4.

To Obi-Wan's surprise, Padmé Naberrie offered to watch Anakin while he and Master Qui-Gon made their report on the Sith to the assembled Council. "Your people meet more quickly than ours," she said, with some bitterness. "It will be some time before the senate is conveyed to hear our pleas. There will be rest and refreshment available in the queen's rooms near the senate. R2-D2 will be with us. Ani will be no trouble, and I—he is welcome with us. With me. No doubt he will find it more amusing than a formal report to the Jedi Council."

There was a wistfulness in the girl's face beneath her handmaiden's cowl, a wish, he thought, that she need not prepare for her own formal report, for a request she knew would likely be futile. Too many senators had investments bound up within the Trade Federation. The senate's own policies were not typically consistent with what Naboo truly needed: immediate military aid against occupation by a hostile power. Obi-Wan recalled the last sight he had had of the people of Theed, rounded up by droids with rifles in preparation for transport.

"I'll come for him when the Council is ready for him," Obi-Wan promised. "Or else we will send a messenger. May the Force be with you, my lady."

"And with you as well, Obi-Wan Kenobi."

After the landing, Anakin walked away in esteemed company: not only the young queen of Naboo and the bodyguard pretending to be her, but the Supreme Chancellor of the Republic and the Senator of Naboo, along with the entire Naboo contingent. A long way for a small former slave boy from a waste planet along the Outer Rim. Yet Obi-Wan felt no awe from Anakin for his illustrious company, though he could feel the boy rubbernecking at the skyscrapers long after he passed out of visual range.

"He will be alright, Obi-Wan," Master Qui-Gon told him. "Padmé and the other handmaidens will look after him."

"I know. They are formidable women. I think the youngest among them is a deadly shot and a master of two types of unarmed combat." Obi-Wan made no move to leave the landing pad, however.

Qui-Gon gestured for them to move ahead. "Come. The Council will be expecting our report."

Their report on the assassin who had attempted to run Anakin over and engaged Master Qui-Gon on the dunes of Tatooine was received with all the concern Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan had predicted. There had been no verified reports of Dark-Sided Force wielders for nearly as long as Master Yoda had been alive. But whenever the Sith arose, they inevitably came for the Jedi Order. It always meant war. At times, it had almost meant extinction on both sides of the conflict.

"We will use all our resources to unravel this mystery," Master Windu declared at the end of their report. "We will discover the identity of your attacker. May the Force be with you."

It would normally be a dismissal. Obi-Wan had to suppress a strong instinct to bow and quit the room. But it would be hard to convene the Council again after this. They would be preoccupied with the possible reemergence of the Sith for some time, meditating and searching for answers. Yet, Obi-Wan's trials and Anakin's potential training were also both matters for the Council to address. So Obi-Wan understood when Qui-Gon remained, and, awkward as he felt, he remained at his master's side.

"Master Qui-Gon. More to say have you?" Yoda asked, nodding to his master.

Qui-Gon bowed. "With your permission, my master. We have encountered a vergence in the Force."

The attention of the Council had begun to move ahead and afield, toward the possible identity of the Dark assassin after the queen of the Naboo. Now, Obi-Wan sensed it return with a sharp intensity. Vergences, or loci within the Force were powerful and dangerous. The Jedi Temple on Coruscant was built on one such, but there were other places in the galaxy where the Dark Side dominated, where the will was tested and could be warped if one allowed it. Around a person, a vergence in the Force often indicated a walking, talking hand of fate. Obi-Wan could not honestly argue that Anakin represented one such, yet it might have been the last way he would have described Anakin to the Jedi Council.

"A vergence, you say?" Master Yoda repeated.

"Located around a person?"

"A boy," Qui-Gon confirmed. "His cells have the highest concentration of midi-chlorians I have seen in a lifeform. It is possible he was conceived by the midi-chlorians."

"You refer to the prophecy of the one who will bring balance to the Force," Master Windu recollected. His eyes narrowed. "You believe it's this boy?"

Qui-Gon hesitated. "I relay only what our medical tests confirm and his mother told to me. I sensed no lie in her," he said. "The Force was with this boy in our time on Tatooine, and through his bravery and skill, he won our passage from the planet and his freedom into the bargain."

"His freedom?" Yoda repeated.

"He was a slave," Qui-Gon confirmed. "I took custody of the boy, and my padawan and I have begun transferring his citizenship to the Republic and his guardianship to the Jedi Order. Whether he is trained or not, he will not be returned to his home planet. Finding him was the will of the Force. I have no doubt of that. Furthermore, it has subsequently become clear to me that his destiny is bound to that of my padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi."

Obi-Wan shifted as the attention of the Council shifted to him.

"He has bonded with the boy, inside and outside the Force," Qui-Gon continued. "He shows a concern for Anakin consistent with one who feels a calling and a responsibility for his welfare. He is ready for his trials. There is little more he can learn from me. I respectfully submit him for the trials to knighthood."

"Ready you feel he is, hmm?" Yoda tapped his gimer stick on the floor in front of him thoughtfully. "And what say you, Padawan?"

"I am ready for the trials, masters," Obi-Wan answered, keeping his eyes low. "For more than that, I cannot say."

"This destiny that Qui-Gon says you have, to this vergence within the Force. You don't feel it too?" Master Windu's stare seemed to be directed more at the space around Obi-Wan than at him directly, and Obi-Wan wondered what the man was seeing. Everyone knew Master Windu discerned the cruxes and turning points of fate, though he often didn't understand them until they had come to pass.

"Not as such, masters. The bond exists. I did not make it. It may be Anakin's spontaneous creation: He is very strong within the Force. Stronger than I, or any Jedi I have met." He met Master Yoda's eyes as he said this, nodding his head respectfully. He felt the Grandmaster's interest, but no sense of threat, no offense. "He will be dangerous left untrained. He could be more dangerous with training, and the Jedi ways will not come naturally to him. He is already nine years old."

Qui-Gon had not mentioned this. Likely, he had deliberately left it out, but since he had mentioned Anakin's power and possible conception, the best strategy was probably complete honesty, so the Council did not feel blindsided later on.

"There is much the initiates of his comparable maturity know that Anakin has yet to be taught," Obi-Wan continued. "Yet, he is an instinctive learner. A prodigy within the Force. He is also very good with machines, and a gifted pilot. If he is not trained as a Jedi Knight, he will still have much to offer our order from within the service corps."

"You speak of him with pride," Master Windu noted.

Obi-Wan bowed. "With respect, stating facts is not an expression of pride. The gifts I speak of are Anakin's own. I have little to do with them."

"Yet I perceive this boy has impacted you, Padawan Kenobi," Master Windu challenged.

"I request you meet him, masters. You may find that you are similarly affected."

"You are bold, Kenobi, for someone ostensibly treating for the trials," Master Mundi observed.

Master Yoda interjected. "No. Padawan Kenobi speaks the truth. Judge this boy we cannot, before we have seen him. And irrelevant to the padawan's readiness for the trials, this vergence is. Master Qui-Gon, ready for knighthood, you believe your padawan is?"

Master Qui-Gon bowed. "In truth, Obi-Wan has probably been ready for some time. I perhaps have enjoyed him overlong. He is headstrong and has much to learn of the Living Force, but he is wise, as well as a gifted swordsman and tactician. I foresee the Order making great use of his talents."

"High praise," Master Windu remarked. There was a moment when the Council conferred within the Force. Obi-Wan waited, unsure really, whether he wanted them to commence him to his trials or give him a metaphorical box around the ears for speaking out on Anakin and send him on another two-years' tour with Master Qui-Gon. It wasn't likely to teach him to hold his tongue and mind his place, but it might at least keep him safe from Anakin Skywalker's expectations. Or expectations regarding the training of Anakin Skywalker.

"Very well," Master Windu said. "Padawan Kenobi, we will discuss the scheduling of your trials soon. Be ready for our call."

Obi-Wan bowed consent. He released the anxiety and excitement he felt at the announcement into the Force. If he was not ready to leave Master Qui-Gon, it was a function of his fear and not of his preparedness. Overcoming that fear would be the first step on his larger journey.

"And Padawan?" Master Windu added.

Obi-Wan turned at the door.

"The boy. Anakin—"

"Skywalker," Master Qui-Gon murmured.

Master Windu nodded. "Bring him before us. We should assess his suitability for training."

ANAKIN

Everything on this planet was huge. Anakin had never seen so many people in one place before. He hadn't known so many people existed. Or maybe he'd thought they might, but actually seeing them was . . . big. Just like all the buildings.

The queen's apartments a couple blocks over had been big too, but not like the Jedi Council room. There'd been stuff all over the queen's apartment that made it feel smaller, kinda cozy even if it was so big. Here there were just chairs, and a bunch of really old people looking at him. Anakin thought he knew aliens, but there were people here from species he'd never met before. Some of them were pretty wild-looking.

They didn't feel too different from Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, though. More serious, maybe. Almost too serious. And Anakin could tell they were all thinking about him real hard. That they all thought that being a Jedi was an even bigger deal than he'd thought, and it mattered a whole lot who they let in. They weren't gonna let in just anyone.

Anakin was gonna show them he wasn't just anyone. He could be a Jedi! The best Jedi there'd ever been. Or if he did something else, it wouldn't be 'cause he couldn't be a Jedi like Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon. Just 'cause he decided maybe he didn't want to do it after all.

The big, bald guy, human—or near-human, maybe, he didn't feel just like a human—was holding up some kind of testing thing. He'd asked Anakin to tell him what picture it was showing, except only he could see the pictures. Anakin would have to guess, or "sense them with the Force," they said.

The weird thing was, Anakin sort of could tell what picture the guy was looking at. Sometimes it was like the machine told him, like its screen was whispering. Sometimes it was like he could tell from the guy asking him to guess, like he was looking through the master's eyes. Or head, maybe. Anyway, he just knew what the picture was supposed to be. And when it changed, even when the guy stopped telling him.

His mom hadn't liked him to practice all the cool stuff he could do back home. Back on Tatooine. It was what made him so good at podracing, they knew, and fixing things too. That was okay, sort of, because it meant he made Watto so much money that Watto would never sell him and would keep his mom so Anakin would be happy, and Watto was stupid and annoying, but he was lots better than Gardulla or somebody else, and his junkyard was interesting. But his mom thought that if Anakin made stuff float like he sometimes could, or got too obvious about the stuff he sometimes knew about people, someone might actually steal him from Watto. Only she'd never thought that somebody could be a Jedi. Or that Anakin would actually end up doing most of the stealing.

Now the Jedi wanted him to do all the things that he could do. It was part of what it meant to be part of their clan. If Anakin stayed with the Jedi and learned to be one, he would probably be able to do all kinds of things.

"A speeder," he finished. The big man shut the test machine off. He looked around at all the others, and all the others seemed to think real hard with him.

The little guy, the one in the middle who talked so funny, though not as funny as Jar Jar, looked real hard at Anakin. "Hmm. How feel you?" he asked.

"Cold, sir," Anakin answered. "But Obi-Wan—Mister Obi-Wan, Padawan Kenobi—and Padmé, they say I'll get used to it."

"Hmm. Afraid, are you?" the little guy wanted to know.

Anakin considered. He was nervous. He didn't really like the way they stared at him. Or standing in the middle of this big room. He didn't want to get it wrong . . . or be wrong, maybe. But Obi-Wan had been scared before, too, after their meditation, because of whatever it was Anakin had done on accident, and because Mister Qui-Gon and Anakin had said he was supposed to help Anakin, but he hadn't seen that, and he didn't think he could. Anakin tried to remember what it was that Obi-Wan had done then, how it had felt. Like he'd sort of scooped up all his fear, showed it to Anakin, and then just . . . let go. And then he'd been okay, or better, anyway.

Anakin looked at the little guy in the middle. He lifted his chin, tried to be brave, really, really hoped he was right and said, "Yeah, a little. I've never been to a planet this big before. I don't know any of you, sirs—m-masters—and now you're gonna tell me if I'm good enough to be a Jedi or not. I left my mom and everything to be a Jedi. But—" he smiled and did his best to scoop up everything he was scared and nervous about—that these guys would say no, or that if they said yes, he'd be with some guy he didn't know instead of Obi-Wan like he knew he was supposed to be. Or Obi-Wan would fail his trials like he was scared of. He tried to show it to the little guy, and then he let it go.

He felt tired, but happy then. Better. "But I know I am good enough," he finished, "and I guess you'll do what you have to. And if you say I can't be a Jedi, I guess I'll do something else for you guys. I can do a lot, you know, and I guess you need people to fly ships for the Jedi that don't like that or people to fix stuff around the place too."

Something changed around the big, round room then. Several of the guys staring at him sat up straighter, or else seemed to sit down more in their seats, like they were suddenly more comfortable or something. The real weird-looking guy in the mask sighed a little, and it felt like he'd really liked what Anakin had said. It almost felt like he smiled, though you couldn't see it on his face. More in the air around him.

"Important work the Jedi service corps do," confirmed the little guy. "Wise you are not to limit your options. A Jedi must have the deepest commitment, the most serious mind. Constricting for many our code and tenets are."

"Yet you do have ability, young Skywalker," the big guy said.

"You spoke of your mother, before," one of the others said, an alien who looked mostly human, but with a huge, tall head. "Tell us, will you regret it, if you do not become a Jedi, and you left her for nothing?"

Anakin frowned at that guy. "I won't have left her for nothing, sir. I was a slave, and now I'm not. She wanted me to go with Mister—with Master Qui-Gon because she knew it'd be better for me than staying back there with her. Whatever you tell me, I'll be better off than I was then. Unless you send me all the way back, but Obi-Wan—Padawan Kenobi said you wouldn't. You won't, will you? Watto's probably real mad I lost him all that money betting on Sebulba."

"We will not be returning you to slavery, Skywalker," the big man said, with a nice oomph that made Anakin sure he meant it. At first, the big man had been one of the scarier guys on the Council. Anakin smiled at him now. He didn't smile back, but he didn't seem so scary either. "When you passed into Republic space, all right to hold you in bondage expired. Padawan Kenobi has already begun the process of transferring your citizenship to the Republic and your guardianship to the Jedi Order."

"It remains to be seen what will happen to you beyond that," the tall-headed guy added.

"Master Qui-Gon tells us he feels Padawan Kenobi should train you, provided he passes his upcoming trials for knighthood," the big guy said. He looked down his nose and over his folded hands at Anakin. "Tell us, Skywalker, do you feel that's responsible, when Master Qui-Gon was the one who took you from your planet, and Obi-Wan is still a padawan himself?"

"Mi—Master Qui-Gon says Obi-Wan is ready for his trials, sir," Anakin answered. "He thinks Obi-Wan—Padawan Kenobi is gonna pass. Obi-Wan maybe doesn't want to train someone else himself yet. Or doesn't think he can, anyway. I'm not sure Obi-Wan thinks he can do a lot of things. But Master Qui-Gon thinks he can, and so do I."

Anakin swallowed. Now he was scared again. He was sad too, because if he was gonna be a Jedi, he really, really wanted Obi-Wan to be the one to teach him. His mom was gone, and Padmé was gonna go back to Naboo and something really bad could happen to her and to her queen. And if Obi-Wan didn't teach him and Qui-Gon wouldn't because he thought Obi-Wan should do it too—what's gonna happen to me? What'll happen?

It was dumb how you could be scared, scoop the fear out, let it go, and feel better, but it just kept coming back. Didn't it ever leave forever? Why couldn't he just be brave forever? Anakin breathed the way Obi-Wan had showed him back on the ship. Maybe he slowed his heart down a little too, to match the way Obi-Wan's had seemed when they were meditating. Obi-Wan had said he shouldn't do that, that there were lots of good reasons his heart beat the way it did. But when it beat like it was now, it meant he was scared, and he didn't want to be. And slowing his heart down helped him concentrate on something other than being scared.

"I don't want to be a problem, sir," he said, looking up, when he was just a little less scared. "Maybe it's not fair to Obi-Wan to teach me, since Master Qui-Gon was the one to pick me up and all, and since Obi-Wan will be brand new to being a knight once he passes his trials. If you think it's wrong, or if Obi-Wan doesn't want to—I get the feeling teaching me is gonna be kind of a big job."

"Perhaps," the little guy said. "Perhaps."

Then it seemed it was over. The big guy looked at a lady, one of the only ladies in the room. She was human with dark hair up in braids. She looked a little like Padmé and a little like his mom, but it was hard to feel if she was anything like them, really. She was protecting her feelings like Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon sometimes did, and she looked like she didn't smile much either. But she got up out of her chair and came toward Anakin. "My name is Knight Billaba," she said. "If you'll come with me, youngling. Padawan Kenobi has reported to us that you will be needing several vaccinations, as well as a surgery to remove your dormant detonator chip. I will take you to the med wing, and our healers can get started. You will probably be quarantined for several days there, but your friends may visit, and we will send word there regarding our decision."

Anakin didn't understand all this, but he understood one thing real well. "You're taking out the detonator chip?" he repeated. "Wahoo! Just show me where to go, ma'am!"

All at once, it didn't matter much what the Council said about his training. He felt happy all over. They really meant it: he wasn't gonna be a slave. They were taking out the detonator! After that, he could do anything. He could figure it out. Things usually worked out for him anyway. Maybe that was what the Jedi called the Force.

OBI-WAN KENOBI

Master Windu caught Obi-Wan in the refectory at supper. "The Council has agreed your Trial of Skill will take place in the morning," he said. "I will test you, and we will see what you have learned."

Obi-Wan bowed. "Thank you, master," he said. "I hope not to disappoint." He was a little surprised that Master Windu would be testing him himself. He wouldn't have thought he merited that kind of attention. He had been expecting someone to set up a simulation or a gymnastic course. He had also been expecting to have a few more days to prepare himself. Somehow, he must have caught the attention of the Council. They were both fast-tracking him and subjecting him to more than the usual level of scrutiny. It was possible his career thus far had given them reason for concern or that they lacked confidence in Master Qui-Gon's teachings. It was possible that he had offended them with the way he had spoken out this morning. But Obi-Wan thought he knew the real reason. The Council had spoken to Anakin this afternoon.

"How is Anakin?" he asked Master Windu.

"In the medical wing," Master Windu answered. "The healers are preparing him for a surgery to remove his detonator. It's close to the boy's spine, from what I hear, so they're going to put him under, and he'll need to fast for a few hours first."

"Is he frightened?" Obi-Wan asked, reaching out across the bond even as he asked and answering his own question. He felt Anakin on the other side—totally unafraid and as excited about the upcoming removal of his detonator as Obi-Wan had predicted he would be. It was terrible to walk around knowing another being could blow you up if you displeased them. Much better Anakin was free of all of that.

Obi-Wan was mildly surprised when Anakin picked up on his attention. A sensation both like a greeting and an exclamation passed into Obi-Wan's head, followed by a projection of goodwill—Anakin wishing him well, either on the trials or merely in general. Obi-Wan sent back a feeling of peace and encouragement then withdrew back behind his shields.

"I imagine you can answer that better than I," Master Windu replied, looking hard at Obi-Wan. He had sensed the exchange; Anakin was not currently shielding, and even across the temple and amid the noise of all the other Force Sensitives within it, Anakin's signature was distinct.

"He's fine," Obi-Wan confirmed, both amused and impressed with Anakin's ability. The boy had all the mental subtlety of an overenthusiastic akk pup, yet his talent was undeniable. Sensing a fellow Force adept when you were in the middle of a joint meditation or just coming out of one was one thing, when you were in the same room and already attuned to a person's signature. Recognizing the touch of someone else upon your mind from a distance? Identifying the person making contact? Returning a psychic impression? There were younglings who went years without learning so much. Of course, the Force bond Anakin seemed to have created probably helped.

"You have a strong bond with Skywalker," Master Windu said. "The Council sensed your influence during his interview."

"I have not trained the boy," Obi-Wan said quickly. "Nor did I coach him prior to his interview. On the voyage from his homeworld, he asked to participate in a single meditation with Master Qui-Gon and I. Meditation is not exclusive to the Jedi."

"You are defensive, Padawan Kenobi," Master Windu observed. "What we observed was both to your credit and Skywalker's. Several of us sensed fear within the boy, yet he identified it within himself and before the Council before sharing it with the Force. He was clumsy, as one repeating a technique he had only ever witnessed before, yet the effort spoke both to your example and to Skywalker's ability to learn, and the honesty he displayed spoke well of his character. Master Yoda had been inclined to turn him away; he sensed a cloud over the boy's future. Yet the action convinced him and many of us that Skywalker may be capable, despite his age."

"So you will train him?" Obi-Wan asked. Then, realizing he'd been vague— "Excuse me. The Council will accept Anakin for training?" It would be excellent if Master Windu or another of the Council did take on Anakin personally for training, and Master Windu did not have a padawan at the moment. Yet, Obi-Wan realized he felt some regret at the idea. It was by far the better solution; if Anakin was to become a knight, it would be the course Obi-Wan would have suggested. He could continue to see the boy, to help him, but the responsibility for Anakin's upbringing and primary teachings would not be his. Certainly the Council could amend what Anakin lacked when it came to primary education.

"Skywalker's case is unusual," Master Windu said, "and presents unique challenges. As is, the Council feels there is wisdom in giving Skywalker a trial period. He will join courses within the creche to learn the fundamentals of our Order. He may be given private tutoring when appropriate. When he has reached the proper age for a padawan learner, we will all reassess. It may be he is too far behind now. He was not raised to our Order; when he knows more of us, he may determine he no longer wishes to commit. But if he has caught up and still wishes to join, we will speak again of your training him."

Master Windu bowed, and Obi-Wan returned the salute, taking his supper to a table to eat alone. On the whole, that had gone much better than he had anticipated for Anakin. He got the feeling the Council had rather liked Anakin. Unexpectedly, he also got the feeling the Council liked the idea of Obi-Wan training him. Not yet, which was a blessing, but someday.

Well. If they didn't want him to train Anakin yet, training Anakin wasn't a problem for today. Today's problem was tomorrow's trial. A test against Master Windu!