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That evening Obi-wan groaned as the holo-terminal rang again. The three of them had holed up in their apartment to avoid their friends and spare themselves the inevitable questions. Anakin had slept all afternoon and had now taken over answering the com for his harried masters.
"Could you get that, Ani?"
"Sure." Anakin flopped down in the seat at the terminal.
"Greetings, Anakin."
It took him a moment to recognize the Mon Calamari. "Oh, hi Master Bant!"
"Is Obi-wan around?"
"Actually he's kinda oblong."
Bant unsuccessfully repressed a snicker and Qui-gon didn't even try to hide his smile. Obi-wan looked a bit stunned.
"Ani!" Obi-wan leapt up from the sofa where he was reading. Anakin quickly darted to the safety of his room before Obi-wan could retaliate.
Anakin waited by the closed door until he sensed Obi-wan leave. Slowly, he crept out wary of a trap. Ah, he's probably gone to his room to meditate or to escape Kaely.
Before he could leave the alcove, the holo-link loudly announced that it had received another call. Anakin slouched back in the chair.
"Hello Ani, I've only have a few moments to speak with you before my master returns. Are you injured badly?" Elbaima looked very worried.
"No, I'm fine, I didn't even have to see the healers."
"Everyone's talking about the terrible explosion!"
"Really, people are exaggerating. Everything was fine and no one was hurt."
Franticly, Anakin tried to think of a way to distract him from asking more questions.
"I have to stay cooped up for the rest of the day. No working on my lessons, no going anywhere, can't build stuff at my work table, and of course no lightsaber practice, but I don't mind about that."
"You act like it's a punishment, some would see it as a vacation with no lessons to do!"
"I'm bored."
Elbaima grinned. "Don't let your masters hear you say that!"
Anakin smirked back at his friend. "I know, but I can get away with it today."
"I'm out of time, I'll see you tomorrow, Ani."
"Bye."
Anakin had almost made it to the kitchen when a trilling sound emanated from the terminal again. He groaned.
"It's probably for you again, Ani." Qui-gon said quietly.
Wearily, Anakin keyed the holo terminal's blinking light. He glanced down at the familiar address and waited as the image appeared. "Hello, Master Tahl."
"How are you feeling, Anakin?"
"Better, okay I guess. You want to talk to Master Qui-gon?"
"Yes I would."
Anakin stood up from the chair and went into the kitchen when Qui-gon took his place.
"Qui-gon, I thought perhaps you'd like to talk?"
He remained serious. "Yes, would you like to meet in one of the gardens? The dinning hall would be too crowded."
"I see. Would you like to come here? I'll put a kettle on for tea."
"Yes, that is fine. I would invite you dine with us this evening, however I'd rather speak with you..."
"Where I can't hear!" Anakin yelled from the kitchen.
Qui-gon was unperturbed. "I'll see you in a few minutes."
"Don't torture Obi-wan, Ani." Qui-gon glanced at Anakin briefly has he left the apartment.
"Yes, Master."
Anakin sighed and mumbled to himself. "But there's nothing else to do."
He set his snack on the floor and stretched out on the sofa. Lazily he turned on the holo-vision and flipped channels. Once again the com rang and Anakin dragged himself back to the alcove. He quickly schooled his face into an expressionless mask when he saw who was calling.
"Good evening, Master Yaddle. How are you today?"
"Healthy I am. Recovered have you?"
"Yes, I'm fine."
"Informing you I am of rescheduling the lesson next week."
"Thank you. What time?"
"Eighth hour, bring your droid as well."
"Yes ma'am, I will."
Yaddle smiled. "Looking forward to this, I am. Keep out of trouble." She ended the transmission.
Why does she want Kaely to come? Anakin thought in confusion. How does Master Yaddle even know about Kaely?
Anakin had just gotten comfortable on the sofa again when the holo terminal's trill echoed in the apartment. The sound rang incessantly and grated his ears. Anakin desperately wished there was a way to just turn the thing off. Maybe I'll have time to take it apart tomorrow, surely my masters would understand? He wished.
He hauled himself off of the sofa and stomped to the terminal in the alcove. All of the lights were off. He stared at it puzzled for a moment before he heard the trilling sound repeat again, but this time from behind him.
Anakin turned around in irritation. "Kaely, don't you have anything better to do then torture me?"
***
Anakin painfully pulled himself out of bed the next morning. He wanted badly to sleep later. He ached inside and out. It was early, but he knew if he didn't get up now he never would.
Kaely hummed quietly on his desk. He decided to unplug her from the recharge port later, or just let her do it. She'd learned how to lift and adjust the cords lately. It made Anakin feel rather un-needed now that she could feed herself.
Next she'll start acting insulted when I call her a baby. Anakin sighed. He pulled on his Jedi tunics slowly and winced. He leaned heavily against the desk and shielded his mind tightly. Tentatively, he reached along the training bond to locate he masters and determine if they had sensed his pain.
Anakin was surprised to feel that they were not only both awake, but in the kitchen. He looked at his chrono. I'm up over an hour early, what are they up for?
Quietly, Anakin crept out of his room. This would be a good time to practice shielding myself. He pulled the Force close to him and made every thought and move a whisper in the Force. It was very hard, but his curiosity had gotten the better of him.
The kitchen door was closed, and for a moment Anakin was stumped. They are probably talking about me. How do you enhance your senses without being noticed? It took Anakin nearly ten minutes to finally work up enough of a shield to hide, but also to listen to the conversation on the other side of the door. Anakin didn't feel the least bit guilty about spying on his masters.
"... it depends on the range." Obi-wan was saying.
"Tahl agreed, though I must admit I spent more time talking."
"She is a good listener. What else did she say and how did she react?"
"As calmly as could be expected. She has also heard rumors that Master Yoda slid down a banister in his haste to reach Ani."
There was a pause. "And we missed it! What I wouldn't give for a holo of that!"
"Tahl also heard plenty of details about the explosion. She said that half the Temple is convinced it was a bomb, while the rest hope it was an accident."
"What are we supposed to say when they barrage us?"
"As little as possible."
Qui-gon continued. "She has spoken to some of the students from that repair class as well. It took her some time to weed out significant details from all of their shocked explanations."
"Did any of them notice what Ani really did?"
"Not yet. Most of the class was made up of young Padawans and they had never seen someone suspend matter particles before. Tahl said only one, a healer apprentice, came close to recognizing it."
"Yes, a healer would be the most likely to notice. So, the rest assumed Ani used a Force shield?"
"Yes. However, it will only take one Padawan overhearing a Master or Knight discussing it for the whole Temple to know."
"How did Tahl feel about it? I would like to know her opinion."
"Though she was impressed that Ani has gained such precise control, it worries her as well. I think this has startled her as much as it did the Council."
"And us."
"Yes, and us." Qui-gon echoed.
Suddenly, Anakin sensed them both become alert. Caught! Argg! He thought in irritation.
As nonchalantly as possible, Anakin opened the kitchen door. "Good morning." He said breezily. He went to collect his breakfast and hoped that they didn't ask him about his sneakiness. Quickly, he thought of something to say that might distract them.
"So, what will the Council do to who set the bomb?"
They stared at him a moment. Obi-wan glanced at Qui-gon briefly before replying. "Why do you feel that it was a bomb and not an accident?"
"'Cause I saw the detonator."
"The Council did not find any evidence of a deliberate explosion during their first examination of the debris." Qui-gon explained. He and Obi-wan looked at each other again.
I really wish they didn't do that telepathy stuff so much. Anakin waited quietly for them to continue.
"What type of detonator was it?"
"Hidden kind. Like the ones that sneaky assassins use. It was very small without any flashing lights or count down numbers at all."
"So, no one would know what it was."
Anakin nodded.
"Then how did you know?"
Anakin looked a little stunned for a second. Me and my big mouth. I should have known they'd ask that.
"The pirates had them. If they suspected a bad deal they'd plant one on their buyer's ship."
"I see."
Obi-wan was distressed. "Ani, are you sure? We can't go to the Council without proof."
"Then lets go get some!" Anakin said brightly.
"Very well," Qui-gon decided. "However, getting there may be somewhat difficult. Everyone we see will forget to be polite and unobtrusive. You know how they are reacting to this."
Obi-wan watched Anakin's face fall. "Perhaps its time to show him how to sneak around other Jedi?" He glanced over a Qui-gon.
Qui-gon smiled faintly at Anakin's hopeful look. "It might be fun. And from his attempt this morning he does need the practice."
They laughed at Anakin's insulted look. "Hey, I was doing really well at first!"
***
Avoiding the rest of the Jedi was not too difficult. It was still early in the morning and the dinning halls were not serving breakfast yet. Qui-gon and Obi-wan spent much of the trip showing Anakin small tricks and shielding for him when they did encounter people. They told him he would have to do it himself afterwards.
The ship repair bay was exactly as they had left it the day before. Nothing had been removed or cleaned up. The smell of smoke clung to the air and the floor of the blast site was black with carbon scouring. Kaely whistled in surprise when she saw the mess.
All but one of the ships were intact. Little remained of the shuttle Anakin had tried to fix. Much of the metal hull was melted and twisted. They meticulously navigated the debris and were very careful not to disturb it.
"It is no wonder the Council hasn't found evidence of a bomb. There is little to find." Obi-wan surmised.
Qui-gon walked around the other side of the ship while Obi-wan scanned the blast's ground zero. Anakin felt rather useless.
"Anakin," Qui-gon said. "Look for anything that was blown off in the shockwave."
Dutifully, the Padawan set to work searching for clues. Moving farther away, Anakin tried to remember if any part of that type of bomb would throw debris out of it's blast range. It seemed unlikely, but because the explosion had been contained, there was a chance.
Anakin mumbled quietly to Kaely as he hunted. "Not much is there? Oh, I think this ship slid over some."
Kaely loudly beeped in alarm. Obi-wan and Qui-gon glanced briefly at her, but continued their own search. Anakin stepped gingerly through several scattered tools.
"What is it?" He looked down at the floor where Kaely hovered. She flashed her yellow lights and turned her tiny spotlight on. On the deck was a patch of brownish red.
"Kaely, that's dried blood. Don't worry about it little one." Anakin gauged the distance and direction from the blast in dismay. Guilt and concern assaulted him when he realized that this was where the two Padawans he had shoved had landed. I must have pushed them too hard. I should have called them last night to check if they were okay.
Anakin finally returned to his masters. "I haven't found anything."
Qui-gon looked over at him. "Neither have we. Ani, I can see nothing even remotely suggestive of a bomb."
"This was very well planned." Obi-wan was kneeling next to the melted slag that had once been the engine. "If no one had examined the ship before, then this could be more plausibly called sabotage, but as it is..."
Anakin sighed dismally and Kaely gave an electronic tone of sympathy.
"What about Psychometry?"
"On this?" Obi-wan gestured to the debris. "Too many people have come and gone around this shuttle."
"What if we only focused on the area where the detonator actually was?"
Qui-gon and Obi-wan looked at the pool of cold metal on the floor. Anakin waited anxiously for an answer.
"I mean, surely a little fire can't erase a Force signature?"
Finally Qui-gon appeared convinced. "Find a clear space to sit, Ani."
They sat in a rough circle around the blast center. Master Qui-gon and Obi-wan immediately dropped into a meditative state. Anakin looked at them curiously. Meditation had always been too dangerous for him and he marveled at the peace and steady connection to the Force it provided for the Jedi.
Quietly, but careful to remain alert, Anakin allowed the Force to flow. It always seemed to rush at him and demand his attention. Anakin fought to shield his mind from the overwhelming information the Force threw at him.
It wasn't easy, but gradually Anakin located the remains of the detonator in the slag. Seeing a precise image of who had held it last was very difficult. Anakin was surprised when at first it didn't seem to work.
Am I doing something wrong? Anakin felt along the training bonds he had with his masters. They were both calm and searching attentively. He picked up on the trail they were following and tagged along.
New images flashed by. Himself before the device exploded, the teacher, the two Padawans assigned to repair this ship. Next he briefly saw other Masters and Knights. Qui-gon and Obi-wan identified each as those Master Reh-caet had shown the strange repair to.
Now the process was much slower and the trail much fainter. Dimly they saw the two Jedi that had flown the ship on their mission. As the their searching became more difficult Anakin had trouble staying on track.
Abruptly, an unpleasant ripple one of the blurry images made in the Force distracted Anakin. His masters didn't appear to notice and continued their hunt backwards. However, Anakin felt strongly compelled to investigate.
Anakin held tightly to what he sensed and drew hard on the Force. It took all of his concentration to identify the source. I've felt this nasty feeling before! Anakin gasped in recognition and felt himself slam back into awareness.
Master Qui-gon pulled out of his trance in response and Obi-wan broke out of it unwillingly. It was obvious that Anakin's quick exit had jarred both of their senses harshly. They had intended to follow the trail to the origin of the damage.
"It was a Sith!"
"I did not sense it." Qui-gon told him.
Anakin looked crestfallen and glanced at Obi-wan, but the young man just shook his head. He had not felt it either.
"I'm sure of it!"
"Show us." Obi-wan told him.
Taking a deep breath Anakin sent them the impression he had received. He reopened his eyes afterward and was disappointed to see that neither of his Masters were completely convinced. Don't they believe me? Or do they just really not want it to be the Sith?
"How did you see that, but not us?" Obi-wan murmured.
Qui-gon closed his eyes in thought. "Ani, we must go through the search again, from the beginning, and you must show us exactly how this came to your attention."
Anakin sighed. He was becoming tired and still ached from the day before. However, he wasn't about to let them know that. He had thought the first time was slow, but the second was excruciating. By the time they reached the whisper left by the Sith Anakin's patience had run out.
"Okay, can we just go home now." Anakin asked wearily.
"We must inform the Council of this at once."
"Do I have to go too?"
Anakin almost sounded whiny. Obi-wan looked at him strangely and Qui-gon frowned. Oops, I should have kept my mouth shut.
"Anakin, you are certainly not feeling well." Qui-gon observed.
"We will take you back home for now, but the Council will want you to show them later." Obi-wan explained. "Time to be sneaky again."
Anakin grinned lopsidedly.
***
"Quieter, Ani." Qui-gon instructed Anakin.
They crept along the hallway silently. It was good practice for sensing the distance of approaching people as well as how to avoid them. Anakin had built a passable shield to hide his presence in the Force
Obi-wan and Qui-gon had to work hard together to disguise Anakin on the way to the hanger bay early that morning. Now that it was late morning the Temple was very busy and navigating their way back to their apartment was a challenge. Anakin's presence shined brilliantly and took great effort to conceal.
They had taught Anakin how to do it and the teenager imitated them with extraordinary skill. Naturally, they didn't tell him that. No need to alarm him or bolster his pride.
Stealthily, Anakin walked far ahead of them and practiced blending into recesses in the wall when another Jedi passed. Fortunately, most Jedi kept their defenses down and were not alert in the Temple. As they moved onward they came to a major intersection.
Up until now they had managed to avoid the busier areas of the Temple. They had to get access to a turbolift that went to their level. Otherwise they would have to climb the outside of the Temple. It was one of the smaller lift foyers, but even here dozens of Jedi and Padawans were coming and going.
Anakin stopped at an overhang and waited for his masters to catch up. "What now?"
"This is the tricky part." Obi-wan glanced out.
"Someone is sure to notice us." Anakin said.
"If we are visible they will." Qui-gon replied.
Anakin's eyes grew wide and he grinned.
"Go slowly, don't rush or you will give yourself away." Obi-wan reminded him.
Qui-gon looked down at Anakin's eager face. "We will watch you from here until you are by a lift and then we will follow."
"I won't get caught." Anakin said confidently. "How will we get into a lift without them seeing?"
"By moving really fast." Obi-wan smirked.
"Go now." Qui-gon instructed.
Anakin drew strongly on the Force and moved. He heeded their instructions carefully. It took nearly ten minutes before he reached the nearest turbolift. He was so happy he almost gave himself away, but he maintained his concentration. When Qui-gon and Obi-wan arrived, all three of them leapt into the lift and Obi-wan keyed the door shut.
Anakin collapsed against the wall laughing. "That was fun!"
Obi-wan smiled at him. "Good, because you will have to do it again when we get out."
Anakin was very tempted to stick his tongue out at Obi-wan's smirking face.
"Be ready Anakin." Qui-gon told him. "The Temple lifts are not equipped to go non-stop. Someone else could come aboard."
***
Master Yoda waited patiently for the next turbolift. He cast about him in the Force to sense the general ambiance of the Jedi in the Temple. Emotions of concern, anxiety and even a little fear were what he primarily sensed. Everyone was shaken by the previous day's explosion.
The lift car arrived and the door slid silently open. No one was standing inside. The old master hobbled in. When the door shut he spoke loudly.
"Down from there!"
Anakin carefully dropped from the ceiling. Qui-gon and Obi-wan followed. They stood up calmly and waited for the ancient Master to speak further.
"Mynocks you are not! Explain yourself." Yoda looked directly at Anakin.
"My masters are teaching me how to avoid people and hide my presence in the Force today."
Anakin kept his composure and struggled to keep a smile off his face.
Yoda immediately saw through him. "Answer other's questions, you wish not. Crept about on ceilings all morning have you?"
"Yes, Master Yoda. When we couldn't get around groups."
"Avoid them forever you can not. No help sneakiness is."
"Yes, Master Yoda." Anakin repeated and tried not to look like he was ignoring the green troll.
Qui-gon and Obi-wan finally took pity on him. Quickly, Qui-gon thought of a way to distract Yoda from lecturing further.
"My master, we have learned that the bomb was set by the Sith."
Yoda's eyes widened and his pointy ears rose slightly. "Proof of this have you?"
Anakin was pleased to see that something could surprise even Yoda. Obi-wan glanced at him in warning lest Yoda notice Anakin's glee.
"We are certain of it and are prepared to show the Council." Obi-wan explained.
"Show us you today you will."
"You didn't sense it was a Sith either, did you?" Anakin said suddenly.
Master Qui-gon and Obi-wan stiffened and waited for Yoda's reaction. They were surprised when he didn't take offense to Anakin's rudeness.
"Know it must be we did." Yoda admitted wearily. "Though sense it we did not."
***
Anakin slumped at his desk. He and his masters had spent much of the afternoon with the Jedi Council concerning the bomb. He was exhausted. They had thoughtfully allowed him to return to the apartment, but Anakin suspected that they intended to talk about him with Master Qui-gon and Obi-wan.
He needed to talk to someone, but not a Jedi. Anakin couldn't tell any of them about what had happened and his masters already knew. He leaned forward to rest his head wearily on the desktop.
"I know that bomb was meant to test me or kill me." Anakin said suddenly aloud.
He looked up when Kaely beeped in confusion at him.
"I can feel it." He told her.
"It sounds really far-fetched doesn't it? How could the Sith know that I would be there, in a class I don't attend. How could they take the chance that the Jedi wouldn't just remove the whole system that was repaired and replace it? They might have just thrown the bomb away without it ever going off. Why did it take so long to go off anyhow? It had to have been there for weeks. Seems like a really huge coincidence. But somehow they knew..."
The pink droid hovered and landed on the desk. She opened one of her tiny compartments and extended her grasping appendage. Kaely patted his arm gently and cooed consolingly.
"I'm not paranoid. They really are out to get me." Anakin said dully.
"The only other purpose I can think of is if it was meant to be a diversion. Blow a big hole in a hanger bay to distract a bunch of Jedi and sneak in or something. Sneak in and do what?"
Anakin grimaced. "That sounds even worse. Either way, a Sith was probably ready and waiting for it to go off...but I spoiled it."
He looked over at his tiny droid. Kaely was humming and listening. Her bright eyes were trained on him.
"Don't worry, Kaely. After this security around here will be tight. Another bomb won't make it in here."
Anakin wasn't sure if he was trying to only comfort his droid or himself as well. The Sith will just think of another way in. I've got to find out how.
Anakin reached for an ancient book on the shelf. It was one of his thirteenth birthday presents. Opening it at the last place he marked, he continued reading about how the Sith were defeated a thousand years ago.
Why are they after me?
***
A few weeks later, Anakin came stomping into the apartment with Kaely following him. Waves of anger rolled off him. He quickly jogged towards his room.
"Anakin, stop." Master Qui-gon ordered.
The teenager halted as ordered, but did not turn around. Kaely moaned uncertainly.
"Go on Kaely." Qui-gon told her kindly. "Anakin, sit."
Without answering or looking up, Anakin stiffly sat in a chair in the front room. He struggled to calm himself and knew that Qui-gon would not allow him to speak until he had done so.
But Anakin's anger did not decrease, not even when Obi-wan arrived a quarter of an hour later.
"Ani, what set you off this time?" Obi-wan inquired in a stunned voice.
Anakin carefully restrained himself from looking up. Glaring at one's master was not a good idea and he didn't trust himself to even speak.
Unlike Qui-gon, Obi-wan preferred to work on the problem immediately. And in this case it appeared that waiting would be of no help. "Isn't today your last lesson with Master Yaddle?"
Anakin nodded briefly.
"You were enjoying learning how to understand Kaely and other machine's methods of speech with the Force, as well as understanding animals. What happened?"
"Nothing, it wasn't that." Anakin voice was strained and terse.
Obi-wan fell silent and leaned against the wall. Qui-gon had not moved from his place on the sofa. They both waited patiently for Anakin to compose himself.
"This has to do with the bomb." Qui-gon deduced. "I thought that all of your friends had ceased pestering you about it weeks ago."
"Some other Padawans missed it 'cause they were on missions." Anakin's mouth compressed into a thin line as his anger surged again. "They were very insistent to know the details."
Anakin paused and some of his irritation finally lessened slightly.
"I've been invited, I suppose you could say, to join a group." Contempt laced his words.
"Why are you uncertain?"
"I don't like them. They haven't actually done anything wrong that I know of, but I can't help but feel that they might if I don't join them."
"That is very unlikely, Ani." Qui-gon was perplexed.
"You make them almost sound like thugs." Obi-wan murmured.
"They are close to it. They are better than everyone else and the rest of the Padawans will do anything to gain their approval. I don't think that anyone has seriously opposed them before."
Qui-gon explained softly. "Ani this is typical behavior of some people, but no one group of Padawans has any real power."
Obi-wan was more concerned and didn't completely agree. "That depends on how strong a following they've developed. Ani, if they gave an order to shun you, do you think they others would obey them?"
"I don't think they would even have to. All they'd have to do is treat me rudely and then everyone else would avoid me to try to make themselves look good."
Obi-wan response was more reassuring. "I will investigate this. When do they expect an answer?"
"I can delay for awhile, a few weeks at most."
"Don't worry about it right now and don't let yourself be pressured into anything, Anakin. Wait and see what occurs." Qui-gon advised calmly, but his expression was grave. "Tell us everything you know about this group."
Anakin relaxed and his anger drained away. "They call themselves the Elite and they are led by Lavir Rouy...."
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