Chapter Title: Healing Planet

Special thanks to The Last One Left 0, Jedi Master Misty Sman-Esay, Galaxiacana, swemanD47, sanbi221, kittyhawk09 and Commchatter for reviewing the last chapter! Virtual cookies to you all. Next chapter I'll be giving away virtual Obi-Wan plush toys instead of cookies for reviews!

…

Everything hurt. The only parts of Anakin that didn't hurt were numb, and that was just as worrying. He couldn't tell his arm apart from his leg, or his ribs from his stomach. He felt as though he'd just been dunked into lava and electrocuted at the same time. There was a loud ringing in his ears, drowning out any other source of noise and making his eardrums want to explode.

Anakin tried to call out, tried to call for his mentor, but the only thing that came out was a low groan. Automatically he felt something – hands? – on his shoulder, shaking him gently.

To Anakin it felt like someone had just touched him with a burning poker, and he flinched away. The hands released their hold on him immediately, and he opened bleary eyes to see what was going on. Everything was fuzzy; it seemed like he could see about as much as he could hear.

The ringing had gone away, to be replaced by voices. Anakin couldn't make out what they were saying; it sounded as though the voices were coming from underwater. He tried to sit up, which proved to be a very bad move. Fireworks exploded inside his head, and he turned to retch beside him. Doing this only made him hurt more though, and it took him a few bleary blinks to find out why.

His arms were covered in burns, and his pants were ripped, showing the same burns. He closed his eyes, trying to blink back tears and hating himself for it. He wasn't supposed to be weak. This wasn't supposed to happen. He should have been paying more attention. He was a bad jedi.

He turned back around, not able to stand the sight of his ravaged body at the moment. His vision was returning, as well as his hearing. Thank any gods there were for the Force.

"Trankviliĝu, ne movas." (Relax, don't move.) Anakin groaned again and turned his head slightly to see where the source of the sound was coming from. A dark-skinned man, clothed in only a cloth around his waist and metal plates on his chest, was looking at him with concern. He may have looked ordinary at first glance, but Anakin could see this was hardly the case. His eyes were pristine blue, very exotic compared to his dark skin and black curly hair. There also seemed to be a glow emitting from him, almost like the angels that Anakin had heard the deep space pilots talk about. While it was obvious that they weren't angels, Anakin knew that they weren't fully human.

"W-What?" he rasped out, and the humanoid frowned at him. "Mi ne komprenas vin." (I do not understand you.)

Anakin sighed, "I… don't… know what… you're….saying…"

The humanoid's frown didn't disappear from his face, and he turned to look at another humanoid who was standing close by. They were very similar in appearance – same hair, same eyes, same glowing dark-skin – but there were definite features that set them apart. The one who had found Anakin first had a more sturdy look than the lithe one who was standing close by.

Then it hit Anakin. These were the people who had attacked them, made their ship explode. Why did they look so concerned? And what had they done with Qui-Gon?

"Q-Qui-Gon…"

"Anakin!"

Anakin had never felt so relieved to hear his master's voice. He grinned, ignoring how his lips cracked with the effort, as his master took the spot of the humanoid.

"Master…. fancy seeing… you here."

"No need to get smart," the teasing voice didn't match the worried face. Qui-Gon was covered from head to toe in soot and ash, and there was a deep gash on his side. Anakin was surprised he hadn't collapsed yet – the wound looked deadly.

"Master – you're hurt – what happened?"

"I don't know," Qui-Gon admitted, glancing at the humanoids. There were at least five, and all male. "I'm not sure if we're in danger or not."

"D-Danger?" Anakin exclaimed, instantly giving himself a headache. "They… blew up… ship…"

Qui-Gon was looking worried, "Don't talk, Anakin. Save your strength."

Anakin nodded, too tired to argue, and looked up at the sky instead. It was bright – so bright it hurt his eyes – but there were also warmed tones to it in the clouds. Fire-like almost… the tips of the clouds looked as though they were roasting. "Master…"

"Anakin?"

"You should…tell… the council…"

Everything went black.

…

Anakin awoke with the strangest feeling of floating. His burns seemed to sting full power as he gained consciousness, as though to remind him they were there. He flicked open his eyes to see the semi-familiar face of the humanoid who'd found him next to the ship before.

It was only then that he realized he was being carried. Color flooded his cheeks, but the humanoid barely seemed to notice. If he were in any other persons arms, he would be rattled and jostled no matter how gently they tried to pick him up, but Anakin could feel a sense of grace that no human could ever hope to achieve. He felt as though he were lying on the ground, having no feeling of movement, and yet moving all the same.

He let out a deep breath, and the humanoid seemed to notice he was awake for the first time.

"Ni prenas vin por vidi curandero." (We're taking you to see a healer.) The humanoid informed him in an important voice. Anakin raised an eyebrow, not knowing the language, and looked around for Qui-Gon instead.

His master appeared half-conscious, and was supported by two of the humanoids as he stumbled around. "Did you…" he cleared his throat, already feeling the aching disappear. "Did you blow up the ship?"

The humanoid looked confused, and didn't answer him. Instead he turned his head to look at another one of the inhabitants. "Kie estas la tradukisto?" (Where is the translator?)

"Ŝi aperados al ni baldaŭ,"(Meeting with us soon) the other humanoid answered. Sensing Anakin's gaze, the one carrying him looked down at him. "Mia nomo estas Mika." (My name is Mika)

"Oh," Anakin replied, unsure of what he'd said. The humanoid looked up suddenly, a small smile on his face.

"Ni estas ĉi tie." (We are here.)

Feeling nauseous, Anakin looked around to see what the humanoid had been looking at. There was a camp… or at least it looked like a camp… how had he not seen it on the hologram map? He opened his mouth, but no words came out.

There were lots of voices talking to each other, and the sound of children's laughter was abruptly cut off as everyone turned to stare at them. If Anakin had thought the men were attractive in their own way, it was nothing compared to the women. Their skin was slightly lighter than the men's were with the same glow, and all of them had thick curly hair that reached to their waist. Like the men, they wore little clothing but on their waists and tunics. They were lean and thin, but they looked every bit as strong as the men were. Their eyes were like crystals as they examined him curiously.

Then Anakin saw the children, and he thought he'd never seen anything more beautiful. Lighter still in skin, the children's glow seemed to radiate around them. It almost hurt Anakin's eyes to see them. Their blue eyes were almond-shaped, their lips were thick, their glowing skin was clear, and their faces still slightly pudgy from childhood. He noticed that the older the humanoid, the more its skin started to darken.

"Vidu, ĉi tiu estas nia hejmo." (See, this is our home.)

Anakin couldn't stop staring at the people, who had dropped what they were doing and moved forward to get a better look at him and Qui-Gon. One of the kids, a little girl, pointed at him excitedly and started gabbing away in her own language while bouncing up and down. She was soon hushed by one of the females, who Anakin guessed to be her mother.

His eyes fell upon one of the females, who was walking towards them. She looked older than the other women, and her skin was darker, but she still carried a certain grace that Anakin had not thought possible. In the back of his mind he thought, if they knew the Force, they would make excellent jedi in balance and sword-fighting.

The woman smiled at him, and opened her mouth to speak. "It's okay, we're here to help you."

Anakin felt like his heart would explode from the pure excitement at hearing Basic, even if it had a slight accent to it. He had started to worry he'd go insane not knowing what they were saying.

"Ili surteriĝis sur kampo mia," said the humanoid holding Anakin.

"He says that your ship landed on a field mine," she said softly, "it caused an explosion."

Anakin nodded slowly, that made sense. It also explained why they had been worried about them. They hadn't attacked them, they were trying to help him.

"What about my friend? Qui-Gon?"

The woman smiled and shrugged, "He will be fine. So will you. Mika and I will take you to our healer, who is very skilled."

Mika? Was that the name of the male who was holding him? "What's your name?"

"My name is Yuola."

"My name is Anakin."

"Nice too meet you Anakin," Yuola said with a friendly smile, and Anakin nodded. "Likewise."

"He is Yunti," Yuola said, pointing at one of the five humanoids who had helped him. Yunti was the lean one who'd been standing near him.

"Those two holding up your friend are Forade and Gipley, and the one trailing behind you guys is Weplo."

"So… are you guys… what should I call you?"

"Call us?" Yuola rose a single eyebrow.

"Yes, as in… do your species have a name…?" he hoped that hadn't come out as rude as he thought it did.

"Yes, we do," the woman hadn't seemed to take offense. "We're called Maliag. We're the only humanoid species on the planet."

"Are you?"

"Yes, that is why there are so few of us. There are other species, such as Yiceep and Liop, but they keep to themselves. Liop are predators, and back when we lived in the open, used to prey on our children. They have left us alone for awhile now. Yiceep, you have nothing to worry about. They look fierce, though they are anything but. They are fierce protectors, but never harm anything. They bulk themselves up to appear threatening to others. They eat only plants."

Anakin nodded with the new information. "How long have you been living here?"

"Thousands of years."

"Thousands?" Anakin repeated in disbelief. "We only just discovered the planet –"

"It used to be cloaked," Yuola explained. "The cloak has worn off, so now you can see our planet. From which planet do you come from?"

"Coruscant… I was raised there."

"Coruscant…? I have never heard of such a place. Explain it."

Anakin went on to explain all about Coruscant until they reached the healer's tent. Inside, Mika gently placed him on a wooden table, and left. Yuola stayed beside him and waited for the healer to arrive. It didn't take long.

The healer was yet another woman. Anakin recognized her to be the one who had shushed the child. "Saluton, mi estas tie por sanigi vin."

"She says she's here to heal you. Don't be afraid."

"I'm not afraid," said Anakin, jutting his chin up in the air. Yuola just smiled at him. "Her name is Vellovara, she has been doing this job for a long time."

Anakin nodded. It was good to know that at least he was being cared for by an experienced healer. "What about Qui-Gon?"

"She will tend to him next, your burns will only take a moment to heal."

Anakin didn't believe that; even bacta would take at least a few days to heal burns this bad completely. He glanced down at them, wincing inwardly as he observed them. Any skin he'd had on his arms and legs had been completely burnt off. Black and orange were charring the muscle underneath. It was a wonder that he could still feel. It was also a wonder that it didn't hurt more.

As though guessing what he was thinking, Yuola spoke, "this planet is made for healing," she explained. "Just being on it will take care of most of your pain," she nodded her head at his burns, "and most of the plants here can heal you. Vellovara is good with the plants."

Anakin looked at Vellovara, who was mixing a green liquid around in a bowl. "What is it?"

"Kleoa leaves. If you make a pulp from them, it will help heal."

Anakin fidgeted as Vellovara came over to him with the mixture. Sensing his discomfort, she gave him a reassuring smile, before smearing some of the green liquid on his arms. He couldn't hold back a hiss of pain as it made contact with his skin. The burn had turned into a tingling sensation, like needles poking at him, stitching the skin back together. Before he could even voice a protest, she had smeared the rest onto his other arm and both legs.

"It is over," Yuola said, after what seemed like years of torture to Anakin. "D-Done?"

"Yes. Now up. It is time to heal your friend."

…

So, now they're all healed up. The ship is gone. Do you guys think they'll get off the planet by themselves, have someone rescue them, or not get off at all?