walls to her left. Guess I'll try later, Anakin thought. The large assembly
hall walls were dark green blocks of stone. Polished wooden benches were
set in rows. In the front of the room was a small platform. The students
filed into the rows.
They spoke quietly as they waited for Luke Skywalker to enter the
room. Some had never heard the Jedi Master speak. But even those who had
were excited. Luke Skywalker was their hero. Luke walked silently into the
room. He stepped onto the platform and began to speak to the newest and
youngest class of the Jedi academy.
"The Jedi Code: A Jedi's promise must be the most serious, the deepest
commitment of his or her life. A Jedi's strength flows from the Force, and
a Jedi uses this strength not to seek adventure or excitement, for a Jedi
is passive, calm, and at peace," Luke explained.
The room was quiet as Luke Skywalker spoke. Tahiri even stopped
running her bare feet along the smooth classroom floor. Anakin could feel
the excitement in the room. Each of the twenty Jedi candidates was thrilled
by Luke's words.
"A Jedi knows that anger, fear, and aggression lead to the dark side,"
continued Luke. "A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense, never for
attack. For a Jedi there is no `try,' only `do.' Believe and you succeed.
Above all else, know that control of the Force comes only from
concentration and training."
Luke Skywalker stopped speaking and stood studying the students. He
met each one's gaze, pausing for a moment when he reached Anakin. He could
already sense the power of the Force in the boy. It was so strong for one
so young, he said to himself. Luke understood Leia and Han's worry. When
the Force was strong it attracted attention from evil men and women, who
might want to use Anakin to serve the dark side. He would have to keep a
sharp eye on his nephew. Then Luke moved on to Tahiri. He had a special
place in his heart for the young girl. Tahiri was from Luke's home planet
of Tatooine. Luke had been a farm boy, raised by his aunt and uncle, Owen
and Beru Lars. Luke had hated the desert planet. It was so hot and dry, and
he had been bored-that is, until he met two droids that his uncle had
purchased. Their names were See-Threepio and Artoo-Detoo. The droids had
come to Tatooine in search of the Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi.
They had a message for him from Princess Leia of Alderaan. She was
being held prisoner by Darth Vader. Vader was an evil man who was
overseeing construction of the Death Star-the Empire's battle station. Luke
followed Artoo-Detoo to Obi-Wan, and the Jedi told Luke about his family.
Obi-Wan said that Luke's father had been a Jedi Knight and had been killed.
Obi-Wan promised to train Luke. And that was how his life as a Jedi Knight
had begun.
Luke looked at Tahiri. She was an orphan. Although no details were
known about their deaths, her parents had been killed on Tatooine. Tahiri
had been raised by the Sand People as their own. But Luke understood that
Tahiri had never been one of the Sand People. She had been just as bored on
Tatooine as he had been. On a recent trip to the planet, he and the Jedi
Knight Tionne had immediately sensed the power of the Force within her.
Tahiri was meant to be a Jedi Knight, Luke knew. But he also knew that
someday Tahiri would have to make a choice. He had promised the Sand People
that he would return Tahiri to Tatooine when she was ready to decide
whether she wanted to remain with them or continue her training as a Jedi
Knight. Luke hoped that she would choose to stay at the academy, but that
would be her decision.
"You are all here because the power of the Force is strong within you,
" Luke said firmly. "You are here because the New Republic needs Jedi
Knights. And you are here because it is your destiny to train to become
Jedi Knights and use the Force when necessary to maintain peace in our
galaxy. Over the next month your instructors will begin to train you to see
the Force in everything around you. You will learn to use the Force to see
far-off places, defend yourselves, and do things you never believed
possible. Just remember that the Force must never be used in anger or
aggression. Otherwise you will be serving the dark side, the evil side."
The room remained silent.
"I want to tell you about the dark side," Luke said softly. "Because
if you understand it, you will not be drawn to it. When I was a boy I was
told that my father had been a Jedi Knight. I was told that he had been
killed by an evil man named Darth Vader. Darth Vader was a man who helped
build the Death Star created by Emperor Palpatine in order to control the
galaxy through fear and violence. I met Darth Vader in a battle on Cloud
City. It was during this battle that I learned that my father had not been
killed by Vader. My father was Darth Vader."
Anakin could hear his friend Tahiri gasp. He wondered if he was the
only student in the room who already knew this entire story.
"My father had once been a man named Anakin Skywalker. He was an
expert pilot. He was trained as a Jedi Knight by Obi-Wan Kenobi. My father
understood the Force. But he chose to use it to gain power. That choice
turned him to the dark side-the place where a Jedi's powers are used in
anger. You all know that Darth Vader and the Emperor almost destroyed the
Rebellion. If they had won, none of you would be here now. If they had won,
the entire galaxy would be run by evil men and women. That is the power of
the dark side of the Force. Remember it."
Luke closed his eyes and took a deep breath before he continued.
"As new candidates it is important that you understand the rules of
the academy. Above all, you are here to study. Since you are the youngest
class ever to come to this moon, we have imposed several rules for your
safety. No one is to leave this area without permission. Although Yavin 4
is quiet and peaceful, it can be a dangerous place. In addition, you are
all from different worlds and have different ways of living. That means
that you will have to get used to each other. There is to be no fighting
among you. Patience and understanding are important skills for Jedi
candidates to learn. Failure to follow the rules of the academy may result
in your being sent home."
He paused, then said, "Now it is time to begin. Please follow the
instructors to your classrooms."
The students rose and filed from the room; some scooted on eight legs,
some walked, and several of the birdlike creatures hopped.
"Did you catch that word, `destiny'?" Tahiri whispered to Anakin as
they left the room.
"Shhh, I'm thinking," Anakin whispered back. He didn't tell her that
he was thinking about his own name. He had been named after Luke and Leia's
father. He had been named after Anakin Skywalker, who was Darth Vader. He
tried to remember that his uncle Luke had finally been able to reach the
good buried inside Vader. That in a battle between the light and dark side
of the Force, Luke's father had turned against the dark side to save his
&nbs
p; son's life. Still, Anakin was a scary name.
Tahiri ignored Anakin and continued to whisper. "Anakin, the word
`destiny' means to do something you are meant to do. I have this weird
feeling that destiny has brought you and me together. I know you're not
going to like this, but I think we are meant to raft the river on Yavin 4.
That's why you were in my dream last night. I think we should sneak out of
the academy and go raft the river."
"What?" Anakin said. "Are you crazy? We just got here. We're here to
learn about the Force, to become Jedi Knights. If we sneak out we might get
into trouble. And if that happens my parents would be told." Anakin had a
brief flash of their disappointed faces. He could just hear Jacen and Jaina
scolding him. "No way," he whispered fiercely to Tahiri. There was no way
this girl was going to get Anakin to disappoint his family or risk the
chance that his uncle might decide he was too much trouble to have at the
academy. No way.
That night the dream came. Anakin knew it was the same one Tahiri had
spoken about. But instead of Tahiri, it was Anakin who sat inside a long
silver raft.
In his hand was a silver paddle and he was leaning over the rounded
side of the raft, stroking the cold green water. It lapped over his hands
until they felt like ice, but he continued to paddle. Where am I going?
Anakin wondered. He stared at the giant trees that hung over the river. He
recognized them as being from Yavin 4 - they were Massassi trees, their
bark a purplish brown. But where was the storm Tahiri had told him about?
Almost in answer to his question, Anakin heard a rumbling from behind him.
He looked over his shoulder and saw a massive black cloud rolling through
the sky toward him. He began to paddle harder. He had to get to the side of
the river before the storm hit. His arms ached with effort. The water began
to strike his raft in waves and the wind almost tore the paddle from his
icy hands.
This dream seems so real, Anakin thought wildly as he struggled to
reach the shore. The wind whipped his hair into his face and he almost
didn't see her. It was her orange jumpsuit that caught his eye. Tahiri was
in the rapids in front of him. She was struggling to keep her head above
the waves. Anakin desperately paddled toward his friend. He tried to shout
to her but he couldn't even hear his own voice above the storm. And then
Tahiri saw him. For a split second Anakin's ice blue eyes met her
frightened green ones. He watched as Tahiri struggled toward the paddle he
held out to her. She kept getting swept beneath the swells. Swim, Anakin
screamed in his mind.
Tahiri's hand shot toward the paddle and her fingers closed around it,
then slipped away. She was swept out of sight beneath the wild water.
Anakin leapt from side to side in the raft trying to spot Tahiri beneath
the swells. He had lost her. Then he heard a soft sound in the distance and
realized it was the academy wake-up bell.
The river slowly faded before his eyes. Anakin walked down the
corridor to the dining room. He wasn't ready to talk to Tahiri about his
dream. He wasn't ready to admit that maybe his friend was right, that maybe
something was pulling them both to that river. Whether or not it was
destiny Anakin wasn't sure. But he did know that he didn't want to have the
dream again. It had been terrifying.
"You look terrible," Tahiri sang out to Anakin as he sat down at the
dining hall table beside her.
And he did. There were deep purple circles beneath his eyes. Anakin
looked like he hadn't slept a wink.
"Trouble sleeping?" Tahiri asked as she stuffed her mouth with a roll.
Anakin was silent. Tahiri turned to face her friend squarely.
"Are you still mad about my idea of going rafting?" she whispered.
No answer.
"Well, don't be. For the first time that I can remember I didn't have
a dream about the river last night. Maybe telling you about it broke some
sort of cycle. Now I'm free," she said with a giggle. "So don't worry, we
don't have to sneak out of the academy, and I'm sorry for suggesting such a
risky idea."
"Yes we do," Anakin replied.
Now it was Tahiri's turn to fall silent. Finally she sputtered, "What
in the name of the Great Bantha are you talking about?"
"The reason you didn't have that dream last night is because I did,"
Anakin replied softly as he stared at his uneaten meal. "I dreamt I was in
a raft on the river, and it was just like you said, only I was the one
paddling and you weren't there. At least not until later."
"What happened later?" Tahiri said under her breath. She wondered if
Anakin could sense the fear in her voice.
"You drowned," Anakin quietly replied. "I tried to save you," he
added, "but the river was too strong. I'm sorry." Anakin hung his head. He
was ashamed he hadn't been able to save his friend. It was only a dream, he
knew, but he also knew it was more than that.
Tahiri was staring at him. She looked scared.
"You don't have to go with me to the river, Tahiri," Anakin said. "But
I feel like I'm being pulled there and I think I've got to go see why."
"Why don't we talk to your uncle Luke about this? Maybe he should come
with us," Tahiri suggested.
"No!" Anakin cried. It was the first time Tahiri had heard him speak
in a voice much above a whisper. "We can't tell Luke Skywalker. If we do
then everything will be lost," Anakin said fiercely.
"What are you talking about, Anakin?" Tahiri asked.
"I don't know," Anakin replied in a surprised voice. "But when you
suggested we talk to Uncle Luke I heard a voice inside my head. It said
that we can't tell Uncle Luke or everything will be lost."
"What will be lost?" Tahiri asked.
"I don't know," Anakin said with a look of frustration. This was not
what he wanted. He was on Yavin 4 to study. To become a Jedi Knight. Now
there was a strange voice inside his head telling him to keep something
from his uncle Luke. Telling him to sneak out of the academy to raft a
river. And the worst part was that he believed in the voice, felt that what
it said to him was right. More than that, he believed that the voice came
from a Jedi Master. In it, he had heard a strength and calm that was
similar to his uncle's voice. Perhaps this unknown Jedi Master needed
Anakin to perform an important task, a task that would pave the way for his
becoming a Jedi Knight.
But what if he was wrong about the voice? What if he was being drawn
to the dark side of the Force? What if, he wondered, it's calling me just
as it did my grandfather Anakin Skywalker? There was only one way to find
out.
"I guess I better start figuring when to sneak out of the academy,"
Anakin mumbled. "You mean we better,"
Tahiri said with a grin. "And don't worry, if we get kicked out of the
academy-not that I think we will-you can come home with me."
"And be one of the Sand People?" Anakin replied with a little laugh.
"Thanks, but no thanks." Anakin fell silent. He wasn't sure he should let
&nbs
p; Tahiri come with him to the river. After all, she had drowned in his dream.
"Tahiri, maybe you shouldn't get involved in this," Anakin began.
"I know that you're worried about me drowning," Tahiri replied. "But I
have to come with you. We've both had the dream, and that means we're both
supposed to raft the river. Something is calling to us, Anakin," Tahiri
said in a faltering voice. "And even though I'm scared, I'm going with you.
"
"The raft will be at the edge of the river," Anakin whispered to
Tahiri the following morning across their class desks.
"How do you know that?" Tahiri whispered back.
"I just know-that same voice, the one that told me we can't talk to
Uncle Luke about our dream, told me last night," Anakin replied. He stared
in frustration at Tahiri. She wanted answers that he just didn't have. Last
night, right before he'd fallen into the same dream, he'd heard the voice.
It told him not to worry. That the raft he and Tahiri needed would be at
the edge of the river. That they should both sneak out of the academy and
go to the raft.
"What if the voice is evil?" Tahiri whispered in a frightened voice.
"What if we're being pulled to use the Force to seek adventure and
excitement instead of using it for calm and peace like your uncle Luke
warned? I don't want to serve the dark side like Darth Vader did-"
"Are you saying that because Darth Vader was my grandfather?" Anakin
asked in an insulted voice. "Because if you can't trust me then you
shouldn't come with me." Anakin couldn't meet Tahiri's eyes when he said
these words. He was afraid. Afraid that Tahiri saw some evil in him.
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