Back To The Beginning [Star Wars EU Fanfic]

Chapter Eight

Obi-Wan stopped just outside of Palpatine's office. He lifted his hand to knock, but stopped halfway. Something wasn't right.

He thought of his conversation with Luke. Who could be the man that Luke was talking about? A Jedi maybe? With enough power to make Mara faint on contact? You never know. Anything could happen in a situation like this.

"Master Kenobi?" Anakin asked with concern. "Master, are you just going to stand there all day or knock?"

Embarrassed, Obi-Wan looked down at his apprentice beside him. "Oh, right. I was just lost in thought. Sorry." Once again he quickly raised his hand and knocked on the door.

"Well, come in, come in," urged a voice from the other side of the door.

The door slid open soundlessly and Obi-Wan ushered Anakin inside. Across the room, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine was sitting at his desk, reading some document. He switched off his holopad and greeted the two Jedi with a smile. Following Obi-Wan's example, Anakin bowed respectively.

"Welcome, Master Kenobi, and to you, young Skywalker. I'm glad you have come," Palpatine stood up and walked over to the Jedi, shaking Obi-Wan's hand before leading them to two chairs that had suddenly appeared in front of his desk.

"It is our honor to be here, Chancellor," Anakin said, sitting in the seat left empty by Obi-Wan. "My Master said that you wanted to speak with me."

"Both of you, actually," Palpatine admitted. As always, he was wearing a charismatic smile that could put a gundark at ease, but today, something about that smile seemed off to Obi-Wan. Almost like Palpatine was the gundark, and Anakin and Obi-Wan the unsuspecting nerf-herders.

"I am wondering how well your training is going. How far along are you, and when do you plan to take the final tests that the council gives?"

Obi-Wan left the answers up to Anakin. 

"I'm the top student at the temple," Anakin boasted, "I probably won't complete my full training for a few years, five at the least."

"And why will it take that long, Skywalker?"

"Well," Obi-Wan cut in, "even though Anakin is very advanced, he only starting training three years ago. He still has much to learn about the living force. I myself did not take the trials until just after Qui-Gon died. Anakin still has much to learn about how to control the wonderful gift that he has."

"Well, please keep me informed. I would like to know more about the Jedi,  and when they plan to become Masters. Thank you both for coming, I'm sure you know the way out?"

"Yes. Thank you, Chancellor." Obi-Wan and Anakin both stood up and bowed again. Palpatine nodded in return, and as they were leaving, Obi-Wan knew he saw that same smile again.

**************

"Palpatine! Luke!"

Mara sat straight up on the unfamiliar bed. Luke came running in, followed closely by Ami and Ben.

"Mara! Are you okay?" Luke asked anxiously. 

"Umm...yeah, I just had a bed dream, I think," she said, quickly rubbing her temples. "How long have I been out? No, don't tell me, five days, right?" She joked. She was trying to get Luke's mind off of what she'd yelled, but by the look on his face, she could already tell it wasn't working.

"Ami, Ben, why don't you two go finish up dinner in the kitchen?" Like said, looking over at his two children.

"Aww! We never get to stay around when it gets interesting!" Ben whined.

"Yeah, we always get booted away!" Amidala put in.

Mara put on her best"I'm-your-mother-so-you-had-better-not-argue-with-me" face and said "You'd better listen to your father, you haven't seen a Jedi master get really mad ."

Silently, the two children left the room and closed the door behind them, but they didn't go to the kitchen. They put their ears to the door and started to listen.

"Luke, I don't know how to explain this," their mom said, "but I think I felt Palpatine's presence."

Ami and Ben gasped quietly, staring at each other in shock. Palpatine? Wasn't that the guy their daddy had killed long before they were born? 

Quickly realizing that they were missing an important part of the conversation they automatically put their ears to the door again.

"Mara," this was their dad's voice, "I warned Obi-Wan not to tell anyone about our presence here. Even if it was him, he doesn't know that we're here."

"But he can sense me! He found me when I was just a child, remember? He probably had that planned out all along."

Ami could sense the fright in her mother's voice as she started to cry. This was something she and Ben had never dreamed of experiencing! Their own mother crying! Wait until Uncle Han heard about this one. 

But then Ami stopped. She could sense her father trying to comfort Mara. This was serious, her mom really was scared. She met Ben's wide eyes with her own, and they both started to set the table, half-heartedly practicing their mind-hiding game again, but they couldn't hide from the fear that was creeping through the whole house.