Chapter 16 The Matter of Ferri Cortis
Anakin gripped the back of his chair and took a deep breath, "I would like to take Ferri as my Padawan Learner." He answered.
For several moments, the Council Chamber was so quiet not even the rustle of a robe was heard as the impact of Anakin's request sank in, "You cannot be serious." Shaak Ti said, breaking the silence.
"I assure you, Master Ti; I am completely serious." Anakin replied.
Obi-Wan stroked his beard and eyed his former Padawan with amusement.
"I suggest we table this debate and come back to the business we came together to discuss." Mace interjected and then, sensing Anakin was about to protest, added, "Rest assured, we will not close this meeting until the matter is settled, Anakin. Could you take your seat now, please?"
Anakin nodded, realizing that Mace was considering his state of health in that last request.
"Have the attention of the Council, you do, Master Windu." Yoda said once Anakin was seated.
"Thank you, Master Yoda; I would like to call into question Master Kenobi's decisions these past few days." Mace began.
"Yes, even though we have recognized our error, he was still in defiance when he chose to act without further consulting his fellow Council members." Stass Allie expanded.
"I am not referring to his choice to defy the Council's ruling concerning Ferri." Mace replied.
"Then what are you referring to?" Quinlan Vos asked.
"Master Kenobi was informed by the Chancellor before he left for Mustafar that the Council had reversed it's ruling in favor of his proposal; he had the backing and blessing of the Council, and yet he still chose to leave for Mustafar without assistance, risking not only his own life, but the lives of two younger Jedi as well." Mace answered.
"Begging your pardon, Master Windu; but only my Padawan accompanied me to Mustafar." Obi-Wan replied.
"That is true, but young Cortis found his way to Mustafar in the company of Padme Skywalker and her family; and they traveled there because that is where the boy told us you were going." Mace argued.
"I told Ferri to return to the Temple; I did not tell him to bring Padme to Mustafar." Obi-Wan countered.
"Do you not think it would have been more prudent to wait until we all went together?" Mace asked.
"Remind you I must, Master Windu, that permit Lady Skywalker to go we did not." Yoda corrected, enforcing his statement by pounding his gimmer stick on the floor.
"That is true, but Ferri would have been in the company of all of us if Master Kenobi had waited." Mace suggested.
"He would…hmmm? Certain of this are you? Or order him to stay behind would we, hmm?" Yoda questioned.
"What difference would that have made?" Mace asked.
"Then accompany Padme Skywalker he would have still." Yoda suggested.
"But we would have already been there ahead of them." Mace replied.
"I am wondering what the appearance of all of you at once would have done to Master Skywalker's already confused mind." Master Vos interjected, "Might it not have overloaded him completely?"
Mace was silent as he considered this possibility.
"What think you of this, Anakin?" Yoda asked and then pointed his stick at him, "Your mind it is we are discussing."
Anakin had to smile, "I probably would have thought they were coming to kill me; I was already halfway to believing that's why Ferri was there. But I suppose it would have been possible for all of them to have come together if they had not all appeared at the same time." He answered, "Sorry, Obi-Wan."
"It's alright, Anakin; but answer this, how long would you have remained on Mustafar had we not come when we did?" Obi-Wan asked.
Anakin cleared his throat, "Probably not very long." He admitted.
"So you are saying that had you waited for us, you believe Anakin would have already gone somewhere else?" Mace asked.
"I think that was a very good possibility, yes; Ferri told us he was looking for Palpatine among the Separatists. When he realized Palpatine was not there, he would have gone elsewhere to look for him. We really don't know how long it would take for his mind to be permanently affected; it is possible that by the time we found him again, it would be too late." Obi-Wan explained.
"So now we are back to the Council's original decision not to enlist Ferri's help, forcing Master Kenobi to defy the Council and conceal his intentions." Ki-Adi Mundi surmised.
"Yes, which brings us to the matter of Master Kenobi's defiance; regardless of whether the ruling was correct or not." Plo Koon added.
"That is true; we cannot dismiss a Council decision simply because we do not agree with it." Stass Allie concurred.
"Master Kenobi, what say you?" Yoda asked.
Obi-Wan sighed, "I cannot deny that I deliberately disregarded the Council's ruling; but I still stand my decision." He answered, "I feel I was listening to the voice of the Force and following its will. There are times when the Council's voice and that of the Force are not in agreement; I believe this was one of those times."
"And do also believe that you set a good example to the rest of the Order when you do not uphold the Council's voice?" Stass Allie asked.
"I believe following the will of the Force sets a better example; perhaps the Council believes it is time for me to step down then." He answered.
"No one is asking you to step down, Obi-Wan; we only wish to remind you that you are a prominent member of this Council, and as such, it is important for you to uphold the decisions it makes." Mace countered.
"You must understand that I did not make the decision to disobey the Council lightly; but I believe it was the only path I could take to bring Anakin back to us. If I have erred in your eyes, then so be it; but I stand by that decision." Obi-Wan replied.
"So you do not believe you did anything wrong?" Adi Gallia asked.
"Would the Council rather have lost its Chosen One?" Obi-Wan asked, "Because we would not have found Anakin without Ferri's help."
"Then you should have met with the Council again to restate your position." Plo Koon told him.
Obi-Wan sighed in frustration and shook his head, "We were running out of time; and, as I recall, when I met with you after the Council session, Master Koon, your position had not changed. What good would it have done to bring it before the Council again?" He asked.
For several moments, there was no response, "Master Kenobi's point is well taken; and again, we must look to ourselves to see the error here. Had the Council made the correct choice from the start, we would not be having this discussion; perhaps in the future, we should be more careful in examining all input before deciding on a course of action as important as this last one." Ki-Adi Mundi finally suggested, "Then there would be no reason to act against the ruling of the Council."
"Wise words you have given us, Master Mundi." Yoda said and then looked at Mace, "Finished this matter is, hmm?"
"Yes, I believe so." Mace replied with a nod and then produced a rare smile, "However, none of this would have been necessary had Master Skywalker been more vigilant before crossing the roadway; the report states that several witnesses saw you step off the walkway without even looking."
"I don't remember doing that." Anakin told them sheepishly.
"No, I am sure you do not. In the future, please be more cautious; next time we may not be so lucky." Mace answered, "Now to the matter of Ferri Cortis."
Anakin took a deep breath and let it out slowly, "Thank you, Master Windu." He said.
"The decision to remove Ferri Cortis from Knighthood training was carefully deliberated; now you are saying that we should disregard it?" Ki-Adi Mundi asked to begin the discussion.
Anakin's answer did not come immediately as he chose his words carefully before speaking, "No, Master Mundi, that decision was made based on Ferri's behavior and state of mind; at that time, there was no other choice. But Ferri is not the same boy who came before you a month ago." He explained.
"Do not be offended, Master Skywalker, but the training of an apprentice entails a commitment of time and dedication; as a man with a family, it would be a difficult challenge for you to take on any apprentice, let alone this troubled boy. What makes you think you are up to such a daunting task?" Eeth Koth questioned.
"I don't think having a family will interfere; I have committed much of my time to counseling Ferri already, and I believe that is the more daunting task." Anakin countered.
"You said that you do not believe Ferri is the same boy who stood before us; what reasons can you give for this belief?" Ki-Adi Mundi asked.
"Well, I think his actions on Mustafar speak for themselves and his past misdeeds stemmed from his insecurity; since I now know the cause of that, I can help him resolve it." Anakin explained.
"How much time do we have to decide this?" Stass Allie asked.
"I don't know for certain; but I do know that Lexi intends to approach the Council to petition for Ferri's release back into their custody." Anakin answered, "If that happens, it would be too late, wouldn't it?"
"Yes; once the Jedi relinquishes its custody back to his parents, any decision made regarding his future as a Jedi would be moot." Mace confirmed.
"I know that I'm asking a great deal from the Council; but I have never been more certain that this is the right thing to do." Anakin stated.
"I have to agree with Anakin on this." Obi-Wan said; speaking out for the first time since the discussion started.
"Why would that be, Master Kenobi?" Quinlan Vos asked.
"Not only did Ferri act bravely on Mustafar, but he never wavered in his search for Anakin beforehand. He is a Jedi at heart; with Anakin's help, I think he can make a good Knight." Obi-Wan answered.
"I agree." Yoda said, "Good for Master Skywalker this would be as well."
Anakin could not help but smile as he sensed the opposition to Ferri's apprenticeship faltering, "Then the boy should be given a second chance?" Eeth Koth wondered.
"Not so much a second chance as a new start." Mace corrected, "I was with him on Mustafar; Anakin is right, he is not the same boy."
"So our choice is to either lose this boy altogether or reinstate his rank? Would it not be better to just let him go?" Quinlan Vos questioned.
"A promising Knight young Cortis was at one time; no reason can I see why a promising Knight he cannot be once again. Worked with this boy, Anakin and I have; his mind and his heart I know well. Dismissed my counsel once you have and a mistake it was; dismiss it again would you?" Yoda asked.
Several pair of eyes suddenly found the floor interesting, and Anakin breathed a sigh of relief sensing that the discussion had come to a favorable conclusion.
"Well, I believe we are finished here then." Mace announced, "Anakin, it appears you have your Padawan Learner."
Anakin nodded, "Yes, it appears I do; thank you, Master Windu." He replied.
"When he is fit, you will bring him before the Council." Mace said and then stood up.
"I will inform the Council when he is ready." Anakin promised as he rose along with the other Council members with the exception of Yoda.
"Stay behind you must, Anakin." The venerable master instructed, "Master Kenobi, speak with you as well I would."
When the Chamber was cleared and only the three remained, Yoda turned to Anakin, "Doubting yourself you are." He said.
"No, I don't think so." Anakin answered, unsure of what Yoda was talking about.
"Yes, you think Darkness in your soul remains." Yoda replied.
"No, I don't think it does, I know." Anakin corrected as he looked down at the floor.
"Why think that do you?" Yoda asked.
Anakin raised his eyes and looked at him, "After what I've done over the past few days, you have to ask why?" He exclaimed.
Yoda sighed and shook his head, "Understand do you, what happened?" He asked.
"What's to understand? Darth Vader took over; that must mean he's part of me." Anakin answered.
"Oh, Anakin, do you honestly believe that?" Obi-Wan asked.
"Yes; there is no other explanation." Anakin said.
"So sure of that are you?" Yoda wondered.
Anakin huffed and stood up, "You tell me." He replied and began to pace.
"What did you talk to Padme about during lunch?" Obi-Wan asked.
"I don't know; little stuff, the children, Ferri…I don't remember." Anakin answered impatiently, "What difference does it make?"
"It just might, Anakin; think." Obi-Wan urged.
Anakin flopped down into the nearest seat and put his head in his hands, "Alright, alright, let me think….Padme was talking about how much better everything was since Bail was elected Chancellor." He began.
"Now we're getting somewhere, keep going." Obi-Wan said encouragingly.
"Well, naturally we started talking about Palpatine and how good he was at manipulating the truth." Anakin continued.
"And you don't think that possibly that might just have been what you were thinking about when you stepped out onto the roadway?" Obi-Wan asked.
"Maybe, but what does that have to do with anything?" Anakin asked.
"Everything; about turning, your nightmares were. Because of who, Anakin…hmm?" Yoda asked.
"Well, Palpatine, but I still don't see what that has to do with becoming Vader." Anakin answered.
Obi-Wan sighed, "If you were thinking about Palpatine, then likelier than not you were also thinking about what he tried to do; and if that was running through your mind when you were hit, don't you think that could have had something to do with your transition into Vader?" He replied.
"I don't know…it's possible, I guess." Anakin said, shaking his head.
"Sit down and meditate with me and we can find out together." Obi-Wan suggested.
"That's too easy." Anakin answered skeptically.
"Obviously not for you." Obi-Wan told him, "Or maybe you actually like the thought of Vader lurking down at the bottom of your soul."
Anakin glared at, "You know that's not true." He retorted.
"Fear I sense in you, Anakin." Yoda observed.
"What are you afraid of, my brother?" Obi-Wan asked, already knowing the answer.
"The truth." Anakin admitted.
Obi-Wan moved to a seat next to Anakin and smiled at him, "Then let us face the truth together, no matter what it is." He said.
"Settle this you must before taking on your apprentice, Anakin." Yoda advised.
Anakin regarded the old master for a moment before turning to face his brother; their eyes met and he nodded, "Yes, I know; I have to discover the truth, for all us." He decided.