Jedi Apprentice – Skywalker's Rescue

Chapter 9

By the time they made it to the transit station, Anakin's head felt much clearer and the awful tingling in his arms and legs had faded. He patted Obi-Wan's shoulder, saying, "You can put me down now. I can walk."

Obi-Wan crouched and let Anakin down. Anakin rubbed his eyes. He looked up at Obi-Wan but couldn't read his expression. The whole situation felt a little dreamlike. A few hours ago Anakin had felt so sure that he was doing the right thing, that he didn't care if he never saw Obi-Wan again, but then his plans had come crashing down around him. And then the next thing he knew, there was Obi-Wan, fighting off a bunch of gangsters with his bare hands.

"How did you find me?" Anakin asked.

"I followed the Force," Obi-Wan said.

There was a loud cough. They both turned to see Koa standing beside them, looking at Obi-Wan expectantly.

"With some help, of course," Obi-Wan quickly amended. He held out his hand to Koa to shake. "Thank you," he trailed off, seeming to realize he'd never gotten the boy's name.

"It's Koa," he said, shaking Obi-Wan's hand, "And no problem! You were incredible back there!"

Anakin might have imagined it, but he thought he saw Obi-Wan smile a little at that. Obi-Wan gave Anakin a small nudge.

"Thanks for coming back to help me," Anakin told Koa.

"Don't mention it," Koa said with a grin, "I was only doing what was right. It was my duty as a citizen of the Republic, after all! But…I should probably leave town. I have some cousins across world that I could stay with. The gang will never find me there. Nobody around here even knows I have family. But…the transit fees to get there are so expensive and I only have a few credits on my pass…"

Anakin could hardly believe what he was hearing. Duty to the Republic? Yeah, that was likely! But Obi-Wan was already transferring credits to Koa's pass. Koa didn't waste any time, jumping onto the next transit pod before Obi-Wan could reconsider.

"Master, do you think he really has cousins?" Anakin asked as they watched Koa wave at them from the window before disappearing with a cheeky grin.

"I don't know," Obi-Wan admitted, "But he did help us out. And maybe this is his chance to start fresh. Come one, let's go." He put a hand on Anakin's shoulder and led him onto the next pod.

The few occupants took one look at their Jedi robes and assorted bruises and left several seats empty around them. Anakin sat by the window and Obi-Wan sat down beside him. The quiet stretched out, almost worse than the lectures he was sure were coming. Anakin tried to raise his head but he couldn't bring himself to meet Obi-Wan's eyes.

"Am I in trouble?" he asked, his voice sounding smaller than he liked.

Anakin braced himself for the answer. He knew what it would be. He was in big trouble this time. Restricted to his quarters. No rec time. Extra homework and chores for the rest of the year. No, for every year until he took the Trials to become a Knight!

Obi-Wan let out a small sigh. "No, you're not in trouble."

Anakin risked a glance up at his mentor, but Obi-Wan didn't look angry, only tired. There was a dark circle forming below one eye where one of the gangsters must have gotten a lucky swing in. Anakin felt his lower lip wobble, but he managed to ask, "What's going to happen now?"

Obi-Wan finally looked at him and his expression softened. "Now, my young Padawan, we're going home."

Home. He wasn't being kicked out of the Jedi Order. They were going home. Anakin burst into tears. He threw his arms around Obi-Wan's neck.

"I'm so sorry!" he sobbed. "I'm sorry for everything I said before! I didn't mean it. I was only angry."

"Oh, Anakin," Obi-Wan said, and Anakin could feel his presence in the Force, brighter and warmer than usual. Once he'd started crying, it was hard to stop. Everything that he'd kept bottled up, every long day since he'd left Tatooine, suddenly was pouring out. Obi-Wan held him and patted his back gently, saying, "It's alright, Anakin."

Eventually Anakin stopped crying but he didn't want to move. He wanted to stay right there, eyes tightly shut, because for those moments while the transport pod hummed through the sky, Obi-Wan felt more like a father than a teacher, and everything was going to be alright after all.

When the pod finally reached the stop closest to the Temple, Obi-Wan carried Anakin on his back again, all the way to their rooms. They got a few curious looks from other Jedi, but Anakin was too exhausted to care.

The first thing Anakin did when they got back was to disappear into the refresher. He pulled off his grimy clothes and let the stream of warm water sooth him, letting his mind wander. So his mission had been a disaster, but he was surprisingly okay. Back to his original plan, then. He would work hard and become a powerful Jedi and then he would go back to Tatooine and free his mom. And the rest of the slaves, too. His mom would just have to wait a little longer.

Obi-Wan knocked on the door, but instead of telling Anakin not to use up all the hot water, like usual, he placed a clean set of clothes inside the door and said, "Don't take too long. Your food will get cold."

When Anakin finally made his way to the kitchen he found his plate with a small towel placed over it to keep the heat in. He was so hungry and tired that he didn't even notice what he was eating, but it was warm and filling. After he finished, Obi-Wan carried the empty plates and cups to the recycler, even though that was supposed to be the Padawan's job.

"Go brush your teeth and lie down," Obi-Wan told him, adding, "You've got quite a few scrapes and bruises, Padawan. I want to try putting you into a healing trance."

Anakin felt a little flicker of excitement. Using a Jedi healing trance was an advanced technique. Anakin had assumed it would be years before he could learn it.

As Anakin lay on his bed with the lights dimmed, he closed his eyes and tried to take long, slow breaths, as instructed. He recited the Jedi Code in his mind, but it was hard to focus because Obi-Wan was carefully applying bacta patches to his injuries and each one caused a brief, icy cold sensation when it touched his skin.

"Keep your eyes closed," Obi-Wan reminded him again. Anakin felt the bed shift when Obi-Wan sat on the edge beside him, and then the light touch of Obi-Wan's fingers on his forehead. Anakin got the feeling that Obi-Wan was reciting the Code too, somehow picking up on the same line that Anakin was on.

After a few minutes of this, Anakin opened one eye. "Is it working?"

Obi-Wan wore that familiar expression, patient and slightly amused. "Do you feel like you're in a deep sleep, floating in the Force, unaware of anything around you?"

"…no," Anakin replied, feeling a little foolish.

"Let's try again," Obi-Wan instructed, "Relax and focus on your breathing. Let go of your physical surroundings. Let go of your emotions. Feel only the Force."

As Obi-Wan spoke, Anakin felt something wash over him, wrapping around him like the blanket that Padme had given him that first night on the space ship after he left Tatooine. He hung onto that feeling and let Obi-Wan's voice carry him into a deep sleep.

"I am one with the Force and the Force is with me…I am one with the Force and the Force is with me…I am one with the Force and…"

…

TBC!

Preview: Obi-Wan has a voicemail from Mace Windu!