The serene sounds of the Jedi Temple courtyard carried a rare sense of peace—a gentle contrast to the endless steel and duracrete of Coruscant. The gardens flourished with vibrant greenery, each leaf and blossom radiating a natural calm that the city-world so often lacked. At the center of the courtyard, seated in stillness, was Padawan Khan Kage.
Older now.
More refined.
And far deeper in the Force.
Khan meditated on his breath, on the currents around him, and on the path that had led him here. More than a year had passed since he and Master Dooku uncovered the pirate network on Cyrkon. A year since the Jedi swept the criminals away with startling ease… and just as startling hesitation.
The Order had prevailed—but slowly. Too slowly.
Although Khan accepted the Temple as his home, he no longer saw it through the simple clarity of childhood. In the months that followed the pirate operation, he had matured—physically, mentally, and spiritually. He had traveled with his master on various missions, most quiet and uneventful. Peace had blanketed the Republic once more.
But beneath that surface?
Khan had seen the hidden rot.
He had watched hungry families struggle while senators grew fat in their palatial offices. He witnessed corporations twisting legislation with their wealth. Criminal syndicates metastasizing in the shadows. Slavery persisting where the Republic refused to look. And, worst of all, good people whispering their suffering into ears that wouldn't listen.
The galaxy said it was peaceful.
Khan no longer agreed.
He opened his eyes, exhaling slowly, ending his meditation. He couldn't be late—not today. He had a meeting scheduled with his close friend, Senator Sheev Palpatine of Naboo. Over the past year, Khan had come to trust Palpatine deeply. The senator had always spoken with sincerity, always shown concern for those the Republic overlooked. Their conversations—political, philosophical, and personal—had become something Khan genuinely valued.
He stood and moved through the Temple halls. Midday light washed through wide windows, illuminating the structure in its full grandeur. Jedi of all ranks moved about with purpose, their presence a reminder of the Order's role as the Republic's shining symbol of peace.
As Khan made his way toward the exit, a familiar voice called out.
"Hey there, my friend. Where are you off to on such a lovely day?"
Khan turned to see Kit Fisto approaching, his trademark smile bright as ever.
"I have a meeting with the Naboo senator," Khan replied. "He said he had news to discuss with me in person."
"I see," Kit said, nodding. "Well, take care, my friend."
Khan smiled. "Of course. And congratulations, by the way, on being approved to take the Trials. I'm certain you'll pass."
Kit laughed, puffing his chest a little. "Thank you, Khan. Soon enough I'll be a Jedi Knight—and then it'll be your turn. After that, we'll be the new generation of the Order!"
Khan chuckled. "Let's hope so. Anyway, I shouldn't keep the senator waiting. I'll see you later, Kit."
"Yes, yes—go on. Wouldn't want to make a politician impatient," Kit teased.
With a final wave, Khan continued down the hall—toward the man he believed was one of the few good leaders left in the Republic. Toward the senator he had come to admire.
Toward the next step in his fate.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Khan met with Senator Palpatine of Naboo in the senator's private chambers within the Senate Building. The room was modest but elegant, decorated with refined Naboo furniture and soft lighting that reflected the serene culture of Palpatine's homeworld. After being escorted inside by the senator's personal guard, Khan finally stood before the man himself.
"Ah, my friend," Palpatine greeted warmly. "Welcome. Please, make yourself at home."
"Thank you, Senator. It's always a great pleasure to speak with you."
Khan took a seat across from Palpatine's desk, folding his hands neatly in his lap.
"You said you had some news for me, correct?"
"Yes, I did." Palpatine leaned back comfortably. "As you may recall, over a year ago you accompanied me to Naboo. At that time, the Queen and I found ourselves in… disagreement."
"Yes, Senator. I remember. It was certainly a memorable series of events."
"Indeed it was." Palpatine's eyes gleamed subtly. "Well, the election for Queen has just concluded, and a new monarch has been chosen."
"Oh?" Khan tilted his head. "Does this mean you plan to work with the new Queen to open Naboo and make it less isolated?"
"Yes, that is among my intentions," Palpatine replied. "But you might be surprised by the identity of the new Queen."
"Why do you say that?" Khan asked, curiosity growing.
Palpatine smiled. "Because the new Queen is none other than young Padmé Naberrie—the friend you made during our visit."
Khan's eyes widened. Shock washed through him, then slowly faded into thoughtful admiration. Padmé had always been talented and passionate, but he had never expected her to ascend to Naboo's throne at the age of fourteen.
"Padmé is a very kind-hearted person," Khan said at last. "I know she'll do what is best for Naboo. My congratulations to the people of Naboo."
"Yes," Palpatine agreed. "She will make a fine leader. I've supported her candidacy for some time now, but she insisted I not tell you. She wanted the victory to surprise you."
"Well… consider me surprised." Khan exhaled a quiet laugh. "When will she officially take up the mantle of Queen?"
"She won the election three weeks ago. In another three weeks, she will begin her reign. And that is part of why I asked you here." Palpatine folded his hands. "She has requested that you attend her coronation ceremony."
"I'm honored she would ask. I'll request permission from the Jedi Order."
"And I will send an official invitation on my end," Palpatine added. "It would be a privilege to have a Jedi present on such a joyous day."
Both men smiled. Their conversation continued—political theories, philosophies, and observations about the state of the galaxy. Palpatine, as always, peppered the discussion with subtle nudges and gentle manipulations. But Khan, more mature than he had been a year ago, held firm in his beliefs. Still young, still idealistic, but no longer naïve.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Once their discussion concluded, Khan bowed respectfully and departed. The door slid shut behind him with a soft hiss—cutting off the last trace of the Padawan's presence.
Palpatine's genial smile faded instantly. The warm facade melted away, revealing the cold, calculating expression that lay beneath. For nearly two years he had attempted to steer young Khan Kage toward the dark side, nudging him subtly at every opportunity. Yet progress remained infuriatingly slow.
With Dooku practically already under his influence, he also wanted Khan to stand at his side when the time came to dispose of his master, Darth Plagueis. Plagueis, in his ceaseless caution and timid ambitions, had grown useless. The fool clung to safety, to secrecy, to stagnation. His time was almost up.
With Padmé Naberrie now elevated to Queen of Naboo, the next phase of Palpatine's grand design approached. Her election aligned perfectly with what he required. Even if Khan could not yet be torn from the Jedi, that hardly mattered. In time, he would make the boy his apprentice—stealing the Jedi's precious chosen one from right under their self-righteous noses.
For now, patience remained his greatest weapon.
Composure returned to his features, the politician's pleasant smile sliding back into place as naturally as breath. He keyed in a holotransmission to Naboo. After a brief wait, the shimmering blue image of Padmé appeared—poised, regal, yet unmistakably youthful.
"Senator Palpatine," she greeted warmly. "It's nice to receive your call. How are things in the Republic?"
"Everything is well," Palpatine replied smoothly. "I wished to inform you that young Jedi Padawan Khan Kage will be attending your coronation ceremony."
Padmé's face lit up instantly—a bright, unguarded smile that revealed the girl beneath the Queen-to-be. She composed herself quickly.
"Thank you, Senator. I appreciate you delivering the message. Once I begin my duties as Queen, I will work closely with you to better the lives of the people of Naboo."
"I look forward to it," Palpatine said, bowing his head with the perfect measure of humility. "For now, I will see you in person once I arrive for the ceremony."
"Yes, Senator. Have a good day. I will see you soon."
The transmission ended. Darkness filled the room once more.
Palpatine leaned back, steepling his fingers.
Everything was falling into place. Once he secured Dooku's full allegiance, the true plan would begin. Until then, he needed only to ensure that his silent blade—his assassin—would be prepared for what was soon to come.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Back within the Jedi Temple, Khan walked alongside Master Yoda, their footsteps echoing softly through the quiet halls as they made their way toward the Council Chamber.
"Received the request from the Senator of Naboo, we did," Yoda said, tapping his cane lightly against the floor. "Understand it, I do. Good relations with the people of Naboo, you have."
"Yes, Master Yoda," Khan replied. "The soon-to-be Queen was a friend I made during my mission there over a year ago."
"Remember it well, I do," Yoda murmured. "Much internal turmoil, you faced then. But mature, you have become. Discuss this, the Council will."
"I understand, Master."
They reached the tall doors of the Council Chamber.
"Come," Yoda said, glancing up at him. "Speak to you on this subject, the council must."
The doors opened, revealing the semicircle of Masters seated in their high-backed chairs. Yoda moved to his seat, leaving Khan standing at the center of the chamber's wide floor.
Yoda addressed him first. "Young Khan. To Naboo, you wish to go—yes? Represent the Jedi Order, you will. A great responsibility it is. Ready, are you?"
Khan bowed respectfully. "Yes, Masters. I have trained and grown over the years. I follow the Jedi teachings with conviction, and they have made me a better Jedi than I once was."
Ki-Adi-Mundi folded his hands. "That may be so. But you are still a Padawan. Were Master Dooku present to accompany you, our stance might differ. With him away, I am not convinced you possess the maturity required to represent the Order at such a delicate political event."
Mace Windu nodded. "I agree with Ki-Adi-Mundi. You are capable, but inexperienced. This ceremony may determine the future relationship between Naboo and the Republic. A single misstep could damage our standing in the Naboo sector."
Plo Koon inclined his head, his tone calm but firm. "I must disagree. The boy has proven his competence repeatedly. Dooku has trained him well, and I sense great mental discipline in him. Padawan Khan has shown only improvement. If anything, he represents the future of our Order. I believe one day he will sit among us. I trust him with matters of importance."
Warmth surged through Khan's chest at those words. To be acknowledged by Plo Koon—a member of the High Council—was an honor beyond measure. He bowed slightly toward him.
"Thank you, Master Plo Koon. I promise I will live up to the faith you place in me."
"I speak only the truth," Plo replied simply.
The Council exchanged thoughtful glances, weighing the arguments. After a long moment, Yoda closed his eyes, then opened them with resolution.
"Trust Padawan Khan, I do. Help me, many times he has. Believe in him, the Council should. A Knight, soon he will become. Training for him, this assignment shall be. On behalf of Master Dooku, assign him I will."
The other Masters nodded, their disagreements fading.
Yoda continued, "To Naboo you shall go. Represent the Order, you will. Aid the people of Naboo, should anything occur. Trust your judgment, I do. Not only for the ceremony are you assigned—half a year, this posting will last. Our representative on Naboo, you shall be. Updates to the Council, you will provide."
Khan bowed deeply. "Thank you, Masters. I will follow the Jedi teachings and continue on the path toward becoming a great Jedi."
Mace Windu gave a brief nod. "See that you do. You are excused, Padawan."
Khan backed away respectfully and left the chamber, the doors closing behind him as the Council shifted their focus to other pressing matters.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
After his meeting with the Council, he had chosen to spend the evening in quiet training—lifting stones in the meditation chambers, deepening his connection to the Force, practicing the breathing exercises Yoda had taught him, and refining the mental clarity Plo Koon had helped him cultivate. His abilities had grown substantially over the years, and he knew it.
By the time he left the chamber, his muscles ached pleasantly and his mind felt calm. He made his way back toward his quarters, the Temple's massive halls glowing faintly with the blue tint of night-cycle illumination.
That calm shattered in an instant.
As he rounded a corner, he heard voices—Master Yoda's low murmur and Master Windu's deep, steady tone. He froze instinctively. He wasn't intending to overhear anything, but the words carried just enough for him to catch them.
Windu spoke in a hushed voice, but the weight of his words hit Khan like a blow.
"Master Yoda… I fear you place too much faith in Padawan Kage. I understand the Council's belief that he may be the Chosen One of legend—but we must not foster favoritism. Whether he is or is not the one spoken of in prophecy… we cannot allow attachment to cloud our judgment."
Khan's heart stopped.
Chosen one? Him?
No one had ever mentioned such a thing—not once. Not even Dooku.
Yoda responded quietly, but before he could finish, the silence in the hallway grew sharp and focused. Khan's emotional spike, confusion, and shock bled into the Force.
Yoda felt it instantly.
His voice came from around the corner, firm but not unkind.
"Sense you, I do, Padawan. Come out of hiding, you should."
Khan stepped forward slowly, hands clasped nervously. "Masters… I-I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to eavesdrop. I was just on my way to my quarters."
"Worry, you must not," Yoda assured him, studying his face with ancient calm. "In trouble, you are not. But heard what you did… yes? Surprised, you are, I think."
Khan swallowed. "Yes, Master. What did Master Windu mean? Chosen One? I don't understand… what does that have to do with me?"
Master Windu turned toward him fully now, arms folded behind his back. His tone held no harshness—but there was gravity in it.
"Khan," he said, "there are things… matters the Council has kept between its senior members. Not out of mistrust—but uncertainty. You should know, the prophecy of the Chosen One has long been debated by the Order. Many doubt it. Others believe it has already been misinterpreted."
"Uncertain of the truth, we are," Yoda added. "But powerful in the Force you are—more powerful than any Padawan… or Jedi… seen in many years."
Khan looked between them, his stomach tight. "But… why wasn't I told? Why hide something like this from me?"
Yoda sighed, a weary sound. "Because sure, we were not. Dangerous, prophecy is. Influence the mind it can. Burden it may become."
Windu nodded. "And we did not want you shaped by expectations we ourselves barely understand. It is difficult enough being a Padawan without the weight of a myth pressing down on you."
Khan stared at the floor, trying to process the storm of emotion and revelation swirling around him.
Yoda tapped his cane lightly. "Come. Speak of this openly here, we should not. Much to explain there is. Master Windu—join us, you will."
Windu nodded silently.
Though confusion remained heavy on his shoulders, Khan followed them down the corridor, deeper into the Temple—toward answers he never expected, and truths the Order had kept hidden for years.
A quiet shiver ran through him.
Whether he wanted it or not, his life had just changed.
Khan walked quietly in Master Yoda's private chamber, a small and humble space illuminated by soft golden lanterns. The air carried a gentle scent of old parchment and incense—an ancient calmness that always lingered around the Grand Master.
Yoda settled into his seat with a slow exhale, gesturing for Windu to do the same. With a motion of his hand, he invited Khan to sit across from them.
"Take a seat, Padawan. Important, this talk will be."
Khan obeyed, lowering himself into the cushion. His mind still churned with shock, but he focused on steadying his breath. He could not afford to appear overwhelmed—not now.
"Alright, Masters," he said quietly. "I am ready for whatever you have to tell me."
Both Yoda and Windu watched him closely. His composure, his centered aura, his lack of emotional turbulence… all of it reaffirmed what they had sensed: he was no longer the boy who doubted his place. He was growing swiftly—too swiftly, perhaps.
Windu spoke first.
"Padawan… what we are about to tell you concerns one of the deepest mysteries the Order has ever known. Even we do not fully understand it. And I want you to know—clearly—that we did not keep this from you out of fear or distrust. It was a decision reached with great caution."
He paused.
"Your master, Count Dooku, agreed with us."
Khan blinked. "So… Master Dooku knew of this as well?"
Yoda nodded. "Informed him, I did. Asked him to train you, I did. Strong were you in the Force, even then. See your potential, Dooku could… as I did."
His ears drooped slightly, a sign of regret.
"But consider your feelings, I should have. Uncertain we were—of the prophecy, of your destiny, of the truth itself. Apologize, I must."
Khan shook his head slowly. "Master Yoda… I don't blame any of you. If you were uncertain, then perhaps not knowing truly was for the best."
Windu allowed himself a faint, rare smile. "Your understanding speaks well of you, Padawan. I'm beginning to see what Master Plo Koon meant in the Council chambers earlier."
Khan couldn't help but look at him in surprise. Praise from Mace Windu was not merely uncommon—it was practically unheard of.
"I… appreciate that, Master. But I still want to know. If the prophecy truly concerns me, then I must at least understand it."
"On this," Yoda said, "agree with you, I do. Master Windu—explain to Padawan Khan, the prophecy you will."
Windu folded his hands on his lap, posture straight and solemn.
"Very well."
He looked directly at Khan.
"The prophecy of the Chosen One is ancient—older than the Republic, older than the Temple. It speaks of a being born with the power to bring balance to the Force."
He paused.
"What that balance truly means, or how it will be achieved… no one can say. The texts are vague, fragmented. Some believe the prophecy has already come to pass. Others believe it was misinterpreted from the very beginning."
He continued:
"The Sith are, as far as history records, extinct. Many Jedi therefore assume the prophecy is irrelevant. But your master, Count Dooku, is one of the few who still study the old texts in earnest. He knows more than either Master Yoda or I do."
Khan frowned slightly. "So… aside from that, we know nothing else?"
"Little, we know," Yoda admitted. "Perhaps more, Dooku will tell you. But new revelations, none have we found."
Windu nodded. "Many on the Council dismiss the prophecy entirely. I myself have doubted it for years. But Master Yoda has always urged that we keep an open mind."
Yoda tapped his cane. "Believe in prophecy, I do not. Too clouded, too uncertain, too dangerous to rely upon. But…" His eyes softened. "When found you were, the Force called to me. Strong, you were—stronger than any infant I had ever sensed."
Khan's breath caught.
"Wait… Master Yoda—you were the one who found me?"
Yoda met his gaze and nodded gently. "Yes. Found you on Alderaan, I did. Abandoned, you were. Fate guided me to you. Believe in the possibility that the Chosen One you might be… I did."
Khan stared down at his hands, a storm of revelations battering him at once.
He was from Alderaan.
He had been abandoned.
And now… this prophecy.
Yoda studied him with concern. "Much to think about, you have. A heavy truth, this is."
Windu spoke more softly than Khan had ever heard him. "Padawan… whatever you discover about yourself, you do not walk this path alone. The Order stands with you. We stand with you. Let this sink in for now—clarity will come with rest."
Khan nodded slowly. "Yes, Masters… I think I should return to my quarters. May I be excused?"
"Go," Yoda said kindly. "Rest. Speak of this again at a later time, we shall."
Khan bowed and left the chamber—his mind a storm of questions he had never thought to ask.
When the door slid shut behind him, Windu turned back to Yoda.
"With his assignment to Naboo approaching," Windu said quietly, "do you truly believe he'll be alright? After learning so much in one night?"
Yoda pondered for barely a heartbeat.
"Strong, Khan is becoming. Guided by the Force, he is. And great hopes for the Order… in him, I have."
Windu released a slow breath. "Then we shall watch and see where the Force takes him."