Anabeth: New Beginnings

Chapter 14 - Solving Problems

After the council meeting, the hours just seemed to drag by. Ana and Windu quickly finalized a Jedi delegation for Organa's gala, after which Ana proceeded to help Windu work through the rest of his to do list for the day. By dinner they were completely done and had the evening to themselves. they used this time for a bit of lightsaber practise, something they rarely got ever since Palpatine.

The next morning, Ana once again helped Windu with some paperwork, partly out of nicety, and partly because that way she'd be the first to know if Vos and Ventress called. As lunch approached however, they quickly hit the 24 hours without contact mark, something that undeniably set Ana on edge even more. It wasn't that she was afraid mother Talzin would do something to the two, it was more that she hated he fact someone could be holding an advantage over her.

After lunch Windu sent her out to welcome the first half of Depa's fleet back. The woman had called a few hours before and asked for someone to head down to help organize things if required, as she was still waiting to return with the other half of her fleet and had put Caleb on the task of going with the first half. It was the first assignment of this kind for the still young Padawan, and even though Depa had faith in Caleb, she knew he'd feel better if there was someone he could ask for help if he needed it.

When the ships docked in the shipyard on Coruscant, Ana was the first on board, heading to the bridge to find Caleb. the young boy was delighted to see her, excitedly telling her about all the things he had done on Ryloth as they waited for the clones to confirm docking procedures so that they could hand the ship over to the dock commander.

By the time confirmation came through and they were making their way off the ship, Caleb was passionately telling her about a girl his age he had met. Her name was Hera, the daughter of resistance leader Sham Syndula, and judging by what Caleb was telling her, a flying prodigy.

„"I promised I'd call her when I get back, but do you know what's even better? She and her family have been invited to Coruscant by Senator Tarr as a thanks for their efforts during the war. If you want, I can introduce her to you then. Do you think Master Windu will let me show her a little of the Temple, like maybe the gardens, training rooms and my room?".

"Probably, I mean, we have Senators and delegates coming to the Temple almost daily, and not always for political business. Hera isn't exactly a diplomat, but I don't think Windu's going to care as long as it's just her. Besides, being his grandpadawan should give you some kind of benefit, don't you think?" Ana replied.

"Wicked. Talking about grandpadawan though, do you think you'll ever take a Padawan?" Caleb suddenly switched the topic. "I've never thought about it really. I seem to have a thing for teaching so I'm sure I'd do good, but right now really isn't a good time. But once things have settled a bit around here, I guess I'd be open to it if the Padawan was a good fit. Why do you ask?".

"Oh, I've just been thinking if I'd be the teacher type. Windu must abviously be really good, because you and Master Billaba turned out great, I know from experience that Master Billaba is doing a good job with me, and I've heard some other Padawans and Younglings talk about how great your classes were. It just seems like everyone in our line is great at teaching, and sometimes I wonder if I'd be the exception to that rule".

"Look Caleb, it absolutely doesn't matter if you're going to make a good teacher one day or not. Some Jedi take Padawans, and some don't, and both kind have the same worth. You don't have to prove anything, you're valuable in your own way, no matter what. But if it helps you to know, I have a feeling you'd make an amazing Master, probably even better than me. Want to know why?". Caleb nodded enthusiastically.

"You have less of an ego than me. You see, teaching isn't just about passing on your knowledge, it is also about being open to learn from the experience on your part and to be ready to show your Padawan that you are human too. The average Jedi Padawan is still unsure of their abilities and will be intimidated by a Master with a big ego. Ever wondered why almost everyone below the status of a knight finds Windu so intimidating? I believe this is one of the reasons Yoda paired me up with Windu when I got here. We both have egos that are hard to rival".