A/N: I do not own Star Wars.
Star Wars: Anakin Skywalker meets Aubrie Wyn
Jedi Temple on Coruscant. 25 BBY.
"Why, master? Why can't I advance to the next stages? I am doing quite well in the Force, I have passed these lessons many times! You've seen it!" a 16-year-old Anakin Skywalker asked his mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi, almost exclaiming.
"You must understand, Anakin." Obi-Wan answered. "Despite being the Chosen One, the Council has decided it would be best not to give you any special treatment and you must go through the standard training exercise as everyone else does."
"But the other padawans are not progressing well as I do. Every day, I have to watch as they try to accomplish the same exercise I have overcome already." Anakin protested, pointing his figure at a group of younglings, meditating with the Cosian Jedi Master Tera Sinube.
"Then help them." Kenobi told his padawan. "You can be useful to your peers by assisting them, and who knows, maybe you will be able to find some friends."
Anakin in response sighed in defeat as he had no other choice but to stay in the same class, despite being successful in his accomplishments. It was because Master Kenobi and the Council still doubt that I am the Chosen One, Anakin thought. They think I could not be a Jedi.
"Is everything alright, Anakin?" Anakin looked up and saw Chancellor Palpatine standing there, flanked by two Senate guards in their blue armour and blue robes. Obi-Wan Kenobi wasn't seen anywhere, though the teenage padawan immediately guessed that he was headed to the Jedi Temple hangar. The council gave his master a new mission and Anakin was also disappointed that Kenobi decided to go without him.
"Supreme Chancellor!" Anakin Skywalker exclaimed as Palpatine smiled at the boy.
"I have come to discuss important topics with the High Council, but I have decided to also pay you a visit." Palpatine explained, giving the boy a warm smile.
"I have to stay in the same class as always, despite that I have succeeded in completing my lessons." Anakin finally answered his question.
"And why is that?" the 57-year-old man asked.
"They think that I'm not good enough, especially Obi-Wan. He thinks that I will never become a Jedi. He never listens to me."
After finishing his complains, Anakin shuddered as he felt Palpatine's hand on his shoulder. "It is disturbing indeed that the Jedi do not trust you, whether you are the Chosen One or not, my boy." He spoke to the troubled teenager. "What about your friends, the other disciples?"
"I don't have any friends here." Anakin reluctantly answered.
"Oh." Palpatine simply responded, his look full of sympathy. After some silence, the Chancellor saw Master Sinube gathering the padawans for a lightsaber combat.
"You know what, I want you to join the class now." Palpatine spoke again.
"What?" Anakin asked.
"Show me your skills. Please, I want to see it myself." Sheev Palpatine answered. The two approached Sinube as he turned his head around and saw them.
"Supreme Chancellor." Tera Sinube greeted the chancellor by bowing before turning his attention to Anakin. "Ah, Skywalker. There you are. The lessons are about to begin."
"Whatever." Anakin grumbled to himself, so no one heard that. In a few minutes, the young Jedi were sparring with their lightsabers, while both Master Sinube and Chancellor Palpatine overwatched the exercise. The two padawans that were doing their best were Anakin Skywalker a 14-year-old Falleen named Zule Xiss. Both of them were fighting aggressively, even punching and kicking their opponents. Right now, Anakin hit his opponent, a Wookie, into the chest with his knee before kicking into his jaw.
"Good, very good." Chancellor Palpatine whispered to himself, grinning as he was impressed, apart from the Cosian master. At the same time, Ferus Olin, a human boy in his late teens, and another padawan, ignited their lightsabers, were preparing to attack him.
"He may be good in lightsaber combat," Ferus spoke to his friend, assuring of their success. "But he does not have the potential of a Jedi. He's just a slave."
Hearing his words, a frustrated Anakin used the Force to raise the Wookie padawan and throwing it at the two, knocking them out. At the same time, Zule Xiss successfully disarmed another padawan before viciously punching him in the face. Grinning, Zule looked at her defeated opponents as a 10-year-old girl with short brown hair, with only a small portion of it held in a ponytail, and light skin charged at her with her blue-coloured lightsaber. Zule, however, managed to block the attack and then began viciously striking with her green-bladed lightsaber, while the girl desperately blocked the attacks, her face filled with horror. The Falleen was about to strike again, but her blade was blocked by Anakin's lightsaber. Roaring in anger, Zule began fighting Skywalker, but was quickly stopped by the Tera Sinube.
"Stop this!" he barked at the two padawans while the rest stood up. "Zule, it's just a lesson. You must control your emotions."
"Yes, master." Zule reluctantly agreed. Anakin, meanwhile, extinguished his lightsaber and approached the girl who was still lying on the floor. Through the Force, Anakin felt that the girl was on the brink of tears.
"It's okay, it's over now." Anakin told the scared 10-year-old as he offered his hand to her. Hesitant at first, the girl grabbed it and allowed the 16-year-old to pull her up from the floor.
"Are you alright?" he asked, with concern on his face.
"Yes, I am. Thank you for defending me." The girl flushed red as she answered. Smiling, Anakin once again offered his hand.
"Anakin Skywalker." He introduced himself.
"Aubrie Wyn." The girl answered and took her hand, shaking it, smiling shyly as she looked at the boy's face. Anakin in return, blushed at her smile. On the other side of the hall, Chancellor Palpatine watched them both with curiosity as he eyebrow twitched.
Sometime after the lesson, both Anakin and Aubrie followed the padawans to have lunch. Anakin actually wanted to talk to Chancellor Palpatine, but the former senator of Naboo left after he was called to the Jedi High Council. With no other choice, the teenage boy followed his peers. Not to mention the girl, Aubrie, still seemed to be wary of the other padawans. Especially Zule Xiss, after the Falleen attacked her with rage during the sparring lessons. Anakin felt the fear Aubrie had for the Falleen girl and decided that it was best if he kept an eye for the 10-year-old.
To the delight of the padawans, Master Zao was cooking the food this time. A Veknoid Jedi Master, Zao was blind, but quite powerful. Every padawan knew him as a talented cook, as he used the Force when it came to cooking. His food was well-loved, but sadly, it was a pleasure the Jedi cannot enjoy every day. Zao was well-known for not taking formal missions from the Jedi High Council, but travelled as he believed the Force led him.
Having his bowl filled with hot soup, which also smelled good, Anakin took a seat. Grabbing his spoon, he began thinking of what he would do after lunch. The 16-year-old thought that maybe there would be more lessons after this, with his fellow padawans only. Obi-Wan Kenobi was gone on a solo mission, sent by the Jedi High Council. Chancellor Palpatine was meeting with the Council, and possibly would immediately return to the Senate Dome. Anakin understood if Palpatine would leave instantly. He was the Chancellor, and was busy creating a better world for the Republic and the galaxy. Just as he was about to take a spoon of his soup, Anakin felt the presence nearby and turned around. Aubrie Wyn was standing beside him with her bowl, her look full of wariness and hesitance.
"Anakin, is it okay if I sit with you? I have no one else to sit with," the 10-year-old asked. Anakin noticed that she was then starring at something with wariness and fear. He turned around and understood. Aubrie was looking at Zule Xiss, who was sitting with Elora Sund and Tae Diath. Anakin was reluctant to allow, he wasn't really fond of spending time with the other padawans.
Although the transition from being a slave on Tatooine to being a padawan of the legendary and sacred Jedi Order was a tremendous improvement in Anakin's quality of life, it brought no happiness as the 16-year-old initially he thought it would. True, for seven years, Anakin was living quite a depressing and lonely life. He didn't have any friends within the Order, especially among the other padawans.
Of course, Obi-Wan and the Jedi Council were quick to notice this, and were deeply concerned. The main issue wasn't that they knew, it was they didn't know why. Since the beginning of his training at the Jedi Temple, Anakin was unable to relate to any of his fellow peers. Not only due to his unique gift in the Force and his past. While every other Jedi lived at the Temple since they were mere infants, Anakin spent the first nine years of his life as a slave with his mother Shmi Skywalker on Tatooine, nowhere near as innocent as the lives of the other numerous padawans. As a result, no one could really understand the pain that underlined the padawan whenever touchy subjects were talked about during lectures. While his peers were taught about the cruel injustice in the galaxy, Anakin was literally the only one to live through it among his peers. If not for Qui-Gon Jinn, he would have continued to live as a slave of the Toydarian Watto.
When his slave past became apparent and known among his peers, Anakin expected pity from them, which he didn't need, some of his classmates would use it against him through teasing and name calling whenever he got on their nerves. Such example happened recently during the lightsaber duel practice when Ferus Olin called him a slave and did not have the potential of a Jedi. This in turn, only angered Anakin even more, distancing himself from the other padawans even more. So, having Aubrie ask him to sit with him caught the 16-year-old off-guard as he was used that the others tried to avoid him during lunch.
"Yes, of course." Anakin finally answered. Smiling a bit, Aubrie took a seat beside him, their bodies slightly touching each other. Feeling the awkwardness, the two slowly began eating. Anakin wanted to take a piece of bread from the larger bowl, and he accidentally grabbed Aubrie's hand as the 10-year-old reached out for the same piece. Sensing this, Anakin immediately retreated while Aubrie continued to sit, feeling awkward from the situation. Blushing furiously, Aubrie suddenly felt touched by him touching her hand, despite the Jedi codex forbidding any attachments. Not knowing what else to do, Aubrie gently took Anakin's hand. Anakin looked back at her in shock, but did not resist either.
"Thank you again for defending me," the girl spoke. "I didn't even know what I would have done or what would have happened if it wasn't for you."
"You just need to improve your skills in lightsaber combat," Anakin answered, but then he saw Aubrie lowering her head.
"I'm not that good in combat skills," she said. "It's just not my type. I… I know that we Jedi are keepers of the peace, and we need to use our lightsabers in order to fight the ones that are disrupting peace and stability, bringing injustice and chaos to the galaxy, but I'm not a warrior like you are. I'm more of a healer. Though, some think that it is useless."
Anakin turned to Zule Xiss, already suspecting the Falleen of saying those words. "I don't think that healing is not a useless skill," he told her. "In fact, it makes you a great Jedi; you have the power of saving lives and preventing death."
"Thanks." Aubrie answered, smiling as the two shared looks. Anakin smiled back. As a padawan, he always hated spending time with his fellow classmates, but this time, he felt he began liking this girl's company.
Sometime later, the two walked down the corridors of the Jedi Temple as the sun was setting down the horizon, day slowly being replaced by night. Walking outside into the terrace of the Temple. The two padawans stopped, observing the beautiful sight of the sunset, with only a few buildings, such as the Senate Dome, the Presidential Palace, and the 500 Republica, blocking some of the sun's rays.
"It's beautiful, is it?" Aubrie asked.
"It is," Anakin agreed. They continued to observe the landscape as time went on. Finally getting tired of watching, Anakin finally decided to head out into the city. Of course, it was forbidden for a padawan to leave the Jedi Temple without permission, but Skywalker didn't really care. It was one of the few that brought him happiness within his depressing life at the Temple. He would either collect spare parts for the droids he built at his room.
"Um… Aubrie? Have you ever seen the city itself?" he suddenly asked, though Anakin had no idea why did he even ask in the first place.
"Uh… no," Aubrie answered. "But aren't we forbidden to leave the Temple without permission from our masters."
"Who cares?" Anakin asked. "If you don't want to go, don't. I'm not forcing you. Master Kenobi won't be back for a long time. He has a mission on Onderon. What about you?"
"Master Sirrus left me here too." Aubrie answered in deep thought. "He went on a diplomatic mission with Master Pong Krell. So, I don't think joining you will hurt."
Smiling, Anakin once again offered his hand to the girl, which she gladly accepted. Together, they ran off into the streets and lower levels of Coruscant. The two attended an illegal garbage pit race. Anakin even participated in it. Aubrie watched in fear, sometimes, covering her eyes, fearing for the 16-year-old's life, but in the end, Anakin managed to survive every one of them. They quickly returned to the Temple by nightfall and in time. The two really enjoyed each other's company, that they ran across the corridors, laughing and giggling, not noticing that they were passing Master Mace Windu, who only shrugged his head in disapproval.
Leaving the T-6 shuttle, Obi-Wan Kenobi strolled across the hangar of the Jedi Temple, passing the numerous T-6 and Nu-class shuttles, along with Delta-7 Aethersprite-class light interceptors. The Jedi Knight was filled with mixed feelings about his mission given by the Jedi Council. While he completed it with success, there were some complications and obstacles on the way.
Since the Raxus Address, the speech delivered by former Jedi Master Count Dooku, the Separatist Crisis began as numerous planets and systems wanted to withdraw from the Republic. Onderon was one of those planets. Despite the hospitality of Senator Mina Bonteri and her husband, it was clear that the local government and the population did not welcome the Jedi on their planet.
On his way towards the council in order to report on the mission, Obi-Wan found himself within the Jedi Meditation Gardens. Kenobi smiled to himself as the generally cool, sun-drenched chambers filled with dense foliage and moist grottoes, benches lined dirt and stone paths that cut through them, with the chambers being jungle-like were filled with meditating Jedi masters and relaxing Jedi padawans and younglings. Obi-Wan found a group of padawans sitting together beside a fish-filled pond connected to a sandy beach, as the butterflies fluttered over the gently lapping waters.
Filled with some hope, Obi-Wan searched for his padawan among the teenagers, but to no success. Anakin wasn't among the gatherers. Sighing heavily in defeat, Obi-Wan mentally lamented himself for his naivety. He knew that Anakin wouldn't be spending time with his peers. Kenobi knew that Anakin led an anti-social life within the Jedi Temple, up to the point that he even rarely spoke with him. Even the Jedi Council knew that and Kenobi himself was troubled with this.
It was at these moments, Obi-Wan sometimes wished that his late master Qui-Gon Jinn did not perish by the Sith Lord Darth Maul on Naboo. Qui-Gon would've been a good mentor to Young Skywalker, far better than Obi-Wan. Kenobi had no experience in mentoring a padawan, for he was a padawan himself when he lost his master during the Naboo Crisis, and was quickly knighted.
As he was about to continue his journey to the Council, he suddenly heard someone laughing. He thought that he was hallucinating, for the voice belonged to only one person – Anakin. Along with Anakin's laugh, he heard a girl giggling. Following the laugh, Obi-Wan finally saw his 16-year-old padawan sitting with a padawan girl of around 10 years old. There were entertaining each other with various tricks used by the Force. Seeing Anakin's smile for the first time, literally, Obi-Wan smiled to himself and left. He decided not to disturb the good moment, proud that Anakin Skywalker finally found himself a friend.
A/N: So, this was the pilot. Please review!