Chapter 2- The New Council
Sabers clashed. Anakin stumbled on the uneven floor. Although blindfolded, he was doing well against his elder brother Jacen. The traditional training room was used, large and capacious, but the floor was uneven to provide difficult footing.
“Very good, boys, you’re doing well.” Luke smiled as they concentrated on each other and not his praises.
Anakin made a stab that caught Jacen’s hand. The blow would normally take his hand off, but since they used low saber settings, it only hurt for a minute. Jacen retaliated with an overhead swing that caught Anakin’s leg.
“No, no, both of you concentrate on your next move.” Luke knew they were distracted. Only a week ago Han had been injured in a cantina brawl. He was still resting, but Luke was worried because Han was still depressed over Chewie’s death so long ago.
Jacen blocked Anakin’s underhand swing and threw a zig-zag swipe. Anakin blocked both easily and stabbed again, hitting Jacen’s neck, which ended the match. They both pulled off their sweat-covered blindfolds and bowed to each other. They turned to Luke.
“Very good, both of you. You are both formidable. Both of you have won seven matches against each other. Be proud. May the Force be with both of you.”
“And you too, Master Luke.” Anakin and Jacen still felt strange calling their uncle Master, but it was a tradition. Anakin and Jacen left together and headed for their quarters.
“Good night, Jacen.”
“Good night, Anakin.” Both boys fell asleep quickly.
Luke headed for the Council’s chambers. They had begun to form a new Council, but they only had four members: Luke, Mara, Kyle Katarn, a friend of Mara’s, and Kyp. Their chairs formed a semi-circle and each represented their respective Council member. Luke sat down and looked to each member.
“All right. We need to decide who else should be on the Council.”
Mara looked at Luke and smiled. “I think your nephews and niece have proved themselves…”
Luke hesitated. “I don’t know. They’re a little young, and they haven’t finished their training.”
A familiar voice broke in. “Luke, listen to Mara. Her wisdom is hard to see.”
Luke smiled. “Ben!”
Obi-Wan appeared before the Council and smiled. “Hello, Luke. You have done well. Yoda is proud of you, as am I.”
“Thank you. Am I supposed to put them on the Council?”
“Yes, but they must finish their training first. The new Council you will build will have the greatest Jedi Knights and Masters since the former Council was dissolved. And what of this Corran Horn? Why isn’t he on the Council?”
Mara sighed. “We offered him a seat, but he turned us down. He felt he could do better teaching outside of the Council.”
“Than we will have a difficult time. The New Empire will have a better chance now. Corran must be put on the Council, or we may be destroyed again.”
Corran clipped his lightsaber to his belt and exited his quarters. Luke had summoned him to come to the Council chambers. He made his way to the turbolift and keyed in the top floor of the large Jedi Temple. After Luke had the New Council formed, they remodeled the Temple to a more modern look. Corran liked the new look and often commented on it. The lift chimed at each floor as it climbed to the top of the tower. The lift stopped and the doors opened. Corran took a deep breath and stepped into the chambers. The Council was patiently waiting and smiled at him as he came in. “You sent for me?”
Luke stood. “Yes. Corran, I will ask you again, and I want you to really think about it. Join the Council. It can only strengthen us more.”
Corran sighed. “I already answered this….” He pondered for a moment. “All right, I’ll think about it.”
Luke’s grin widened. “Great! I just hope you can make a good choice soon.”
