A New Jedi in an Old Republic

Jedi Temple

Nejaa strode briskly – though not with haste to draw attention – to the area of the Temple to which he had been summoned. Apparently one of the groups that Kyle had tasked the Green to find had a presence in the Temple itself, but it seemed that information was wrong.

So he was going there to investigate. Or rather, get an update from Master Paloh. He trusted his fellow to act appropriately, but still wanted to be kept up to date on what was going on.

He found the Master and his Apprentice sitting in the middle of a familiarly styled room, each calmly meditating. "Hello!" He said, greeting the two of them. "What have you found?"

"The droids confirmed that this is where the Teepo sect resided." Palos satated firmly. "However, they could not tell when they stopped being here. The droids have no memory of that."

"Wiped?" Nejaa wondered aloud.

"As near as we can tell, yes." Paloh's apprentice replied. "I took one down to the workshop, and the Master down there confirmed the wipe had been performed within the last five years, though someone went through the trouble of disguising when, exactly."

"Bother," Nejaa understated. "Anything from your meditations?"

"That this place has been empty for a while, Halcyon." Paloh said as he gave up and stood. "We need to do more basic footwork to find out where they went."

Nejaa nodded. "Very well. I will leave you to it. Unless you want me to get a couple more to help?"

"No, not at this time." Paloh shook his head. "I need to refresh my skills here. There's only so much the Force can do for me." He knew that he wasn't in the majority when it came to his opinions about dependency on the Force, but he wasn't about to back down on them either.

"May the Force be with you, Master Paloh." Nejaa said as he turned to walk out of the room. "When you have definitive progress, let me know, and I will pass that along to Knight-Errant Katarn and he can tell the High Council."

Raven's Claw

The three of them relocated from the partly-undone cockpit to the sleeping bunks across from Jan's work bench. The two older humans took the bunks, while Anakin pulled out a crate to sit on. Jan reached over and flicked a toggle which raised the boarding ramp for privacy.

Once they had it, Kyle offered Anakin a cup of Caf that he had reheated. It wasn't the best drink at the moment, but it would give the fidgeting kid something to do with his hands. "Take a drink," Jan said in approval of Kyle's offer. "You won't do any of us any good if you stumble over your words."

The call for proper decorum tugged at Anakin's emotions, a gentle reminder not unlike Obi-wan's own reminders.

"You asked for our help, and we're going to give it. Right, Kyle?", Jan said - which led to Kyle nodding solemnly.

"Yeah," Katarn said as he put away some of his weapons, keeping the lightsaber on him while dealing with Anakin. In the back of his mind, he associated 'Skywalker' with Luke, leaving using the first name of the Jedi in front of him as his only option. "Something is bothering you, and I don't need the Force to see it. That you're coming to Jan and I instead of Obi-wan or another Jedi means it must be serious."

"It is," Anakin admitted as he sipped the too-hot drink, then blew on it to cool it some. "I... I am afraid that I am to be punished."

"For what?" Kyle asked, taking the lead on Jedi-related business.

"I..." Anakin stumbled over his own actions as what he was doing hit him: He was going to confess to two strangers that he barely knew that he had violated one of the tenents of the Jedi Code. And he would not be the only one to be punished for this transgression. Padmé had made it clear that she too needed the secrecy - that scandal would ruin her career and damage the Jedi Order at the same time.

Yet still, they were married.

But he needed to say something. He could not just walk away now!

He took a lesson from Obi-wan, and told the truth. From a certain point of view. "I am wed. Married."

There was an awkward pause where Anakin expected understanding to come to Katarn. The a negative response. Instead, there was nothing.

"And..?" Jan finally filled in the silence. "I mean, congratulations. Obviously. But I don't see why someone like Obi-wan, who is a nice guy and all that would give you grief over something like that."

".... You mean..? You do not know?" Anakin asked as confusion was added to the tight coil of emotions in his chest, one that started to let loose tendrils of worry and fear. "How can you not!" He directed this at Kyle, knowing that Jan could not be expected to know of such things. "The Jedi Code forbids attachments! Marriage is practically the worst of them!"

He looked between the two of them, anger in his eyes and in his words. "But of course, how could you know? Your order allows you such leniency!" He found himself standing as his words got louder. "You can FLAUNT your union while my.... they!"

Realizing the danger he was in, Anakin forced himself to breathe in and out.

There is no Emotion.

There is no Passion.

Serenity.

Oh, how he wanted that last. But it evaded him so much.

"Hey," Kyle's voice was low and soothing, a tone that brooked no anger. It was as calm as Anakin wanted to feel. He stood up and placed both hands on Anakin's shoulders.

For the young Jedi, the touch was something he had no experience with. With the strength on his shoulders, he began to feel some level of relief wind its way through him, pulling apart the knot that threatened to undo him. He wondered how this was possible, and his thoughts momentarily drifted over the possibility that he was using some sort Force technique, perhaps something similar to what the common masses called the 'Mind Trick'.

But whatever its source, it was a help, so he did not reject it. "I am sorry. I have made a terrible mistake."

"Talking to us wasn't a mistake," Jan said. "I wasn't aware that the Jedi Order even had such a restriction." She glanced at Kyle, hoping he would have an explanation.

It wasn't talking to them that was the mistake he referred to, "The Code rejects and warns against attachments of any and all kinds," Anakin said as he felt a little weak in his knees. He sat down and Kyle put the half-empty cup of Caf into his hands.

"It's not that attachments are wrong," Kyle explained as he retook his seat. "It's that Jedi feel them more deeply than other people do, thanks to the Force." Jan knew some of this already, but let Kyle talk to make sure everyone was working on the same points. "The problems arise when these attachments are broken. When they end."

Jan's mind clicked, and she wanted to hit her head on something hard for her own blindness.

"Correct," Anakin said flatly, the emotion draining from him even as he drained his drink. "If I am to confess one sin, perhaps I should confess another?"

"You don't have to," Kyle warned. "I'm not going to push you into anything."

Anakin remembered how he felt when he knew his mother had died. And the revenge - he knew that was what it was, no matter the reasoning - he took out on them was what could only be the Dark Side. Such hate... such agony....

What would happen if Padmé died? An accident one day? Or killed as retaliation against him by the enemies of the Republic? Or just against her with no inclination that he was involved with her at all?

His worries were written cleanly on his face.

"If you knew what you were doing was wrong somehow," Kyle asked gently, not wanting to break the poor boy, "why did you do it?"

"I love her..." Anakin said. It was his only defence. His only reason. What else could there be? "What else was I supposed to do?" He couldn't help it, their acceptance of his position left him with nothing to really rally against, and that left pleading.

"She must be someone special if you had to go and break your vows to your Order," Jan wondered aloud, giving Anakin a chance to focus on something positive for a moment.

"She is." Anakin smiled as the image of her face came to his mind, clear and perfect. "She is beautiful and graceful..."

Kyle didn't like where that was going. That sounded more like teen-aged infatuation than love.

"..., brave, driven, smart." He sighed. "She loves peace and is not afraid to fight for it."

"She sounds wonderful," Kyle said, keenly aware of Jan sitting beside him. At least this other woman had more positive qualities than a pretty face. That was always something good. "Where did you meet this Jedi?" He presumed that a group as insular as the Jedi didn't leave much opportunity to get to meet people outside of it in any manner befitting a long-term relationship.

"We met many years ago," Anakin said. "But she is not. A Jedi, I mean."

Jan figured they met on one of his missions. No more than three or four years ago, but she didn't want to pry into his age more directly. She knew that Jedi could live much longer than normal people.

"I can say no more about her," Anakin said. "I am afraid that in saying too much, she will be discovered, and suffer."

Kyle and Jan agreed. "I understand completely," Kyle said. "But now we need to think about what happens should the Council find out."

Anakin's eyes widened in fear. "YOU PROMISED!"

"And we'll keep our promise," Kyle said to reassure him. "You can count on that."

"But," Jan said thanks to her years of experience as an intelligence agent, "Secrets have a way of coming out. Just because someone gives no indication that they know something is wrong, or out of place does not mean that they are ignorant of it. We have to consider worst-case scenarios, as anything less could leave us unprepared for what could actually happen."

Anakin saw the wisdom of age in her words. "Ranik Solusar," he said. "He was called before the Council after it was found out that he had sired a son, one with some ability in the Force." He remembered what he learned when he was secretly researching such things in the near past. "He was censured by the Council and his time as a Jedi Knight was effectively over."

But not him. "They would call me before them, and they..." He could see it now, him completely surrounded by the High Council as they rendered their judgement. "They would listen to me, and tell me the error of my ways. They would be forgiving. But at a cost." He bowed his head. "They would demand that I sever all ties with her, or be expelled from the Order."

"You don't want to choose," Kyle saw. "Or rather, you would rather have both."

"Yes," it was a shameful admission from Anakin, for which he felt greedy. "Is that so terrible? You two! You are in love, it is plain to see! And yet, here you stand. Jedi and attached. You can show me the way!"

"There isn't," Kyle said flatly.

"But...!"

"The Council granted me the title of Knight-Errant, sure. But I'm still an outsider. The title even spells that out." He shook his head. "I'm sure that the Council took Jan and I into account when they gave it to me. And why they are respecting my military bearing and experience, that's something external to the operations of the Jedi in the first place. How do you think they would respond if I were to try and change something as internal and fundamental to the Jedi as the Code?" He really should talk to Obi-wan, and mention Jan and him in passing to the Master as a means of testing the waters.

"They would show us the door, that's what they would do." Jan said with a touch of annoyance. "So don't do it, Kyle."

Kyle nodded. "And then there's you, Anakin. A bright and rising star of the Jedi Order if what I'm hearing is true. A fine Jedi Knight, and paragon of everything that the Order stands for." He could see in the young man's face that he was laying it on a bit too thick and moved on. "If they make an exception for you - and they won't - then the other romantics in the Order, those who have chosen the Order over their loves would start to come out of the shadows and demand the same treatment."

"It would divide the Order in a time when we need solidarity." Anakin recognized the problems would extend past just him, which only reinforced the notion that he needed to keep this quiet and secret.

"Right," Kyle said, rubbing his forehead. "In a better world, I think your Order could be convinced through example and rhetoric that attachments are not the danger they think they are. That while heartbreak and loss can put you into a horrible place, the attachments we have are not singular things. Where one falls, others can take up the slack, to help when we need it." In that moment, he had a flash of inspiration. "The whole Master and Padawan thing you guys use to train, it can be the foundation."

Anakin opened his mouth to reject it, but then closed it as the words sank in. How much did he owe to Obi-wan? Could it not be said that he and Obi-Wan held some level of attachment to each other? Not as intense as him and Padmé, that was for certain, but when the Master/Padawan relationship ended, it was not the end of everything. "Maybe, Master Katarn. But that is not something that would help here and now."

"No, it won't. But it gives you an idea on how to handle it, doesn't it?" Kyle saw something in his expression that told him that the young man was thinking things over.

"Back to the problem at hand," Jan steered the conversation back on track. "What happens if the Council does find out and calls you to task for it? You know the choice you will be given."

"I..." Anakin started to shake again. On one hand, leaving the Order meant turning his back on the only life that gave him what he wanted. On the other, could he truly abandon Padmé? If he would be devastated by the loss, how would she feel? How would Obi-Wan respond to his turning in his lightsaber and joining the likes of Count Dooku in those who walked away from the Order? "I don't know," he whispered.

Jan offered a soothing reply. "Think about it. Make a decision. When you know how you will respond, then you can stop worrying about it, and start being the best you can as both a Jedi and a Husband. If you're forced into making a decision, then it's already made."

Anakin smiled. "I... I think I can do that."

"Good!" Kyle said as he stood up. "I don't know about you two, but I'm starting to get cramped in here. How about we get out, get something to eat?" He looked at Jan and Anakin, getting their agreement. "Anakin? I will always be able to talk to you about this. Unless I'm doing something really important, like in the middle of a battle or something."

"I thank you, Master Katarn."

"Call me Kyle," Kyle said. "You've earned it." He hit the switch to lower the boarding ramp, letting a waft of fresh air into the tiny compartment. "You want to go out or stay in the Temple?"

"I would like to stay here," Anakin said as he disembarked. "I do not feel that stepping out now would be a... suitable choice." He looked around and saw R2 waiting for him. "R2! Done already?"

The droid warbled binary back at him, enough said to cause Anakin to pause. "A message from the Senator? What does it say?"

R2 projected the hologram of a finely dressed young woman (and a well moneyed noble, Jan quickly deduced) in the middle of the gathered humans. Kyle felt Anakin's emotions shift in the Force, and saw the twinkle in the young man's eye.

Ah, sithspit! he thought, as he put two and two together. A Senator?!

"...Padawan Skywalker," said the hologram, her speech cool and pre-recorded. "There are some things I need to discuss with you and Master Kenobi, concerning the war. I've heard some rumors that the Senate may try to make a move against the Order itself. I cannot say more over this channel. Could you please come to my quarters as soon as possible?"

"Well, that sounded ominous," said Kyle as the hologram fizzled out of existence. "The Senate, moving against the Jedi?"

"That is a troubling thought," agreed Anakin. "But why? And how?"

"Who was that, actually?" said Jan. "I think I saw her before."

"That was Senator Padmé Amidala," replied Anakin. "I was her bodyguard, for a while, and Master Kenobi acts as a go between with her and the Council, sometimes... Actually, would you like to come with us to meet her? Discussing business is usually done over dinner."

Office of Senator Amidala

"If I may, Mistress?" C-3PO raised one hand to placate the young woman, "I believe you over-reacted."

Padme considered the simple explanation. "I may have, 3PO." She groaned as she collapsed in her chair. "I'm sorry, but talking about a new weapon for use in war... I don't know what came over me."

"Stress, perhaps?" The Droid set about to serving her a relaxing tea, his programming suggesting that it was the best course of action. "You may wish to apologize to the other Senators."

"I.. I will. Thank you." Padme accepted the drink and let the smell touch her before the taste. "I suppose I still have to concern myself with the timing."

"Mistress?"

"The Separatists use Battledroids, and the revelation of a weapon to counter them directly at this time... I don't know, 3PO. It's almost too good to be true."

"I could not say, Mistress." The protocol droid poured her another drink. "Perhaps I should ask R2 for his input? Among his circuits, there has to be something of use."

R2 meant Anakin, and she could use his calmness right about now. "That sounds like a good idea. Send a message to Ani, asking him to come over for a discussion regarding how the Jedi are going to help in the war."

It was an open secret that she had contacts inside the Temple, and with whom. No one would disapprove of him showing up for a proper business meeting.

"Of course, Mistress." C-3PO approved of the decision as Padme was often more relaxed after a private conversation with her friend of many years. "I will get right on that."

Jedi Temple

Yoda walked at his own pace through the Great Hall that lead to the front of the Temple. He enjoyed these walks as it allowed him to reflect on the day as well as making himself available to those in the Order who would otherwise be intimidated by his position to approach.

While none did, he did catch a flash of color, the green robes of the Corellian Jedi not running, but not walking either.

Curious, he changed his path to intercept the Green Jedi, recalling to mind his name. "Halcyon, in a rush are you?" He asked as they came within talking distance.

"Not yet, Master Yoda." The Corellian slowed to speak with the Grand Master. Or former Grand Master. "You were aware that Knight-Errant Katarn has tasked us with locating additional sects to aid our cause?"

"Hrm," Yoda mused. Not directly, but it did seem to fit with how he saw the mysterious Jedi act. "Problems, there are?"

"No, Master Yoda." Nejaa replied. "Not yet, at least. There is something that's come up. One group who isn't where they are supposed to be, but we're not the point of asking for help just yet." He bowed in apology. "We are still working on this problem directly, and if we fail, we would certainly seek outside assistance."

"Good, good." Yoda said. "A question, if I may?"

"Of course, Master Yoda."

"Leadership, rejected the Jedi have, in the Grand Army. Outsider, you are. What suppose you the response to be?"

"Anger," Nejaa said. "The people look up to you to protect them and they expect you to lead the Armies of the Republic. They do not understand why, and that lack of understanding leads to fear. And that fear leads to hate."

Yoda knew where that led. "Yes, yes. Simple, you make it sound. But listen, will they?"

Nejaa shook his head. "We could try, Grand Master. Who is the Jedi responsible for speaking with the Press? The Public?"

Yoda froze. He didn't know. "I, it seems."

Nejaa was consoling. "You have my sympathies, Master Yoda. If you require any help, let me know."

Republica 500, Residence of Senator Padme Amidala

That evening, Padme busied herself with the necessary preparations for the night's meal. Anakin had gotten back to her very quickly, and informed her that he was in contact with the Jedi responsible for the decision made by the Council and had taken the initiative in inviting them over to discuss things.

While she adored his forethought, she also regretted the decision as it meant that she would not have any private time with Ani at all.

But still, she could handle herself, Anakin and two guests. It wasn't the largest meal she had to prepare and with three Jedi present, it wasn't like they would react to the more impressive options she could produce. And that included not needing to break out the Blossom Wine.

At the appointed time, 3PO came to the dining room. "Mistress?" He let his presence be known as was his programming even though he couldn't be sneaky if he tried. "Master Anakin and his guests have arrived."

"Thank you, 3PO. Would you mind showing them in?" Padme smoothed out her dress, one of the less ostentatious ones and then made one last quick check to make sure everything was in place. She had no idea why she was so tense, maybe it was just the whole situation?

Anakin came in first, a spring in his step and a slight smile on his face that was meant for her alone – one that she hadn't seen in a while. Something had happened that had lifted a weight from his shoulders, and she would ask him about it later. "Padawan Anakin," she bowed gracefully. "Thank you for accepting my invitation."

"Thank you, Senator." He was followed by two others, a human male and female. "Senator Amidala, this is Knight-Errant Kyle Katarn," The elder man bowed his head formally, the Master's robes fitting him well. At his side, the woman curtsied, though her dress had seen better days, and her experience with such things told her that she wasn't used to that style of clothes. "And this is Jan Ors."

"Thank you all for accepting my invitation," she greeted the two new arrivals. "I must confess though, I am versed in Jedi lore, yet I have not heard of the title 'Knight-Errant' before now."

Kyle stepped up to her with a warm smile on his face, and took her hand to kiss gently in a non-Jedi greeting. "Senator, thank you for the invitation. As for your concern, it is an archaic title used by the Coruscant Temple for those Knights and Masters that are from sects and Temples they do not formally recognize, but must accommodate due to the situation at hand." He gestured to the woman at his side. "Jan is my associate."

"Of course," Padme read between the lines and recognized that Jan was not a Jedi, but probably a specialist of some sort. "I hope you will find dinner to your satisfaction."

"I am certain that anything you serve will be wonderful," Kyle said while keeping the smile on his face. He was pouring on the charm, and trusted Jan to stop him if he over did it. "But this is more than just a mere social call, is it not?"

"Agreed," Padme said. "But let us eat first, then we can discuss things later, Master Jedi."

"Please, call me Kyle." Kyle waited for Anakin to help Padme sit before he helped Jan with hers. She really didn't like the idea of wearing a dress, but Anakin insisted that it was better than showing up in her work clothes. Then the two men seated themselves, and the meal was served.

The first course was a light entree, in which the four of them talked casually about anything but work. Padme was curious as to why Jan was traveling with a Jedi, and Jan explained that she was a better pilot than he was, which earned a small smile from Anakin. Kyle shrugged and said "It wasn't that hard to qualify. I mean, I can get from point A to point B, but she's just better than me."

There was a tone in his voice that Padme almost didn't recognize, coming from a Jedi. It was teasing.

Unsure of how to react to that, she summoned the main course for the meal, a meat imported from the fisheries run by the Gungan of Naboo. As they ate, Kyle raised a casual question that he had been trying to find the right time for.

"So, how long have you two known each other?"

Anakin glanced at Padme, letting her answer the question. "A few years. Since before I was a Senator, really."

"That's nice," Jan said, taking up her part. "Kyle and I have been together for decades now."

"Don't remind me," Kyle replied as he rolled his eyes. While Anakin was coming around to the notion that Kyle and Jan were not going to hold his relationship against him, he was equally worried that they would be able to figure out the rest on their own. He relaxed a bit as the elder Jedi and his companion seemed to simply be curious as to his relation with the Senator, and not digging for something more.

"Really?" Padme was politely curious. "How did you two meet?"

"Oh," Kyle repeated the usual story. "I was on my way home to attend my father's funeral after he was murdered, and Jan showed me evidence to prove that it was a set-up. She and I worked together to bring those responsible to justice, and we've been together ever since."

"That's odd, I thought that the Jedi did not know who their family is, or was."

Kyle saw an opening and took it before Jan could. "There are more sects of the Jedi than just the one whose Temple is over there," he replied while gesturing in roughly the correct direction of the Temple. "The Jedi here on Coruscant are the largest Jedi organization, but they are not the totality of the Order in of themselves. They are an arm of the Republic."

Padme's mind clicked. "I had heard about a group from Corellia coming to the Temple, even though the world itself has withdrawn from the Republic for the duration of the War."

"Yes, the Green Jedi." It was Anakin who spoke. "Master Katarn is not of that group, but because he was the first non-Coruscant Jedi to arrive to offer his services to the Republic in this time of war, the High Council has put him in charge of all these different groups of Jedi as a point of communication and contact."

"Most impressive," Padme said politically. "And you said it was on your advice that the Jedi are not leading the armies?"

Kyle put down his cutlery. "Senator Amidala, what do you know of war?"

The woman from Naboo recognized a serious question when she heard it. "I know enough to know that it is the failing of the political process. That armies should never be used in conflict except to defend oneself."

"An admirable sentiment, Senator." Kyle said. "But completely wrong."

"Then explain, Master Jedi," she demanded.

"War is more than a mere failing." Kyle said, knowing full well that there was no way she could understand the scope of the Rebellion and the Empire. Not yet, anyways. "War is a continuation of Diplomacy by other means. It is the reduction of might, of people, of infrastructure, to demonstrate ones own might, that might-makes-right." He paused to take a breath. "Senator, War like this is a means by which the Separatists are trying to force the issues of their leaving into the now and not the future." He was drawing on his history lessons for this. The Empire was quite competent when it wanted to be, and teaching the failings of others was one of those places.

"Dooku and his people feel – correctly or not – that the Republic can or will not be able to service their needs. That they can band together and act on their own to provide for themselves better."

"That does not justify their actions!" Padme objected strongly.

"Then let me ask you this," Kyle requested. "If every Senator that has gone to join the Separatists had openly and jointly petitioned the Senate to secede as a whole, what do you think would have happened?"

"They would have...." Padme drifted off as she considered the situation, and realized the truth of the matter. "They would have been ignored, or sidelined. No one has left the Republic in a thousand years, and no one would know how to respond."

"Exactly." Kyle was glad she was filling in the blanks for herself. "Thus the open declaration of War to forcibly cut themselves off from the Republic."

"That does not explain the Jedi, and their decision to not take the lead!" She steered the conversation back onto track.

"It does, actually. In more ways than one. The first is the one from the announcement by the High Council. The Jedi have no experience leading in a conflict of this scale. I can state with almost complete certainty that I have more military experience than any one in the Jedi Order." He raised his hand to forestall the next question. "I have received and completed training to act as an Infantry Officer, a Lieutenant actually." He skipped the part where he quit before it was official. "I have worked as a Commando for various groups, done mercenary work, and never once have I done more than led a dozen people in an operation at once. Put me in charge of a small unit, and I can work miracles. Put me, the most experienced Jedi in the Galaxy in charge of a full Army Corps, and I will make a complete mess of it."

"What about the Stark Hyperspace War?"

It was Jan who spoke up at that. "That wasn't a War, Senator. It was a localized conflict based on control of a trade route. As I recall, Naboo had something similar happen to it." She knew from her own history of the aborted invasion of Naboo, and its role in setting up the Clone Wars. It was even talked about in hushed tones by some of the people she had encountered in the halls of the Senate building and the Jedi Temple.

"I... see." Padme recalled that the Jedi were at their best when acting by themselves in concert with larger objectives. Like escorting her so she could do her part. "You are arguing that the Jedi will still play a part in the war. Just not as Generals and Admirals?"

"Exactly." Kyle agreed. "Now, for the other part. You are aware that Dooku is a former Jedi, correct?"

"Yes, that has been mentioned." Padme watched as Anakin paid more attention now that the subject was closer to him. "What of it?"

"Well, the Separatists have their own version of the Jedi, a way for them to keep the structure of the Republic without being in the Republic. They call themselves the Sith after the old enemies of the Jedi Order."

"I... did not know that."

Kyle nodded. History lessons! "It is not widely known. What is known in the annals of Republic history is that when the Jedi and the Sith come into open conflict, it quickly escalates and overcomes all other concerns." His connection to the memories of the Valley spoke of the time leading up to the Seventh Battle of Ruusan. How the Jedi and the Sith became war machines in of themselves, and all else was subservient to them in one way or the other. "For the Jedi to move openly would encourage the Sith to do so as well. And then history would repeat itself as they bring the Force into play."

"You are concerned that the Jedi's leadership would ... escalate the war?"

"In a way, yes. The Jedi do not know how to lead, but they do know how to fight other Force users, especially those who style themselves as their ancient foes. They would let history guide them down wrong paths, making the armies they lead and the battles they choose less about the Republic against the Separatists, and more about the Jedi versus the Sith."

"That is a bleak picture you paint, Master Jedi."

"I have learned these things, and passed some of my knowledge onto the Council. They have agreed that jumping into the conflict would not serve the long-term interests of the Republic, nor the Jedi. I suspect that they are looking into proper training for their people so that the Jedi can lead as the Senate demands, but also that they can do so without failing at it and harming the Republic."

"I see." Padme thought that over some. "You have given me much to think about, Master Jedi."

"Please, call me Kyle." He smiled again and took another bite of the meal before him. "I'm always happy to answer questions like that."