Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Breathe in, and out. Breathe in, and out.

Mace centered himself in the moment. Clarity. Peace. Thoughts and plans set aside for the time being.

Skywalker shifted for the fourth time in a row, and Mace knew he had less than 10 seconds before-

“So… what are we doing today?”

Called it.

Mace was so glad he’d meditated already, because Skywalker was clearly finished.

He resisted the urge to sigh, and opened his eyes. “Breakfast, next.” He stretched, stood up, and headed towards the kitchen.

“Well, yeah, but… after that?”

“More moving, probably.”

Skywalker sighed, but dragged himself to his feet, slowly putting the meditation mats away.

“You could also visit Depa today, if you want,” Mace added.

The desultory dragging noise of the mats abruptly sped up.

Depa, it turned out, was becoming a pretty good bribe. Depa was always ready to share a new part of the Temple with the kid.

(Mace knew that when raising padawans, some Masters called things like these ‘rewards.’ Mace, who unashamedly called them ‘bribes,’ had always thought that was a disservice to their padawans. They were a speeder’s ride from the Senate. Might as well teach them how to recognize when they were being manipulated.)

Depa was a lifesaver, Mace knew. Being in charge of an excitable nine-year-old that didn’t seem to understand the concept of “alone time” meant that Mace had begun to unravel, very quickly.

Not Skywalker’s fault, of course. But Mace needed to carve out his own time. Sending Skywalker to visit Depa did the trick, and he was hoping to introduce Skywalker to some fellow Jedi his own age soon.

Additionally, he’d started getting up earlier for his own meditation. It allowed him some time before Skywalker woke up, to sort out what he was feeling and prepare himself for the day.

Meditation with Skywalker was…

Well.

More work than restful.

Mace was a bit worried that it was the fault of their mission to Naboo. Skywalker didn’t seem to understand what the Jedi did.

They’d spent several weeks in the Temple now, tying up all the details that came with taking on a padawan. This included moving to a 2-bedroom set of rooms, which Mace hadn’t done in the future. He’d had his 1-bedroom apartment for… well, over 20 years.

Mace… had not realized how much stuff he had.

And through all the paperwork and moving boxes and visits to Depa and trips to the refectory when Mace didn’t feel like cooking, Skywalker kept asking about their next mission, or about Depa and Mace’s previous missions. Every time a Jedi walked by with a quicker pace, Skywalker asked what mission they were going on, and seemed confused when Mace said they were probably just late for something.

Jedi went on missions, of course, but they were seldom as intense as the Invasion of Naboo. Diplomacy and body-guarding usually didn’t devolve into blockades and planet-wide wars.

(...Usually. Obi-Wan had a weird track record for those things.)

And even with simple missions, there was time between them. Being a Jedi meant learning, and contemplation, and growth, not just missions.

Which was something Mace hadn’t been able to explain to Skywalker yet.

The kid couldn’t, for the life of him, sit still for meditation. Mace had known that Obi-Wan had dealt with some issues with Skywalker about meditation, but Mace hadn’t realized how bad it was.

3 minutes was pushing it. 3 minutes.

Mace had been meditating with other initiates in his creche clan for 12 minutes daily by the time he was Skywalker’s age.

Mace knew that meditation wasn’t a common practice in the wider galaxy, but seeing the effects of that on a kid now under his care was jarring.

Mace sighed, listening to Skywalker finish putting away their meditation mats, and started breakfast. As the eggs began to sizzle, he checked his pad for correspondence.

Ah, there it was. He clicked on the email – yes, just an automatic confirmation, letting him know that his form was being processed.

He was pretty sure the Council wasn’t eager to hear him bring up another issue so soon in a meeting, so he’d just submitted a formal complain about Jinn’s actions on Tatooine.

Perhaps it was petty to continue this, since Jinn had gotten stabbed and nearly killed in the completion of the mission. Mace almost felt bad about it.

But he didn’t think Jinn was going to learn anything about his actions on Tatooine from being stabbed on Naboo.

Well, maybe the stabbing would teach him to remember to stick with his partners…

Eh, probably not.

It was better to go through the formal channels for this, anyway, instead of just bringing it up in the next Council meeting.

He’d already let Jinn know he’d be doing this on their way to Naboo, so it’s not like it’d come as a surprise.

...Hopefully.

Maybe he should at least message Padawan Kenobi about it-

Ding!

Another email appeared in his inbox.

Reminder: Classes start up again in a four weeks!

Ah. That’s right.

He needed to sign Skywalker up for classes.

...He’d have some time after he dropped Skywalker off with Depa.

*~* *~* *~* *~*

Once he was divested of all nine-year-old and thirty-four-year-old padawans-

(“I've got to show you the Onderan greenhouse. Almost all the plants in there have cool defense mechanisms when you touch them. Ready to go?”

“Yeah! Bye Master Windu!”)

-Mace started looking over what classes Skywalker needed.

Since Skywalker hadn’t taken any classes in the Temple yet, Mace was going to have to piece together a schedule to start covering any gaps in his education as a Jedi.

...Not that Mace knew what all of those gaps were. Maybe Course Administration would know how to help?

After sending a quick inquiry email to them, Mace went back to the classes he knew Skywalker would need.

Mace suspected Basic wasn’t Skywalker’s first language – Huttese was pretty common in the Outer Rim, for both speaking and writing. While Skywalker spoke Basic fluently, Mace had noted that he took his time reading it. Mace hadn’t mentioned it yet, worried that Skywalker would curl up into a defensive little ball if Mace wasn’t careful.

Mace didn’t think a lot of the classes he had taken when he was Skywalker’s age had a lot of reading homework, but Skywalker was going to need it eventually.

After a quick search of the classes provided, Mace discovered that classes in reading Basic were, of course, geared towards 4-5 year olds in their Creche clans.

…Maybe Mace could get some modules that Skywalker could work through at his own pace?

Mace noted that a lot the classes were also offered as self-study courses, though unfortunately he couldn’t see any for Basic. He’d have to track some down somewhere. Education Corps had to have some.

Something for another day, maybe. Let’s see what else did Skywalker need…

Mace was trying to get the kid some friends, so the self-study courses were out for right now.

Astronav Math, check. Probably needed Course Administration to determine which level.

Galactic History, check. Mace clicked the class that kids Skywalker’s age were going to start taking. It looked like just an overview, so if something was confusing Mace could probably explain it. And they’ll cover things in more depth as Skywalker gets older.

Commerce and Industry? Yeah, the coursework for Skywalker’s age was pretty simple, with little reading involved. Check.

Lightsaber Styles (Class), absolutely, Lightsaber Styles (Training)…

Oh.

The kid didn’t have a lightsaber yet.

...That would make it a bit hard to attend saber classes, Mace.

There were training sabers, of course, but most Jedi had already gone to Ilum by Skywalker’s age. Mace had gotten his first kyber crystal right before his 8 ^th life day, and Depa had already had hers several years before she became Mace’s padawan.

The kid was pretty self-conscious about things he didn’t know. Mace didn’t want to add having a training saber to the things Skywalker could get upset about.

Also, finding your kyber was a part of a Jedi’s heritage. Finding the crystal that best fit you, that felt like an extension of your soul, was important. The more time with your crystal, the more attuned you would be.

...Maybe it would give Skywalker something to focus on during meditation.

Mace sighed, and pulled up his email again. Time to figure out when the next group of initiates were headed to Ilum.

*~* *~* *~* *~*

“Where are we going?” Skywalker grumped, dragging his feet. Meditation had not gone well this morning – Mace had tried to explain things another way, from a half remembered technique Master Saa had tried with him. He must have explained it wrong, because Skywalker had only stared at him blankly, and then proceeded to sigh through the 4 minutes they’d spent attempting it.

“I told you,” Mace said. “We’re going to meet some initiates who also need their first lightsaber. You’ll be going to Ilum with them to find your crystal.” He tried to think of something encouraging to say. He managed, “It’ll be fun.”

Skywalker continued to look unimpressed. Mace tried to gather more words, but he didn’t think he could describe the sheer awe and joy he’d felt when finding his own crystal, back when he was an initiate himself.

The journey to Ilum had been full of games and excited anticipation, like a giant sleepover. The expedition into the caves had been a trial, but he and his friends passed, and felt like true Jedi. And the journey back to Coruscant had been full of meditation and coming up with initial designs for their lightsabers.

And through it all, the Jedi Knights that had led the trip had been a vision of the future. Even though Mace now knew that the Knights had probably been in their early 20s, baby Mace had been so excited to talk to Jedi Knights, who were out in the galaxy going on missions.

(...Remembering that, Mace felt a little less annoyed by Skywalker’s enthusiasm for hearing about the missions he and Depa had gone on.)

But Mace couldn’t seem to find the words to explain all that, and Skywalker was a prickly ball of grump this morning that would not be persuaded to think optimistically.

It would be fine. Skywalker would realize the importance of going to Ilum, if Mace could find the words before the kid left. And even if it was a little lost on him, then he would at least be excited to make his own lightsaber. All initiates wanted a lightsaber.

Scratch that – most of the galaxy wanted a lightsaber. Skywalker would be no exception.

*~* *~* *~* *~*

For all that Skywalker didn’t seem to want to interact with Mace this morning, that attitude changed quick. Once he was confronted by, horror of horrors, peers who wanted to play with him, he seemed glued to Mace’s side.

“I’m Arma,” an Arkanian* initiate said. Her white hair and white eyes gleamed in the light.

“Anakin,” Skywalker mumbled.

“Nice to meet you,” Arma chirped. “Do you want to play push feather with us?”

Skywalker looked at Mace pleadingly.

Mace was unmoved. “Go on.”

Skywalker sighed. “Sure,” he said to her.

“C’mon!” She grabbed his hand and pulled him away.

Mace tried not to smirk at Skywalker’s startled face, and went to see the Creche Masters overseeing things. He had to check with them about the packing list that Skywalker needed for his week away.

After getting the packing list, Mace gave Skywalker some time to meet all the initiates, and chatted with the Creche Masters about classes their students were going to be starting soon. When it was time to leave, Mace called Skywalker to him and bid everyone farewell.

“Bye, Anakin!” Arma said, echoed by several other students.

“Bye,” Skywalker mumbled, and they were out the door.

“I’ve got the list of what you need to bring, kid,” Mace said. “We might have to get a few things – I doubt a winter coat was in your stuff that Kenobi dropped off.”

Skywalker seemed a little quiet and less responsive. He was still listening, so Mace continued.

“Ilum is very cold. We can probably find a coat and things in general supply later today, but-” he pulled out his pad and checked the time, “lunch first. Where do you want to eat today, kid? We could try out the refectory again, but Creche Master Kalensi said it’s going to be channelfish dumplings and caramelized pkneb today. Which is, certainly, an experience if you haven’t had it before-”

“Master Windu?”

“-but it wouldn’t call it a good one,” Mace said. “Yes, kid?”

“I don’t want to go.”

Mace flicked through and dismissed some messages on his pad. “To the refectory? That’s fine. I have some stuff we can make in our rooms.”

“No,” Skywalker said, with finality. Startled, Mace looked up. “I don’t wanna go to Ilum.”

Mace… took a moment to process. “What? Why?”

Skywalker shrugged.

Mace replayed the entire conversation, trying to figure out how they got here. “...I mean, Ilum is very cold this time of… actually, at all times of the year, never mind. But we’ll make sure to get you some warm clothes that will keep you from freezing any bits off.”

“I don’t care about that,” Skywalker snapped.

Mace took a breath. “Then what’s the problem?”

It took some coaxing, but finally Skywalker burst out, “I don’t want to go on a trip with little kids!”

Mace blinked. “They’re- what? They’re a little younger than you, sure, but-”

“Why can’t you come with?”

Mace took a moment to process the sudden turn in conversation. “No other initiates bring someone with them. It wouldn’t be fair.” Mace frowned. “What is the issue here, exactly.”

“It’s- I just-” Skywalker huffed. “Never mind.”

And no matter how much Mace prodded, he wouldn’t say anything more on the topic.

*~* *~* *~* *~*

Looking back, Mace should have known that wouldn’t be the end of it. It didn’t look like it at first – it just looked like Skywalker had gained a new determination.

He didn’t complain during meditation, trying everything Mace suggested to center himself, with none of the restless shifting from before. It didn’t seem to have led to true meditation, but Mace thought it might just take some time. Skywalker also visited the initiates several times over the next week, with no prompting from Mace. Skywalker must have sorted out his problem with them, Mace thought with approval.

Then, two days before the trip to Ilum, Skwyalker stretched out of this meditation pose, and asked if Mace was sure he wouldn’t come with.

“I’ve been working really hard, and I was hoping you’d, maybe, change your mind,” Skywalker said.

This is what he got for being honest about the bribing.

Looking at Skywalker’s pleading face, Mace only felt tired. He sighed. “I told you, I can’t come. None of the others have someone going with them. It wouldn’t be fair.”

Skywalker scowled. “I don’t care about fair.”

Mace felt a burst of irritation. He took a breath, and tried a different tactic. “It’ll only be for a week. And you can spend the time driving the knights crazy with your new friends.”

“’They’re not my friends.”

“What?” Mace blinked. He’d thought they were past this.

“I don’t like them. They’re not my friends.”

Skywalker’s tone was eerily similar to a conversation Mace had witnessed during Skywalker’s teen years, when Obi-Wan had asked what had happened to his latest group of friends.

Skywalker had, Mace was beginning to remember, seldom kept friends for long while he was growing up. He would be having meals with a group, and then a few weeks later he would get into a fight with them and be eating alone. Mace’s own interactions with Skywalker had been seldom, and they mostly ended with Skywalker trying to pick a fight, which Mace had weathered with dwindling patience the older Skywalker got. Obi-Wan was the only one who seemed to be able to weather Skywalker’s temper.

Looking at Skywalker’s red face, Mace worried that this would turn out more like his previous relationship with Skywalker, instead of Skywalker’s and Obi Wan’s relationship. He took a breath. “Why don’t you like them? They seemed fine to me.”

“They’re just stupid babies.”

Where was this coming from?

“I feel like you’re not giving them enough credit,” Mace tried.

Skywalker’s face screwed up into something ugly. “I said, they’re just a bunch of dumb, helpless babies who need minding all the time.”

Alright this-

“We don’t treat others that way,” Mace said, struggling to keep his voice even. “That’s not what a Jedi does.”

…Well. That failed to be even at all.

Skywalker looked angrier than Mace had ever seen him. “I don’t care what a Jedi does! I think it’s stupid!”

“This isn’t working,” Mace realized. He didn’t even know what Skywalker was mad about, and his own temper was rising. Yelling at each other was going to be extremely unproductive. “Go to your room and take some time to calm down.”

“I don’t need to calm down! I don’t need you telling me what to do!”

...Yeah. Wrong approach. Good going, Mace.

Not that Mace knew what the best approach was here, with Mount Skywalker set to explode.

“We’ll talk later, after we’ve had some time to think,” Mace continued, trying to sound reasonable and calm and not like he was set to explode himself. “Let’s just take a minute together, and try to center-”

Skywalker gave a short, sharp scream and stomped away from him, fists clenched. He stomped towards his room.

Mace had a moment of indecision. Should he let him go, or should they calm down together? Whatever decision he had to make, he needed to make it now, and Skywalker was already in the doorway to his room, turning to face Mace with anger on his face-

“I hate you!”

Mace felt like he’d been slapped. He opened his mouth to say – something, anything – and then Skywalker slammed his door shut.

Mace took a breath.

What.

What just happened, Mace thought. One minute they were talking, and then the next-

What exactly was Skywalker’s problem? Mace didn’t know what the big deal was. Why did he have to be such an entitled little-

No. Deep breath, Mace.

He needed.

He needed to cool off. He needed to take his time, so he could approach this with a clearer head.

He needed a walk. A walk would probably help.

Mace left their quarters, the door shutting behind him with more force than he’d intended.

Chapter Text

With 2 hours of time and a clearer head, Mace could admit that had gone…

Well. Extremely poorly.

Skywalker was angry, but Mace didn’t think it was out of nowhere. And Mace had maybe dismissed his concerns. Skywalker must have had a reason for his anger.

...Even if it was incredibly childish reason, it would still be a reason.

And Mace needed to listen this time, instead of letting his emotions get the best of him.

He glanced at the last exchange on his comm from Depa.

he’s your padawan, now, not just the neighbor’s annoying padawan

listen to him.

I will. Thank you.

Get a grip, Mace. Your padawan is more important than your hurt feelings.

And he’s not the older Skywalker Mace had known. Not yet.

Mace took a breath, and knocked on Skywalker’s door.

After a long minute, where Mace wasn’t sure he was going to be answered, the door opened a crack and Skywalker peeked out.

Skywalker’s eyes were red and puffy, Mace realized with a pang. He took a breath. “Do you want to come out and join me, or do you need some more time?”

“I’m fine,” Skywalker said, scowling. He scrubbed at his face with his sleeve. Mace assessed him. Skywalker didn’t look angry. But he also hadn’t opened the door any further.

...Maybe the door would make him feel better? Or like, more in control of the situation.

It wouldn’t hurt to ask.

“Or, you could…” Mace started, “You could stay there, and I could stay out here? And if you need more time, you can just shut the door, and we can talk later?”

Skywalker frowned. “Are you okay?” he asked. “You’re acting really weird.”

“I just… I don’t like how our last conversation went,” Mace said. “I don’t like how I acted. And if you need more time to…” don’t say calm down, don’t say calm down, “...think, then…”

“It’s fine,” Skywalker said sullenly. “I opened the door, didn’t I?”

Mace decided that was as open an invitation as he was likely to get.

He sat down in front of Skywalker’s door. “Let’s try this again. What’s wrong, kid? Walk me through this.”

Skywalker crossed his arms, and looked away.

“While I could have done without the insults, they did get the point across,” Mace said dryly. “You’re upset, and I haven’t been listening. I’m here to listen now.”

Skywalker’s door frame was apparently the most interesting thing right now.

“Me going with you is clearly important to you,” Mace tried. “Tell me why.”

Skywalker took a shaky breath, swiped his eyes, and glared at him. “Why are you trying to get rid of me?”

Mace felt like he’d been punched in the gut. “What?”

“You just-” Skywalker faltered, then started looking teary-eyed again. “Do you- do you not want me as a padawan anymore? I just- they’re all still looking for Masters- and they know so many things about the Force- and you don’t want to-”

Oh.

“You thought I was walking away.”

Skywalker twitched when Mace said that, but barreled on. “-And I thought, well, maybe you’re sick of me, and tired of how I don’t know anything about being a Jedi, so I tried to sh-show you that I was really trying, but I c-can’t do meditation right even though y-you’ve explained it a h-hundred times-”

Oh, this kid.

“-And I-I thought if you really d-didn’t want me, then what was I g-going to d-do? No one else on the Council w-wanted to train me, except you, and if y-you’re tired of me already, then-”

“Kid.”

Skywalker looked up, glaring, lip trembling. “What?”

Mace considered asking, Do you want a hug? But, he thought Skywalker wouldn’t take that well right now. He took a breath, and said, “I’m not tired of you. I like you a lot.”

“Then why do I have to go?!” Skywalker burst out.

Because it would make my life a lot easier, Mace didn’t say. He looked at Skywalker, teary and shaken and confused. He pictured his plan – Skywalker gets a lightsaber, Skywalker makes friends and feels connected to the Jedi, Skywalker is one step farther from Falling – and mentally released it.

It took a few seconds, but when he was done, he said, “You don’t have to go.”

Skywalker looked at him witheringly. “You said I had to.”

“Well, if you don’t want to, we’ll find another way,” Mace said. He wasn’t sure what that would be, but he would figure it out. “Before we make any plans, just- thank you for telling me what you were thinking.”

“Sure.” Skywalker wasn’t looking at him anymore.

“Can I tell you what I was thinking?” Mace said. “I’m not trying to convince you to go, I just want you to know.”

Skywalker didn’t say anything, but the door didn’t close, so Mace took it as permission.

He tried to get his thoughts in order. “When I was eight – the same age as those dumb babies, as you referred to them-”

Skywalker’s face twitched.

“-I went to Ilum to find my first crystal. I didn’t have a Master then, I just went with my friends, and the Jedi Knights leading the mission. Depa got her crystal with her friends several years before I ever met her. So,” Mace kept his voice light, “I thought it would be better for you to go without your Master.”

Skywalker frowned. “Why?”

Because you deserve to have more connections than just me and Depa, Mace thought. Because the Jedi, if you let them, can be a community who cares about you, and can help you when you feel lost.

Mace didn’t… he didn’t know how to say any of that, but he tried. “Well. You’ve met some of Depa’s friends, right?”

“Yeah...”

“I don’t spend time with all of Depa’s friends. Depa doesn’t spend time with all of my friends. And I just want you to have friends your own age. Like-” he searched for an example, “we talked about starting some classes soon, right?”

“Yeah. That’s why I need a lightsaber.”

“Yes, part of it. And you’ll have teachers that are good, or teachers that are boring, and you can always come and talk to me about them. But, it might be more satisfying to do it with someone who is also taking that class. Do you see what I mean?”

“I guess,” Skywalker said. “Mom doesn’t really like podracing, so I usually talk about it with my friends.”

“Exactly!” Mace said. “And I just thought going on this trip would be a good chance for you to make some friends, before classes start.”

“I guess that makes sense.” The door opened a little wider, and Skywalker leaned against the doorway. “But I would still rather you come.”

Mace sighed. “How about this. We will talk to the Knights in charge of this trip and ask – politely! - if I can come along. It’s not my trip, and I don’t want to be in their way.”

Skywalker crossed his arms. “What if they say no?”

“If they do,” Mace said, “then we’ll talk about our options.”

“Okay.”

“There’s one more thing,” Mace said. “We have to talk about what you said about your fellow Jedi.”

When Skywalker frowned in confusion, Mace prompted, “Something about babies, I believe?”

Skywalker twitched again, and Mace thought he saw some guilt there.

Looking for an honest answer, Mace tread carefully. “Have they been mean to you?”

“No, they’re fine, I guess,” Skywalker said.

“Then you had no reason to be mean to them?” Mace clarified.

“It’s not like I said it to their faces,” Skywalker grumbled.

Mace took a breath. “Which is why I’m not forcing you to apologize. I don’t think that would work for this. However, it wasn’t kind, and I think if you really tried, you could still find some friends in that group.”

Skywalker looked wary.

“As a consequence for what you said, I want you to spend some time talking to each of them, getting to know them.”

“But there’s, like, ten of them!” Skywalker protested.

“Eight, actually,” Mace corrected, acting like he’d known that all along and hadn’t just seen that in the itinerary emailed this morning. “And if you and I go with them to Ilum, then there’s plenty of time during the space flights. You can talk with four of them on the way there, and four on the way back. And-” he continued, over Skywalker’s groan, “-you have to find one nice thing to say to each of them. A compliment, a joke, something that they would appreciate.”

Skywalker sighed explosively.

Mace waited for a response. When none was forthcoming, he ventured, “Do you feel like this is unfair?”

“...No.”

“Then we’ll do that, okay?” Mace said.

“I just-” Skywalker cut himself off.

Mace raised an eyebrow. “Yes?”

“I know it was rude, and I’m sorry, but they really are a bunch of…” he glanced at Mace, and amended, “...I mean, they’re really young, aren’t they?”

“...Where is this coming from?” Mace asked, confused. “They’re eight years old. Does that really feel that much younger to you? You’re only a few months older than them.”

Skywalker frowned. “They’re eight? They seem younger than that to me.”

“How so?” Mace asked.

“I mean-” Skywalker started, then stopped. When he began again, he was clearly feeling out his words. “When I was eight, I was running the counter during Watto’s lunch break and his afternoon nap.”

Mace frowned. “By yourself?”

Skywalker shrugged. “I mean, sometimes Mom was with me, but Watto would make her run errands a lot. And if it was, y’know, a big purchase, I was supposed to go get Watto, but that was just ‘cause Watto liked to upcharge. But I didn’t need watching to just mind the store.”

Mace… thought he understood what Skywalker meant. “You’re saying they’re a little immature.”

Skywalker shrugged again. “I guess.”

Mace didn’t want to make Skywalker self-conscious about his upbringing, so he didn’t say the first two things that came to mind. Finally, he said, “They just haven’t had as much experience as you have, padawan. Most of them have lived in the Temple since they were one or two years old. This trip to Ilum is the first trip many of them remember being off planet. Give them a chance?”

Skywalker sighed heavily. “I’ll try.”

Mace supposed that was good enough.

*~* *~* *~* *~*

When Mace presented himself to the Knights leading the trip to Ilum, he was received… a bit too enthusiastically.

“Oh, sure, Master Windu sir!” Knight Sei said brightly, his furry face stretched in a wide smile. “It’s a pleasure to have you joining us on this trip. And can I just say, Master Windu, that I saw your Holocron demonstration of Vapaad when I went to the Archives recently, and it was incredible! You, ah, probably get that a lot, haha!”

Mace was regretting this already. He glance d from Knight Sei to Knight Odonowwno, who looked a bit more hesitant. When her dark eyes met his, she blurted, “This isn’t, y’know, an evaluation or anything, right ?”

Mace sighed. “I will not be joining this mission in any official capacity. However, Padawan Skywalker is still very new to this, and I would like to give him my support.”

“Oh,” Knight Odonowwno said. “Um, okay.”

“Ah, yes, Padawan Skywalker!” Knight Sei… well, gushed. “I understand he’s a late addition to the trip, but I’m sure he’ll do well! Is it true that he’s a good pilot?”

Mace raised an eyebrow. “Where did you hear that?”

Knight Sei paused, a strange sort of panic on his face. “Ah, it’s- well, it’s just been going around the Temple, of course! I don’t know who exactly-”

“No need to worry. I was simply curious.” Nice to know that he still gave people anxiety. Mace carefully did not sigh.

*~* *~* *~* *~*

“And… done,” Skywalker said, dropping his pad beside him on the bunk.

“Thank you,” Mace said. “Did you submit them?”

“Yep.”

“I’m glad we did them before we left Coruscant airspace,” Mace said. “It will probably take Course Admin a few days to review them, and we’ll be in transit during that time. I might get the results while we’re on Ilum, but the relays are not very strong there.”

“I still don’t really get how these placement tests work,” Skywalker said. “Wouldn’t it be easier if the teachers just talked to me?”

Course Administration had recommended placement tests, which hadn’t occurred to Mace until they suggested it. Then again, Mace hadn’t taken a placement test until he was about 15. He hadn’t realized they were offered for beginner classes.

He refocused on Skywalker’s question. “In some ways, yes. But if there are several students who are taking the placement tests, it’s easier for Course Admin to look at everyone’s tests all together, and sort them into the correct classes they need to take. And if the recommended class is not a good fit, I can talk to Course Admin and help you switch classes.”

“Oh,” Skywalker said. He stretched, then curled up against the wall, balled up in a way that made Mace’s back twinge in sympathy.

There was a moment of silence, and Mace turned back to the ever-present correspondence on his pad. Email acknowledging the submission of the placement tests. He marked as read. Upcoming Council meeting scheduled for a tenday from Friday. He added to his calendar. Email from… a senator from Shu-Torun who’d somehow scrounged up his email and was complaining about… this sounded like not his problem. He drafted a reply directing the senator to the ExplorCorps office. A message chime from Depa, echoed from his comm, wishing them luck and promising to maybe have time to move some more boxes into his and Skywalker’s new rooms. He hit reply and typed, Just don’t burn the new apartment down while I’m gone, and I’ll consider it a job well

“I’m gonna do it, you know.”

Mace sighed. “I have no doubt you will.”

“I’m going to talk to them,” Skywalker growled, staring at his knees. “I promised. ”

Mace thought it best to keep silent. This had been a recurring sentiment since they’d boarded the Noriur* for Ilum. When the talking had not resulted in any action, Mace had offered the placement tests, which Skywalker had set upon with an enthusiasm that had not been shown when they were first mentioned.

“I’m just getting ready, okay?”

“Okay,” Mace said, purposefully calm. “And I have no problem with you getting ready in here with me. That said, I’m pretty sure that Initiate Aisha said something about playing Uza** in the rec room an hour ago, if you need a reason.”

Skywalker sighed, then crawled off his bunk. “Okay. Aisha has cool hair, so I should probably start with that.”

“Kid.” When Skywalker turned, Mace said, “Thank you. I know you’ll do your best.”

“Mom always says that kindness is worth doing well, even if you don’t feel like it,” Skywalker said. “So I better listen to her.”

The door snicked shut behind him, and Mace went back to his emails.

Just before they left Coruscant airspace completely behind – Mace could hear the engines gearing up for the hyperspace jump in a few minutes – his pad dinged, and an email message popped up.

It was from the Chancellor’s office.

From Palpatine.

“You do realize that my Master isn’t going to stop at a written report? He’s going to dig deeper. And then we’re all going to be stuck between an asteroid and a bulkhead.”

He stared at the subject line – “Greetings and Well Wishes” – for way longer than he should have. After some time, he realized that he was only hearing static. He took a sudden breath, then another, until his breathing was smooth. Then he turned his pad off without opening the message.

Mace knew he was going to have to deal with the Sith – with Palpatine soon, if he didn’t want suspicion to arise about Maul. Maul had warned him about this exact thing, and Mace had promised that he would handle it. But he- he didn’t know how to-

He was going to have to spend some time thinking about how he’d treated Palpatine, before he began to suspect something was off about the Chancellor. Before executive order after executive order of emergency powers kept passing. Before it became illegal to parley for a peace treaty with any branch of the Separatist movement. Mace has suspected blackmail, or bribes, or something else. Palpatine was a politician after all; Mace didn’t know many that didn’t have one or two skeletons hiding in their closet.

He just.

Well.

Hadn’t expected the skeletons to be Sith in shape.

With time, Mace could act normal. He knew he could pull on the mask of general disgust for politicians, with the thin veneer of politeness that meant most senators would be too afraid to call him out on it. He knew how to throw up a mask, and hide his deep disgust of Sith.

He could do it, eventually, given enough time to prepare. But the very idea of it was exhausting, no matter how necessary.

He had some leeway before it got suspicious, of course. He’d just taken on a new padawan, which definitely took up the majority of any Jedi’s time. He’d also never met Palpatine in this time, yet, which meant Palpatine didn’t have a baseline to draw from about Mace’s previous behavior.

But with this email, time was starting to run out. Master Windu was known to be a professional that answered his messages promptly and consistently. Anyone in the Senate building who’d worked with him before – including several senators that probably worked closely with Palpatine now – knew this.

...He would figure it out.