Balance of Power

Chapter 15: Answers

"I'll take her as my apprentice. There is no reason to give the child to someone she does not know." I stood next to Master Jinn as he explained my next steps to the council, zoning out I start to count the dots on the floor. 

47, 48, 49, 50, 51-

"Satara?" I jump, a bewildered look crossing my face. Master Ti gave me a sympathetic smile. 

"Yes, Masters?" I hope my face didn't look too red. 

"I asked, is it your wish to train under Master Jinn?" Master Fisto asked. 

"Yes." 

"Train under Qui Gon, she will," Yoda spoke, confirming the plan. I left with Master Jinn, mindlessly following him to our destination. 

Zoning out, I failed to notice that Master Jinn took us to the Room of a Thousand Fountains, which is where my master...Master Kenobi would bring me when I felt overwhelmed or upset. 

"Whenever Obi-Wan failed to show up, I always found him here," a fond expression cast over Master Jinn's face. 

"Always meditating, training, and thinking. I wish his quest for perfection rubbed off on me."

"I see a lot of him in you, even though you may not realize it. The same quest for knowledge, thirst for the force, and a strong sense of justice reside in both of you..." He trailed off, grief evident in his face. 

"I fear he thought of himself as second to Anakin, that I pushed him out so I could be the one to train the chosen one; however, that could not be further from the truth. I already planned to nominate him for the trials after our mission to Tatooine, finding the chosen one just added to my certainty. Of all my Padawans, Obi-Wan and I had the strongest bond. Losing him was one of the hardest moments of my life. Letting him go...well, I am still actively doing that." All I could muster was a nod. 

"I want you to know that, despite what others may say, you are allowed to grieve him. You are allowed to miss him, be upset, lonely, and withdrawn. Repressing those feelings will only allow them to fester and grow, resulting in a path to the Darkside. Do not let anyone tell you how to process this, except yourself."

"Thank you," I mutter, looking down at the stone Master Kenobi intended to give me. I traced the smooth stone, reflecting over my time with Master Kenobi. 

"Will you answer a question for me?" I ask, causing Master Jinn to nod. 

"Will you tell me about Oliah?" I began feeling overwhelmed, thinking Master Jinn would say no, but he pulled me closer and began to explain. 

"Oliah used to be the apprentice of Darth Maul. Maul broke the sith rule of 2 and trained multiple younglings in the dark arts. Oliah was his best apprentice and kept him company during missions. Eventually, Maul gave Oliah a mission by himself, he was only 13 at the time, but Maul felt he was mature enough to do so. What Maul failed to take into consideration was Oliah's loyalty."

"See, Oliah always felt a strong connection to the light side of the force and, when given the opportunity, he ran. He changed the coordinates on his ship to Coruscant and went before the council to explain Maul's plans. As a reward, we as the council granted him asylum and temporary status as a youngling." 

"Obi-Wan was the only one to fight for Oliah to train, the council planned to send him to AgriCorps or another force-sensitive line of work. Because of this, Yoda assigned Oliah to Obi-Wan. Kenobi had only been knighted for six months and refused, but because Jedi began dying left and right, we needed more trainers."

"The two of them had a connection much as you had, but Obi-Wan always maintained some distance, afraid his inexperience would get in the way or his immaturity. Being 18, Kenobi felt he was far too immature to be a master. The council, of course, felt reluctant to send them on missions, because of Oliah's past. Finally, they sent the two to Kashyyk, the details of the mission escape me."