Chapter 24: Chapter 23: Shmi

Obi-Wan feels like the light is brighter than it should be. Each breath makes him suffer an impossible pain. The air seems heavy, almost scalding. Little Padmé is far behind. She looks worried. People's activities have decreased. The mandreloukhs are out in force on the street. Thirty capital ships float above the buildings. Banners flutter in the wind. Droids sing ancient poems and dance endlessly. Jabba's birthday is approaching. The young man questions his superior, to take his mind off things:

« Master...I wish... to know... why... not just pay a pilot and his ship... to leave... this place without delay? »

Qui-Gon doesn't answer immediately, but the teenager knows he is smiling. The man turns his head and replies, kindly:

« In Hutt territory? Absolutely out of the question! A transport ship must get permission from the local Pantrath to take off. The crew would have to declare their goods, passengers and pay a 'tax'. No pilot is desperate enough to play smuggler against the Hutts. As Jedis, we would be denounced. Informers get paid a fortune if they help ferret one of us out. Officially, it's because Hutts love to make us feel welcome and don't like secrecy. Unofficially, it's to disrupt our missions. They could keep us here for a month, just on a whim. »

« I understand. Forgive... my ignorance. »

« You don't have to worry, Obi-Wan. It is my task to instruct you in these things. Some knowledge comes from studying holocrons and some from field experience. Unfortunately, you have taken a huge shortcut in your education. We no longer have the luxury of finesse. »

« Someone said a similar thing to me when I was serving in the citizen militia. » Padmé points out.

« Wait, you already... » The little girl interrupts Obi-Wan. One can tell she has a habit of repeating herself:

« To answer your next question, no one can be appointed to any public office unless they are of age. But on Naboo, legal majority depends on citizen service. We officially become adults after our classes in the militia. »

« Is it something that... happens often... to... start basic training so young? » Obi-Wan continues, not without a long cough.

« Never, actually. I was the youngest in our history. Luckily, my instructor came from close family. »

« Your father? » Qui-Gon questions.

« No, my uncle, on my mother's side. »

« If memory serves me right, your uncle is... »

« Senator Palpatine. »

« Excellence runs in your blood, then. » The knight ends with a laugh.

Sheev Palpatine is a genius, who would have no equal if it weren't for Padmé. The girl's background is remarkably similar to his, when you think about it. He was King of Naboo at a very young age, too, at about 17. Following this, the politician joined the Republican army for ten years. He is the only one in his generation to have become an officer in the surface infantry and a captain in the fleet simultaneously, an anomaly that indirectly proves his prodigious talent.

After his impressive military career, the now 27-year-old young man was elected senator by a historic amount of Nubians, a position he still holds today. He is credited with being a talented economist, a respected administrator and a formidable strategist. His skills put him in the lead to succeed Amitar Idal as leader of the Core Systems Alliance, the main pro-reform movement in the Senate. His influence is so pervasive that the Corellians openly mock it: « if it wasn't for Palpatine, no one would ever be hearing about Naboo », they say at every opportunity.

The Jedi Temple appears around a corner. The building would normally be visible from the central square, but someone has dumped trash in front of it. The walls are covered with filth. The beskar bell is missing, of course. None of the locals were going to leave such an object lying around, especially when you know how expensive the material it is made of is. A metal impervious to energy weapons, capable of repelling even lightsabers if the user doesn't put enough pressure into his blow. Its production is a Mandalorian monopoly and contributes greatly to their martial prowess.

However, it has a second, lesser known property: the ability to tinkle under the cosmic stream influence. Believers assume that the priest rings his beskar bell on special occasions, such as harvest festivals. This is not the case. It tolls because the Force wants it to. The chime in the temple on Coruscant is staggering in size, yet it hardly ever sounds except when the fate of the galaxy is somehow sealed. A tenacious myth says its first ringing occurred on the day Darth Revan was assassinated, the decisive moment that led to the Siths' downfall.

Qui-Gon hits the button to open the door. No reaction. So he grabs its handle and pulls, laboriously clearing the way. To his surprise, the place is not empty. A woman is standing in front of what's left of an altar, in a prayer position. A boy and a girl sit in the dirt. Obi-Wan recognizes Owen, Anakin's brother. The teenage girl accompanying him must surely be the one he called « Beru ». The guy turns his attention to them, snorts loudly and spits at the Jedi Knight's feet.

« Owen! This is not something we can do in a temple! » Suddenly shoots the praying woman.

The teenager nervously replies:

« So... sorry mom. »

The young man smiles at his mother then stands up and approaches, discreetly, whispering to the trio:

« What do you want? It wasn't enough to put my brother in danger? You have to add... »

« Owen! Why are you... oh. »

The woman freezes the moment her eyes meet Qui-Gon's. She smiles and readjusts her outfit. Her clothes have an austere simplicity. She has a face that radiates goodness. Her beauty seems surreal. You would have to be heartless not to be instantly charmed. Suddenly she jumps up, takes Padmé's hand between her palms and exclaims in a joyful tone:

« You're the people Anakin can't stop talking about! »

The girl blushes like she has never blushed in her life. She has no idea what to say. Fortunately, Qui-Gon Jinn answers for her:

« My respects, madam. My name is Qui-Gon. Here come Obi-Wan and Padmé. »

« Hah! By the Force! Forgive my rudeness, sir. I am Shmi, Anakin's mother, this is Owen, my other son, and his fiancée Beru. It is an honor to meet the master's distinguished guests. »

The woman curtsies. Padmé can't help but notice that she's not putting her feet in the right places. Owen grumbles.

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« We didn't mean to disrupt your meditation. » Qui-Gon adds.

« Do not worry about that! I'm glad new faces are coming to this temple. The Force faith has gone silent since all our priests left. »

« All your priests? Isn't here the only place of worship that has been abandoned? » Interrogates the knight, puzzled.

« Ho, that's right... outsiders don't know anything about that story. Our priests all disappeared overnight, twelve years ago. Without them, temples remain in decay. There is no more talk about this gloomy event. Slaves are superstitious, you know? »

« I can... believe that. » Obi-Wan points out. Shmi looks at him with compassion.

« You don't seem well, young man! » She says to him.

« It's nothing... a flesh wound. » The teenager smile to reassure her.

« My father used to bring me to hear the sermons when I was sick. He said the Force would guide my recovery. I liked this place's atmosphere, when there was still life. » Continues the mother.

« My companions and I have a similar view on things. »

« You are missionaries, aren't you? Your clothes look like those of monks. »

« In a way. We would like to take advantage of this lovely morning to discuss the holy texts. »

« A respectable pastime! We won't bother you, then. Our work awaits. »

She heads for the door and shakes hands with Qui-Gon before exiting. Her son catches up with her and growls:

« Why are you so nice to them? It's their fault that Anakin... »

« Anakin knows very well what he's doing, Owen! These people are not responsible for his recklessness. There's no point in discussing it. »

They get out and walk away. Beru, rather than following them, freezes on the threshold:

« Excuse the rudeness of my fiancé. Family is his whole life. »

« No need to justify yourself on his behalf, dear friend. We understand the feeling and have no animosity towards him. » Qui-Gon replies in a reassuring voice. Suddenly, the girl kneels down and puts her head on the ground:

« Receive our thanks for protecting Anakin. May the Force be with you! » She gets up and runs to catch up with Owen, not giving the Jedi any time to react.

The knight sighs, then walks toward the temple's back. There is almost nothing left: several benches, a broken altar, and a rotting cabinet. The man starts by straightening the seats. Obi-Wan and Padmé rush to help him. When they finish, the Jedi snaps his fingers: all the dust falls from walls, blown off by an invisible power. Frescoes can finally be admired again! They are not as impressive or vibrant as those in more famous shrines, but the artist has made an effort in his workmanship.

The paintings depict galactic history, from dark ages before the Republic to modern times. Obi-Wan has seen these images before, yet some of them now give him a different feeling. One on the background, the « storm candle », in particular. Why does a modest drawing scare him so much? Qui-Gon sets the desk upright again and takes a seat in its back. The knight pulls a cube from his robe and throws it into the center of the room.

« Settle down! » He says to his acolytes, who comply without a word.

The box rises from the ground and levitates. It bursts into multiple pyramids, which diffuse a volumetric projection in all directions. The temple disappears, erased by a green meadow caressed with light breeze. The only remaining trace of the building is its entrance, still open to the outside. The Jedi waves his right index finger and the door closes, leaving only this peaceful landscape.

« I didn't know holocrons like this existed. Usually they just broadcast a hologram of someone or a miniaturized version of a scene, right? Can we really go that far with realism today? » Queen Amidala exclaims, won over by the striking fidelity of the scenery.

« This model is unique. A creation of my former master that was used for my lessons. It contains a small fragment of his memory. »

Qui-Gon always smiles warmly when he talks about Dooku. His eyes don't just shine with the sincere respect of a student for his teacher, no: you'd swear he considers him a father.

« First of all, I would like to point out that you could ask any priest for this same explanation and he would offer it without question. So it's neither a secret nor an esoteric mystery. The main reason you haven't heard of it since now is only because our religion considers that an inappropriate matter before a certain age. However, to be perfectly frank, both the Jedi Order and our Faith carefully avoid discussing that unless circumstances dictate otherwise. The subject is taboo for a majority of peoples in our galaxy. »

Padmé's eyes suddenly glaze over. The girl knows her education is severely lacking when it comes to advanced principles of the faith. She regrets a little having refused the religious studies her mother wanted to impose. Obi-Wan is careful not to say anything. She asks:

« Out of curiosity, why did you offer me to come? »

« Mainly to clear your head! Besides, you expressed interest in the cosmic stream's nature. I felt that this course might make sense to someone with your mind. With that said, let's get started! »

He claps his hands loudly and the light goes out.

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