17. The Children

(A/N: Ok, so i guess i lied😂 my beautiful wifey was all tuckered out after a long day of shopping and other things, so she took a 3 hour nap, which let my write this chapter yesterday. Still dont know if ill be able to write one for Tuesday, but i guess we will see🤷‍♂️)

===Mace Windu===

Master Mace Windu stood to the side of the Senate chamber, his attention divided. Queen Amidala's speech echoed through the hall, her voice steady as she addressed the gathered officials and delegates of the galaxy. Yet, Windu's gaze was fixed not on her, but on the towering figure standing behind her—an imposing Astartes, clad in ornate armor.

He looked exactly like the one who had slaughtered so many within the Temple.

Windu inhaled slowly, forcing himself to suppress the rising tide of anger that threatened to consume him. His right hand—replaced with a cold, mechanical appendage— closed into a fist involuntarily. He steadied himself, focusing on regaining his calm.

Turning on his heel, he made his way out of the Senate chamber, his mind still heavy with the image of the Astartes. The Jedi Temple was his destination, where Qui-Gon had requested that two young Force-sensitive children be tested for their potential to join the Jedi Order.

Windu's thoughts lingered on the Astartes as he strode through the Senate hallways, a cold unease settling in his chest. The memory of that day, the day the black armor clad man had attacked the Temple, was still vivid. The screams, the loss, the overwhelming darkness of the slaughter.

The Jedi had never been prepared for something like that—an enemy just appearing in their temple. It was only the intervention of Master Yoda and the other Jedi that had stopped the carnage. But the Astartes had vanished without a trace.

Yet, there another one was, standing in the Senate, just a few meters away from the heart of galactic politics. Was this coincidence, or was there something far more sinister at play? Windu couldn't ignore the gnawing feeling in his gut that this figure was part of something greater. Something darker.

The Temple was not far, and as he approached its towering spires, Windu focused his mind on the task at hand.

He arrived at the training hall to find Qui-Gon already waiting, his calm demeanor betraying none of the weight that had clearly been on his mind. Beside him were the two children, standing nervously yet filled with quiet anticipation. Windu couldn't help but wonder what the future held for them.

"Master Windu," Qui-Gon greeted, his voice warm but carrying an edge of urgency. "We are ready."

Windu nodded curtly, his thoughts momentarily shifting to the task before him. "The trials will proceed as planned."

But as the children were led to the Jedi Council chamber, a dark shadow seemed to loom over the Temple—a feeling Windu couldn't shake, nor explain.

It was as though the galaxy itself was holding its breath.

===

The Jedi Council chamber was vast, its polished stone walls lined with the serene faces of the Jedi Masters. A heavy silence filled the room as Master Windu took his seat to the left of Yoda. The young initiates, Anakin Skywalker and Nira Valora, stood before the Council, their expressions a mixture of resolve and uncertainty.

"Now," Mace Windu's voice rang through the chamber, deep and steady, "we will test you both. The boy first, then the girl."

Windu reached to the side of his seat and picked up a small datapad. A flicker of light from the pad cast a brief glow on his face before he held it out.

"Use the Force to sense what is on this hologram I'm looking at," he said, his voice calm but commanding. The room seemed to hold its breath as the image flickered into view above Windu's hand, forming the shape of a ship—a sleek, unmarked vessel suspended in the air.

Windu's eyes narrowed slightly as he stared at the image before lifting his gaze toward Anakin. The boy stood steady, his posture confident, his eyes focused on the hologram.

"A ship," Anakin said, his voice calm, almost as if he had already known the answer. His connection to the Force surged with ease, his senses reaching out to the image, effortlessly sensing the object before him.

The hologram shifted, changing to an image of a cup. Again, Anakin's voice filled the chamber almost immediately. "A cup."

Windu's lips twitched upward ever so slightly, his brow furrowing in concentration. "Correct," he said, and the hologram shifted again, this time to a different object—a piece of art, followed by a symbol, a tree, and an ancient relic. Each time, Anakin's answers came swiftly and accurately.

The boy's connection to the Force was undeniable, as was the depth of his intuition. He was quick, sharp, and confident in his responses, his senses already keen enough to read the subtle fluctuations in the images before him.

Mace Windu's eyes flicked toward Nira, who stood quietly beside Anakin, her posture more hesitant. Where Anakin's presence seemed to fill the room with raw energy, Nira's felt faint and uncertain. She looked up at Windu, but her gaze dropped quickly as she felt the weight of the Council's scrutiny.

Windu cleared his throat, turning his attention back to the datapad in his hand. "Now, the girl."

Nira took a deep breath, trying to calm the nervous flutter in her chest. She had seen Anakin breeze through the trial with ease, and now, all eyes were on her. She reached out with her mind, trying to focus, but the Force felt distant—elusive, like trying to catch the wind in her hands. She felt the pressure of the room closing in, the silent weight of the Council's expectations pressing down on her.

The first image appeared—an ornate artifact, an object from the distant past.

Nira hesitated, unsure. "A... statue?" she guessed, her voice trembling slightly.

Windu's gaze was sharp, but he nodded once. "Incorrect. Focus again."

The hologram shifted. This time, a symbol—a large, circular emblem—appeared, rotating slowly in the air.

Nira's mind raced. She reached out, feeling the shape, trying to connect with it. The Force whispered at the edges of her mind, but it was faint—like a breeze she couldn't catch. "A... symbol?" she ventured again.

"Correct," Windu said, though his tone carried a hint of doubt. The image shifted again, but Nira's confidence was shaken. She could sense the object, but her response felt sluggish—delayed. It wasn't as immediate as Anakin's.

As the trial continued, Nira felt herself slipping. The next image—a creature, an animal—appeared, and Nira could only guess at the shape, her voice filled with uncertainty. "An animal?" she asked, though she wasn't sure.

"Yes," Windu responded quietly. His voice was calm but firm, not unkind, but his disappointment was evident. "You must trust in the Force, Nira. Do not second-guess yourself."

Nira bit her lip, her stomach sinking. She tried to focus, but the Force felt so far away. Her mind was clouded with doubts, and the images blurred together. She could feel the Council's gaze on her, their judgment heavy in the air.

The final image appeared—a simple tool, a small, unremarkable object.

"Tool?" Nira guessed, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Correct," Windu said, his tone neutral. He leaned back in his seat, looking at the two children.

Anakin's bright blue eyes were still filled with confidence, while Nira's emerald green eyes avoided the Council's gaze. Her heart was pounding, and she could feel the weight of failure pressing down on her. She had not performed like Anakin. She had not sensed the images quickly, nor had she trusted the Force in the way the Jedi expected.

Master Yoda, who had remained silent throughout the test, now spoke in his soft, rasping voice. "Much doubt in you, young one. Clouded, your vision is. Yet, see with clarity, you must, to be a Jedi."

Nira nodded, her heart sinking further with each word, the sting of the Council's judgment pressing down like an invisible weight. She had tried, but her uncertainty had betrayed her. She wasn't like the others—like Anakin, who had been so confident, so sure.

"And from this one, much fear, I feel," Yoda continued, his eyes now focusing on Anakin. The small, ancient Jedi's gaze seemed to pierce through the boy as though he could see every thread of his past.

Anakin shifted uncomfortably under the scrutiny, his posture rigid. He had known the moment the Council began to speak of fear that this was coming. It had always been there, hadn't it? That deep-rooted fear inside of him—the fear of loss, of being abandoned, of never being good enough. His memories of slavery, of being bound to Watto, flooded his mind, the cruel images of his former master's brutal grip on his life, and the violence of his freedom—Raxor, the towering figure who had torn Watto apart with ease.

The scene played in Anakin's mind once more, the terror, the blood, the finality of it all. The freedom he'd tasted at that moment had been tainted by the violence that accompanied it.

"Trauma," one of the council members murmured softly, confirming what they all must have suspected.

"Of growing up a slave, and seeing that slaver slaughtered," Mace Windu added, his tone sharp as he seemed to recall the event vividly, his eyes narrowing in a mixture of understanding and concern. It was clear from the way Windu spoke that this trauma was not something Anakin could easily shake off. It was a part of him now, buried beneath layers of raw talent, but it was a wound that would need time to heal.

Anakin stood still, trying to keep his emotions from flaring, but inside, a storm was raging. The Council had seen through his mask. The anger. The fear. The pain. They had seen it all.

"Well. That will be all for now. Thank you for coming," Windu said, his voice cutting through the tension that hung thick in the air. He stood, signaling the end of the session.

Anakin and Nira both felt the weight of the room's judgment as they slowly turned to leave. Nira walked beside Anakin, her own sense of failure mingling with his silent anger. They didn't speak as they left the chamber, the weight of their thoughts too heavy for words.

As the door closed behind them, the Council's voices rose in quiet conversation, discussing the two children in hushed tones.

"They are both too old," one of the Council members observed. "They have already formed attachments. It is dangerous, for a Jedi, to form such bonds."

Another member nodded solemnly. "The boy's connection to the Force is undeniable, but his fear... it is a storm, constantly brewing within him. A Jedi must be free of such emotions."

Master Yoda's eyes remained closed as he listened, though his mind was far from idle. "Much potential, they both have. But the boy... his fear will be his greatest enemy. Focused, he must become. Learned to control his emotions, he must."

"The girl, however…" Mace Windu's voice trailed off as he looked toward Nira. "Her connection to the Force is weak, clouded by doubt. The training will not be easy, but there is hope. If she learns to trust in herself… in the Force… she could yet find her place among us."

"But time is not on their side," a third member added. "Their paths are already more difficult than most. The boy, especially, will require guidance, and that guidance must be firm."

The voices continued to murmur, discussing the fates of the two children. It was clear that while the Jedi saw great potential in both Anakin and Nira, their paths were fraught with challenges. Anakin's trauma and fear were a powerful force, and Nira's self-doubt might prevent her from realizing her potential.

Back in the hall, Anakin and Nira stood side by side. The weight of the Council's judgment hung over them like a dark cloud, but the uncertainty of what was to come kept them both silent. They didn't speak to each other as they walked away, lost in their own thoughts.

Anakin felt a simmering anger building within him. He knew the Council saw his fear, saw his pain, but they didn't understand him. They didn't know what it was like to live in the shadows of his past, to fight for every scrap of freedom. He was stronger than they thought, and he would prove it.

Nira, however, was not as sure. She had felt the Council's eyes on her, and their judgment was clear. They thought her too uncertain, too weak to become a Jedi. Was she wrong to even try? She felt like she was just a shadow among the others, never quite able to step into the light.

But Qui-Gon Jinn had seen something in her. He had spoken to her after the trial, offering encouragement, even when the others doubted her.

"Master Yoda is right," Qui-Gon had told her quietly. "You must trust the Force, and trust yourself. The path will not be easy, but you are not alone."

Nira clung to those words as she walked in silence beside Anakin, unsure of what the future would hold but determined to keep moving forward, one step at a time.

The Jedi Council may have judged them, but their trials had only just begun. And they would face them together.

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