Star Wars
Junior Jedi Knights
1
The Golden Globe
by Nancy Richardson
OCR : Ãîëîäíûé Ýâîê Ãðûçëè
upload : 12.XI.2005
"Anakin, we'll miss you," Leia Organa Solo said to her son.
Leia and her husband, Han Solo, stood with their younger son, Anakin,
by the silver shuttle that would take the boy to Yavin 4. That was the moon
where Leia's brother, the Jedi Luke Skywalker, had created a Jedi academy.
The academy was built to train people to become Jedi Knights, protectors of
freedom and justice. Only beings who had shown they were skilled in working
with the Force had been invited to attend the academy. Anakin was one of
those chosen to attend the first session created for younger children and
aliens.
Anakin was sensitive to the Force. He had been aware he possessed the
ability to alter, understand, and control his surroundings ever since he
could remember. It was just little things. Anakin could feel other people's
emotions if he tried really hard. He could lift small objects with his
thoughts.
Added to these talents was the fact that he was smart. Very smart.
Even his own sister and brother-the twins Jaina and Jacen-admitted that
their kid brother was a genius. By the age of five, Anakin knew how to take
apart computers and put them back together. He loved any kind of puzzle,
whether it was taking apart machinery and learning how to rebuild it or
figuring out difficult word games with his mind. When Anakin turned eleven
years old his parents agreed it was time for him to attend the Jedi
academy. Anakin showed too much ability to be kept at home.
When Jaina and Jacen returned from their time at the academy, his
parents agreed to send their younger son there to study. Leia wouldn't have
been able to bear sending all of her children to Yavin 4 at one time. She
would have missed them too much. Jaina and Jacen had now returned. It was
Anakin's turn to leave. Leia studied her younger son. Anakin was about 150
centimeters tall. He was slender and had brown hair that constantly fell
into his eyes. He had Luke's eyes-ice blue and full of strength and
curiosity. But his quiet nature and concentration came from his mother.
Leia smiled. Perhaps her younger son would grow up to help rule the
New Republic, as she did. Or perhaps he would become a starship pilot and a
Rebel hero like his father, Han Solo. If Anakin did grow up to be like his
father, Leia wouldn't have a moment's peace, she knew. She would always
worry about the trouble Anakin might be in. But for now Anakin would live
on Yavin 4, a safe, quiet moon orbiting the giant gas planet Yavin.
Leia knew that her brother Luke would take care of his nephew. Still,
she couldn't help worrying about her child. She sensed that the Force was
very strong within him. And while she was proud of his power, she worried
that it might lead him into danger. Anyone who had the power to become a
Jedi and use the Force for good also ran the risk of being lured into using
the Force for evil and personal gain-that was the dark side of the Force.
Leia watched Anakin say good-bye to his brother and sister. She almost
wished that Anakin had a twin too. That way he wouldn't be alone on Yavin
4. Her younger son did not have many friends. His brother and sister and
the droid See-Threepio were really his closest companions. "Stop worrying,
Leia," Han said to his wife. He could hear her worry as clearly as if she'd
spoken. "Come here, kiddo, and say good-bye to your old dad," Han called to
his son. Anakin came over to hug his father. Han ruffled his son's hair.
Then he brushed it out of Anakin's eyes.
"I'll be fine, Dad," Anakin said.
He could feel his father's worry, just as he could feel his mother's.
His kid was so strong, Han thought. But for a moment he, too, worried about
the power of the Force in Anakin. Then Leia pulled her son into a tight
"Call us if you need anything," Leia said. Or if you want to come
home, Leia thought.
"I promise," Anakin answered his mother. Then he stepped inside the
shuttle and waved to his family from the window by his seat. Anakin was all
alone now. He settled back into his chair to think. Anakin thought about
his parents and their fears. What they didn't understand was that their
younger son had not been afraid to leave his home planet of Coruscant.
Anakin had seen the look of worry in his mother's eyes as she and his
father had said good-bye to him.
But Anakin wasn't worried. He was traveling to Yavin 4, where Uncle
Luke had created a Jedi academy to train the young who were gifted in the
Jedi ways. Anakin knew that just as his twin brother and sister Jacen and
Jaina were sensitive to the Force, he was too. No, Anakin wasn't afraid,
but he was silent during the journey to Yavin 4. There would be so much to
learn in the next few months, and Anakin wanted to think about what lay
ahead.
"We'll be landing in five minutes," the shuttle commander informed his
young charge.
Anakin turned, his ice blue eyes peering out the window, making a
sweep of Yavin 4's surface. He'd read all about the moon. Still, its lush
jungles, rivers, and waterfalls took his breath away. It was so unlike the
city he had just left. So beautiful and wild. With an impatient toss of his
head he swept long dark bangs from his eyes as the shuttle dove toward an
enormous stone structure. Anakin knew that this was the Great Temple, an
ancient building that had been on Yavin 4 long before Luke Skywalker had
chosen it for his Jedi academy. There were several other temples and
palaces on the moon, but most were falling apart.
It was said that some were more than four thousand years old. Anakin
wondered if he would have the chance to explore those buildings. He hoped
so.
Once the silver shuttle was safely settled on the Great Temple's
landing field, its door opened with a hiss. Anakin walked onto the launch
bay and into the waiting arms of his uncle, the Jedi Master Luke Skywalker.
Luke wore a black jumpsuit. His hair was a few shades lighter than
Anakin's. But his eyes were the same bright blue.
"Anakin, welcome to the academy," Luke said with a smile.
Anakin hugged his uncle, then bent to say hello to Luke's companion,
the silver, blue, and white droid Artoo-Detoo. Artoo's red lights blipped
and beeped at the boy, but Anakin couldn't understand anything the droid
was saying.
"He says he's glad that you're finally here," Luke explained.
Over the next few hours Luke showed Anakin around the academy and told
its history.
"The Great Temple was one of many palaces built by the Massassi," Luke
explained. "They were a race of people who once lived on Yavin 4. They
disappeared from the moon long before it was discovered by t
he Rebel
Alliance."
Anakin knew what the Rebel Alliance was. It was the name for the men,
women, and aliens who had fought to bring back justice and freedom to the
galaxy. His mother, father, and Uncle Luke had been part of that group.
"The Great Temple was renovated years ago by the Alliance and used as
a secret base," Luke explained. "Then it was found by the Death Star and
abandoned."
The Death Star, Anakin remembered, was the battle station of the
Empire. That was the Rebel Alliance's enemy.
"When the Death Star found the Alliance base on Yavin 4, a war
followed. Some of the temples on this planet were damaged by crashing TIE
fighters, but the years have also taken their toll on them. However, the
Great Temple was undamaged, so we decided to use it for the Jedi academy,"
Luke said.
of the academy. He wondered what the Great Temple had looked like long ago,
and what the Massassi people had been like.
"The Great Temple hasn't been changed much on the outside," Luke said.
He had sensed his nephew's curiosity. "But we had to change the inside in
order to create the academy rooms. We've divided some spaces into sleeping
and refresher units for you and your classmates. And we've hung heavy
drapes above the open windows. The windows in the Temple have no glass
because the climate here is so warm that we rarely need it. However, every
few months we have terrible storms. The temperature drops and rain and
winds whip through the jungle. When that happens the heavy drapes keep the
temple warm and dry. There's one place that we haven't touched, though-the
Grand Audience Chamber at the top of the Temple. All of the instructors and
students here agree that it is just too beautiful to change," Luke
explained.
Luke and his newest student continued to walk through the academy.
Every few minutes Luke stopped to introduce Anakin to his Jedi instructors.
"Anakin, this is Tionne," Luke said when they stopped before a silver-
haired humanoid woman with enormous pearl-colored eyes. Anakin shook
Tionne's hand.
"Tionne is a Jedi Knight and she also loves to collect old Jedi
legends and songs,"
Luke told the boy. "Come on, I'll introduce you to some of your fellow
students," Luke offered. "You were the last to arrive for this session of
the academy."
The two went through a large wooden doorway and entered the dining
room. Luke walked his nephew from table to table, making introductions.
Anakin had rarely seen so many different creatures under one roof. There
were aliens of all different colors-red, green, purple. Some had bodies
like birds, others looked like snakes, and some had eight or ten arms and
several eyes.
"There are many beings who are sensitive to the Force," Luke explained
to his nephew. "Whether they are human or alien is not important. The only
thing that matters is that everyone in this room is dedicated to becoming a
Jedi Knight and using the Force for good."
This is going to take some getting used to, Anakin thought as he
scanned the room. But making friends wasn't Anakin's biggest concern. He
was a loner, and even at home his only close friends were his brother and
sister and Threepio. No, he was at the academy to learn how to understand
and use the Force-an energy field binding all living things. That was what
gave Jedi Knights their power. And more than anything else, Anakin wanted
to be a Jedi Knight. Not just because his brother and sister were training
to be Jedi, although he had been jealous when they had left to study at the
Jedi academy months before.
No, Anakin wanted to be a Jedi Knight. Not just because his brother
and sister were training to be Jedi, although he had been jealous when they
had left to study at the Jedi academy months before. No, Anakin wanted to
be a Jedi Knight because he knew in his heart that he had been born to be a
Jedi Knight.
By dinnertime Anakin had met so many new people that his head was
spinning. All he wanted was some time for himself. But he could not escape
from the rest of the students until after dinner. At one point he tried to
sneak out of the dining hall, but Tionne saw him, and just as he was about
to slip away, Anakin felt her hand on his shoulder.
"Do not be so shy," she said gently. Anakin had to bite his lip to
keep from telling the silver-haired humanoid the truth. He wasn't shy; that
was a mistake even his mother and father made. He just liked to spend time
by himself - time thinking. Anakin made a note that the first thing he
would have to do was to learn the best times to sneak away from the group.
Finally dinner ended, and Anakin set off to explore the Temple by
himself.
"Bleep, bleep."
Oh no, Anakin thought, and stopped in his tracks. He turned to see
Artoo-Detoo scooting up behind him.
"Go back to Uncle Luke," Anakin commanded the droid. Artoo came to a
halt before him, bleeping once. "I don't know what you're saying but I want
to be alone," Anakin said. Artoo still did not turn to leave. "Okay, you
can come with me, but please don't make any noise. I want to think,"
explained Anakin. Artoo was silent.
At least he understands me, Anakin said to himself as he began to walk
down a long stone hall.
"Bink, bleep, bobeep."
Anakin shook his head, but kept walking.
"Artoo, we have got to learn how to communicate if you are going to
follow me around," he grumbled at the droid. Anakin came to the base of a
stone stairway at the end of a long corridor.
"These stairs will be too difficult for you to climb, Artoo-guess this
is where we part company," Anakin said to the droid with a sly smile. Then
he turned and began to climb the stairs, gently running his fingertips
along walls that narrowed as he moved upward. At the top of the stairway
was a large wooden doorway, different from the doors that dotted the halls
of the Temple. It was carved with symbols Anakin didn't recognize-shapes
that curved and twirled in a beautiful pattern.
Anakin had reached the Grand Audience Chamber. It was the highest room
in the Temple, and unlike the other rooms, it had not been rebuilt for the
academy. Gently Anakin pushed open the large doors. He walked into the
center of the Grand Audience Chamber. The walls were a deep tan stone, worn
smooth over the years. Blueleaf shrubs, the most common shrub on the moon,
poked through several cracks in the stones. They attached themselves to the
stone with suckers. The shrubs were electric blue, and as Anakin leaned
close he could smell a spicy perfume.
He walked slowly toward a large window. The view was breathtaking.
Anakin looked down on the jungle. It was carpeted with blueleaf, and filled
with Massassi trees whose bark shone purplish brown. Weaving through the
trees, he could see sparkling green rivers that rushed along the moon.
Beautiful, Anakin thought.
"Who are you?" a voice sang out behind Anakin.
Ana
kin whirled. A young girl stood before him. Pale yellow hair, green
eyes, an orange academy jumpsuit, and bare feet.
"Bantha got your tongue?" she giggled as she moved to Anakin's side by
the window.
She couldn't have been more than ten years old, Anakin thought.
"My name is Tahiri and I'm nine years old," the girl sang out in a
voice that sounded like a bubbling stream.
Anakin didn't reply. He was annoyed that she had interrupted his
thoughts. Annoyed that she had found the Grand Audience Chamber.
"Where are your shoes?" Anakin finally said to break the silence.
"I don't wear any-never, not ever," Tahiri began. "I'm from Tatooine.
I'm one of the Sand People."
Anakin's jaw dropped down in wonder. He had never seen one of the Sand
People without their heavy robes and the strips of cloth, breath masks, and
eye protectors they wore over their face, and didn't know anyone who had.
Tatooine was a harsh desert planet, and the people needed all the
protection from the sand, sun, and wind they could wear.
"Well, I'm not actually one of the Sand People, but I've lived with
them since I was four years old," Tahiri continued. "I was an orphan, and
they found me in the desert and took care of me." She moved to the large
wooden bench by the window and perched on it. Then she resumed her story.
"Luke Skywalker's assistant, Tionne, discovered me while she and Luke were
visiting Tatooine. They spent time with me and discovered that I'm strong
in the Force. I didn't know what they meant at first. But they explained