Sun Kissed

Chapter 6

Coruscant was beautiful.



For a planet that was covered in one gigantic city, it was beautiful. The buildings were taller than anything he had ever seen, and the way the sun peaked out between the buildings as it set was gorgeous - golds and reds reflected off an endless sea of durasteel as stray beams shone between. It was as different from the desert as one could have gotten, so different from the dry streets of Mos Eisley. Even the largest of buildings on Tatooine were nothing in comparison to the capitol of the Republic. But that wasn’t the best part.



Anakin could see the Jedi Temple.



From where they had landed at the port, Obi-Wan had pointed it out to him as they changed ships. A single building standing tall and proud above the entire city, raised, overlooking everything entirely. He could see the five great pillars stretching to touch the sky. He could see the glistening white even from the distance that was between them. It was beautiful.



Just seeing it created an ache of longing deep inside of him. It felt like he should be there. Felt like it could have been home in a completely separate life. He had abilities. What if Tatooine hadn’t been so far out of the Republic? Would they have found him?



The clothes Obi-Wan had made him wear were too short and a little tight in other places, but it was better than being shipped in a crate. Anakin pulled the brown robe tighter against his body. It was so cold here. The slowly disappearing sun did little to warm him. He wondered if it was any warmer when shining at its zenith.



Pulling his eyes from the Temple, he reluctantly followed Obi-Wan to the transport that would bring them to Bandomeer. The slippers on his feet were much too snug; he was at least a good size bigger than Obi-Wan. He was used to being uncomfortable. But it was odd for him to see Obi-Wan uncomfortable for him having to be. He still didn’t understand the man. Though he felt he knew a little more of him since Obi-Wan had told him of the Jedi.



Anakin’s head kept turning to keep the Jedi Temple in his sight as he walked behind Obi-Wan, turning his head to the man and back to the Temple again. The last thing he needed was to lose Obi-Wan in the crowds, get too far away and lost, and have his head explode by activating the slave chip. He could do without that thanks. With one last look at the centre spiral, the last thing he could see over the buildings that now obscured his view, he followed Obi-Wan onto the transport.



>>>



He was finally going home. Or at least as close as he could get anyway; Bandomeer had never really felt that way and watching the Temple with Anakin had made his heart ache. It was a home that didn’t want him. One that threw him away because he fought too hard, tried too hard, wanted so much to prove himself worthy, tried so damn hard…



There is no try.



Obi-Wan swallowed the painful sigh that wanted to escape him. Master Yoda had had faith in him. And it was that faith that had given Obi-Wan hope that somewhere out there, a Master would want him. Yoda had begun his training when no one else would, had tried to get Qui-G…



He wrenched his eyes away. Why hadn’t Yoda just taken him on then? If he had so much of the potential the wizened green troll said he saw in him, why did he let him go? But he knew. Mace Windu had been Yoda’s last padawan, and he would take no other. Obi-Wan was tired of thinking of the injustice of it all.



He pinched the bridge of his nose and winced. Anakin’s thoughts were getting louder. He glared at the Temple for that.



Upon hearing their transport’s final deport call he started walking, feeling Anakin’s force signature following obediently behind him, though he could feel the reluctance. Obi-Wan felt that if he could, Anakin would have stood there all day staring. The Jedi Temple was impressive, even more-so up close. Maybe one day Anakin could see it that way. He wasn’t a slave anymore, and if he decided he wanted to leave then…well, he could…Obi-Wan’s brows furrowed. He was…he could go if he wanted. But the boy was an odd one, and with everything he’d been through, Obi-Wan worried about where he would end up if he was just cut loose completely, on his own in the universe. There were still many places in the inner rim that weren’t very reputable. Force, even the lower levels of Coruscant were bad enough…



They entered the Proserpina’s Hope and found their way to their cabin.



>>>



It wasn’t that much further to Bandomeer, but a few more hours like this and Obi-Wan’s head just might explode. The trip from Tatooine to Coruscant had been one thing but now? If anything Anakin’s thoughts had only grown even louder since their discussion about the Jedi’s way of life and seeing Temple. His thoughts were reverberating against his shields and leaking through in a way he had never experienced before. It was starting to more than hurt.



He reminded himself again that he was dealing with a very, very untrained force sensitive, one who couldn’t control his thoughts at all, hence the huge emphasis on untrained. He needed to see Mi’aka and have her test Anakin. She was Bandomeer’s Head Healer and not only would she be doing their physicals and getting that damn slave chip out of Anakin, but she would test his midichlorian levels as well. Force…Obi-Wan had run into a few untrained force sensitives over the years, but never anything like this. Nothing like Anakin.



Obi-Wan rubbed his temples and winced.



“Are you okay?”



Obi-Wan raised his head, looking up pitifully. Anakin’s thoughts were now focused directly on him. Forget the Jedi using lightsabres on their enemies, they could just use Anakin’s mind.



“I’m fine.”



“You’re really quiet.”



“I’m always quiet.” Trying to raise his shields any higher than they were only dimmed Anakin’s thoughts somewhat. Was the boy meaning to scream everything in his head?



“Do you have a headache?”



Understatement. Of. The. Century.



“Force…” he groaned, fingers digging into his temples. “You’re too loud.”



“I’m not yelling.”



Force he sounded petulant.



“Not your mouth, your mind.” Obi-Wan gritted out. “Stop thinking so loud.”



“I’m no-“



“I can’t explain everything now, but it’s the pressure through the Force. You’re bleeding through my shields…”



And again the thought entered into his mind that he really, really didn’t want to feel this at its full force. Jedi could break through shielding techniques, but a heavily guarded shield being ripped through in such a way was an extremely painful, if not excruciating, thing to go through. But this boy wasn’t trying to break anything, it wasn’t an attack or an attempt to get into his mind, all it was was the weight and pressure of his uncontrolled thoughts running rampant in Anakin’s mind. At certain points in their journey, Anakin’s mind settled itself to a level that Obi-Wan’s shield could manage to keep out; but now his mind was going a mile a minute looking out over Coruscanti space.



“My thoughts are giving you a headache?”



“You have no idea…”



“I don’t sound loud though…”



“I’m extremely force sensitive, always have been…” he managed. “A trained Jedi could manage much better but…”



Force, had he completed training as a Jedi he probably could have dealt with Anakin’s loud thinking. But leaving at thirteen, and being an AgriCorps farmer didn’t require much shield training. Instead, they were taught to open themselves much more fully to the Force, to allow it easier access into them so they could help the crops to flourish. That openness also let them feel the very subtle changes that happened inside the plants they were working with. The sensitivity levels of the AgriCorps workers were higher than any other branch of the Jedi Order. He’d never cursed that sensitivity until now.



“Force, get down here.”



Obi-Wan slid away from the small desk and off his chair to sit on the floor cross-legged. He motioned for Anakin to sit in front of him the same way. He would teach this boy meditation and how to tell his mind to shut the hell up even if it killed him.



>>>



Obi-Wan was in pain. Anakin could see it; hell he could feel it. And it was because he was thinking too loud? It didn’t make sense to Anakin, none of this Force stuff did. He knew things moved at odd times, and that he could read people. Stray thoughts even entered into his mind, but hurting someone by thinking? That he was even capable of that had never once entered into his mind. And why should it have? It wasn’t like there were other force sensitives around to tell him.



But he supposed if it really was him doing this then it would do well to listen to the man who had promised him his freedom, whether or not be really believed it. Obi-Wan might just be his last chance. For freedom and to learn to control his Force abilities. The more control he had over all aspects of his life the better. Internally, as well as externally. Anything Obi-Wan had to teach him about what he could do could only serve to help him in the long run.



Sliding off the bed and in front of Obi-Wan, he sat and crossed his legs the same way.



“Okay,” he said. “What do I do?”



>>>



Obi-Wan was impressed. Not only was Anakin strong with the Force but he picked up on it very quickly when put to a task. After only a few short hours, the pounding in Obi-Wan’s mind had receded to a dull throb. He had never known anyone to pick up shielding techniques that quickly before. Even if they were new and still extremely fragile, the boy picked up the basics and incorporated them naturally.



Now if only he would meditate properly, he might just stop the stray thoughts that ran against Obi-Wan’s shields every now and then. The meditation would also help keep his mind calm. Like before, Anakin had his moments of peace but if he could manage to tap into the calming presence of the Force he could settle himself down consciously.



Still, it had only been a few hours and frankly Obi-Wan hadn’t expected as much progress as he had gotten, but there was still much work to be done…and yet…the seeming ease at which Anakin had taken to the Force was…amazing as well as perturbing. It was…uncanny.



There was something about this boy, and the sooner he could get him to Mi’aka the sooner he could figure some things out. He could feel Anakin’s connection with the Force, and the strength of it that he could gather secondhand was…raw.



Regarding him now, Obi-Wan felt one of his eyebrows raise as he touched the boy’s mind lightly. The soft snore that came from his upright form also confirmed Obi-Wan’s sneaking probe.



Anakin had fallen asleep. During meditation.



A light smile was followed by a quiet laugh as Obi-Wan stood as walked to the door. He would take this quiet reprieve to procure a meal for them from the commissionary before returning to meditate again himself while Anakin slept.



>>>



Bandomeer was…as far away from Cosuscant as you could get. There was only one main building and while it was big, it wasn’t as big as some of the buildings Anakin had seen briefly on Coruscant. It was kind of a disappointment from being woken up just to see…not much.



Anakin couldn’t believe he had fallen asleep again. He could usually go for days without sleep, yet he had fallen into it a few times since his journey began. With a man he didn’t even know no less. And that just…didn’t happen.



Sighing, he looked out the window of their hover vehicle and watched as they approached the main building. All he could see was red and brown dirt and rock all over the place. The planet looked barren from what he had seen, how could anyone farm here? He’d had his suspicions as soon as he touched down, and Obi-Wan answering his fears and questions before he could say anything was starting to get a bit annoying and a little creepy.



His thoughts still bled out but during most of the journey Obi-Wan had coached him in meditation and creating shields of his own. He could even feel the difference within himself. Obi-Wan had told him he was a quick learner, and the rate at which he gained the knowledge to shield was impressive. It also meant that his thoughts were dulled and Obi-Wan wasn’t wincing anymore. He still had to work on it a lot though. Only time and practice would make his shields stronger.



And that wasn’t all he learned. He learned that all Jedi used shields. The Force opened all sorts of possibilities to them and they had to be ready to face them all. They had to be ready to focus and let the Force guide them. Shielding served many purposes. They kept people out, as well as protected other Jedi from the accidental onslaught he had given Obi-Wan. He also learned that a stressed shield could break. He’d experienced a lot of pain in his life and from the extreme example Obi-Wan gave him, he didn’t want to try it. A broken shield could shatter a mind.



Anakin shook himself and watched as the red dust rose around the vehicle. They were slowing to turn around the winding parkway that would take them to the main doors. And after those main doors, there’d be people who were going to poke and prod him. After every mission, those who went off-planet had to get checked out and okayed by the Healers here. And with Obi-Wan bringing Anakin in, he was going to have to be checked too. The only thing that stopped him from wanting to bolt was the promise of having his slave chip removed.



He didn’t know where it was in his body. No slave did. When he had still been Watto’s save he had been determined as a child to build some sort of scanner that would be able to locate the damn thing. But he never succeeded. The only thing he knew was that the chip location was different in every slave. That way if it was ever found, the location would be useless to any other slave. It prevented a mass removal and newly freed slaves. It could be anywhere in Anakin’s body, but the outcome was always the same if tried to run. Head explosion. The chip was wired in some way that caused the same reaction in every slave.



Following Obi-Wan into the building, Anakin followed his fate.



>>>



Healer Mi’aka Leueka considered herself to be almost completely free of surprise. There were the odd things that the AgriCorps workers sometimes did to get themselves injured in unusual ways but it was really quite rare. She dealt with checkups of her patients as well as their return physicals when they returned from off-planet. She looked after illnesses, cuts, and scrapes, the odd broken bone.



But the surprise she received as she went to meet her next arrival was not something she was expecting. And it came in the form of a young man standing by Obi-Wan Kenobi’s side. Mi’aka had never seen him before, and he was much too old to be a new arrival. The clothes he was wearing were much too short for him as well. He looked awkward where he stood, regardless of his height, and the wary way he was looking around made her brow furrow.



The closer she got, the more she wanted to hear the story from Obi-Wan. The man wasn’t one to pick up strays; that she knew. But there was just something off with this boy. As she reached out gently with the Force her confusion grew. She could feel him pulsating with it, but his barely there shields made her wonder.



What have you gotten yourself into this time Ben?