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If you had told Anakin Skywalker a few months ago that his path to Jedi knighthood would be full of spelling tests, he never would have believed it. Nonetheless, this was shaping up to be the truth. He had been training at the Temple for about six months, and he’d long ago lost count of the spelling tests.
It wasn’t that Anakin couldn’t read or write - his mom had made sure he could do both by the time he was six - they just had different ways of doing things on Tatooine, and writing down a word was more about sounding it out there than knowing the ‘right’ way to spell it. He’d tried to explain this to Obi-Wan, to no avail. Obi-Wan had said Anakin needed to learn how to do things the Jedi way, and the Jedi believed deeply in spelling rules.
So that was why Anakin had spelling homework every week.
The bright spot was that he could do the homework where he wanted to. Sometimes that was in Obi-Wan’s quarters, but lately he had taken to bringing it to the Temple’s maintenance wing, where the mechanics hired by the Jedi, and some of the Jedi themselves, worked all day and sometimes night fixing the Order’s ships, speeders, droids and other equipment. Sometimes they let Anakin help since he was so good with mechanical things, but even when he wasn’t helping, it soothed him to sit there and listen to the sound of the drilling, whirring tools, and the cheerful laughter and chatter of the people working. He found he often felt less homesick there, and Obi-Wan didn’t mind as long as Anakin got his work done.
“Anakin, why are you always hanging around here?”
Anakin looked up to see Chax, the son of the head Temple mechanic, approaching. Chax was a green skinned Twi’lek boy, about the same age as Anakin, and they often saw each other here, but Anakin knew Chax didn’t come voluntarily. Even though his dad was a mechanic, Chax had very little interest in machines, not even in starships.
Anakin shrugged. “I like it.”
“But don’t you have Jedi school?”
“Not right now. I have homework though.”
Chax looked intrigued. “Jedi have homework? Can I see?”
Anakin shrugged and handed over his notebook. Chax’s face immediately fell. He handed Anakin the notebook again.
“Don’t you study anything cool? Like how to fight monsters?”
“You watch too many holos,” Anakin told him.
“But I know you study how to fight with laser swords,” Chax said. He looked wistfully toward the door that led into the Temple proper, where non-Jedi usually weren’t allowed. “I wish I could go in and see.”
It did seem kind of unfair to Anakin that the Temple was so closed-off. It made sense enough that they wouldn’t just let people walk in off the street, but there was no reason that Chax, or any of the Temple mechanics shouldn’t be able to go in. They were friends. It wasn’t like they couldn’t be trusted.
He heard the words leave his mouth before he’d really thought them through, but he didn’t care. “I could get you in.”
“Really? They wouldn’t mind?”
“I don’t think anyone would notice, if you were dressed right.”
“You mean dress me like you?”
“Yeah. There’s lots of kids in the Temple., I doubt anyone would notice You couldn’t stay for long, but you could get a look around at least.”
Chax nodded, enthusiastic at the prospect. “Yeah! Could you? My dad’s busy, and we’re gonna be stuck here all afternoon, it’ll be so boring.”
Anakin was away in a flash, knowing what he had to do. He left the maintenance wing and hurried to his room as quickly as he could. He and Chax were about the same size, so he could just grab some of his own clothes to lend him. He selected some tunics and pants from a pile on the floor - they weren’t very clean, at least not by Obi-Wan’s impeccable standards, but they would do- and extra belt. Chax would have to wear his own boots, but they would do.
He stuffed the clothes into his backpack and hurried back, thinking about what he would show Chax. The Room of a Thousand Fountains seemed like a good starting point.
“Hurry up,” he said, tossing the clothes at Chax and gestured toward some storage crates. “You can change behind those. I’ll stand guard.”
It took Chax a few minutes to dress, mostly because he couldn’t figure out how to fasten his obi and Anakin had to help him, but at last they got in worked out. Anakin took a step back, indulging himself a moment to admire the other boy.
“Do I look like a real Jedi?” Chax asked, grinning.
“Sure, real enough,” Anakin said. He thought for a moment, mulling over any last minute words of wisdom. “Okay, so when we go in, just act casual. Don’t stare at stuff. Especially don’t stare at anybody. You have to look like you live there.”
Chax nodded solemnly.
“Let’s go.” Anakin led him to the main door that would take them out into the halls of the Temple. He placed his palm on the sensor by the door and it slid open for them. As they stepped out into the main corridor, Anakin could feel Chax’s excitement, practically buzzing around him in the Force. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. Jedi weren’t dumb. Someone was going to notice. But it was too late to turn back now. He had to at least give Chax a quick look around.
Anakin started walking toward the gardens, Chax at his side. Despite what Anakin had warned him about, the other boy was looking around in wonder even though there was barely anything to look at. Just some columns and a few statues here and there. But there weren’t any people around, which was good. But as soon as Anakin had the thought, a woman - a senior Padawan judging by her braid - poked her head through a door way and looked straight at the both of them.
“You two! You’d better get in here quickly. It’s almost time for the assembly to start.”
The assembly! He’d totally forgotten, or he would have avoided this route. There was a younglings’ assembly every month that everyone in the Temple sixteen or younger was expected to attend. Anakin didn’t go to all of them, even though Obi-Wan said he should. But a lot of the junior Padawans skipped anyway, feeling it beneath them, and no one seemed to care. Anakin didn’t think they’d be able to get away, though. The lady was still standing there, frowning at them and gesturing toward the assembly room entrance.
Resigned, Anakin led Chax into the room where most of the Temple’s initiates has already gathered, most of them sitting on the floor around a circular platform in the middle of the large room. As usual, almost everyone sat with the members of their own clan. A latecomer to Jedi training, Anakin had never been assigned to a clan, but usually sat with the Thrantas as they were the nicest to him (the Hawkbats were the meanest, and he avoided them when he could). He couldn’t sit with the Thrantas today, however, because they would surely ask about Chax, and Anakin was not prepared to let a whole clan group in on his secret, even if they were nice.
Taking Chax by his sleeve, Anakin took him to the back of the room, a safe distance away from an older group of Bear Clan initiates, and they sat down. Maybe this was for the best. Chax would get to observe some real Jedi stuff from a safe distance, then when it was over he could sneak him back to the maintenance wing.
“What’s happening?” The rightfully confused Chax whispered, leaning in close. Anakin contemplated elbowing him in the ribs to quiet him, but no one had seemed to take noticed of them.
“Just a stupid assembly. Masters give speeches and sometimes there are demonstrations.”
Chax couldn’t ask anymore questions, as a master had gotten up onto the platform and requested silence. A hush fell over the room at once. These assemblies always began with a few minutes of meditation. Anakin closed his eyes but did not meditate. He could sense Chax squirming beside him, probably looking around at everyone. Finally the meditation ended and the usual, monotonous program began. It was perhaps even more boring than normal, Anakin thought. Old Master Sinube gave an extremely long lecture on the importance of forbearance. Some five-year-olds recited a poem. Beside him, Chax fidgeted and started playing with the hem of his tunic. For the first time, Anakin found himself slightly embarrassed to be a Jedi in training.
He perked up a little, though, as the little kids’ poem ended and Master Mace Windu appeared on to the stage. A murmur of excitement rippled through the crowd. Anakin knew why. Master Windu hardly ever came to these assemblies, but when he did, he always had something interesting planned.
“Who’s that?” Chax asked, picking up on the room’s excitement.
“Master Windu,” Anakin whispered.
“Master Window?”
There was no time to correct him. Mace Windu had begun to speak, and the room had returned to silence.
“An important part of Jedi training is the early years we spend in our clans, growing and learning together,” Windu was saying. Anakin felt a stab of indignation at that. Just another reminder that he didn’t belong.
“But a Jedi must not only be able to work with those they know well, but also those they may have never worked with at all. So for today’s exercise I would like to select students from different clans, and we will see how well you work together.”
Another murmur of excitement rippled through the crowd, and a few brave souls waved their hands in the air, hoping to be chosen. Everyone wanted to impress Master Windu. Mace, however, had his own mysterious agenda for choosing, and did not pick any of the volunteers. He scanned the room, pointing toward children, all who eagerly ran up to join him on the platform.
Anakin was starting to get a funny feeling. Everyone Windu was choosing seemed to be between nine and eleven years old. He hoped that the older Bear Clan kids would hide he and Chax from view, but when Windu’s eyes locked with his, he knew that there’d be no escaping. Master Windu seemed to think for a moment, then his eyes left Anakin and focused on Chax.
No, Anakin thought. Don’t pick him. Don’t pick him.
“You there. Come on up.” Mace was staring directly at Chax.
“Go. I’ll help you,” Anakin hissed, elbowing him. Chax lingering in place would give him away for sure. They’d have to improvise. Anakin had no idea how, but he would have to make it work.
Chax got up slowly and headed to the stage while Mace picked two more children for the exercise. In the end there were eight of them, and thankfully everyone looked a bit awkward, out of place standing there in front of everyone without their clan mates. Chax was blending in just fine.
There was one more thing Anakin hadn’t thought about though. Yoda. Yoda almost always came to these assemblies, and if he was here he’d no for sure Chax didn’t belong. Yoda knew everyone in the Temple and worked with the kids all the time. Trying not to look panicked, Anakin scanned the room for the little green master, but didn’t see him anywhere. Maybe they’d gotten lucky. But what would the exercise be?
“I think you are all familiar with this,” Windu said as a remote droid floated up onto the stage. Anakin was familiar. The droid was a puzzle, equipped with levers and knobs and buttons that had to be manipulated in a certain way. It could be set on a timer, so if you didn’t solve the puzzle fast enough it would spray brightly colored goo at you. The repulser lifts would be turned off and you couldn’t touch it or let it touch the ground, either. Master Windu didn’t bother explaining to anyone. They all already knew. Everyone but Chax, of course.
“Take a few moments to clear your mind, then we will begin,” Mace said.
He was talking to the students on the platform, but Anakin took a moment to clear his mind as well, trying not to focus on how confused Chax looked standing there with the Jedi children. But Anakin respected the other boy for not running away in tears.
A display with a countdown appeared on the walls of the room. The exercise began and the younglings raised the remote into the air as its floating mechanisms were turned off by Windu. Chax copied the other children, raising his hands in the air as if he too could use the Force. But Anakin knew it wouldn’t be that easy. These types of group exercises were designed for everyone to pull their weight. If one person didn’t do their part, the whole thing would fail.
He watched, trying to stay calm as the remote slowly rotated in the air as the children worked. He thought he saw one boy cast a curious glance in Chax’s direction, but he quickly went back to concentrating on his own task. The clock continued to count down and Anakin couldn’t stand it anymore. He reached out, losing himself in the task that Chax was not doing and hoping that no one around him would notice. The teenage Bear Clan initiates in front of him had started whispering amongst themselves, clearly uninterested in the display, and likely uninterested in what Anakin was doing behind them.
“Ten seconds,” Master Windu said calmly.
Anakin turned a few knobs on the droid, the sequence clear in his mind, although it was hard to turn them precisely from this distance. But he had done it. There was a clicking noise followed by a few beeps accompanied by a spray of multicolored sparks out the top of the droid. The room buzzed with a combination of relief and approval and the children on the platform beamed, pleased with themselves. Chax still looked confused. And Mace Windu…well, Mace Windu was looking straight at Anakin, with an unreadable expression. Anakin stared back at him, undaunted.
“Well,” Master Windu said, turning back to the younglings. “Do you think this was a success?”
The younglings looked at one another. “We opened it,” one said at last, shyly.
“It opened,” Windu said. “But you missed something very important. One of you is not a Jedi.”
Alarmed, the children looked around again, and nearly everyone in the auditorium began frantically whispering. Anakin couldn’t help but laugh at the general uproar and confusion. Even if he got in trouble, it might be worth it.
Mace held up his hand for silence, then looked at Chax. “Step forward, please. What is your name, young one?”
“Chax, Master Window.”
The auditorium dissolved into shocked giggles, but again, as soon as Windu held up his hand again, silence descended.
“The remote opened because you had outside help,” Master Windu said after everyone had calmed down a bit. “Otherwise you would have failed. This was a crucial detail, and proves a Jedi must be ready for anything, even the most unlikely scenario.”
The younglings on the stage could only blink at this, dumbstruck. Windu dismissed them, then put a hand on Chax’s shoulder and led him away while one of the creche masters took his place on the stage and began making announcements. Anakin fidgeted, waiting for the assembly to end. There was no way Master Windu would let this go. Anakin wasn’t sure the man liked him at all - he hadn’t wanted Anakin to be brought into the Jedi Order in the first place. Anakin didn’t like the way the master always looked at him, like he was always searching deep within for some wrong, some flaw he might expose. Maybe he’d use this incident as a reason to try and kick him out. Anakin found himself wanting Obi-Wan here with him. An annoyed Obi-Wan was infinitely preferable to an angered Council member. Annoyed or not, Anakin knew he would defend him.
At last the younglings began to file out of the auditorium. Anakin walked to where Chax stood with Master Windu, not waiting to be called over. Chax was his responsibility, and if nothing else he needed to make sure he was all right.
Chax, at least, looked serene enough as Anakin approached. Almost as serene as any Jedi initiate. Master Windu waited beside him with his hands clasped until Anakin came to stand before them both.
“Shall we walk Chax back to the maintenance wing?” Windu asked Anakin, his voice as even and smooth as always, as if nothing in the universe could ever bother him.
The walk back was silent, but Chax gaped and stared openly as they walked through the Temple now that his secret was out, and seemed to be enjoying himself.
“Bye, Master Window,” Chax said as they reached the doorway to the maintenance wing. “Are you coming with me Anakin? I’ve got to give you back your clothes.”
“I need to talk to Anakin for a moment. I’ll send him in. May the Force be with you, Chax,” Master Windu said, still apparently unperturbed at being called the wrong name.
Anakin didn’t relish being left alone with Mace, but the door slid shut and he knew he would have to make the best of it. He could feel Master Windu’s gaze again, burning through him, trying to figure him out. Anakin forced himself to meet his gaze. After all, what had he done wrong but show some kindness to a curious friend?
“I must thank you,” Master Windu said after a moment. “My lesson turned out to be much more profound than I had originally planned.”
Anakin blinked up at him.
“I think it will be long remembered. A reminder for us all to expect the unexpected.”
“So you’re not…mad?” Anakin asked.
Mace’s eyebrows raised at that. “I see no reason to be.”
“So you won’t tell Master Obi-Wan?”
Mace kneeled down now to look Anakin eye-to-eye. “I won’t tell him if you promise to ask next time you’d like to show someone the Temple.”
Anakin nodded.
“I do admire your commitment to your scheme,” Mace continued. “If one is to break rules it ought at least to be done with boldness and certainty.”
That was not at all what Anakin expected the master to say, but he made a mental note not to forget what Mace had told him. Master Windu stood again and gave him a brief nod, indicating dismissal, before turning and heading down the corridor.
“Was he mad?” Chax asked as he handed Anakin his bundle of clothing. “He didn’t seem mad.”
“No,” Anakin said. “But I don’t think we can get away with anything like that again. Sorry about that stupid assembly, I wish I could have shown you something better.”
Chax grinned. “That’s okay. I can’t wait to tell everyone at school I snuck into the Jedi Temple and -”
“They’d never believe you,” Anakin said. He’d spent enough of his life around non-Force sensitives to know how they thought.
“Maybe you could come to my school next,” Chax said hopefully. “You could prove it.”
“Maybe,” Anakin said, but the thought was not appealing. The kids at Chax’s school would stare at him, ask him to do tricks. They wouldn’t understand what it meant to be a Jedi, and he wouldn’t know how to make them.
Maybe the Temple wasn’t home exactly, he thought as he headed back toward his quarters. But the truth was, he probably did belong here more than he belonged most anywhere else. And for now that would have to be good enough.