Previously: For those of you who are not familiar with Old Alderaanian, the prophecy says: A time will come when the ground will shake, and the masters will fear. The skies will weep, and the water will flow. And the denizens of the desert will–"
"Know they are free once more," finished Percy.
Interlude XV – Annabeth
"Know of this prophecy before, did you?" Yoda asked.
After she recovered from her surprise, Annabeth explained, "We heard the translation almost word for word from Shmi and an elder from Tatooine as part of the people's oral tradition. We just thought it was one of their myths and legends. Between that and the Hutts' own myths about Da Soocha we figured we could intimidate the Hutts and inspire the people to revolt at the same time using Percy's abilities. We had no idea that it was actually a prophecy."
"Yeah, I mean it doesn't even rhyme," Percy stated. At the blank look from the Masters he clarified, "All of our prophecies rhyme. Well except Mars' though I'm not sure if that one even counts as a prophecy since it was more like mission instructions."
Annabeth could tell the Masters were still skeptical, and Master Windu articulated their uncertainty. "So even though you had no idea that the words you took as part of a legend were a prophecy, you expect us to believe that you asked Master Kenobi to look for a relevant prophecy in our archives on a whim?"
"Well, it was more of an educated guess." Annabeth tried to make them understand why she had been so certain that there would be a prophecy. "Plus, every time Percy made water on Tatooine, it was harder and harder for me to get him to stop, like something was encouraging him to keep making water . . . like he was meant to do it. Besides, there's almost always a prophecy regarding Percy. He was only exaggerating a little bit about the sneezing comment. Once, he had a nosebleed that wasn't mentioned directly in a prophecy but had a key role in fulfilling it."
"You just had to bring up the nosebleed again!" Percy grumbled.
This started a series of mumbling among the Council. No doubt the predicted free will vs will of the Force debate, and it seemed as if Mace was keeping a mental tally of the Council members' thoughts. Yoda though just seemed to be studying Percy very closely causing him to shift under his gaze.
Finally, the Council quieted allowing Yoda to speak, "Will of the Force it may have been, but danger of the dark side and corruption still lingers."
"What does that even mean?" Percy's annoyance at the situation must finally be getting the best of him.
"It means, Jackson," Windu said tartly, "that the Council is willing to acknowledge that the flooding of Tatooine may not have been the blatant abuse of power we initially thought given that there is a prophecy describing it in our archives. Some of us believe you might have been compelled or encouraged by the Force to cause this seemingly impossible event to happen."
"Well, that's nice of you to finally admit, the Fates or Force or whatever has it out for me." Percy interjected.
Windu's eyes flashed in annoyance, "However, regardless of whether or not the flooding of Tatooine was indeed the will of the Force, the Council is concerned that you channeled the dark side when you used that much power in your anger, much less all of the mass killings of Jabba's men that Master Vos reported. The dark side acts as an addictive corruption. If used once, it is more likely to be used again."
"But it is impossible to prove that Percy didn't use the dark side when we don't really understand how your Force works," Annabeth argued trying to hide the frustration in her voice. "Surely Percy's freedom does not depend on something this subjective. How can the Republic allow it? Chancellor, is it actually against the Republic laws to use this dark side?"
Palpatine sighed and shook his head, "I am afraid from a legal standpoint neither I nor the Republic government can intervene on this matter. As I mentioned earlier, the Jedi Order has a mandate to protect the Republic from Force-users that could do its citizens harm. In this matter, the Republic must trust the wise judgement of the Jedi Council since they are the experts on Force-users." Windu nodded, clearly pleased with Palpatine's answer, and Annabeth felt her heart drop. She had hopped there would be a legal way around this unfair charge of the Jedi. It did not seem like a fair balance of power, especially given the new description of Force-user.
She had also hopped that the chancellor would do more for them, but perhaps he did want Percy in the custody of the Jedi for his own reasons. She cocked an eyebrow in challenge at Palpatine to see if he would use the other logical argument at his disposal. He was clever enough that she shouldn't have to spell it out for him. Whether he received her hint or would have continued on his own, she would never know for sure, but he did continue. "However, I believe Annabeth and Percy are a unique case. Forgive me Masters, for I am unfamiliar with the complete history of these dark side Force-users, but I believe typically in the past they have committed or planned to commit egregious crimes causing the loss of many innocent lives. In fact I wonder how many hearings like this have been held for dark side Force-users since I assume most resist apprehension and use deadly force if they encounter a Jedi, much like that Sith Knight Kenobi killed a few years ago. Am I mistaken in these assumptions?"
"Hmm, correct you are, Chancellor" Yoda admitted. His thoughtful tone gave Annabeth hope.
"By comparison, Annabeth and Percy have done very little wrong since you yourselves have admitted that the flooding of Tatooine may have been the will of the Force and not necessarily a choice of Percy's. Additionally, instead of being a menace to the Republic, I believe Annabeth and Percy have shown that they are in fact defenders and protectors of our people rather similar to this august body. In addition to their valiant efforts in the Battle of Naboo and many years of loyal service to the people of their adoptive planet, they have helped me with several issues of importance on behalf of the Republic. Besides my support and the Queen of Naboo, I know they have backing of many other senators. While legally the Republic cannot stop you from apprehending them, I believe many important and influential members of the Republic will not be pleased if they are detained."
Every Jedi in the room stiffened at the chancellor's words, and Annabeth bit her lip. While it was clear that the Jedi served the Republic, the laws governing their autonomy and any checks of power to the Republic the Jedi may possess was blurry at best from what Annabeth could determine. She hadn't thought that they would want to go against the chancellor or their allies in the Senate on this, but clearly, the Jedi did not appreciate the challenge to their sphere of authority.
The only indication of Windu's displeasure was a slight flair in his nostrils as he calmly explained, "Forgive me Chancellor, but it is our mandate to protect the Republic and its citizens. While it is true that Jackson may not have consciously chosen to flood Tatooine, what is there to prevent him from flooding another planet? I am sure I do not need to tell you how catastrophic it would be if he succumbed to his anger and flooded Coruscant. And if he has been corrupted by the dark side that terrible catastrophe becomes all the more likely."
"Gods, I take it back," Percy spoke before Annabeth could interject. "You are just like my family trying to punish me for something I might do." Annabeth took one look at Percy and knew there was no stopping him this time, and perhaps she shouldn't. Although they would never admit it, it was the Jedi's fear, or as they would call it worry/concern/paranoia etc., of Percy's power that was the only remaining argument for his detainment. As she had learned from Piper all those years ago, it didn't do well to try to fight emotion with logic. Perhaps, it was time for Percy to use his passion now. Surely, no one could complain about his lack of control after he had listened to the Jedi Council tear into him for so long.
"You talk about how I might flood Coruscant, like I'm some weapon without a safety switch. At least the Sith thinks of me as an attack dog and will give me a bone." He glared at Windu. "You ask what prevents me from flooding another planet? How about the fact that I don't want to. If I never flood another planet again, that's still one too many times for me. I almost died! Not to mention, it was one of the most painful experiences in my life. And I've had a lot of painful experiences, just ask Vos if you want a reference." Quinlan winced and nodded his head in agreement. "As for the dark side how can I prove that I didn't use it?"
Quinlan cleared his throat, "Based on what I felt, I do not think Jackson used the dark side. It was just . . . you know what he feels like, and then the Force. Whatever caused this mirky feeling in the Force didn't show up until afterwards."
"Clouds everything the dark side does and not easy to feel Jackson's presence hmm," Yoda stated.
"Master Yoda is correct," Windu continued. "Jackson's power is an anomaly. We do not know how it could interact with the dark side of the Force."
"But Master Yoda said I used the dark side before," Percy remembered. "Back when we were in Tartarus, and I almost drowned the goddess of misery and poison in her own misery and poisons. Annabeth stopped me from going too far." He squeezed her hand. "This time it felt different."
"How so?" Yoda asked.
Percy scrunched up his brow as he thought to find the right words. "That time in Tartarus, I pushed until I felt something sort of crack inside me and then I took the power that came from that crack. I guess if Quinlan is right, and Tartarus itself was sort of the dark side, then that rush of power I felt, I must have taken it from Tartarus or the dark side or my powers interacting with the dark side, or however you want to think of it." Percy shrugged. "But this time it was different. This time instead of taking, I gave." He glanced at Annabeth. "Honestly, if felt more like that time I was trapped in the nymphaeum with Piper and Jason, and we used the cornucopia to give our powers to those angry, suffering nymphs. I gave everything I had for those dead slaves, then to protect myself, and finally to the planet itself. When I had nothing left but still felt that need for more water, I reached for the Force, and it tore through me. It felt like I was a lightning rod, like the Force was channeling through me to make a full blown hurricane." He shuddered at the memory.
"Hmm, sound like the dark side, this does not." Yoda declared, and to Annabeth's surprise all of the Masters nodded in agreement.
"I beg your pardon, Master, but after all of this, that statement is all it took to convince you?" Palpatine asked, clearly confused at the Masters' change in position.
"For someone untrained in the Force, a good description Jackson gives," Yoda admitted. "To use the dark side, one must take the power, but to use the Force, is to give. Felt this himself, Jackson must have."
"However, as I said all those years ago," said Master Mundi, "the boy is dangerous, much less what could happen if the Sith does get a hold of him." Quinlan made a noise that sounded almost like a snort, and the other Jedi turned his piercing gaze on him. "Do you find something amusing Master Vox?"
"Yes, why are you so focused on Percy? I mean his abilities are unusual, and can be rather destructive, but the real danger or potential depending on how you look at it, is what he and Annabeth can do together. In less than six years, they orchestrated one of the only successful slave revolts in the galaxy. Imagine what else they could do. Maybe instead of sitting here and judging every single one of their actions and future actions that they may or may not do, we should ask them to join us."
Annabeth repressed a smile. At first when she was younger, she felt annoyed, that everyone focused on Thalia or Percy as the larger threat, but then she had learned to appreciate it. After all being underestimated was a huge strategic advantage. She was the opponent that her enemies never saw coming because they were so focused on Percy. It was refreshing that the Jedi had fallen for the same misconception though clearly Quinlan hadn't. The shuffling of robes and raising of eyebrows or equivalent for more alien species were the only sign of the Council's discontent.
As usual, Windu was the one that gave voice to the Council's disagreement. "Because of their meddling, we are in our current mess."
"You weren't there, Mace," Vos replied. "Trust me, the galaxy is better off for what they have done and what may yet come out of it, no matter what happens in the Senate today. Between the change in economics, the threat of Da Soocha, or just their own slaves revolting, many of the Hutts are freeing their slaves and employing them. It's not perfect, but it's more headway than we've made on the slavery issue for hundreds if not thousands of years."
That made the Council pause. In truth this effect of their work on Tatooine had been more than she and Percy could have hoped for. Perhaps the only positive to come out of Percy's complete loss of control was that the Hutts were utterly terrified of Da Soocha. Obi-Wan cleared his throat before saying, "Might I suggest a compromise? Perhaps we should provide Percy and Annabeth with some basic training in the Force. After all, it seems rather unfair to deny them training, hold them to the same standards as Jedi, and then punish them when they are unable to control their Force usage. Clearly our decision to not train them has not prevented them from interacting with the Force. In fact, one could argue it was their lack of Force training and not their attachment to each other or their pride or recklessness or anger that caused this current galactic mess. Perhaps if Percy and Annabeth learn a little more about how we use the Force, and we learn more about how their abilities work, it will prevent a similar mishap from happening in the future."
Of course, Obi-Wan was too polite to point out that Qui-Gon had suggested the very same idea years ago, but the Council was too stubborn to consider it then. Annabeth was not sure if she would have shown the same restraint. It was difficult for her to not point out when others had been wrong. "In return for our instruction," Obi-Wan glanced at her and Percy, and Annabeth just knew they wouldn't particularly like his next suggestion, "perhaps Percy and Annabeth could refrain from galivanting around the galaxy at least while we provide this service."
It seemed like a clever compromise to Annabeth, both parties getting something, except for one concern, but before she could bring it up Master Billaba did. "And where would this training happen? Here at the Temple?"
"No," Percy and Windu said at the same time. Based on Percy's stunned facial expression and Windu's wrinkled brow, they were both surprised that they actually agreed on something for once.
"I believe their training here would be too much of a disturbance," Windu explained while Annabeth knew that Percy's answer came from his dislike of being restrained and forced to stay in one place. She imagined that training would not go very smoothly in that setting.
Annabeth noticed a gleam in Palpatine's eyes as he suggested, "Annabeth and Percy could stay with me. I have plenty of room in my suites. That way they would not disturb any of the Temple's occupants, but it would still be convenient for the Council to oversee their training."
Interesting, though judging by the worried glances of the Council, Annabeth figured that the Jedi did not like that suggestion any more than Percy. The Jedi seemed to want to limit their influence in the galaxy, not put them at the heart of it. "Thank you for your generous offer, Chancellor," Obi-Wan said with a polite bow, "But actually, I was thinking Percy and Annabeth could return to Naboo, something I believe they intended to do anyways, at least eventually. Once a month a member of the Council could visit them for a week or so and help guide them through their training. When the Master leaves, they could continue to practice what they learned until the next one comes, and while they are not training, I am sure Queen Amidala would be more than happy to have them in her employee once more."
As the Council considered Obi-Wan's proposal, Annabeth asked, "So we would not be allowed to leave Naboo? A sort of planet-arrest?"
"For the time being, I think that would be best," Master Windu answered. He glanced towards Palpatine who looked like he was about to argue. "I am sure the chancellor can hologram you if he requires assistance, and he can always rely on the Jedi if he needs someone to handle a challenge in person." Windu certainly did not like their apparent closeness with the chancellor. Annabeth wondered if it had to do with Palpatine or with her and Percy being Force users and getting too close to government power.
"Give the galaxy time to adjust, you must," Yoda said with an amused look in his eyes.
"Master Yoda is correct," a Togruta female added. Master Shaak Ti based on Quinlan's information. "Too much change too quickly could be detrimental. Think of this as a little break or hiatus from galactic affairs."
"A break does sound nice," Percy admitted, and Annabeth had to agree.
As much as she did not like the Jedi's meddling, Obi-Wan was right that this was something they had wanted to do anyways. It really was the best solution they could hope for, and the added Force guidance was something she hadn't even considered to hope for. She was actually a little surprised that the Jedi were being so generous. At least until Master Windu spoke again. "We also request that you surrender the BC-714 to the Jedi Order. That is far too dangerous of a ship for citizen use. Since Republic funds were used to purchase the ship, the Appropriations Committee has agreed to use its right to repossess any Republic property and has approved the transfer of the ship to the Jedi Order."
Ah there it was, the pound of flesh she had been expected though she did understand the Jedi's point of view. The Jedi had to make an example of them at least a little bit. She and Percy had been working around the system so to speak in order to get things done. Sure, it worked well for them, but if others tried to do it too there could be mass chaos. "We would be more than happy to comply with your request, Master Windu. However, Percy and I no longer have possession of the BC-714."
The look on all the Council members face was comical. Clearly, they had not expected that answer. Obi-Wan though had known better and just shook his head in exasperation while Quinlan was out right laughing. Even Palpatine was chuckling. Just because Annabeth understood the Jedi's rather valid motivation and likely would have tried to do something similar in their situation, both she and Percy had been unwilling to lose The Blackjack completely, so she had taken certain steps to protect it.
Once the Council got over their initial sock, Mace demanded, "Explain yourself."
"Well, we cannot surrender the BC-714 in question because SASS, LLC is now the full owner of the ship." Annabeth stated not bothering to hide her smile now. As she talked, she used Daedalus 2.0 to display holographic images of the relevant documents. She wanted to show that she didn't need to bluff. "Percy and I signed over our shares in the ownership days ago, and earlier today SASS purchased the remaining ownership percentages from the Ethics Committee. Who knew slaver hunting could be so profitable? Therefore, since the BC-714 is no longer Republic property, the Appropriations Committee has no right to repossess it. And before you get any other ideas, Senator Organa just hired SASS as a contractor to help recover captured Republic Citizens, so any seizure of the ship would interfere with Republic business." By doing this, she and Percy had insured that SASS could continue no matter what happened to her or Percy.
"So this is why you insisted on going to visit Senator Organa first," Quinlan said. "I just thought you wanted to return the CR70."
Annabeth shrugged, "You should know by now Vos that I always have multiple plans."
Windu made a rather undignified noise for a Jedi somewhere between a sigh and a grunt before admitting, "Very well, the now apparently legal organization known as SASS will maintain possession of the BC-714, but if they ever break the law, we will take the necessary steps to remove such a dangerous weapon."
"I would expect nothing less," Annabeth replied providing a peace offering before Percy could say something sarcastic and make things worse.
Palpatine rose from his chair, "Very well, it seems as if a satisfactory agreement has been reached. Percy and Annabeth will remain on Naboo while the Jedi Council provides training. I believe this is best for your own safety as well," he added to Annabeth and Percy. "It appears that you have managed to attract a lot of galactic attention in one way or another, and if anyone were to start piecing together your aliases, many powerful people would be after you. After a few years, I am sure things will calm down a bit." He extended his hand and shook Annabeth's and then Percy's. "On behalf of the Republic I must thank you both for the dedication you have showed to our forgotten citizens. Despite the current fallout, I do believe you have made our Republic better. And speaking of that, I must go and oversee the senate vote."
"We'll come with you," Annabeth offered. She had not realized how long the so-called hearing had taken. She wanted to talk to Senator Vancil just in case he got cold feet.
However, before she and Percy could give the Council the traditional bow, Windu said, "Actually, it would be best if you stayed and allowed the Council to evaluate your skills." Next to her Percy tensed. Even though it was phrased as a polite request, the undertone was there. No more interfering with politics right now.
She was debating if it would be worth fighting it when Chancellor Palpatine reassured her, "It will be fine my dear. I am sure everything will sort itself out, and you will be informed as soon as a decision is reached." Annabeth relented and nodded her head. There was not much she could do now anyways. She would just have to focus on crushing these tests that the Jedi gave them.
The telekinesis and Force sensing was fairly easy for Annabeth at least until they progressed to more than five objects, or she had one of the Jedi directly opposing her. However, Percy struggled. After what happened on Tatooine, he was reluctant to reach out to the Force again, and even before that, it had always been more difficult for Percy than for her. Based on how Percy described it, he had to mentally stifle his own power and then wade through it before he could even reach the Force. Since Percy had more than a fair amount of his own power, she could imagine that it was not an easy feat. For her it was more like weaving together two different strands of yarn. In fact, Annabeth hypothesized that Percy had only been able to use the Force on such a scale on Tatooine (or maybe the Force had used him depending on your perspective) because his own power had been drained. However, it did confirm one question she had: whether or not Percy could use the Force to power his own unique abilities. It could be useful in a lengthy battle if he was drained, but he would have to learn control.
It had taken a fair amount of encouragement on her part and several reassurances from the Jedi Masters that the Force wouldn't hijack his powers again before Percy agreed to try. His reluctance to even make contact with the Force helped remove any doubt that the Masters on the Council might still have had regarding Percy's intensions that day on Tatooine and in the future. She would have sworn she even detected traces of pity from Windu. After much coaxing, Percy had managed to shakily lift one of the lighter meditation stones. Annabeth did make Percy show the Council how he could summon Qui-Gon's – or really Percy's now – lightsaber. According to Percy, it was as easy as lifting a drop from a nearby water source. That had the Council muttering among themselves, and Yoda believed that the sensitive kyber crystal in the lightsaber had somehow sensed Percy's personal Force, power, or whatever you wanted to call it and aligned itself with it.
The assessment of their physical abilities went a little different than Annabeth had imagined. The Jedi directed them to one of their training halls, a spacious room equipped with racks holding training lightsabers, force pikes, and even blasters as well as several remote droids like they had trained with on Naboo. She had expected that she and Percy would duel a Jedi individually, and Master Windu seemed to be thinking the same when he asked, "Who wishes to go first?"
However, Obi-wan said, "Actually, Master, I think it may be more interesting if you evaluate their combat skills together. Perhaps against a former Master and Padawan who are familiar with fighting together, maybe even you and Master Billaba?"
Obi-wan had that slightly too innocent expression on his face that made Annabeth think he was up to something, but some how she didn't think it was meant as a detriment to her and Percy. She glanced at Percy. He shrugged as he said, "Anytime I can fight with Annabeth instead of against her is good by me."
Annabeth smiled. It may not have been exactly what every fiancé would want to hear from their betrothed, but it summed up their relationship nicely. "It's good with us then," she confirmed.
Windu glanced at Master Billaba. Annabeth hadn't known they had been Master and Padawan at one point. Billabu nodded her head and stepped forward, shedding her outer robe. "Very well then," Windu said as he too slipped off the robe and stepped forward. "Feel free to use whatever weapon you wish."
While Percy, Depa, and Mace took out their lightsabers and adjusted the settings, Annabeth eyed the weapons wall. She had practiced enough with Percy's lightsaber to know that she could use one of the training lightsabers competently, but Jedi were most used to training against blasters and lightsabers since they practiced against each other. A different kind of weapon could giver her an advantage. She reached for her weapons belt and pulled off her collapsed force pike. It had been a 21st birthday present from Percy specially designed for her and was one of her favorite weapons.
Windu eyed her choice speculatively before lining up beside his old Padawan. Annabeth saw it then, the shift in their movement, how they both brought up their lightsabers at the same time, the signs that two people had fought together many times. This would be interesting indeed. "So how do we start this? One, two, three, go?" Percy asked as he ignited his own lightsaber.
"Go," Windu said with a flash of a smile so quick Annabeth thought she might have imagined it before he lashed out.
In those first few seconds, Annabeth realized that Mace and Depa were very good, perhaps the best she and Percy had faced since they landed in this universe, but then again, she and Percy were also very good and had been fighting for their lives far more than Mace and Depa had despite the age difference. Based on what Obi-Wan had described, most Jedi found themselves in actual combat only a few times a year. For her and Percy, it was often a daily occurrence both in their old world and this one. Percy blocked Mace's first strike while Annabeth stopped Depa's high sweep with the edge of her pike, angling the other edge to jab at Mace forcing him to disengage from Percy, who used the opportunity to duck under her pike, kick at Mace's leg, and strike out at Depa. Both Jedi leaped back, creating space to re-evaluate their opponents, but Percy and Annabeth didn't let them.
Annabeth didn't need the Force to know what Percy would do or where he would strike next. She just did. When she swept her pike at Depa, she knew he was covering her back, just like she knew his overextension was to tempt Windu into stepping in range of the end of her pike. While Mace and Depa would throw in the occasional Force leap and flip, she and Percy preferred to stay more on the ground attacking low, unbalancing their opponents, and using each other to hide and disguise their movements.
They were fairly evenly matched. She and Percy managed to get a few hits with their legs and hands, or in Annabeth's case the staff part of the Force Pike. The Jedi were too skilled for them to make contact with the more dangerous sides of their weapons, yet. However, she did notice that Windu's style seemed to almost feed off of Percy's stronger more aggressive blows, but whenever she stepped in, it seemed to disrupt it. She also imagined that the Jedi were not used to being unable to sense their opponents' intentions. She had the Force hover right at the edge of her perception, so to speak. That way her innate Force defenses were still there, but she could distantly feel it respond to Depa and Mace as if they were tugging a string on her loom.
She wasn't sure how long they had been fighting, only that Depa and Mace were starting to lose ground, but that's when she felt it. She braced herself in the Force and tried to warn Percy. Before she could, Masters Windu and Billiba thrust their hands out in unison. She used a combination of the Force and her pike to brace herself and was only pushed back a few feet. Percy though flew back. She suspected they had focused the brunt of their Force push on him to overcome his natural shield. Mace lunged after him while Depa swung at her. Clever, Annabeth had to admit. They had separated her and Percy. Percy managed to block Mace's first strike while he tried to recover from the push, but it was sloppy and left him open for Mace to use the lightsaber disarming technique.
Annabeth wanted to help, but even though she was keeping Depa on defense, she was too far away to do anything. Windu brought the point of his lightsaber to Percy's throat, but a glowing bronze blade stopped it before it could reach his skin making Windu laugh. Depa stopped fighting and turn around in shock forcing Annabeth to pull back her next blow at the last second.
"I see you cannot admit defeat, even when you are beaten, Jackson" Windu said once his laughter had died. "I did not realize you were so prideful."
"You cheated," Percy grumbled.
Windu shrugged still not lowering his blade. "I simply used the Force."
"Yeah, well I figured you lot wouldn't have liked it if I used My Force," Percy retorted. Suddenly there was groaning and clanging behind the walls, no doubt from the Temple's plumbing system.
Windu tensed, baring down even harder on Riptide, looking like he was about to knock Percy out. This could get bad fast. Annabeth was about to shout at Percy to let it go, but then Percy started laughing, and the sounds behind the walls stopped immediately. "I'm only joking," he had the nerve to say as he winked at Windu, thrust his lightsaber aside with Riptide and walked away. "Really you should lighten up some, Master Windu. I hear it's good for your health."
Annabeth glanced to the other Jedi, who had watched their bout. Quinlan was laughing so hard he was leaning against the wall while Obi-Wan looked like he was biting his lip to stop himself from smiling too noticeably. The rest looked stun, except for Yoda. The old Jedi master was clapping. "Good control you showed young Jackson. To make is seem like you would break the wall, but not." Annabeth wondered if that had actually been the reason Percy had done it. He could be a genius at times in his own Percy way.
Percy grinned. "I've gotten better over the years. And by the way, you have a leak in your plumbing in the washroom that way," Percy pointed the direction he meant. "I swear it wasn't me, but I could feel it when I reached for the water."
Windu had finally gotten over his shock and joined them. "I might have to rescind our agreement, Jackson, so we can keep you around. In an ancient building with over 150 stories, I am certain we have more than one leak in the plumbing that you could find for us. For some reason our maintenance droids seem to struggle with leaky pipes."
Percy smirked and said, "Well I do consider myself the Supreme Lord of the Bathroom. Do you think that could be my Sith name?" Windu leveled his best glare at him. "Sorry, I guess it's still too soon for Sith jokes."
Before it could get too awkward, Annabeth punched Percy in the side of his arm. "Ow, what was that for?" He asked.
"That was for making me think you were doing something stupid, Seaweed Brain. Do you have any idea how worried I was?" she huffed.
At least the Jedi were back to looking more amused again. She thought she heard Percy grumble, "At least it wasn't a judo-flip this time."
After conferring with the other members of the Council, Windu informed them, "There is one other thing we wish to see before you can return to Naboo."
A few minutes later, Annabeth found herself standing in front of what appeared to be a beach. If she hadn't known she was in the Jedi Temple, this could have been any of the beaches on Naboo. The building truly was a marvel. On the way over to the aquatic levels, Annabeth had tried to restrain herself, so she only asked about 15 questions regarding the architecture of the temple not the fifty that she wanted to.
"Very well Jackson, show us what you can do," Windu challenged. "Without damaging or breaking anything," he clarified.
"And don't strain yourself," Annabeth added.
Percy gave her a salute. "Yes, ma'am." She knew the Jedi wanted to see Percy's capabilities, but he still wasn't at full strength yet, and boys even Percy had a tendency to want to show off.
As soon as he stepped into the water fully clothed the Council members started mumbling, no doubt sensing the flare in his already significant Force presence that happened whenever he was in contact with water. He started slow with a few water figurines. Then he sent the water back to build up a wave and rode it to the beach, surfer style. He stopped it right before the line of Jedi, who had taken a few steps back.
"Anything else you want to see?" Percy asked.
Before the Council could reply, a green head popped out of the water and said, "Jackson, I thought that was you, messing up the currents in our quarters."
"Kit!" Percy exclaimed and gave him a fist bump once the Nautolan Jedi reached the beach. "Good to see you man."
Kit was followed out of the water by a few young Mon Calamari, Nautolans, and a Selkath, Annabeth believed if she was not mistaken in her aquatic species. "Sorry," Percy apologized. "The Council wanted a demonstration. I didn't realize y'all were down there. I'm glad I didn't do the whirlpool."
"You can make a whirlpool!" one of the Mon Calamari exclaimed.
Another one begged, "Please show us." Percy glanced at Windu, who nodded after a moment hesitation. With a wave of his hand, Percy created a small, whirlpool in the water. The younglings squealed. "I'm going to swim in it!" the Nautolan declared, and the others soon followed along with Percy and Kit as Percy seemed to create his own water park for the younglings amusement.
Annabeth was surprised that the Council didn't seem to mind. Windu wandered over to where she stood at the water's edge. "He seems to be good with the younglings," he commented.
"Yes, well it's not too surprising since he still acts like one himself half the time," she replied.
Windu allowed himself a small smile as he said, "He's not the only one." Annabeth glanced back and realized Vos had also joined the fun. "There's something I want to ask you." His tone shifted from amusement to the seriousness she had come to expect from him. "Why don't you trust the chancellor? He seems to be one of your staunchest allies, and you have enjoyed his support and favor over the years."
So, he had caught on to the distrust just as she had hoped. She glanced around, but figured no spying device would be able to overhear them over the noise of Percy and the others splashing around in the water. "Ironically, Master, it is because of that favor that we distrust him. Palpatine has an unusual interest in Percy."
"Not you?" Windu asked.
Annabeth raised an eyebrow at the fairly obvious question. "Of course he's interested in me. As you already noted, I excel at the necessary strategies and schemes to succeed in the political arena. But Percy is different. The subtly and patience required in political games are not Percy's strengths, yet Palpatine has gone out of his way to try and win him over so to speak. In our experience, powerful people are mostly interested in Percy only when a war is coming. He is a powerful warrior and would make an amazing general if a little unorthodox. He could easily turn the tide in any conflict." Annabeth tried not to smile at her own pun.
"I see," muttered Windu. "What about an assassin?"
Annabeth shrugged, "We thought of that too, but again subtlety isn't exactly Percy's strong suite. So a chancellor that doesn't mind blatant killings on his orders is not someone I would trust either."
Windu nodded his head in understanding, "Thank you for sharing your concern with me."
"However, besides that, Palpatine has done nothing else particularly suspicious. I mean there's the occasional heavy-handed leverage used to get motions past, but that's to be expected from anyone remotely successful in the chancellor's position." Annabeth admitted. "Maybe, the chancellor is just being overly concerned for the possibility of a future conflict. I just don't know."
The conversation ended then as everyone in the water had returned to the beach. Percy looked happier than Annabeth had seen him in a while but tired too. "Jackson, help a friend out," Vos complained as he clutched at his damp clothes.
Percy gave him a wicked grin, "I don't know Vos. I still owe you for Mos Eisley." Vos glanced nervously at Windu who was once again frowning. Annabeth imagined that Vos conveniently might have forgotten to mention Mos Eisley in his report.
Finally, after confirming the arrival of Master Shaak Ti on Naboo in a few weeks, Annabeth and Percy were cleared to leave the temple. Obi-Wan offered to escort them back to their ship though he took them the long way to the speeder hanger so that he could show Annabeth some more of the Temple's architecture. In between admiring the columns and use of natural light, not to mention the Room of a Thousand Fountains, Annabeth kept checking Daedalus 2.0 for news of the Senate vote, but it appeared that the Senate had yet to reach a decision.
They were heading down one of the temple's more modern hallways when Obi-Wan muttered, "Not again," with an apprehensive look to the ceiling.
A second later, Annabeth had to leap out of the way as a ventilation grate fell down, and Anakin Skywalker jumped down from the ceiling. "Sorry, Annabeth," he apologized as he used the Force to replace the grate. "I didn't mean to almost hit you, but I had to make sure you were okay."
"We will talk about this later, Padawan," Obi-Wan interrupted. "The Council will not be pleased that you went out of your way, using the ventilation system again to meet up with Percy and Annabeth."
Anakin flashed a smirk that reminded her too much of Percy's and feared for Obi-Wan's sanity. "Well Master, if the Council does not wish for people to sneak through the ventilation system, then maybe they should address this serious flaw in the Temple's security. Honestly, I'm doing them a favor by pointing it out."
Percy laughed. "Good to see you Anakin!" Anakin and Percy then proceeded to do the overcomplicated Earth style 'bro' handshake they had come up with the last time they had been together on the way back from Trandosha.
Once all the fist bumps and high fives were out of the way, Anakin asked, "How'd it go? The Council didn't arrest you right? Did the prophecy I help find help at all?"
Annabeth smiled. Anakin had certainly grown into a gangly teenager, but she could still see the overly curious boy she had met. "It went about as well as we could hope for," she admitted.
"Yeah," Percy agreed. "But I'm afraid no more visits for a while because we are under planet arrest, sort of."
"But," Annabeth added, "the Council did agree to teach us some Force basics, so Percy doesn't accidently flood another planet again."
"I still can't believe you did that," Anakin said with a note of wistfulness in his voice. "I never wanted to go back to Tatooine, but now I might have to, to see what it looks like now with water. And you killed Jabba the Hutt too!" Obi-Wan coughed and gave Anakin a disapproving look. Noticing his Master's displeasure, Anakin quickly added, "Which is definitely not the Jedi way, but you aren't a Jedi, so all good. Plus, I don't have to worry about him torturing my mother now. Guess it really just was a dream, but the one of you floating in water wasn't."
Percy frowned at that. "Anakin, you need to be careful with dreams. If Jedi dreams are anything like demigod dreams, then dreams about the future are probably worse than prophecies."
"Percy's right," Annabeth jumped in. "Dreams of the future are unreliable, like you are just discovering now, since you are only seeing potential futures. Never decide on an action because of a dream of something that might happen. Likely, you could cause the dream to happen if you do. Maybe, if you hadn't listened to Obi-Wan and had run off to Tatooine instead, it could have ended with your mother being tortured by Jaba. Make sense?"
"I think so," Anakin answered.
"I guess that's one of the few good things that happened," Percy admitted. "Because I lost control, I might have changed the future to prevent Jabba from hurting Shmi."
Obi-Wan explained, "Yes, but the important point is that you did not make a decision based on that fear." Annabeth had a feeling Percy had completely forgotten about Anakin's dream with everything going on, or he might have done just that. Then again after everything he'd gone through, Percy had a healthy respect for prophecies and future predictions.
Percy wasted no time asking Anakin about all of his missions and trainings. While Percy and Anakin walked ahead of them, Obi-Wan told her, "Overall, this whole thing has gone better than I had thought it would thanks to your rather compelling arguments. I hope this means we all can work together more frequently now. And while I officially must condone it, selling your BC-714 to your fellow slave hunters was a stroke of brilliance."
Annabeth allowed herself a small smile. "That's high praise coming from a fellow negotiator, Knight Kenobi, and your own contributions were most beneficial to our cause. I think your endorsement of Percy goes a long way since the Council values your opinion so highly."
She thought she caught a hint of a blush beneath his beard, but it faded quickly when he said, "You know, I didn't like him at first. He reminded me a lot of Vos, far too reckless and a blatant disregard for rules, but he wasn't governed by the Code not even loosely like Vos."
"What changed?" Annabeth had always wondered how Percy had won Obi-Wan over. He had never mentioned it exactly.
Obi-Wan was quiet for a moment as he gathered his thoughts. "It is hard to describe. I think it was a combination of sensing his true Force presence when he finally calms down enough to meditate. The power he has is . . ." He trailed off, but Annabeth nodded in understanding. He didn't need to find the right words because Annabeth knew what he meant. She had felt it herself. "Yet, he's still so modest and humble even. And for the most part selfless if you ignore his attachments, which Jedi consider to be selfish, but what really changed my mind was when he asked for help. He genuinely wanted to learn something he knew he wouldn't like, if it meant it would help keep innocents safe. That's a rare person indeed. Most people who have power, even Jedi, struggle with humility. It took a while, but I've come to realize he sort of has his own code, and he blazes with the justification of it. If this Sith is really attempting to turn Percy, I almost pity him."
Annabeth smiled, "Well if you ever met Percy's mother, Sally, you would understand."
"She must be a remarkable woman," Obi-Wan mused.
"Yes, she is," Annabeth laughed. "She has a way of putting even a god in his place if she thought his head was getting too big. And I don't think I've met a kinder woman. I believe most of Percy's best traits come from her."
"He grows on you," Obi-Wan admitted.
"Like mold," Annabeth said. "He covers everything so that you can't remember what your life was like before him."
"A lot less colorful I imagine," Obi-Wan replied with a smile.
Just then Daedalus 2.0 chimed. Annabeth unlocked the screen, holding her breath. "Styx!"
Percy whirled around. "Not good?" he asked.
Annabeth shook her head, "I don't know how it could have happened." She quickly hit a few keys on the tablet and a projection of Chancellor Palpatine was displayed.
"The Senate has voted that the Trade Federation must return the planet Tatooine to Hutt control in order to maintain galactic peace," the chancellor proclaimed. "This decision will be enforced with trade sanctions if necessary. The motion was led by Senator Vancil of Naboo."
"Wait, Vancil is senator now?" Percy asked.
Because of the Jedi hearing, Annabeth hadn't wanted to worry Percy about anything else. "Yes, Padmé told me she would request Vancil vote the other way. I thought he would listen to his queen."
Percy shook his head, "I know you were trying to keep me out of this, but you should have told me and let me talk to him. Vancil's granddaughter died during the Trade Federation invasion. Of course, he would have voted against anything that seemed to give them what they want." Annabeth was flummoxed. It had been a while since she messed up so badly. She should have known, should have talked to Percy since Vancil had been his old boss, but she had been so confident in her clever plan. She had let her hubris get the better of her again.
"Wait, you wanted us to go to war?" Obi-Wan asked clearly confused since Annabeth had never revealed her Plan Alpha to him since she knew the Jedi would oppose it.
"We're going to war anyways sooner or later," Annabeth explained. "Read the signs: the unrest in the Outer Rim, the Trade Federation lying to the senate about its increase in droid production, corruption in the Senate. At least this war would have been between the Trade Federation and the Hutts. I have a feeling the next impending war will harm more innocents."
Obi-Wan frowned, "I am sure we will be able to find a peaceful solution, like we have in the past. Please Annabeth have a little faith in the Jedi. We have managed to keep galactic peace for over a millennium."
"I hope you are right, for all our sakes," Annabeth stated glumly.
"What now?" Percy asked. "The Trade Federation won't be happy with this, and the Hutts still likely aren't happy. We lost our leverage to keep the people on Tatooine free."
"We implement Plan Beta," Annabeth answered as she put Daedalus 2.0 into laptop mode and gave it several commands. A moment later, it ejected a holodisk. "These are the plans for the hologram design we offered to Gorga," Annabeth told Obi-Wan. "I suggest you put those famous negotiation skills to use and broker a deal between Gorga and the Trade Federation. I hate to use the carrot approach for the Trade Federation, but I think it would work best in this case. Hopefully, they will be less likely to attack the Republic if they are making a nice profit. Just remind Gorga that the design flaws are still there if he gets any ideas about slave labor."
"I understand," Obi-Wan assured her, "and I assume I should be vague about how the Jedi came to possess these plans. Maybe the mysterious Atlanta dropped it off through one of the slave hunters." Obi-Wan had always been quick on the uptake.
"I appreciate your discretion," Annabeth said with a smile.
Their remaining time on Coruscant passed in a blur as Annabeth quickly worked to implement her new plan. The only good thing about all of this was at least she and Percy wouldn't have to do immediate damage control to save the lives endangered by the Hutts and Trade Federation. That might have been difficult given their new agreement with the Jedi. By the time she closed her eyes lying in her comfortable bed on The Blackjack, she was completely exhausted. It had been quite a day. She fell asleep almost immediately and found herself in a dream.
The dream started as one of her favorite memories. She was back at Camp Half-blood lying next to Percy on the beach, pointing out the zodiac constellations to him. He kept coming up with other funny shapes that the stars could make, causing her to laugh.
"That's supposed to be a lion? It looks more like a mouse," he said. In real life this had happened when she was thirteen, just when she started to realize that she might have the beginnings of a crush on Percy, but since it was a dream, they looked just like they did now. Suddenly, Percy vanished, and the night sky seemed to grow darker, and the stars burned colder somehow. She felt it then, something ancient and angry yet familiar. It was like a ghost of a feeling accompanied with a flash of pain. Likely, she had been in pain the last time she felt this being, which wasn't saying much. She had known her fair share of pain.
Then the sky spoke. "Come find me, Daughter of Wisdom, if you want to return home." She shuddered not only from the voice, which was ancient and powerful, but because this being seemed to know her. "Do not trust the Jedi, they cannot help you and will hurt your beloved. Only I can lead you home since you both are children of my blood."
Annabeth woke with a start covered in sweat. She had a bad feeling about this, and for once she did not want to be right. Because if she was, then she had finally found a being from their world. The one that could explain all the strange connections between this universe and home. The one that could help them get back. Even though the zodiac wheel was one of his symbols, it could just be a coincidence, she told herself. The alternative was too horrible to consider, that their best chance to return home was through Ouranos, the King of the Protogenoi, and the one, if the myths were to be believed, who had passed on his infamous cruelty to his son Kronos.
Surely, she and Percy couldn't be that unlucky. But just in case she should come up with a plan. Maybe, there was a way to trick Ouranos into bringing them back. After all, Athena always had a plan.
Addendum - Palpatine
Palpatine looked over his city from a window in his suite. It had been a most interesting day to say the least although it seemed he found himself in a stalemate this round, neither side had completely achieved what they had wanted. Chase and Jackson had played a good game. It had been clever on her part to request his presence at the Jedi hearing. If he had not done everything in his power as chancellor to help defend Chase and Jackson, then they would have been suspicious that he wanted the Jedi to imprison them, which would have destroyed the supportive grandfather persona he had spent years building for just a kernel of their trust. Chase and Jackson's anger would have been directed on him, maybe even more than the Jedi. He had still hoped that the Jedi's prejudice would work in his favor, but he had underestimated the support they would receive from Vos and especially Kenobi.
However, it was not a complete lose. He had learned much today though he felt as if Chase and Jackson were purposely dropping crumbs of information to determine where it would end up. Sidious knew they had come from a different universe while Palpatine knew they had strange Force-being progenitors, maybe not so different from Skywalker. He was sure Chase was waiting for any sort of slip up or leak of those two pieces of information from Palpatine or Sidious. He would have to be careful. As Palpatine, he had tried to pry when he met with them before they returned to Naboo, but they stubbornly stuck to their wormhole story for how they had arrived.
At least the other part of the day had gone the way he had wanted. Although, he had been surprised that Chase was ruthless enough to try and force the war. Of course, it was the better move for her and would have hindered his plans greatly, but it was something the softer hearted strategist like the Jedi or Amidala would never had considered on their own. Despite her efforts, all it took was a sympathetic comment to Vancil about his granddaughter for him to swing the vote. Chase had been stretched too thin and had been unable to follow through. As he had anticipated, the Jedi's fear of her meddling had helped his cause.
However, the new hologram technology had been a stroke of genius, and it would be difficult to block without drawing Chase's notice. He had no doubt that she was already using it as a bargaining chip to get Gorga to agree to her slave free economy and appease the Trade Federation with a profitable deal. He would likely have to work that much harder to get the Federation to turn against the Republic if Gunray liked his profits now. But the true ingenuity of the plan made him wish he had thought of it first. Although he doubted that he or anyone in the Republic would have any way to prove it due to the superior technology Chase seemed to possess, he suspected she had designed an additional flaw in this new communication device – one that would allow her to spy on hologram messages. She was not corrupt enough to use it for her own gain, but he knew she would be watching the major players. He would have to be careful indeed.
Jackson and Chase had certainly proved themselves as worthy opponents, but he could not help to imagine what he could accomplish with them at his side. Patience, the dark side seemed to whisper. He could wait a little longer. Wait, for the restrictions the Jedi had placed on them to chaff and drive them that much closer to him.
AN: Part of the reason why it took so long was because I did consider letting the Trade Federation and Hutts duke it out. None of this was in my original outline, so it would have really messed up some stuff and made it difficult to write some AotC scenes I've been planning since I started this story, and in the end that won out even if it is the less creative option. I'm going to try and update my other story next, so it may be awhile for this one. But don't give up on me completely. It might take a year (hopefully not) but I'll still update. I am starting to get concerned over FFN functioning, so I will probably start cross posting on AO3 too. Just in case FFN goes down.