Star Wars - [Jedi Quest 01] - The Way Of The Apprentice (by Jude Watson)

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Prologue
Not in living memory — not even among the oldest Jedi Masters — could they remember a Padawan
whowas as gifted as Anakin Skywalker. He could have advanced through his Temple training in half the
time ithad taken him. From the beginning, he had been far be-yond his classmates in lightsaber skills and
mastery ofthe Force. Yet in matters of the heart and mind, he still had much to learn, as Yoda continually
pointed out.
His teachers had known how gifted he was, but theygave him the same drills and assignments as the
otherstudents. They knew he was bored at times, but it was important not to single him out, not to treat
him as special.
But Anakin was special, and they all knew it. The trouble was that he knew it as well.
He had been a unique case from the moment he en-tered Jedi training at the Temple. For one thing, he
had been allowed to enter despite having passed the usualage. For another, he had been chosen as a
Padawan byObi-Wan Kenobi from the start. While the other studentswondered when they would be
chosen, and by whom, Anakin's destiny was assured.
Obi-Wan watched Anakin's progress with an eye thatwas both loving and careful. In one hand he held
Qui-Gon's faith; in the other he held Yoda's caution. Therewere times it was hard to balance these two
powerful in-fluences.
On the morning of Anakin's thirteenth birthday, Obi-Wan had presented him with his Padawan gift. It
was thegift that Qui-Gon had given Obi-Wan on his own thir-teenth birthday, a Force-sensitive river
stone. Obi-Wanwas ashamed to remember how he'd been disappointedby the gift. He had been so
young. He had wanted some-thing significant, something like the gifts other Padawanshad received —
special hilts for their lightsabers orcloaks made from the lightweight, warm wool from theplanet Pasmin.
Instead, Qui-Gon had given him a rock.
Yet that present had turned into his most valuable possession. The smooth black stone glowed with heat
against his heart. It had warmed his cold hands on manyplanets. It had nestled inside a tiny pocket his
friendBant had sewn in his tunic, close to his heart.
It was hard to give it up. But somehow he knew Qui-Gon would want him to.
Unlike Obi-Wan's first reaction, Anakin's face showeddeep appreciation. Then his expression clouded.
"Are yousure?" he asked. "This was given to you by Qui-Gon."
"He would want you to have it, as I do. It is my most treasured possession." Obi-Wan reached out and
closedAnakin's fingers over the stone. "I hope it will be with youalways to remind you of Qui-Gon and
me, of our deep re-gard for you."
Anakin's smile lit his face. "I'll treasure it. Thank you,Master."
In many ways, Anakin was more openhearted, moregenerous than he had once been, Obi-Wan thought.
Though there was a great weight on Anakin due to theprophecy, he was sure that Anakin would do well.
Now Anakin was fourteen. He was an able Padawanwho had already proven himself on several
importantmissions. Yet there was one thing that nagged at Obi-Wan. Anakin was liked by the other
students, but he hadno close friends. He was not loved.
Obi-Wan told himself that Anakin's gifts naturally sethim apart. But in his heart, he grieved for Anakin's
loneliness. He was happy for Anakin's skill and growing com-mand of the Force. But he wished a simple
thing forAnakin. It was something he could not give his Padawan. It was not a gift he could hand over,
like a well-loved riverstone. He wished for a friend.
Chapter One
Anakin made his way down an alley deep below thegleaming surface of Coruscant. His Padawan braid
wastucked inside his tunic, his lightsaber hidden in thefolds of his cloak. The Jedi were treated with great
respect everywhere on Coruscant — except here. Closeto the planet's surface, there were those who
matchedtheir contempt for good society with their need to hidefrom it. Everyone was equal here. Equally
despised.
Even air taxis didn't descend this far. It had takenhim over an hour to walk down the descending ramps,
since the lift tubes were often nonfunctional. If only he had an airspeeder! Then these raids could be done
inhalf the time. But Jedi students didn't have access totheir own speeders. Not even Padawans.
Technically, hewasn't supposed to be outside the Temple at all, notwithout Obi-Wan's permission.
"Technically" is just another way of saying you arebreaking the rules,Obi-Wan would say.Either you
obey arule, or you do not.
He was devoted to his Master, yet sometimes Obi-Wan's earnestness could really get in the way.
Anakindidn't believe in breaking Jedi rules. He just wanted to find the spaces between them.
Anakin was well aware that his Master knew ofthese midnight jaunts. Obi-Wan was amazingly percep
tive. He could sense a shift in emotion or thoughtfaster than an eyeblink. Thank the moon and stars that
Obi-Wan also preferred not to hear about his midnighttrips. As long as Anakin was discreet and didn't
get into trouble, Obi-Wan would turn a blind eye.
Anakin didn't want to trouble Obi-Wan, but hecouldn't help himself. As the night wore on and the
Temple quieted, as the Jedi students turned off theirglow rods and settled down for night meditation and
sleep, Anakin just got restless. The lure of the streetscalled him. There were projects he had to complete,
droids he was building or refining, parts to scavenge, rusty treasures to uncover. But mostly he just
needed to be outside, under the stars.
Only those of us who have been slaves can really tastefreedom,he sometimes thought.
His favorite scavenger heap was down here, in thedark underbelly of the city. The glow lights were
seldomrepaired and the glittering lights of the city above didn't penetrate down this far. This was where
the junk dealers dumped their unwanted heaps — the stuff eventhey couldn't sell. It was left in smoking,
stinking gray piles for the lowest of the low to pick over.
Fights often erupted at these scavenger heaps.Anakin had been lucky to avoid the squabbles thatcould
end in violence. In addition to the desperate, there were bands of Manikons, a tribe from a planetlost
long ago to a civil war so devastating it had caused the small band of survivors to flee to Coruscant. Now
the Manikons survived by their wits and their weapons.They were perfectly willing to fight to the death
over arusty hydrospanner.
Anakin slipped among the smoky piles. Normally heavoided this particular junkyard, but he had a
difficult tech problem with a malfunctioning droid, and he hadexhausted all his other venues for finding
what heneeded. He knew that his Master looked at his tinker-ing with droids and tech devices as a waste
of his time.Maybe it was. Anakin didn't care. He had come to realize that he needed to occupy his mind
in order to stopthe voices in his head. The voices that doubted he'd ever be a great Jedi Knight. The
voices that told himhe'd abandoned his mother. . . .
Anakin shook his head. Working on the droids wasthe one slender thread that connected him to his
childhood on Tatooine. It was a frayed thread he was not willing to snap off completely.
The smell came to his nostrils, a mixture of smokymetal and something unpleasantly organic, the residue
of food or waste. He tuned it out as his gaze eagerlyswept the rubble.
He was grateful for his Jedi training. His eyes weresharp, even in the shadows. He did not want to risk a
glow rod. It was dangerous to advertise your presencehere. Better to act as a shadow.
He kept his eyes trained on the ground as hewalked. Sometimes parts dropped off the giant hydrolifts
that were used to transport the junk. He had un-covered some great finds by kicking through the dirtand
debris beneath his boots.
Ah — a circuit, almost completely intact. Anakinrubbed it against his tunic, not caring about the crusty
dirt that left a dark stain. He tucked it in his belt. And here — part of a hydrospanner. He could always
usethat, just in case he broke the ones he had. Cheaper tofuse an old one than to look for an intact one.
He scanned the heap ahead of him. One of hisgoals was to assemble his own small power terminal inhis
room so that he would not have to hook up to theTemple's terminal in order to power his droids. The
more he stayed out of sight with his hobby, the better.
There — he could see it on top of the heap. Could itbe a motivator circuit board? Yes — if he could
justmanage to Force-jump up there without sending the assembled heap of junk tumbling. He scanned
the side ofthe heap for a good landing site. A battered piece of durasteel seemed to rest solidly on the
junk beneath it.If he landed softly, he should be able to balance on itlong enough to swipe the piece. He
was a Jedi, and hisbalance was perfect. Anakin jumped.
He landed a bit harder than he had meant to, andwith a little too much pressure on his right foot.
You're not a Jedi yet.
He heard Obi-Wan's gentle, admonishing tone in his ear even as he scrambled to avoid sending a small
avalanche of parts back down the pile along with him.
Willing his muscles to stay flexible and his mind focused, he balanced carefully on the durasteel andeased
out one hand . . .
. . . only to see another hand appear from the otherside of the heap, reaching for the same part. No
doubtit was a Manikon.
He wasn't about to let one Manikon come betweenhim and a new motivator. Anakin threw himself
forward,but he miscalculated how stable his footing was. Partof the heap began to slide, taking him along
with it. Hefelt something or someone grab his ankle.
He crashed backward, at the same time reaching out to grab at the creature holding him. He felt some
fabric in his fingers and held on. Together, the two ofthem banged and slid down the heap. Anakin
smashed against sharp objects and bumped against durasteeland chunks of ferrocrete, still furiously
hanging on tothe scrap of fabric while his ankle was held securely in the creature's grasp.
At last they hit bottom. Anakin wrenched his footaway and sprang to his feet, ready for battle. The other
creature did the same.
The hood of the creature fell back, and Anakin foundhimself face-to-face with a fellow Jedi student, Tru
Veld.
"What are you doing here?" Anakin hissed angrily.
"That was my part," Tru answered. "I had my handright on it."
"I was reaching for it —"
"And thanks to you, it's lost now."
Suddenly Anakin spotted the part on the ground between them. It must have slid down along with them.
He pounced on it.
"It's not lost now!" he cried, grinning.
"Give that to me, Anakin," Tru said, his slanted silver eyes gleaming. Tru was a humanoid species, a na-
tive of the planet Teevan. His skin had a silvery cast,and he was tall and lanky. Teevans were
exceptionally flexible and could bend in surprising ways. Anakin sud-denly remembered that this quality
had made Tru verygood at fighting.
"I'm not afraid of you," Anakin said.
"Of course you're not," Tru said in a disgusted tone."I'm not going to fight you for it. I'm waiting for you
todo the right thing."
Anakin frowned. There were times he forgot he wasa Jedi. For a moment, he had been the slave boy on
Tatooine, still bound by the rules of play on that harshworld. Thosewho find, keep. Those who hesitate,
lose.
He wasn't a slave boy. He was a Jedi.
"I have a Protocol Droid with a bad motivator,"Anakin said. "I really need this."
But Tru wasn't listening. He was squinting into thedarkness. "Now we're in for it," he said in a low tone.
He signaled to Anakin. A short distance away, Anakinsaw a clump of moving shapes. Manikons.
"If we're very quiet," Anakin murmured, "they won'tspot us." He took a step back, and his foot kicked a
piece of durasteel scrap. It landed against anotherpiece of junk with a loud clang.
"Is that what you call quiet?" Tru hissed.
The Manikons turned. They saw the Jedi.
"Maybe if we don't move, they won't come at us,"Anakin breathed.
The Manikons surged forward.
"Interesting notion," Tru said. "Got any other ideas?"
Chapter Two
Manikons ran on four legs and reared up to twowhen attacking. They had blunt, heavy feet that theyused
to bludgeon their enemy. If they got close, they could spew a stinging venom from their eyes that had the
power to temporarily blind their attacker.
There was no question that Anakin and Tru wouldneed their lightsabers. Before the thought had com
pletely registered, Anakin found the hilt in his hand. Hedidn't think it was such a good idea to reveal the
factthat two Jedi were scavenging beneath the city. But hedidn't particularly want to be pummeled and
blinded, ei-ther.
Tru jumped to his left, and Anakin immediately sawhis strategy. He wanted to avoid the pummeling feet
and the stinging venom, which could only be directedstraight ahead. Anakin followed Tru, leaping to
engage the first Manikon. He knew he was a more aggressivefighter than Tru. He needed to avoid
wounding or killing.He just had to frighten the Manikons enough to retreat.
"If we attack their bundles, they'll retreat," he toldTru confidently. "They won't want to lose what they
have."
He leaped forward, going after the booty tied to theirbacks in large sacks. Whirling and dodging the
flying feet, he slashed at the straps of leather tying the bagsto their backs. The maneuver required the
most precise of touches. A fraction off, and he could easily sliceoff an arm. This was why he loved the
action of alightsaber. It was the ultimate instrument. He had seenfirsthand the mistake that many Jedi
students made.They did not realize how delicate it could be, how youcould use it like a breath of air.Like
a feather, not astick,the best lightsaber teacher, Soara Antana, hadsaid.
Three bundles fell, scattering parts, and the Manikons howled in rage. They leaped over the parts and
thundered toward Anakin and Tru.
Ffffffeewwwww!
Anakin had never heard the sound of a Manikonspewing venom before, but he didn't need a lesson.
"Whoa, really good plan, Anakin," Tru observed.
Anakin leaped to his right as a snarling Manikon approached, rearing up on two legs. Tru rushed
forward anddelivered a fast series of moves to push back theManikon.
"Okay, time," Tru said.
"Time for what?"
"New plan. Run."
"Good idea." Anakin took off after Tru.
The two of them leaped together, using the Force tohelp them gain the top of the junk heap in one
bound.They sent a shower of debris down behind them, butthey managed to keep their footing.
Below, the snarling Manikons began to scale theheap in their fury. But they were heavier and clumsier
than the Jedi. The junk heap began to tumble and sway.
Anakin looked over at Tru.
"What now?"
"Jump?" Tru suggested.
"Sure. Any suggestions where?" They were surrounded by other junk heaps, all of them unstable. Itwas
impossible to know if they would be able to landsafely.
A huge Manikon was halfway up the slope when hedislodged a power converter fragment. The entire
heapbegan to collapse.
"Anywhere!" Tru yelled, and leaped into the air.
Anakin followed. In midair, he had a second to decide on his landing spot. If he hadn't had Jedi training,
chances were good that he would have landed on aspike or sharp piece of metal. But he was able to
evalu-ate and direct his descent, even as he fell. Everything below him was suddenly sharp, suddenly
clear. He felthe could see every pebble, every grain of dirt and de- bris. That was how clear the Force
could make his vision.
It was moments like this that he lived for. The nightair, so crisp in his lungs. Danger so near. The Force
around him. If he could hang in the air forever like this,he would.
He landed lightly, precisely, on the edge of a heap,then jumped the rest of the way to the ground. Beside
him, Tru landed safely as well.
Ffffffeewwwww!
Anakin jumped, pulling Tru aside. The venom hitonly millimeters away.
They looked behind them. Three furious Manikonswere trying to slide down the heap toward them.
Junkedparts were shifting and sliding.
"Time to go," Tru panted.
They ran. Behind them, the enormous junk heap collapsed in a cloud of dust. The cry of the Manikons
wasterrible. Choking, Anakin and Tru kept running. Theydidn't stop until they reached the relative safety
of thewalkway.
They paused to catch their breath. It had been aclose call.
They struck off in the direction of the lift ramp to theupper levels of Coruscant.
"Well, if you say so," Tru said.
Anakin looked at him, confused. "If I say what?"
"Your droid has a bad motivator," Tru explained."What makes you think so?"
"The reactivate switch keeps cutting out. This is mysecond motivator. The first one just blew when I
hookedit up. I spent two weeks rebuilding it, too."
"Then your problem isn't the motivator," Tru said."Have you run a check on the sensory plug-in system?"
Anakin shook his head. "Nothing wrong with it."
"Maybe. But sometimes it can interface with the reactivate switch and cause the motivator to fuse. Did
something funny happen with the vocabulator when thefirst motivator blew?"
"That's funny," Anakin said. "It went crazy. My droidstarted talking in Kyhhhsik."
"That's your problem, then," Tru said. "The sensor suite has a short. Sometimes in Protocol Droids it can
trigger the vocabulator. It's a pretty simple problem tofix. Much more simple than a bad motivator."
Anakin glanced at Tru's tall, gangly body. Tru hadnever impressed him. Sometimes Anakin had won
dered if his connection to the Force was strong enoughto be a Jedi. Yet Tru had recently been picked as
aPadawan by Ry-Gaul, a quiet and respected Jedi Knight.Anakin had wondered about that, too.
"I didn't know you knew so much about droids,Anakin said.
"I don't. I just picked up a few things along the way,"Tru said. "I like to read manuals in my spare time.
Droids. Transports. Circuit boards. You name it."
Anakin tossed him the motivator part. "Here. Iguess I won't need this after all."
Tru tucked it into the pocket of his tunic. "Thanks."
"That is, if you're right," Anakin added.
"If I'm not, you can have the part back."
Suddenly, Anakin began to understand why Tru had been picked by Ry-Gaul. There was the sense of
assurance Tru had. He gave off a sense of calm. That wasunusual in a young student, even a Jedi. Anakin
himselfwas aware that he felt confused and uncertain some ofthe time. He covered it well. But Tru didn't
seem tohave an undercurrent. He was just Tru.
"Give me a summary when you're done with theanalysis," Tru said.
"Of the droid?" Anakin asked.
"Of me," Tru answered. "Aren't you analyzing meright now?"
Anakin grinned and didn't bother to deny it. "Ihaven't come to any conclusions yet."
Tru took a bag of sweet figda candy from his pocketand tossed one to Anakin. "Too bad living beings
don'tcome with manuals. Listen, I'm not very mechanical,but I'll help you with your droid problem, if you
want."
Anakin was surprised at the offer, but he wasn'tsure why. Then he realized what it was.
It wasn't often that he was offered help.
Most assumed he didn't need it.
"Sure," Anakin said. Saying that one word opened adoor. He saw that suddenly. He had forgotten it. He
hadonce known how to make a friend, and he had madefriends easily. It was a skill he had lost.
His comlink signaled, and he groaned. He knew whoit was.
"Where are you?" Obi-Wan asked.
Anakin looked around. He was still quite a few lev-els away from the Temple. At least a few hundred. If
hetold his Master that, Obi-Wan would know where he'dbeen, and why.
Tru suddenly stepped up closer."Master Kenobi, itis Tru Veld.Anakin is with me. I asked his help on...a
personal matter. We are returning to the Temple now."
"All right." Obi-Wan sounded surprised. "Come andsee me, Anakin, as soon as you arrive."
Anakin turned off his comlink. "Thanks," he said toTru. "Obi-Wan wouldn't be happy if he knew where
I'd been."
"Neither would Ry-Gaul," Tru said.
"If you're not so good at fixing droids, why were youthere?" Anakin asked.
"I'm helping out Ali Alann," Tru said. "He has a droidhelper in the nursery now. It needs a new motivator
andthe tech service department is running low. I thought jI'd surprise him."
Anakin felt ashamed. Here he had fought for thepart for himself, and Tru was doing a good deed. He
sighed. It was times such as this he wondered if he'dever become a Jedi. Students like Tru had a
dedicationhe feared he lacked.
They hurried back to the Temple. It was dark andquiet as they checked in. They headed for the lift tube.
Obi-Wan came around the corner. He frowned whenhe saw Anakin's stained tunic and dirty face.
"Where have you been?" he asked sternly.
Tru and Anakin looked at each other, then began tospeak at once.
"You see, Ali Alann —" Tru began.
"The tech service department has shortages -
Anakin started.
Obi-Wan held up a hand. "I don't want to know.
Good night, Tru."
Tru nodded respectfully and hurried off to his quar-ters. Obi-Wan turned back to Anakin.
"Anakin, these late hours will do you no good if youhave to leave early on a mission the next day."
"But I don't have a mission tomorrow," Anakin said.
"Ah. Are you so certain of that, young Padawan? Doyou see into the minds of the Jedi Council?"
"The Jedi Council wants to see us," Anakinguessed, excitement rising in him. "You mean we havea
mission?"
"We shall see," Obi-Wan said neutrally. "They'veasked for our presence before dawn tomorrow. So get
some sleep. If I see one yawn tomorrow, I'll forbid you to go outside the Temple grounds at all."
Chapter Three
The next morning, Obi-Wan headed for Anakin'squarters. He knew that Anakin would be ready at the
precise time he had been told. Anakin might push the rules, but he knew when to toe the line.
Anakin was waiting outside his door in a fresh tunic,his face bright with eagerness in the dim light. The
glowrods were kept low at this hour to keep a meditativehush in the Temple halls. Most Jedi were asleep
ormeditating.
Anakin swung into step beside him. Obi-Wan knewthat his Padawan was waiting for an admonishment
about the night before, but Obi-Wan had already moved on. The sight of Anakin with Tru had stirred
him. Thetwo young Padawans had exchanged a conspiratorialglance, and rather than being nettled by it,
Obi-Wan hadenjoyed it – though he would never let Anakin know it.Perhaps Anakin had made a friend.
Obi-Wan was also glad that Anakin had an independent spirit. It would serve him well as a Jedi Knight
the years to come. What his Padawan needed wastraining in cooperation and dedication to the greater
good, upheld by the Jedi Order. He did not know how tosuppress his own needs and desires in order to
serve.How does one teachloyalty and self-sacrifice? Obi-Wanwondered. Was it something that could
be taught?
The mission teaches when I cannot.
Qui-Gon's words again. Obi-Wan had come to realizethat in addition to preparing him to be a Jedi
Knight,Qui-Gon had prepared him to be a Master as well. Hehad often let him in on his thought
摘要：

Prologue Notinlivingmemory—notevenamongtheoldestJediMasters—couldtheyrememberaPadawanwhowasasgiftedasAnakinSkywalker.HecouldhaveadvancedthroughhisTempletraininginhalfthetimeithadtakenhim.Fromthebeginning,hehadbeenfarbe­yondhisclassmatesinlightsaberskillsandmasteryoftheForce.Yetinmattersoftheheartand...

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