Chapter Text
Ahsoka rushes into the medical room, Cody right beside her. Bail comes in a second later.
“What’s wrong? Why isn’t he awake?” Ahsoka asks and Helix shakes his head.
“The monitors show bran activity, and his vitals are spiking. Normally, these are signs of a nightmare, but we can’t seem to shake him out of it.” Helix pauses. “Is this a Force thing?”
Ahsoka stares at her Buir and pauses. She reaches out to him, briefly touching his shields. She crashes to her knees and her hands fly up to her head. Pain/helplessness/betrayal/anguish/grief/mourning. Tears flood Ahsoka’s face as she chokes on the overwhelming feelings her Buir is going through. Distantly, she hears voices in the background.
“Get her out of here.”
“What’s going on?”
“I don’t know.” That’s the last thing Ahsoka hears before passing out.
The first person that die’s is Tahl. His master’s lover. The beautiful woman who was like a mother to him. Except this time, things change. Qui-Gon doesn’t just leave quietly with Obi-Wan, grief stricken. No. It changes, drastically. His worst fears come true. Tahl dies and his brain attacks him. Qui-Gon stands up as he was kneeling by the now dead Tahl.
He turns around to face Obi-Wan and Obi-Wan gasps. Qui-Gon’s eyes are the color of a burning sun. Their surroundings suddenly morph into a lava atmosphere. Obi-Wan is now in his own body and his saber ignites as does Qui-Gon’s. A fierce glowing red saber.
“It’s your fault she died.” Qui-Gon spits out. “It’s your fault my Xanatos died.”
“What, no… Master?” Obi-Wan asks, barely able to keep up with the raging strikes.
“You should have died instead. At least you come back.”
“Master…”
“It’s your fault Anakin is falling. It’s your fault that the whole Order will die.”
“Please stop.” Obi-Wan begs. A blue saber pierces Qui-Gon’s stomach, the exact same spot Maul had stabbed him. He looks down at his hands and finds that he has stabbed his Master. “Master.”
He extinguishes his saber and softly drops Qui-Gon to the ground. Qui-Gon’s eyes pierce his soul as he speaks his last words.
“It was your fault that I died.” Qui-Gon stills and Obi-Wan cries out.
“Nononononono.” Obi-Wan whimpers and his surroundings once again morph and he is enveloped in black.
“How?” Dooku asks as he stares at Qui-Gon. He looks as if he hasn’t aged at all since his death.
“I have learned many things since my death, Master.” Qui-Gon replies. And oh, it’s so comforting to once again hear his padawan’s voice.
“So, I will ask again. Are you going to leave your grand-padawan to suffer under the Sith?”
“I am not the same person I once was, Qui-Gon. I have ventured into a dark place that I am afraid I cannot escape.”
“The Dark side is a choice, Master. It is up to you, if you escape it or not.”
“We need to control his vitals before he has a heart attack.” Helix mutters as he works on Obi-Wan. “Cody, figure out what happened with the Commander.”
Cody leaves and rushes out of the room.
Blood starts to flow from Obi-Wan’s nose and Helix curses. “Come on, Obi-Wan. Get out of it.”
“We need you.”
Obi-Wan shouts and screams as he watches the scene before him. Unable to move, held by some unknown force, the only thing he can do is watch. Anakin and Ahsoka duel with each other, and Anakin gets the upper hand, stabbing Ahsoka in the stomach as she drops to the floor, dead. He cries and drops to his knees, finally able to move.
Anakin turns to Obi-Wan, his golden eyes staring at him. “Time to finish the job, Master.” Anakin walks to him and stabs him in the stomach. His world turns black as once again his surroundings morph.
“And if I don’t live due to the Sith?” Dooku asks.
“Then I will be there to guide you home.”
“You already know the future, don’t you?”
“Yes, and neither the Jedi nor the Republic are even prepared for the outcome. Billions will die.”
“How can I change this? I am not nearly as powerful as Skywalker or Sidious.”
“It’s here and now, Master. Do not dwell on the future. What you do from here on out, will either change the galaxy for better or worse.”
“And what do you want me to do?”
“It is not what I want, Master.” Qui-Gon pauses. “You know what you have to do.”
“And you will be there.”
“Of course.”
“His vitals are dropping rapidly.” Starr shouts.
“His brain is showing less activity. His heart is slowing.” Helix states.
“Let’s hope it’s for the better.” Starr states. They stare at the monitor and Helix shakes his head.
“Get a defibrillator ready. His heart is slowing, and not in a good way.”
“Won’t he just come back, Sir?”
“I have a feeling it will be different this time.” Helix states and Starr looks at his General, concerned.
Ahsoka not only dies once, no, she dies multiple times that Obi-Wan has lost count. And each time it shatters him. Each time he is held back and could do nothing but watch. Sometimes she screams for him, while other times as she dies, she tells him it’s his fault. And each time, a little of Obi-Wan dies inside.
It switches each time he comes back. Helix died a few times, Anakin killing him once, Obi-Wan not being fast enough to save him from an explosion another time. It doesn’t matter, because each time, Obi-Wan is too slow, not fast enough, helpless.
“Come on!” Helix shouts as Obi-Wan starts seizing and Helix makes sure his air way is clear and his head is cushioned.
“He’s not doing well, Sir.”
The blood from his nose now continually flows out and some gets in his mouth. Obi-Wan starts choking, and Helix frantically places him on his side, so he doesn’t choke.
“Please, Obi-Wan. Wake up.”
“I will do as you ask then.” Dooku decides. “And when the time comes, I will be happy to join you once again.”
“As will I, Master.” Qui-Gon softly says. “Listen to my voice when the time is near, and I will guide you home.”
“See you soon then, my padawan.” Dooku mumbles and Qui-Gon’s force ghost disappears. Dooku takes a deep breath and picks up his saber. He then has a thought and grabs a device, and smiles. If he is going to die today, he will die on his own terms.
Ahsoka breaks through the doors, tears streaming down her face.
“He’s letting go.” She cries.
“He’ll come back though, won’t he?” Cody asks.
“No, he’s letting go and the Force isn’t with him, like it always is when it happens.” Ahsoka cries and Cody looks at Helix.
Helix’s face hardens and he shakes his head. “No, he’s not dying on my watch. Not if I can help it.”
Cody dies when Sidious finds them. He makes Obi-Wan watch as the light leaves his friends eyes. Sidious then makes him watch the death of Bail, Helix, and Ahsoka. The whole 212th then is killed when Sidious snaps all their necks in one powerful blow.
After each death, Obi-Wan starts to die. Maybe it for real this time, a little part of Obi-Wan hopes it is. He can’t keep watching everyone he loves die.
“Why have you come back, traitor?” Sidious snarls as Dooku walks into his throne room.
“Because the apprentice always kills the master, Master.” Dooku snarks and they both rush forward, their reds saber igniting as they both clash against each other.
“Foolish. You should have left when you had the chance.” Sidious growls and they duel.
“Please, Buir, don’t go.” Ahsoka pleads as she watches his body start to shut down.
“Please.”
As Ahsoka is killed by a chipped Cody, Obi-Wan just stares ahead. As Anakin kills his men, Obi-Wan stares. As Bail and his family is killed, Obi-Wan stares. As Vokara is killed by Anakin in front of him, he stares. As Plo is killed by his own men, he stares. And as the whole Temple is destroyed, no one spared, not even the Younglings, he stares.
He only wishes for one thing. One thing that will stop this whole mess and he can finally be at peace.
He wishes for death.
And Sidious is just too happy as he senses Obi-Wan’s feelings. Dooku realizes this and starts hitting Sidious harder with his saber. Sidious takes advantage of his recklessness and stabs Dooku right where his padawan was stabbed. Except this time, the Sith isn’t walking away. Dooku promises this.
Sidious looks at him in confusion as Dooku smirks at him. He takes his hand out of his robe and reveals a blinking device in his hand. Sidious eyes go wide, and he screams in denial as Dooku pressed the red button.
“Come on, Master, it is time to come home. There are people waiting to greet you.”
Dooku closes his eyes and follows his padawan’s voice as he dies from his stab wound. He is enveloped by a bright light and sees the people he never thought he’d get to see again far away from where he is standing. They’re all above a hill, a doorway separating him from them. Qui-Gon stands beside him and takes his hand.
“Welcome home, Master.” Qui-Gon softly says, and they walk together through the door. Into the unknown.
The throne room where everything ended, is enveloped in the explosion as a Sith and an ex-Sith die. The room collapses in on itself as the last remnants of Sidious and Dooku disappear forever.
“I need you. You can’t go yet. We all need you.” Ahsoka begs as Obi-Wan’s heart stops and Helix performs CPR.
Bail watches with grief in his eyes and bows his head. He mumbles the words his friend had said so often.
“There is no emotion, there is peace.”
He’s dying, and he knows it. He can feel his body starting to fade and he waits to greet it. Obi-Wan is too far to know that Sidious is dead, that he’s out of his nightmare, that there’s people on the other side waiting for him. Needing him.
Obi-Wan opens his eyes in the dark bliss as he hears his friends voice, deep and laced with sorrow.
“There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.”
He hears Cody join Bail and wonders if this is another nightmare ready to greet him. If he’ll see them die right in front of him, helpless to do anything but watch.
“There is no passion, there is serenity.”
Cody mumbles the saying along with Bail, and slowly, Starr joins.
“There is no chaos, there is harmony.”
Obi-Wan doesn’t want to return to his body, too afraid of the scene he might wake up too. He’d much rather just stay in the dark forsaken place.
Yet another part of him wants to wake up. Wants to chance it and hopes he wakes up to the faces of his loved ones. Ahsoka, Cody, Helix, and many more. Maybe the nightmare is over.
Or maybe this is a trick and he’ll be thrown into it again.
He then hears Ahsoka and Helix’s voice and shuts his eyes. He has to return, it’s the least he could do for her. It’s the least he could do for all of them.
“There is no death, there is the Force.”
“There is no death, there is the Force.”
Ahsoka and Helix whispers. CPR wasn’t working. And deep down, Ahsoka hopes that maybe, just maybe, there is a little hope. So, she recites the sacred words and hopes the Force grants her her prayers.
“Come on, Buir. Wake up, please, if not for them, wake up for me. I can’t lose you just yet. I still need you.”
“I still need you, Buir.”
He hears Ahsoka pleading to him and decides then and there, he’s returning. And if it’s to his nightmare, he would just be happy to fulfill her request. And if it’s back to his life, then he’ll be the happiest person alive.
He feels his conscious return to his body, and he feels familiar hands grab his shoulder. He hesitantly opens his eyes, praying to the Force that she won’t die in front of him again, and is met with her beautiful big eyes.
Ahsoka sobs in relief and rest her forehead on his shoulder. Obi-Wan sits up and envelops her in a hug and Ahsoka hugs back. They both sob as everyone in the room watches in relief that Obi-Wan remains alive.
Helix slumps into the bedside chair and sighs out. Cody watches, thankful his General is alive, Starr leans on the wall, and Bail lets out a watery laugh.
As the sobs subside, Helix looks over to the duo and finds that they had cried themselves out and now they fell asleep on each other. Helix smiles and ushers everyone out and then places a blanket on them.
“Night, Obi-Wan, ‘Soka.” Helix softly whispers and leaves the med-bay.
A holo is heard in the clone’s room, and Helix listens in shock.
“Breaking News, Chancellor Palpatine and Count Dooku have just been pronounced dead. An explosion had occurred in the basement of the Senate building. The bodies cannot be found. Investigators have also found evidence of Sith artifacts in the office of the Chancellor. More updates are under way as the Coruscant Guard investigates the Chancellor’s office."