CHAPTER 1
SIX YEARS LATER
Obi-Wan Kenobi squinted through the viewscreen of the small, sleek craft, a transport on loan from the Senate. Mist swirled around and below him. He could not see a landing site.
“Anything?” Anakin asked. With zero visibility, his Padawan was using instruments to pilot the transport. That, and his sure connection to the Force. At only thirteen years of age, Anakin was already an expert pilot, even better than Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan would be the first to admit it.
“Not yet. The mist will clear in a moment.” He hoped. He knew that the craggy peaks of the ice mountains were close. The trick was to find a landing site.
“And then will you tell me why we’re here?” Anakin asked.
“All in good time.” Obi-Wan noted that the mist was beginning to thin. Patches of a lighter gray streaked through the clouds. Suddenly, as the craft lowered, the icy peaks appeared, looming out of the clouds, a flash of silver against a sea of gray.
Obi-Wan consulted the coordinates for his destination, then searched the crags for a likely landing spot. All he could see around him was the blinding white of ice and snow. He knew that the seemingly sheer mountainsides concealed ledges and hidden caves. Sheets of ice made for treacherous possibilities.
At last he spotted a ledge that was protected from the wind. It was clear of snow and he saw only isolated patches of ice. It would be a tight fit, and there was always the danger the craft would slide on the ice straight off the ledge, but he knew his Padawan could do it
“There,” he told Anakin, and gave the coordinates. The boy looked at him, surprised. “Really?”
“You can do it.”
“I know I can do it,” Anakin said. “I’m just wondering why you want me to.”
“Because it’s an easy climb to our destination from there.”
Anakin flipped switches to begin the landing procedures. “And I know better than to ask what that is.”
Obi-Wan sat back and watched in admiration as, with cool nerves and a steady hand, Anakin expertly maneuvered the ship into the tight space. He set the ship down as gently as if their landing pad were a nest of kroyie eggs. There would be just enough room to activate the hatch and clamber out.
Anakin looked out the viewscreen at the sheer icy cliffs surrounding them. “Can you tell me what this planet is, at least?”
“Ilum,” Obi-Wan answered, watching his Padawan’s expression carefully.
The name brought a spark of recognition to Anakin’s face. His bright eyes flashed. Still, he kept his tone guarded. “I see.”
“We are not here on a mission,” Obi-Wan continued. “It is a quest. It is here that you will gather the crystals to fashion your own lightsaber.”
Anakin’s sober face cracked with the grin that Obi-Wan had come to look forward to seeing, a smile that radiated pleasure and hope.
“Thank you for this honor,” he said.
“You are ready,” Obi-Wan replied.
“The Council thinks so?” Anakin asked.
It was a shrewd question. As a matter of fact, the Council was divided on Anakin Skywalker’s readiness to take on the full rights of a Jedi. There were those who thought he had come to Jedi training too late. They worried about the anger and fear that he pushed away deep inside him. They worried about his early life as a slave, about his fierce ties to the mother who had let him go.
Yoda and Mace Windu were among those who were cautious, and who had given Obi-Wan many uneasy moments. He respected their viewpoint too much to discount it completely.
But his promise to his former Master, Qui-Gon Jinn, was more important. Qui-Gon had been dead for four years now, but he was such a vivid presence in Obi-Wan’s life that he considered their bond just as strong. Taking on Anakin as his Padawan was not only a vow to his beloved former Master, but also the right thing to do.
In the end, Obi-Wan had to trust his own instincts. Yoda and Mace Windu must trust them, too. He had lobbied hard in order to bring his Padawan here, and finally, the Council could not oppose him.
He hoped his decision was the right one. In his short time at the Temple, Anakin’s progress had been astonishing. By everything that was measurable, he exceeded expectations. He was at the top of his class in lightsaber training, piloting, memory skills, and the most important goal of all - connection to the Force.
Yet it was exactly his quick progress that gave Obi-Wan pause. Things came too easily to him. There was a danger of recklessness and arrogance inherent in his power. Anakin had a tendency to take matters into his own hands. He could be impetuous and make his own way, disregarding advice.
Just as Obi-Wan once did. Just as Qui-Gon once did. That was what Obi-Wan always came back to. He had made grave mistakes at Anakin’s age. He wanted to allow Anakin the freedom to do the same.