Maze of Darkness

Full Summary: While on a mission to the planet of Alzar, Anakin Skywalker finds himself kidnapped by a band of ruthless beings intent on disrupting the prophecy. As Anakin struggles to survive, he finds help in a new ally. All the while, Obi-Wan Kenobi must use the fledgling bond between himself and his Padawan to find him before its' too late. But their bond shall be put to the ultimate test, whereas if they fail, the Republic will be plunged into darkness.

Genre: Friendship/Drama

Rating: T for safety, language, and violence

Main Characters: Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi

Author's Note: Well, this is the first chapter of the story that will replace A New Divide. I'm trying to get my dad into continuing AND but he is busy and yeah so if anyone would like to continue it, they may. So I hope you like this story, there are OC's in this story as well as two pairings that some of you will like while some of you will not like. Well, yeah, enough rambling, I hope you enjoy this starter chapter and reviews are much appreciated.

Disclaimer- I don't own Star Wars, George Lucas does and I never will and I'm only saying this once

One

It was a late night; space was silent and cold, as it usually is whenever someone is traveling through the vast abyss of nothing but stars that glittered in existence in the black darkness. The ship glided smoothly through the silent abyss as Captain Anayn punched in the coordinates for the sector they were currently heading to.

"I wonder why the Alzarians insisted on Jedi coming to negotiate a treaty between them and the humans that immigrated there. We all know how Jedi negotiate," Anayn murmured.

"How should I know? For all we know, the Alzarians are more comfortable with the Jedi than they are with the Senators of the Republic," Anayn's second in command, a Twi'lek with green lekku over his shoulder known was Avas, said.

Anayn shrugged. "Maybe so, there isn't much known about the Alzarians, however," he replied with a slight shrug. "For all we know, they are hostile toward the Republic, this system is located near the Outer Rim after all."

"That is true," Avas agreed. He narrowed his eyes as the door to the cockpit slide open and Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi walked into the cockpit. For being only twenty-one years of age, Obi-Wan looked slightly older than he actually was. His reddish brown hair was slowly starting to grow out and his gray-blue eyes seemed to hold a wisdom that was not there two years ago.

Anayn has always liked Obi-Wan; he was one of the very few Jedi that got along with everyone of the ship's crewmembers but his frustration was starting to grow, directed at Obi-Wan's Padawan, the eleven year old Anakin Skywalker who always seemed to like tinkering with the mechanics of the ship they were currently flying.

"How far are we from the Gordian Sector?" Obi-Wan asked narrowing his eyes as he scanned the bluish white flashes of hyperspace.

"About another day's travel," Avas was the one that replied after he checked on the navacomputer.

Obi-Wan nodded once in reply though his eyes were still narrowed. Anayn hesitated for a split second before asking, "What are you going to do about your apprentice?"

Obi-Wan's eyes narrowed even more. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"Well, it's just, he's been tinkering around with the mechanics of the ship and I'm afraid he's going to cause the ship to fall right out of the sky," Anayn replied.

Obi-Wan shrugged. "He's very good at mechanics," he replied with a shrug but, seeing Anayn's doubtful look, sighed. "Very well, I'll talk to him."

"Thank you, Master Kenobi," Anayn said.

Obi-Wan sighed. "How many times have I told you, Anayn? If we are going to be traveling together, call me Obi-Wan," he protested.

Avas chuckled and Anayn glared at him. "Just concentrate on flying, Avas," he snapped.

"Whatever you said, Captain," Avas replied smiling before turning his attention to the navacomputer in front of him. Anayn glanced up at Obi-Wan as the young Jedi Knight walked out of the cockpit and the door slide close behind him.

"That Obi-Wan is one strange man," Avas commented after the silence lengthened for several long moments.

"Indeed, he seems too calm for his own good, he is only twenty-one and yet he seems like he is several years older than that. I guess the one who trained him, trained him well," Anayn replied with a shrug.

Avas smiled. "Maybe so," he replied.

~*~

Obi-Wan Kenobi wasn't one to keep everything bottled inside; whenever he was feeling sad, he would come out and say that he was sad and get some advice from his master, Qui-Gon Jinn. Whenever he was frustrated, he would go to the Room of a Thousand Fountains to meditate and release himself of that frustration.

But all those times he had his master watching over him; gently coaching him and guiding him to the point where he would be ready to take the trials. Obi-Wan had thought his master would have been there when he took the trials, would have been watching over him when the Knighthood ceremony had been performed but he wasn't.

He was dead, having been killed by that Sith Lord that Obi-Wan had killed in retaliation, being the first Jedi in a thousand years to kill a Sith Lord.

But even after two years since Qui-Gon funeral pyre and the apprentice naming ceremony that had made Anakin Skywalker his apprentice, Obi-Wan couldn't help but miss his former master.

He let out a long sigh before making his way toward the hyper drive reactor room, where he was sure his Padawan was. For being only eleven years old, Anakin seemed to have a tendency of being in places where he was not wanted and tinkering with things that did not need to be fixed.

He walked into the reactor room and Anakin rolled out from under the control panel he had been working under. He seemed a bit hesitant when he noticed who was standing in the doorway. "Sorry, master, but I noticed one of the wires was loose and I wanted to fix it before we dropped out of hyperspace," he said.

Obi-Wan sighed. "Captain Anayn told me to tell you to stop tinkering with the mechanics of the ship," he said.

Anakin stood up. "Sorry," he said again. Anakin always had the habit of saying sorry every time Obi-Wan told him he had done something wrong or implied that he had done something wrong. The boy seemed a bit afraid of Obi-Wan because of the almost depressed state that Obi-Wan has been trying to drag himself out of since Qui-Gon's death.

Anakin yawned and Obi-Wan examined the boy in front of him. "You look tired," he said.

Anakin lowered his head. "Yeah, I haven't gotten much sleep since we left Coruscant," he said.

Obi-Wan narrowed his eyes. "Why don't you go take a nap? I'll wake you up when we reach Alzar," he said.

Anakin hesitated. "I'm all right, master," he said.

"You're tired, Anakin, I can sense it, just take a nap. I should have given you a chance to catch up on your sleep before we left Coruscant but Mace told me that this mission was too important to push off," Obi-Wan said.

Anakin nodded though his eyes were narrowed. "All right, master," he said. He walked past Obi-Wan out of the reactor room and Obi-Wan watched him go before sighing and following him.

~*~

Anakin rested his head on his arms before closing his eyes but he couldn't get to sleep. He couldn't help but wonder if Obi-Wan really saw him as his Padawan or if he was just a burden. Anakin knew that Obi-Wan was still grieving for his lost master, in spite of the fact that it has been two years.

Did he really want to take me as his Padawan? He wondered silently. Or did he just do it because it was Master Qui-Gon's dying wish?

Too many questions swarmed around in Anakin's brain and he found himself thinking about his mother. The last time he had seen his mother had been just before he had left Tatooine with Qui-Gon and he couldn't help but wonder how his mother was doing.

The many questions that were in his mind kept Anakin from falling asleep and he rolled onto his back before gazing up at the ceiling of the ship as it slowly made its' way through the silence of space.

Anakin didn't know how much time had passed before Obi-Wan walked back into the lobby of the ship before narrowing his eyes. "Aren't you supposed to be asleep?" he asked.

Anakin shook his head. "I can't sleep," he said. He frowned when he heard his stomach growl. "I'm a little hungry," he added.

Obi-Wan nodded before walking toward the compartments that lay above the floor of the ship before coming back with some food before handing it to Anakin who ate it, a bit too swiftly. "Slow down, Anakin," Obi-Wan said.

Anakin nodded before slowly finishing up his food. "Master, can I ask you something?" he asked when he finished his food and put the plate down.

"What is it, Anakin?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Well, I was just wondering…" before Anakin could finish his question, Lieutenant Avas walked into the lobby of the ship.

"Obi-Wan, we've entered the sector and we are currently making our way toward Alzar," Avas said.

"Thank you, Avas," Obi-Wan replied with a slight nod and Avas nodded before walking back into the cockpit of the ship. Obi-Wan turned his gaze to Anakin but Anakin sighed.

"Never mind," he murmured.

Obi-Wan narrowed his eyes. "Are you sure? You know you can talk to me, I am your master after all," he said, he said the last part a bit hesitantly and Anakin once again wondered if Obi-Wan really wanted to be his master or if it was just to honor Qui-Gon's dying wish.

The eleven-year-old boy stood up before following Obi-Wan as he led the way into the cockpit. Anayn and Avas glanced up. "Is the Alzarian Monarchy expecting you?" Avas asked curiously.

"They should be, they were the ones that sent the message," Obi-Wan replied. "Why do you ask?"

"Because they are saying that they are not expecting us," Anayn replied.

"Republic Ship, what is your purpose here?" the voice demanded over the comlink.

"We received a message from King Kyva and he said that he wished to speak with a Jedi about the crisis going on between the Alzarian Monarchy and the humans that have immigrated there," Obi-Wan replied.

Anakin narrowed his eyes. "Master, what if they really don't know that we were supposed to come?" he asked.

"I am quite certain that the message you received was not sent from the Alzarian Monarchy, we did not request a Jedi's help so leave this system before we shoot you down," the voice said.

"It was a legitimate message, if you will just allow me to speak with King Kyva…" Obi-Wan began, ignoring Anakin and Anakin scowled at that, but broke off when a series of red blaster fire caught the side of the ship.

"What do we do now, Obi-Wan?" Anayn said.

Obi-Wan frowned. "If you will just allow us to land and speak with King Kyva than I am sure we can resolve this matter," he replied to the voice.

"One moment please." There was a long moment of silence before the voice came back onto the intercom. "Very well, you are cleared to land in docking bay 44 and we will send people to escort you to King Kyva's palace."

"Thank you," Obi-Wan said and the intercom went dead.

Anakin glanced up at his master, a bit hurt that Obi-Wan had ignored him. "Master, I honestly don't think they knew anything about the message," he said.

"It was a legitimate message, young one," Obi-Wan pointed out.

"But they sounded so confused and I can sense that they are a bit hostile, why would someone be confused and hostile if they were seeking help from us?" Anakin asked.

"Anakin, sometimes not everything is what they seem to be, you have to get a sense of everything. If you can sense that they are hostile and confused, look at the whole picture. That was one person you felt, that does not mean everyone is just like him," Obi-Wan said. "You need to learn to clear your thoughts and look at the picture at whole and not just bits and pieces of it or you will never find the small details that will show you what you need to know."

Anakin lowered his head. "Sorry master," he said. He knew that when Obi-Wan began talking to him with similar proverbs that reminded him of the man he had learned from Master Yoda that he was scolding his carelessness. But what if I'm not wrong? He thought. What if they really are hostile and confused by this sudden arrival?

Obi-Wan, as if hearing his thoughts, narrowed his eyes. "As I said, Padawan, look at the whole picture, not just a certain part, or you'll never see the small details that will show you what you are truly seeking," he said.

Anakin sighed before nodding and following Obi-Wan as he led the way out of the ship after Anayn and Avas landd the ship. "Wait here," he ordered the captain and lieutenant who nodded in reply before stopping and watching as Obi-Wan and Anakin made their way onto the landscape of the planet of Alzar.

A/n what do you think?

Blaze: for those of you who don't know, Anayn, Avas and Kyva are the OC's in this chapter

Darth: no duh

Blaze: GO COLTS GO!

Tigerstar: what the hell?

Blaze: sorry I was watching the game between the Colts and the Jets when I typed this chapter

Tigerstar: oh okay

Palpypie: GO COWBOYS!

Blaze: Cowboys' died

Darth: just like you will

Palpypie: why this time?

Blaze: because I don't like you

Darth: because I don't like you either

Palpypie: AH COME ON! (Takes off running)

Darth: works every time, Mace, take care of my light work

Mace: sure thing, I hate the cowboys too (chases after Palpypie)

Blaze: (laughs) please review and I will post chapter 2 as fast as I possibly can and no offense to any Dallas Cowboy fans out there, I just don't like that team.