A New Jedi in an Old Republic

Coruscant

Anakin set down his shuttle on the indicated pad with his usual perfection, lining up the boarding hatch with the waiting people. The Senate building curved away from him, and he noted that the nearby landing pads were all empty. "Black 2, this is Black Lead," he announced. "We have touched down. Thank you for the escort."

"This is Black 2," the Clone Pilot replied professionally. "We have confirmed your arrival. Thank you, Black Lead, and I look forward to flying with you in the future."

"As do I," Anakin said, knowing it would never come to pass. The Council would make sure of it, but he had to face them one last time. But before that, he spooled down the engines of the shuttle and made to the boarding ramp ahead of Tarkin. "How do you want to do this?" he asked. "Should I be helping you, or let you stand on your own?"

Tarkin considered the offer. "I will stand on my own," he announced. Anakin recognized the need for strength and relented. He made one last check of his Jedi robes and found them in perfect order over the flight suit. His lightsabre was at his hip, and R2 was ready to take up the rear. He hit the button to open the hatch and they waited for the boarding rap to lower into place before disembarking.

"Sir!" The lead member of their welcoming party, a Rhodian in a Republic Navy uniform addressed them with a sloppy salute that had Tarkin's face darken and Anakin desperately desire to wince at it. Was this the part of the Navy that Tarkin was concerned about? People who had no pride in their job? Or worse, didn't understand their duties and would thus fail?

The poor Lieutenant froze under Tarkin's glare. "S-sir!" He repeated himself, "The Admiralty Council is waiting on you! I am to escort you there immediately."

Tarkin didn't let up his glare, just standing there in perfect silence as he measured everything about the poor officer in front of him, and Anakin was too busy keeping his face neutral to properly express his joy at watching this happen.

Behind the Lieutenant, the two Senate Guards stood stiffly at attention, knowing they were beyond reproach. "Very well," Tarkin broke the silence as he strode past the terrified subordinate. "Flight Leader Skywalker will be attending me," he announced. The officer glanced at Anakin, and confusion reigned before he recognized the apparel of a Jedi and faltered even further.

Feeling sorry for the poor Rodian, Anakin patted him on the shoulder. "He likes you," he lied. "You should see what he does to his enemies."

The Rodian fell in behind R2, and the Guards led the way, allowing Tarkin to set the pace of his arrival. Not too fast or too slow, but enough to show that he was not going to be held to the dictates of politicians and ignorant fools as he described them on the way down.

They entered into the Senate building proper, through areas that Anakin had never been in before. And as this was all new to him, he paid more attention to his surroundings than he normally would have, both with the Force and without. He spotted more guards than was usual, though he supposed that was only natural given the state of war. They provided their identities to a security checkpoint, and after a moment's argument with R2, the droid was scanned for any weapons or explosives.

Through all this, Tarkin said nothing, simply staring and glowering at everyone who entered into his line of sight. Anakin though he was overdoing it, applying too much force that it would become the norm. He resolved to point that out the Commodore once he had a chance to do so in private.

Deeper into the Senate building, until they came to a door much like any other. Anakin could feel the tension on the other side, confusion, anger, regret, fear and the like. He recognized it not as a negative, but as the result of too many people trying to do too many things without accord. And as a Jedi, was it not his responsibility to help guide them toward a better future?

Tarkin didn't announce himself. He simply opened the door, walked in with Anakin right behind him and R2 taking up station by the door. "Admirals!" he snapped aloud.

He did not bring silence and order to the room, which caused his frustrations to deepen. Anakin stepped up and nodded at him, letting Tarkin know that he was going to handle this. Pulling on the Force, Anakin started to draw attention to himself, a technique he had seen other diplomatic Jedi use when addressing large crowds to make sure everyone was listening. "Admirals!" he called out. "Commodore Wilhuff Tarkin would like to give his reports on the Battle of Gatri!" He saw that his efforts bore fruit, and stepped back with a smile, yielding the floor to Tarkin.

"We apologize Commoddore," a venerable human male said from across the room. "We have been receiving reports of attacks along the Mid Rim, and are still trying to separate the wheat from the chaff."

Even Anakin knew that was a job for people of lower ranks than this. They were decision makers, not analysts! It offended him almost as much as it offended Tarkin. Tarkin simply grunted. "If I may be so bold," he said, "let us focus on one battle at a time. You summoned me for my report, and I would like to give it."

"Of course Commodore," the head Admiral spoke again. "Please, give your report."

Tarkin brusquely and without preamble gave a factual report of the battle, from their intercept to the fighters preventing his shock-fire tactic from working to the conflict of the two battle lines while the fighters played defense. To the destruction of the enemy Frigate and the suicide charge of the remaining fighters taking out his flagship.

"A tactical victory, but a strategic draw," he finished. "We learned more about their tactics and how their ships work. Yes, we lost a ship and good men, but their loss was a good one. We can learn, refine our tactics and improve our ships to match."

The Admiral nodded. "You two," he pointed at two other Admirals. "You had proposals to refit our ships with more anti-fighter weapons. Get on that."

"We haven't decided that!" a younger woman who was barely older than Anakin shouted, somehow bearing the regalia of an Admiral from a Core World. He felt a flash of irritation. He had earned his position. What had she done to be here?

He pushed it away. Now was not the time for such things. He watched as the elder Admiral verbally manhandled the younger into compliance, giving Anakin cause to be thankful for the efforts of the Jedi who raised the Younglings in the Temple. Once he had sufficiently cowed the lesser Admirals into compliance, the two he had issued orders to left on their task.

"Master Jedi," Anakin did not bother to correct the wrong title. "What are your thoughts?"

"In this, the Jedi yield to the superior experience of Tarkin," he said diplomatically. All eyes were on him in a way that they were not for Tarkin. More respect? Fear even? He was unsure. But he was here to support Tarkin, and that was what he was going to do. "Commodore Tarkin displayed an excellent grasp of what was needed to win the battle, and the Jedi should be proud to work with him again in the future."

Attention shifted to Tarkin, people recognizing that they may have misplayed how they handled Tarkin. And he knew it as he refused to let his emotions show, instead maintaining the sharp thin frown of his the whole time. He knew his stature was rising now.

"If you'll excuse me," Tarkin said, "but I am afraid that I have other meetings to attend. Unless this board wishes to take up more of my time?" There was acid in his tongue, and Anakin was glad for it. He was beginning to feel stuffy in this room, so full of people disconnected from the war going on.

"No, you are dismissed," the head Admiral said. Tarkin snapped a salute, Anakin bowed and they were away, R2 in tow.

They walked in silence back the way they came, Anakin and Tarkin each having their own thoughts. Once they were in the privacy of their shuttle did they speak. "What is wrong with them?" Anakin asked of the Force, receiving no answer.

"Ignorance and folly," Tarkin spat as he secured himself in his seat. "At least you Jedi are wise enough to recognize your own limitations and move to remove or work around them." Anakin wasn't sure about that, but did not say anything as he went through the preflight checklist. "I was expecting more, not that farce."

Anakin sighed. "Then I am afraid you can expect no better with the High Council," he said. "They would be all too eager to deal with me internally, and not have an outsider like yourself involved."

Tarkin gave Anakin a look that was almost comforting. "Then let me see it with my own eyes, so that I know what to expect in the future."

"It will be good to have you at my side for as long as possible," Anakin agreed as he cleared the shuttle for the well-known route to the Temple, one that he could fly asleep. And probably had at one point or another.

The trip over was quiet, there being no need to talk between the two men. R2 was silent as well, for which Anakin was thankful. He landed in the bay that Master Katarn's ship was supposed to be housed in, but it was not there. The one person he could consider to be understanding of everything without reservation was missing, and that worried him in a way that he hadn't expected.

"It appears as though Master Katarn will not be with us," he announced. "His ship is not here."

"He must be on a mission then, for the good of the Republic," Tarkin thought aloud. "I see no reason for this to change anything."

"No, you are right." Anakin finished turning off the shuttle. He was irrational in that hope. It was time to face Obi-Wan and the Council. He waited for Tarkin again, and disembarked to face Mace Windu himself. "Master."

"Apprentice," Master Windu said sternly and with a frown. "We were expecting you earlier, but I see you now you were helping Commodore Tarkin first. I trust that went smoothly?"

"Poorly, Master Windu," Anakin said, grateful to be talking about something else. "The Republic Navy has yet to sort out a proper hierarchy. They could learn much from the way the Jedi organize themselves."

Something in what he said caused Windu to be distracted for a moment before he returned to the present. "Commodore, is there any help I can give you?"

"That will not be necessary," Tarkin put on the same show of strength as he did in the Senate. "Young Skywalker was a good boon at my meeting, and I hope I can be the same for him at this one." He knew that he couldn't invite himself to the report by Anakin, but he tried to make it clear through his tone of voice that denying him would do the Jedi no favours.

"Of course," Master Windu took all that threat and removed it with a single agreement. "The whole of the council will not be in attendance, so if you are tired, you may sit. Both of you."

Despite the warmish welcome, Anakin noted that there were more guards in the Temple than when he left. They made their way to the Council chamber, where Windu's comment about the lack of the Council was made manifest. There were only five present. Himself, Masters Yoda, Ki-Adi-Mundi, Shaak Ti via hologram and Battlemaster Drallig. The last was a surprise, but not without precedent given that he had been in a combat zone.

There was no Obi-Wan, and Anakin felt a knot of fear in his chest which he put away. Perhaps he was indisposed with the Senate and could not attend? He would still be addressed later, this he knew.

Master Windu took his seat, leaving Anakin and Tarkin standing and facing the semi-circle of Jedi Masters. "Commodore Tarkin is here to speak with Apprentice Skywalker," he informed the other Masters, none of whom objected. "Skywalker..." Master Windu stopped, then started again. "Anakin, why did you choose to act against the wishes of this Council?"

There was no going back. He knew this question was coming and he and Tarkin had rehearsed his response. "Because the Council did not forbid it," he pointed out. "You chose to defer action until you understood what was required. That is not something I would gainsay. Rather, I knew what I could offer, what would be needed of me and as such I made my offer to Tarkin. I knew that in doing so I would put my standing in the Order at risk," an admission that Tarkin insisted he make, pointing out that it would actually work for him in the long run, "but the opportunity to learn and provide more information to the Council would rapidly close. I had to act. Not wait."

"And what did you learn?" Battlemaster Drallig questioned him as he leaned forward hands folded in front of his face, giving Anakin his full attention.

"I learned that there is death in War," Anakin admitted. "The destruction of one of our ships was a great blow in the Force, the cries of many dying in agony something that I will not forget."

He impressed the feeling of it into the Force, allowing the other Masters present a taste of his response to the death of the Tarkin's flagship. The others didn't show their reaction. "Masters," he said, almost pleading, "I must caution against joining the Republic as serious fighters," this earned him a surprised look from Tarkin, but he forged on. There were some things that only a Jedi could say to another Jedi. "For you see, as Jedi on the field of battle, we would be surrounded by death. As the Confederacy uses Droids, those deaths would be of our allies, those we would fight alongside. The decree of the Order to form no attachments would be void out there, for even a short period of time would see us grow accustomed to those around us, and to have them fall in numbers I cannot express, it is something that no Jedi is prepared to take on."

He found himself envisioning what would have happened had one of the Black Squadron been killed, and he refused to consider it. "We can and we must help the Republic, for it is our duty. But again, many of us are simply not prepared for the hurt we would incur just being there. The depths of emotions run deep. Deeper than I had envisioned, and we must balance our desire to help with our own weakness."

Tarkin was thoughtful. He had not considered the empathic abilities of the Jedi as something that couldn't be turned off. He had erred, and in his own way, harmed Anakin in the process. But the young man was standing tall, bearing his scars with pride. Again, the words of Master Katarn came to him, emphasizing where they could help and could not and he saw the wisdom in them, born of experience.

What folly it would have been to make the Generals, to make place the Jedi in the middle of battles where every death would be felt!

Anakin finished his imploring of the Council, and they were silent in consideration. "Another blow against us," Drallig muttered.

"Not at all," Tarkin spoke up. "I will vouch for the honor and integrity of Flight Leader Skywalker," he used the naval rank deliberately. "If he says such things, then I will stand by them. Not all the sentients of the Galaxy are suited to war. There is no reason to suspect that the Jedi are any different. Skywalker has proven to me that those who can help will do so with exceptional skill and alacrity." he put a hand on Skywalker's shoulder. "Take his example, and do not hide in your Temple," he gestured with his other hand at the ancient structure they were in."

"No, I suppose we must not," Ki-Adi-Mundi stated. "But the Senate has been slow in providing direction."

Tarkin and Anakin recalled the meeting they were just in not too long ago. "It is like they were expecting the Jedi to lead," Tarkin offered. "And your rejection set them to confusion. Perhaps if you were suggest into the right ears certain courses of action that you know you can accomplish, they would take them and work with them?"

"Yes," Windu agreed. "Skywalker, Master Kenobi has gone to Mandalore to aid the Senate in normalizing relations with the Republic. That is why he is not here," and at that a weight lifted off of Anakin's chest. "You are right, Tarkin. Perhaps we can help. Would you be willing to advise us if possible on such things? We do not know enough to make that sort of decision ourselves."

"I cannot," Tarkin informed Windu gruffly. "I have other responsibilities. But if it would please you, I can arrange for an advisor of my choosing to provide what you desire."

Master Windu nodded. "That would be acceptable." He turned to Skywalker. "Anakin, you still acted rashly and put yourself and to a limited extent, the Order into danger. We cannot approve of your actions, but we can respect them. As such, we will deliver our punishment to you by the end of the next day. You are not the leave the Temple. And we will be taking into account the good word of the Commodore here."

"Of course, Master." Anakin bowed slightly. "What else would you have of me?"

"I would like to question you regarding the battle itself," Drallig stood up, indicating that the meeting was over. "And yourself as well Commodore. Our records of warfare are sadly out of date, and we would like to see if anything we have matches up with what happened out there."

"I would be glad to help, Battlemaster," Anakin said. Perhaps he wouldn't be in so much trouble? They were willing to let him off easy because of his victory? Of the Force was with him, and he could not expect such leniency in the future.

No doubt Obi-Wan would have no such forgiveness.