Date: Thu, 6 Jun 2002 23:34:22 EDT
From: THRAWN5678@aol.com
Subject: The Chosen One's Choice- Chapter 1

Disclaimer: This story is pure fiction, and thus is not meant to imply
anything about the sexuality of any and all celebrities mentioned. If you
are underage, or if you are offended by such stories, leave now!! Also, all
Star Wars characters and the trademark of Star Wars itself is the property
of George Lucas and Lucasfilms.

Author's Notes: This is Squall Thrawn, author of Never Guess in the boyband
section. I had not planned on doing another series while Never Guess was still
going, however, plans change. I received an e-mail from somebody, asking me to
write a story about them and a celebrity. I was a bit leery about doing it at
first. However, after chatting with him, I decided to do it. The things you do
for friends... hehe... This is be a bit different than Never Guess, and
unfortunately will remain secondary to Never Guess while that is still going.
However, this should be good... Also, this story takes a few liberties with
certain Star Wars characters, and of certain arrangements. Some things are not
documented at all, and thus will be created by me. Some things have been
documented, and will be changed by me for purposes of this story. So please
don't whine about there being some differences in the story. It's my story, so
there...:P... Feedback, comments can be sent to THRAWN5678@aol.com.

While you're at it, read my story, You'll Never Guess Who Ran Into Me Today
in the boyband section of the archives.

This is dedicated to Sean, the inspiration and main character of the story,
and my editor Ryan.

****************************************************************************

The Chosen One's Choice

"So, what know you of the separatists, Master Jardian?" asked Master Yoda, the
most powerful and most respected member of the Jedi Council.

"I have found out that they are being led by Count Dooku, who used to be one of
our own," said Jedi Master Sion Jardian, relatively new to the council.

"Count Dooku.. my old apprentice, he is," observed Master Yoda, deep in thought.

"What would have made him join these separatists?" A calm, smooth voice asked.
Second only to Yoda himself, Master Mace Windu was the picture of complete
calmness. Sion had a lot of admiration for Master Windu, for he had been the
Jedi Master who had instructed him. "Have your investigations uncovered that as
of yet, Master Jardian?"

"No, his motives remain a complete mystery, even to me," said Sion.

"If it had been remotely possible for you to find these out, we are confident
that you would have," said Jedi Master Ki-Adi-Mundi. The coneheaded Cerean
scratched his beard.

"Thank you," replied Sion with a nod. Then, everything started to get blurry all
of a sudden. He lurched to his feet, but nobody seemed to notice his
predicament.

With a start, Sion woke up. He sat up and looked around at his surroundings. He
was in his quarters, a room set aside for Padawan learners.

"Reality.. what a gyp," Sion said to himself. He wasn't a member of the Jedi
Council. He wasn't even a Jedi Knight. Sion Jardian was simply a Padawan
learner.

Sion got out of bed, looking himself over. He always slept nude; most of the
Padawans in the Jedi Temple did. The Temple was always hot; it could have easily
been remodelled so that climate controls could be installed, but the Jedi
Council had demurred. They felt that the heat in the Temple was merely a
distraction that any true Jedi could ignore. But the numerous Padawans also
staying in the temple were not as immune to the heat. His short blonde hair was
cut regulation-style, with a single braid running over his right ear; the sign
of a Padawan learner. Just then, a gong rang twice.

"Sithspawn!!" cursed Sion, suddenly galvanized into action. That was the second
gong. That meant he had approximately 15 minutes to get changed, go eat
breakfast in the Meal Hall, and meet his Jedi Master at his quarters.

Sion dressed himself quickly, donning the tan-colored tunic and trousers that
were regulation-style as well. He fastened his belt and clipped his lightsaber
to it. He hurried out the door, crashing into another Padawan.

"Hey, what are you hurrying for, Sion?" asked Squall Antilles, catching Sion
before they both fell. "The food isn't that good."

"Very funny, Squall," said Sion, as he continued to walk towards the Meal Hall,
Squall following him. "I'm running late; I need to eat and meet Master Windu."

"Oh yes, gotta get up early for Master Windu," said Squall, smiling. He was
wearing the same uniform as Sion, his black hair the same as Sion's as well.
"Master Derka isn't nearly as busy as Master Windu, so he doesn't expect me
until later."

"Well," retorted Sion, but still grinning, "Master Derka also doesn't serve on
the Jedi Council."

The two friends reached the Meal Hall, where they were serving nerf medallions
in a lumpy whitish gravy. Sion grabbed a plate and the cafeteria droid put two
nerf medallions on it, then spooned a helping of gravy. Sion grimaced as he sat
down at a nearby table.

"Aren't you eating this stuff too?" asked Sion, who then took a bite of his
food. He frowned.

"Hey, I don't have a death wish," said Squall, grinning. "Actually, I've already
eaten. I was actually coming to look for you. You weren't here at the usual
time."

"I overslept... I had this strange dream," said Sion, reflecting on the previous
night's dream. "I was a member of the Jedi Council, and they were asking me
about Count Dooku and the separatists."

"Wow," said Squall. "I wonder if it means anything... I mean, I haven't heard of
any connection between Count Dooku and Separatists."

"Yeah, right," exclaimed Sion. "It was just that, a dream. And I don't think I
have what it takes to become a member of the Council."

"Well, your Master is Master Windu, right?" asked Squall. "He'll obviously train
you right. I mean, look at Master Depa Billaba. She was once his Padawan
learner; now she's a member of the Council with him. You just need a little
faith in yourself, my friend."

"He's right," said a voice above them. They looked to see Master Windu himself
standing over them. The two Padawans started to get up to bow at him, but he
waved his hand that they should continue eating. "You need more confidence in
yourself, Sion Jardian. You need to assert yourself more."

"Yes, Master," said Sion.

"To that end, today, and perhaps for a while, you will be training with Anakin
Skywalker. He is brash and overconfident. Perhaps you two can learn from each
other." Mace Windu spoke precisely and clearly, as if saying that he expected
them to learn from each other. "You know him?"

"Only a little, Master," said Sion. "Master Kenobi travels frequently, and
Anakin along with him."

"Fine," said Master Windu. "You will also gain the opportunity to get to know
him. If Anakin follows the correct path, he will become a great Jedi. As I can
foresee you doing. Meet me in the usual training room precisely at the fourth
gong. Enjoy your meal." With that, Mace Windu turned and walked out of the room.

"Wow, Sion," said Squall. "Your Master sure gets to the point fast, doesn't he?"

"Yeah, he isn't one to waste words," admitted Sion. Just then, the third gong
rang. "It's a good thing I don't have to meet him now, 'cause I would have been
late."

The two friends chatted for a while. Finally, Squall stood up. "Well, I have to
get going. Master Derka wants me to get something from the archives before
meeting him. Something about Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas. Have fun training with
Anakin!! I hear he's pretty intense!!"

"Alright," said Sion, as he stood up also. "I'll talk to ya later, Squall. I
might as well get going as well." The two friends parted ways, Squall heading
towards the Jedi Archives, while Sion was headed to the training room.

"Anakin Skywalker..," said Sion to himself, walking towards the training room.
Sion hadn't had much contact with him, but that was mainly by design. Sion had
known that he was attracted to guys for quite some time now. But he had chosen
not to do anything about it. The Jedi had no rule against being gay; indeed, the
Jedi taught that everybody was equal, no matter what their species, gender,
sexual orientation, or anything else. However, the Jedi Code also forbid any
type of relationship under normal circumstances. And Sion was reluctant to
engage in something as intimate as sex with somebody he would never be able to
stay with. Anakin Skywalker was a prime example of that. Sion had been attracted
to him for a few years, but chose to avoid him so that he wouldn't be tempted to
do anything foolish.

'We're so different,' reflected Sion, still walking towards the training room.
'Even our backgrounds couldn't be more dissimilar.' Anakin had been a slave for
most of his young life on Tatooine. Master Qui-Gon Jinn had found him there, and
had brought him back to Coruscant. During the Battle of Naboo, Anakin had
piloted a starfighter and had destroyed the Trade Federation Droid Control Ship
by himself. Meanwhile, Qui-Gon and his Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi had fought a Sith
Lord in Naboo. Master Jinn had been killed, while Obi-Wan struck down the Sith
Lord. He had then been made a Jedi Knight, and he took Anakin as his Padawan
learner. After all his accomplishments, Anakin had acquired an air of
confidence, and almost one of arrogance.

Sion was a different story. He had been born in Corellia, near Coronet City.
When Sion was six, his father, a somewhat prosperous spice merchant, and his
mother were both killed in an armed robbery. CorSec never caught the criminal.
Sion swore that he would dedicate his life to stopping such acts as these. To
him, that meant joining CorSec, the Corellian Security Force. However, Nejaa
Halcyon, a Corellian Jedi who worked closely with CorSec and in particular the
officer in charge of the investigation, discovered Sion's Force potential and
brought him to Coruscant. At first the Jedi Council balked at his age, but
Master Windu had offered to train him. Three years later, the Council would
later face the question of whether to let a nine year old Anakin start training.

Abruptly, Sion stopped. In his reminiscing, he had almost passed the training
room. He pressed the door panel, and the door slid open. Master Windu was
already in there, as was Master Kenobi.

"Master Windu, Master Kenobi," said Sion, bowing to each of them in turn.

"Greetings, Sion," said Master Kenobi. "Anakin should be here shortly."

"Sion," said Master Windu. "I've received some disturbing news about the
separatists. I need to confer with Master Yoda about this news. I'll leave you
in the company of Master Kenobi and his wayward Padawan learner. Come see me
after the Council meeting is over."

"Yes, Master Windu," said Sion, nodding. This happened frequently, but Sion
didn't mind. His Master was one of the most important Jedi, and Sion was lucky
to be his Padawan learner. Mace Windu nodded to Obi-Wan and Sion, then left the
training room. Soon after he left, the door opened again, and Anakin burst in.

"I'm sorry I'm late, Master," said Anakin, quickly bowing to Master Kenobi.

"You need to learn to be more punctual, my young Padawan learner," said Obi-Wan
disapprovingly.

"Yes, Master. I'm sorry, Master," said Anakin contritely.

"Do you know Sion here?" asked Obi-Wan, turning to Sion.

"Only by sight," said Anakin. He stuck out his hand. "Hi, my name is Anakin
Skywalker."

Sion shook his hand a bit reluctantly, afraid that he might do something rash.
"My name is Sion Jardian. I'm pleased to meet you." Anakin looked just as Sion
had last remembered him. His lanky 6'1" frame was so perfect. Next to Anakin and
his beautiful body, Sion felt even smaller than his 5'7" height. How could he
ever compete against Anakin?

An awkward silence filled the air, as Sion was too shy to say anything to the
hot boy in front of him.

"Well, I think it's time you two started your training," said Master Kenobi into
the silence. "Why don't you two start by training against these drones? I want
you to stand back to back, and defend yourselves against all the energy bolts
shot at you. You need to learn to rely on each other."

The two Padawan learners nodded their heads. They pulled out their lightsabers
and ignited them. Anakin swung his brilliant blue lightsaber a few times while
Sion merely got into the guard postion with his silvery lightsaber.

"Wait a second," said Master Kenobi. He got out two blindfolds. "Use the Force
to coordinate your defense. Rely on each other completely." The two Padawans
took the blindfolds and put them on. They got into guard position, standing back
to back. Obi-Wan threw out four drones. They used their repulsorlifts to
reposition themselves. Then they went on the attack. Two of the remotes shot
their stun bolts at Sion, while the other two focused on Anakin.

Sion couldn't see anything with his eyes, but his senses told him a different
story. By stretching out to the Force, he could sense each move each of the four
drones made, as well as where Anakin was. The drone to the left of him shot two
bolts at his chest, which he easily deflected. As he did, he could sense the
other one, above and to the right, shooting as well, towards his legs. He
deflected those as well. Then the drones started coordinating their attacks,
shooting more rapidly. Sion could feel, in the back of his mind, the other two
drones doing the same with Anakin, but his feelings were not attuned to them as
strongly as his two drones.

The two Padawans were a whir of movements as they defended themselves against
the many bolts being shot at them from the drones. That was not to say that
their moves were perfect. Sion missed one bolt, which hit his foot. His foot
started to go numb, the usual damage done by these bolts. He had to swing his
lightsaber faster to make up for the fact that his footwork was now suffering.

The drones started a new attack pattern, in which they rotated around the room
and attacked the closest target instead of their assigned one. The two Padawans,
already fatigued from the furious workout, started missing more bolts. Anakin
missed one that narrowly missed Sion's arm. Sensing the battle beginning to pick
up instead of ending and that he and Anakin couldn't keep up much longer, Sion
resolved to do something about the drones. He deflected one of the bolts, and it
hit the drone. The drone shut off, and Sion could only sense three drones
attacking now. Two; Anakin had picked up Sion's trick through his own use of the
Force, and deactivated another using the same method. Just then, Sion missed
another bolt, which struck Anakin from behind, on his rear. Anakin, not
expecting that, jumped forward slightly and was nailed in the leg with another
bolt. With his movement greatly diminished and his leg throbbing, he could
barely defend himself. Sion managed to deactivate another drone with a deflected
bolt, but the last drone shot his hand, which could not hold the lightsaber in
its numbed state. Defenseless, he could sense the last drone shooting towards an
equally defenseless Anakin. Pushing away all rational thought, Sion pushed
Anakin out of the way of the bolts, only to be hit himself by a bolt, one to the
head. He immediately slipped into unconsciousness. Anakin used the Force to
bring Sion's lightsaber into his left hand, and deflected one last bolt to
deactivate the last drone. He immediately pulled off the blindfold and knelt
down near Sion. Master Kenobi came over to them.

"You two were doing extremely well," said Obi-Wan. "You seemed to have a sense
for each other's moves. You did much better than I or Master Windu would have
expected, the first day training together."

"Thank you, Master," said Anakin absently. "What effect would a drone bolt have
on somebody, if shot in the head?"

"Well, I can't say I've seen that before," said Obi-Wan, frowning, "But I don't
think it would do any permanent damage. Just unconsciousness."

Just then, Sion groaned. He slowly opened his green eyes to see Anakin kneeling
over him.

"Are you alright, Sion?" said Anakin.

"I.. I guess so..," mumbled Sion groggily. Anakin helped him into a sitting
position.

"That was a good job, Sion," said Master Kenobi. "But why did you jump in front
of that bolt?"

"Well.. I couldn't defend myself without my lightsaber, and if I hadn't pushed
Anakin out of the way, he would have been down on the ground instead of me,
while I was a sitting duck with no defenses."

"And did all those thoughts run through your mind at the time, young one?"
asked Obi-Wan.

"Not really... It just felt like the necessary thing to do," said Sion.

"Well, the Force speaks to those who listen," said Master Kenobi. "Anakin, would
you please take Sion back to his quarters? I think today's training is over.
Sion, take it easy today. Your head will hurt for a while because of that bolt.
Afterwards Anakin, please meet me in the Archives precisely at the afternoon
gong."

"Yes, Master Kenobi," said Sion. "I have to meet Master Windu after the Council
meeting, though."

"I'm sure he will understand this once," said Obi-Wan. "You two have made
considerable progress."

"No," said Sion, firmly but respectfully, "Master Kenobi, Master Windu wanted me
to meet him after the Council meeting. I'll be fine by then."

"If all the Padawans were that insistent on working more than they had to.."
muttered Obi-Wan, glancing at Anakin. Anakin didn't seem to notice.

"May we be excused, Master?" asked Anakin. Master Kenobi nodded. "Can you stand
up, Sion?"

Sion tried, but his foot was still numb from before and the room was still
spinning.

"That's alright, Sion," said Anakin. Anakin put his arm under Sion's shoulder
and guided him up. With his arm still under Sion's shoulder holding him up,
Anakin gently led Sion out the door, and towards Sion's room. About half way
there, Squall passed by.

"Hey, Anakin, Sion, what happened?" asked Squall, a concerned look on his face.

"We were training with drones, and one of them shot Sion in the head," said
Anakin.

"How could you weren't wearing helmets?" asked Squall, now frowning.

"Well," began Anakin, "Master Kenobi was instructed by Master Windu to use
blindfolds instead. As the usual helmets are bulky and hard to keep on your head
when you're darting about, he said we need to learn to fight so that we don't
need helmets; besides, if and when we go into battle, we won't have a chance to
find helmets to wear."

"That's true," said Squall. "Do you need help with Sion there?"

"I guess so," said Anakin. "I suppose you two know each other?"

"Yeah, Sion here's my best bud!" said Squall, grinning. "I'm Squall Antilles,
from Alderaan."

"As I suppose you know," said Anakin, "I'm Anakin Skywalker, from Tatooine."

"I'm Sion Jardian, from Corellia," said Sion, a wobbly grin in place.

"You dork!!" said Squall, still grinning. "We know who you are!!" With that,
Squall put his arm under Sion's other shoulder, and he and Anakin led Sion to
his room. They had just gotten to the door when the midmorning gong sounded.

"Man!" exclaimed Squall. "I'm supposed to be in Master Derka's quarters right
now!"

"That's alright, Squall," said Anakin. "I'll help Sion into his room. You just
hurry up and meet with Master Derka."

"Thanks, Anakin!!" shouted Squall as he ran down the hallway. "I'll see you
later, Sion!!" He then vanished around a corner.

"Thanks for helping me, Anakin," said Sion, keying in his code on the door
panel. "I think I can manage it from here."

"Hey, it's no problem, Sion," said Anakin. The door whooshed open, and Anakin
helped Sion into the room and onto the bed. "Is there anything else you need?"

"Not really. Maybe a little rest will do me good," said Sion. "Could I ask one
favor, though?"

"Anything, Sion," said Anakin.

"Could you make sure I'm awake by the afternoon gong? I need to meet Master
Windu after the Council meeting is over. You just need to knock on the door; I
should hear that."

"No problem, Sion. You just get plenty of rest. Thanks for taking that bolt for
me," said Anakin.

"I'm sure you would have done the same for me," said Sion shyly, not wanting to
dwell on his actions. He yawned, and Anakin backed away. Sion finally closed his
eyes, and Anakin left the room, glancing back at the peaceful looking Sion.

****************************************************************************

What do you think? Send me feedback!!

Squall Thrawn
THRAWN5678@aol.com