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Anakin Skywalker stood on the ship's platform dismally. It was a typical Coruscant morning. The cheery sun glinted off of the polished ships that filled the skylanes. The expanse of metal towers was no more appealing then the dunes of Tatooine had been, but at least all the activity gave him something to watch.
I really don't like this. Anakin did his best not to let his anxiety show on his face. Who am I kidding? I absolutely hate this.
"It will be over before you know it, Ani." Qui-gon responded to the teenager's mood and the reason behind it.
Anakin gave up trying to look strong and just sulked. He knew he deserved this after his behavior on their last mission.
Out right disobeying your masters on your very first mission with them was un-heard of. And for Anakin it had been a colossal mistake that had nearly ended with his death. He'd hoped that perhaps the Council would decide that his suffering in the hands of the Sith would be considered punishment enough. But no, until his masters decided that he was trustworthy enough to obey, Anakin would not be allowed to leave the Jedi Temple.
And so, Anakin stood beside Obi-wan as Master Qui-gon bid them farewell. He was leaving on a mission, without them. The galaxy needed the Jedi out there and Obi-wan was scheduled to leave on his own mission in just a few weeks as well, and without Anakin.
"I don't like it either," Obi-wan murmured. "And you aren't making this any easier on yourself, Ani."
"I know," Anakin mumbled. "But he's leaving now! He won't be here when the Council interrogates me!"
The two of them watched sorrowfully as the sleek Republic ship took off. Obi-wan sighed. Anakin looked at him waiting for a reply, Obi-wan is probably dreading having to cope with me alone. He's always had Master Qui-gon to help keep me out of trouble before. Anakin reflected.
"You know neither of us may defend you, Anakin," Obi-wan reminded him.
"I don't see why I have to face them alone."
"You will be fine, Ani. They just want to hear what you remember of the Sith actions and what the Sith told you. The Council will not judge you."
Anakin looked at him askance, "It doesn't feel that way."
"Don't worry about it. You've stood up to the Council several times before."
"Yeah," Anakin answered. "But I hadn't done something wrong those times!"
"The Council will not even discuss that, Ani. The purpose of this session is only to determine what goals the Sith have concerning you."
"And to make sure I'm not buying into it," Anakin smarted back.
Obi-wan looked at him coolly, but did not reply. He didn't need to. Anakin blanched.
"I'm sorry, Master," Anakin slumped. /I really need to keep my mouth shut. The last thing I need to do is drive off my only ally currently at the Temple./
"Ani, the Council members know you better now that they have each instructed you. They will not be so quick to think the worst of you."
Yoda will. Anakin thought wryly.
"Not even Master Yoda," Obi-wan finished.
Oh, I'm glad I didn't say that out loud.
***
Anakin nearly tripped as he entered the apartment. He looked down at the dangerous object in annoyance.
"Kaely! Quit running in front of people's feet! You'll be crushed."
The tiny pink droid pretended not to hear him and continued rolling around the floor and back under the sofa she'd shotout from under. She darted around the room whistling and peeping under the furniture. Anakin trudged quietly to his room to collect his lesson assignments for the day.
Anakin paused to look at the book of old Jedi prophecies lying on his desk. No, now is really not a good time to read the rest of it. If I even think about that today, the Council will find out and Obi-wan will be in big trouble for giving it to me. Too risky.
He returned to the main room with his datapad and a stack of datacards and began working. Kaely tried to get his attention by bumping his boots and whizzing around the low table he was sitting by. After trying to ignore her antics for several minutes, Anakin finally gave in and picked her up.
"You want up here?" he asked and placed Kaely on the tabletop. She chirped her thanks and began examining the cards he hadn't used yet. After a moment she emitted a puzzled beep.
"Huh? What?"
The little droid waved the card she was holding in her grasping arm and twittered again. Finally, by using the Force, Anakin managed to grasp what she was saying.
"I know its lunch time. But I have to go meet the Council this afternoon, so I'm doing my lessons now instead."
Kaely flashed her little yellow eyes and whistled again at him.
"I know, but I'll be fine. And anyway, if I don't do it now I won't have any time to work on fixing your repulsor lifts."
Kaely squealed with glee and began to hum a quiet but cheerful tune to herself.
***
Anakin walked alone into the Jedi Council Chamber quietly. It was the first time the whole Council had seen him since Anakin was rushed to the infirmary just two weeks before. A few had managed to visit him while he was recovering from his surgery and after his dip in the bacta tank, but even they were surprised when Anakin approached.
Anakin Skywalker's whole being was actually passive. They had worried that his abduction and torture by the Sith would antagonize, anger, and spur him to vengeance. Or even worse make Anakin over-confident, after all, he did kill one of the Sith.
Instead, his capture had resulted in a dramatic change and they were un-prepared for the docile teenager who stood before them now. His normal brash attitude and cool self-assuredness was gone. The entire Council gave a collective mental sigh of relief. They had spent the last week debating over what to do a reckless and dangerous Anakin Skywalker, yet they never reached a decision. So now the Council was stuck with a new dilemma. What do you do with a humble Anakin Skywalker? And how long would he stay that way?
"How are you feeling, Anakin?" Mace Windu asked him kindly.
"Much better, sir," Anakin answered meekly. His whole demeanor was despondent.
"We'd like you to tell us everything you remember about the Sith's actions and what they said after you entered the ship."
With great trepidation, Anakin began to relate what had happened, "I was hit from behind in the cockpit. I never sensed her attack at all. I don't know how long I was out, but I do know that she drugged me. When I woke up I tried to leave the ship's cabin she'd put me in. But the Sith beat me until I passed out."
In almost a whisper he said, "She probably killed the other pilot."
Anakin's voice had grown softer and softer. Realizing this he took a deep breath and plunged onward, "Everything after that is very blurry. I don't think she drugged me again. She didn't need to. She put pressure on my mind and fogged me up so much I could barely concentrate."
Master Tiin leaned forward, "What about your mental shields?"
Anakin stiffened and his voice was strained as he answered, "They weren't good enough. I remember waking up several times, and trying to heal myself, but each time I became too aware, she'd lash out at my mind and I'd pass out again."
"Did you attempt to leave the room again?" Master Depa asked softly.
"No, ma'am."
"As this happened, how felt you?"
The look Anakin gave Yoda held none of the brazen impudence that he'd come to expect from the boy. Rather Anakin was contrite and subdued.
"I was very confused, and I kept feeling like I was doing the same things over and over. Which now I know I was. I never got a chance to get past realizing why I was in pain before the Sith would attack again."
Anakin waited for the inevitable response. This is the perfect place for Master Yoda to say, 'About this, how feel you now?" Anakin though glumly. Yoda, without fail, took every opportunity to test or question Anakin. But to his great surprise, the old Jedi Master seemed to take pity on him and remained silent.
"What do you remember next?" Eeth Koth inquired.
"I woke in that strange cell. It was completely dark and I felt awful."
Mace leaned forward in his chair, "Were you able to heal yourself then?"
"I," Anakin paused to take a deep breath. "I didn't really try much. I was too tired. But I was able to walk a little, but then I had other things to worry about."
"Like what?"
"I couldn't sense anything outside of the cell at first, I couldn't even tell how thick the walls were. Kaely found the only door, which was in the ceiling. And -"
Anakin lost his voice again. But the Council waited patiently for him to continue. The teenager's stress and nervousness rolled out from him in waves.
"And then I realized that all of my mental shields were down for the first time. I couldn't remember when they'd fallen, or even how. But what bothered me most was that it took so long for me to notice."
"Did you escape then?" Depa's soft voice was somewhat soothing.
"No, I didn't get a chance." Anakin paused and frowned. "That's when the Sith came."
"What did she say to you?" Mace prompted him.
"This time it was a man's voice," Anakin's frown deepened. "I think that maybe it was a different person?" He looked at Mace in confusion.
"That is likely. We do know that there were two Sith inside when we arrived," Mace answered.
"What did he say to you?" Ki-Adi Mundi repeated Master Windu's question.
"He rambled on about a lot of things. He said that I was going to be his apprentice. I told him I wasn't. And then after that I tried to ignore him and refused to answer anymore. Eventually he gave up talking."
Anakin waited and hoped that they would accept his response and move onward. However, Yoda wasn't going to let him evade the question, "All his words, we must know."
This was what Anakin had been both dreading and hoping for. I want to tell them. I really do. I need to know! However, Anakin was afraid of what response the Council would give him. Over the last month, he had done his best to avoid even thinking about it. But when he heard the Sith say those exact same words and make those terrible claims it had shaken Anakin to the core of his being.
Taking another deep breath, Anakin did his best to answer them in a calm voice. "He called me the Chosen One."
The reaction of the Council was more then Anakin expected. Not only did they all tense up and a few gasped is shock, but Yoda actually looked stunned. Over the past year, Anakin had surprised each of the Council members so many times it had almost become a game. But today it wasn't funny.
If this bothers them so much then it must.... Anakin didn't dare finish his thought.
The Jedi Masters still didn't answer. They must be talking to each other telepathically. Will they actually explain what this whole 'Chosen One' stuff means or will they avoid the question? They really don't want to tell me, do I even want to know why?
Anakin thought about what else that Sith had said and cringed. They have just got to tell me. I don't want to believe that guy is right, but what if he is?
"Said more of this, the Sith did?" Yoda's voice was strained.
Anakin tried to relax, If they thought what I just told them was a shock, they will keel over when I say this.
Anakin composed his words carefully, "He also said, 'a balance is achieved by two powers opposite one another. How can you bring balance to the Force if you only know the Jedi's way. It is impossible.'"
Anakin shifted his feet slightly and settled for a long wait. The Jedi certainly took their time silently discussing it. As the minutes grew longer, he began to worry, What if they just send me out of the chamber? It could be days before they decide what to tell me! I wish I could hear what they are saying to each other.
That idle thought caught his interest. Nah, it wouldn't work. They'd sense me trying to snoop and not only would I never hear anything, I'd be in big trouble. He suppressed a sigh, I've messed up enough lately. And like Obi-wan said, I don't need to make things worse for myself.
Anakin watched as Yoda's eyes seemed to glaze over and the other Jedi focused intently on each other. I can almost tell who is arguing with who just by the Force resonance their communications leave behind.
Anakin concentrated on Yoda's presence in the Force and waiting for a responding sensation from one of the other Council members to try to guess who he was talking too. Anakin knew that Yoda didn't like him and seemed to disagree with everything he wanted. Anakin waited and felt the response come from Adi Gallia, Odd. She usually agrees with Master Yoda.
Again the tiny vibration in the Force came from Yoda, and this time a different sensation came from Yaddle. Ah ha! Anakin was delighted as he learned to identify which impression was which. Master Yaddle always takes my side.
As the time grew longer and longer, Anakin became less worried that they would send him out without explaining today and more worried that they'd make him wait where he was all afternoon. The Force could only hold you up so long and already his legs were beginning to ache. Trying to ignore it, Anakin continued to watch the holo-ball match going on around him. So far it looked like four definitely agreed with Yoda, three completely disagreed, and the other four he wasn't sure about. Maybe they are still undecided.
Undecided about what? Anakin mused. The Council could be debating about what to tell him, what to not tell him, or worse whether or not the Sith was right. I don't want him to be right. That guy was creepy, his old apprentice almost killed Master Qui-gon and his new one tried to cut my arm off. And then after I killed Darth Edacaf, he nearly killed me. I don't want anything to do with him.
Anakin shifted his feet again. This patience thing is getting really hard.
"Anakin?"
He looked up at Master Depa Billaba.
"You look pale," she directed her words more to Anakin, but looked at Mace Windu.
Yup, they are going to send me out.
"The remainder of your report must wait for another day," Mace dismissed him.
"Yes, sir," Anakin bowed dutifully and began to walk out of the chamber. Just as he passed the doors Master Yaddle spoke up.
"Not well, he is," She said firmly and hopped off of her chair.
She wasn't the only one to get up, but despite her short legs and being the farthest away, she reached Anakin first. He was kneeling in the hall where she'd sensed he'd stumbled and fallen. The small Jedi Master put one of her tiny three fingered hands on his shoulder.
"Ani?"
He tried to look up at her but his eyes refused to focus. Anakin slumped unconscious to the floor as a wave of dizziness hit him.
***
Master Healer An-Paj looked up in surprise as Mace Windu entered into the infirmary carrying Anakin. His patient had been doing well and improving greatly after he'd released him from the Healer Ward a week ago. The blue healer hadn't expected to see Anakin again until his next check up in two days.
Master Windu walked calmly to him and An-Paj could perceive that the boy was not in pain or visibly injured. Just out cold. From the entrance, a few of the other Council members stood waiting.
"He passed out in the hall," Mace explained as the healer led him to an empty examination table. He placed Anakin on it and stepped back with a grim expression on his face, "We have already called Obi-wan."
An-Paj worked quickly and efficiently to determine the cause while Mace retreated to the waiting room. Anakin was very pale, but was breathing normally. Just as the healer submitted a blood sample into the medical terminal for testing, Anakin stirred.
"Anakin, open your eyes."
Squinting, Anakin obeyed. He looked around him in confusion for a moment before trying to sit up. Master An-Paj helped to steady him.
"What have you been doing today?"
"Not much," Anakin muttered. "I haven't been over-exercising or anything like that."
Master An-Paj's antenna twitched in puzzlement, "Then why are you so exhausted?"
The boy shrugged off the question, "I didn't sleep well last night."
Master An-Paj was unconvinced. Taking a look at the terminal's readout of Anakin's vital signs and test results he frowned. He sat down and began to call up more information and typed in a code.
"You didn't eat lunch today did you?"
A faint look of guilt crossed Anakin's face, "No, sir. I didn't"
"I'll return in a moment, Anakin," An-Paj stood up and left to talk to the Jedi Masters waiting outside.
***
When An-Paj returned to the waiting room, only Obi-wan was there. The young Knight was sitting calmly in a meditative state. He slowly opened his eyes as he sensed the healer approach and he then stood up.
"Hello Master An-Paj."
"Good afternoon, Obi-wan," An-Paj returned pleasantly. "Your Padawan will be fine."
The blue healer glanced around the empty room in a silent question.
"I told the Council I'd inform them if Anakin was seriously ill," Obi-wan explained. "I didn't sense any danger to Ani."
"You are correct. Anakin is not ill, yet," An-Paj pursed his lips in mild irritation. "He is exhausted, dehydrated, and has not eaten in the last 24 hours."
An exasperated look crossed Obi-wan's face briefly before he calmed himself, "That shouldn't have happened. He did arise early this morning, but I assumed he'd made his own breakfast when he didn't join Qui-gon and I."
"Anakin is very troubled about something today, surely it wasn't just this questioning by the Council?"
Obi-wan shook his head, "Normally that would be so, Anakin is never daunted by the Council. However, today's session was very different and Qui-gon's departure only made things worse."
"He left on a mission without either of you?" An-Paj frowned in surprise.
"And I will leave in a week," Obi-wan told him soberly.
"Without Anakin."
Obi-wan only nodded. An-Paj's face was equally grim, but he understood the reasons.
"I must remember to admonish the Council for not noticing, until after they'd made Anakin stand for hours, that he was unwell," An-Paj declared as he lead Obi-wan to Anakin's examination room.
***
The terminal was still activated. Out of boredom, Anakin slid off the table and sat at the view screen. On the display was a list of his vital statistics that An-Paj had recorded. Though he recognized most of the words, he didn't understand what the numbers beside each name meant. Idly, scrolling through the computer terminal's menu controls he found an option to check his statistics against an average human Padawan.
Ah, this is really good for the healer Padawans when they are learning to treat others. Choosing the correct species and age he watched as a second list of numbers appeared beside his statistics. This is neat! Anakin scrolled through this list looking for what didn't match up. Blood pressure, blood sugar level, iron level, midi-chlorian count....
***
"I heard Yoda talk about midi-chlorians, and I was wondering, what are midi-chlorians?"
Qui-gon looked down at the small nine year old boy, "Midi-chlorians are microscopic life-forms that reside within the cells of all living things and communicate with the Force."
"They live inside of me?"
"In your cells. We are symbionts with the midi-chlorians."
"Symbi-what?"
"Symbionts. Life-forms living together for mutual advantage. Without the midi-chlorians, life could not exist, and we would have no knowledge of the Force."
***
The memory shook Anakin as he gazed at the numbers in front of him. Normal midi-chlorian count for a human Jedi, 13,000 to 17,000. Anakin Skywalker's midi-chlorian count, 24,000.
Anakin suddenly remembered to breathe. He began combing through the menu, looking for anything about midi-chlorians he could find. Anakin didn't let himself think about whether or not he should be doing this. As he divulged deeper in to the system he never gave a second thought to the fact that Master An-Paj had used his own code to access the more secure sections of the database. And that he had trusted a Jedi Padawan would not even think to take advantage of it.
As it was a medical terminal, it had access to a staggering array of information, much of which Anakin had no way of understanding. But the search option was very helpful when he asked for the highest midi-chlorian counts ever recorded.
His name was at the top of the list, by a wide margin.
"Anakin!"
The teenager spun around in the chair, but his eyes showed that he refused to be ashamed of his actions. So intent on his search, Anakin didn't notice the Master Healer return with Obi-wan. It didn't take An-Paj more then a second to see what had occurred. Obi-wan looked grim and waited for An-Paj to explain.
"Anakin, you are not allowed to know your midi-chlorian count, yet."
"I hear that said a lot, you know," A haunted look crept into Anakin's eyes as he began quoting the words he had heard far too many times. "Ani, you aren't permitted to know how to do that yet. You should not have learned this now. That was something you should not have heard about. You should not be capable of doing this yet. Know this, you should not!"
Anakin gave an irritated snort and looked balefully at Master An-Paj and Obi-wan. "Can you at least tell me why I'm not allowed to know?"
The master healer gazed sadly at the frustrated and angry teenager, but had no response he could give. Anakin could sense Obi-wan's emotions in an upheaval through their training bond.
Anakin nodded, "I didn't think so."
"Ani," Obi-wan explained. "No Padawans are permitted to know until knighthood. Its not just you." He turned to the blue healer, "His punishment for breaking into your files is your decision, Master An-Paj."
"Anakin must rest for the remainder of the day. I will call you tomorrow about it. Will you be informing the Council or would you rather I?" An-Paj asked.
Anakin stared at Obi-wan and waited anxiously for his answer.
"I will tell them."
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