in order."
"Thank you, Bail," Obi-Wan returned, shaking the Senator's hand, for along with Padmé and Senators Mon Mothma and Garm Bel Iblis, Bail was one of the few politicians he respected, and considered a friend, both to the Republic and to himself. "I hope you will be able to attend the wedding?"
"As I was about to inform Padmé, it depends if Breha is up to travelling." He smiled, but his face was now etched with concern for his wife's welbeing. "She and I have the fortune to be expecting again."
Obi-Wan regripped Bail's hand in compassion and support. "I hope things go well for you, old friend, this time." He knew the couple had experienced many losses, news kept from the public eye, as the Senator had no desire for sympathy votes, or unnecessary attention focused on himself and his beloved wife.
"We trust in the Force," Bail replied. "I'll let the two of you be alone now." he moved to exit the apartment.
"Bail, when you have the time, there are some friends from the old folks home who wish to speak to you, and others," Obi-Wan remarked.
The Alderaan Senator nodded. "I shall make myself free, have no fear of that. Goodnight both of you."
Padmé rose from her seat after the doors closed, Dormé leaving the couple alone to show Bail out. She made her way to Obi-Wan's side, eagerly accepting his embrace. "I have missed you, my love."
Obi-Wan kissed her hair. "And I you." He ushered her back to the sofa. "Did Anakin come and see you?"
She nodded, leaning into him as they sat down. "He took the news from me slightly better than I gather he took it from you. He also told me that he is to take his Trials."
"Yes." Obi-Wan paused, considering the conversation he had with Qui-Gon on the subject. "He hasn't told either of us what happened on Tatooine, but Master Yoda was clear that he must become a Knight. Even though he felt the wave of darkness Anakin experienced on Tatooine, as did Qui-Gon, during meditation."
"He added that you had some news too," Padmé continued. "Does it concern our wedding?"
"No, though both Mace and Yoda readily gave their blessing," he replied, dealing another kiss, this time to her lips. "They offered me a seat on the Council."
Padmé looked up at him with an overjoyed smile. "That is excellent news. I am so happy for you. Will this alter your leave?"
"I'm uncertain," he replied. "Yoda did warn me that it would not be long. But Qui-Gon told me once not be mindful of the future at the expense of the present. We must learn to savour the moment, Padmé, before the Republic enters the battlefield."
"Savour the moment?" Padmé mused with a small teasing smile. Abruptly she rose up from her seat beside him to cross the room.
"Where are you going?" Obi-Wan asked.
"To dismiss Dormé and others for the night," Padmé replied, standing before the entrance to her bedroom. "We have some moments to savour."
Obi-Wan smiled and followed her in.