Anakin's Quest

  "Maybe he's right," Tahiri said. "There's always plenty of good food

  here." She pointed to a stone ledge near the wall where a birdlike alien

  was sharing a meal with a Jedi trainee who looked vaguely like a short

  lizard that stood on two legs. "As you can see, we get trainees here from

  every part of the galaxy, and the cooks make sure that everyone has the

  kind of food they need. So why don't you stop eating for now and save some

  room for evening meal-it's only a few hours away. Besides," Tahiri went on,

  "it's almost time for us to take you to Master Skywalker. Don't you feel

  nervous about being tested? Aren't you going to say anything?"

  Uldir shook back his shaggy chestnut hair.

  "I'm not really worried. I've taken my share of tests. Anyway, I'm

  going to be a Jedi. No test can change that." Uldir filled his mug again,

  drank some more juice, and shot a grin at Anakin. "Does Tahiri always talk

  this much?"

  "No," Anakin said after thinking about it for a moment. "She usually

  talks a lot more."

  Uldir broke into surprised laughter. Tahiri did her best to look

  insulted, but failed miserably and finally burst into giggles herself.

  Anakin smiled too, but when he spoke his voice was serious.

  "You know, Uldir, becoming a Jedi isn't as easy as you might think."

  Uldir shrugged his broad shoulders.

  "I'm not afraid of hard work."

  Tahiri could see the worried look in Anakin's eyes that meant he was

  thinking about the dark side again.

  "Sometimes I'm not even so sure I should be a Jedi," Anakin admitted,

  and this seemed to surprise Uldir. "Just wanting to become a Jedi can be

  so... dangerous."

  "Dangerous-is that all?" Uldir's face cleared. "Don't forget, both of

  my parents are pilots. They started training me to fly almost before I

  could walk, so I'm used to danger." He stood up. "Take me to Master

  Skywalker. I'm ready for anything."

  "Okay," Tahiri said with a smile. She pointed to his upper lip. "But

  I'd get rid of that juice mustache first."

  "We'll wait out here in the corridor," Tahiri said. She and Anakin and

  Uldir were standing at the doorway to Master Skywalker's study.

  "Why?" Uldir said. "Come on in with me. This shouldn't take long."

  "Um, are you sure you want us watching?" Anakin asked.

  "Won't bother me a bit," Uldir said. His voice changed with a squeak

  in mid-sentence. He cleared his throat. "Besides, it's always good to have

  a friendly face around. For moral support, you know?"

  "All right, if you're sure you don't mind," Tahiri said.

  "Nah." Uldir turned and raised his fist to knock on the arched wooden

  door. But before he could, it was opened by Master Skywalker. He wore a

  plain brown robe with his lightsaber clipped to the belt.

  "Come in," Luke Skywalker said. If he was surprised that Tahiri and

  Anakin entered with Uldir, he gave no sign.

  Tahiri and Anakin sat against the stone wall on a bench near the door.

  They wanted to stay as much out of the way as possible so they wouldn't

  disturb Uldir's concentration for this important test. ArtooDetoo trundled

  over to join the two junior Jedi trainees. Tahiri noticed that Bait sat on

  the windowsill, watching silently. His gaze met hers for a long moment. In

  his blue-green eyes she saw a deep, ancient intelligence-and great

  curiosity.

  Master Skywalker stood facing Uldir, about two meters away.

  "So you would like to become a Jedi," Luke Skywalker said.

  Uldir looked confident.

  "Yes, I'm going to be a Jedi."

  "Why?" the Jedi Master asked. His voice was almost a whisper.

  Uldir's cheeks turned pink and he spread his hands.

  "I, well, because..." He took a deep breath and started again. "Jedi

  Knights have an important job. Everyone admires them. They uphold justice.

  They travel through the galaxy and defend the New Republic against all

  enemies." His amber eyes sparkled with enthusiasm. "And if they're forced

  to fight, they use their lightsabers and they call upon the powers of the

  Force and-"

  Luke Skywalker held up one hand as if to say that Uldir had explained

  enough. With a faint smile he asked,

  "If being a Jedi is that glamorous, why shouldn't everyone become one?

  "

  Uldir put his hands on his hips.

  "They don't have what it takes," he said. "No guts, I guess. No guts,

  no glory."

  "And you have what it takes?" Luke Skywalker asked.

  The sturdy teen threw back his shaggy chestnut hair and squared his

  shoulders.

  "Yes, I do."

  Luke Skywalker closed his eyes and drew in a calming breath. When he

  opened his eyes, he spoke in a low voice. Tahiri had often heard the words

  before.

  "The Force is an energy that flows from and through all things, binds

  them together. We can draw an energy from the Force. The more we learn

  about it, the more we can draw from it. Some living creatures have a great

  potential for using the Force, others have very little. But even those who

  have that potential become Jedi only through the proper training and great

  sacrifice. Will you let me look into your mind to see how strong the Force

  is there?"

  Uldir spread his arms.

  "Sure, why not? That's what I came for."

  Then he dropped his hands to his sides and waited.

  Master Skywalker moved closer to Uldir. He held one hand palm out

  toward the teen's forehead and closed his eyes. His brows drew together in

  concentration. Tahiri didn't know how long the Jedi Master stood still like

  that. She lost track of time completely. She closed her eyes and could feel

  the Jedi Master's mind reaching out, searching, probing.

  "Well?" Uldir finally said in a voice that cracked with impatience.

  Tahiri opened her eyes to find Luke Skywalker looking sadly into

  Uldir's face. On the windowsill, Ikrit's front paws were folded against his

  chest, and his ears and tail drooped.

  "The Force is with you," Luke Skywalker said to Uldir, "as it is in

  all living things." He shook his head slowly. "But I did not find the Force

  strongly in your mind. There was no answering push against the Force in me.

  Even our weakest Jedi trainees have that answering strength in their minds.

  " Luke shook his head. "I'm sorry," he said. "I don't see in you the

  potential to become a Jedi."

  Uldir's face flushed bright red. He clenched and unclenched his hands

  at his sides.

  "I will become a Jedi," he said.

  Luke's face clouded and he glanced for a moment toward Ikrit. Tahiri

  wondered if he was looking to the other Jedi Master for advice on this

  unusual situation. "It's possible," Luke admitted. "I've never heard of it

  happening, though. And there's no way the Jedi academy can let in everyone

  who wants to study just on the chance that they might become a Jedi. You

  have so much to learn about the Force."

  "Then I'll learn," Uldir said. He gritted his teeth and his eyes

  narrowed with determination. "Give me a chance."

  "What about your parents?" Luke asked. "Would they be willing for you

  to stay here?"

&nbs
p; "My parents are dead," Uldir said quickly.

  Luke fixed him with a stern look and frowned ever so slightly.

  "If you want to stay at the Jedi academy, don't ever lie to me," he

  said in a soft voice.

  Uldir's shoulders slumped for the first time. "My parents don't know

  I'm here," he said. "I don't think they even care."

  Luke didn't react. In fact, to Tahiri's surprise, he seemed to relent.

  "We'll have to find out," Luke said. "All right, Uldir. If your

  parents agree, I'il let you study for a while at the Jedi academy. But

  everyone here has a job to do. We all have assignments: teaching, taking

  classes, unloading cargo, cooking. If you're willing to put in an honest

  day's work, you may stay at the academy and attend lectures and classes and

  learn about the Force. If by the end of three months you have learned

  enough about the Force to lift a pebble or light a flame, then I will

  accept you as a full-time student-if you still want to be one."

  "I will want to-and then I'll become a Jedi. You'll see," Uldir said.

  "First we must make sure your parents don't object," Luke answered.

  "Come with me."

  In the Jedi academy's communications center, Tahiri watched Uldir

  shift nervously from foot to foot. He stood beside Luke Skywalker in front

  of the large viewscreen, waiting for the transmission from his parents to

  come through. Before long, the screen lit with the images of two worried

  faces. Tahiri admired the way Master Sky - walker answered the frantic

  questions of Uldir's parents, letting them know that their son was all

  right.

  Once he had explained where Uldir was and that he was unharmed, Luke

  Skywalker said, "Your son has a question to ask you," and stepped aside.

  Uldir's jaw had a stubborn set to it, and he didn't look up directly at his

  parents' eyes.

  "Luke, um, Master Skywalker is going to let me work and study here at

  the Jedi academy," Uldir mumbled. "But he says I need your permission

  first," he ended grumpily. His father blew out a puff of breath and looked

  relieved. His mother's face lit with delight.

  "You mean that Master Skywalker will really let you stay?" she asked.

  "That's fine with me," his father said gruffly. "We were afraid you'd gone

  off and joined some pirates," he admitted.

  His kind amber eyes searched for Luke Skywalker, who stepped back on

  screen.

  "I hope you know how to handle him better than we do, Master

  Skywalker. He's a wild one."

  Uldir's mother clasped her hands below her chin, as if pleading with

  Luke.

  "He's a good boy, really. He just isn't much interested in our work,

  and we're not sure what to do with him. He always seems to want something

  more, something different. Do you think you can help him?"

  Luke Skywalker put a hand on Uldir's shoulder.

  "That will be mostly up to your son."

  Uldir's mother said, "Thank you, Master Skywalker."

  His father added, "And may the Force be with you."

  Anakin Solo stood on top of the Great Temple, panting from his climb

  up the outer stairway. The late-afternoon breeze dried the sweat that

  trickled down his forehead. From this high above the ground there was a

  wonderful view of the surrounding jungle and the river not far away. But

  Anakin had not come for the view. He had come to be alone. To think-or

  maybe to brood. There was no railing around the platform on top of the

  pyramid, but Anakin was not afraid of falling.

  He knew how to use his Jedi powers to keep his balance. He sat at the

  edge of the stone platform and removed his shoes, in the hope that going

  barefoot would give him at least a little of the positive bubbliness that

  Tahiri always seemed to have. He waited a minute to see if he would feel

  any different....

  Well, at least his feet felt better. Far below, Anakin saw tiny

  figures walking out onto the landing field. It was his uncle and a few of

  the advanced students at the Jedi academy. Anakin couldn't help watching

  with interest as a lightsaber flared brightly in Luke's hands. One by one

  each of the students also turned on their lightsabers.

  Lightsabers.

  In his dream Darth Vader had tried to give Anakin a lightsaber. He

  shuddered. The dreams... that was what he had come here to think about. On

  the landing pad the Jedi Master and his students began drilling with their

  lightsabers. Anakin could hear distant sizzles each time a pair of the

  energy blades clashed together.

  "This I cannot teach you." Anakin jumped. "Ikrit, you scared me."

  "Mmmmm." Ikrit's voice was somewhere between a purr and a growl. "My

  approach was not quiet, but your mind was on other things."

  Anakin looked down at the furry white creature who now sat beside him.

  He felt silly.

  "I guess I should have noticed you. I mean, normally I would have.

  It's just that I'm not really myself right now."

  There was a long pause. Finally Ikrit asked, "Who are you, then?"

  Anakin could sense that Ikrit wasn't making a joke. It was an honest

  question. Anakin searched in his mind for an honest answer. He sighed.

  "That's just it: I don't know. I always thought I did. I mean, I'm a

  kid whose father just happens to be one of the hottest pilots in the

  galaxy, whose mother is the leader of the New Republic, whose twin brother

  and sister just happen to have more Jedi potential than anyone else at the

  academy under the age of sixteen, and whose uncle also happens to be the

  most powerful Jedi Master alive." Anakin grinned at his own words. "You

  know-I'm just an average kid."

  Below, lightsabers continued to hum and buzz, drawing bright arcs in

  the air.

  "And now?" the furry Jedi Master prompted.

  Anakin groaned.

  "Now I'm beginning to wonder. I've been having dreams about the dark

  side. I want to become a good Jedi and use the powers of the light side,

  but in my dreams, the Emperor and Darth Vader have claimed me for the dark

  side. What if it's true? What if I can't escape it?"

  Ikrit's voice was thoughtful.

  "What if is a question we all must face. How do you propose to answer

  it?"

  "I think if I could only go to Dagobah-" Anakin began.

  "Dagobah?" Ikrit interrupted. "That is a small planet, and far away.

  Why go there?"

  "Because that's where Yoda trained Uncle Luke, and he gave him a test,

  and-"

  Ikrit's floppy ears perked up and he looked more interested than ever.

  "Please tell me," he said, "about Luke and Yoda and Dagobah and the

  test...."

  Planetshine from the orange gas giant of Yavin streamed in through the

  narrow window slit of Master Luke Skywalker's chambers at the Jedi academy.

  The night air was still warm and Luke had pulled aside the heavy curtains

  to let in the soft breeze and the spicy scent of jungle flowers. Although

  he had been lying down for at least an hour, sleep would not come. He

  relaxed and let himself enjoy the beauty of the soft light. Somehow, when

  the furry white form of Jedi Master Ikrit appeared on his windowsill, Luke

  was not surprised.

  "Welcome
," Luke said, sitting up slowly and motioning for Ikrit to

  come in. "What brings you here tonight?"

  "Concern for the boy," Ikrit said.

  Luke nodded. He knew that in some strange way the alien Jedi Master

  felt drawn to watch over and protect Anakin.

  "He seems to think," Ikrit went on, "that only a journey to Dagobah

  can show him what he truly is inside."

  "I sometimes wonder," Luke said softly, "if Leia was wrong to name

  Anakin after his grandfather, a Jedi who fell to the dark side."

  "In the end," Ikrit pointed out, "you turned him back to the light

  side."

  "In the end...," Luke agreed.

  "The boy is strong in the Force," Ikrit said. "Stronger perhaps than

  he knows."

  Luke nodded.

  "And when he's with his friend Tahiri, he's even stronger."

  "A strong Jedi will he be," Ikrit said, "with the chance to do great

  good, or-as the boy fears-great evil. The boy will not feel free to finish

  his Jedi training until he has made this journey and looked inside himself.