Chapter 8: The First Mission

"Anakin!"

"Anakin!"

Obi-Wan Kenobi was as close to shouting as his calm and quiet personality allowed when he entered the doors to their apartment, and a blond spiky head peeked out the door to the right.

"Stars, Master. What is going on? You're being louder than Jira when a storm was coming in."

Anakin had stepped out from his room and stood in front of his Master, both legs planted firmly on the floor and arms crossed over his chest. The sight would have made Obi-Wan laugh if he hadn't been in such a hurry.

"Pull on your boots and come with me. We shall meet before the Council as soon as possible."

Anakin's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Before the Council? Now? Why? I haven't done anything recently…" His voice trailed off.

"No, you haven't. And neither have I," his Master answered. "Come now. Hurry. Where's your other boot?"

They found the forlorn boot just inside the 'fresher door. Obi-Wan didn't even want to know how or why it had ended up there. Certain things were best forgotten.

Shortly after they stood in front of the High Council and bowed in unison.

"Master Kenobi," Master Windu intoned,"for about 8 months now you and your Padawan have been staying in the Temple, as you have been given time to adapt to the Temples routines and each other. The Council has now deemed you clear for going on light missions and we have one now that may be suitable as a first mission for the two of you."

Obi-Wan could almost feel an enthusiastic 'Wizard' coming through the training bond from his Padawan.

"If the Council have a mission for us, we are ready to go," he said formally.

"Good," Master Windu said, "the mission is going to be a purely diplomatic mission. You are going to the planet of Lazerian IV. The Kingdom of Devit is celebrating it's centennial anniversary after becoming a kingdom and as Jedi were present when the kingdom was re-established after years of civil war, the Order has been invited to send representatives."

Obi-Wan bowed again: "We accept the mission, but why us? Wouldn't it have been more natural to send a couple of older Jedi?"

A frown flew over Mace Windu's face.

"Well, actually we had assigned this mission to the Knights Mithrial and Aroon, but as Knight Aroon is confined to the Healer's Ward with a bruised ankle and Knight Mithrial simultaneously got a nasty stomach flu, we had to find a reserve."

Obi-Wan and Anakin bowed again and left the Council Chamber. The doors had barely closed behind them before a waterfall of questions poured out of Anakin's mouth.

"Wizard! I'm going on my first mission. I mean we are… But why us, Master? They could have found someone else still. But I'm glad they didn't. Can I pilot the ship when we're going there? Can I? How long will it take to get there? And will we have to stay long? Will there be a huge party and lot's of food?"

"Whoa…stop…wait…you are allowed to breathe, Padawan," Obi-Wan admonished his charge. "I have no idea why we were chosen for this particular task, we will see about piloting when we're in open space and I believe the journey will take a couple of days, but I will leave to you to make that calculation this evening. And, yes, I assume a party and food will be involved, and you will behave like a well-behaved Padawan and taste some of the food in an extremely polite manner."

Anakin frowned. He could accept 'polite' but taking it to the extreme when nice food was involved was a completely different matter.

Obi-Wan chuckled.

"Come on, let's get home. We have information about the mission waiting on our reading pads and you have a calculation to do before we call it a day."

….

Lazerian IV was a truly beautiful planet, especially seen from orbit. Green plains and not overly tall mountain ranges were patched with green lush forests. Up close it was less green as the City of Devit was highly industrialised. It seemed clean and well organised but on the other hand it was somehow dull and grey.

"It looked better from above," Anakin grumbled as he descended the ramp one step behind and to the right of Obi-Wan.

"Shhh, Anakin. Manners. Behave yourself."

"But they can't hear us yet!"

"Behave!"

The two Jedi stopped in front of two officials who stood by the end of the ramp.

"Welcome to our capital city," the taller of them said. "I am Gelan and this is Moran. We will be at your service during your stay."

Obi-Wan sensed that his Padawan was about to burst in laugher and gave him a nudge through their training bond ('behave'), before giving a polite bow to the two liaisons.

"It's a pleasure to be here and the Jedi Order is grateful for your invitation," he said. "I am Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi and this is my Padawan, my apprentice, Anakin Skywalker."

Anakin stifled his laughter and gave his best Padawan-bow.

"Pleased to meet you both," Gelan said. "We will show you to the guest house where you will stay tonight. Tomorrow you will meet the King and be among his guests of honour when the parade is passing by the Castle. Later that evening there will be a formal dinner where you will be sitting at the main table with the King. After the fireworks at midnight tomorrow you are welcome to stay as long as you wish without any formal obligations."

Obi-Wan bowed again.

"There is really a lot of bowing present in these diplomatic missions," Anakin thought with the mental equivalent to a sigh.

Their rooms were magnificent. They had been giving a large suite with two adjacent bedrooms. A common living room occupied the area outside their bedrooms and they found a small dining table set for two.

"We assumed you would like something to eat, and maybe rest after your long journey. We will meet you here at 9th hour tomorrow," Moran said, and Anakin did his best to keep a serene expression on his face. As soon as the door closed behind the two liaisons he burst out with the long time suppressed laughter.

"Padawan, "Obi-Wan admonished. "What is it?"

"He…his….did he really say that his name was Moron? " Anakin hiccuped.

Obi-Wan glanced at him in shocked silence for a moment and then he burst into a laughter too.

"No. Absolutely not. His name is Moran, with an A not an O," he explained when he was able to talk again. "Was that the reason why you almost were exploding behind me on our way into the city?"

Anakin nodded, slightly ashamed: "Yes…"

"We really have to improve your diplomatic skills," Obi-Wan sighed. "Laughing at people is really not very diplomatic."

…

They were picked up at ninth hour as promised. Both Jedi had brought a set of new clothes to be worn during the ceremony and the following dinner, and were dressed in their finest clothing. By joining mutual forces and with the help of comb and water they had even managed to get Anakin's hair tamed so he was the image of a Perfect Padawan when they entered the balcony.

They both bowed deeply for the King.

"It's a pleasure to have you here," he intoned, "it was by the help of the Jedi that the Kingdom of Devit was reestablished a century ago, and thus it is a great honour to have some of your kind here with us today."

"The Jedi Order was honoured by your invitation, your Majesty," Obi-Wan said smoothly, casting a warning glance to his Padawan. The glance gave a very clear message: Do NOT comment on his 'your kind' comment.

And from that minute on the day went in a dignified and organised whirlwind.

Anakin did not contribute to the 'dignified' part…

It began during the main parade.

"Master, look at those costumes!" he exclaimed when the first riders passed by the balcony where the King stood waving down to the cheering crowd below.

"It is NOT costumes, Anakin. It's ceremonial clothing from a century ago."

"That's basically what I said, Master. It's costumes."

"Anakin, shhhh…."

The next scene from the parade turned out to be on the verge of a diplomatic catastrophe.

"Master! They are in chains. Do these people have slaves?"

"They are not slaves, Anakin."

"But they are in chains. We have to free them. You can do it, Master. I know you can."

The King cast a very disapproving glance at Anakin, and then turned his focus towards the parade again.

"They are not slaves. They are actors hired to play prisoners."

Anakin looked suspiciously at his Master. "Are you sure, Master?"

"I am. Did you not read the briefing document on your pad before we arrived?"

Anakin pursed his lips and shook his head, slightly ashamed, but his subdued mien didn't last long.

"Master! There are Jedi. Why are we here when there already were Jedi here?"

"Anakin, they are actors too!"

By the end of the parade Obi-Wan felt his migraine rising, stronger than it had been in several months. He had a feeling that this would be one of the longest days in his life. He'd been to enough similar events in his own time as Padawan to know that it would be an exhausting day, but as the hours passed by he realised that not preparing Anakin for the long waiting time had been a huge mistake. The first hour he had to tolerate Anakin's questions, but as the hours passed by he could see his Padawan becoming utterly restless and was almost bouncing on his toes.

"Master…I have to…I have to go to the 'fresher."

"Not now, Anakin."

"But I really, really have to."

"Be quick then."

The parade finally ended with a lot of happy children representing the celebration of the peace and the restoration of the monarchy.

"Ooooh, they are so happy," Anakin beamed. This time Obi-Wan did not find it worth mentioning that the children played their roles in the parade too.

They got a couple of hours break before the dinner began.

When the procession entered the dining hall they were three steps behind the King and Queen, one on each side. As they sat down by the table Obi-Wan relaxed slightly. Hopefully nothing could go wrong during the dinner. Anakin enjoyed food so the only thing that might go wrong was probably that he would eat too much, and the effects of that was something they would have to deal with after the dinner was over.

He couldn't have been more wrong.

The first dish was served and Anakin scrunched his nose.

"Master," he whispered, "we cannot eat this. I cannot eat this…"

"Behave, Anakin, at least you have to eat some of it."

"But it's raw!"

"Many people eat raw meat, it's tasty. Try it,"

Obi-Wan took a bite and silently agreed with Anakin. The taste was really something…different. He cast a glance around the table and saw the other guests digging in with good appetite so he decided to copy their behaviour. Anakin didn't. His plate was still untouched when the waiter came to remove it.

The next dish was obviously based on some kind of fish. It almost seemed like jelly on the plate and Obi-Wan concluded that Anakin actually had a point. This was hardly food for human beings.

Anakin's plate remained untouched.

"Master Kenobi, your young apprentice does not like our food, no?" the Queen asked.

"Your Majesty, I must admit he's young still and he has not refined his taste yet," Obi-Wan answered politely, well aware of Anakin glaring daggers at him.

The Queen nodded knowingly.

"Such are children," she declared, "Waiter, serve the child something more suitable."

And with that Anakin was saved from further culinary explorations.

Obi-Wan was less lucky. He had been trained to eat various dishes from his early days as Padawan. So that's what he did. The fermented meat in the main course tasted like something that had been fetched from a garbage dump. The bouillon served in-between the starter and the main dish could easily be compared to waste water. Actually, if given a choice he might have preferred the waste water. And the dessert wasn't much better. He loved sweets and liked fruits, but the unknown fruit had a remarkably resemblance to something rotten. The sauce that accompanied it surely had to be based on sour…something.

By the end of the meal he felt slightly queasy.

By the time they had bid the King and Queen politely farewell he felt rather…sick.

By the time they entered their suite he was longing for the 'fresher facilities. And that was basically where he spent most of the night.

When morning dawned he didn't feel much better. Actually he had't felt that bad since he had the Corellian flu at the age of fifteen.

"Let's get back home as soon as we can, Anakin," he said weakly.

"Are you still feeling ill, Master?" Anakin asked with a concerned look in his eyes. "Maybe we should ask for a healer?"

"No!" Obi-Wan said more brusquely than intended, "When they serve food like that, Force alone knows how their healers will be."

"Master!" Anakin admonished.

By the time they were in their ship, Obi-Wan had achieved a slightly green complexion, admittedly not a good match to his light copper red hair.

By the time they left orbit his greenish colour had been accompanied by cold sweat and shivers.

"Master, are you sure you will manage flying home?" Anakin asked in an anxious voice.

"Of course, Padawan. I feel fine, just a little queasy after yesterday's slightly…unaccustomed food," Obi-Wan said with more certainty than he really felt.

"But Master, you are really, really green…"

"I'm not. I may be a little pale though. I didn't sleep very well last night."

"Master, if you want to lay down for a little while I can supervise the autopilot," Anakin said eagerly. "Please Master, you really don't look too good right now."

"Oh, well… If you're absolutely certain I may find a bunk and lay down for a little while. I'm not going to sleep though, so please alarm me if something unusual happens."

"I will, Master," Anakin promised and sat proudly down behind the controls.

By the time they were well into hyperspace, Obi-Wan was asleep.

Anakin checked that he was still breathing. Truth be told he felt a bit worried about his Master's condition."

By the time they approached Coruscanti orbit, Obi-Wan was deeply unconscious.