Work Text:
Obi-Wan’s accent had been the first warning sign.
Obi-Wan’s crisp Coruscanti accent had vanished, it’s musical qualities replaced with a cadence closer to Anakin’s far less polished accent – an accent formed in the desert.
Anakin had thought Obi-Wan was just making fun of him until he brandished his lightsaber and struck towards him. Anakin’s quick reflexes saved him from the surprise attack.
“Master? What are…”
“Your Master isn’t here right now,” not Obi-Wan said in the accent that sounded so wrong coming from his lips.
They had been sitting together in the mess, a few clones nearby. Anakin had left for five minutes to go check on the flight progress. When he returned to the mess, he came back to Obi-Wan acting different – agitated. As Obi-Wan ignited his lightsaber and swung towards Anakin, the three clones in the corner had also brandished their blasters and had them pointed at Anakin. They began firing and Anakin easily blocked the blaster bolts. He deflected a bolt and one of the clones fell to the ground. Anakin didn’t have time to feel guilty. As he deflected Obi-Wan’s assault and the remaining two blasters, he caught in the corner of his eye one of the Geonosian mind-control worms slither out of the dead clone’s nose and onto the floor.
No. They must have control of the clones and of Obi-Wan, Anakin realized in horror. His mind raced. How did they get on the ship? How do I stop them? How do I save Obi-Wan?
Anakin Force pulled the dead clone’s blaster to him and set it to stun. He blasted the two clones and attempted to stun Obi-Wan, but he expertly deflected every shot. He then Force pulled the weapon from Anakin’s grasp and crushed it with the Force.
Anakin fought defensively against Obi-Wan’s attacks. He let Obi-Wan push them back. They were headed towards the bridge.
The fight they were engaged in felt wrong. Typically, Anakin fought on the offensive while Obi-Wan, the gentle spirit he was, preferred the defensive. Now, Obi-Wan was fighting more savagely than Anakin had ever seen. He lacked the control he always possessed. He swung his saber out widely, hacking at Anakin in a wild and unpredictable manner. Anakin held his own, but the unusual fighting style was difficult to keep up with.
As Obi-Wan backed him up towards the bridge, Anakin saw his chance. He leapt back onto the bridge and used the Force to close the door in between him and Obi-Wan. He knew it wouldn’t hold him long, but Anakin used the chance to open up his commlink.
“Ahsoka! Do you copy?”
“Master? What’s wrong?”
“Ahsoka, listen to me,” Anakin said quickly. “Those mind-control worms from Geonosis have infected the ship. The clones have been infected. Obi-Wan has been infected. They haven’t gotten to me yet, but I need to know how to get rid of them.”
“I’m on it, Master!”
“Thanks, Snips.”
“You got it, Skyguy! Be careful.”
“I will.”
As he hung up, he heard the squelching sound of melting metal as Obi-Wan cut through the door with his lightsaber. Anakin centered himself and got into a defensive stance. After a pregnant pause, Obi-Wan burst through the hole in the door, swinging his lightsaber at Anakin with abandon.
Anakin parried each blow and maneuvered around Obi-Wan with agility. Obi-Wan’s attacks were quick and strong but they were wide and unbalanced. Anakin used this to his advantage and kicked Obi-Wan in the gut. He doubled over with a gasp. His eyes seemed to focus more than they had been. Hope rose deep inside of Anakin. Obi-Wan looked like he was fighting it. Every inch of his being trembled and he squeezed his eyes shut tightly. Then they opened with a bright blue flash.
He looked down at his lightsaber and deactivated it. He threw it to the side as if it had stung him.
“Anakin?” he whispered hoarsely. His natural Coruscanti accent was back.
“Obi-Wan!”
“Anakin… I don’t want to hurt anyone… I don’t want… to hurt you.”
“You won’t, we’ll figure this out.”
“No, Anakin,” Obi-Wan panted. “You know what you have to do.”
“Master, no .”
“Anakin…no more...” he said with clear eyes. “You have to kill me.”
“No… no I can’t, Master…”
“Please…”
“No,” Anakin said firmly.
“Then find a way, Anakin. Find a way. Get it out. I can’t hold it back much longer.”
“I’ll find a way. I promise.”
“Anakin…”
“Master?”
“Do what you must. If I hurt anyone on this ship… If I hurt you…”
“It’ll be alright, Obi-Wan.”
“No! If I hurt you then I am already dead!” Obi-Wan shouted. “If you have any respect for me then you will kill me before that happens.”
Anakin recoiled. Obi-Wan had always been firm with him. He would on occasion raise his voice slightly. He would scold or chastise him – but he rarely shouted at Anakin. He was always so calm. So even-keeled. His level-headedness had always driven Anakin a little bit mad, but now he just wanted it back.
“Master…”
“Anakin. Promise me.”
“I promise I will figure this out. I will not kill you.”
Obi-Wan’s expression gave away that he felt betrayed, but not for long. In one quick movement, he extended his arm and motioned to pull his lightsaber back to him, but not before Anakin threw out his palm as well. Obi-Wan’s lightsaber hung in the air precariously between them, shaking violently but not relenting to either side. The two were locked in a battle of wills. The Force between them felt thick, like trying to force the wrong poles of magnets together. Sweat dripped into Anakin’s eyes but he held fast. If Obi-Wan got that lightsaber…
No. He could not think like that. He strengthened his resolve and let the Force swell inside of him. With a growl, he pulled the lightsaber to his palm and ignited it. Anakin was surprised by it. It felt somewhat lighter than his own but more balanced. Anakin crossed the blades in front of him in an X shape and moved towards Obi-Wan. The parasite inside of him wanted to spread its siblings to Anakin, but it did not want its own host to die. Obi-Wan stepped backward until Anakin had him cornered. Carefully, Anakin held the tips of the lightsabers to Obi-Wan’s neck.
“Get down,” Anakin commanded.
Slowly, Obi-Wan got on his knees, Anakin following with the lightsabers.
“Turn around.”
Obi-Wan, or the thing controlling Obi-Wan, obeyed.
“I’m sorry,” Anakin said quietly. In one swift movement, he disengaged the blades and struck the back of Obi-Wan’s head with the butt of his lightsaber. Obi-Wan crumpled to the floor.
As soon as Anakin was sure Obi-Wan was out cold, he searched his tunics. Soon enough, he found what he was looking for. Anakin took the egg and squashed it under his boot. Next, he searched around frantically for something to bind Obi-Wan with. For once, he wished he had some Force suppression cuffs on hand, but he would have to settle for some wire he found in the corner. He tied up Obi-Wan’s wrists and ankles. It would slow him down, but Anakin knew it would not hold him for long once he woke up.
Anakin’s commlink beeped.
“Ahsoka, I could really use some good news here.”
“They can’t handle the cold!” Ahsoka shouted through the link.
“Cold?”
“The worms! They can’t handle extreme cold. You need to freeze them out.”
Anakin’s heart soared.
“Thank you, Ahsoka!”
“You got it, Master! Now save Master Kenobi!”
“I will!”
Anakin cut the connection and turned his attention back to Obi-Wan. He was stirring but hadn’t opened his eyes yet.
Anakin quickly got to work opening up the coolant system. Even as cold mist floated through the air around him, he felt a shiver up his spine that had nothing to do with the temperature. He turned around to see Obi-Wan standing before him. In one swift motion, Obi-Wan Force pulled his lightsaber back to his hands and immediately ignited it. Anakin took a defensive position and ignited his own lightsaber.
“Obi-Wan, please, I know you’re still in there.”
“Your Master is mine. His body is mine. ”
“Let him go.”
“Your body will be mine too.”
The open coolant system was making quick work of cooling the small space. Anakin fought off shivers and tried his best to stay as alert as possible. As Obi-Wan lunged at him again, Anakin parried his blows. He grunted with exertion and Force pushed Obi-Wan back.
As he fought, Anakin’s eyes landed on a tube running up and down the wall. With a grin, he cut it open and icy air poured out of it, instantly dropping the temperature in the room even further. He grabbed the tube and pointed it directly at Obi-Wan. Anakin tried very hard to remember that it wasn’t actually Obi-Wan screaming as he held the tube in place.
Then, he saw it. That filthy worm had crawled halfway out of Obi-Wan’s mouth. Anakin lunged forward and grabbed it. He threw it on the ground and sliced it in half with his lightsaber. Obi-Wan collapsed in a heap at Anakin’s feet.
“Master!”
Anakin sunk to his knees next to Obi-Wan. He pulled Obi-Wan into his lap, trying to warm him up, but it was not of much help. Small ice crystals covered his clothes, hair and beard. Anakin painstakingly tried to brush them out but he himself was freezing. The coolant tube was still pouring freezing air into the small space. He shivered violently as he cradled his unconscious Master in his arms.
Anakin knew he should probably try to pilot the ship, but he was so cold and so tired.
“Ahsoka…” Anakin said weakly. “Do you copy?”
“Master?” she answered.
“We’re close to Master Fisto’s location. Tell him to pull in the ship, no one is piloting it.”
“Why aren’t you piloting it?” concern dripping from her tone.
“It doesn’t matter, just do it.”
He continued to hold on to Obi-Wan as he leaned back against the ship’s control panel and let unconsciousness take him too.
Anakin awoke briefly to someone shaking his shoulder.
“Come on, let’s get them out of here.”
“Master Fisto?” Anakin said weakly.
“Hello, Anakin,” the Jedi Master greeted pleasantly. “You’re safe now. You’re both safe now.”
Anakin accepted this and let sleep take hold of him again.
When he next woke up, he felt considerably warmer than he had, but a chill still coursed through his blood. Realization returned to him. He gasped and sat up quickly.
“Relax Skyguy,” Ahsoka said quickly, pressing a gentle hand to his shoulder. “It’s okay.”
He took a moment to catch his breath. “What… what happened? Are all the worms dead?”
“Yes, the worms are dead. It looks like there was only one casualty on the ship.”
Guilt flooded Anakin’s side of their bond. “I didn’t mean to kill him… I was fighting Obi-Wan and they were shooting at me… and I just…”
“It’s alright Master. Everyone knows you did the best you could.”
That didn’t make Anakin feel any better about it. Then another thought occurred to him. “Where’s…”
“He’s right there,” Ahsoka said, cutting him off and pointing to Obi-Wan. “He’s alright.”
Obi-Wan was asleep and covered in blankets. His skin was a little pale, but he looked otherwise okay. Anakin sighed and laid back down, suddenly exhausted again.
“Get some rest Skyguy,” Ahsoka said quietly.
“Thanks, Snips,” Anakin said as he let his eyes close again.
When he woke up for the third time, it was only because he sensed Obi-Wan prodding at their old bond.
“I’m fine, Obi-Wan, you don’t need to check on me,” Anakin said, his eyes still closed.
“Old habits die hard,” Obi-Wan sighed.
Anakin opened his eyes and turned to look at Obi-Wan. He looked exhausted.
“Are you alright, Master?”
“As alright as someone can be after having their mind and body possessed by a desert worm and then nearly freezing to death.” When Anakin continued to stare at him he added, “yes, I’m alright, Anakin.”
“You scared me.”
“I know, and I’m sorry. You know I would never try to hurt you intentionally, right?”
“No, it wasn’t that.”
“Then what was it, my former Padawan?”
“You asked me to kill you.”
“And you once again disobeyed me, though this time I’m afraid I’m going to have to give you a pass,” Obi-Wan said with a half-smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.
“Obi-Wan, I’m serious. You were so desperate. I’ve never seen you like that before and I… I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t… I wouldn’t kill you. Master… should I have?”
Obi-Wan sighed. “Anakin, you’re as much a Jedi as I am. Part of being a Jedi is being able to let go of our attachments.”
Anakin internally cringed and looked down at his hands, which were twisted tightly in the blankets.
“But,” Obi-Wan continued. “A Jedi should also always follow their intuition. It seems your intuition showed you another, less bloody, path.”
Anakin looked up and locked eyes with Obi-Wan.
“In this particular case, I’m glad you held onto your attachment to me while seeking out another path with your intuition. For it was not an act of selflessness, but rather my own attachment to you, my former Padawan, that caused me to give you such an unfair request in the first place. The thought of hurting you, even if I was not of my own mind, was not something I could bear.”
Anakin’s eyes widened. He always saw Obi-Wan as the “perfect” Jedi and on the rare instances he did express his own struggles with the code, it made Anakin feel all the more connected to his former Master. Warmth and affection coursed through both sides of their bond.
For once, Anakin was sure he made the right choice.