Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars; all characters, names, places, etc. (except Bhar-Nithlo and others that may appear later) belong to George Lucas and Lucasfilm.

Chapter One – Unhappy Partings

"You've got to be joking."

"Anakin, I –"

"That's insane. No one in their right mind would send you on an assignment without me."

"The Council is far from insane –"

"Master, please. Admit it – you could never get along without me. After all the spots of trouble I've gotten you out of, you've come to rely on me. You need me."

An exasperated sigh escaped the Jedi Master's lips to hang momentarily in the silence before being drowned out by a steady stream of disgruntled muttering. Standing in the center of the room, hands clasped neatly in front of his sienna robe, he let his grey-eyed gaze wander upward towards the dully glinting duracrete ceiling. Without looking down, he could feel his companion pacing around him like an agitated suubatar, more from the heavy footfalls than any sense of a continually shifting presence. When the angry words had subsided somewhat, he spoke again.

"Anakin, what you must realize is that I have very little say in what the Council perceives as a right decision."

"You're on the Council!" the other snarled, whirling on him suddenly, irrationally.

A testy note edged into Obi-Wan's voice. "I am an untried and fairly inexperienced Jedi who has had the fortune of being placed on the High Council, and much against my better judgment."

Anakin's laugh held an undertone of scorn that Obi-Wan felt was more directed at the young Jedi Knight than himself. "Inexperienced? Oh, very funny. So Naboo was just a passing skirmish, was it? And Zonama Sekot must've seemed a real pushover, then."

The Jedi Master's eyes flashed down, darkening.

"What about Ansion?" the other continued recklessly. "And Ord Cestus, I heard about that. And we can't forget about Azure –"

Obi-Wan lashed out with one hand, seizing Anakin by the shoulder and twisting him around so they faced each other.

"Never do this again." His voice was deadly cold.

The other shrank back, biting his lip as he realized that, in mentioning Azure, he had crossed the invisible line of his former mentor's patience and tolerance. After several moments of tense silence, he felt obliged to say, falteringly, "It's just – difficult – to accept that my training's done with you."

Obi-Wan unclenched his grip, letting his hand fall back and run through his copper hair, and sighed heavily. "I know. It's different for you, than it was for me, with Qui-Gon." A pensive look came to his face.

Despite their argument, Anakin managed a slight grin. "I still think you took the easy way out in that respect."

"Maybe I did," the other admitted, with a small smile. "It's hard for me too, Anakin. I'll never be able to admonish you as a young Padawan again." He eyed his former apprentice with a speculative look. "I suppose I did all right with you," he conceded, "all things considered."

Anakin flung himself moodily into a chair, glaring at the speeders passing by through the window. "Are you sure you have to do this without me?" he asked plaintively.

"I'm afraid so. Don't worry; you'll be fine here on your own. You are a Knight now, after all."

"I'm not worried about me, Obi-Wan, it's you."

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow. "I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself, you know."

"I know that, but still, chances are you'll eventually get stuck in something, and I won't be there to get you out of it."

"I'm touched at your concern."

"You should be. You're the only father I've got, and who knows? You could be slipping into your dotage even as we speak."

"Anakin, I'm not even forty, and you're barely twenty."

"Is that a grey hair I see? It matches your eyes."

"Be quiet."

"Yes, Master."

"In any case, I need to do some preparation work in the Archives. If you need me, I'll be there for several hours. If I'm not there, check the starmap room or give up."

"How comforting." Anakin looked up quickly. "Can I come?"

Obi-Wan shook his head. "I need to concentrate."

"All right, the other replied sulkily. He knew better than to inquire what the mission was. "Have a good time."

Striding down the light, familiar corridors that had been his home for over thirty years, his expression one of detached calm, Obi-Wan reflected to himself that it was probably better he had kept the details of his assignment to himself. This mission, he knew, would be far more dangerous than many of his previous ventures of late, and in truth, he was not anticipating the experience with pleasure. There was every possibility of the situation escalating in violence to the point where he would be forced to intervene and fight.

How he despised politics.

Bhar-Nithlo was a binary system located in the Outer Rim, beyond the controlling reaches of the galaxy's central Republic. In the Jedi Master's own eyes, its political standing was typical of many remote worlds – two governments battling for dominance, with millions of citizens supporting either side. However, the usual factor of many innocent civilians remaining neutral and simply wishing the fighting to end was virtually nonexistent. Anyone found by one faction to be supporting "the other side" or no one at all was immediately disposed of, resulting in a rapid population decline. A farming planet with many large cities, Bhar-Nithlo teetered on the brink of utter chaos and economic collapse as towns were demolished, farms and crops burned, and dozens killed indiscriminately each day.

Obi-Wan found himself thinking whether or not it might just be better to leave the planet alone until it settled its own troubles. A small frown creased his brow as he came upon another disturbing factor in the Archives' database – the species that populated the world were intensely intolerant of most outsiders. It was a wonder this much information had been gathered regarding the hostile planet.

Grimly, he wondered how many of the original informants were still alive.

Retreating with relief from those particular files, he began looking into any environmental factors that could inhibit his progress. The air was breathable, if heavy, but the average temperatures were far above his normal preference, due to the heat circulated by the system's twin suns, as well as volcanic activity at the poles. He found that although most volcanoes were long dormant, the planet did experience the odd eruption, usually without notice. Grimacing, Obi-Wan began downloading the information into a portable datapad.

What a jolly trip this was going to be.

Okay, so there's the first chapter, more coming if people like it. Please review! Lots of reviews! May the Force be with you.