AN: As always, thanks for all the support, and special thanks to FractionalSith, Tracyn, and Dragomi125 for their help.
MaySail199 - Glad you enjoy Kastor as a character and enjoy the story. The stage is definitely being set for the war. Young Solo? Maybe, but probably not, at least not this early.
Chapter 64 - A Day at the Temple
Anakin was almost bouncing on the balls of his feet in his excitement. His mother was coming, and she was bringing her new family. Anakin hadn't officially met them yet.
It was currently the day after his Knighting, and two days since his last Trial.
When he'd seen his mother after his Trial, they'd spent the day together, apart from everyone else, for the most part.
Anakin had introduced Obi-Wan, Kastor, and Allara since they had been right there, but after that it had just been the two of them, rejoicing in being reunited and starting to share bits and parts of their lives since they'd parted.
The day after, Anakin had been busy with his duties and then he'd been Knighted. He'd of course called his mother to tell her the news, which she had been overjoyed from, and over the communication he'd briefly seen his mother joyously telling his new stepfather and stepbrother, and he'd received congratulations from them, but this would be his first time meeting them in person.
It didn't help that he knew Shmi, the Lars family, and his new stepbrother's girlfriend, Beru, would be returning to Tatooine soon. They had been put up in a hotel by Kastor, and had enjoyed exploring Coruscant a bit, the city planet being so different from anything they'd ever seen before, but Cliegg had a farm back home, one that Owen and Beru helped to keep going. They had some friends/neighbors watching it for them while they were gone, but they couldn't take advantage of that goodwill for too long. It was unsustainable and would only hurt their friends as much as it would their own farm.
No, he only had another day or two with his mother and her new family before they would leave, and with his new promotion to Knighthood, he knew there was a chance he could get sent out on a mission at any moment, even with his current assignment assisting Master Clee Rhara, Garen Muln, and their chosen assistants with starfighter training.
Thankfully, he'd been given the day off.
He suspected Kastor or Obi-Wan had talked to Master Rhara. They were old friends after all, and while Anakin was friendly enough with Qui-Gon's old age mate, he knew that he hadn't brought up his situation, so it was highly likely someone else had in his stead.
He watched as an air taxi came flying in, and he smiled as it landed, and unloaded his family. His smile widened as he saw his mother beam at him, and hurry forward. With a bounce in his step, he moved forward and hugged his mother.
"Oh, I'm still trying to get over how tall you've gotten, Annie," Shmi voiced wistfully, with a smile.
"Huh, I'm still trying to get over how short you've gotten," Anakin responded cheekily, and Shmi swatted his arm lightly.
"I'm surprised your teacher accepted that type of cheek from you," Shmi remarked.
"Oh, Master Obi-Wan's well known for his wit," Anakin responded with a light chuckle. "I can only aspire to come up with some of his wittiest comebacks."
"The polite refined man I met two days ago?" Shmi asked with faux disbelief. "I can't believe that."
"Trust me, Mom," Anakin asserted dryly. "You should hear him when he really gets going."
"He is a Jedi Knight, after all; You don't survive without wit," a male voice said, sounding respectful, with a hint of teasing. Anakin turned and looked at the younger man, probably around Anakin's age, or perhaps just a bit older.
"Exactly," Anakin agreed, nodding at his stepbrother.
"It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person," Owen expressed with a smile. "Mom's told me a lot about you."
Anakin felt a slight twinge of jealousy at Owen calling Shmi 'Mom' and at the fond look Shmi gave him, but then he considered that Owen had lost his own birth mother very young, and that Shmi had lost Anakin, so as long as they had found peace with each other, he should be happy for both, but especially for his mother.
"It's a pleasure to meet you as well," Anakin returned, smiling finally. "I always wanted a brother, and knowing my new family helped free my mother makes you all even better in my eyes."
"Well, slavery's a blight, no two ways about it" Cliegg nearly cursed, and Anakin nodded in agreement at that.
"I think we're going to get along just fine," Anakin said finally, and Cliegg chuckled.
"Well, that's a relief," Cliegg remarked, and Anakin chuckled before he smiled wide.
"Hi, I'm Beru Whitesun, Owen's girlfriend," a pretty young woman introduced herself with a friendly, bright smile. "It's nice to finally meet you, Anakin."
"You as well, Beru," Anakin returned with a nod. "My mother's told me nice things about you."
"Your mother is a wonderful woman," Beru complimented, and Anakin nodded again in full agreement, smiling
"That she is." Cliegg remarked, squeezing Shmi's hand, gaining the attention of the group causing the woman in question to lightly blush but not lose her beaming, happy smile.
'Not a bad start, at all.' Anakin had a good feeling about this.
"So, are you ready for a proper tour of the fabled halls of the Jedi Order?" Anakin asked. "If I time this right you'll also get to meet a lot of my friends and mentors. The ones who've helped me grow over the years."
"That sounds wonderful, dear," Shmi agreed.
"I never thought I'd ever get to see the Jedi Temple," Owen said wistfully, taking in the vast structure's appearance.
"I never thought I'd be on Coruscant," Beru added with a chuckle as she looked around at the nearby buildings and air traffic.
"I never thought I'd return," Cleigg muttered quietly, and Anakin glanced at the man, surprised he'd ever been on Coruscant, but not knowing him well enough to broach the subject. He decided to move past it with his mother squeezing Cliegg's hand in a comforting manner.
"Well then, let's begin!" Anakin exclaimed, and he guided them into the Temple.
They all gaped at the majestic architecture and size of the Main Hall. Anakin smiled and started to lead them through it, explaining the history that he remembered. All around, Jedi, some Mandalorians, Antarian Rangers, and Temple Staff walked through the hall on their way off to various tasks, but Anakin recognized many of them.
"Good morning, Knight Unduli," Anakin greeted politely as the Mirialan Jedi Knight was walking past.
She smiled and nodded. "Good morning, Anakin. We are both Knights now, as you know."
Anakin smiled sheepishly. "Hard to break habits, you know?"
Luminara laughed lightly. "Indeed it is." Her eyes turned to the rest of the group.
"This is my family," Anakin introduced his mother, Cliegg, Owen, and Beru.
"A pleasure to meet you all," Luminara said with a polite smile. "Anakin is one of our brightest rising Jedi. Obi-Wan's been all but singing his praises."
Anakin blinked at that, not quite gaping like a gooberfish, but it was a near thing. Clearly she was taking to the Order's new views with as much enthusiasm as Siri and Obi-Wan, if not quite like them. The teasing smile on her face as she glanced at him gave her away.
"I will let you get back to your tour," Luminara added with a nod, her smile still in place as she gave him a small wink. "I must go find my Padawan."
"Of course . . . Luminara," Anakin fumbled slightly and she gave him one final amused look as she moved on.
"She's an old friend of my Obi-Wan's," Anakin explained, focusing back on his family. "They were age mates, I guess, though different clans."
"Clans?" Beru asked with interest.
"Children here are split into Clans, and each clan has roughly twenty younglings, ages roughly four to eight." Anakin explained. "At that point you take the Initiates Trials and become initiates until you are chosen to be a Padawan Learner between the ages of twelve and fourteen."
His family listened as they carried on further into the Temple, politely greeting passing people of all sorts.
"The clans are supposed to act as your families, in a way," Anakin continued. "So, you have clan mates of various ages, and then you have age mates, both within your clan and outside of it."
"Interesting," Cliegg remarked. "So, in a way, you have older and younger siblings plus siblings the same age as you."
"In a way," Anakin answered slowly. With how the Order was changing, that view might eventually take hold, but that wasn't quite the way it was right now, nor was it what Anakin had experienced. "There tends to be a lot of competition though, in the Clans. Sometimes too much which leads to some resentment at times."
"Also sibling behavior," Cliegg said dryly, and Anakin blinked at that. "I could spend days telling you about the times my brother and I tried to one up each other in all sorts of stupid ways. And even more days talking about the times we were at each other's throats trying to kill each other."
"Perhaps it's closer than I thought," Anakin murmured before shrugging and continuing the tour, often stopping to introduce his family to various people he recognized.
He was a bit surprised at how almost every Jedi who stopped to talk for a short minute complimented him to his family.
Sure, some of them were old friends, whether through his master, Kastor, or just friends he'd made himself, like K'kruhk, Eno Cordova, Iris Camas, or Minas Velti, who was leading a group of younglings around for a class.
Still, every single one of them was kind or polite, typical of Jedi, but all said at least one complimentary thing about him personally to his mother, which made her beam with pride, which wasn't something any of them needed to do, and none of them seemed like they were going out of their way to say something.
They were just being honest.
Admittedly, it made Anakin question how those in the Order actually saw him. He'd always thought he was generally thought well of, but mostly because of being the Chosen One and having large expectations from him. His would-be age mates, he got all kinds of mixed messages from them, and it left him feeling isolated, at least for a time. But maybe he was generally actually thought of fondly and well liked.
It was almost as shaking as his Trial of Spirit, realizing that maybe his perception of how he saw himself in the Order wasn't reality . . . and maybe he'd been a little harsh in his judgment at times.
Still, they continued onward, occasionally meeting other Jedi. Shmi, Owen, Beru, and Cliegg were a bit in awe meeting a Jedi Master like T'ra Saa, who was a Grand Jedi Master, at least a century old, and almost radiated wisdom and serenity. Yet she too was kind and complimentary, and he couldn't help but feel pleased seeing the impressed looks coming from his new stepfamily as they saw him interacting with wise and experienced Jedi like her, and speaking in a somewhat familiar manner.
From there, he took them to the Temple museum, where Beru and Owen marveled over the history, with one of the historians, Jedi Knight Re-Lee Howell, eagerly helping Anakin to give a proper tour, and answer the questions that Anakin was unable to.
Next was the meditation chapel, for mostly just a quick walk through. While the room was interesting, and always set to be very peaceful, Anakin didn't think it was super interesting to explain, and with Jedi meditating in the chapel, he didn't want to disrupt them.
Anakin showed the dorms, including his own room, since he hadn't yet moved out of the shared quarters he had with Obi-Wan.
His (former) Master's absence removed any reason to linger, so they moved to the Room of a Thousand Fountains. His mother particularly loved the beautiful room, admiring the peace that seemed to permeate through the room, and she enjoyed just sitting and basking in the greenery for a bit with Beru while Anakin, Owen, and Cliegg exchanged small talk.
The Agricultural Research Hall was when Anakin truly saw the two Lars men get lively. While they were mostly moisture farmers, there were other things that were grown on Tatooine. It was just very difficult.
However, Master Gal-Stod Slagistrough had been more than happy to talk with them about various techniques the Order had perfected in growing certain crops in harsh environments. Master Slagistrough had even helped point out some other crops from around the galaxy that had a good chance of growing on Tatooine and had even provided a few seeds of several of those plants for Owen and Cliegg to attempt to grow when they returned home.
"This could change a lot for us," Owen murmured to his father.
"Could be big for the whole planet," Cliegg softly declared. His face scrunched further in thought. "But Tatooine isn't a part of the Republic, so while Jedi occasionally visit the planet, usually just stopping over, no effort's ever been made by the Jedi Order to improve the planet's surface. If this works . . . we could spread the word, make farming more viable and profitable, give people more options for work and living, other than leaving or working for the Hutts . . . and we could take away some of Jabba's influence."
"If you can gather samples and send data through young Skywalker, we'd be more than happy to offer advice," Gal-Stod said eagerly. "Tatooine has always been a planet of interest to the Agri Corp, but with its location and well . . . who has traditionally ruled the planet, we've always been prevented from making any attempt. At least, overtly," he tacked on with a slight smile.
"We appreciate that, Master Jedi," Cliegg responded, gruff but thankful all the same.
"Of course," Gal-Stod said firmly, paying no heed to Cliegg's tone. "Helping people is a large part of our Order."
They moved on and took a trip to the Halls of Healing, where Vokara Che gave them a rundown of their healing center, and the work they did, ranging from healing Jedi returning from missions to general practitioners for Jedi and even people who came to the Temple for aid or who lived near the Temple. They did research on diseases and constantly were working to invent or create new methods of healing, and when available, they sent some of their healers to other worlds or other hospitals on Coruscant to assist with major disasters.
"How about some lunch?" Anakin asked, the tour having wound down.
"That would be wonderful," Shmi agreed, and Anakin guided them to the Dining Hall, and he was happy to see several of his friends there as well.
He helped his family get food before he led them over to a table with several of his friends and two others he only knew on sight.
"Anakin, come join us!" Darra welcomed him with a warm smile.
"Don't mind if we do," Anakin responded. "Meet my family. This is my mom, Shmi, my stepfather, Cliegg, my stepbrother Owen, and his girlfriend, Beru. Everyone, these are some of my best friends, Darra, Tru, Ferus, and then there's. . ."
"Tiplee," a red-skinned Mikkian girl introduced herself, with a polite smile.
"Tiplar," a yellow-skinned Mikkian girl said, also smiling politely.
"It's a pleasure to meet you all," Shmi greeted, taking the lead, and they all sat down.
"We're all age mates," Anakin said. "Darra, Ferus, and Tru have been on countless missions with me and Master Obi-Wan. Ferus is also - er - was the Padawan of Siri, Master Obi-Wan's wife."
"Wife?" Owen repeated, blinking in surprise. "I thought the Jedi Order didn't allow marriages or romance? That's what I heard when I kind of read up on the Order before coming here." He gave a somewhat apologetic shrug.
"A very recent change," Tru answered amiably. "Master Obi-Wan and Master Siri only married just over a week ago, and they are the first to openly marry in the Order in a millenia."
"Oh, that's wonderful!" Shmi gently exclaimed. "I must say, all the Jedi Order has been wonderful so far. Everyone has been so polite, kind, and helpful. Not at all what I expected." It wasn't quite teasing nor a critique, she was testing the waters to see how they reacted.
"Oh we're not nearly as stuffy as they say we are," Darra agreed, before laughing slightly. "Oh, well, most of us aren't."
Tiplee and Tiplar both chuckled slightly at that, while Tru grinned, and Ferus sighed. Beru and Shmi smiled in response.
"As long as you're saying that, I'd love to hear about some of the missions you've been on," Owen almost begged, his eyes alight with excitement.
"Well, we can start with our first one together," Ferus offered up. Anakin twitched, there were a few things in there that were liable to not seem very flattering, but, he'd just have to roll with it.
"Sure, let's start there, and then I say we all try to come up with some better stories," Darra declared with a weary snort. "That first mission was exhausting."
"They're all exhausting," Tiplee muttered, and the rest of the Jedi laughed in agreement.
They told all sorts of stories while they enjoyed their lunches. Between the various newly Knighted Jedi, they had quite a few fun stories to tell, be they tales with just their master or other joint assignments they'd been on.
Shmi, Beru, Cliegg, and Owen were entertained, though Shmi had a couple looks of horror that only a mother would have hearing some of the escapades her son had gotten into.
When lunch was done though, Anakin was ready to get back on with the tour.
He next led them to the Jedi Archives, where Madam Jocasta Nu gave them a stern introduction and lesson on the archives, before she moved off to help another Knight.
"That is a woman who's bad side I'd never want to get on," Owen uttered in relief as Jocasta walked away.
"It seems old librarians are the same no matter where you go," Cliegg muttered.
"She takes her station seriously," Shmi chastised. "There's nothing wrong with that."
"He didn't say there was," Beru responded with a chuckle, "but I'm with him. I imagine a tongue lashing from her would scar you for life."
"Pretty much," Anakin agreed, eyeing the formidable woman, who was indeed scolding the Knight for some infraction.
"This place is incredible though," Beru added as she gazed around at the records surrounding them.
"So much knowledge in one place," Cliegg agreed in awe.
"Well, the Jedi take knowledge and learning very seriously." Anakin points out with a smile, which widens as he recalls their next destination. "And speaking of learning, among our places left to visit, we have my two favorite places. We're going to one of them next, in fact."
"Where?" Owen asked.
"The training room," Anakin said, a gleam in his eye as the other four perked up at the idea of seeing live Jedi training.
He led them along, and as they approached, they started to hear the clash of lightsabers. They entered the room, and all four of Anakin's family let out gasps of amazement.
All around, Knights, Padawans, Initiates, and Masters were dueling or working on their forms, most of them at the direction of one of the sword instructors. There were even a few Mandalorians and Antarian Rangers that were both working with some Knights on their own abilities with blades, and a few that were helping to instruct with just basic combat and situational awareness.
Anakin smiled seeing Kastor and Obi-Wan among them, along with the battlemaster, Cin Drallig, himself, and a few other Jedi Anakin didn't recognize.
"So this is where you all learn to fight?" Owen asked in amazement.
"One of the rooms, yes," Anakin agreed. "This is where Jedi of all ages come to practice in their free time. There are a few other training rooms for structured classes, usually for younglings and initiates. Once you become a Padawan, your master often takes you elsewhere to work on your lightsaber combat, especially since you're able to go on missions."
"I noticed that Master Kenobi and Master Shan are two of the instructors," Shmi noted, looking at the two men in question.
"Both of them are considered some of the best duelists in the Order," Anakin agreed, a hint of pride in his voice.
"Goodness," Shmi muttered softly. "It sounds like you had some incredible mentors."
"So, have they taught you everything they know, then?" Owen asked, slightly teasing.
"I haven't beaten either of them," Anakin admitted, "so I guess not yet."
"It's amazing seeing all of this," Beru said as she took in the Jedi learning in different ways.
"This is nothing," Anakin disagreed honestly.
"I think I'd like to see what you consider impressive," Cliegg observed wryly, his eyebrows raised.
Anakin gazed at him, before a sly grin grew. "Well, then, let's see if we can do that." Anakin turned back and looked towards Kastor and his former master. "Hey! Master Shan!" Anakin called out.
Kastor turned, saw those with Anakin and his eyes narrowed at Anakin, who's grin grew mischievous.
"And just what do you want, Knight Skywalker?" Kastor asked in a grave tone that fooled no one.
"I was hoping you'd show us all what a real duel is like!" Anakin called back.
"Oh, Anakin," Shmi scolded, and he grinned, which was matched by Owen, Beru, and Cliegg.
"Well I hope you aren't thinking you can give me a real duel," Kastor remarked blithely.
Some time ago, he'd have been furious and mortified at the quip, especially in front of his mother, but now? Anakin just laughed, with some of the younger Padawans and Initiates gaping or laughing with him.
"Of course not, but I think Master Kenobi can teach you a thing or two," Anakin said cheekily.
"You just couldn't leave me out of this," Obi-Wan sighed fondly.
"Just because I'm not your Padawan anymore doesn't mean I won't make your life hard," Anakin responded without shame.
Shmi couldn't hide the face-splitting smile on her face anymore even as she raised a hand to try to hide it.
"Anakin, I could have told you that after that first month when you earned us the job of cleaning the Temple because you decided to take apart and upgrade the cleaning droids," Obi-Wan retorted dryly.
There were more laughs at that, this time from his family as well as the younger Jedi, that story having been passed around over the years. It was one of those things of Padawan legend, something Anakin was quite proud of.
"Alright, I'll humor our young Knight," Kastor said with a chuckle, getting excited mutters from many in the room, even among the Knights. The younglings and initiates were nearly jumping for joy, pleadingly gazing at Obi-Wan.
"Very well," Obi-Wan agreed with a put-upon sigh, that also fooled no one, unhooking his lightsaber as the center of the room cleared, giving them room, and everyone else a clear spot to watch.
"Something tells me they're quite used to your antics, son," Cliegg said with a chuckle.
"Oh, plenty used to me," Anakin agreed. "This will be good though." He pursed his lips, hesitating. "I was recently shown exactly how good Kastor is, and he claims that Obi-Wan is close to matching him, so this will be a good way to find out if that's true . . . and also will help tell me just how far I have to go."
The two Jedi masters stood across from each other, smiles on their faces. Kastor only had one lightsaber in his hand, and soon he had ignited the blade, the purple light a contrast from what people were used to seeing from him.
Kastor had decided against using the Sith lightsabers he'd used for the end of the Korriban mission. Both lightsabers had used Sith synthetic crystals, which he felt weren't worth purifying. Instead, he'd taken a quick journey to Dantooine, and had braved the crystal caverns there, returning with a new crystal.
Obi-Wan ignited his blade and Anakin was surprised to see his master not assume his normal defensive stance. Kastor grinned, and shifted into his own offensive stance.
"Getting my husband in trouble, are you?" a voice asked wryly, and Anakin grinned at Siri Tachi Kenobi, who had her arms crossed and who was watching the two masters with fondness.
"Always," Anakin agreed before continuing, "Someone has to keep Master Kenobi on his toes when you're not around, Master Kenobi."
Siri chuckled heartily.
Obi-Wan and Kastor stared each other down, their smiles fading, and Anakin felt some determination shoot through his master, and Anakin's eyes widened slightly, and he whistled lowly.
"What is it?" Owen asked.
"This is going to be a better fight than even I thought," Anakin answered quietly. "You'll enjoy this."
Kastor and Obi-Wan both exploded forward, their blades meeting in a flurry of strikes with Obi-Wan using Anakin's own favored Form V, and Kastor using Form IV. Obi-Wan pushed hard, and then Kastor deftly leapt over Anakin's old master, striking at his head, which Obi-Wan parried, turning to meet Kastor's strike at his back.
Kastor used the Force to enhance his speed and add to the fluidity of his Form IV, jumping, stepping, and maneuvering around to strike at Obi-Wan's sides and back, forcing Obi-Wan to return to his favored Form III, but then Obi-Wan shifted to his own Form IV, and Anakin grinned as the younglings made sounds of delight as the two masters started meeting strikes on the ground and in the air, leaping to attack.
Kastor changed the pace again, switching to the refined stabs and jabs of Form II, and then Obi-Wan surprised Anakin by deciding to switch to Form II himself, and everyone was treated to a demonstration of a rather lesser used form in the Order, especially since Dooku had left. Though, with the Sith rising, Anakin suspected more would turn back to the Form.
Anakin rarely saw his master use Form II, so to see him using it well enough to match Kastor was surprising. Anakin could only surmise that he'd worked on it on his own in the past years, more than Anakin had thought . . . then again Siri was good at it, so maybe that was where he picked it up from.
Their footwork was speedy and precise, almost more like fencing than standard lightsaber striking. Kastor kept up the jabs, trying to remove Obi-Wan's lightsaber from his hand, or strike his hand forcing him to drop it, but Obi-Wan kept holding Kastor off, surprising many. There were still a fair few who remembered Kastor's duel with Dooku when he'd first been found. Anakin had only heard about it, of course, but those who saw it said it was incredible.
For the first time in this duel, it was Obi-Wan who forced the change. Obi-Wan switched to the more broad and simplistic attacks favored by Shii-Cho, but picking up the power, using two handed attacks, similar to Form V. Kastor spun away from a strike and then jumped away, glancing at Obi-Wan before he grinned, and Anakin knew the fight was about to pick up in ferocity.
All the Jedi felt it, and even Shmi, Cliegg, Beru, Owen, and the Antarian Rangers and Mandalorians in the room innately felt the chill as Kastor channeled darker emotions and he charged forward, striking at Obi-Wan with a ferocity not often seen.
Obi-Wan returned to that which he was considered the best in the Order at: Form III, and his tight controlled movements, and defensive style matched Kastor's ferocity blow for blow. However, Obi-Wan was being pushed back. Anakin knew this was partially on purpose, but he could tell that some of it was just out of necessity to make the distance and create the openings necessary for Form III to be useful.
There were murmurs of awe throughout the room as their blades started swinging faster, their movements even sharper, making them almost seem like they were a mirage of blue and purple lights. Anakin saw Obi-Wan starting to falter in light of Kastor's assault, and that's when his master did something that surprised everyone.
He jumped over Kastor, and then turned, and everyone felt the darkness intensify as Obi-Wan started striking at Kastor with a ferocity that none of them, perhaps save Siri or Kastor himself, had ever seen.
"When did he learn Juyo?" Anakin asked in shock, as he watched both masters strike at each other relentlessly.
"He's known it for years," Siri answered, surprising Anakin. "Revan's holocron taught him how to use it, and he honed it even more, helping me to learn it after I returned from working for Krayn. He just rarely uses it. He's never used it on a mission. He was never very comfortable using it, and he's always been worried about giving in to the darkness, even for a battle, but in the past year, he's dedicated more time, always when either myself or Kastor is around to help balance his emotions or to defeat him if he goes too far."
"Wow," Anakin muttered, watching the furious strikes continue before Kastor's strength started increasing, while Obi-Wan's remained stagnant. Kastor's strikes started becoming even sharper, moving faster, and Obi-Wan finally faltered and was disarmed and struck on the side.
Both Jedi stopped immediately, their breathing almost ragged, and everyone felt the emotions struggling to be contained before the darkness left completely, leaving both men smiling, one in pride, and one in humble defeat.
Cheers and applause echoed around the room, and the two Jedi gave short waves of acknowledgement before they both started to call out random Jedi of all ages for inputs and analysis on what they just saw, turning the training hall into a lecture hall, momentarily.
"Stang," Cliegg muttered, eyes wide. "You see a lot on Tatooine, but I've never seen anything like that."
"Told you we were in for a treat," Anakin said with pride. "Now, let's get on with the tour."
"I have so many questions." Owen exclaimed eagerly, looking back toward Obi-Wan and Kastor's direction in disbelief. "Can you tell us exactly what we just saw? I'm no fighting expert, but it looked like multiple different combat styles."
Beru interjected, "And what was that coldness that even we seemed to feel?" Owen, Shmi and Cliegg nodded in agreement.
Anakin nodded, bade farewell to Siri, and then slowly started to explain the basics of lightsaber combat as he led them out of the Training Hall, and over to where several lecture halls and classrooms were.
He guided them around to various classrooms, explaining which subjects were taught there, before they went to the large open lecture hall, where Anakin found Fay with a dozen other Jedi in attendance, listening.
"That's Grandmaster Fay," Anakin whispered to his family. "She's also Kastor's girlfriend or partner or something. I'm really not sure what."
"What is she teaching?" Shmi asked as she gazed at the aforementioned Jedi with interest.
"Battle meditation," Anakin answered. "It's a technique in the Force that allows someone to influence the morale, energy, and even proficiency of armies, friend or foe. She's one of the few that I know that can use it, but with the rising threat, she's one of them trying to pass on the knowledge."
"How many Grandmasters are there?" Beru asked quietly.
"Seven," Anakin said. "Fay, Kastor, Master Yoda, Master Rancisis, Master Sinube, Master T'ra Saa, who you've met, and Master Allara Shan, Kastor's daughter."
"Dang, so we've seen three of the Grandmasters of the Order today?" Owen asked in surprise. He shook his head. "Today's been crazier than I thought it'd be."
"Four Grandmasters, you have seen now," a voice said humorously, and they all turned, with Anakin's family blinking in surprise and staring down at a kindly smiling Yoda.
"Master Yoda," Anakin greeted politely. "This is my family." He quickly introduced everyone, and Yoda nodded politely at each name.
"A pleasure it is to meet you all," Yoda said. "Proud of young Skywalker, you should be. A great Jedi, he has become. Greater still, he will be, one day . . . when learns to listen more, he does." Yoda gave his normal happy laugh, and Anakin smiled sheepishly at his mother who raised an eyebrow at him.
"I was just showing them around," Anakin said. "We're off to the Holographic Training Hall next."
"Ah, a favorite spot of yours, that is," Yoda said knowingly. "Many flying hours, you have logged."
"I didn't realize you knew that," Anakin said surprised.
"Of course," Yoda said with a smile. "Brings joy to you, it does, flying. Show this you do. Know this, we should."
Anakin blinked in surprise, once again being forced to evaluate a bit how he saw the Order and those in it, but he smiled and nodded appreciatively.
"Enjoy the tour, I hope you do," Yoda said. "A wonder this Temple is. A good home it has been for centuries of Jedi."
"And almost a thousand of them just to you," Anakin added cheekily.
"Anakin!" Shmi scolded, but Yoda just laughed.
"Indeed, young Skywalker, indeed," Yoda agreed. "Old I have become. Look as good when 900 years old you are, you will not."
"Probably not," Anakin agreed with a chuckle as Yoda walked into the room to join Fay and the others.
"900 years!" Owen exclaimed incredulously, staring after Yoda for a short spell. "That's insane!"
"It is," Anakin responded. Smirking with mischief, "Kastor's technically much older."
Cliegg frowned, "How much older? Isn't he human?"
"Try two and a half thousand years older. Allara is the same." Anakin responded before laughing as all four of his fellow Tatooine natives' jaws dropped as they gaped at him to varying degrees.
He had fun explaining how that worked.
Anakin led his family to where he'd told Yoda they were going, finding Clee Rhara and Garen Muln overseeing several Initiates, Padawans, and Knights all going through flight basic and advanced starfighter maneuvers.
Anakin knew that Clee already had the revival of her old starfighter academy in the works, though it wouldn't be on Centax II, like originally had been planned.
She'd been recruiting some of the best pilots in the Order to help instruct, both here in the simulators, and eventually at the academy, and they were also being given extra training on leading or being a part of squadrons, should those types of major space battles return.
"This is where all Padawans learn to pilot just about anything," Anakin explained. "Of course, some are better than others, but all Jedi are fairly competent pilots."
"Depending on the definition of competent," a voice said dryly, and Anakin smiled at Clee Rhara.
"Of course, Master," Anakin responded with a slight bow of his head. "Everyone, this is Master Clee Rhara, arguably the best pilot in the Order. She was an age mate and friend of Qui-Gon's," Anakin added for his mother's benefit.
"Your son is one of the finest pilots in our Order, despite his age," Clee said, and Shmi beamed, and Anakin felt his pride rise again. "Someday, he may even be the best pilot in the Order."
"Annie always did have an affinity for flying or racing speeders unseemly fast," Shmi admitted. "It used to worry me more than anything."
"I'm sure it would have," Clee nodded sympathetically. "Now though, how would you all like a turn in the simulators?"
"Wait, really?" Owen asked in shock.
"Certainly, they're just computers," Clee said with a shrug. "At the very least we can let you try them out, and maybe we can give you a couple lessons on flying basics for most ships."
"If you're sure," Cliegg muttered, seeming unsure.
"Of course," Clee said, with a patient smile. "Let's get you all hooked up, and let you join the younglings for a lesson."
Shmi chose to abstain, but Cliegg, Beru, and Owen all eagerly took the opportunity for a small lesson on flying and using the simulators before they got hooked in and set loose. Anakin enjoyed watching them fumble. They were clearly novices, and crashed or flew very erratically or slowly everywhere they went, but they were having fun, and he appreciated Clee letting them have some fun.
He thanked the Jedi Master, as did his family, and then he took them off to see the starfighters and speeders that were currently at the Temple in the Main Hangar, keeping with the theme. There were really only two more places to visit, after the Hangar that is.
Everyone marveled over the various ships, and Jaizen Suel helped give them a rundown of everything in the hangar, beyond what Anakin knew. He enjoyed watching them marvel at some of the ships the Order had acquired, either for undercover operations, as gifts or donations, or seized from pirates, smugglers, or other criminals.
"Alright, two places left," Anakin continued. "We'll start with the more solemn one first before we go to my favorite place."
Anakin took them to the Hall of Remembrance, where they paid their respects to the Fallen Jedi and admired the various lightsabers and crystals that had been placed in the Hall over the millenia that the Order had existed.
"That's a very powerful room," Shmi somberly remarked as they left.
"Indeed," Cliegg agreed with sobriety. When you were from Tatooine, you learned a thing or two about respecting the fallen. Death was commonplace, whether from the harsh sun, the Tusken Raiders, or the criminal elements.
"One last room," Anakin said. "My favorite place."
"And what room is that?" Shmi asked.
"The Temple Map room, Mom," Anakin answered with a smile, and then he guided them to the room in question.
"This room is almost overwhelming," Shmi muttered, seeing Anakin pulling up the galaxy and manipulating various planets so that he could learn all about dozens of different worlds, where they were, and listen in on news.
"That's what Obi-Wan says," Anakin said with a laugh.
"I knew he had sense," Shmi remarked, and Anakin laughed again, and then he showed everyone how to manipulate the system, so that they could all pick worlds of their own to view and learn about, and he enjoyed sitting back and watching, reveling in his mother still being there, and enjoying the Lars family as well.
He really was thankful for what Kastor and Obi-Wan had done. It was really a dream come true for him.
*The Will of the Force*
"House Pelagia has reaffirmed their support for the Order," Fay said, "both militarily and financially."
"Good," Allara sighed. "That will help boost our production abilities, without relying on Republic funding. The Altisian Jedi are back in the fold, and their contacts are being used to expand our resources. The Corellian Jedi have interceded on our behalf with the Corellian Engineering Company, and also are adding their information networks to our own."
"The Grey Paladins, the Matukai, the Teepo Paladins, and the Dahgee Jedi have agreed to work with us, pending we make a Council that they have equal representation on," T'ra Saa added. "Even some Guardians of the Whills are willing to join the fight, if need be."
"Rallying to us, many allies, are," Yoda said. "Beings from all across the galaxy, coming to join us, they are. Helping to train them, the Mandalorians and Antarian Rangers are. Growing, our strength is."
"We're fast approaching the initial estimates of the Sith Empire's forces," Kastor agreed. "Unless they've found some major shipyards, we should also be soon eclipsing their fleet, especially with what they lost at Korriban."
"We're getting pushback from the Outland Regions Security Force," Oppo Rancisis said gruffly. "Wilhuff Tarkin is doing his best to argue for the Jedi army to be disbanded, and all forces to be dispersed between planetary defense forces, the Republic Judicial Forces, and paramilitary groups like themselves."
"He's failing to acknowledge that many who have rallied to our call are only willing to join the fight because the Jedi Order are the ones raising the call," Kastor said with a shake of his head.
"Indeed," Tera Sinube agreed. "Many of our volunteers might be willing to go back to their planetary defense forces, but they'd likely be very unwilling to join the Judicial Forces or other paramilitary groups. Perhaps they'd join the Antarian Rangers or other aligned paramilitary groups, but I doubt they'd want to be dispersed as the Republic or the ORSF deems fit."
"I'll see if Senator Organa can help on that front," Allara said. "He prefers peace, but unlike Senator Amidala, he's not opposed to the creation of a military. He's very supportive of the Order as well, so perhaps he can find what we need to keep them at bay. His wife's family is also sympathetic to our cause. I believe it's more than safe to count Alderaan among our allies."
"Most of the fleet and ship contracts are established," T'ra Saa said, sounding pleased. "Mandalore is handling corvettes and battleships for us, as well as supplying some starfighters and possibly new bombers if they finish them. Naboo is supplying us with bombers and starfighters. Kuat is building us carriers, battleships, heavy and light frigates, and even supplying us with our new Aethersprite starfighters. Corellia is producing gunships and corvettes for our fleet. Koensayr is giving us bombers, and Incom is supplying us more starfighters."
"We also have a deal with the Defiance Flight Institute and the Republic to recruit promising officers for the navy," Kastor said. "We can thank Depa and Kylah for that."
"Mandalore is also helping to equip the army, and assisting with training," Allara said. "I think all we're lacking is vehicles for ground troops. We don't have anything for tanks or speeders, or even really a good small troop gunship."
"Agreed, progress made, it has been, but still far to go we have," Yoda said. "Now, end this discussion, we should. Celebration tonight, we have."
"Indeed," Kastor agreed with a chuckle. "A lot of young Knights deserve to celebrate their accomplishment."
"We'll table this until tomorrow," Oppo agreed.
"Until tomorrow," the rest of the grandmasters agreed.
*The Will of the Force*
For many, it was one last night of peace, before the dark times truly came. It was one last night of peace and celebration before Jedi were sent out on missions, both to protect and serve, but also to recruit, to train, to build, and facilitate diplomacy.
Like Obi-Wan and Siri's wedding, the celebration was held in the courtyard, with friends and guests in attendance, roaming to celebrate with the dozens of Jedi who had been Knighted.
Sure, not all of the newly Knighted Jedi were all that sure they were completely ready, or at least sure that they had been ready to leave the safety and wisdom of their masters, but even they all enjoyed the night of joy dedicated to their accomplishment.
For others, it was a night to look at the accomplishments of the younger crowd, and wish that their accomplishment hadn't come at such a dire junction in the galaxy. Many, especially among the Masters of the newly Knighted, wished that the former Padawans could have years of experience, learning to truly become Knights, rather than facing an impending galactic war.
And for the remaining few, it was one last guaranteed night with their loved ones. For Anakin Skywalker, it was possibly the last time he'd see his mother in person for months or even years. Sure, he could communicate with her now, and that made things infinitely better, but he was going to miss being able to hug her, and miss getting to know his new stepfamily in person.
For Obi-Wan, Siri, Kastor, Fay, and others like them, it was one last guaranteed night with their significant others. A calm night where they could just bask in the Living Force, in their bonds, and in the peace of a beautiful night.