The great doors of the Jedi Council chamber closed behind them with a deep rumble.
Anakin stood alone in the center of the circular room. Around him, twelve Jedi Masters watched from their seats overlooking Coruscant. The city stretched endlessly beyond the towering windows, yet inside the chamber there was only silence.
Behind Anakin stood Khan and Master Dooku.
Neither spoke.
This was Anakin's moment.
Master Mace Windu rose from his chair and slowly approached the young boy.
"Relax, Anakin," he said calmly. "There is nothing to fear here."
Anakin nodded, though the nervousness in his expression remained.
"I'll... I'll try."
Mace activated a small datapad containing several standard Force aptitude examinations.
"We will begin with something simple."
He held up a series of symbols behind his back.
"Tell me what shape I am holding."
Anakin closed his eyes.
For a brief second, the room became completely still.
"A triangle."
Mace looked at the datapad.
"Correct."
Another symbol.
"A circle."
Correct.
Another.
"A square."
Correct again.
One after another, Anakin answered with perfect accuracy.
Several Council members exchanged subtle glances.
Even Ki-Adi-Mundi's expression shifted ever so slightly.
Mace returned to his seat.
"There is no question about it."
He looked toward the rest of the Council.
"The boy's connection to the Force is exceptionally strong."
Plo Koon folded his hands within his robes.
"I sensed as much the moment he entered."
Even Master Saesee Tiin nodded in agreement.
"The Force flows through him effortlessly."
Anakin looked between the Masters, unsure whether that was a good thing or not.
Then Yoda spoke.
"Weight on you... something does."
The small Grand Master looked at Anakin with gentle eyes.
"What troubles you, young Skywalker?"
Anakin hesitated.
Everyone was waiting.
Finally he answered.
"It still feels like a dream."
Yoda remained silent.
Anakin looked down.
"And..."
His voice became quieter.
"I keep thinking about my mom."
The chamber grew still once more.
"I wish I could have brought her with me."
Khan felt those words strike him harder than anyone else.
His jaw tightened.
He had promised himself he would return for Shmi.
No matter what.
Ki-Adi-Mundi slowly leaned forward.
"There."
He looked toward the Council.
"The attachment has already taken root."
Anakin looked up, confused.
Ki-Adi continued.
"He is too old. He has spent years developing emotional bonds outside the Order. Our teachings require discipline from infancy. He has already formed attachments that will cloud his judgment."
Anakin lowered his head.
The excitement he had carried into the chamber slowly began to fade.
Before Khan could speak, another voice answered first.
Master Dooku.
"It is the responsibility of those wiser than others..."
"...to guide those who need guidance."
His calm voice echoed throughout the chamber.
"If we refuse every child who has experienced hardship, then what purpose does our wisdom serve?"
Ki-Adi-Mundi's expression hardened.
"Our purpose is to preserve the Order. And traditions exist for a reason."
Dooku met his gaze evenly.
"Tradition should guide wisdom. It should never replace it."
Several Masters shifted in their seats.
The air in the chamber grew noticeably heavier.
Ki-Adi rose.
"You rejected your place on this Council, Dooku."
His voice sharpened.
"You surrendered the opportunity to help shape these traditions. You do not get to lecture those of us who accepted that burden."
Dooku remained perfectly composed.
"I rejected a chair. I never rejected my responsibility."
Ki-Adi's eyes narrowed.
"You have always believed yourself above the Council. And now your own Padawan brings us a child nearly twice the acceptable age."
His eyes briefly shifted toward Khan.
"I cannot help but notice a pattern."
Khan clenched his fists.
Dooku noticed immediately.
Before Khan could speak, Dooku answered for him.
"My Padawan has done exactly what every Jedi should."
"He trusted the Force."
Ki-Adi scoffed.
"Or perhaps he simply allowed emotion to cloud his judgment. The Sith have supposedly returned. Now a miracle child appears. I question whether destiny has been mistaken for coincidence."
Khan finally stepped forward.
"Master Ki-Adi."
His voice remained respectful, but firm.
"I fought the Sith myself. I felt the darkness surrounding him. I watched Master Qui-Gon give his life."
"If the Sith truly have returned…
"...then leaving a Force-sensitive child of this magnitude untrained would be the greater danger."
Ki-Adi answered immediately.
"And if his attachments lead him to darkness?"
Khan did not hesitate.
"Then it becomes our responsibility to ensure they do not."
Silence followed.
For a brief moment, no one spoke.
Then Master Plo Koon broke the silence.
"I agree with Padawan Khan."
Every eye turned toward him.
"The Force brought the boy to him. The Force seldom acts without purpose."
He looked toward Anakin.
"I believe guidance will overcome age."
Master Even Piell slowly nodded.
"There is wisdom in that."
Adi Gallia folded her hands.
"Yet the risks cannot simply be ignored."
"The boy has known fear."
"He has known loss."
"He has known slavery."
Eeth Koth added,
"Such experiences shape a person."
"They cannot simply be erased."
"They need not be erased," Dooku replied.
"They need only be understood."
The chamber erupted into discussion.
Arguments rose from every direction.
"The Code exists for a reason."
"But exceptions have existed before."
"The Sith change everything."
"Or perhaps nothing has changed at all."
Voices overlapped.
Possibilities were debated.
Concerns answered by new concerns.
Anakin stood frozen in the middle of it all.
He barely understood what they were arguing about.
Only that they were arguing because of him.
Khan watched him quietly.
He could see the uncertainty growing inside the boy.
Then...
A calm voice cut cleanly through the noise.
"Train the boy..."
Yoda's ears twitched slightly.
"Myself... I shall."
The chamber fell silent instantly.
Every Master turned toward the Grand Master.
Even Ki-Adi-Mundi said nothing.
Mace Windu looked at Yoda carefully.
"You are certain, Master?"
Yoda closed his eyes briefly.
"Strong in the Force, the boy is. Difficult his path may become. But abandoned..."
"...he must not be."
He opened his eyes once more.
"Trust Padawan Khan's judgment..."
"...I do."
Dooku allowed himself a faint smile.
Khan lowered his head respectfully.
The Grand Master's confidence meant more to him than words could express.
Mace slowly looked around the chamber.
"No further objections?"
The Council remained silent.
Ki-Adi-Mundi looked away in visible frustration but offered no challenge.
Yoda had spoken.
The matter was settled.
Mace rose.
"Then by the decision of the Jedi Council..."
"...Anakin Skywalker shall be accepted into the Jedi Order as a Jedi Youngling."
"He will begin his instruction under the personal guidance of Grand Master Yoda."
For a second...
Anakin simply stared.
Then he turned around.
His eyes immediately found Khan.
"I... I'm really going to become a Jedi?"
The excitement in his voice could no longer be contained.
Khan smiled.
A genuine smile.
"I told you I would do everything I could."
Anakin threw his arms around him without thinking.
"Thank you!"
Khan laughed softly, surprised by the sudden embrace before gently patting the boy's shoulder.
"You've earned this opportunity."
"Now it's up to you."
Anakin nodded enthusiastically.
"I won't let anyone down."
Khan looked toward Master Yoda.
The Grand Master returned the smile with one of his own.
For the first time since Naboo...
Khan felt the weight on his shoulders grow just a little lighter.
The future remained uncertain.
The Sith had returned.
Qui-Gon was gone.
War loomed beyond the horizon.
But today...
Hope had found its place within the Jedi Order once more.