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Alarms rang through the ship. They harmonized with the screaming in the Force telling Obi-Wan that something was very very wrong .
“I thought you said you fixed this ship.”
“I did!” Anakin said defensively.
“Well, clearly you didn’t!”
“There must be something else wrong with it,” Anakin said, more to himself than to Obi-Wan. He darted off to the back of the ship and Obi-Wan followed him.
“Do you think it’s the hyperdrive?”
“Of course it’s the hyperdrive,” Anakin said sharply. “I just don’t know exactly what’s wrong with it.”
Anakin continued tinkering with the hyperdrive, letting out the occasional growl of frustration when the machine did not do his bidding. Obi-Wan knew he wasn't used to that.
“Are we going to have to stop somewhere?”
“I don’t know yet,” Anakin said. “But last I checked, the nearest Republic outpost was fourteen parsecs away.”
Obi-Wan hummed and Anakin started tearing into an electrical panel.
“Would you stop hovering?” Anakin said impatiently.
Obi-Wan stepped to the side. “Maybe if we just–” he started, while reaching his hand toward the hyperdrive.
“Obi-Wan, wait! ” Anakin shouted. But it was too late. Obi-Wan touched the surface of the boiling hot hyperdrive and pulled his hand back with a sharp yelp. He looked at the burned skin of his palm. It was already swollen and red.
“Don’t touch that, you idiot!” Anakin hissed.
“How was I supposed to know it would be burning?”
“Because it’s literally burning out, Master!” Anakin shouted like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Anakin took a breath and turned to Obi-Wan. “Is your hand okay?” he asked impatiently.
“Not really, but we can worry about that later. Focus on fixing this thing.”
“Right,” Anakin huffed. “Go back to the front and try to keep her steady if she falls out of autopilot.”
Obi-Wan knew that Anakin was just giving him that job so that he’d be out of his way, but at the moment, he really didn’t mind. He would focus on the task at hand – pointless as it may be.
He sat heavily in the pilot’s chair and tried to center himself.
One breath in.
One breath out.
Another.
The ship stuttered. Obi-Wan’s eyes flashed open just in time to catch the tunnel of hyperspace warp and wrinkle around him. The stars flattened back into pinpoints littering the sky. The site would have been peaceful were the ship not listing to the side towards a green planet below.
They were being pulled into the unknown planet’s orbit, which meant…
Anakin stormed back into the cockpit. Obi-Wan turned to him and saw instantly by the look on his face that there was nothing left to be done – the ship was crashing.
“I’m sorry, Obi-Wan,” Anakin said, genuine guilt crossing his face. “I thought I fixed it, but there’s this wire. It’s completely fried. It messed up the whole electrical system, it burned out the hyperdrive, I-”
“Anakin, just sit down and strap in.”
“But-”
“If there’s no fixing it, then we’re just going to have to brace ourselves, okay?”
“Okay,” Anakin said, letting out a tight breath. He strapped himself in beside Obi-Wan and together they worked to steady the ship. Obi-Wan used his good hand to pull up on the yoke, but it was of little use. The planet’s gravity was too strong. They were being pulled into it faster and faster.
Obi-Wan tried not to let his fear take control of him, but it was rolling off of Anakin in waves and it compounded with his own.
“Master?” Anakin called nervously over the roar of the ship.
“Just hang on Anakin.”
They would be fine. This was not their first time crashing a ship together. They would be fine.
Though, things certainly didn’t feel fine. The ship shuddered and creaked. It started to heat up as they tore through the planet’s atmosphere and metal flashings started to pull off of the outside paneling. There would be no slowing the ship down with the Force. It was too large and it was coming in too hot for that. Obi-Wan closed his eyes and awaited the inevitable impact.
There wasn’t much pain. That’s how he knew it was over.
At least he was outside.
The ship had entirely disintegrated upon hitting the ground, leaving him exposed to the open air. It was humid, but not intolerably so. From what little he could see, the planet was a very green one. Not the worst place to die.
Obi-Wan glanced down at the shard of metal sticking out of his chest, before letting his head fall back into the soft grass. He should just fall asleep. Then it would be over even quicker, but something kept him awake.
Anakin.
“Anakin,” he choked out. He coughed, and felt blood landing on his lips and rolling down his cheeks. Not a great sign.
“Anakin,” he called out again. He couldn’t move. There was no way he would be able to search for him. All he could do was hope that Anakin was alive and that maybe he would find him and get to say goodbye before it was too late.
“Ana-”
“I’m here!” Anakin called. “I’m here, I’m here, oh Force, Obi-Wan this…”
Anakin hovered over him. He blocked out the sun from Obi-Wan’s view, and its rays made the edges of Anakin’s hair look golden as it had in his youth. Obi-Wan tried to memorize it.
“We can get help,” Anakin said firmly. “We can fix this, just hang on, Obi-Wan.”
“Fourteen parsecs.”
“What?”
“Nearest Republic outpost,” Obi-Wan murmured. “You said it was fourteen parsecs away. Too far… for me.”
“No, no. That’s not true, we can figure this out. You’ll be just fine.”
“I won’t.”
Obi-Wan's world was darkening. It wouldn't be long now.
“ Please, Master,” Anakin begged. “I… I didn’t realize the hyperdrive was busted before we took off, I should have noticed that. This is…”
“Don’t blame yourself for this,” Obi-Wan said weakly.
“No, you were right,” Anakin said. “It’s my fault the ship crashed. I should have caught the problem with the hyperdrive. I don’t know how I missed it.”
“Please, Anakin,” Obi-Wan said. “’s not your fault. Things break. Hyperdrives burn out. Ships crash. ‘s not your fault.”
“But-”
“Please,” Obi-Wan said. “I don’t want my last moment to be about you begging for my forgiveness. It is not required.”
“Master-”
“There’s nothing to forgive,” Obi-Wan slurred. “Nothing… to…”
The golden rays of the sun darkened, and Obi-Wan left Anakin alone.