Title: A Different Kind of Exercise
Author: Dolly
Genre: Action/Humor
Rating: G
Archive: If you want it ask; I'll probably say yes.
Timeframe: Anakin is in his late teens
Characters: Obi-Wan, Anakin
Summary: Anakin just wants to have a little fun, but we can't have that now, can we?
Disclaimer: I'm just playing with these characters, none of them are mine.
Feedback: is greatly appreciated.
Notes: This is one of my first fics. It is fairly short and is written primarily as a writing exercise to practice dialogue and action sequences before I get started on a longer story. Thanks to Miana Kenobi for helping me edit this!

Chapter 1

“Are you sure you want to do this, Anakin?” Obi-Wan asked skeptically. “We're not obligated to, you know.”

“I know that, Master, but you know, it does look like a worthwhile activity.” Anakin replied.

“And . . . ?” Obi-Wan prodded.

“And . . . it looks kind of fun too. But really, Master, a bit of fun won't kill us.” he said, a hint of pleading in his tone.

Obi-Wan let out a sigh. “Very well, Padawan, we will participate. Though don't say I didn't warn you.”

“Really, Master, they can't be that bad.” Anakin replied with a grin, happy though somewhat surprised that Obi-Wan had actually agreed to participate in the quarterly Jedi Temple training exercise. Being an active field team, he and Obi-Wan rarely participated in such activities, and that was fine by him. But he was curious, and wanted to see what one was like.

“Well, you'll just have to find out for yourself, Padawan. Personal experience is the best teacher, after all.” came the amused reply.

“Of course, Master,” Anakin agreed, feeling slightly less excited now. It was ridiculous, of course. Anakin resolved not to worry about it, determined to take advantage of what could very well be a fun activity. It was a simple training exercise – surely it couldn't be all that bad, could it?

~*~*~*

“Anakin! For the last time, get up! We're going to be late.” Obi-Wan's voice filtered through his sleep-muddled conciousness. He tried to burrow deeper into the blankets, but they were suddenly torn away. Anakin bolted upright to see his Master fling the blankets aside.

“Yes, Master, I'm up now, Master,” he replied dutifully. How was he to have known that the training exercise was to start at such an early hour? After Obi-Wan left the room Anakin stumbled out of bed, got dressed, and went to meet Obi-Wan in the common area.

“Its about time, Padawan. Considering that this is your idea, I'd have thought you'd be more enthusiastic.” he said teasingly.

“Just give me a chance, Master, we haven't even gotten started yet.” he said, rolling his eyes. “As you pointed out, we do need to go now.”

With that, they left, and took an aircar to the Senate building. There, a level had been closed off especially for the training exercise. Why it hadn't just been held at the Temple, Anakin would never know.

They arrived just in time, and seated themselves with the other participants. Anakin recognized few of the Padawans, and even fewer of the Masters and Knights.

“Good morning, everyone,” boomed a voice from the front of the room, “And welcome to the two-hundred and seventeenth quarterly Jedi Temple training exercise, Senior Padawan and above level. For those of you who don't already know me, I am Master Windu and I have been given the honor of heading this exercise.”

“More like he lost the monthly pool,” came a quiet snicker from behind him. Anakin smirked but quickly resumed a neutral expression as he saw Master Windu direct a glare towards his area.

“Here's how it's going to work,” Master Windu continued, “The premise of this exercise is that there are unknown enemies in your midst that attempt to escape from the area after stealing confidential data. A small number of you will take on the role of the enemy, though most of you will act as defenders in this exercise. Additionally, there will be a few among you who will act as non-combat participants in this exercise, meaning that they will be unable to engage or defend against enemies. The goal of the defenders will be to stop the enemy while ensuring the safety of the non-combatants.”

“You will each receive a kit for either a defender, an enemy, or a non-combatant. Each of these will contain the appropriate mock weapon, if any, and in the case of the enemy, your mission information. Color-coded vests are also included for the sake of identification.”

“Before we begin the exercise, you all will be allowed to spread about the level however you wish, and mingle with each other as you would normally. At a random time after that, you will be signaled by a bell tone over the audio system to open your kit and will find out what your role is. At this point, the exercise begins. Further details as to your goals are contained in each kit.

“And to try and make this exercise a bit more . . . interesting . . .” he said with a slight grimace, “There will also be a surprise element in this exercise” at this point he paused and let out a deep breath, “Any questions before we begin?”

A hand raised in the back. “Yes, Knight Zaler?”

“Will you be participating as well, Master Windu?” came the eager query.

Master Windu smiled broadly. “No, Knight Zaler, I will most certainly not be.” he said, almost happily. “Only supervising it. Any other questions?” His question was met with silence, and he continued, “Then pick up your kits on the way out, and get moving, people. Enjoy.” Unclasping his hands, Master Windu stepped down from the podium and headed to the door to oversee the distribution of the kits.

Anakin and Obi-Wan shuffled over with the rest of the Jedi to get their kits, and then headed out into the hallway.

“What now, Master?” Anakin asked, looking at Obi-Wan expectantly.

“Well, do you see anyone you know that you'd like to visit with? We are supposed to mix however we'd like.” Obi-Wan replied.

Anakin scanned the crowd and shook his head, not seeing anyone that he'd care to socialize with. “No, Master. Looks like you're stuck with me.” he said mischievously.

“Alright, Anakin. Since we didn't have time for breakfast before we left, why don't we go and get something to eat?” he suggested as he headed down the corridor.

“Eat?” Anakin said blankly, following him automatically.

“Yes, Anakin.” Obi-Wan replied patiently, “This is a part of the Senate building, you know, and they have a food dispensary on every level.”

“Oh. Of course.” Anakin replied, feeling quite ridiculous.

As Obi-Wan had said, there was indeed a food dispensary. Grabbing a couple of packaged meals, Anakin and Obi-Wan seated themselves in the lounge area to eat, along with several other Knights and Padawans.

Hours later, the exercise still had not started. Obi-Wan leaned close to Anakin and said quietly, “Padawan, do stop fidgeting. It will start when it starts.”

“I wasn't fidgeting, Master,” Anakin replied, miffed. “I was merely shifting my weight.”

“Well, why don't you go and shift your weight out in the corridor. A short walk would do you good.” he said pointedly.

“If I didn't know better, Master, I'd say you were trying to get rid of me,” he said as he stood up. “I know when I'm not wanted,” he said good-naturedly.

Obi-Wan made shooing motions with his hands, and Anakin scurried out into the corridor and wandered around aimlessly. He didn't stray too far from where Obi-Wan was though, since he would prefer that they work together when the exercise started.

Just as boredom was starting to set in again, Anakin was jolted out of his stupor by the clear, high tones of a bell sounding over the audio system. It was time! Anakin quickly opened his kit and inventoried the contents: a mock 'saber, a maroon vest, and a data pad. Scanning the contents of the data pad, he discovered that he was one of the few participants that was to be an enemy. Anakin grinned devilishly, pleased to have gotten one of the more challenging positions. True, this meant that he probably couldn't work with Obi-Wan . . . but perhaps it would be more fun working against his Master for a change. Slipping on the vest and tucking the blaster in his pocket, he quietly stole down the corridor. He had data to obtain.

Chapter 2

“You'd better stay close to us, Master Kenobi.”

Obi-Wan glanced at Knight Rahn. “Very well,” he agreed reluctantly. Having found the white vest of a non-combatant and no weapon in his kit, Obi-Wan had resigned himself to playing a minimal role in the exercise. At least, he could make an effort not to get in the way by getting taken as a hostage, and sticking close to the defenders was the best way to do that.

Everyone in the food dispensary had been assigned the role of defender in this exercise – everyone but him, that is. They had quickly decided to split up into four small groups and search for the enemies. Though Obi-Wan wouldn't be any help in capturing them, it had been decided that he should go along with one of the groups anyway to avoid being taken as a hostage.

Obi-Wan followed the rest of the group, consisting of Knight Rahn, Master Drii, and Padawan Katarn, out of the dispensary. Knight Rahn, a slender Mon Calimarian, followed after Master Drii, a tall, sinewey older woman. Padawan Katarn, a gangly and amicable young man, trotted behind them with Obi-Wan. They made their way down the long, twisting corridors swiftly and stealthily, with everyone but Obi-Wan holding their mock 'sabers ready.

Cocking his head to one side, Obi-Wan slowed and looked around as he heard a small, nearly undetectable noise. Taking a left where the others went right, he followed the sound until it led him to the grate of a maintenance tunnel. He probably should have been wary, though somehow he sensed that there was no danger here. He pulled off the grate and peered inside, and right into a pair of large blue eyes that belonged to a little girl. Obi-Wan blinked in surprise. Of all the things he had expected to find during a training exercise, a small child was not one of them.

“Hello there,” he said softly. The child, a small human girl that looked about five, scooted backwards as he spoke.

“Come here, little one, I'm not going to hurt you,” he said with a smile as he held out his hand.

Hesitantly, the child stepped out of the maintenance tunnel and grasped Obi-Wan's hand.

“My name is Obi-Wan, what is yours?” he asked gently.

The child did not reply, however, and simply shook her head as she glanced around nervously. Obi-Wan patted her hand reassuringly and he was rewarded with a shy smile.

Before Obi-Wan could think of what to do next, he was interrupted by the appearance of the rest of his group. Seeing their approach, the child's eyes widened and she ducked behind him.

“Master Kenobi! What are you doing? You're going the wrong way.” came the perturbed voice of Master Drii.

“I thought I heard something,” he replied easily.

“Did you find anything?” Padawan Katarn inquired eagerly.

Obi-Wan stepped aside to reveal the child, who clutched at his robes tightly. “Indeed,” he replied wryly.

“Oh!” exclaimed Master Drii. “It looks like we've found our 'surprise element', anyway.” turning to the child, she asked kindly, “What's your name, sweetie?”

The child only stared at her silently and clung tighter to Obi-Wan's robes.

“She doesn't seem very talkative.” Obi-Wan commented.

“So I see,” Master Drii replied uncertainly. “Well, I suppose we'll have to take her along with us. Master Kenobi, would you . . . ?” She motioned towards the child, and looked at Obi-Wan expectantly.

Realizing that he had just been designated babysitter, Obi-Wan nodded in agreement and pulled the child along as they continued on their search.

~*~*~

Anakin bit back a curse and dove behind the corner as yet another group of defenders appeared to block his path. He needed to get to the computer terminals in Room D-1034, but so far all the routes he had tried had been blocked by groups of defenders. Cautiously reaching out with the force while maintaining his own shields, he grinned as he sensed only three Force signatures. All this sneaking around wasn't bad, but what Anakin really wanted was some action. It would be risky, but he could probably take on a group of three if he caught them by surprise, especially since at least one was likely to be a Padawan.

Standing tense against the wall, weapon in hand, Anakin waited until the small group had passed him and then leaped out behind them. He took one of them down immediately with a quick slash across the back, which marked him clearly as 'dead' in the exercise. Thrusting at the other two, he scored a killing hit against the Padawan, but jumped away as the remaining Master's blade came dangerously close to his chest.

“So you're an enemy, Padawan Skywalker?” the Master said as they circled each other. “Hmm.”

“That I am. Is there a problem?” Anakin challenged as he parried forward, not recognizing her even though she seemed to know him.

“Not at all,” she said with a smirk, as she stepped to the side to avoid his powerful blow. “You're pretty good, for a Padawan.” Suddenly, she brought her leg up in a roundhouse kick, knocking Anakin's saber from his hands as she pointed hers at his throat. Relaxing, she said nonchalantly, “Now, before I 'kill' you, would you mind telling me where you're headed?”

“Not at all.” Dropping to the ground, he swept his feet out from under her and called both sabers to him with the Force. Activating his, he swiftly brought it down in a killing blow across her chest. “I'm headed to the D-section.”

She gaped at him for a moment, and then laughed. “Oh, what a handful you must be for your Master. Good to see that one of you is enjoying yourself though, anyway.” She picked herself up off the floor and went to sit down with Knight Rahn and Padawan Katarn, as they were no longer allowed to participate.

Anakin just gave her a strange look before continuing back the way that they had come from. If he'd known it would have been so easy, he would've tried to take on the other groups he'd come across.

He continued down the hall triumphantly and turned the corner into the D-section. But he sensed . . . something . . . nearby. Slowing his pace, he looked around carefully, though didn't see anything out of the ordinary. He thought that maybe he was just being jumpy, but then he heard it. A quiet, muffled whimper that sounded like it came from directly above him.

Puzzled, Anakin looked up at the high ceiling, searching for any hint of movement. Not finding any, he made as though to walk away, but then turned and leaped up onto the ceiling's arches so that he could see the enclosed maintenance tubes.

There, sitting not ten meters away, was his Master, wearing the white vest of a non-combatant. A slow smile spread across Anakin's face.

“Hello, Master.” Anakin greeted him pleasantly, moving towards him like a panther closing in on its prey.

“Hello to you as well, Anakin.” he replied, eying his Padawan's colored vest uneasily. “I see you've gotten one of the more active roles in this exercise.”

“That I have, Master. Being an enemy and all though, I'm afraid I'll have to take you hostage now. Nothing personal, you understand,” he said, not sounding the least bit apologetic.

“Of course, Padawan,” Obi-Wan replied graciously. “If you think that's a good idea, of course.”

Anakin raised a brow, “I do think its a good idea, so . . .” he trailed off as he caught sight of a small figure peering out from behind Obi-Wan's robes.

“Master, what is that?” he said, looking at the child disbelievingly. “No, wait, don't tell me: she's the 'surprise element'. Though somehow I'm not surprised that you're the one who managed to find her.” he snorted.

“Presumably so,” Obi-wan replied. “We found her in one of the maintenance droid tunnels in the A-section. She doesn't seem to talk.” he paused. “Speaking of my group, I take it you've defeated them?”

“Yes, Master, I killed them all.” he said proudly. “And now I have two hostages!”

“Yes, Padawan, it seems that you're doing very well so far. But don't you think we should get moving? You haven't completed this exercise yet.” he chided.

“Yes, Master.” he replied, leaping gracefully down to the floor after checking to make sure it was clear. Obi-Wan took the frightened little girl in his arms as he jumped down after.

Chapter 3

“So, where are we headed?” Obi-Wan asked as he followed Anakin down the corridor. He tried to put the child down, only to find her arms tightly clenched around his neck.

“Room D-1034. I need to get some files from the terminals there before I can head to the exit.” he explained, turning to Obi-Wan. Seeing his Master's predicament, he snickered. “She certainly is attached to you, Master.”

Obi-Wan shot him a half-hearted glare and spoke in quiet tones to the child, “Don't you want to get down, little one?” She only shook her head and hid her face in hid robe. Obi-Wan sighed and rubbed her back soothingly.

Abruptly, Anakin stopped in front of a closed door. “This is it,” he breathed. “Now to figure out how to get in . . .” Realizing that he had no tool kit, Anakin was stumped. It looked like he'd have to do this the hard way. Bracing himself, he tried for several minutes to pry the door open, but to no avail. Throwing up his hands in frustration, he glared at the door. “Maybe--”

He cut off abruptly as the door swooshed open. Obi-Wan removed his palm from the lock, smiling slightly at his apprentice.

“Oh . . . it wasn't locked.” he said, reddening slightly in embarrassment. “Ah, thanks.”

They entered the room and the door closed behind them. Anakin strode over to one of the terminals and began searching for the needed data files. Obi-Wan sat down and watched, the little girl in his lap still firmly attached to his neck.

“Got it!” Anakin exclaimed, switching the terminal off and pocketing the data pad. “Let's go.” He left the room swiftly, Obi-Wan and child in tow.

They didn't get far, though. Rounding a corner, Anakin jerked back so abruptly that Obi-Wan nearly ran into him.

“What is it?” Obi-Wan said quietly, leaning close as he tried to peer around his over-grown apprentice.

“There's two men, both armed.” he hissed, pushing Obi-Wan back against the wall. “And they don't look like Jedi.”

“Perhaps they're the surprise element, then? Its possible that this child really has just gotten lost.” Obi-Wan pondered.

“I suppose,” Anakin replied uncertainly. “What should we do?”

“Don't look at me,” he said, raising an eyebrow, “I'm just a hostage, remember?”

“And a difficult one at that.” he retorted. “But just you watch, Master, I can handle this.”

“I don't doubt it.” Obi-Wan replied dryly.

Anakin glanced across the corridor at the portal that lead to the neighboring section, and then turned to Obi-Wan, trusting that his Master would figure out what he was doing. “Follow my lead.”

“Do I have a choice?” he drawled in reply as he watched his apprentice leap around the corner, his mock 'saber drawn.

As Anakin engaged the unknown men, Obi-Wan darted across the corridor, still carrying the child. He hissed as a sharp pain shot through his shoulder. Ducking into the doorway's alcove, he quickly keyed it open. Looking down at his shoulder, he was shocked to see that he was bleeding.

“Anakin!” he called, motioning him over. Anakin seemed to be enjoying himself as he flipped and dodged the blaster bolts, dangerously unaware that the bolts were real.

Obi-Wan mentally cursed, berating Anakin's lust for excitement and his own inability to curb it. “Padawan!” he yelled again. “Here, now!”

Not even sparing Obi-Wan a glance, Anakin dropped into defensive mode and dove for the doorway. Once he was inside, Obi-Wan closed it immediately. The sound of pounding on the door echoed through the quiet corridor for a moment, and then stopped. The child, previously silent, started to cry softly into Obi-Wan's uninjured shoulder.

“What was that about?” Anakin turned on Obi-Wan, annoyed. “You never let me have any fun, even when --”

“Anakin!” Obi-Wan cut him off sharply. “You may not have noticed, but those blasters were real. You could have been killed, being so careless.”

“Real?” he said incredulously. “That's ridiculous -- ” he stopped abruptly as he noticed the large red stain on Obi-Wan's shoulder. “Master, you're hurt!” he exclaimed.

“Yes, that's how I found out.” he said wryly. “It's not serious.”

“Maybe not, but all that blood can't be good.” he said worriedly. “Let me help.” Prying the child from Obi-Wan's neck, he set her down and pulled Obi-Wan's tunic down at the shoulder. He removed his sash and quickly fashioned a make-shift bandage.

“There.” he said, satisfied. “Master, what should we do? We have to tell someone!”

“If I recall, this entire level has been pretty much sealed off for the duration of the exercise, so we should just continue on to your specified exit. I doubt we'd be able to find a faster alternate.” Obi-Wan pondered.

“Yes, Master.” Anakin agreed. Anakin pointed to the corridor to the left and said, “That way.”

Obi-Wan grabbed the child by the hand and pulled her along after Anakin, speaking to her in low, soothing tones.

A short while later they had nearly reached the outermost section of the level, and Anakin couldn't wait to reach the exit. Obi-Wan was looking rather pale from his injury, and the child's soft but incessant whimpering was getting on his nerves.

Cautiously peering around the corner to the corridor that led to the last section, Anakin grinned as he saw it was deserted. Motioning Obi-Wan and the child ahead, Anakin made to follow them but stopped dead when he felt a whoosh of air behind him.

Chapter 4

“Stop right there and turn around slowly.” came a deep voice from behind him.

Obeying, Anakin's heart sank as he saw a pair of Knights, mock 'sabers pointed his way.

“It was a good try, Padawan, though I'm afraid you're not going to be finishing this exercise.” one of the Knights told him, sounding a bit too smug for Anakin's taste.

Anakin nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt a hand grab him and jerk him around the corner, bringing him face to face with it's owner.

“Master, what . . . ?” Anakin hissed in surprise.

Obi-Wan merely rolled his eyes, as if the answer should be obvious. Anakin's eyes widened in understanding and he grabbed the other man and pulled him in front of his chest, just an instant before the two Knights appeared around the corner.

“I'll be leaving now, if you don't mind,” Anakin said, flashing them a smug grin as he backed towards the exit with Obi-Wan and the child in front of him.

The Knights eyes fixed on the child as they lowered their weapons and looked at him appraisingly. “Using your own Master as a hostage, Padawan?” the shorter of the two asked skeptically.

“Whatever it takes.” he said casually, using his free hand to palm open the door. “I'm out of here.” Slipping through the door, he released Obi-Wan, leaving him and the child on the other side. It would be best, he thought, to leave them in more capable hands and let Obi-Wan tell them about the armed men that they had encountered. Anakin knew that he probably should have abandoned his task as well, but he really wanted to finish this and win.

Bringing his pace to a trot, Anakin hurried down the deserted corridor, hoping that he wouldn't run into any other 'defenders'.

Many meters of corridor and two groups of defenders later, Anakin finally reached his designated exit. Taking a deep breath, he palmed open the door, and found himself in a small, sparsely furnished room. It was also an empty room, until the door on the opposite end slid open to reveal Master Windu.

“Hello, Padawan Skywalker,” he greeted pleasantly. “And congratulations. You're the first of the four enemy participants to make it so far.”

“Thank you, Master Windu.” he rushed out. “But there's something I have to tell you. When we were in the E-section, we came across --”

Master Windu held up his hand and interrupted, “Yes, Padawan, we are aware of that. Knights Bele and Truong exited the exercise early with your Master and the child, and he informed us of the situation.” Leaving the room, he motioned for Anakin to follow him as he walked down the corridor. “We're not certain at this point, though it looks as though they're from some fringe political group on Corellia, and were attempting to kidnap the Corellian Senator's daughter.”

“You mean, that little girl wasn't the surprise element?” Anakin gaped.

“No, Padawan.” Master Windu gave him an amused look. “But that probably would have been a better idea,” he muttered under his breath.

“Oh.” Anakin replied disbelievingly.

Abruptly, Master Windu turned, leading Anakin into a spacious meeting room that was nearly empty. One of the Knights was perched on the window sill, and Obi-Wan was settled onto an overstuffed seat. His injured shoulder appeared to have been given a makeshift bandage, and the child lay curled up asleep next to him. Obi-Wan inclined his head slightly in greeting as Anakin and Master Windu sat down across from him.

“So, what now, Masters?” Anakin asked, looking between both Masters.

It was Master Windu who replied. “One of the Senator's assistants will be here shortly to pick up his daughter. And we've contacted all of the participants via the transmitters in their data pads to let them know about the 'change in plan'.”

At this, Anakin frowned slightly. He didn't remember his data pad going off at any point.

“Somehow, I don't think those kidnappers were counting on having forty-one Jedi chasing them down in an enclosed area,” Master Windu finished, grinning wolfishly. “And speaking of data pads, I'll need to see yours, Padawan Skywalker, to show that you've successfully completed your mission for this exercise.”

“Of course, Master Windu,” Anakin replied, reaching onto his pocket for it. His pocket, however, was empty. Feeling around in his other pockets as well, he was dismayed to find that it was not there either.

“Master Windu, I don't know what happened to it, I got the data . . .” He trailed off in astonishment as he saw his Master slowly pull a data pad out of his robe. His data pad.

“Master! How did you – can you --” he stammered, recalling all the times that Obi-Wan had leaned close to him during the exercise. Well, at least now he knew why Obi-Wan hadn't been lecturing him on the dangers of over-confidence.

“You were overconfident, Padawan.” Obi-Wan admonished softly. “You wrote off your hostage as a non-threat, when you had no way of knowing that to be the case. It was otherwise a good attempt, however.”

Anakin shot his Master a half-hearted glare and Master Windu chuckled softly. “That it was, Padawan Skywalker. Now why don't you take your Master back to the Temple healer's, hmm?”

Anakin nodded, and Master Windu got up to leave. “If you'll excuse me, I'd better go check the other exits now.” Bowing slightly, he turned to leave.

“Master Windu, wait,” Anakin called behind him. “I forgot to ask earlier. What was the surprise element?”

“Some of the maintenance tubes were open.” he replied offhandedly. “And believe me when I say that it wasn't my idea,” he said dryly as he left the room.

Anakin stared after him in disbelief. “The maintenance tubes? That's it?”

“I told you these exercises aren't very interesting.” Obi-Wan said with a slight smirk.

Anakin, for once, couldn't think of a reply.

END




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