Chapter 1 - Kidnapping

Plot: Being kidnapped by the Sith apprentice who killed Qui-Gon is the last thing Anakin expected to happen while on his first mission with his new Jedi master, Maul. Obi-Wan is... scary. And dark, which duh, he's a Sith. But Anakin is determined to escape him and find his way back to the Jedi, no matter the cost. It's never quite that easy.


Author's Note: This will be posted weekly on Sundays. :)

Also, it was written for the Obikin 2023 bingo. :D

~ Amina Gila


The Force pulses around Anakin, the intensity of it overwhelming. He's been at the Jedi Temple for six months, but still he's getting used to sensing the life all around him. He always has, he realizes now, but now that he can do it consciously, it's so much.

He can feel his new master's presence next to him – it feels of charcoal, and it's dark but not in a scary way like many people on Tatooine – and it helps keep him grounded sometimes if he starts feeling too much.

Anakin reaches out with the Force, wrapping it around the small, individual rocks in front of him in the training room, maneuvering them into an upside-down pyramid. It still requires immense concentration to use it this much and for so much detail, but he's learning.

"How is this, Master?" Anakin asks, looking up at Maul. When he'd first met him, Anakin always thought he looked rather intimidating, thanks to brightly colored stripes tattooed on his face. (Sometimes he still thinks he does.)

"Good job," Maul tells him, his lips quirking up in a smile, and Anakin feels something warm in him, happily. "See how long you can keep holding them. And once you're done, perhaps we can return to your sparring lessons."

It often seems to be the lessons Maul is most eager for, not that it isn't true for Anakin too. He's not used to sitting still and studying for so many hours the way that's now required of him. He knows it's part of becoming a Jedi, but sometimes, it makes him feel like he should be doing something.

"Yes, Master." He doesn't manage to keep the note of excitement out of his voice, turning his focus back to them, focusing all his attention to it. He doesn't know how long his master is hoping he can do this, but – he won't disappoint him.

He's the only person Anakin really knows here, though. It still hurts to think about how Qui-Gon is gone. He thought that Qui-Gon would be the one to teach him, and even if he didn't, at least he would be alive. He was someone familiar, who Anakin knew while he was still with Mom.

He misses her so much all the time. It almost hurts physically at moments, to know that once his day's work is over, he can't go back to her side. That he can't crawl into bed next to her sometimes when he just... wants to. (Like after a nightmare of losing her or someone else, or of being sold, or...) And that he can never hear her voice, or feel her holding him in her arms again.

He doesn't think Maul would like any of that. Anakin has slept next to his bed on a number of occasions, and that he didn't mind, but that's about it. Sometimes Anakin will wake up in the middle of the night in his still not-so familiar quarters at the Temple that feel much too big, and it'll feel like he's... totally, completely alone and that his master – the only person he has here – will just be gone too like his mother and Kitster and Wald and Qui-Gon.

Maul is not entirely what he was expecting, but he doesn't know what he was expecting. He's not... like his mother, after all. He's – he's his master. Anakin knows that word can have many meanings, but it feels like he's still wrapping his mind around what the real difference is.

Both are someone he has to listen to. But the Jedi are good. Maul is... nice. And they freed him. And they don't beat or starve him either, even if sometimes, he's still afraid they're going to if he does something especially stupid, which seems to happen far too frequently. Still, it's more than he expected, and they freed him. He owes them loyalty. (It's more than his mother has, who's back on Tatooine all alone, and he doesn't know if she's okay.)

"Master Opress?" a voice suddenly calls from the door.

(He still finds it very disturbing to hear those two words stuck together, not that he'd ever comment on it.)

"Master Tosan?" Maul asks, looking up. "Do you need something?"

She's Zygerrian, and Anakin knows she's a Jedi, but that doesn't stop the unease that instantly snakes through him. Sometimes when he looks at them, all he can think of are the ones he knew on Tatooine, and – It's hard, even if he's hardly sure why.

Especially when he's in this kind of position – thankfully, Maul is sitting between him and her – all he can remember is being at an auction or those times he was beaten, and then, it feels like his mind won't stop remembering that... It happened once with other students, and they all thought he was being stupid. Maybe he was because he shouldn't have reacted like that, knowing there was nothing dangerous.

Maul just told him that it should get better in time, which didn't really help. It doesn't seem to be getting better, though he is finally adjusting to Temple life.

"The Jedi Council has another mission for you." She passes Maul the datapad.

Anakin tries to keep his focus, even as he hears their conversation.

"An archeology team believes they found an ancient Jedi holocron?" Maul asks, looking at the datapad she hands him.

"Yes, on the planet Dalenor in the Mid Rim. It's not a Republic world, but the archeology team comprises of Republic citizens."

Disappointment swells in him instantly, and he lets go of the rocks as soon as the Jedi Master steps out the door. "You're leaving again?"

"It won't be for long," Maul assures, crouching in front of him. The way his light tan robes contrast against his very dark skin is... weird sometimes. "You can keep training with Master Yoda while I'm gone."

"With the little kids," Anakin grumbles, turning away to collect the rocks. It's just a reminder of how he's so far behind in most things, even though he's already a padawan. He needs to do better, to learn faster, and it's just... "I'm already so far ahead of them."

"Why don't you show me how far ahead of them you are by the time I get back?" he asks, sounding mildly amused for a moment. "We can do that sparring lesson as soon as I return, but it will be best if you focus on your... other work."

It's not the response he was hoping for, and his disappointment doesn't leave, but – He supposes this is a challenge. To see how much he can learn while his master's gone. It's motivating, though. He'll make him proud. "Yes, Master."

**w**

Maul still feels like he's really winging the whole padawan thing. His relationship with Anakin isn't anything like Maul's was with Qui-Gon. Not that that's a bad thing, because all master-padawan relationships are different in their own way.

But Anakin is complicated. He went through so much on Tatooine that Maul can't really understand. And he's so far behind in his education, and it makes things difficult. Usually, padawans learn a lot in group classes, but Anakin has been too far behind to do that much. Maul has had to teach him everything from the start, and it's... not always easy.

Whenever he's called away on a mission, Yoda will usually watch over him. Maul tries to treat Anakin the way Qui-Gon treated him, but Anakin doesn't react the way that normal Jedi would.

"Always more to learn, there is," Yoda's voice snaps him out of his thoughts.

Maul looks up from where he's researching the mission, greeting the Grandmaster.

"Take young Skywalker on this quest, will you?" Yoda asks.

Maul frowns slightly at the unexpected question. "I was not intending to. He's still far behind in his training." He doesn't even have a lightsaber of his own yet, so he could easily end up as more of a liability than anything on a mission. And he has no desire to get his padawan hurt senselessly because he wasn't ready to handle the situation.

"Perhaps keeping him behind other padawans this is," the Grandmaster counters.

"He is not that skilled yet," Maul objects.

"True, this is," Yoda responds, "But his master's belief in him, he also needs."

Is he really underestimating how ready Anakin is? Deciding when to treat him as a normal padawan and when not to is not always easy. "I do believe in him, Master. He is learning quickly, but he has only been here a little over half a year. Taking him on a mission when he's not ready could be... risky."

"Mm, perhaps," the Grandmaster muses, "But always risks in the path of a Jedi, there are."

He leaves it at that, and Maul watches as he goes. If Master Yoda is this insistent that he should take Anakin, maybe he should. The Grandmaster knows what's best – he's trained countless padawans and younglings over the years.

Maul knows how eager his padawan is for it, at least.

"Thank you for bringing me along, Master," Anakin says, smiling. His presence burns like a star, with an additional wildness to it because he's still so young. It shines brighter than anything around it, and it seems especially true when he's happy about something.

"Master Yoda thought it was time," Maul replies, with a touch more fondness than he knows he should feel. He's always been... prone to attachments, something he's been told repeatedly, and he knows he needs to keep control of it. But now that he's taking care of a padawan himself, he can't help but wonder how the other masters do it.

Anakin's eyes are riveted on the front viewport as they fly up through the atmosphere. "It's nice to see space again. Can I do some of the flying?"

It's still a little mind-blowing that he was able to fly a fighter by accident.

"Alright, until we're ready to make the jump."

He lets Anakin take the controls for the easy part, until they make the jump to hyperspace. This will be the first time he's on a mission with a padawan. Maul remembers how nervous and excited he had been on his first mission with Qui-Gon – he didn't realize the emotions were likely the same on both sides. Though he can't truly imagine Qui-Gon being nervous about anything.

"Master?" Anakin asks, almost hesitantly, "I was just wondering... What your life was like before you went to live with the Jedi."

It's something he hasn't thought of in a very long time, but for a moment, he thinks back to his earliest, fleeting memories. He remembers enough to know that he doesn't miss it. It wasn't... a pleasant place. "I was born on Dathomir. I do not remember much of it," Maul replies, "I lived with the rest of the Nightbrother clan. I do not remember how I was eventually taken to the Temple."

"Nightbrothers?" Anakin echoes.

"On Dathomir, all the males live in a separate clan from the females."

"Why?"

"That is how it is."

Anakin is silent for a few long moments, looking like he's thinking hard about something. "Did you know your mother?" He sounds... hesitant, shy almost.

Enough to know she never cared for him. He can't imagine growing up there. "I remember little of my family, but I know I had two brothers."

The boy perks up at that. "Are they Jedi too?"

"Not that I'm aware of."

He's inspecting something of apparent interest on the floor now. "Do you ever... want to see them again?"

Maul eyes him – he can only guess what the boy's thinking of. "It's not the Jedi way. I do think of them at times, but I must let them go for the greater good."

Whatever response Anakin was hoping for, it wasn't that. His gaze stays fixed on the floor, and he says nothing more.

"We should eat," Maul decides, standing and gesturing for his padawan to follow.

They head to the hold to eat, and he notes, as always, that Anakin is very meticulous about eating every last bit of what he gets – and he never asks for more unless it's offered.

Sometimes, he doesn't really know what to think of Anakin's presence among the Jedi period. It's not the Jedi way for children to be taken so late, but Qui-Gon believed in him. His master always disagreed with the Council, but Maul could usually see why, and he definitely does now.

With how powerful Anakin is, they can't risk him falling into the hands of the Sith, now that they're back. Both Sith are still out there, and... it's as chilling as it is infuriating that Qui-Gon's killer is still alive.

The ginger-haired Sith – who couldn't have been much older than Maul – had stabbed Qui-Gon, and Maul threw him down the garbage pit in the center of the room. They immediately went to look for him, but somehow, he escaped, and they never saw him again.

**w**

So far, everything about being on a mission has been exciting. Anakin's been waiting for this for so long.

Except for when they notice another ship flying after that, and it almost seems to be shadowing them. "Master?" Anakin asks finally, eyeing the ship that's occasionally appearing on the edge of their scanners, "Is that ship following us?"

Maul frowns, watching as it appears and disappears a few times, before vanishing into the cloud cover. "Keep an eye out for it," he warns finally.

They don't see it again, but Anakin still can't shake the strangely unsettling feeling he has as they head for the place where some archaeological excavation is happening. Something feels wrong, and he doesn't know what.

Maul doesn't seem to find anything amiss, or if he does, he's just not showing it.

"We had some issues with the local pirates when we first started the dig. They quickly figured out the artifacts we were uncovering had no value for them. Broken bits of century-old droids are of little interest to anyone beyond academics. But the excitement over this find convinced them to give us a second look. Had to hire some local muscle," the Togruta in charge explains.

Maybe that explains the ship following them.

For a moment, Anakin almost wonders if she's a slave – he hasn't seen any Togrutas who aren't, except at the Temple. She doesn't act like one, though. She has no problem looking everyone in the eye, and every slave knows that's a sign of defiance and disrespect.

"We will look at it," Maul replies, "Anakin, Mistress Clatriffe seems quite concerned about the pirates. Why don't you help keep watch while I verify if this artifact is truly a holocron?"

"Yes, Master," Anakin replies, and runs for the door.

Now that he's standing outside alone, that feeling is coming back to him again. Something's wrong. He often got that feeling on Tatooine, and he knew never to ignore it. The pirates might be up to something again, or...

But he's a Jedi now. He won't run. He'll – fight if he needs to. He'll keep watch just like his master instructed.

A sudden noise catches Anakin's attention, and he looks up sharply to see a group of what look like gangsters riding and running out from behind a nearby group of trees.

He spins around, racing back into the building. "Master! The pirates are here! They must have seen us land!"

"You may want to stay here," Maul tells the Togruta, sprinting for the door, already drawing his double-bladed lightsaber, "We'll handle this."

(Anakin still thinks it's so cool to see a double-bladed, blue lightsaber.)

A group of pirates, with long knives and various other weapons stand a short distance from the building, ready to attack. Maul pointedly positions himself in front of Anakin, holding his lightsaber in front of him. "I'm a Jedi Knight of the Order, and we're only here because of a historical interest. This does not need to turn into violence."

That dark feeling is in the air again, and Anakin scans their surroundings furtively, looking for the cause. It's not the pirates. He can see that now that they're facing them down. It's –

From the slightest edge to Maul's expression, the way he's looking around, too, Anakin thinks he must sense it also.

"It's too late for that," the lead pirate retorts smugly, "We've already made a deal, and you will not be leaving here alive." He looks to his men. "And forget what they dug out of the ground, I want that laser sword."

"We didn't come here to fight, but we will if you initiate hostilities," he warns, "Is this really what you want?"

"You are already as good as dead, Jedi." The lead pirate is looking up, at something behind them, and –

"We'll see," Maul retorts, eyes narrowed.

Anakin looks up as well to see a dark-robed figure standing on top of the structure behind them.

What?!

"Yes, we will," a voice agrees – it sounds familiar even though Anakin knows he's never heard it before, it's just what he expected somehow – as the figure jumps off, landing easily behind them. Even with the hood pulled over his head, Anakin can see enough of the man's face to know who it is.

The one who killed Qui-Gon.

The Sith

What is he doing here?!

Maul whips around to face him, eyes instantly darkening with anger. "You," he hisses, "What are you doing here?"

"I came to retrieve that which is the Sith's," he replies lightly. His presence is icy, in a way that's sharp and cutting, and Anakin knows he shouldn't want to run because he's a Jedi¸ but he does, because that's always what he does on Tatooine when things like this happen. But if he can't run, he won't let them see that he wants to. So, he ignores the urge to edge closer to Maul – he doesn't have anywhere to run anyway, since they're cornered – holding his head high. He'll help his master however he can.

This is the man who killed Qui-Gon. Anakin is angry, too.

"Which would be?" Maul retaliates, "That holocron?"

The Sith scoffs. "No. The child."

Anakin freezes, looking between the Sith and his master. What?! Why would the Sith be here for him?!

"You aren't getting near him," Maul snarls and lunges forwards. In a flash, a red blade is in the Sith's hands, blocking the blow.

"Get him and the holocron," the pirate leader orders, and they run for Anakin. He spins and runs, sprinting for the building, but it'll be almost impossible to get inside with Maul and the Sith fighting right near the entrance.

Skidding to a stop, he spins around, lashing out with the Force, throwing small rocks at them. It's hard to concentrate on that when they're so close, but he doesn't what else to do. And he knows he shouldn't be reaching for the Force in a panic like this because the Light is calm, but – The two pirates in front howl as they try to duck the onslaught, desperately batting the rocks away.

A blaster shot rings out, and one of them collapses to the ground.

Anakin looks up to see several guards approaching on either side of the pirates and one standing in the doorway of the building, shooting.

Maul and the Sith trade blows furiously, and the Sith finally shoves him back with the Force. One of the pirates starts shooting at Maul, and he spins around to deflect the blasts away. Anakin reaches out with the Force again, about to throw more rocks at them when the Sith suddenly starts towards him.

He bolts again, for the door of the building, except an invisible force, dark and icy, wraps around him. Anakin tries to shake it off, struggling against it, but he doesn't really know what he's doing, and he's not nearly trained enough to put any reasonable level of resistance. The Sith is behind him in an instant, grabbing him by the arm, holding the red lightsaber near his neck with his other hand.

Anakin's heart is pounding now, but he knows better than to try visible resistance. He presses away from the blade instead, even if it means being pressed against the Sith, because the blade is far too close to his neck, and –

"Anakin!" Maul yells, and Anakin twists around in the Sith's firm grip, meeting his master's gaze.

There's too many pirates out there, and – Even if he wanted to come near him, he can't.

"I would advise standing down," the Sith says lightly when the Zabrak moves forwards again, eyes blazing. He looks scary when he's angry, even if Anakin knows it's not directed at him. That never seems to stop the part of his brain that questions what if it was at him, what would he do to him, even if he knows his master wouldn't hurt him.

Not as if any of that is a concern right now.

Maul stops, holding his lightsaber ready, but he doesn't move any closer. "Let him go."

Anakin reaches out with the Force, hurling rocks at the back of the Sith's head. Except he can instantly feel the Sith's grip in the Force, knocking them all aside.

Of course, he saw it coming.

But Anakin doesn't know what to do. He can't fight back, and Maul can't free him, and – What does this Sith want with him?! Why is he here for Anakin?!

The Sith shifts his position, reaching down and picking him up with one arm, keeping the lightsaber ignited, but it's not about to behead him, which gives him a little more wiggle-room.

Literally.

He squirms around, trying to pull himself free, kicking the Sith's shin for good measure, which he ignores. Although he is wearing boots, so maybe he hardly felt it.

The Sith moves closer to the building, jumping to the top of it and sprinting off across. He doesn't deactivate his lightsaber until they're on the other side, and the Sith jumps to the ground, crossing the fields towards a waiting ship.

The one that was following them.

Anakin kicks him again, trying to pull free, but his arms are pinned to his sides, and he can't get into a good enough position to bite him. Well, not yet.

Behind them, Anakin can feel Maul approaching, but he'll never get here fast enough. Especially not when the Sith turns, throwing a Force wave at him. Maul tries to counter it, but the shield between them gives way, sending both of them flying.

Anakin elbows the Sith hard in the stomach as they hit the ground, scrambling away from him to his feet. Maul is on the ground next to the building, looking dazed.

"Master!" Anakin calls, running for him, but the Sith is faster, catching his arm again and dragging him towards the waiting ship.

**w**

Maul drags himself to his feet, ignoring the pounding his head as he looks around for any trace of his padawan. Only to see, with a well of panic, that the ship is already flying up into the sky. The Sith took Anakin, and – and –

How did he even know they were coming here?!

Maul spins around, running for his waiting ship. The pirates have already scattered in the meantime, but he doesn't even care right now. Why, why, why did he agree to bring Anakin on this mission?! It would have been fine if not for the Sith, but still.

"Master Jedi –" the Togruta calls from the doorway.

"I'll be back," he yells over his shoulder, scrambling into the pilot's seat and firing up the engines, going in pursuit. It's not nearly enough, and there's no one on the surface who can help him. They aren't advanced enough for it.

The Sith's ship had a massive head start, though. He can see it on his scanners, but it's nowhere close and –

What do they want with Anakin?! Why would they – All he can remember is how he held Qui-Gon's body in his arms as it slowly went cold, and all these months as he mourned him, trying to start teaching Anakin. Anakin, who the Sith just took, and are they –

No, if he was going to do that to Anakin, too, he already would have, right? The thought is enough to fill Maul with a blinding panic anyway, as he keeps giving chase.

The Sith's ship is still faster, though, and it makes the jump to hyperspace long before Maul is able to catch up.

He expected it, but that doesn't stop the swell of hopelessness and desperation as he watches it disappear, and as Anakin's brilliant presence that's always been burning next to him fades.

And he doesn't realize until this moment just how truly terrified he's been of losing Anakin too. And he just did.

But at least he has the trajectory. He can – he can figure out where they went. They can track him. They'll get him back. They will. They don't have any other choice.

Except the jump could have gone to too many places, and he has no way of figuring out which one is the best option, and – All he can do now is go to finish the mission, and then tell the Council what happened, that he lost his padawan on the first mission. And not just any padawan either. He's the Chosen One (he's Anakin) and...

They cannot stop until they get him back.

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