#NaNoWriMo Day 10 | The Darker Side – Musings of the Master

IV. I would befriend young Anakin Skywalker so as to undermine his Jedi training, so that he could later embrace a larger perspective of the Force.

At the funeral of Master Qui-Gon Jinn, I promised the boy that I would watch his career with great interest. And I meant it. Thus began our long-standing friendship. I remained connected to Anakin through Master Kenobi and at the annoyance of Master Yoda. He—and the Jedi Council—proved wary of the mixing of politics and Jedi training. No matter, I made sure to discuss politics with Anakin whenever I could. It was difficult at times to separate him from his master, but nonetheless a strong bond of polite friendship formed and I won over his trust.

As his one of his few outside-the-Jedi-Temple friends, Anakin shared candidly with me the successes and challenges he faced. For instance, he loved to tinker. He build his own workbench in his room so that he could  repair and create droids that performed various duties around the Temple.

What troubled him in particular was the way the other padawans treated him. They sensed that his skills and abilities were well beyond their own, and that made them uneasy.

Pity.

All I had to say to encourage him were things like, “It’s too bad that they are jealous of your power,” or “They really should let you do more, you are so incredibly gifted. Can’t they see how special you really are?” Every so often I would call into question the judgement of the Jedi Council.

Not everything was easy, though. Whenever Anakin reflected inwardly—as both Jedi and Sith are prone to do—a great power and burning pain from the future dominated his meditations. I realized quickly that his skill of foresight was more developed than anyone realized. The Jedi only challenged him to let go of his fears. I knew that this fear would give him strength one day. But only when he was older would I begin insinuating that the Jedi-taught Light Side wasn’t the only way one could—and should—appreciate the Force.