Knightkiller: Anakin and Obi-Wan’s First Adventure
Chapter 16: Reprogramming
Word Count: 1755
Links: Chapter 1, Table of Contents
* * *
Obi-Wan lands the Bori back at the Temple and, before he does anything else, takes Anakin back to his room so he can sleep. Obi-Wan attracts plenty of stares in the bloody death match armor with the garish logos, but he doesn't care.
“Shouldn't I come to the debriefing, too?” asks Anakin, as Obi-Wan tucks him in.
“No. I shall recount it all. I will tell them how brave and clever you were. Your place is here, now.”
Obi-Wan shuts the blinds in Anakin's room. Streaks of bright sunlight still creep in, but the warm, welcome darkness presses down like another blanket. Anakin watches his master hurry out, then shuts his eyes and quickly falls asleep. Obi-Wan senses this, and it relieves a great amount of stress from his mind. He orders a med-droid to attend to Anakin’s shoulder, then changes into something sensible, washes his hair -- without the Pothkrie shampoo -- and goes to see Tila and the Council.
Anakin dreams that he is the one in the death match uniform: the bulky, tan pads that don't look good on anyone -- but they look good on him. And instead of logos, his armor is covered in ancient, powerful runes, the kind only the wisest can read. He can read them, and they say his name. All around him, thousands of people chant “Skywalker!! Skywalker!!” just as they chanted “Kenobi!!” today, and “Spartak!!” years ago. He is tall, and strong -- taller, and stronger, than Obi-Wan or Crix. He waves and they cheer. He salutes and they cheer. He falls on his face, and they still cheer. He can do no wrong. They love him too much. Everyone loves him, but the only people who really matter are Obi-Wan and Padme.
Obi-Wan is old, with white hair, but the same smile. He sits in the chair that Anakin was tied to in Knightkiller’s arena, but he sits there by choice, to get a better view of his amazing student.
Anakin’s lightsaber is the same, but a yellow ribbon is tied around the end of it, just as Crix tied a piece of Anakin's mother's apron around his weapon when he went into battle.
Padme sits in the front row, in a balcony fifteen feet above the sunken arena. She wears a yellow dress, with yellow ribbons in her hair. Anakin leaps up, grabs the railing and swings onto the balcony. Everyone scatters like bugs from him as his powerful feet crash down and shake the whole structure -- everyone except Padme. She stands and rests her head on his great shoulder, and holds his giant hand, and he holds her with his other arm, and now there isn't anyone else. He's strong enough for her, old enough, good enough for her. Everything is for her.
He wakes up, and a face is seared into his vision, a face that puts a lump in his throat and a burden on his chest. But it isn't Padme's face, though he wishes it was -- it's Fenn Gallowk’s. He’s got to save him. He needs to, now, quick. What kind of hero is he, if he can't even save his own savior?
He activates the commlink that he keeps by his pillow.
“Master?”
“Yes, Anakin?”
“Where are you?”
“In the library.”
“Can I come?”
“Yes, of course.”
Anakin sits up and notices his arm has been numbed by painkillers and put in a sling. With his other hand, he quickly washes his face and combs his messy hair as he dashes to the library. It was daytime when he fell asleep; it looks like it's late at night, now. He’s never been out of his room so late. The Temple lights are dimmer; the night colors everywhere are so blue and green, eerie and alien compared to the warm colors of his apartment on Tatooine.
To assist Master Juna’s new mission, Obi-Wan was reading up on the history of death matches. “Hello, Anakin.” He puts the book down, adjusts the tilted collar on Anakin's robe and checks the sling. “How are you feeling?”
“Fine. Master, we've got to save Fenn Gallowk.”
“Yes, I know. But it isn't that simple. I've learned more about his master, the evil Senator Dinv. He has a lot of allies in the government, including the support of the Chancellor himself. He's hoodwinked them all.”
“Don't we have evidence against him?”
“Yes. Master Juna is compiling it now, with everything else Glagret sent her.”
“She must make that part top priority.”
“Anakin, it is not your place to determine a master's priorities.”
“We need to save him, now. I promised I would.”
“I don't like your tone, young man.”
“I -- I'm sorry.” He tries very hard to stop his tears, but he can't. “He's in danger.”
“I know. But think, Anakin. We must be careful. His master could kill him, if we act too hastily.”
“He c-could kill him if we act too slowly!”
“Hush.”
“He saved my life and yours. Don't promises m-mean anything to you?”
“I made a promise to Qui-Gon to make you a Jedi. That promise means everything to me.”
Obi-Wan's stern tone and words render Anakin silent. He stands there, shaking with guilt and fear.
“There is no emotion…” starts Obi-Wan.
“There is peace,” finishes Anakin in a quiet mumble.
“Gallowk will be freed, Padawan.”
“But when?”
“Master Juna is in charge of the project.”
“Can I ask her, then?”
“I'll ask her, on your behalf.”
“When?”
Obi-Wan wishes he had Qui-Gon's awe-inspiring confidence and decision-making. But he does not. He hesitates, and Anakin sees him hesitate. It feels awful.
“I'll ask her now.”
“I don't think she even knows about Gallowk,” says Anakin, trying very hard to speak without bitterness.
“No, perhaps not. I'll convey his situation to her.”
Anakin stares at him.
“Put this book away, won't you? I'll go find her.”
Anakin takes the book and reads the number on the spine. He tries to figure out what these library numbers mean as Obi-Wan takes his leave.
That could have been handled better... Blast it, Kenobi. I can't cave into his personal wishes like that. Ah, and I hurt his feelings by bringing up my promise to Qui-Gon. Everything I said was wrong. -- But more importantly, it is our duty to free that slave. -- I think I shall get him a job as a Guardian. He deserves a life of peace. I must look him up, and attach a face to his name in my mind.
Obi-Wan goes to Master Juna's room to deliver Anakin's message. She listens to him, but seems distracted. Obi-Wan looks pleadingly at the Padawan sitting in the corner of the room; the girl nods at him. Tila listens to Zlinky; she will make sure this Fenn that the humans care for is protected. Grateful and overwhelmed by it all, Obi-Wan leaves the aliens and goes back to the library, where he left his boy awkwardly waiting for him. Obi-Wan tells Anakin to go back to bed since it is late.
Anakin is not tired, but he obeys. He is hungry, but he doesn't say so. He lies in bed and thinks about his dream. It makes him feel so vile. That armor is evil, not honorable. The people in that chanting crowd are bloodthirsty criminals. And Padme... He will never be good enough for her. She is a queen, and he is not allowed.
No one has explicitly told him so, yet. But he suspected. And he overheard something about it, once, from older students. Jedi aren't allowed to get married. Just like slaves aren't allowed, unless they're bred. He had no idea. It is so unfair.
They give him food and freedom. Adventure. A wonderful, powerful teacher. Security. Purpose. Fun. He cannot complain about their rules. The rules must be important. He can't have a wife, or even a girlfriend, just as he can't have a mother. He trusts that that will make sense to him, one day. It makes sense to everyone else. It has to do with controlling their powers and keeping everyone safe.
But it doesn't matter. She could never love him, anyway.
* * *
Zlinkgwal sits in the corner of her master's room, with Jane in pieces all around her. She cleans and polishes each part, and she carefully unscrews the blasters and grenades from her hardware and sets them aside to be melted down into something useful to the Temple. It is highly dangerous work; Jane’s neglected explosives could go off and kill them all. Tila watches carefully, prepared to isolate anything dangerous with her powers in a flash.
With the rust and paint removed, Jane’s outer plating is quite beautiful, in Zlinky's opinion. But she fears she might be influenced by her affection for this droid.
Zlinky feels happy, if guilty, to take parts of Jane away. The droid will feel much lighter when she wakes up; hopefully she will like that. And Zlinky feels even happier to add parts onto Jane: a brand new memory core, blank except for routine Jedi programs of peace and security. This is the purpose Jane craved.
Zlinky’s dearest hope is that, when Jane wakes up, she'll still remember her ... and she won't be a completely different droid.
But if she is, it's for the best. The droid she used to be was evil. Jane has never been good; this is a lucky opportunity for her.
Zlinky installs the software into Jane's nerve-center that officially redubs her the name Zlinky negotiated from the Temple's chief engineer: Jedi Neutralizer-1. On the fresh, scannable label, Zlinky engraves Jane's new information:
An impetuous, unlucky rule-breaker whose slowly-recharging acid-blaster is super fun to write, Fenn returns in sequels to "Knightkiller" as an integral figure in the futures of Anakin and Zlinky. Anakin makes a promise to Fenn that drives an early wedge between himself and Obi-Wan; Fenn returns to help Zlinky at a dire moment. With care, love, and money, Fenn changes over time, and has become one of my favorite characters.
