So here's the next part to the story, slightly earlier than I expected and longer than last time please let me know what you think and enjoy!


The turbolift lurched upwards ascending to the higher levels in the temple where the council chambers were situated. Both Obi wan and Anakin were trying to make themselves look at least a little bit presentable, but it was tricky when they had to come directly from a gruelling training session! Obi wan had a lot less trouble than Anakin as he had only taken part in the sparring. His young padawan was drenched in sweat after the sparring and training exercise, not to mention the singes on his tunic from the blaster shots.

Obi wan chuckled as he watched his padawan desperately try and look presentable, his hair a sticky mess, his clothes all ruffled. It was quite a sight. Anakin toweled himself off and swung his robe over his tunic in an effort to hide the blast marks on his shoulder and arms.

"I wish we could have had a chance to clean up. I don't want to be scrutinised by the council for looking like this!" Anakin exclaimed, pointing out the haphazardness of his appearance.

"Calm down, Padawan. The council will not berate you. We have been called for immediately and they knew we were training". Obi wan smiled as that seemed to visibly calm his apprentice and he stopped jumping from side to side on his feet!

It was funny how quickly Anakin's mood had changed since they left the training hall and had taken the short trip to the lifts. At first he was positively buzzing with excitement at the prospect of his first ever mission! Obi wan observed however his decreasing excitement and increasing anxiety levels over having to be in front of the entire Jedi council. Obi wan didn't blame him. As a boy so young it was intimidating having 12 seasoned masters have their attention on you, watching your every reaction and, quite frankly, judging you.

Another memory popped into his head of he himself being scrutinised by the council after all the business on Melida/Daan. He shuddered remembering what that had done to his and Qui gon's relationship. He could always remember seeing the deep disappointment and betrayal in Qui gon's eyes as he renounced his ties to the Jedi order and vowed to stay on that world and help the kids there with the civil war. Of course, that was the worst mistake of his life. Not soon after being left there by Qui gon did he realise that himself. He lost a dear friend on that planet and realised truly what he wanted in life, to be a Jedi knight. It took a lot of hard work to be accepted by the council again and, thankfully, eventually Qui gon. He could sometimes scarcely believe that those were his actions; how wrong he had been.

Anakin's slight fidgeting brought him out of his reverie. Yes, he understood completely his padawan's anxiousness. Obi wan would be lying if he too said he wasn't intimidated by the masters. He had grown more confident being called in front of them, but it always brought back memories of the unpleasant times he had experienced in there.

Obi wan noticed his padawan's braid was tangled and all over the place. He knelt down beside him and gently untangled the loose strands. He then went about re-plaiting it for him which prompted Anakin to send a wave of gratitude across their bond. He finally seemed to calm down to a usual level. Well, for Anakin anyway. It wasn't a moment later that the lift chimed indicating they were at the council chambers level of the temple.

Obi wan stepped out first, followed closely by Anakin. His gaze followed the Coruscant skyline as they strolled past one of the windows. He still could remember the way it used to look when he was just a bit older than Anakin walking along this very corridor with Qui gon. How times have changed, he mused. The sun was setting and it was then that Obi wan realised how late it was, time surely flied when you were deep within the temple training; with no windows it was very easy to lose track of the time of day.

The planet outside was dotted with towering skyscrapers, glinting in the setting sun. Transports littered the sky, zooming across the horizon, Obi wan's eyes drifted towards the colossal building on the other side of the city. His eyes settled on the senate building, he hadn't been there much since the events on Naboo, only if a situation had arisen that required his immediate attendance. He didn't know what it was but every time he was in that building he felt, well, he felt wrong was the only word Obi wan could come up with. He shivered slightly and stared ahead again heading for the door to the council. They paused just outside the door and Obi wan looked down at Anakin. Good, he looks a lot more calm.

'Ready, Padawan?' Obi wan sent along the bond.

'As I'll ever be,' Anakin grinned back.

Obi wan chuckled and gave Anakin's uninjured shoulder a gentle squeeze. This was it, Obi wan couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding as if this mission would change everything. But would it be for the good? With that final thought they both passed into the council chambers.


Anakin calmed his breathing as he and Obi wan strode into the council chambers. He stopped a shoulder's width from his master in the centre of the room; respectively bowing to the Jedi masters in sync with his master. Anakin couldn't help but gaze around the space; he vividly remembered the first time he had set foot in this room. His nervousness had decreased over the years thankfully but it was still very intimidating!

The view out of the window behind the council members was, in a word, breathtaking. Anakin could never really get used to the fact that he now lived here! After being on a desert planet for so many years he hadn't seen the same kind of, well, life, and transports and even the buildings here on Coruscant. Everything was so busy and so lively even when the sun went down, this planet never slept.

Of course he had snuck out a few times when he had first arrived on the planet and been taken on as a padawan, only to be caught by Obi wan on his return and assigned extra meditation and homework as punishment. His midnight jaunts had decreased over the years, but the extra meditation was worth the adventure, after being a slave all his life it was nice to just feel free! The main reason his trips had stopped was because of one fateful night when he got into a bit of a trouble and scared his master half to death…

'Anakin wrapped his cloak around himself shivering slightly as the evening temperature on Coruscant dropped to a new low point. He had been in Jedi training for a year and a half now and was enjoying his time immensely. He loved the temple, his new master Obi wan and thanked the stars every day he had been allowed to have this monumental opportunity., it was then that thoughts of his mother flashed across his mind. That was the toughest part of all of this, having to say goodbye to his mother. He had kept his promise to her; he hadn't looked back. As hard as that was to achieve he knew it was what his mother wanted. 'One day,' he thought. 'One day I will save her.' She deserved to live a free life just like Ani was experiencing now.

He knew he shouldn't be outside the temple after hours. He had been caught each time by his master, no matter how he tried to hide his return! There was no getting anything past him. But he just couldn't help it! He wanted to explore, wanted to see things he had never seen before. Obi wan had kept each indiscretion between just the two of them; he felt pity for Anakin having never had the chance before to be free. Of course that didn't stop the endless meditation and kitchen duty as punishment. Anakin huffed.

He was on the lower levels and was just on his way back to the temple. He had been searching the levels in the scrapyards for any parts he could use on his new mechanical project. It was no secret Anakin loved tinkering with machines and he was usually covered in oil and grease when his master found him in his room. Sometimes droid parts ended up all over the apartment, of course, Anakin didn't know how that was possible.

The first he'd hear of it was when he heard his master curse when he had ended up standing on one or two and vowed to throw the whole lot away if Anakin didn't keep the parts tidily away in his room! This trip had been relatively successful; he had gained a few circuit boards and power generators that he was confident he could cannibalise to his needs in time.

Suddenly a large bang made Anakin nearly jump out of his skin. His hand automatically reached for his saber, even though it was just a training saber it would still deflect bolts and packed quite a sting. Down along a side alley he saw what looked to be five bounty hunters. They were humanoid in appearance, from his lessons he believed them to be of the species Weequay. He knew their species were usually involved with bounty hunters. He grimaced, they were surrounding a lone man with blasters. Anakin's fear rose within him, along with anger! That man was completely defenceless and they were beating him and laughing. Anakin knew he had to help! He force jumped into the middle of the fray and got to work kicking the arms of two bounty hunters in quick succession, effectively disarming them. They scowled at him and the other three swung around towards Anakin; all thoughts of their victim long gone now they had someone who had interrupted them!

Anakin felt the anger radiating from all of them. He suddenly realised how outnumbered he was and now didn't know what to do. He had only been training for just over a year and was not ready for real blaster fire yet. With that in mind he swung his training saber round, knocking one of the remaining armed bounty hunters round the head with a resounding clang, sensing immediately he was out cold. Anakin tried to stay calm but his anxiety rose as the force screamed a warning and blaster fire peppered the air around him.

The other two bounty hunters had retrieved their weapons; it took all of Anakin's concentration to not be hit by the deadly bolts. He managed to send a few bolts back towards his attackers. Good, three down, only two to deal with. Anakin decided to try and end this, he moved forward still deflecting the bolts; he felt the bounty hunters anxiety increase as they watched their accomplices crumple. Anakin swung out towards the closest assailant and struck him square across the shoulder and doubled the attack swinging towards the beings arm. He watched as the blaster went flying. Good, he wasn't a threat right now.

Anakin sensed urgent danger in the force; he had lost focus on the last bad guy! He didn't swing the saber back around in time to deflect and cried out in pain as the laser bolt ripped through his left shoulder. Staggering back, he realised he had to get out of here now. His grip changed from one hand to the other; his left side completely immobilised from the blast. The bounty hunter tried desperately to press down on his advantage and fired continually at Anakin. Thankfully, maybe more by luck than anything, one of the deflected blasts went straight into the assailant and he crumpled to the ground.

Anakin hissed out in pain and dropped to the floor, 'force that hurt!' He had never been in so much pain in his life, his entire left arm was shooting daggers at every movement. He glanced at the wound and wished he hadn't; it didn't look pretty. Suddenly strong arms were helping him up off of the floor. He was confused; how did his very worried looking master get here, how did he know where he was, and that he was in trouble?

That was the last thing he remembered before waking up in the medic bay with a shoulder that still hurt but was much reduced compared to the complete agony he had been in earlier. Obi wan had explained to him that he had felt Anakin's fear and that he was in trouble along the bond. He had tracked his padawan to the lower levels and raced towards his location. He had said the closer he got the easier it was; he could recognise Anakin's force signature anywhere. He explained how he felt the pain echo over the bond and fastened his pace. How he arrived just in time to see his padawan drop to the floor; then picking his padawan up and bringing him back to the temple. 'Oh force, had Obi wan lectured him after that one…' He had made him promise never to go down to the lower levels at night by himself again, and that Anakin had been very lucky to be hit with just the one blaster shot.

After the shouting match his master did praise Anakin for his selflessness for helping another being but elaborated that he shouldn't have been in that position in the first place. It was too dangerous for someone so young to be wandering around by himself. He was very worried when he felt all of Anakin's emotions over the bond like that; that was the first time where they had both realised the strength of it.

Anakin had learned a valuable lesson that day, there were always beings out there smarter and more capable than him. After that experience he pushed himself back into training and worked harder than ever before. Anakin had vowed to keep his word he didn't want to see that worried look in his master's face again!

Anakin was brought out of his memory when he heard Master Windu address Obi wan.

"We have an assignment for you and your padawan, Master Kenobi," Mace waited until Anakin had fully concentrated on what he was saying.

Oops, I need to stop drifting off!

Mace continued, "We have received a request from Senator Onaconda Farr of Rodia. He fears for his families safety for his upcoming trip between the world of Ithor to their home world. They have just finished negotiations on the planet and have received several credible threats that they will be attacked on the return journey. Most of these threats have been traced back to Ithor's rogue faction by their government, however there are some discrepancies into the origin of the messages. So the both of you will accompany the senator and his family on their trip back to their home world. We don't foresee many troubles once you are travelling on board the cruiser; it should just be a simple protection detail." Mace finished.

Obi wan grimaced slightly, he sure wished Mace hadn't said the S word. From his experience in the past with Qui gon when the council said a mission was simple, it rarely was. He glanced down at his apprentice, watching the excitement grow on his face. Anakin was right. This will be his first mission. Oh force this was going to be hard to calm him down now!

"Suspect trouble, Master Kenobi, do you, hmm?"

As always Master Yoda knew exactly what he was thinking. He couldn't say that just because it always has gone wrong in the past that it will now! No I have to trust that this will be a successful first mission for me and Anakin.

"Not at all, Master Yoda. I was just preparing for all eventualities," Obi wan replied, careful to keep his voice steady. He could meditate on his feelings about this mission later. Anakin hadn't picked up any of the feelings that Obi wan was having, he was positively elated!

"Your transport for Ithor will be leaving in a few hours. Sorry to not be able to give you anymore notice but the senator and his family want to get off of the planet sooner rather than later. The trip from Ithor to Rodia will take a few standard days to complete. May the force be with you, Master Kenobi, Padawan Skywalker." Mace finished and tilted his head slightly.

"Thank you, masters," Obi wan finished, bowed and led the way out of the council chambers. He couldn't seem to shake the bad feelings he had about this mission. Not to mention the fact they didn't have much time to prepare either! They would have to go and get cleaned up quickly and get packed up.

Obi wan now realised why he and Anakin had been sent to Illum a few weeks earlier to construct Anakin's first light saber; the council were obviously looking out for a mission they could send the pair on that wouldn't be too taxing, Anakin was still very young after all. They headed off back towards the turbolift to head down to their shared quarters. Obi wan was still deep in thought whilst Anakin was struggling very hard to contain himself from running down the corridor shouting and screaming.


The council chambers evacuated leaving just Master Yoda and Master Windu.

"Do you think they're ready for this?" Mace asked Yoda, who was seemingly concentrating deeply.

"Tell for them, only time will. Yes, Tell, only time will," replied Master Yoda cryptically. He had sensed Master Kenobi's stiffening as the mission was presented before him. It was unusual for Obi wan to be fearful of a mission. As soon as it appeared it had disappeared, however that did not stop Yoda from sensing a faint warning in the force.

"Go to meditate, I must." He answered to a still puzzled Mace whose face seemed more accepting. Sometimes things weren't clear for Yoda until he had spent hours or sometimes even days deep in meditation listening to the will of the force. He hobbled out of the room heading straight for his meditation room.


Anakin burst into his and Obi wan's shared quarters and veered straight towards his room. He nearly knocked the indoor plant their flat was decorated with over in the process. As Obi wan made his way back in and slid the door closed behind him, he could already hear a large crashing coming from his padawans room. Anakin was rummaging for clothes and anything he thought he might need for the upcoming mission. Obi wan smiled to himself, he wouldn't ruin his padawans excitement just yet. He remembered the first time he and Qui gon had gone on an official mission; It was very exciting packing up and getting ready to go out and see other worlds.

'Remember to clean yourself up, young Padawan. You still look like a mess,' Obi wan sent along the bond. He smiled when he sensed a spark of annoyance from Anakin when he realised he had to stop bouncing off the walls and go and get ready.

Anakin came bursting out of the room, excitement radiating from every fibre of his being, a huge grin plastered on his face.

"Isn't it great Master?!" He all but shouted. "We're going on our first mission and we're going on a cruiser and, and-"

"Calm down, Padawan. You'll use all your energy up before we even get out of the temple!" Obi wan interrupted him when he could see Anakin was going to go on a long rant about missions and ships and mechanical things that Obi wan had no idea how to even respond to.

"Now, go and get cleaned up, you are covered in sweat! Then we'll take another look at your wounds before we head out of the temple," Obi wan instructed, giving Anakin a gentle push in the direction of the fresher. He could tell by the look on his padawans face that he had completely forgotten about his various bruises and grazes, he had got caught up in all the excitement.

"I'm not that bad," Anakin mumbled slightly, dejected at the prospect of having a shower when all he wanted to do was jump around with joy.

Obi wan continued to steer Anakin in the direction of the fresher; not for one second falling the boy's attempts at looking innocently up at him.

"In," he pointed when they got close to the door. Obi wan chuckled when Anakin sauntered into the fresher, annoyed that his attempts to prolong hadn't worked. That boy has too much energy. Obi wan sighed as the door slid closed.

As he turned away from the door he heard the sound of the shower starting. Good, hopefully a shower will calm him slightly. He can't possibly jump around in such a confined space.

Obi wan moved along the rest of the corridor and stopped in the communal space. His eyes roamed around the room, at least his padawan had stopped leaving droid parts all over the floor. Force those had hurt. The room was now littered with a few items that made it feel like home. Pictures littered the wall, Anakin loved to pick them up from the markets of Coruscant. He really enjoyed seeing new worlds, even if they were just pictures. No wonder why he can't contain his excitement to go and see some in person!

Various star fighter models were also spread along the shelves, Obi wan enjoyed modelling star fighters and of course Anakin fell in love with them too, he enjoyed everything flying related. They had spent many evenings intricately putting all of those models together, I will have to pick up some more soon, thought Obi wan. He liked being able to share things with his padawan. A memory came back into his mind of their first night here together as master and apprentice.

Obi wan stared out at the planet below, tears brimming at his eyes. He had just returned from Qui gon's memorial service, it had brought up all the memories of losing Qui gon all over again. He was too focused on the landscape outside that he didn't hear Anakin enter the common area. He and Anakin had been through the ceremony of taking on an apprentice, Obi wan swiftly braided Anakin's padawan braid and Master Yoda had helped the two form a training bond.

Anakin had just finished putting away his new clothes into his new quarters which were directly next to his master Obi wan's room. Anakin headed back out into the common area, he was a little surprised to see his master at the window tears in his eyes. Usually he sensed Anakin and plastered a smile over his face, he didn't like to show anyone how Qui gon's death had affected him. But Anakin saw glimpses when Obi wan didn't know he was looking, and then the mask came back up as soon as he noticed there was someone else around. He headed over to his conflicted master, not really knowing what to do when Obi wan still didn't realise his presence.

Obi wan suddenly felt a presence next to him, ' how had he missed Anakin walking back in? And now he can see that I was crying! What a great impression that was,' Obi wan scolded himself. In his effort to try and bury his feelings again and wipe his tears, he didn't know how it happened, one minute he was gaining control, the next he was on his knees crying his eyes out!

Anakin rushed forward when his master crashed to his knees and started to cry out. He hadn't expected this, Obi wan had always closed himself off around Anakin. Anakin did the only thing that came to mind; he flung his arms around Obi wan in a large embrace and gasped as Obi wan clung onto him. It was in this moment that Anakin was reminded of the pain that flowed through him over the thought of leaving his mother behind. He began to shake too and Obi wan just clung to him tighter, turning the embrace into a two way hug.

They didn't need to say a word to each other, that wasn't what Obi wan or Anakin needed. They both just needed someone to be there whilst they dealt with their grief which until now had all been bottled up. Anakin clung to the warmth Obi wan was giving him and they both knelt there for what seemed like hours consoling each other over their own losses. Their bond pulsed brightly that day and had continued to grow ever since.

Obi wan wiped away a tear from his eye as he came back to reality, he was glad he had Anakin with him in the time soon after Qui gon's passing. It gave him something to do, a purpose. They both helped each other face their feelings and move on. He headed into his own quarters which were quite bland in comparison to the living area and Anakin's room. Various data pads littered the bed and desk area, he liked to read and keep up to date with things. He would have to download the information that the council would send them about the forth coming mission, he knew that reading up on the planets and their respective problems would come in handy on the assignment.

He grabbed a bag and packed a few clean sets of uniform, some sleep clothes, emergency travel pack and a few more essentials. He knew he had to go and clean up himself once Anakin was finished, and he better check on the boys packing there was no point turning up with all the wrong gear! Obi wan expertly and quickly packed all of his gear with practised ease and brought it all out into the living area.

He could still hear the running of the water in the shower. Good, he could then get on with checking what his padawan had packed! Obi wan made his way into his padawans quarters; they were a complete mess as usual he would have to get him to tidy this when they got back from their assignment.

Careful not to step on droid pieces again, he made his way over to Anakin's bed. He checked the bag that his padawan had already started to literally throw clothes into. Obi wan emptied the bag and started over, packing the bag correctly, folding each of the clothes in turn. Anakin's lightsaber lay on top, he would tell his padawan to wear this on his belt out to the transport. He remembered when he himself had started to use his own light saber, the power of it, the gracefulness. His padawan had crafted a very nice light saber indeed. Anakin's things were then placed next to Obi wan's in the hallway.

Obi wan headed over to the kitchen area and started to prepare some dinner for the two of them. Whilst chopping up some vegetables for the meal he started to think about the upcoming assignment. He was starting to feel a bit more at ease with the prospect of taking Anakin on his first mission. He had worked hard the last few years to catch up with the other students and going on missions would only increase his experience.

He heard the fresher door open and watched Anakin saunter out. Yes, he looked calmer. Good, this is going to be an important experience for him, that's for sure.

"Feeling better, Padawan?" Obi wan enquired looking at his apprentice's appearance. He looked a lot less scruffy now he'd cleaned up. Obi wan observed Anakin notice that all the packing had been done for him.

"Yes, thank you, Master. Thanks for packing my things," Anakin beamed.

"Well someone had to; it looked like a pack of banthas had done it before!" Obi wan teased, earning another grin from his padawan.

"Do you think we could take a look at my shoulder now?" Anakin asked sitting on the sofa.

Obi wan stopped preparing the food, washed his hands, and grabbed the medical box from the side.

"Of course, Ani. I imagine its bothering you a little now the adrenaline's worn off?" Obi wan asked, smiling gently already knowing the answer.

Only a nod from Anakin was the response he received. I imagine he will be starting to feel nervous right about now. The excitement over a prospect of a mission is shadowed with the need to do well.

'Don't worry, Ani. Trust in your training and you will do fine,' Obi wan messaged him over their mental bond and sent a healthy dose of reassurance as well.

Anakin smiled up at him, he could always trust his master to pick up on any of his moods and reassure him.

Obi wan made quick work of cleaning Anakin's wounds with bacta and wrapping a bandage up and around his shoulder. To Anakin's credit he didn't wince once, he seemed to be improving in allowing the force to take away his pain. Good, Obi wan thought.

The slash across his chest was a lot less angry and red. Obi wan sent some healing energy along the bond to help quicken the healing process for Anakin's body.

When his master was finished Anakin thanked him and took over Obi wan's job of preparation as Obi wan headed towards the fresher to get cleaned up. Only a few hours to go, Anakin thought nervously. He felt so many emotions course through him at the prospect of this new adventure. He just knew deep down this one would bring Obi wan and Anakin closer than ever.


So they've got a first mission together. As you may have noticed I've made anakin and Obi wans relationship a lot closer from soon after TPM. Anakin is still rebellious though of course :)

The next chapter will be fast forwarded a little to them both in transit starting the mission! Also a quick note, this story will eventually become AU and will cease to follow exactly the narrative of the movies.

The next installment should be up sometime after the weekend.