The Chosen Apprentice/Chapter 44

That evening Sona went down to her room to collect the few belongings that were there. As a Padawan she would be on a different level of the Temple and she created quite a sensation as she walked there, mostly caused by the thin braid beside her right ear. Black tipped with gold.

Jenai cornered her, she herself had a Padawan braid, but it was not tipped with a contrasting colour as Sona’s was. “You too?” she asked.

Sona nodded.

The two girls were hugging and laughing then ran off together earning a reprimand from Sarib for almost knocking her over. They stopped in Sona’s room, then went off to Jenai’s then finally walked up together to where their new rooms were located.

“It still feels kinda strange,” Sona confided. “Like it’s not real, it didn’t really happen.”

Mischievously Jenai gave Sona’s new Padawan braid a sharp tug, she cried out in pain. “That make it real?” Jenai asked.

“It does,” winced Sona with a grin.

--

If the Senate’s morning session had been a surprise, then the afternoon one was even more so for Bail Organa. Amedda’s long resignation’s speech hadn’t been a surprise, neither had the nomination of Stokra for Chancellor when the call for the election had been made.

But what was surprising was when Senator Perenine of Avingnon—a weather vane if he ever knew one—put forward the second nomination: himself. Danta seconded it and while the Gungan was talking Bail happened to catch Mothma’s eye across the chamber. She winked at him, should he have expected it? He had given no hints or even thoughts other than wild speculation. Did he even have a chance against Stokra?

Duly, Bail brought his pod forward to accept the nomination but he was still slightly stunned. He expressed this to Mothma and Danta when they were talking later.

“Why didn’t you run this by me first?” he asked her.

“You would have tried to talk me out of it,” she countered.

Bail considered this was a possibility but chose to say nothing on it. “Still,” he continued, “I don’t know why—or even how—you got Perenine to say it for you.”

The young woman smiled. “I thought you were the one who knew more about politics, Bail,” she said. “It was a stunt, to show we have something bigger than we actually have. Besides,” she added, “there’s no need to worry, as long as we have the numbers she’ll side with us.”

“And what makes you think that?” Bail asked.

“Trust me,” Mothma reassured, “we do.”

--

The next day the election was broadcast live from the HoloNet in one of the large rooms in the Jedi Temple. Many Jedi came in and out of that room to see the results from time to time yet when a critical stage was reached in the counting of the votes the room was full to bursting. Obi-Wan scrambled over a few knees to sit beside Anakin and Sona.

“How is it?” he asked.

“It’s close,” Anakin said. “Organa and Stokra are neck and neck.” His only interest in the election extended as far as to Stokra not winning, anything else to him was inconsequential.

For a moment Obi-Wan watched the two of them, talking to each other as if it was perfectly natural. And, Obi-Wan suddenly realised it, it was. While he had hoped that Anakin would open his eyes to what had been developing between himself and Sona, it had never occurred to Obi-Wan that Anakin would go ahead and do something without telling his former Master. Was it because of the way that he knew Obi-Wan would react? No, there’s more to it than that, Obi-Wan thought, Anakin’s letting go, something I never thought he would do.

He examined them for a moment longer, he knew they still had quite a way to go before they knew each other as he and Anakin had done, but the potential was there like a wide road leading them both through the Force.

And leaving me behind, Obi-Wan mused, perhaps I’m the one with trouble letting go.

In many ways she’s a perfect foil for him, he said to himself, ''Anakin’s still so impulsive, yet Sona’s so quiet you hardly notice she’s there sometimes. And there certainly is something between them, something that even I missed…''

As Dekau, the Vice-Chair of the Senate, received a new transmission a hush fell over the room, all eyes on the holoprojector. The Ithorian began to speak.

“Members of the Senate,” she said, her five throats making her voice somewhat distorted, “I have the final results here. The new Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic is…”

As she spoke several Jedi in the room shouted and the words were drowned out. Obi-Wan called for everyone to calm down but by the time they did Dekau had finished speaking.

“Who is it?” Sona asked, looking at the two Jedi alternately.

“It’s not him,” Anakin said, smiling as he noticed the Alderaan pod enter the arena.