ii. CHANGE
wc, 3210

Violet's heart hammered in her chest. Her eyes fell shut as she concentrated on the steady ebb and flow of the Force. She stood in one of the Temple's training rooms alone. Her fingers tightened around the hilt of her lightsaber, feeling the grooves and cool metal against her skin — it still felt foreign in her grasp. The weapon emitted a distinct hum when she ignited the vibrant blue blade. She swung the lightsaber around, cutting through the air, to practise her forms. Any outsider knew that Violet could recite these movements in her sleep, but, in practice, she constantly doubted herself.

In the months since Ahsoka had left for war, Violet had moved to focus solely on training. She did not want to be left wandering the Temple alone for the duration of the war. Violet forced herself to improve. She missed her best friend constantly and wished Ahsoka's battalion would return to Coruscant. It wasn't that they could not contact each other (they talked to each other over Holos every night); Violet just missed seeing her best friend outside a flickering blue hologram; she wanted to hold Ahsoka in her arms like she did when they were kids.

She wanted to be a padawan (it was the best way for her to gain more control over her life), but Violet grew wary of becoming one as she believed she wasn't ready. As much as Violet tried to deny it to herself, the belief did not lay deep inside her; it bubbled on the surface. And it had been drilled into her by the Jedi Council. Two years ago, Violet travelled to Ilum with a group of other younglings to partake in the Gathering and find her kyber crystal to build her lightsaber. The day was supposed to be significant, to show that the younglings were worthy of entering the next stage of their Jedi training. But Violet failed. She never discovered her crystal and was stuck using training sabers and other spares until she could finally make her own.

The lightsaber Violet had worked well enough, but she had no connection to it. Even before they entered the crystal caverns, Violet said she could not feel the Force like the others. But Master Yoda insisted that she would find it. Afterwards, he changed his words to claim that Violet would find her kyber crystal when the time was right. She would return to Ilum in a few years and find it then. Violet argued that she could sense her crystal somewhere else, but no one listened to her.

If Violet was not ready to make her lightsaber, how could she prove that it was time for her to become a padawan? She tried to hide her jealousy when she heard Ahsoka talk about her missions and training with Anakin Skywalker, but Violet hated getting left behind. (She'd never been anyone's first choice; she was always second best.)

She continued working on her forms and moved to practise with the training equipment, using it as an outlet for her irritation. She wished her parents never let the Jedi take her; that way, things would be easier — she would be worry-free and happy. But what if the Jedi found her earlier instead? She wouldn't be behind and wouldn't feel trapped by her memories. (Either way, she would know Ahsoka in the same way.) As she sliced through another droid dummy, its pieces falling by her feet, Violet was interrupted.

"You have anger, little one."

She turned her head to see newly appointed Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi entering the training room. Violet usually spent her time training alone; having someone join or interrupt her was rare.

"You need to move past it."

Violet huffed. She switched her lightsaber off, the blue blade recoiling into the hilt with a satisfying hiss. She had heard this speech before but not yet from Master Kenobi. Obi-Wan had been the one to find Violet on Naboo and bring her to the Jedi Temple. When Violet realised what was happening, she tried to run away; she did not want to listen to her parents' conversation with the Jedi. Nevertheless, Obi-Wan had become like a mentor to Violet over the last five years, giving help and advice whenever she needed it.

"I'm just frustrated, Master," she admitted. "Everyone I know has gone to war and become a padawan; I don't want to be left behind."

"You should savour the days you are not on a battlefield, Violet. It will not be long now."

Violet decided not to voice her doubts. Instead, she stared at the lightsaber in her hand.

"You remind me of my former padawan," Obi-Wan continued.

He didn't need to mention the name. Everyone knew that Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker were master and apprentice for ten years. They were famous both in the Temple and across the galaxy. You knew you were safe as soon as they were around. (And now Ahsoka had joined in on their escapades too.)

"Anakin has the same fire." Obi-Wan looked around at the scorch marks on the training dummies before taking his lightsaber off his belt. "Do you want to practise with a real opponent?"

Violet nodded. She fell back into her usual stance before igniting her lightsaber once more. She had spent her years at the Temple watching other Jedi train. Her preferred method of fighting had developed into a mixture of them all. Obi-Wan then ignited his lightsaber as well. With a crackling sizzle, Violet swung her borrowed lightsaber around, and it hit against the blue blade of Obi-Wan's.

✶

As well as becoming a padawan and joining the war to prove herself and gain more control over her life, Violet just wanted to travel again. As a child, she loved nothing more than to travel the stars with her family, and she never grew tired of it. She loved staring through the viewports as the transport ship left Naboo to fly the quick route through Hyperspace to Aphelion, and she would beg her father to explain how space travel worked again. But now, she had been grounded like a crashed starship.

There had been an instance when Violet and Ahsoka were eleven, where they left the Temple and Coruscant — that adventure began with a game and a failed attempt at keeping quiet.

The girls had been running amok in the Temple, playing hide and seek. Violet used to play it with her younger brother, but he was never any good at it. When she went to hide again, she found her way into the hangar and noticed Master Plo Koon preparing a ship for himself. Then when Ahsoka found her, Violet was not disappointed — her attention to the game had fizzled out and now focused on Master Plo instead. The amber Kel-dor had been the one to bring Ahsoka to the Temple when she was only three years old — they had the same kind of relationship that Violet and Obi-Wan had. Ahsoka was quick to suggest that they snuck along.

"What if we get in trouble?" Violet had asked.

Ahsoka pulled her best friend to her feet and began walking purposefully toward the ship. "What's the worst that can happen?"

Violet followed close behind. "I don't think this is a good idea."

"Then why are you following me?" Ahsoka grinned.

"Because someone needs to bail you out when you stumble into another mess."

The younglings had slipped onboard easily and managed to stay hidden in the cargo hold until the ship left Coruscant's atmosphere — Ahsoka's gasp had alerted Master Plo to their position. But the Jedi wasn't angry. Instead, he explained how he headed to Naboo for some "boring Jedi business." Ahsoka had been ecstatic, loudly professing this. Violet remained more quiet, hoping there was a way she could sneak away and find some of the people she used to know.

Violet found no trace of her parents when they landed in Theed. Instead, she and Ahsoka found Naboo's former Queen and current senator, Padmé Amidala. Violet had known the senator since she was Padmé Naberrie, spending her summers with her and Violet's families. Violet's grandmother and Padmé's mother had grown up on Alderaan together, and the lives of their children had now become entwined too.

Young Athena Palpatine had been there with Padmé too. Athena was the daughter of the Supreme Chancellor and the Queen of Aphelion. She was the second (still acknowledged) daughter of the Chancellor and heir to the Apheli throne. And, at that time, was a Jedi Padawan on a lucky mission to Naboo herself.

The younglings helped them both prepare a picnic for dinner (something that eventually became an almost frequent venture). Padmé told them stories — Ahsoka's favourites were the ones of Violet when she was little — and Athena gave them Jedi secrets and practice with mediation and duelling. When the day drew to a close, they returned to Coruscant with Master Plo and knew they wouldn't forget that day.

Now she was older again, Violet craved bigger adventures.

But currently, she sat in the back of a speeder on her way to the Senate building. Typically, Jedi did not interfere with politics, but Violet liked watching the senators work. She enjoyed learning about politics — which was part of the reason for her journey today. Violet listened to the engine and recalled her conversation with Alana on her birthday. Violet knew that her father always liked building and fixing things (he'd tried to teach his daughter, but Violet proved she had no skill with any tools). She had tried to seek her father out at the Temple in the last few months but had been unable to find him. It had been five years, and family members of Jedi were not allowed to work at the Temple, so Violet knew he was working there until an alias — but overtly searching for her father could be dangerous (attachments and all that). She still missed her family every day; trying to fight was fruitless.

Anyway, Violet said to herself to draw herself from her thoughts. She stared out ahead at the advancing Senate building. Her trip was not to do with anything Jedi related; she was meeting with the Chancellor of the Republic.

Violet had met Chancellor Palpatine when she had only been at the Temple a few months, it was the first time she had wandered off from the Temple. She'd been looking for familiarity — anything to remind her of home — in the days before she discovered the Skydome Gardens, and she still managed to make it to one of the only places on the planet still filled with natural life: the Chancellor's Garden. She was immediately found and questioned by towering men dressed in crimson, holding staffs more than double Violet's height, but she didn't have the right answers to their questions. Why was she there? Something had pulled her along subconsciously. She wanted to blame the Force, but would that make sense to anyone but her?

The Chancellor found her before she was taken back to the Temple. He'd greeted her with a smile. Like all adults, he towered over her — but the Chancellor was formidable in a different way. "Hello, little one. You're a long way from home."

Violet's thoughts instantly jumped back to Naboo. That was home. But she knew the Chancellor had to be talking about the Jedi Temple — her smart cream robes were very recognisable.

Her gaze shifted to the children in Palpatine's shadow: two girls and two boys. The first boy was dressed in sharp navy, hardly five years older than Violet. But his eyes were cold, void of the childish glint one would expect in someone still so young. Violet considered him, and he did the same with her. She offered him a smile, but it was not reciprocated. The first girl was similar, with red hair, deep brown eyes and a faint bronze sheen over her pale pink skin. She hardly gave Violet a second look, too occupied by the science book clasped in her hands. She was clearly the eldest of them all — but not by much. The second girl was the opposite, all sunshine and spring dressed in pastel silk. Her hair fell around her shoulders like a golden cloud and did little to hide the padawan braid behind her ear. She was a couple years older than Violet and had all the light her siblings had lost in her smile. She gave Violet a tiny wave. The last boy (no older than Violet) clung to the blonde's hand. His darker curls were brushed away from his eyes, and he bore a curious look as he looked at Violet.

The Chancellor turned to the children behind him, stating their names (Charl, Zara, Athena, Atlas) before instructing them to go back inside. They obliged, leaving Palpatine and Violet alone.

"What are you doing here?" Palpatine asked, lowering himself to Violet's height.

"I wanted to explore. I don't like the Temple," she replied.

"Oh? What places do you like to explore?"

Violet looked around. "Ones like this. Like Naboo."

"Is that where you are from?" Violet nodded; Palpatine smiled. "Naboo is my homeworld too. Why don't we take a walk?"

The Chancellor stood and dismissed the guards who stood behind him like shadows. He introduced himself to Violet as they began to walk, and she introduced herself in turn. Then he asked her questions about the Jedi and where she came from. The conversation was interrupted when an aide entered the garden to hand Palpatine a datapad.

"A politician's work never ends," he told Violet. He sat down on a marble bench and motioned for Violet to sit next to him.

"What does a politician do?" she asked, peering closer at the Chancellor's datapad, trying to understand what it all meant.

"We represent planets and star systems in the Senate and try to make the galaxy more fair and peaceful."

"That sounds fun."

Palpatine laughed. He handed the datapad back to the aide, who left promptly and stood to continue their walk. "I wish it was so."

Violet scurried after him. "Can you teach me?"

"I'm sure you have more interesting things to learn at the Jedi Temple."

"People treat me like I'm stupid because I'm older." Violet kicked at the gravel path. "I don't like it there."

"Is there nothing you have enjoyed learning about?"

Violet thought for a moment. "I like history."

They passed a flower bed with tall, scarlet-petalled plants and Violet peered at them closely. They smelled sweet.

Palpatine put a hand on her shoulder and guided her back. "Don't get too close. They're carnivorous."

"Carnivorous?"

"They're dangerous."

Violet's eyes grew wide, glowing like moons. She had never encountered dangerous plants before — only roses with tiny thorns in her mother's garden. She tried to think of an example of something dangerous. "Like the Sith? I read about them. They were around a long time ago until the Jedi beat them." Violet found herself grinning, proud for recalling her history lesson from last week.

"I can teach you about history and politics if you like."

"Yes please!"

She began skipping on ahead, looking at the other flowers in the garden — curious to see if there were any more dangerous ones. In her distraction, she tripped over and scraped her knee. She stared at the torn fabric of her trousers and the pink skin underneath. Tiny beads of blood began to grow; Violet sucked in a sharp breath.

Palpatine was by her side before she could fully register what had happened. He hushed her and hovered his right hand over her tiny injury. When he removed his hand a moment later, her knee was fixed — no traces of blood, a scratch or even a scar.

Violet turned to look up at the Chancellor and stared. "Are you a Jedi?"

"You do not need to be a Jedi to learn how to use the Force, my dear," he replied.

Palpatine extended a hand to help Violet to her feet. "Now, let us get you back to the Temple. Your Jedi Masters will be looking for you, and we need to arrange your lessons."

Violet followed him back towards the entrance of the garden. Before they reached earshot of the guards, Palpatine brought them to a halt. "Do not tell anyone about today, do you understand? It will be our secret. You don't want to get in trouble."

Violet nodded and mimed zipping her lips. "I promise."

As well as being a teacher, the Chancellor was also someone Violet could talk to about anything — even more so than Obi-Wan, as Chancellor Palpatine held no allegiance to the Jedi Code and did not speak in riddles as other Jedi Masters did. Violet was one of only two Jedi the Chancellor seemed interested in, which she took as a compliment — although she couldn't be sure why he had chosen her. After so many other Jedi, what made Violet so special?

"You seem distracted today." the Chancellor's voice drew Violet from her reverie. She sat on the other side of his desk, staring lazily out of the wide viewport. Violet liked the Chancellor's office; the scarlet colour was sometimes too much for her eyes, but it was comfortable. The office was like the pearl inside the oyster shell of the Senate. "What is on your mind?"

Violet shrugged but straightened her posture in her seat. "The war, I suppose."

Palpatine nodded. "Of course. It plagues us all."

"I want to be a padawan," Violet stated. "I want to help the Republic. I want more control over my life. And I don't want to be left alone." She sunk back down in her chair and folded her arms. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't complain. It's just that the Council–"

"–Doesn't trust you? As far as I'm aware, you're as ready to become a padawan as anyone else."

"I still don't have my own lightsaber. The council is right."

The Chancellor shook his head. "You underestimate yourself, my dear. You'll build your lightsaber when the time is right, And what's with all the haste?"

Violet shrugged once again. She had never shared her plans to leave the Jedi Order. Younglings were bound to the Temple. Padawans had more freedom but had to act according to their master's rules. Jedi Knights had fewer people telling them what to do; leaving would be easier as a Knight. "I want to prove myself." (Not a lie.)

"I feel certain that you will."

Then Violet's comm device began to beep with a message that called her back to the Temple. She looked up at the Chancellor. "The Council wants to meet with me,"

Palpatine smiled. "I am sure they will bring you good news. We can arrange the rest of your lessons later."

Hope rose within Violet as she stood up. There was only one reason the Council would want to meet with her — but surely that was too good to be true. She waited for the Chancellor to dismiss her before she left. If Violet was going to become a padawan, she would finally get to see Ahsoka again.

✶

AUTHOR'S NOTE.

charl belongs to the loml savingpIuto on ao3 🤍