Anabeth: New Beginnings

Chapter 20 - Filling An Empty Seat

As it would turn out, the king and a single Zygerrian guard were no match for three Jedi, even with the help of a sonic disruptor. They were both taken into custody and the stolen weapon confiscated by the Jedi.

With the help of the clones, all slaves were freed and sent on their way home while all Zygerrians involved in the slave trade were arrested within the palace. During their sweeps of the building, they had also found Quinlan Vos and freed him.

He had explained the whole situation to them once again. How Molec had been working towards rebuilding the great Zygerrian slave Empire and been keeping him hostage to assure the Jedi that everything was fine. Thankfully, Vos hadn't been too shaken by what had transpired during the last few weeks and was ready to jump right back into the new assignment he was being offered.

While Atai Molec was transferred to an off world prison to ensure he could no longer influence his people, his son Sono Molec was crowned king. The little boy was only eleven, so the Confederacy, the Republic and the Council of Neutral Systems had agreed on an independent advisor for the boy that would guide him and teach him all about what it actually meant to be a good king. Their hope was that by educating him, lasting change might come about on the planet.

Quinlan would also be staying, as another advisor to the boy, as well as an operative that would work to locate any new attempts of slavery on the planet to hut them down once and for all. The position was probably going to be a multi year mission, but Ana had a feeling he was the perfect Jedi for the job.

She had already had the pleasure of observing him interact with Sono, and one could clearly see the two of them would be getting along splendidly. The boy seemed to absolutely adore Quinlan and was already idolizing him, while the latter seemed to have found an entirely new calling in taking care of the young king.

And now, a few weeks later, things did indeed seem to be going well. Quinlan was giving the regular updates, all of them positive so far. Furthermore, all the clones and Jedi had returned from the front lines and the Temple was finally bustling with life again.

Having joined the Order during the war, Ana had never before had the pleasure of seeing the Temple this populated. Wherever she went, there were now Jedi roaming the halls, happily going about their business. The whole place seemed more lively and warm than ever before.

After her return from Zygerria, Ana had been tasked with getting her idea concerning her funding rolling. Organa had been on board immediately, and the Council of Neutral Systems had also come around very quickly with Satine's help.

What followed were several trips to Raxus during which Ana made their case to the Confederacy. As expected, they were hesitant of the idea of trusting and funding the Jedi and having them build an embassy on their own turf. But Ana was in no way one to give up easily, and with a bit of persuasion and empathy, they eventually agreed too.

It was at this point, that Obi-Wan returned to Coruscant too. Since things were stable on Mandalore, Satine had told him that he should go help out with the Order again. She and Grace were scheduled to stop by for a few days in a month.

With all Council members back at the Temple now and the construction of both the Mandalore and the Raxus embassy well on the way, the discussion of who should be in charge of them arose. Obi-Wan was the obvious pick for Mandalore, but Raxus did in fact require some discussion.

For the longest time, the Council was very divided on whether they should put Master Plo or Master Fisto in charge. But since Plo Koon had already taken on the task of replacing Yoda in taking charge of the training and education of the Younglings, they did eventually settle on Master Fisto.

Throughout all of these weeks filled with events, Windu had slowly come to notice something. No matter the situation, whether it was organizational matters, problems that needed a solution or any other minor inconvenience that he needed help with, Ana was always right there by his side, ready to help out with enthusiasm.

And more strikingly even, she was extremely good at it. No matter the task, Ana had it covered. Talks with politicians, paperwork, Youngling classes, you name it, Ana was there to excel at it. She had been so involved in everything concerning the Order and joined so many Council meetings, Windu almost found it strange when there was one she wasn't around for.

Of course, Windu had always known that Ana was one of the more special Jedi they had. That she was meant for great things. But still, he had not imagined her to exceed everyone's expectations this early on. And the way she could handle almost anything they threw at her with so much maturity and responsibility was not going unnoticed by his fellow Council members either.

The day that Anakin and Ahsoka eventually began teasingly referring to Ana as the 'honorary Council member', he finally pulled Obi-Wan aside to get a second opinion on his thoughts.

"I need an opinion," he told Obi-Wan.
"Any time," Obi-Wan was quick to volunteer "On what exactly?"
"Ana."
An amused smile crept onto Obi-Wan's face. "I was wondering when you'd bring it up."

"Apparently now," Windu replied. "But seeing as you know what I'm talking about, I'm guessing you have an opinion of your own as well."
"I do. But I'd like to hear yours first," Obi-Wan confirmed.

"Alright. So I think we can all agree that Ana has been a blessing to have these last few months," Windu began. "Whatever situation we had, she was always right there, ready to step up to anything. And looking back, I've come to see I really wasn't going easy on her either.

First I sent her to do all those meetings with the Confederacy and the Republic, then I put her in charge of Mandalore, had her actively involved in the investigation into the intruder, had her track down Bane, and finally sent her off to Zygerria. And after that crisis was over I put her in charge of the project with the embassies and left her to negotiate those on her own.

I know Jedi with decades of experience who would have never been able to handle it all. But here is freshly knighted Ana, doing it all as if it was a stroll in the garden.

I mean, I know she has always been very capable, and had I thought that she was out of her depth I wouldn't have given her the tasks I did. But, I still remember her being utterly unsure about being knighted on her first days. And seeing how quickly she has been able to put her worries from that day behind her and step into her new role has been nothing short of incredible.

None of that is what really bothers me though. Because what bothers me the most is how used I have gotten to the idea of having her right beside me at all times, not as my Padawan, but as a fellow Knight. How used I have gotten the idea that she's right there to give me her advice and opinions on any matter. How used I have gotten to trusting her before even some Council members."

"I get what you're saying. Ana has taken to her role as Knight unusually fast. And she's become a regular in so many meetings, it's hard to imagine her suddenly not being in them anymore. Hard to imagine losing the valuable input she brings to them," Obi-Wan agreed.

"Yes. The tricky thing is though, I value what Ana does so much. I value every idea, solution or opinion she has very highly. And I don't want to give that up. But I also value Ana as a person very highly. And I don't want to put her in a position she isn't ready for yet."

"So in short, you want Ana on the Council?" Obi-Wan finally spoke out loud what Windu had been describing the entire conversation. "But you're scared you might be overwhelming her?"
"Essentially yes," Windu confirmed.

"Well, if you ask me, I wouldn't worry too much," Obi-Wan gave his opinion. "Ana isn't only good at what she does, but she also loves what she does. Yoda's seat is big one to fill of course, but you will have to fill it at some point in the near future. And I think there is no one better suited for the job right now than Ana."

"That's reassuring," Windu admitted. "I'll meditate on it again, but I think you're right. Ana is probably the best person for the job."
"If that will make you feel better. But trust me, give her the seat. We're all just waiting for you to."