Jedi Quest: Path to Truth

by Jude Watson

  fading.

  The door to a conference room outside the Council Chamber swished

  open. Anakin's heart speeded up. Don't fidget, he warned himself as he

  stepped into the conference room.

  Obi-Wan moved to the center of the room, and Anakin took his place by

  his Master's side. Members of the Jedi Council surrounded them in seating

  that conformed to height so that each Jedi had an equal view. The floor-to-

  ceiling windows presented a panoramic view of the busy sky lanes of

  Coruscant. Anakin had learned not to be distracted by his keen interest in

  the many sleek transports that zoomed by. Even the flicker of a glance

  could catch the disapproval of Mace Windu.

  Chancellor Palpatine was standing near Mace Windu. He wore a robe of

  rich, deep maroon in soft vela cloth. An ornate overcloak of blue swept the

  tips of his boots. Anakin was reassured to see a welcoming expression on

  his kindly face. The Chancellor nodded slightly in recognition. They had

  met on Naboo just after Anakin had been accepted for Jedi training.

  "We have been asked by the Senate to undertake an escort mission,"

  Mace Windu began. As usual, he did not waste time on preliminaries. "The

  Council has chosen you to accompany a Colicoid diplomatic ship."

  "Dangerous, this mission will not be," Yoda said. "Yet delicate, it

  is."

  Anakin suppressed a sigh. It wasn't that he hoped for danger, exactly.

  But a little excitement would be welcome.

  "The Colicoids do not welcome the Jedi presence," Obi-Wan guessed.

  Anakin always admired how quickly his mind worked.

  Yoda nodded. "Yet know it is necessary, they do."

  "What is the threat to the ship?" Obi-Wan asked.

  Chancellor Palpatine gave a quick look to Yoda to ask permission to

  speak. Yoda blinked his large eyes in agreement.

  "The pirate Krayn is known to be in the area in which the Colicoids

  will be traveling," the Chancellor explained. "He's shown no hesitation in

  attacking diplomatic vessels in the past, but we think a Jedi team might be

  a deterrent." Palpatine shook his head gravely. "Krayn and his two

  associates, Rashtah and Zora, are ruthless. When Krayn hijacks ships, he

  not only steals their cargo, but sells their inhabitants into slavery."

  Krayn. Anakin tightened his muscles. What was it about that name that

  caused his body to react with fear? He felt suddenly cold. Only the

  discipline he'd learned from Jedi training helped him suppress his body's

  involuntary shiver.

  Krayn..

  Slave trader. Slave raider.

  The name on everyone's lips on that terrible day.

  Raider, trader, raider, Anakin's brain chanted nonsensically.

  Remembering hovered above him, just out of reach. He could only feel the

  dread it would bring.

  Then memory bloomed inside him. It filled his blood like a poison.

  Every detail rushed at him, just as he'd sworn to recall them that day.

  He remembered the cool, crisp day on Tatooine. A picnic. Flowers woven

  through Amee's braids. The sweet taste of fruit pastry. And then the sudden

  shock of hurrying through their row of quarters, seeing faces

  unrecognizable from terrible fear...

  He had burst into his quarters and seen his mother, her legs tucked up

  against her chest, as if protecting herself from a blow. She had looked up

  and he had glimpsed terror on her face... No! He had not meant to remember

  that!

  The cave! It had been a memory as well as a vision. Anakin understood

  that clearly now. The events clicked in with frightening vividness. He had

  suppressed the memory with an act of will. But he had not been able to shut

  it out forever.

  Now memory had chosen to return at this moment, while members of the

  Jedi Council had their eyes on him. Anakin almost groaned aloud.

  Obi-Wan sensed something. He shifted his weight slightly, drawing a

  bit closer to Anakin. The unspoken message was clear: I am here, Anakin.

  Hang on.

  But Anakin was already conquering his shock. He told himself that he

  was meant to remember now, in this place. Shock hardened into resolve. He

  had felt Krayn in the cave. He might have been the figure chasing Shmi.

  Even though Anakin had never seen the pirate, he knew him. He knew the

  terror he had spread.

  At last there was a chance he could face him. How lucky to have been

  given this assignment! His hand moved unconsciously to his lightsaber hilt.

  "With all respect to the Council and the Senate," Obi-Wan said, "I am

  not certain that we are the correct team for this assignment."

  Anakin could not resist an incredulous look at his Master. What was

  Obi-Wan doing? They were the perfect team for this assignment!

  "The Council might recall that Anakin was once a slave himself," Obi-

  Wan continued. "He is sensitive to this issue. And as a young Padawan - "

  "I am not too young!" Anakin broke in. "And I'm not too sensitive!"

  Mace Windu fixed his dark gaze on Anakin, the forbidding look that

  could cause even a senior Jedi student to suddenly remember each tiny

  infraction of the rules he or she had committed since the age of five. "We

  will ask you to speak when we wish your opinion, Anakin."

  Anakin was cowed by Mace Windu's reprimand. Mace Windu turned to Obi-

  Wan with the same severity.

  "Do you have doubts about your Padawan, Obi-Wan? If so, you must state

  them. Certainly they are not obvious to the Council, since only recently

  you stood in that very spot and vehemently argued that he was ready for the

  trip to Ilum to fashion his own lightsaber."

  So Obi-Wan had to fight to take him to Hum. Defiance flared in Anakin.

  His chin lifted. So what? If the Council still had hesitations about him,

  they would soon learn differently.

  "Please forgive me for interfering," Chancellor Palpatine interrupted

  softly. "I think I understand Obi-Wan Kenobi's hesitation. Even in my

  limited knowledge of Jedi procedures, I understand that Anakin Sky-walker

  is a special case. Naturally the Jedi would wish to protect him more so

  than another Jedi student."

  Anakin's face flushed. A special case! Needing protection! He felt

  humiliation wash over him.

  "Anakin Skywalker is not a special case," Obi-Wan said in a firm

  voice. "Only his extraordinary abilities set him apart. He is certainly not

  in need of protection. Perhaps I expressed myself badly. I consider him

  fully able to conduct any mission the Council wishes to send him on. My

  hesitation was momentary. I accept the mission for myself and my Padawan."

  Slowly, Mace Windu nodded. Yoda did as well, but his gaze lingered on

  Anakin.

  Anakin didn't care. His Master had spoken up for him. They had a

  mission. Nothing else mattered. And there was a possibility he could meet

  Krayn face-to-face. That was the most important thing of all.

  CHAPTER 5

  The Colicoid ship was massive and utilitarian. Even the Colicoid

  diplomatic ships were pressed into service as cargo ships, and the planet's

  ship designers were known for ingenuity rather than style. They managed to

  pack more cargo space into a cruiser than anyone in the ga
laxy. They did

  this by compressing living space. Cabins and public areas were cramped and

  oddly shaped, mostly tucked into stray corners. It would not be a luxurious

  flight.

  Luckily Obi-Wan had reached the point where he barely registered his

  surroundings, except as points of interest for the mission ahead. Anakin,

  however, was appalled at the sheer ugliness of the Colicoid transport. When

  it came to spaceships, Anakin was a firm believer in speed and elegance.

  "I thought diplomatic ships were supposed to be the best in the

  planet's fleet," he murmured to Obi-Wan as they boarded. They followed a

  guide down a narrow hallway, squeezing past equipment panels and cargo

  boxes.

  "This is the best in the fleet," Obi-Wan murmured back.

  They reached the bridge. The command center was smaller than it should

  be for a ship of this size. The pilot crew was jammed up against one

  another and the tech consoles. Even the ceiling was put into service for

  cargo - finely spun durasteel nets were suspended there and filled with

  cargo boxes. The full load blocked out the lighting from above, creating

  pools of shadow on the bridge. The total effect was one of deep gloom.

  "Captain, the Jedi team has arrived," their guide reported.

  The captain waved a long hand behind him but did not turn. "Dismissed.

  "

  The guide turned and left. The captain still ignored the Jedi. He

  stared down at a data screen mounted on the tech console.

  Obi-Wan knew the Colicoids were barely tolerating their presence. If

  the captain wanted to play a game of patience with him, he would not

  engage. He cautioned Anakin with a look - he was not to betray any

  impatience. Anakin immediately composed his features and stilled a restless

  tapping finger on his utility belt. Obi-Wan could still tell his Padawan

  was restless, but the Colicoids would not.

  The Colicoids were an intelligent species with armor-plated trunks,

  long, antennaed heads, and powerful stinging tails. Although renowned as

  deadly fighters, they had long ago turned their considerable energies

  toward trade. They had transferred their ruthlessness to commerce and were

  a wealthy species as a result.

  The captain turned at last. His expression was not welcoming. He

  clicked two of his spidery legs together in impatience.

  "I am Captain Anf Dec. We will be departing in six minutes," he said.

  "You are free to walk about the ship, but do not get in the way."

  Obi-Wan matched the captain's brusque tone. "If any suspicious vessels

  enter our range, you will notify us?"

  "No need for alarm. We do not expect trouble. Or so the Senate tells

  us." The captain gave an eerie smile that showed straight rows of sharp

  teeth. "The Jedi are aboard."

  "Nevertheless, we expect to be notified if there is a potential

  problem," Obi-Wan said firmly.

  The captain shrugged. "As you wish." The words came like explosive

  puffs of air. Obviously Captain Anf Dec did not appreciate getting orders,

  only giving them. "Now go. We are busy."

  Obi-Wan and Anakin turned and left the bridge. "Friendly guy," Anakin

  said.

  "I think it's best if we stay out of the Colicoids' way," Obi-Wan

  responded.

  "No problem," Anakin muttered under his breath.

  They proceeded to their cramped cabin, which they would have to share.

  Anakin placed his survival pack neatly by his narrow sleep-couch. Obi-Wan

  knew that his Padawan was still upset by the meeting at the Temple. Usually

  he would have to counsel Anakin at the start of a mission to settle down.

  The boy would run on an excess of energy and expectation and want to see

  everything at once. The Anakin he knew would have tossed his survival pack

  down and suggested a quick tour of the ship. But this new, silent Anakin

  merely sat on the sleep-couch and gazed at his surroundings with an

  uncurious eye.

  Obi-Wan debated whether to speak. He knew what was bothering Anakin -

  the boy was troubled by both the Jedi Council's continuing wariness of his

  suitability and the implication that he was somehow different from other

  Jedi students. That did not worry Obi-Wan too much. He knew that Anakin's

  belief in himself was strong. Anakin was different, and he was learning

  that this was part of his strength. It did not have to set him apart. And

  Obi-Wan had told him before that he should not take the Council's rigor

  personally. It did not mean that they didn't think he would make a fine

  Jedi. It was their job to look for every possible trouble spot, to be

  harder on the Jedi students than their Masters would be. No doubt they, as

  well as he, had noticed Anakin's involuntary movement toward his lightsaber

  when slave trading was mentioned.

  No, Anakin's silence was not about the Council's reaction, or

  Palpatine's words. He was hurt because Obi-Wan had tried to get out of the

  assignment. It suggested to his Padawan that he did not have faith in him -

  which was far from the truth.

  Words that hurt were spoken in a moment. But words that heal take time

  and reflection.

  Obi-Wan could not reassure Anakin that his words were spoken out of

  haste. He was worried about the effect of this mission on Anakin. If they

  did engage with Krayn, Anakin's deepest emotions would be tapped. Obi-Wan

  knew his Padawan had not begun to truly deal with the years of shame and

  anger he had passed as a slave. Someday he would confront this. Obi-Wan

  fervently wished that day to be in the future, after Anakin had honed his

  training.

  Yet he had the feeling that this was exactly why Mace Windu and Yoda

  had chosen them. It was not the first time Obi-Wan had suspected the

  Council of being too harsh.

  They had suspended Obi-Wan once, taken away his Jedi status. He had

  been thirteen years old, and at the time he had not understood the

  Council's severity. He was forced to bypass his feelings to examine his own

  role in his suspension. He had been wrong, and he had come to understand

  that. The knowledge of this had shamed him. It was only through Qui-Gon's

  counsel that he had learned that his shame was preventing him from healing.

  Could he teach his Padawan the same lesson? Qui-Gon had done it with a

  characteristic balance of severity and gentleness. No one mixed the two

  like his Master. Obi-Wan found it difficult to be severe with Anakin. He

  had been deeply influenced by his Master, but he was not Qui-Gon. He would

  have to find his own way.

  The Master must guard against guiding the Padawan according to his own

  needs. He or she must balance care and discipline with the acknowledgment

  of the Padawan's separateness, his or her distinct character.

  Qui-Gon's caution had chafed Obi-Wan at times. Now he completely

  understood it. The shadow of Xanatos had always stood at Qui-Gon's

  shoulder. Xanatos had been Qui-Gon's Padawan, and he had turned to the dark

  side. Qui-Gon had struggled to keep Obi-Wan and Xanatos separate in his

  mind and actions. He did not want his training of Obi-Wan to be haunted by

  the ways he might have failed Xanatos. But it was not always easy.
Of

  course Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan had gone on to build a rich history together.

  Obi-Wan wished the same fierce trust and affection between himself and

  Anakin. They had already begun to build it.

  "I received more information about Krayn before we left," Obi-Wan told

  Anakin. "You should review this file." He called up the information on his

  datapad and handed it to Anakin.

  "There is a profile of Krayn's ship and his illegal activities as well

  as background on his two associates. One is a Wookiee named Rashtah. Very

  fierce, very dangerous. Unusual for a Wookiee to be involved in slave

  trading, but he's extremely loyal to Krayn. There's another associate

  called Zora, a human female."

  Anakin flipped through the holographic file. "There's not much

  information here on her."

  "No. She joined Krayn about a year ago." Obi-Wan turned away. He knew

  all about Zora. Yoda and Mace Windu had briefed him privately before he

  left. Anakin did not have to know yet that Zora was a former Jedi.

  More important, Zora was a former friend of Obi-Wan's. Her former name

  was Siri. She had been in Temple training with Obi-Wan, just a year behind.

  He had known her well, or as well as anyone could know her. Her deepest

  emotions were known only to herself. The two of them had been on missions

  together as Padawans. Chosen by Council member Adi Gallia as an apprentice,