Saga Can vs. Should (AU Qui-Gon/Anakin short one-shot)

?Anakin,? Qui-Gon said, voice strained to the limit of his patience, ?just because you can do something doesn?t mean you should.?

?Why not? If I can solve this dispute by using a mind trick, why shouldn?t I?? the teenager demanded angrily. It had been a long month of negotiations between the Trade Federation (who Anakin wasn?t too fond of in the first place) and a company that everyone knew was a front for smugglers, and Anakin was sick to death of it.

?Because it isn?t right to take away someone?s freedom like that, we only employ mind tricks when we have a pressing need, and your comfort and boredom are not ?pressing needs?!?

?You tried to use a mind trick on Watto!? Anakin fired back.

Qui-Gon lost all semblance of trying to be patient and glared at his apprentice. ?Yes, I did, because there were lives at stake if we did not return to Coruscant quickly. And in the long run Watto could have used those Republic Credits if he had wanted to. That use did no harm and was the quickest and best way to continue us on our mission.?

?Well it is the quickest and best way here too.?

?No it isn?t. Can you imagine what the result would be if we used a mind trick and were discovered manipulating someone like that? Just for our comfort to get away from here? There would be an outcry that could seriously damage our credibility and the actions of the Jedi as a whole. You have to think about the consequences of your actions, Anakin! Doing something like you propose would ultimately do more harm than good?not only to the Jedi but to both sides of the negotiations.?

Anakin scowled.

Qui-Gon breathed deeply and calmed himself for a moment before speaking in a low, tired voice, ?Just because you can do something doesn?t mean you should or that it is right. You, of all people, should understand that, and if you don?t it is time you learned it.?

Anakin looked up quizzically at his master, momentarily forgetting his sulking.

Qui-Gon sat down and indicated that his Padawan should do the same.

?Anakin, Watto could and did own you; he still owns your mother. For him, acquiring the two of you was the quickest and best way to increase his assets and get some free labor. By your reasoning he should have done as he did and was right to do so.?

Anakin looked stricken. Qui-Gon could not have picked a better example to illustrate his point. The young man bowed his head momentarily and then looked at Master Jinn.

?I apologize for my thoughtless words. May I be excused from the talks this afternoon? I need to think some things over,? he said softly.

Qui-Gon sighed in relief that Anakin seemed to have gotten the message. He put a hand on the smaller shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze, ?You may. But I expect you to be there again in the morning, and I expect you to have thought of a number of better ways to deal with your frustrations at the people we are negotiating with.?

?Yes, Qui-Gon,? Anakin rose from his seat and retreated to his rooms for the evening.


(This is actually a scene that may or may not occur in the future of a fic I am writing, but I thought it was a really cool scene!)

 

This is... great, Katey! I love it! That was indeed exactly the right example for Qui-Gon to use, I think

 

Great scene - I can definitely imagine Qui-Gon saying something like this, and your Anakin sounds like AOTC Ani...

 

It is a very cool scene and a good explanation of a tough principle.

 

Awwwwwwww. I felt both happy that Anakin had learned his lesson and sad at the same time that Qui-Gon had to use that illustration to get him to see.



?Anakin, Watto could and did own you; he still owns your mother. For him, acquiring the two of you was the quickest and best way to increase his assets and get some free labor. By your reasoning he should have done as he did and was right to do so.?


Just heartbreaking, but at least it worked. I always love stories where Qui-Gon survives.

 

Yes, it is a way cool scene!

I Hope to see this fic!

 

ShrunkenJedi Thanks! It is actually an arguement that has been in my head for a long time (basically since AoTC came out) and I finally found a place to work it into my writing.

Sithspawn *snort* yeah, whiny brat Anakin in AoTC is fairly easy to write, but I hope this also shows that there are some things that could possibly be different in him being trained by Qui-Gon

Ish Thanks! as I said above, it is an argument that has been in my head literally for years. It is a tough principle but it is one that Anakin absolutely must learn.

Layren ohhhh I created ambivalence! I love stories where Qui-Gon survives too...so while it is not the focus of my writing at the moment, it is a perk!

Noelie Thanks! The story this may or may not actually show up in (the universe it is connected to anyway) is my Quest series the prologue of which is posted. (And I believe i may have told you the plot twist...just don't tell anyone! )

 

Very enjoyable Katey! I'd love to see how Qui would have interacted with older Anakin (maybe the whole Padme thing wouldn't have happened). I hope to see the series!

 

You know, if I were a Jedi, I would be absolutely anxious to use a mind trick on someone! One of the coolest things a Jedi can do. You were very true to Qui-Gon and Anakin's character. I can completely imagine this happening. Great job.

 

You have to think about the consequences of your actions, Anakin! Doing something like you propose would ultimately do more harm than goodâ??not only to the Jedi but to both sides of the negotiations.â??

Way to get to the core of Anakin's problems! He never thinks through the consequences of his actions! And an awesome example of the can/should diliema.

Qui-gon would have made an AWESOME master to Anakin.

Amazing job, Kateydidnt, whether or not this ends up in your story. Does this mean we might look forward to an alive Qui-gon in your new story? Hope, hope.

 

It's a very good argument. And I feel like I'm party to the DaVinci Code knowing the plot twist.

 

Very nice. Qui-Gon really would have been the best teacher for Anakin. He knew just how to handle the boy!

I wonder if this can't actually have happened. In both trilogies, as a Jedi or a Sith, Anakin/Vader never uses mindtricks.

Thanks for writing this!

 

This was excellent! Qui-Gon knew just what to say to make Anakin understand. It was nice to see a glimpse of how Qui would have handled Anakin's training if he had had the chance.

 

Thank you for reading it. True, we never see Anakin using a mind trick, but if you watch the discussion with Padme in AoTC ("It sounds like a dictatorship to me" conversation --and I believe there is a little more in the deleted scenes) and just look at all of his actions, you know that Anakin resorts to force because he can in most situations. A mindtrick is just one specific application of force (or Force ), but the principle that Qui-Gon teaches here is something that I think canon Anakin never learned and has wider applicability to all facets of Anakin's life. Simply because Anakin is so powerful and has such a great potential he needs to understand this lesson.

 

Oops, my bad. I got the (wrong ) impression that the story was trying to show how this lesson (not abusing the Art of Mind-Tricking) was the one lesson Anakin did learn about not abusing his powers, and that was because it came from Qui-Gon.

Regarding the meadow scene, I'm not entirely sure how it shows that Anakin uses force more than the average Jedi? It seemed more about his simplistic political views - based partly on his own primitive origins, and the teachings of his Master who's always been plain about his feelings towards politicians.


Generally, there's quite a scale of difference between coercion with physical force and mind-control - which is not technically coercion at all but a 'theft' of free will. For someone who was a slave for the first 10 years of his life, I would have thought Anakin would actually be more averse to the Jedi practice of mind-control and that was why he never used it in the OT. After all if immoral Vader would rather Force-choke someone to death than probe his mind for information, it's not likely Anakin waved his hands a couple of times to allow a few droids passage.

edit - typos!

 

I love it! Qui Gon knew excactly what to say to Ani! I love those fics where Qui Gon survives and trains Ani
Great fic
S_n

 

I like the premise.... More please

 

I think this is a wonderful little fragment, whether it becomes part of a story or not! Qui-Gon found just the right example to get Anakin thinking about what he shouldn't do with mind tricks. Very thoughtful.

 

=( See, Qui-Gon would have been so helpful in Anakin's teenage years! Great post.