Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Come on Ahsoka,” Anakin said with a grin. “Let’s go see where the council will be sending us this time.”

Her chair nearly fell backward as she jumped to her feet with excitement. She had been feeling the effects of cabin fever for some time now and was ready to get on with their next mission. The downtime between missions was nice, especially when she got to spend it with her Master and Grandmaster, but Ahsoka knew she was built for action, or at least, she had been conditioned for it. Regardless, she was excited to get back on a starship and follow her Master across the galaxy. She trailed behind Anakin and Obi-Wan as they made their way to the council. The corridors of the Jedi temple felt longer than usual as her anticipation grew. 

In the council chambers, they were greeted by Master Yoda and Master Windu. They were still the only council members save Obi-Wan who were in the temple. The rest were still out on their own campaigns. 

“Good to see you healthy, it is, Obi-Wan,” Yoda said. “Recovered nicely, you have.”

“Thank you, Master. It’s certainly nice to be on my feet again,” Obi-Wan replied in that polite way of his. 

“Excuse me, Masters,” Anakin said, interrupting their small talk before it could even begin. “But have you recovered any valuable intel from the data chips?” 

Ahsoka smirked. Nobody could blame her for her impatience when this was the example set for her. 

“Yes, that is why we have summoned you three here,” Mace said, ignoring the knowing look on Ahsoka’s face. “Your suspicions were correct. The data chips did have valuable data on them. We were able to accurately pull data from the three chips that were still intact and we have intelligence working on repairing the fourth. We should be able to recover the lost data from that chip within the week, but for now, we have learned that the Separatists have built a new weapons factory on Ansion.”

“Ansion? I freed them from Separatist rule myself not that long ago. Their allegiance still lies with the Republic, does it not?” Obi-Wan questioned as he crossed his arms over his chest.

“It does, however, it seems the Separatists have covertly taken partial control over a more rural area of the planet.”

Ahsoka felt Obi-Wan’s displeasure through the Force. He bristled next to her, clearly upset that the planet he had personally worked to free not too long ago was falling back under Separatist control so easily. However, his displeasure was quickly replaced with a roguish determination

“Well, then we need to take it back,” Obi-Wan said, his voice providing that steadfast assurance that was so good at inspiring confidence and loyalty in his troops, or convincing a table of conflicting senators to agree to compromise. Ahsoka quietly hid her pride away in the Force.

“Agreed,” Mace said solemnly, drawing Ahsoka’s attention back to the matter at hand. “But there’s more to it than that.”

“More?”

“Yes. The weapons factory seems to also have a laboratory component. They are designing more specialty droids in line with their droideka models. We don’t have the full intel, but it seems like they are going to be built like battle droids, but will have stronger defense functions. We need you to destroy the whole compound and all the new droids inside it. You three will need to sneak past the defenses and plant bombs.” 

This time, Ahsoka could feel Anakin’s displeasure in the Force.

“Now hold on, Master,” Anakin said, turning to Obi-Wan. “You’ve only just recovered. Don’t you think it’s a little soon to jump back into a fight?”

“No, in fact, I don’t think that at all,” Obi-Wan said. “I’ve fully recovered, Anakin. Besides, this is a stealth mission. We’re sneaking in and out, it’s not supposed to turn into a firefight.”

“I agree with Anakin,” Mace said. Obi-Wan looked deeply betrayed. “We don’t have the full intel and I fear it could very well turn into a firefight. However, there is no one else right now. As you can see, we are stretched completely thin.” Mace gestured to the mostly empty council chambers. “I suggest you each take a small squadron of soldiers from each of your battalions, but only take The Negotiator and enough clones to man the ship . The Resolute and Obi-Wan’s remaining troopers will be sent to a campaign Master Plo is fighting in the mid-rim.”

Ahsoka could sense the protests hanging on Anakin’s lips, but he took a breath and looked around the mostly empty room. “Fine. But I’m going to make sure Obi-Wan stays out of trouble.”

“That would be much appreciated. Thank you, Skywalker,” Mace said, a slight smile quirking his lips. 

Obi-Wan scoffed and Ahsoka stifled a giggle.

The three were dismissed. In the hallway, Anakin pulled Obi-Wan to the side. Ahsoka pretended like she wasn’t listening to their quiet conversation.

“Master, are you sure you’re up for this?” Anakin said softly.

“Yes, Anakin, I’m fine. You needn’t worry about me.” Obi-Wan looked exasperated by Anakin’s mother-henning, but a concerned Anakin had always been difficult to fend off.

“You can stay behind,” Anakin continued, ignoring Obi-Wan’s assurances. “I’m sure if I took more clones with me we would manage. I would just need to-”

“Anakin.”

“Alright, alright, but promise me you won’t push yourself too hard.”

“I promise,” Obi-Wan said with a gentle nod and a strong hand on Anakin’s shoulder. “I’ll take it easy. Everything will be alright.”

Anakin exhaled deeply. “Fine. I’m holding you to that.”

“I expect nothing less.” 

The pair pulled away from the wall and resumed walking down the long corridors. Ahsoka listened while Anakin and Obi-Wan discussed which clones would be joining them. 

“We’ll need Rex, obviously,” Anakin said. 

“And Cody.”

“Yes,” Anakin agreed. “We should take Kix as well.”

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes. “I’m fine Anakin.”

“I never said you weren’t! It’s just in case. We need a medic on the ship regardless of your condition. Of the three of us, you’re the only one with any Force healing abilities and they’re limited at best.”

Obi-Wan narrowed his eyes. “Fine. We’ll take Kix. Then we’ll just have the usual skeleton crew to man the ship. The rest can go assist Master Plo. I’m sure the 212th and the 501st will appreciate the excuse to fight with a different battalion this time around.” 

“Practically a vacation.”

“What do you think, Ahsoka?” Obi-Wan said, turning to her.

“Sounds like a good plan to me,” Ahsoka said.

“Good,” Obi-Wan said. “Let’s organize our men and meet at The Negotiator in an hour.”

The trio went their separate ways and prepared to embark on their newest mission.

Chapter Text

Anakin, Ahsoka and Obi-Wan leaned against the railing on the ship’s bridge. They looked out at the hypnotizing swirl of hyperspace as it passed them by all too fast, and at the same time, agonizingly slow. Anakin did his best to ignore Ahsoka’s constant tapping, but he wasn’t exactly known for having an overdeveloped sense of patience. 

“Ahsoka,” he finally scolded. “Stop that.”

“Sorry,” she said guiltily, stilling her tapping foot. 

A few minutes later, Anakin himself was tapping his fingers on the railing.

“Like Master, like Padawan,” Obi-Wan sighed.

“Shut up, you’re anxious to get to Ansion too,” Anakin said.

“Perhaps I’m better at compartmentalizing,” Obi-Wan replied.

“Perhaps you are gearing up to push yourself too far, too fast and that’s why you are more content with doing nothing.”

“First of all, I’m not pushing myself too far, too fast. I don’t know how many times I’m going to have to tell you that I am fine for it to get through that thick head of yours that I am, in fact, fine ,” Obi-Wan said, exasperated. “Second of all, I’m not doing ‘ nothing.’ I’m thinking about possible attack strategies for the mission.”

“Care to share any of those strategies or do I need to ask nicely?”

“Very funny. I suppose we can bring in the others and talk through a plan. Force knows we have plenty of time.”

It was true. The flight from Coruscant to Ansion was a long one, even with lightspeed travel. Anakin summoned Rex while Obi-Wan summoned Cody. 

Cody was the first to arrive at the bridge but Rex wasn’t too far behind. Ahsoka visibly brightened when Rex joined them on the bridge. The two had clearly formed a strong friendship through all their time serving together. Anakin didn’t mind their friendship, he just wished their friendship had been forged under circumstances that were not the war.

“Evening Commander, Captain,” Obi-Wan greeted, shaking Anakin out of his wistful thoughts. Obi-Wan pulled up the schematics of the weapons facility and everyone gathered around the holo-table. “Thanks for joining us.”

Anakin listened intently as Obi-Wan detailed the plan.

“The weapons facility is broken into two wings: the east wing and the west wing. The lab is located in a hub in the center. I say we start there together. We can break into their systems and gather whatever intel we can and we can destroy the plans for the new battle droids. Then, we can split into two teams. One team will take the west wing while the other takes the east. We’ll plant the bombs on the main support beams here and in the storage units here,” Obi-Wan gestured to the appropriate spots on the map. “That way, we ensure the building and its contents are destroyed.”

“We should also plant bombs in the lab. Destroy what we can,” Anakin added.

“Precisely. Cody and I can take the east wing. You, Ahsoka and Rex can take the west wing.”

“Wait,” Anakin said. “I think Ahsoka should be on your team this time around.”

“Anakin,” Obi-Wan said in a warning tone. 

“What? I’m only suggesting that she spend more time with her Grandmaster!”

“Or you could be suggesting that your Padawan join me so you have an extra set of eyes on me.” 

“And so what? Master, you almost died two weeks ago.”

“But I didn’t,” Obi-Wan argued. “She’s your Padawan. She should go with you.”

“Does anyone care about who I want to go with?” Ahsoka interjected.

“No!” Anakin and Obi-Wan shouted in unison. 

Ahsoka threw her hands up and rolled her eyes. Anakin sighed and Obi-Wan pinched the bridge of his nose. Anakin pretended not to notice how Rex and Cody shot each other sideways glances.

“Wait, Ahsoka,” Anakin said, lowering his voice to a softer tone. “Of course we care about who you want to go with.”

“Yes,” Obi-Wan added. “Whose team would you prefer to join, Padawan?”

Ahsoka’s blue eyes darted back and forth between Anakin and Obi-Wan. “Um,” she hesitated. Anakin gave her a hard-pressed stare he hoped she would understand. “I want to go with Master Kenobi and Cody,” she said, albeit a little unsure of herself. Anakin sighed in relief.

“Et tu, Ahsoka?” Obi-Wan said, betrayed. 

“What?” Ahsoka exclaimed defensively, regaining her convictions. “I’m always stuck with Skyguy, I never get to work with you or Cody.”

Anakin scoffed. “Excuse me, you are not stuck with me, I-”

“Do you want me to go with him or not, Master?” she said through gritted teeth.

Anakin straightened. “Yes, go with him and Cody.” 

“Alright, now that that is settled, may I continue with the plan?” Obi-Wan said impatiently.

“Yes, go on,” Anakin said.

“Good. After the bombs are planted, we’ll rendezvous at the gunship. Once we take off, we’ll activate the bombs and return to The Negotiator. Any objections?”  

“Are we sure we even want to split up at all?” Anakin questioned. In their last mission, it had been Anakin’s call to split up, against Obi-Wan’s better judgment. It led to Obi-Wan nearly dying. Anakin was loath to repeat that. 

Obi-Wan’s eyes softened in a knowing look. “Anakin, as far as we know, this is a stealth mission. The faster and quieter we can get in and out, the better.”

“Yeah, as far as we know . Master Windu said they still don’t have the information from the fourth data chip. What if we’re missing something important.”

“Then we will adapt to a changing situation, as we are trained to do.”

Anakin stared at Obi-Wan with a critical gaze. He noted that his former Master wasn’t nearly as pale as he had been a few days ago. He no longer favored his good ankle and his vitality in the Force had nearly returned to its former glory. Nearly. It was clear he still wasn’t at one hundred percent. He would absentmindedly run his hand over his stomach and knead at the mostly healed sutures from the surgery that saved his life. Anakin didn’t miss the way Obi-Wan would wince if he moved too suddenly in the wrong way. Sure, he was almost back to normal, but he wasn’t there yet. Anakin didn’t want to see him hurt himself further just because he wasn’t ready to be back in the field yet. 

“Master, I don’t know-”

“Anakin,” Obi-Wan said gently. “I’ll be okay. Besides, if I’m not okay, I will have a more than capable young Padawan at my side and a Commander who has gotten me out of more tight spots than I’d care to count. Isn’t that right, Cody?”

“Affirmative, General,” Cody said, clearly relying on all of his professionalism and training to hold back a long-suffering sigh. 

Anakin’s eyes darted from Obi-Wan to Cody and Ahsoka and back to Obi-Wan. “Fine. It’s a good plan,” Anakin admitted. “When do we get to Ansion?”

“We’ve got about eight hours left, Sir,” Rex said. 

“Good,” Obi-Wan said. “We should all try to get some rest before we arrive.” 

As Cody, Rex and Ahsoka left the bridge, Anakin remained by Obi-Wan’s side.

“Are you sure about this, Master?” Anakin said, bracing himself for more of Obi-Wan’s exasperated lectures.

“I’m never completely sure about anything,” Obi-Wan sighed. “But that should never stop us from fulfilling our responsibilities.” 

Anakin sighed. “I just- I don’t want to see you get hurt again.”

Obi-Wan put a hand on Anakin’s shoulder. “Knowing this war, chances are you will see me hurt again, but we must let go of our fears. Give them to the Force. Focus on what is and not what could be and you will be better for it.” 

“I know Master. It’s just… difficult.”

“I never said it was easy.”

“You make it look easy.”

“Looks can be deceiving.”

Anakin sighed deeply and looked at Obi-Wan. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I just-”

“I know, Anakin,” Obi-Wan said. He squeezed Anakin’s shoulder before dropping his hand back to his side. “Now go get some rest. I also don’t want to see you hurt on this mission.”

Of course, no one could really get any rest. The anticipation for the mission ahead was better at warding off sleep than even the strongest of caf. 

This is how Anakin and Ahsoka found themselves sparring with each other in the hangar. Their sabers were turned to low settings that would sting, but not maim, were they to make contact with flesh. The two panted with exertion as they blocked, kicked and lunged at one another. A deep hum echoed through the hangar as their sabers collided with each other. 

They had found a steady rhythm – too steady for Anakin’s liking. He lunged forward unexpectedly and knocked Ahsoka’s shoto blade from her hand. Surprised, Ahsoka left her side open and Anakin tapped her with his blade. She jumped back at the stinging sensation. 

“Looks like I won,” Anakin grinned. 

“How did you do that?” Ahsoka asked, trying not to dwell on her wounded pride. 

“Your tempo. It was too predictable. I knew what your next move was going to be so I countered it before it happened.” 

“Right,” Ahsoka nodded. “Again?”

Anakin nodded and readied his stance. He waited for Ahsoka to lunge at him before he made his move. He countered both of her blades with the kind of ease that came from years of practice and raw natural talent. Even with that practice and talent, Anakin was finding this round more challenging. Ahsoka had taken his advice to heart and had become completely unpredictable. He grinned as he found himself more evenly met. 

“That’s more like it Snips!” He lunged forward, about to knock her shoto blade from her hand, but she wasn’t going to fall for that a second time. 

“What can I say, I’ve been practicing!” she shouted as she backflipped backward, leaping onto a set of crates. She then leapt over Anakin’s head and landed on his other side, but he was prepared. 

“Cute trick,” he taunted. He raised his saber to her, but she countered with both of hers. They pushed against each other. Anakin was stronger and taller, giving him more leverage. He felt himself pushing her down and he knew he was about to win again. 

However, Ahsoka wasn’t going down without a fight. Faster than Anakin could blink, she twirled her blade and twisted Anakin’s out of his grasp. It clattered to the floor and Ahsoka took the opportunity to push him down to the ground. 

He blinked up at her in shocked surprise. 

“Looks like I won,” Ahsoka said haughtily. 

“That was… Impressive,” Anakin said, the surprised expression still on his face. 

He felt warmth on her side of their bond. 

“Thank you,” she said sincerely, turning around and walking towards the bench, so she didn’t get to see the wicked grin cross Anakin’s face. He lunged forward and grabbed her ankles. She fell forward but caught herself with her hands. 

“Hey!” she yelled, turning back around.

“Never turn your back on the enemy!” he shouted with faux menace.

She lunged back at him, wrestling him to the ground. “Sore loser!” she yelled back.

He managed to escape her grasp and wrestle her back down. They grabbed and tore at each other, but the sound of someone clearing their throat made both of them pause mid-attack. They looked at each other once before looking up to see Obi-Wan standing over them with his hands on his hips and one eyebrow raised. 

“As entertaining as it is to watch my lineage beat each other up, I’m afraid I must interrupt.”

Anakin’s cheeks flushed and the two immediately untangled themselves from each other and stood up at attention.

“I see neither of you have gotten any rest,” Obi-Wan chided.

“And you have?” Anakin shot back.

“More than you.”

“Did you come to join us, Master Kenobi?” Ahsoka interrupted.

“I came to tell you that we will be arriving at Ansion in one hour.”

“Good,” Anakin said, still breathing heavily from his match with Ahsoka. “Care to have a quick spar with us, Master?” 

“That depends, are you going to try and tackle me to the ground when I win?” Obi-Wan questioned, raising his eyebrow again.

“If you win I promise not to tackle you to the ground.”

“Then I suppose one round wouldn’t hurt,” Obi-Wan smiled. 

The three dropped into their opening stances and lunged at each other.

Chapter Text

Obi-Wan found himself once again staring into the swirling void of hyperspace. It had always unsettled him when he thought about it for too long, but he ignored those thoughts and instead ran through the details of their mission in his head. Anakin and Ahsoka were at his side. All three of them had cleaned up and changed after their sparring session and were now waiting impatiently for the mission to start. 

Of course, some were more impatient than others. Anakin and Ahsoka were both fidgeting and pacing around. Obi-Wan rolled his eyes.

“Patience, Padawans,” he sighed. 

They both halted their movements and joined his side again at the railing. “Sorry, Master Kenobi,” Ahsoka said guiltily. 

“It’s quite alright, young one. We’ll be there soon.”

As he said it, The Negotiator stuttered out of hyperspace. The planet of Ansion filled their field of vision. “See,” Obi-Wan said, gesturing to the planet below them. “We’re here.”

Anakin and Ahsoka grinned at each other and turned to head towards the hangar. Obi-Wan followed closely behind his lineage. They practically vibrated with anticipation as they geared up to do something besides wait around in a star destroyer.

When they arrived at the gunship, Cody and Rex were already waiting for them. 

“Ready, Commander?”

“Always, General,” Cody replied.

“Good. Let’s go,” Obi-Wan ordered. 

As the gunship flew down to the planet’s surface, Obi-Wan couldn’t help but feel a sense of unease. The closer they got to the planet, the worse it became. It was almost as if something in the Force was hiding itself from him – like he was missing something. He debated bringing it up to Anakin. It was likely nothing and Anakin didn’t need to be worrying over him any more than he already was. Even as he tried to rationalize it, he couldn’t shake the eerie feeling. 

“Anakin,” he finally said, trying to keep his voice even and unaffected. “Do you feel that?”

“Feel what?”

“It’s nothing.”

“It’s clearly something, Master,” Anakin said, alarm starting to permeate his expression.

“No, it’s actually nothing. It feels like something is… missing.”

“Missing?”

“Yes. Like the Force is... hazy.”

“I guess it’s not as clear here...” Anakin admitted. 

“Let’s be on high alert when we get down there. The Force has had a lot to say to me recently. It’s odd that it’s silent now.” 

“Maybe we should go back to the ship and regroup.”

Obi-Wan thought about this before shaking his head. “No, the longer we wait, the more likely it is that the Separatists will be alerted of our presence and send for backup, which we do not have the manpower to fight. We just need to be careful and get this over with.”

“Are you sure?”

“No, but I don’t see a better option. Let’s just exercise caution when we’re down there.”

“If you say so,” Anakin said. Obi-Wan didn’t bother with a reply. He instead tried to continue focusing on the Force. He could still reach for it, but it left him feeling uneasy. It wasn’t like before. He just hoped they weren’t walking into an ambush.

The gunship landed on the planet’s surface after what seemed like an eternity. They landed in a clearing in a wooded area a few hundred yards from the compound so the ship was hidden by trees and foliage. Silently, the team crept towards the facility. Anakin took the lead and Obi-Wan stayed on his flank. Ahsoka took up the rear, leaving Cody and Rex positioned in between their respective Jedi. 

“Stop,” Obi-Wan whispered. Everyone came to a sudden halt. They all scanned the landscape, searching for what Obi-Wan had already spotted: battle droids guarding the gates of the facility. All it took was a quick glance at Anakin for the younger Jedi to understand his meaning. Obi-Wan and Anakin silently strode ahead, hiding themselves with the Force and leaving the rest of the group behind to watch. They approached the guard droids and in one swift movement, the two Jedi decapitated each of the droids. They caught the severed heads in their hands before they could clatter to the ground. Using the Force, they lowered the remains of the droids to the ground so as to keep their quiet cover. Obi-Wan sliced through the locking mechanism and the gate swung open. He and Anakin turned to the remainder of their group. Ahsoka looked bored while Rex looked back and forth from the Jedi to Cody. Cody was wearing his helmet, but Obi-Wan didn’t need to see his face to know it was decorated by a smirk. “Coming?” Obi-Wan said playfully, gesturing to the open gates. 

“After you, Generals,” Cody said. He and Rex and Ahsoka started following them once again. 

As they approached another set of doors, Obi-Wan and Anakin once again ignited their sabers and pushed them through the thick metal barrier. They melted the metal and cut open a perfect circle large enough for them to fit through. In tandem, Anakin and Obi-Wan used the Force to prevent the circle cut out from clattering to the floor. As gently as they could, they set it down and stepped through the opening. Scanning the halls, Obi-Wan decided they were clear. “Come, let’s go destroy a laboratory.”

The group made their way through the halls and opened the doors of the lab. Inside were rows and rows of control panels. Transparisteel cases with prototype droids lined the walls. Wires and cords snaked through the entirety of the room, providing power to the whirring machines and blinking lights that covered the lab.

“Wow,” Anakin said breathlessly, taking in the site of the lab with wide, wistful eyes.

“Don’t get too attached,” Obi-Wan said, placing an explosive underneath a major console. 

“What a waste,” Anakin sighed. 

Anakin got to work pulling data from the computers while the rest of them placed explosive devices throughout the space. “Got it,” he whispered triumphantly, handing Obi-Wan the data chip. “Don’t destroy this one this time.”

“I’ll do my best,” Obi-Wan said, placing the data chip in an inside pocket in his tunics.

“I guess that’s all I can ask of you,” Anakin replied.

Rex placed one more bomb under the computer Anakin had been working from. “Think that’ll do it?” 

“It might actually be overkill,” Cody replied.

“If you ask me, there’s nothing wrong with a little overkill when it comes to seppies,” Rex said, a hungry grin on his face. 

“Agreed,” Anakin and Ahsoka said in unison.

“Well if we’re done here we should split off into our two teams,” Obi-Wan cut in. “Cody, Ahsoka, with me.”

“Come on Rex,” Anakin said. “Let’s go have ourselves a little overkill.”

“Yes sir!”

“Obi-Wan wait,” Anakin said, grabbing his shoulder before he could walk away. “Please try to be careful.”

“Of course, Anakin. As long as you try to be quiet,” Obi-Wan said, flashing him a grin. Anakin smiled in spite of himself.

“I’ll do my best.”

“I suppose that’s all I can ask of you.”

After a final parting glance, the two teams split off. Obi-Wan headed east. Anakin headed west. 

The mission was going well. It was starting to make Obi-Wan the slightest bit nervous. 

“Are you alright, General?” Cody asked, perceptive as ever. 

“You’re starting to sound like Anakin.”

“That’s not an answer, General.”

“Well, to answer your question, yes, I’m fine. However, it’s starting to feel like this mission is going too smoothly.”

“Only you would complain about an easy mission, Master Obi-Wan,” Ahsoka interjected.

“I beg to differ, Padawan,” Obi-Wan replied with a wry smile. “You never had to take a thirteen year old Anakin Skywalker to peaceful planets to settle minor trade disputes.”

“He gets it from you,” Ahsoka fired back.

“Hardly.”

“It’s true. You’re just better at acting like you don’t enjoy a little trouble here and there.”

“Perhaps I would enjoy trouble more, if I was caught in less of it.” 

“I would enjoy that too,” Cody said dryly, placing another charge on a support beam. 

“Well, if we weren’t always so-” Obi-Wan’s retort was cut off by the shrill sound of blaster fire whizzing past his ear. He and Ahsoka immediately ignited their sabers and Cody drew his blaster.

Battle droids were swarming the hallway, pouring out of a side hallway in hordes. Obi-Wan and Ahsoka naturally moved into a position that allowed them to shield Cody while he shot at the droids between their shoulders. It didn’t take long for Obi-Wan to notice that Cody’s blaster fire and the deflected blaster bolts coming from their lightsabers were not having the intended effect.

“Um, Master,” Ahsoka said nervously. “They have shields.”

“Yes, I see that,” he replied, still deflecting the blaster bolts back at the droids in a vain search for a weakness. “We’ll have to get closer to them if we want any chance of stopping them.”

In perfect harmony, the trio pressed forward. Ahsoka and Obi-Wan matched each other step for step as they expertly deflected everything that got in their way. 

As Obi-Wan got into a rhythm, a stray thought caught his attention and struck an unwelcome spike of panic through his chest. 

The bombs.

If a blaster bolt hit one of the charges they placed, it would bring the whole building down on top of them. The thought of getting caught in another explosion and getting trapped once again made his breathing quicken and his focus falter. His mind flashed back to darkness and dirt and pain and no air and being trapped .

Obi-Wan hissed as a blaster bolt grazed his right arm, just below the pauldron on his shoulder.

“Master!” Ahsoka exclaimed. 

Obi-Wan glanced at the wound before shaking his head in a vain attempt to clear his head.

“It’s alright, it was just a graze. Stay focused Padawan,” Obi-Wan commanded. He did his best to follow his own advice. 

Breathe.

“Are you alright, General?” Cody asked, concerned. 

“We have to push them back further. We can’t let them hit any of the charges we’ve placed,” Obi-Wan shouted over the blaster fire. “I’d rather not have a repeat of my last mission.”

“Affirmative, General,” Cody replied.

Obi-Wan took a breath and dismissed his panicked thoughts to the Force.

The trio pressed forward, slicing away at the droids before them. Obi-Wan’s mind raced as he tried to think of a plan that would effectively get the mindless droids to stop shooting at them and potentially hitting the charges placed behind them. Obi-Wan made an observation.

“Ahsoka!” Obi-Wan shouted. “I don’t think their shields extend all the way around them. I think they only work in front of them.”

“They aren’t exactly turning their backs to us, Master.”

“Stay with Cody. Keep deflecting the bolts,” Obi-Wan ordered.

“Where are you going?”

“To the other side.”

With that, Obi-Wan took a few steps backward before launching himself upward and forward, leaping over the horde of droids. While in the air, he let his saber slice through as many droids as he could. He landed on his feet on the other side of the droids and spun on his heels to face them. The droids took the bait and turned around, aiming their blasts at the Jedi General.

“Cody! Now!” Obi-Wan yelled, trying to be heard over the blaster fire.

“Yes Sir!” Cody replied, enthused by the prospect of once again having a hand in the fight. His aim was true as he shot down droid after droid. Ahsoka and Obi-Wan each pressed forward, squeezing the droids closer and closer together, boxing them in until there was nowhere else to turn. They sliced through the droids until they were nothing but metal husks laying useless on the tile floor. Only a handful of droids remained.

“Is this enough trouble for you, Sir?” Cody asked, dodging a blaster bolt while simultaneously taking out the offending droid with a carefully aimed shot. 

“Yes, I’d say this is the perfect amount,” Obi-Wan replied as he sliced through three droids with one practiced swing of his lightsaber. 

Ahsoka took out the final droid and together, the three of them stood breathing heavily. Droid parts were up to their knees.

“It’s a good thing I joined your team, Master,” Ahsoka said.

“Yes, I’m glad you’re here. I just hope Anakin and Rex aren’t experiencing the same troubles as we are,” Obi-Wan said, his lips pressed together in a grim line.

“Maybe this was the information missing from the fourth data chip?” Ahsoka asked.

“We can only hope.”

Obi-Wan also hoped this had been what was missing in the Force. Somehow, he doubted it. The Force still felt as hazy as it did before, leaving him uneasy. 

“How’s your arm, General?” 

Cody’s inquiry took Obi-Wan out of his own thoughts and back to the present. He glanced down at his arm. It truly was just a graze, but it left his sleeve torn and his skin burned and bleeding. It stung, but it could have been far worse.

“I’m not in danger of bleeding out if that’s what you’re asking. Are both of you alright?”

Cody and Ahsoka nodded their affirmation. 

“Good, then let’s finish planting these charges and get out of here before more of our metallic friends show up.”

In spite of the minor hiccup with the battle droids, Cody was happy with how the mission was turning out. The three of them were able to plant the remainder of their charges and make it back to the ship with relative ease. 

“Hey, we beat Skyguy and Rex,” the young Togruta Commander said. 

“It appears we did,” General Kenobi said. “Hopefully they’re nearly done so we can blow up the compound and get off this planet.” 

Cody stood on high alert, scanning the surroundings for potential threats or for Rex and General Skywalker. Kenobi and Tano stood idly by. Kenobi was leaning against the ship with his eyes closed – probably doing one of those meditation exercises Cody never fully understood. Tano was also leaning against the ship, but she was levitating a few pebbles in the air and playing with them. Cody didn’t understand that either. 

“We should wrap your arm while we wait for General Skywalker and Rex,” Cody said, glancing at the angry red stain on the General’s sleeve. No, it didn’t appear life threatening, but it still looked like it hurt quite a bit. 

“It’s quite alright, Commander. It can wait until we’re back on the Negotiator .” 

“Are you sure, General?”

“Yes, Cody, I’m-”

Kenobi paused, blue eyes flashing wide open. Tano also stiffened. The pebbles she was levitating all dropped to the ground. They both gasped. Obi-Wan staggered forward a few paces before regaining his balance and Ahsoka sunk to the ground with a hand on her chest. 

Alarm bells rang in Cody’s head. He put a steadying hand on Obi-Wan’s shoulder and was surprised by how heavily the General leaned into his supportive grip. 

“No,” Obi-Wan whispered. “No.”

“Anakin,” Ahsoka breathed.

“General! What’s wrong? Commander?” Cody wasn’t sure who he should be assisting at the moment. He didn’t know what was going on, he just knew that Obi-Wan was breathing heavy and his skin had gone pale. 

“General, are you hurt?” Cody asked, keeping his tone calm. 

He shook his head ‘no,’ but his eyes were still wide.

“Commander?” Cody asked, turning his attention to Ahsoka. “What’s going on?”

“Anakin,” she whispered again. “He’s… he’s-”

“Gone,” Obi-Wan finished her sentence. 

“Gone?” Cody questioned. “Gone where?”

“He’s just… gone. I can’t feel him anymore,” Obi-Wan said. Panic flashed behind his eyes before he hid it behind a guarded expression. 

“We have to go find him,” Ahsoka said with anxiety laced in her tone. 

“Yes,” Obi-Wan agreed without hesitation. “Let’s go.” 

As the three of them took off through the woods, a rustling sound came from in front of them. The three of them paused and Obi-Wan and Ahsoka brandished their lightsabers.

“Wait! General, Commander, it’s me!” Rex exclaimed. Obi-Wan and Ahsoka sheathed their sabers. 

Cody was happy to see his brother returned, though he was unhappy to see the blood running down the side of his face and even less happy to see that he was alone. 

“Rex! Are you alright? What happened?” Ahsoka asked.

“It was an ambush, Commander. The General- he ordered me to find General Kenobi,” Rex said, breathless. 

“Where’s Anakin?” Obi-Wan said, his voice significantly calmer than Ahsoka’s. Cody knew he was reigning in his composure as much as possible. 

“He put a collar on him,” Rex panted. He staggered forward, but Obi-Wan caught him before he could fall to the ground. 

“A collar? Was it a Force suppressing collar?” Obi-Wan asked, urgency building in his tone.

“I don’t know, but I think he’s alive.”

“Master look!” Ahsoka shouted, pointing upward. Cody and Obi-Wan followed her line of vision and noticed it at the same time: a ship taking off. A nice ship. 

“Rex,” Obi-Wan said slowly. “Where is Anakin?”

“He- he’s got him,” Rex said dazedly.

“Who’s got him?” 

“Count Dooku.”

That was the last thing Rex said before collapsing forward into Obi-Wan’s chest. 

Chapter Text

Anakin and Rex crept down the long corridors of the compound, quietly placing charges along the way. 

“I hate stealth missions,” Anakin muttered.

“They aren’t my favorite either, General,” Rex replied. 

They walked further down the hall. It was so quiet. Too quiet for Anakin’s liking. 

Anakin stopped in his tracks. 

“What is it, General?” Rex asked.

“Something is wrong.”

“What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know yet. But on the ship, Obi-Wan said he felt like something was missing in the Force.”

“And?”

“Something is missing in the Force,” he deadpanned.

“What’s missing?” 

“I don’t know.” Anakin could sense that something was out of place, but the Force wasn’t doing him any favors by letting him know what was missing either. 

Now on edge, the two paced forward in silence. Rounding a corner, they came upon a side room like one of the ones they saw in the schematics. With careful use of the Force, Anakin opened the door. Inside were dozens of battle droids all attached to charging ports. Stepping into the room, Anakin ignited his saber and walked forward, slowly carving his weapon through the direct center of each droid with every step. 

“I’m so glad you’re here,” a familiar voice rang out. “Visits from my lineage are so very rare. Though it is unfortunate you’re destroying all of those brand new battle droids. Such a waste.”

Anakin and Rex whipped around to face the man speaking to them.

“Dooku,” Anakin growled. He hid his surprise in the same way Dooku had hidden himself – behind the Force.

So this is what was missing.

Before Anakin could stop him, Rex raised his blaster and started firing at Dooku. In a red flash, Dooku deflected each blaster bolt. He deflected a bolt directly into Rex’s plastoid armor. The armor over his shoulder shattered from the impact, but before Rex could even react, Dooku had him in a Force choke and pulled him forward. A horrifying squeaking sound followed Rex as the toes of his boots dragged across the ground.

“Rex!” Anakin shouted

“That wasn’t very smart now was it?” Dooku said, eyeing Rex with disgust. Rex tore off his helmet and clawed at his throat, desperate to clutch at the invisible vice around his neck. Just as it seemed Rex was going to pass out from lack of oxygen, Dooku tossed him to the side with a wave of his hand. Rex went flying, his head smacking into the wall. 

“No!” Anakin yelled. He rushed at Dooku, but with just a flick of the wrist, Dooku pushed a button that released the remaining battle droids from their idle state on their charging stations. The droids swarmed Anakin. They shot their blasters at him and he deflected – except his deflections were not having the same effect they usually did. 

They’re shielded. 

Anakin pivoted strategies. He focused on deflecting to save himself, but didn’t focus his attention on hitting the droids with it. Instead, he hacked his way through the droids, slicing through them with a vengeance. 

Dooku stood back, not interfering with Anakin as he tore through the battle droids. It was like he was watching him. That unsettled Anakin more than anything. Still, he refocused his attention on the droids and was able to destroy all of them with the muscle memory formed in battle after battle. 

As the last battle droid was destroyed, fury brewed in his chest. With his saber in his right hand – his prosthetic hand –  Anakin stalked towards Dooku. He held his lightsaber low, pointed at an angle towards the ground, and in one wide arc he swung at Dooku. Dooku parried the blow with ease and all at once, the two were locked in a blinding flurry of red and blue. 

Anakin kept up with Dooku’s attacks, though just barely. Anakin took on the offensive and began barraging Dooku with blow after blow. Dooku countered every time. With both hands now on his saber’s hilt, Anakin focused on overpowering his opponent. Dooku’s technical skill with a lightsaber was unmatched, but Anakin was stronger. Anakin swung his lightsaber from above, forcing Dooku to raise his saber in a defensive stance in front of his face. Anakin pushed down on Dooku’s blade, willing him to drop it. Anakin was close. He was so close to defeating Dooku. 

I can beat Dooku. 

I can win the war. 

A righteousness surged within him and he pushed harder still against Dooku’s blade. 

So.

Close.

All of the silence that the Force had been offering Anakin was gone. It was now screaming at him, warning him, telling him to fall back. Anakin ignored it. He could win the war. 

The Force screamed.

In one blinding move, Dooku twisted his blade and jerked backwards, avoiding the fall of Anakin’s blade as it fell to the ground. It was all too fast for Anakin to even register what had happened. Dooku lunged forward, swiping his saber across Anakin’s bicep, leaving a white hot burning in the saber’s wake. Anakin screamed in pain and Dooku used the distraction to kick Anakin in the chest. The next thing Anakin knew was that he was now on his knees with a red lightsaber pointed centimeters away from his throat.  

“General!” Rex shouted. 

“Rex, go! Get out of here!” Anakin exclaimed.

“But General,” Rex hesitated.

“I suggest you do as your General commands, Captain ,” Dooku said with a sneer. He reached into his robes and pulled out something metal.

No.

“Go! Find Obi-Wan!” Anakin yelled, his voice going slightly higher in pitch at the implications of the device in front of him. “That’s an order, Captain!”

“Looks like you once again need your Master to come save you, young Skywalker.”

Anakin shook his head in denial as Dooku strode toward him with the Force-suppressing collar in hand. Anakin inched backwards, but Dooku stopped him in his tracks with a bolt of lightning. Anakin shook as the electric currents tore through his body. Now lying limp on the ground, Dooku easily clamped the collar around Anakin’s neck. 

Anakin screamed. 

He would have rather had his other arm cut off than have the Force ripped from him like this. Being without the Force was stifling. Anakin groaned as he desperately sought it out to no avail. The silence was back. The Force could not help him now.

“Oh, do stop your whining,” Dooku said, just before striking him on the head with the hilt of his lightsaber.

The last thing Anakin saw before passing out was Rex running to safety. 

Cody resented The Negotiator’s med bay. He found himself spending far too much time inside it, either getting patched up himself, attending to his brothers, or, more often than not, attending to his General. However, in this particular instance, Cody found himself attending to his brother. 

General Kenobi had wanted him to be by his brother’s side but disguised it as an order. 

“Go. Take Rex to the med bay and stay with him,” the General had said with a knowing look in his eyes. Cody found himself, not for the first time, thanking the stars that Kenobi was his General. His ability to extend kindness, even in the most dire of situations, was unmatched.

Cody stood by Rex’s side while Kix attended to him. He even stood by Rex’s side when Kenobi came in, somewhat against his will it seemed, to have his arm treated by Kix. Kenobi was too busy trying to get a hold of the council to come and visit with him, but the General had shot him a concerned look from across the room. 

Now, Cody was alone with Rex. Cody perked up when Rex started showing signs of wakefulness.

“Rex?” he questioned hopefully.

“Cody?” Rex asked, confusion lining his features. “Where am I?”

“You’re in the med bay. We’re on The Negotiator. ” 

“Oh,” Rex said, realization starting to hit him. 

“Are you feeling okay?”

“What happened to the compound?” Rex asked, ignoring the question entirely.

“We made sure General Skywalker was truly no longer in the building. Then we destroyed it.”

Guilt lined his features at the mention of Skywalker. “How is General Kenobi doing?” Rex asked softly, averting his gaze.

Cody sighed. “He’s holding himself together, as always.” Cody knew better. He could name all of Kenobi’s nervous ticks – the tells that gave away that he wasn’t as alright as he wanted everyone to believe. He held it together for Commander Tano, but Cody knew. Even still, he didn’t need Rex to know just how distraught Kenobi really was about all of this. It would only add to his guilt. But Cody had been there the second his General had lost the connection with Skywalker. The pain on his face had been brief, but it was real. Before he put on the General Kenobi mask, Cody saw the unfiltered version that Obi-Wan didn’t want anyone to see. 

“And the Commander?” Rex asked. 

Cody couldn’t lie about her. “She’s… worried. General Kenobi says she’s not used to being without him in the Force and is taking it kind of hard.”

Rex pinched the bridge of his nose. 

“What about you? How are you doing?” Cody asked.

“I’m fine.”

“Rex.”

“I lost my General, Cody,” Rex said quietly. “I just left him there.”

“You were following an order.”

“I should have stayed with him. Fought Dooku.”

“You would have died. Then we would have never known about Dooku taking General Skywalker.”

Rex put his head in his hands.

“We’ll get him back, Rex,” Cody reassured him, a gentle hand placed on Rex’s shoulder.

“How do you know?”

“Because my General won’t stop until we do,” Cody said with a smile. “Neither will your Commander. Neither will I. We’ll bring him home, Rex. On my life, we’ll bring him home.” 

Rex nodded. His eyelids were starting to droop. “Get some rest, Captain,” Cody said. Rex relaxed and allowed himself to fall asleep.

Cody turned around, but immediately jumped and gasped at the man suddenly standing before him.

“I hate it when you do that,” Cody said breathlessly. “Sir,” he added.

“Apologies, Commander,” Kenobi said, though he didn’t look all that sorry. With his connection to the Force, Obi-Wan could sneak up on anyone, even Cody. When he didn’t want to be noticed, he had a way of moving from room to room like a silent phantom. It never failed to make Cody jump out of his skin when the General would randomly appear at his side or right behind him as he had just now. 

The General moved past Cody and stood over Rex. He closed his eyes and lay a gentle hand on Rex’s forehead. 

“What are you doing, General?” Cody asked.

He didn’t respond. His expression was set in a deep look of concentration. After a moment, he opened his eyes and drew his hand back. Cody wasn’t sure, but he thought his General looked a few shades paler. “He’ll feel better when he wakes. I don’t think I healed him fully. I don’t know how,” regret laced his tone. “But he should be back to normal by the end of the day.” 

“And what about you?”

“I’m fine, Cody.” 

“Sir.”

“Really, Commander. I already had Kix treat my arm. It will heal in time.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

Obi-Wan paused, and for the first time in their conversation, his eyes didn’t meet Cody’s. “Well, as you said Commander, I won’t stop until we find Anakin.”

Cody flushed. “How much of that did you hear?”

“Just that part, really,” Obi-Wan sighed. “I already spoke to the Council.”

“And?”

“And they are having intelligence search for any leads on Dooku. They are still trying to pull data from the last data chip. My hope is that the final data chip will have the information we need.”

“I hope so too,” Cody said. 

It was all either of them could do.

Chapter Text

On the floor of the pristine ship, Anakin fell in and out of consciousness. The occasional tremor ran through his body – a residual effect of being struck by Force lightning. Total awareness eluded him, but he was privy to the cold metal floor below and the burning in his arm. He noted duly that the wound on his arm was almost identical to the one Obi-Wan had sustained when they fought Dooku together on Geonosis. 

Force that felt like so long ago. Now Anakin found himself captured by Dooku in Obi-Wan’s stead. He was glad for it. Anakin would rather be captured than be free and be worrying about Obi-Wan – especially so soon after their last disastrous mission. 

Obi-Wan still had a scar on his arm from the wound Dooku gave him on Geonosis. He likely always would. Bacta could only do so much against saber burns. Now Anakin would have a matching scar with his Master, especially if the wound was not treated soon. 

We’re practically twins, Master. Anakin jolted when he realized he couldn’t send the thought through his bond with Obi-Wan. In fact, the bond was gone. Anakin’s panic surged before he remembered. The collar. 

The Force was no longer with him. 

“Say it,” Ahsoka said.

“Say what?” Obi-Wan replied. 

“What you’re thinking. I can feel the gears turning from here.”

Ahsoka and her Grandmaster were standing on the bridge. Obi-Wan was pouring over the data Anakin pulled from the laboratory, but so far, none of it seemed to be of any use in locating him. Right now, Obi-Wan had his arms crossed tight over his chest. He absentmindedly stroked his beard, deep in thought.

Ahsoka tried to poke at his shields but they held fast against her advances. She knew he must be more worried than he was letting on. The tightness of his shields, the way his arms were crossed protectively across his body, Ahsoka knew her Grandmaster was having a harder time than he would ever admit to. Still, a small part of her was glad that he remained cool-headed and stable in front of her. She would not be able to hold herself together if Obi-Wan were anything but the calm, collected Jedi he was. As it were, anxiety coiled in the pit of her stomach like a snake. She tried to ignore it, push it off into the Force as she is supposed to, but its venom saturated her very essence. 

“Well?” she goaded.

His lips were pressed in a hard line. “I’m thinking about why Dooku would take Anakin,” Obi-Wan relented.

“Well, Dooku was your Grandmaster right? Do you have any insight into his motivations?”

“Hardly,” Obi-Wan huffed. “Growing up, Qui-Gon never let him near me.”

“I can’t imagine why,” Ahsoka muttered.

“My first meeting with him was when he captured me on Geonosis. Let’s just say, my first impression of him wasn’t that of a warm and loving Grandmaster.” He absentmindedly rubbed at his arm and winced slightly. Ahsoka wondered if he still felt pain from the old wound or if it was simply the memory that brought him pain.

“I can’t blame you for that.”

“The question remains,” Obi-Wan said, circling back to the topic at hand. “ Why did Dooku kidnap Anakin?”

“Why wouldn’t he? He’s an important General and a powerful Jedi.”

“Yes, exactly,” Obi-Wan said, turning away from the holo-table and looking at her. He suddenly looked… nervous. It was an unusual color on her Grandmaster and it unsettled Ahsoka.

“What do you mean?” Ahsoka asked.

“Think about it. Why would Dooku want to kidnap Anakin? If he were any other Seperatist, I would say he wants a ransom or a prisoner trade, but this is Dooku. He’s above such things. He would kill Anakin long before he offered him up for ransom, so why didn’t he?”

“Maybe he wants to torture Anakin to get Republic intelligence out of him.”

“I doubt it. Dooku doesn’t do the dirty work himself. He lets others do it for him. If that were the case, he would have had someone else do this.”

“At least he didn’t kill him,” Ahsoka offered.

“Precisely. He didn’t kill Anakin. He could have killed him on the spot, but he didn’t. What if…” Obi-Wan trailed off.

“What if, what?”

Obi-Wan turned around and paced a few steps before swiveling back on his heels and facing her once again.

“Ahsoka, you didn’t see him. You didn’t see him on Mortis.”

Ahsoka’s stomach dropped. She didn’t care to think about what happened on that planet – if it even was a planet. Quite frankly, she would rather forget everything about it.

“What didn’t I see?” Ahsoka asked, apprehension growing in her chest. “Why are you bringing up that place ?”

“The Son. The Son turned Anakin to the dark side. You saw some of it, but you didn’t see him down in that lava pit,” Obi-Wan said. “Anakin is powerful. More powerful than either of us. More powerful than Dooku. More powerful than anyone. What if… What if Dooku wants to turn him?”

Ahsoka felt sick.

“No,” she said firmly. “Dooku could never turn Anakin.” 

“We know Dooku isn’t working with Ventress anymore,” Obi-Wan continued. “What if Dooku is trying to get Anakin to be his next apprentice?”

“I doubt-”

“If Anakin turned to the dark side and joined the Separatists, we would lose the war,” Obi-Wan said, cutting her off. “It would be over. It would all be over.” 

“Do you really think Dooku would even try?”

“He tried to turn me.” Obi-Wan’s eyes darkened.

“What?” Ahsoka said, shocked that anyone could believe Obi-Wan of all people would willingly turn. Anyone who tried would have to be very stupid or very desperate – and Dooku wasn’t stupid.

“When he held me captive on Geonosis, he tried to convince me to join him.”

“So what happened?”

“I told him no. I would never join him. But then…”

“Then what?” Ahsoka asked impatiently.

“Well, I was chained to a pole in an arena filled with all manner of angry beasts. He left me for dead. The only reason I’m alive today is because the Jedi and our new clone army came to save us.”

“And you think that if Anakin doesn’t join Dooku, he’ll kill him?”

“That is my concern.”

“We’ll find him. We’ll save him. He won’t turn and we’ll save him.”

“Yes,” Obi-Wan said. “We will.”

Ahsoka did not like the uncertainty in his tone.

Anakin’s wrists were bound. His flesh wrist was already starting to burn from the restraints. He was starting to become more lucid, but his head still felt foggy. He wondered if it was because of the collar or because of the concussion he almost definitely had. 

He looked around the ship for anything that might help him escape his bonds, but he was out of luck. The ship was practically barren. He was the only thing in the small room. 

While Anakin was still trying to come up with a plan, to no avail, the ship jerked out of hyperspace. The sudden, unexpected jolt almost made him throw up, but he held himself together. 

Without the Force, Anakin had no choice but to rely on his other senses to try and figure out what was going on. He made a quick assumption that the ship was landing, based on the sound of the landing thrusters below him. Looking around, he saw that the ship was expensive – a nice ship he would have liked to have explored more were he not in this situation. He could only smell the recycled air and nothing more. He didn’t want to think too much about what he was feeling. The burn on his arm radiated pain throughout the limb. He tried to look at it, but wasn’t in a decent enough position to move around and see it. 

As Anakin continued running through the senses he still had connections to, light streamed in through the ship’s onboarding ramp as it lowered. Four droids marched in, and before Anakin could even think about doing anything, they picked him up by his arms and began dragging him along. Anakin bit back a yelp as one of the mechanical hands clamped down on the burn. 

Anakin didn’t know how long he was dragged for before he found himself thrown inside a cell. The droids chained him to the wall by his wrists and slammed the door of the cell behind him. 

Anakin was now alone in a cold dark cell without even the Force to warm him.

Chapter Text

Anakin had been missing for days. 

Obi-Wan didn’t know exactly how many, he just knew that the window to find his long-lost former Padawan was closing. He almost couldn’t bear to be around Ahsoka. Her worry for her Master threatened to unravel his fragile outward calm. Even still, what kind of Jedi, what kind of Grandmaster would he be if he could not be there for a scared child? That’s what she was. He found himself having to remind himself of that fact more and more often. The war was maturing her faster than he would like. He grieved for her lost childhood and for the other Padawans who were losing their childhoods, and more often than what should be considered fair, their lives. Anakin wasn’t a child anymore, but only just. He was still so young. Obi-Wan hoped beyond all hope that if, no, when, they found him, he would not be one of the millions of casualties of the Clone Wars. Anakin was supposed to outlive him. Obi-Wan had already lost his Master, he refused to lose his Padawan too. 

“We’ll find him, sir,” Cody said gently. 

Obi-Wan startled. It wasn’t often someone could sneak up on him, but he had been so lost in his own circular thoughts that he hadn’t even noticed the Commander come in. 

“I hate it when you do that,” Obi-Wan teased lightly, regaining his composure. 

“Apologies, Sir,” Cody said. 

There was a silence between them. Not an awkward silence, but a charged one nonetheless. Obi-Wan knew Cody wanted to ask him how he was doing or what his plan was. Obi-Wan hoped Cody didn’t ask him these questions. He didn’t have a good answer for either. 

“Sir,” Cody began. Obi-Wan braced himself. “What can I do to help?”

For the second time in the course of a few minutes, Cody managed to surprise him. Obi-Wan blinked up at him. Cody’s face held no trace of pity nor trepidation. Just an earnest desire to help his General. 

Good man. 

“I don’t know, Cody,” Obi-Wan finally said with a weary sigh. 

He stroked his beard and stared out at the vast empty space before them. Obi-Wan would have preferred the swirl of hyperspace to this stasis. At least in hyperspace, they were always moving towards a destination, but now they were stuck. It was fitting really. Anakin was the one who always kept him moving, the one who always pushed him on. Without him, he found himself stuck in one place. 

Obi-Wan felt Cody’s eyes on him. He finally pulled his own eyes away from the stars and landed them on his Commander. “How is Rex doing?”

“Physically? He is fully recovered. Whatever you did to him sped up his healing. He’s as good as new,” Cody said. “But mentally…”

“He feels guilt for losing Anakin?”

“Yes.”

“An absurd notion,” Obi-Wan said sharply. “He would not have stood a chance against Dooku. He was following an order. If he hadn’t, we would have never known what happened to Anakin and we would be worse off than we already are.” 

“I know Sir,” Cody said softly. “We’re all prone to absurd notions from time to time.”

“I haven’t the faintest idea what you could possibly mean by that commander.” Obi-Wan’s tone remained fixed, but he shot Cody a half-hearted smile which was returned to him in kind. 

“Of course not, General.” 

The silence that once again permeated the space between them was broken by the soft whoosh of the door to the bridge, followed by Ahsoka and Rex entering the space. The pair was quiet. It unsettled Obi-Wan seeing them so downtrodden. They were both vibrant and expressive people. To see them with slumped shoulders and frowning faces was disheartening.

“Any updates?” Ahsoka questioned.

“I’m sorry, but I haven’t found anything useful in any of this data, save the schematics of a prison compound. Perhaps Dooku is keeping him locked up in a compound like this one, but without knowing where in the galaxy said compound is, it helps us not,” Obi-Wan replied. The more he spoke, the harder he found it to contain his frustration. He took a breath before locking eyes with Ahsoka. “We will find him, Padawan.”

“I know, Master Kenobi,” she said softly, but she didn’t sound all that sure of herself.

As she said it, the holo-table began to trill. Cody and Rex stood at attention and Obi-Wan hurried to answer it. The shimmery blue visages of Master Yoda and Master Windu appeared before them.

Obi-Wan held his breath. Yoda and Mace would not call him if they did not have an update. They had either found Anakin’s location or they had found the location of his body. Obi-Wan almost didn’t want to know which one yet, but he stood up straight and greeted them with practiced cordiality. 

“Kenobi’s former Padawan, we have found,” Yoda said.

 Obi-Wan could swear the floor was being ripped out from under his feet. “Is he alive?”

“Know that, we do not. Sense his presence, we cannot.”

Anxiety constricted around his lungs. “Where is he?”

“Out of nowhere, the fourth data chip started working. With the data from the fourth chip combined with the data you sent to us, we were able to determine that he is being held on Agamar,” Mace said.

“Agamar?” 

“Yes. Hurry you must, if you are to save him and escape with your lives.” 

“What does that mean?” Ahsoka interjected.

“Devastated, the planet will soon be.”

“What does that mean?” Obi-Wan said. 

“Solar flares are set to wreak havoc on the planet. They will destroy technological systems like ships and droids and irradiate any life forms on the planet. They are approaching the planet quickly,” Mace said, his voice grave. 

“Perilous, your journey may be. His coordinates, we will send you. Go now, you must.”

“Yes, Masters,” Obi-Wan said with a bow. Yoda and Mace flickered away. 

“Commander,” Obi-Wan said firmly, standing up straight and once more staring out at the void of space before him, only this time his brow was set with determination. 

“Yes, Sir,” Cody said, awaiting his orders. 

“Prepare to launch into hyperspace. Set course for Agamar.”

“Yes, Sir,” Cody said, a grin spreading across his face. 

Anakin didn’t know how many days he had been missing, he just knew that if he wasn’t rescued soon, he didn’t have many days left. It was clear to him that the wound on his arm was infected. The initial burning had faded and was now replaced with a deep ache that he knew could only be explained by infection. His flesh wrist was rubbed raw and scabbed over in places from the metal chains keeping him latched to the wall. At least the chains were long enough to give him room to move around a little. Still, Anakin found no weaknesses in his bonds, and without connection to the Force, he was not going to get out unless someone let him out. 

He wondered vaguely if Dooku was going to come for him. If he did intend on coming back for Anakin, he was likely leaving him here to weaken him both physically and mentally. Everything was a mind game when it came to Dooku. 

Water dripped rhythmically from somewhere on the ceiling. 

Padme, Obi-Wan, Ahsoka, Padme, Obi-Wan, Ahsoka, Padme, Obi-Wan, Ahsoka. 

With every drip, the names rattled around in his head. He made a game of trying to come up with a memory he shared with each of them before the next drip fell. It kept him entertained, but more importantly, it reminded him why he needed to fight – why he needed to stay alive. 

Drip.

Slow dancing with Padme at the senatorial ball. The only time we could get away with it in front of all our friends and peers. 

Drip.

That dumb look of surprise on Obi-Wan’s face the first time I ever beat him in a sparring match. Then the way he glowed for the rest of the day. 

Drip.

The way Ahsoka ran up to me to show off her new kyber crystal for her shoto blade.

The memories were the only thing keeping him warm in this cold, damp cell. Another shiver ran through his body, causing his wrists to pull against their binds again. The motion reopened a scabbed over part of his skin and blood dripped down his hand and dripped off of his fingertips. 

Drip.

Stealing a kiss from Padme in a darkened hallway . Her fingers entangled with mine.

Drip.

Obi-Wan politely pretending to like what I made him the first time I cooked for him. Then pretending he had the flu and not food poisoning the next day.

Drip.

Ahsoka and Rex laughing at some stupid joke I didn’t hear. It was probably about me.

Anakin smiled in spite of the direness of his situation. He smiled because the memories took him far away from this place. He smiled because even if he never saw them again, he had been lucky enough to know them. 

Drip.

Padme dancing in the kitchen when she thought I wasn’t watching. 

Drip.

Obi-Wan playing in the puddles with me during my first rainstorm.

Drip.

Ahsoka falling asleep against my shoulder after a battle. 

Drip.

Another chill ran through his body. Anakin smiled. 

Chapter Text

Fever burned in Anakin as the Force once had.

He shivered on the floor of his cell, shifting between too hot and too cold every few minutes. In the days he had been here, a guard droid would bring him a small ration every other day - enough to keep him alive, but not enough to keep his strength up. The lack of food worked in tandem with the chill of the cell and the now infected wound on his arm to create the perfect storm for sickness to take over. 

Anakin didn’t know why he was being kept here. He wasn’t tortured. He wasn’t even questioned. He was just left entirely alone, save the guard droid, though it lacked the programming to make it companionable.  

Anakin whimpered pathetically. As far as he knew, no one was watching him or listening to him. Either way, he didn’t really care. He felt his body fighting for its life and it was a painful fight. Everything ached and he felt dizzy and nauseous despite not having moved around much. He found himself coughing more and more frequently.

More than that though, Anakin was terribly homesick. He missed Padme. He missed Obi-Wan. He missed Ahsoka. He missed Rex and all of his men. He missed The Force. For the first time since being captured, Anakin felt his eyes burn with tears. 

No. 

Anakin refused to give in just yet. He did his best to center himself, but it was hard to do that without focusing on the ever-present pain that radiated throughout the entirety of his body. 

Silently, he wondered if Obi-Wan would find him. He knew that his Master had to be looking for him. The hope that Obi-Wan would find him was the main reason he was still fighting to stay alive, but as shivers wracked his body, he was beginning to wonder if Obi-Wan would find him in time. The thought lingered in his head as he let himself drift.

A harsh banging woke Anakin up from his light and fitful sleep. Anakin’s eyes landed on the guard droid who had just rattled the bars of the cell. The droid walked away, but behind it, a familiar figure in a dark robe appeared. 

“Apologies for the accommodations,” Dooku said dryly. “I know it’s not quite what you’re used to at the Jedi temple.”

Anakin quickly sat up straight. He refused to show weakness in front of Dooku. He didn’t need Dooku to know just how weakened he had become over the past few days, though he was sure he wasn’t exactly looking like the picture of health.

“What do you want, Dooku?” Anakin said, unwilling to play Dooku’s games.  

“Skipping the pleasantries are we? That’s fine. I’ve always appreciated efficiency.” 

“What do you want,” Anakin seethed.

“What do I want? I want the same thing your Master and your Grandmaster wanted from you. I want to see you reach your full potential,” Dooku said, pacing back and forth slowly in front of the cell. “They were incapable of helping you reach it. But their failure is our opportunity.” 

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“The power inside of you – it is raw. Unfiltered. Coarse. Wild. It is all of these things, but more than any of that, it is repressed. Untapped.”

Anakin fixed a harsh glare on Dooku, but he didn’t say anything in response. His sluggish, fever-addled brain was still trying to process Dooku’s words. 

Seemingly sensing this, Dooku continued.

“Obi-Wan had potential, but like you, he was always held back. First by Qui-Gon, then by you. No, it’s too late for him. But you,” Dooku paused and swiveled around to face Anakin. “You could be so much more. I could help you be so much more.” 

Anakin tried to keep his face passive. He didn’t need Dooku to know how much his words were starting to sting. 

“Obi-Wan is too weak, too scared to see the merits of letting you use your full power,” Dooku continued. “He controls you. He brings you down to his level. It’s sad really. Like someone trying to defang a Manka cat.”

“Oh, and you wouldn’t just try to control me yourself?”

“Oh no, my boy, you misunderstand me. I don’t want to remove your fangs. I want to sharpen them.”

Anakin looked down. “I would never join you,” he growled.

“You cannot tell me that you haven’t felt like Obi-Wan holds you back.”

“Obi-Wan isn’t even my Master anymore.”

“Then why does he still treat you like his Padawan?”

“He doesn’t!” Anakin cried, but the cold fingers of doubt were digging into his weary soul. “He doesn’t… Obi-Wan trusts me.”

“You lack your Master’s silver tongue. If Obi-Wan had said that I probably would have believed him, but you… no, you don’t believe it yourself. I can tell.”

“Go fuck yourself.”

“So testy,” Dooku clicked his tongue. “I had really hoped my legacy would be a little more… refined.”

“I am not your legacy. Neither is Obi-Wan or Qui-Gon. We have nothing to do with you,” Anakin spat.

“Perhaps not, but that spitfire Padawan of yours has some potential of her own.”

Rage twisted in Anakin’s gut. He lunged forward as far as his restraints would allow. “You stay away from her!” he shouted.

“There he is,” Dooku taunted. “There’s my Manka cat.”

“I’m not your anything. ” Anakin’s voice was a low growl. “You don’t own me.”

“Oh, that’s right,” Dooku said, feigning an epiphany. “I forgot all about your past in chains. That’s a shame really. To go from one Master to another…”

“I am not a slave!” Anakin snarled. “Qui-Gon freed me himself.”

“And where did that get him? Where did that get you, for that matter? Forced to live a lie… to shield two halves of your life from one another in perpetuity. It would seem to me that you are not as free as you think you are.”

Anakin’s stomach dropped.

“You have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Yet another instance where you really should have learned how to fast talk like that Master of yours. You lack Kenobi’s conviction.” 

Silence hung between them, but it had a more crushing effect on Anakin. His mind was racing, trying to keep up with Dooku, but he seemed to know exactly what buttons to push. 

What would Obi-Wan do?

The thought practically extinguished itself. Dooku was in a very select group of people who had the ability to actually get underneath Obi-Wan’s skin, even if he was better at concealing it. The last time Obi-Wan and Anakin had encountered Dooku, Obi-Wan had been quiet and distant for days – his presence in the Force a dim shade of blue. The words of his grandmaster always seemed to rattle around ceaselessly in his head until Obi-Wan could be distracted by whatever mission became their next priority. 

“Search your feelings, young Skywalker,” Dooku’s voice echoed in the walls of the prison like the rumble of thunder. “You know you aren’t reaching your full potential. Anyone who chooses to only access the Force through the light side exclusively will never be able to reach their full potential. Join me and I can show you how to access the dark side. I’ll show you how to do things you never thought possible. Follow me, and I will guide you to become the most powerful Force-user in the galaxy.

“I will not follow you anywhere,” Anakin said, even as he felt the darkness clawing at his insides, begging to be set free.

“Very well then. It was worth a try. It is a shame that you won’t be joining me,” Dooku said, his voice dripping with forced wistfulness. “It’s a sin to leave one so talented to die alone on this planet, but if you aren’t willing to join me, I will leave you be. So much wasted potential.” Dooku shook his head.

“Wait,” Anakin called as Dooku started walking away. “You’re leaving?”

“Finally, an intelligent question.”

Anakin huffed.

“Fine, fine, I guess there is no harm in you knowing why I and the few other souls on this planet will be leaving soon,” Dooku said. “In two days, this little planet is going to be hit with devastating solar flares. This planet has an atmosphere, but not a strong one. The radiation from these solar flares will kill any living thing left on this planet in a matter of days. Not to mention, it will make all technology unusable, meaning communication devices and ships will no longer be functioning.”

Anakin swallowed thickly. “And you’re just going to leave me here?”

“You’re welcome to join me if you so desire.”

“No.”

“Then you will die, Jedi ,” Dooku spat. 

Dooku turned and started walking away again before pausing. “Oh and one more thing. It would be a real shame if your friends at the Jedi temple finally got the information they needed in order to find you.” 

“What?” Anakin wasn’t sure what Dooku was getting at yet. 

“I do hope that when your little Padawan and your precious Master come looking for you, they come after the solar flares wreck havoc on the planet. It would be such a waste of talent if they got caught in them with you.”

“No,” Anakin whispered, realization dawning on him. “No, you can’t.”

“You see, I’ve always appreciated efficiency, and killing three Jedi with one data chip, well, it hardly gets more efficient than that. Join me, and that doesn’t happen.”

“No,” Anakin said firmly. “No, I will not join you. I will not be your slave.”

“You will always be a slave.”

“I am a Jedi.”

“Gold-plated chains are still chains. The dark side will set you free.” 

“No.”

“Fine. Three dead Jedi it is then.”

Dooku turned on his heels for a final time and strode out of the prison, leaving Anakin alone in the darkness. 

As soon as Anakin could no longer hear Dooku’s footsteps, he let his composure crumble. He curled into himself on the cold hard ground. He shivered and sobbed silently to himself.

“My name is Anakin and I am a person my name is Anakin and I am a person my name is Anakin and I am a person my name is Anakin and I…”

He quietly chanted the mantra to himself over and over, only pausing a few times to cough. He lay on his side with his knees pressed tightly to his chest. The metal cuffs on his wrists rubbed the skin on his flesh hand raw but he hardly noticed that. He was too focused on the weight of the collar around his neck. The collar, combined with the stifling absence of The Force, and Dooku’s words rattling around in his head left him feeling claustrophobic. Darkness licked at him, taunting him, tempting him to fall from the precipice he always felt like he was just barely balancing on.

Still, he chanted his mantra to himself until he passed out.

Chapter Text

They could not have been moving through hyperspace any slower. At least, that’s what Ahsoka thought as they hurtled ever closer to Agamar. 

“What if we don’t make it in time?” she asked.

“We will, Padawan. The navigation system says we will get there with an hour to spare before the solar flares. We will just have to hurry and find Anakin and get back to the ship as fast as possible,” Obi-Wan said evenly.

“That’s not what I meant.”

Something flickered across Obi-Wan’s face, something like apprehension or dread, before it was wiped away completely in exchange for his usual calm facade. “Trust in the Force, Padawan.” 

Ahsoka didn’t press him further. She absentmindedly tapped on the railing until a warm hand was gently placed on hers, stopping her from tapping. 

“You must release your fears to the Force, young one.”

Ahsoka sighed. “I know, Master Kenobi. I just…”

“I know. I’m scared too.”

She looked up at him in surprise. Obi-Wan never admitted to feeling anything other than the calm serenity of a perfect Jedi. At least not to her. “You’re scared?”

“Of course I am. He’s my Padawan. He’s my best friend. I want to see him safe. I fear for his life as you do, but we cannot let that fear control us.” 

Obi-Wan let go of her hand, leaving it cold in his absence. 

“I know, Master,” Ahsoka said, turning towards the stars. “I know.”

When The Negotiator stuttered out of hyperspace, Obi-Wan, Ahsoka, Cody and Rex were ready. They stood in wait on a gunship, ready to deploy the second they got within range of the planet. They did not have time to waste if they wanted to find and retrieve Anakin and escape the solar flares threatening this particular solar system. 

The hangar doors opened and the gunship flew them down to the planet. As they entered the atmosphere, the sides of the gunship opened up and Obi-Wan got to observe the planet holding his former Padawan captive. Agamar was not much to look at. Any life that existed on it was primarily hardy plant species capable of surviving a rocky soil lacking in nutrients. For this, Obi-Wan was grateful. If they had been dealing with a refugee situation on top of the search for Anakin, he knew he would have no choice but to help the civilians. Fortunately, there was only one person that needed his help at the moment, and for Anakin, Obi-Wan would fight to the last.

Obi-Wan and Ahsoka leapt off the side of the gunship about thirty feet above the ground. They began walking towards the compound that was holding Anakin. A few minutes later, Rex and Cody joined their sides, breathing a little heavier than normal since they had to run to catch up with the two Jedi. 

“Rex, where are we at with those solar flares?” Obi-Wan asked.

Rex pulled out a datapad and examined its readings. “We have 30 minutes sir, but realistically, we have less than that because we will need to return to The Negotiator and make the jump to hyperspace to escape the flares, or we’ll be stuck here.”

“Right,” Obi-Wan said. “Then we better get moving.” 

The four of them jogged the rest of the way to the compound. 

A few security droids guarded the front entrance, but it didn’t take long at all for Obi-Wan and Ahsoka to destroy them. Together, they cut through the door and burst into the compound. 

“Based on the schematics of this building, we have three sections we need to search. Ahsoka, go right. Cody and Rex, take the left. I will take the center.” 

“Yes, Sir,” Cody and Rex said in unison before hurrying down the corridor to the left.  

Ahsoka gave one last parting glance to Obi-Wan, one final search for reassurance before she took off to the right. 

Lightsaber in hand, Obi-Wan jogged through the center corridor of the compound. 

“Halt,” a guard droid commanded. “Halt. Intruder.”

Obi-Wan sliced it in half. He didn’t have time for droids right now. 

“Anakin!” he called, hoping to hear his former Padawan call out to him in turn. “Anakin!”

There was no reply. Obi-Wan continued to run through the dark corridor.

“Anakin!” 

Still, there was no response. He ran ahead looking through every cell for his former Padawan. When Obi-Wan reached one of the final cells in the row, he came to a skidding halt. In one blinding flash, he sliced through the lock on the door and bolted into the cell. 

Anakin lay on his side, his back was facing Obi-Wan so the older Jedi couldn’t see his face. With bated breath, Obi-Wan crashed down to his knees next to Anakin and rolled him onto his back. 

“Anakin,” he breathed. For a heart-stopping moment, Obi-Wan thought Anakin was dead – his Padawan lost to the Force before he could have prevented it. But desperate fingers found a sluggish pulse on Anakin’s neck, just above the Force-forsaken collar. 

“I’ve found him,” Obi-Wan said breathlessly into his comm. “Meet me in the center corridor.”

Obi-Wan tuned out the affirmative replies and instead focused on Anakin. He was pale, save the flush of fever high on his cheeks. He was so skinny. There was a saber burn on his arm that had clearly become infected and his wrist didn’t appear much better. 

“Oh Anakin,” Obi-Wan whispered. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” 

“Master!” came Ahsoka’s voice from down the hall. She skidded slightly before bounding into the cell. “Is he…?”

“Alive,” Obi-Wan said softly. “He’s alive. But we need to get him and get out of here. We don’t have time to address his wounds yet.”

With barely concealed ferocity, Obi-Wan sliced through the chains on the wall. The bonds around his wrist and the collar around his neck would just have to wait. They were running out of time. 

“General,” Rex and Cody said. 

“Get to the ship,” Obi-Wan commanded. “Get it ready for take-off, I’ve got him.”

“Yes Sir,” they said. They ran ahead. Ahsoka lingered behind with Obi-Wan and tried to help him with Anakin.

“I’ve got him, Padawan,” Obi-Wan said, dragging Anakin up and hoisting him into his arms. 

“Master Kenobi…” Ahsoka said softly. “Is he going to be alright?” 

“We need to get to the ship first.”

“But…”

“To the ship , young one.”

“Yes, Master.” 

Ahsoka led the way and Obi-Wan followed with Anakin in his arms. Obi-Wan did not like how light Anakin was. Anakin was bigger than him, he shouldn’t be this easy to carry. He chose to ignore that thought and willed his legs to move faster as he and Ahsoka ran through the compound and towards the ship. 

With agility, Obi-Wan ran over the rocky terrain, careful not to let his feet get caught on any stones or boulders. Cody and Rex were waiting for them, Rex at the side of the ship and Cody in the pilot’s seat. Together, Rex, and Obi-Wan lifted Anakin into the ship and lay him down gently. Ahsoka and Obi-Wan leapt into the ship. 

“Go!” Obi-Wan yelled over the already engaged thrusters. 

The gunship hurtled upwards and the side doors closed as they neared the atmosphere’s end. It was quieter without the wind whipping harshly around them. Obi-Wan took this moment to carefully cut through the bonds on Anakin’s wrists. Anakin’s hands fell limp to his side. Obi-Wan then turned his attention to the collar on Anakin’s neck.

“Help me sit him up.”

Ahsoka nodded and pulled Anakin up. Obi-Wan examined the lock on the back of the collar. In one swift, precise movement, Obi-Wan cut through the lock and the collar fell away from Anakin’s neck. 

Obi-Wan and Ahsoka gasped as the wave of unshielded agony hit them through the Force.

“General Kenobi? Commander?” Rex questioned, his eyes wide. 

Neither responded.

“What’s wrong little ‘un?” Rex asked, putting a steadying hand on Ahsoka’s shoulder.

“It’s Anakin,” she panted.

“The Force has been restored to him,” Obi-Wan explained further. He squeezed his eyes shut and sucked in a quick breath. He clutched at the scar on his arm. “He isn’t shielding from us.”

“What does that mean?” Rex asked, bewildered. 

“We’re bonded to him. We can feel some of what he feels.”

“Some?”

Obi-Wan nodded. 

“This is… this is bad,” Rex said. “This is…”

Obi-Wan opened his eyes again and zeroed his focus in on the clone Captain. “Rex?”

“This should have been reversed. It should have been me.”

“Rex,” Obi-Wan said in a warning tone. “This is not your fault. You did the right thing.”

“But…”

“No,” Obi-Wan said firmly. “You did your job. Anakin would not want to trade places with you. You know this. I will hear no more of it.”

“Yes, General,” Rex said though he still looked at war with himself. Obi-Wan filed that away for later. Right now, his attention was on Anakin. He held his hand to Anakin’s forehead and grimaced at the heat. He focused on pushing healing energy from his body to Anakin’s. It wasn’t enough, but it was something. 

A small groan escaped Anakin’s lips. 

“Anakin?” Obi-Wan whispered hopefully. “Come on, Padawan. Look at me.”

Blue eyes looked into his. Eyes he thought he might never see again. But they were different. Glassy. Guarded. Flecked with gold. 

Obi-Wan shook his head and refocused on Anakin’s eyes. Anakin blinked. His eyes were blue as they had ever been. He must have been imagining things.

“M’ster?”

“Yes, Anakin, it’s me. Ahsoka and Rex are here too. You’re on a gunship, we’re headed for The Negotiator.” 

Anakin didn’t seem to comprehend any of this. Fear was written all over his Force signature. 

“You don’t own me,” Anakin said suddenly, his eyes shined unusually bright.

Obi-Wan’s heart hammered with concern. “What? No, Anakin. Of course, I don’t own you. No one does. You are free. Qui-Gon freed you.”

“That’s what I said… but I don’t know.” Anakin began coughing violently. He curled into himself. “I don’t know…”

Obi-Wan looked up and locked eyes with Ahsoka. His own concern was reflected in her face. 

“Sir,” Rex said hesitantly. “We only have two minutes until the solar flares hit.” 

“Cody, how much longer?”

“We’re nearly there, Sir,” Cody called from the front of the gunship. 

Obi-Wan’s heart continued to thunder in his chest. He turned his focus back to Anakin. He was murmuring a few words, but Obi-Wan couldn’t make them out. “Anakin listen to me, you are free and you are safe . Do you understand me?”

“Not safe,” Anakin said. “You’re not safe. You’re in danger… he said three dead Jedi.”

“Master, please,” Ahsoka said. “It’s okay, we’ve got you now.”

The gunship landed heavily inside the docking bay of The Negotiator. 

“Sir, we have thirty seconds,” Rex said, an edge to his voice.

“Get us to hyperspace, now!” Cody yelled into his comm.

“Yes sir!” an identical voice called through the comm.

The sound of the hyperdrive warming up thrummed through the recycled air in the ship. 

“Fifteen seconds!” Rex yelled.

Three dead Jedi.

“Hyperspace! Now!” Cody shouted into his comm.

“We’re trying, Commander!”

“Five seconds.”

The feeling of hanging suspension, like missing a step on a flight of stairs, settled in Obi-Wan’s gut. They all jerked forward from the displaced inertia. The steady hum of hyperspace reverberated through The Negotiator and into the gunship. A collective breath of relief was let go by everyone aboard. Cody even let out a small laugh. 

The win was short-lived though. Soon, everyone’s attention was returned to Anakin. 

“We need to get him to medical, now ,” Obi-Wan said. 

Rex and Obi-Wan each flung one of Anakin’s arms over their shoulders. At the harsh movement of his injured arm, Anakin yelped. 

I’m sorry.

Obi-Wan let the thought float through their restored bond as they hurried towards the ship’s medical bay.

Chapter Text

Beep.

Padme’s kind eyes.

Beep.

Obi-Wan’s sideways grin.

Beep.

Ahsoka’s snarky laugh.

Beep.

Wait.

Something wasn’t right. There hadn’t been beeping before, had there? Anakin fluttered open his eyes and squinted at the bright light. 

That had to be different. His cell was dark and cold. Now everything was bright and warm. Too warm. He was covered in blankets. He began pushing them down and off of him, but it was difficult and his arm hurt and he was exhausted and…

“Anakin?” a familiar but tired voice questioned. Anakin looked up sharply. He squeezed his eyes shut as dizziness embraced him at the movement. 

“Anakin?” the voice asked again, now sounding more awake and alert. “Anakin, look at me,” the voice said in a tone that Anakin couldn’t disobey. He squinted at the man sitting before him.

“Obi-Wan?” Anakin questioned. “What are you doing here? Did you get caught too?”

“What?” Obi-Wan asked, confusion and exhaustion manifesting itself in the shadows and lines around his eyes. “Anakin, I wasn’t caught. We rescued you. You’re free.”

Free? 

Gold-plated chains are still chains.

Dooku’s voice echoed in Anakin’s head until it became his own. 

“Will always be a slave,” Anakin murmured. 

“What?” Obi-Wan asked. He sounded frightened. Frightened . That was odd. 

“Don’t,” Anakin whimpered weakly. “Don’t be scared, ‘wan. ‘S okay.”

“Anakin please,” Obi-Wan pleaded. “Listen to me. You are free, okay? Free.”

Free? 

Anakin grunted in frustration. He couldn’t keep any of his thoughts straight. He fixed his eyes on Obi-Wan. Somewhere inside him, he knew he could trust Obi-Wan. But it was hard with Dooku’s voice snaking its way through his mind. 

“Anakin,” Obi-Wan said again. “Your name is Anakin. You are a person. You are a Jedi. You were my Padawan. You are free.”

That… that makes sense. 

“Where…?” 

“We are on The Negotiator. You are in the medical bay. You are safe.” 

“Solar flares,” Anakin said weakly. “You’re going to be killed by solar flares. He timed it.”

“What? No. We escaped them. We’re all okay.”

“Snips?”

“I made her go get some rest. She’s been by your side this whole time. Do you want to see her? I can get her.”

“No, don’t want her to see…” Anakin trailed off into a coughing fit. Concerned eyes bore into him. “Don’t want her to see... like this.” 

“Okay. I will let her sleep.” 

“Rex,” Anakin said, his voice becoming farther away even to his own ears. “Dooku hurt him. Is he…”

“He’s alive, Anakin. He’s okay.”

Anakin sighed in relief. 

Obi-Wan put a cold hand on Anakin’s forehead. It felt nice. When Obi-Wan pulled away, the absence of the cool touch left him feeling like he was burning. Anakin whimpered. 

“Your fever hasn’t broken yet. That’s why you are confused. Kix has you on antibiotics, it should break soon alright?”

“Hurts.” 

“I’ll get Kix to get you some more painkillers. Just hang in there for me okay? Hang in there for your old Master.”

“Kay Obi-w’n,” Anakin slurred. He let his eyes unfocus until Obi-Wan was nothing but a blurry beige and cream-colored blob in front of him.

“Rest now, Padawan. You’ll be alright.”

Obi-Wan stood before the flickering holo images of Mace and Yoda on the bridge. He had been reporting the situation to them for the past ten minutes, but it had felt like an eternity. Obi-Wan was exhausted. He hadn’t slept in days – his search for Anakin had prevented him from getting any sort of rest and now that they had Anakin back, he stayed by his side and watched over him. This was the first time he’d been away from him in two days.

“Obi-Wan?” 

From the concerned tone of Mace’s voice, Obi-Wan could guess that was not the first time his name had been called. 

“Apologies, Masters, I…” Obi-Wan couldn’t even think of an excuse. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright, Obi-Wan. We were done here anyway. Go get some rest. You should keep your strength up.” 

“Thank you, Masters,” Obi-Wan said. The blue images flickered away. 

Obi-Wan let his shoulders sag. He pinched the bridge of his nose and willed his headache to go away.

Will always be a slave. 

That’s what Anakin had said. Is that what he believes? Does Anakin still think of himself as a slave?

Obi-Wan couldn’t help but feel like the biggest failure in all the galaxy. He should have been better at helping Anakin work through his childhood trauma. He should have been more careful. 

Obi-Wan’s eyes burned. This whole time, he had been so strong for Ahsoka and Rex, but his strength was running out. It was replaced by exhaustion and frayed emotions he hadn’t had time to work through and process. 

“General Kenobi,” Cody’s voice called. 

Obi-Wan stood up straight again. He blinked back the unwanted tears that had formed in his eyes and swiveled around to face Cody.

“Yes, Commander?”

Cody cocked his head sideways and looked at him critically. “Are you alright Sir?” 

“Yes, Cody, everything is alright.” His voice quivered ever so slightly. He cleared his throat. 

Cody hesitated. “This can wait.”

“No, it’s okay. What is it?” 

“We need to rendezvous with General Plo to get the remainder of the 212th back. Their campaign has ended.”

“Casualties?”

“Minimal.”

“Good, that’s…” Obi-Wan trailed off and looked past Cody, not at him. Cody took a few steps forward.

“General?”

Obi-Wan returned his gaze to his Commander. “Hmm?”

“General, with all due respect, I think you should go lie down.”

“The troops…”

“Don’t worry about it, General. I’ll organize the rendezvous.” 

Obi-Wan shot grateful eyes at Cody. “Thank you, Commander.” 

“Of course, General. Get some rest.”

Obi-Wan walked towards the medical bay. 

Obi-Wan gazed down at his former Padawan and recalled the conversation he had had with Kix shortly after they had stabilized him.

“He is likely to recover.”

“Likely?”

“General, had we been a day later, maybe even a few hours later, he would have been dead regardless of solar flares or not.”

Obi-Wan felt sick.

“He has pneumonia. The burn on his arm is severely infected and will need to be wrapped in bacta for a while. He’s malnourished. But we’re treating him. I’m optimistic. If he survives the night, he will make a full recovery.”

If Obi-Wan had eaten anything recently he would have thrown up. Instead, he gave Kix a curt nod and thanked him for his help. The Force seemed to thicken around him, telling him all would be well, but Obi-Wan was finding it difficult to listen to the Force at the moment. 

He looked down at Anakin’s prone form and reached out to his Force presence. Obi-Wan longed to feel the overwhelming heat of Anakin’s Force signature, but his fire was all but snuffed out. 

Ultimately, Anakin had survived the night, but his recovery was still a slow process. He had been unconscious for most of the time save for that one delirious moment of waking, but his signature was warming up. His fire burned on.

“Master Obi-Wan?”

Ahsoka’s concerned voice pulled him out of his musings. “Yes, Padawan?”

“Are you okay?”

No. “Yes, Padawan, I’m alright. Did you get some sleep?”

“Yes, Master. You should too.”

“I have been.”

“Real rest, Master,” Ahsoka said. “Not just short naps in these stupid chairs.”

Obi-Wan gave a humorless laugh. “It’s alright. He was there for me, I want to be there for him.”

Ahsoka seemed to sense that she would not get anywhere with him. Instead, she sat beside him and leaned her head on his shoulder. “I hate seeing him this way.”

“I know, Ahsoka. I don’t care for it either.”

“This war… he’s always getting himself into trouble. I’m just worried that this war will actually take him one day.”

“It might,” Obi-Wan said gravely. “But if it makes you feel any better, he’s been getting himself into trouble long before the war started. Trust me.”

Ahsoka smiled. “Care to elaborate?”

That got a grin out of Obi-Wan. “Well, there was this one time…”

“Yes?” Ahsoka prodded expectantly.

“Well Anakin, as you can imagine, was a hyperactive child.”

“Shocking.”

“Yes, well, he lacked the patience to simply walk from room to room. No, Anakin had to run everywhere he went.”

“But the Masters hate it when people run in the hallways,” Ahsoka said, her lips beginning to curl into a smile.

“Yes,” Obi-Wan said with a long-suffering sigh. “They do.”

Ahsoka giggled. “What happened?”

“One time, Anakin was late for class. He ran through the halls as usual. Unfortunately for him, no one told him about the new rug in the hallway by the classrooms.”

“Oh no.”

“Oh yes. He tripped on it and sprained his ankle. It was a pretty bad sprain actually. I remember being grateful that he hadn’t broken it. I was not happy when I found out.”

“How did you find out?”

“The hard way,” Obi-Wan sighed. “He knew he was doing something he wasn’t supposed to be doing and I had already scolded him that morning about something else. I don’t remember what it was about. I scolded him pretty often.”

“Correction,” Ahsoka interjected. “You scold him pretty often. Present tense.”

“He brings that on himself,” Obi-Wan said. “Anyway, he didn’t want to tell me about his ankle because he didn’t want to tell me how he hurt it.”

“Typical.”

“It didn’t take long for me to figure out something was wrong. When he got home from class, he was in a more sour mood than usual. He hid himself away in his room. I gave him his space, but later that night he came out. He had thought I was asleep in my own room, but I wasn’t. I was waiting for him. I saw him limping and that’s when I found out he had actually gotten hurt.” 

Obi-Wan recalled the fat tears that had rolled down his Padawan’s cheeks and chuckled. “He’s not as good at hiding things from me as he thinks he is.”

A silence stretched between them. “He’s like a son to you,” Ahsoka said softly.

“More like a pesky younger brother.”

“’m not pesky,” Anakin murmured. 

Obi-Wan and Ahsoka’s heads shot up. 

“Anakin?” Obi-Wan and Ahsoka questioned at the same time. 

“Obi?” Anakin said softly. “Snips?”

“Yes, Anakin we’re right here. How are you feeling?” Obi-Wan questioned. He hoped Anakin was more lucid this time around.

“‘m tired.”

“That’s okay, you’re still recovering.” Obi-Wan put a hand on Anakin’s forehead. It was clammy and cool. “I think your fever broke.”

Anakin’s only response was a painful-sounding cough. 

“But clearly, you are still sick.”

Anakin groaned. 

“You should rest some more,” Ahsoka said. 

Anakin turned to her and smiled fondly. “Snips.”

“Hey, Skyguy,” she said. “It’s good to have you back.”

“I knew you missed me,” Anakin murmured. 

Ahsoka giggled. “Did you miss us?”

“Every day,” Anakin said, his tone suddenly more serious. “Every day…” 

Guilt coiled in Obi-Wan’s stomach. “I’m so sorry, Anakin.”

“For what?”

“For not finding you sooner. For letting this happen. I’m sorry.” 

“‘s not your fault.” Anakin coughed again. Ahsoka brought a glass to his lips. “Dooku’s powerful. You know that.”

Obi-Wan rubbed at the scar on his arm. 

“I know,” Obi-Wan relented. “I just don’t like seeing you hurt.”

“Told you we would need Kix, didn’t I?” Anakin said. 

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes. “Always have to have the last word, don’t you?”

“No, I don’t.”

“Yes, you do.”

“No I don’t,” Anakin reaffirmed.

“You’re literally doing it now,” Obi-Wan said with an exasperated grin.

Anakin opened his mouth like he was going to speak but then firmly pressed his lips together. “Mmm mmm” he hummed.

Obi-Wan laughed. “It’s good to have you back, Anakin.” 

Rex approached the medbay with trepidation. 

He didn’t know if General Skywalker would even want to see him. Not after he left him to die at the hands of Count Dooku. 

He steeled himself and entered the medbay. It was quiet. Without the usual cacophony of soldiers on board, the only ones in the medbay were Kix, the two Generals and Commander Tano. 

“Don’t you dare wake them up, Rex,” Kix growled at him before he could even say anything. Rex looked to the end of the long room where Tano and Kenobi were sitting together. They were leaning against each other, fast asleep. 

“I have no intention. I just want to see him,” Rex said, his eyes downcast. 

Kix’s expression softened. “Go. But if you wake up General Kenobi or Commander Tano I swear I will-”

“You’ll have my head, I got it,” Rex said raising his hands in a placating gesture.

He walked through the medbay until he stood at Skywalker’s side. Most of his body was covered by blankets, but his cheekbones and collarbone were stuck out a little more than usual. Guilt twisted inside of him.

“I’m sorry, General,” Rex said softly before turning to leave. He had only made it a few steps before he heard a quiet voice.

“Rex?”

Rex froze. He swiveled around and stood at attention. “Sir?”

His General narrowed his eyes at him. Rex braced himself. He wasn’t unfamiliar with General Skywalker’s anger. It just had never been aimed at him before. The General was probably about to reprimand him. He was probably going to have him reassigned or demoted – and Rex would deserve it. 

“Why are we whispering?” Skywalker questioned in a hushed tone.

“What?” Rex asked in surprise.

“Why are we whispering?” he repeated.

“Oh, uh,” Rex gestured to Kenobi and Tano, still slumped against each other and fast asleep.

“Ah. Yes, that is pretty rare. I’m sure Kix would be very upset with us if we were to wake them.”

Rex had no idea how to respond to that. Quite frankly, this conversation was not going how he thought it would go at all. 

“Uh, Rex?”

That shook him out of his reverie. Rex cleared his throat and steeled his expression. “Sorry General. Yes, Kix would not be happy.”

Anakin cocked his head to the side. “What’s wrong, Rex?”

Once again, Rex is left flustered. “What do you mean, Sir?”

“First of all, it’s Anakin. You know you can call me Anakin. Second of all what do you mean ‘what do I mean’? You’re on edge. What’s wrong?”

“Well, it’s just,” Rex fumbled over what to say. “You’re not angry with me?”

“Why would I be angry with you?” Anakin questioned, his eyebrows quirked upwards. 

“For leaving you behind. For letting him take you. For letting this happen.”

“You didn’t leave me behind, I ordered you to run. That was an order . An order which you followed. You didn’t “let” him take me. Obi-Wan and I once fought Dooku together and even then he beat us. There was no way you and I were going to beat him on our own, no offense. And you didn’t let this happen. No one did. I know you and Obi-Wan and Ahsoka and Cody were all looking for me while I was gone. That’s part of what kept me alive – knowing you all were looking for me.”

“Sir, I-”

“Anakin.”

“Anakin,” Rex corrected. “I feel as though I should have stayed with you. I would have given my life for you.”

“I know,” Anakin said. “But I don’t want you to. And I’m glad you didn’t.” 

Rex relaxed a little more. “It is good to have you back, Sir.” 

“Yes, good to be back,” Anakin whispered. 

Rex noticed Anakin was blinking more and he had laid his head back more heavily against the pillows propping him up.

“You should get some rest, Sir.”

Anakin nodded in agreement. “And you should take a break. You’ve been working hard.”

“I don’t-”

“That’s an order, Captain.”

“Alright, Sir,” Rex smiled. 

Rex left the medbay feeling just a little lighter than he had been when he entered it. 

Two weeks later.

Anakin muttered to himself while throwing on his robe.

“I just don’t think it’s fair, Master,” Anakin whined.

“Hey, you made a deal,” Obi-Wan said as he pulled on his brown leather boots. “You said if I lived, we could go to the old world bookshop and you would let me pick out a book for you.”

“You were dying. I really didn’t think you would remember that.” 

“Unfortunately for you, I have an excellent memory. Now come along.” 

“Wait, I also just lived through a life-threatening experience. I feel like I should get something out of this deal.” 

“I don’t think that’s how deals work, Master,” Ahsoka said, trying to keep a straight face as her Master and Grandmaster argued with each other. She had no stakes in this deal, but she did enjoy seeing the two of them bantering with each other again. It had been awful watching Obi-Wan and Anakin taking turns worrying over each other for the past couple weeks. This argument and the outing that was about to follow it was the closest to normalcy the three of them had seen in a long time.

“Fine,” Anakin said, pulling her back to the present. “I’m altering the terms of the deal. I’ll let you take me to this store and pick out a book for me but I get to drive us there.” 

Obi-Wan narrowed his eyes. “That still isn’t how deals work.”

“I don’t care, we both went through near-death experiences, I say we should both get something out of it.”

“I’m going to regret this, aren't I?” 

Anakin pretended to look offended. “Don’t be such a pessimist Master! I’m an excellent driver.” 

“You are a reckless driver. Speed limits do not exist to Anakin Skywalker.” 

“I like to think of them as guidelines.” 

“Guidelines that you then spit on and ignore.” 

“Well, who needs guidelines anyway?”

Obi-Wan groaned. “Fine . But I’m going to complain the whole way there.”

“Fine by me, I doubt I’ll even hear you over the engines.”

Obi-Wan sighed.

“Way to go, Master,” Ahsoka said. “Maybe they should call you The Negotiator.”

“You know, I like the sound of that,” Anakin grinned. “Has a nice ring to it. Very authoritative. So commanding.”

“You are both impossible,” Obi-Wan said, rolling his eyes.

“He gets it from you,” Ahsoka said pointedly.

“And she gets it from me,” Anakin smirked. 

“Absolutely impossible.”