Chapter 16: A Knife for a Life

Life at the temple was very different from what Zarya and Anakin imagined. The place and the people in it were a well of knowledge and wisdom, yet at the same time, it was just a different cage than the one they knew before this.

They may now have the opportunity to go at the other end of the galaxy if they so choose, but the price they had to pay for it might be too much if nothing changes.

It had been a few months now, and people were starting to get used to seeing them around, no longer scrutinizing them because they were strangers in their lifelong home. They both went to the same classes, and even started to learn the basics of wielding the Force and even the lightsaber forms.

All was not perfect, though. The biggest challenge of living on a different planet then what they were used to, in a different way of life, even, was the clash of culture.

As a former slave, Anakin was raised with completely different beliefs than those of the Jedi.

Slaves only have few things that truly belong to them: their thoughts, their beliefs and their name being among them. They hide them like forbidden treasures and cling to those things desperately when their families and friends are taken away from them, when their own body is dressed and used against their wishes, because those are the only thing that can't be taken away.

Or, at least, are harder to take away.

Now at the temple, things were different. The Jedi teach their own that your thoughts and beliefs were not important anymore, that the Force would guide them instead. They teach that your name doesn't matter, that you're Jedi before you're… you.

The code, out-dated and unbending, was law. Not your heart.

This didn't sit well with Anakin. Every time something he disagreed with was brought up, he would argue, try and share his point of view. But each time a Master argued back, most likely not even listening to what he has to say, he quiets down. They only saw him as a child, worse, an outsider who didn't fit the mould.

Anakin saw them as Masters. A threat.

He still has a bomb under his skin after all.

There were a few things that Anakin agreed with, of course. To finally be the one who could stand up against what is wrong and fight back for what is right, to actually have the power to change things was his dream come true. He just wishes he could think about the individuals, like the slaves in the Outer Rims, instead of the galaxy as a whole.

Zarya had a bit of an easier time adapting. (This isn't the first time she's had to.) Back at the 'orphanage' she had even less than Anakin had when it came to belongings, but she had something else that always gave her an edge; knowledge.

She knew what she was getting into by accepting to follow the Jedi back here, what would be expected of her. The only reason she came instead of running the other way was Anakin, but she could make the most of her situation.

She and Anakin will change things here, she knew it.

Because if they don't; it will mean the rise of an Empire.

(( ))

Sitting in an uncomfortable chair in the waiting room in the Halls of Healing, Zarya was gazing at the ceiling, looking bored. Next to her, Anakin had his head in his hands and was looking straight before him, his gaze unfocused. To anyone looking their way, they looked like normal children, bored out of their minds by the waiting they had to do. Obi-Wan, who was sitting in front of them, probably knew better, but he didn't bother interrupting them.

Both children were actually training their minds, if you will, trading images and sounds through their link instead of their usual thoughts. Every day, their bond grew stronger and deeper, letting them share more and more with each other. While nothing they were doing was new to them, it was difficult and quite tiring mentally, so they took any moment they could to practice it.

It was very useful; like right now, Anakin was showing her how to write in huttesse and Zarya was teaching him English from her first life, which was surprisingly similar to basic; the main language spoken here (they would take great pleasure in communicating in a language only they understood around clueless people).

Zarya could already imagine dozens of other ways they could use this ability in the future.

She and her two male companions normally came to the Halls of Healing to visit Qui-Gon, who was still bedridden so that he could heal as much as possible without putting any stress on his injury. But today, they were actually here for Anakin and herself.

Or more precisely; for their slave chips.

After about half an hour of waiting, (Obi-Wan hadn't moved a muscle for this entire time, meditating as best he could on his own uncomfortable chair.) the pink mirialan male who scanned them from head to toe came back with a datapad in his hands, smiling gently when he met their gaze.

"Good news for the both of you! Young Anakin, your chip, located in your left thigh, has been successfully deactivated. It will never become a problem now." Anakin gaped at him, but the healer moved on to her before he could recognize the horror in the boy's eyes. "As for young Zarya, it seems the chip in your head you talked about isn't there at all. Unsurprising, considering this kind of technology is unheard of. My guess is; it was probably just a story to scare the children back at your orphanage."

A beat.

"You're not taking them out?"

It was little more than a murmur in the silence following the healer's words, but everyone heard him. Obi-Wan was now observing Anakin with concern, before he turned towards the mirialan.

"Surely it wouldn't be difficult to make the operation for Anakin's chip?"

"No, it wouldn't be hard, but it is unnecessary. We don't want to put him under the stress and recovery period an operation would entail when it is now just an ineffective piece of—"

"It's a bomb!" Anakin exclaimed. "Deactivated or not, how would you feel if you had a bomb right under your skin everyday of your life?!"

"I— wait!"

Anakin got up and was running down the halls before the healer could argue back. He turned to Obi-Wan instead, trying to defend his decision.

"Surely you understand; it just isn't worth the trouble. We made sure there would be no way for anyone to…"

Obi-Wan got up and stepped in front of the mirialan, switching the conversation to harsh whispers so that she couldn't hear. She didn't really mind, taking the opportunity to think back to what she knew of the clone wars series, or more specifically, of the inhibitor chips inside each clone made.

A brain scan couldn't detect it, yet the clone named Fives was able to locate it…? Wait, wasn't there something about levels?

"It isn't just a scary story," Zarya piped up after a few minutes, bringing their focus back to her and putting their slowly rising discussion to the back burner. "The slave chip in my head, it wasn't a story at all: they didn't tell us anything. My friends and I discovered them by snooping on some of their important databanks. I saw, with my own eyes, one of those friends being controlled with one of those chips."

The Mirialan seemed perturbed, looking into her eyes she knew were too old and serious for her apparent age. Still, he was reluctant to believe her.

"Perhaps you don't know what you saw; it could have been something else."

"Do a level…five? A level five brain scan, then. You'll find it this way."

Obi-Wan's eyes went wide, while the healer sputtered.

"You can't just- a level five, that's too dangerous! You don't know the effects this could have on an adult's brain, let alone a child's!"

"He's right Zarya," Obi-Wan continued. "A brain scan this deep can cause serious sequels should there be complications; we can't risk that on you."

She wished she had watched the clone wars show more thoroughly. Her knowledge of that time, and the inhibitor chips, is very limited compared to the movies. Was there another way to detect the chip? From what she remembers, Fives only found it with that scan (she thinks). Maybe with the Force, it could be possible?

Zarya opened her mouth to suggest it when a sharp, hot pain suddenly appeared in her left leg, not unlike what she thinks it would feel like to be stabbed. A short scream of pain escaped her before she could stop it, both her hands shooting to the painful spot on her thigh and her form hunching over.

"Zarya!? What is it? What's happening?"

She barely acknowledged Obi-Wan when he quickly kneeled in front of her, placing his hand on her shoulder and delicately straightening her from her leaned-over position to try and see where she was injured. Gripping her thigh harder as if it could alleviate the pain, she could only shake her head, just as confused as him when they saw nothing wrong with the limb.

"Did you hurt yourself recently?" The healer asked (what was his name again? She didn't really like him), frowning worriedly and crouching next to Obi-Wan.

Zarya paled when she saw the data pad he was placing on the ground next to him distractedly. It showed the scan done on Anakin, displaying his whole body in blue lines, his bones in white, and in bright red; the exact location of his slave chip in his left thigh.

The one she was currently holding in pain.

"I'm not the one who's hurt," she whispered with a hiss, looking at Obi-Wan with wide, terrified eyes.

His own blue eyes widened in understanding. He didn't waste any time, jumping to his feet and running towards Anakin's room, Zarya following right behind him. Both ignored the protests thrown at them from the healer, intent on reaching the young boy before…

Anakin? Anakin stop, what are you doing? You're hurting yourself, stop it!

Gritting her teeth, she could only run faster, ignoring the phantom pain in her leg as best she could. He wasn't responding to her. In fact, he had been completely silent since he'd left in a hurry, which was unusual for the excitable young boy.

After a few minutes and many flight of stairs, (faster than waiting after the elevator) they finally reached his room. The Jedi knight practically punched the door panel in his hurry to get to the boy.

Zarya took the second it took to lean on the wall with her hand, finally acknowledging the dizziness that was leaking from Anakin to her. If it was from the pain or from blood loss, she didn't know yet.

When she entered after Obi-Wan, the sight that greeted her was unexpected. The young boy's room was in complete disorder, tools and clothes thrown all over the place, as if it was hurriedly searched through without a care.

The more concerning scene would be behind the refresher's door, she knew.

Obi-Wan knocked on said door loudly when he was unable to open it from his side. "Anakin, open the door! I know you're in there and in pain, let me in!"

"M'fine. Go 'way." His answer was very calm and quiet compared to Obi-Wan's concerned shouts.

"No you are not! I know you want to get rid of that bomb, but doing it yourself is not a good idea, open the door!"

No answer. Zarya approached, tugging on Obi-Wan's sleeve in a wordless demand to let her near the door. He opened his mouth as if to protest, but closed it when he saw the expression on her face. Or rather, Anakin's emotions, written plainly on her own face.

The pain, fear and raw relief he was feeling at the moment.

Letting out an exhale through his nose, he stepped back, letting her try to reach Anakin. She knocked lightly on the door, pushing comfort/worry/relief through their link at the same time.

"Did you get rid of it? If yes, can you let us help you patch it up, please? It really hurts right now."

They heard shuffling on the other side before the door opened, showing Anakin sitting down on the floor next to the door, one hand on its panel and his injured leg extended in front of him.

Blood was on the floor, in fewer amounts than she had feared, as well as on his leg and on a knife (the one he had to search his room furiously to find) a few feet away from him. His oldest, more worn-down, beige tunic from Tatooine was tied around his left thigh, in a hurried attempt to slow down the blood coming out of the cut.

There was some type of scanner next to him, the one she knew he built himself those past few weeks, yet had never bothered to ask what he was working on. He'd been thinking of getting rid of his chip himself for a while now, she just realized.

"I'm sorry, 'Rya. I didn't know you'd feel it too.

Letting his hand on the panel fall on his lap, Anakin extended the other, bloodier one towards them in a fist. Opening it up, a small, metallic device was sitting in it, covered in blood. His smile was, somehow, just as satisfied as it was sheepish.

"But I did it. I'm free now."

The smile grew more contrite when he met Obi-Wan's furious gaze.

(( ))

"He had to see it, you know? He had to get it out and see it himself to know that it was over for real."

Obi-Wan sighed when he heard her, both his hands coming up to rub at his eyes with his palms.

"I understand that. Still, he should have waited until I spoke more to the healers about it." Another weary sigh as he sits on Anakin's bed. "This is going to scar horribly."

Zarya's lips twitch upwards. "You still don't understand. He wants it to scar."

Obi-Wan glances at her, eyes searching her own even if she kept avoiding his direct gaze. "As a reminder that it's over."

She nodded, picking up the last tool left to put away.

When Anakin finally agreed for their help, Obi-Wan had carried him back to the healing Halls to be patched up while Zarya stayed to clean his room. She was told not to clean the refresher, Obi-Wan preferred to clean that particular mess himself, so she picked up the strewn about clothes and tools while waiting on him, all the while thinking about what happened.

Anakin had to get rid of that bomb. Deactivating it wasn't enough; he needed closure, needed to know he was truly and completely rid of his status of a slave.

Only then could he stop flinching every time someone was mad around him. Only then could he live without the constant threat of losing his life hanging above his head. Only then could he truly argue, scream or fight to be heard without fear of being silenced forever.

Zarya envied him. While the circumstances weren't ideal, at least he was rid of his chip. Hers turns out to be… more complicated.

Surprise, surprise. Who knew playing around in a brain was infinitely trickier than cutting into a thigh?

"What did that healer say when you came back with Anakin?" Zarya suddenly asked.

"He looked ready to rant at us, but healer Che finally came back from another's surgery and took over Anakin's care; even she disagreed with healer Fikar's decision of letting that bomb in Anakin's leg. She can be harsh sometimes, but I know he's in good hands now."

Fikar, that was is name. Watch her forget it in a matter of hours.

She remembers Vokara Che though, the Chief Healer at the temple. A blue Twi'lek with ice blue eyes, easily able to bully anyone into bed rest when they were injured, from what she's seen with Qui-Gon. Regularly, too.

"What about you?" Obi-Wan inquired.

Zarya paused for a minute. "I guess… I guess I can only wait. If it's so dangerous at my age, maybe I can be rid of that thing when I'm older. Right?"

"Of course. When you're older."

She didn't know if he believed her or not about the inhibitor chip. She didn't really want to know either.

He was important to Anakin. Would become more so with time, too.

She didn't want to risk thinking less of him.

…

If messing with a brain is so dangerous, is Hostias lost to them forever since his chip was triggered at such a young age?

Was he even still alive?

(( ))

More weeks pass and before they knew it, they've been at the temple for almost four months. Anakin's leg is healed up (they practiced a lot more on dampening their connection while he was healing so his discomfort wouldn't reach her as much), a new scar to add to his collection, and the boy is more light-hearted than she's ever seen him. Despite being less fortunate than him, Zarya doesn't let it get to her much, preferring to concentrate on other things for the time being.

There was so much to learn still, and they were finally allowed to duel more seriously with training sabres now! A step up from the simple deflection exercises they were already getting good at.

Turns out, lightsabers hurt like a bi—

Well. You get the point.

Of course, it was to be expected seeing they were literally made of fire or something like that, but there was a way to switch them to training mode. This way, they couldn't do much harm but still stung quite a lot.

Every initiate was given a training sabre (those could only be in training mode) during their swordsmanship class and shown the basic katas of Form I; Shii-Cho, the most basic of lightsabers techniques. Very few actually chose this form as their main focus when improving their lightsabers skills, but it was the foundation for all the others.

Gotta start somewhere, right?

It was more strenuous than Zarya had expected. The teacher, Cin Drallig, was a perfectionist, every misstep or error was quickly corrected, as many times as necessary so the lesson stuck for good. The moves were very repetitive, and she realized early on that it was to build muscle memory so that each movement would come naturally.

Anakin was overenthusiastic from the beginning, often too harsh with his movements. He thought the techniques they were shown were constricting, letting him no room to put more energy behind each move.

The instructor thought he needed to show more control. Anakin was unimpressed by that.

As for Zarya, the problem tended to be the inverse. She was too hesitant, overthinking each movement and making mistakes because of it. Constantly aware of the glowing death stick in her hands, she was terrified of hurting herself or someone else with it.

Because of this, she and Anakin made the mistake of training together a lot when they could finally practice duels. His enthusiastic strikes were forcing Zarya to move faster and put more force behind her blows to keep up with him, and her own calculated strikes when she saw an opportunity were making Anakin think more about his defenses instead of going all out on offense.

They were doing great, or so they thought, until the instructor made them pair up for duels against different opponents.

The thing is, they read each other's mind almost all the time when near each other, so they always knew what the other would do right before they did it. It created the illusion that they were above their peers in duels, since they almost always finished in a stalemate.

Against others… that would be a different story.

The instructors didn't know that. They saw them as quite gifted in lightsabers duels for their young age, thinking they were listening to the Force and letting it guide their movements. Really, they were listening to each other.

For their first time, they were paired up with someone else.

And for the first time for all initiates of their age group, from around 7 to 12 as she could observe, they would be showing off, in a way, their swordsmanship. Instead of the usual training room, they were in a bigger room with training mats in the middle, and more than enough room around, and even above them on a walkway high on one of the walls for spectators.

From what they could gather from the excited whispers of the other initiates, this was a way to get noticed by a Jedi knight or master to become their apprentice. And by the number of spectators who showed up, there was most likely an initiate or two that were stirring up quite a lot of interest from a lot of people.

Now, how to not embarrass herself in front of everyone…

Anakin, laughing at my anxiety won't help me relax.

He was grinning at her, unfazed by her scowl.

No? Don't worry, if you faint 'cuz of it or somethin; I'll come lay next to you so it looks natural.

Jerk.

(

And done! I'm leaving it like this, I've agonized over this chapter for long enough now! It isn't very good? Well too bad, I'm moving on to the next one which will be more interesting, you'll see! (I hope anyway…)

As usual, thanks to mk0008, That's Balderdash, thatfanboi, Angelacorus, Isawagoat, Sawagoddamngoat and for the reviews!

Now, unto figuring out how to write fight scenes…

Until next time!

-Maginary

)