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The battlefield had been chaos.
Nearly all battlefields were. That was one of the key things Obi-Wan had learnt since the start of the War. No matter how well planned an operation was, however many hours were poured into examining the details, creating backup plans and attempting to foresee all the possible eventualities the actual battle would be chaotic.
That was something he had not been taught when he was being trained. Of course, when Obi-Wan was being trained there had been not even the slightest inclination that the Jedi would need to learn the skills needed to direct a battle. They certainly hadn’t been trained with the intention of the entire order being called up to become the commanding officers of an army designed to protect the republic.
This was not what they were trained to do.
But it was what they were needed for. It is not like the council would have been able to turn down the Senates request.
This one however had been particularly bad. Their intelligence had been wrong, catastrophically so. What had supposed to be a simple mopping up mission, intended to secure the republic supply lines as they advanced towards Ryloth had turned into a blood bath. The Single Droid battalion had turned out to be several divisions. They had been caught out, and it had taken days to finally regain the upper hand.
Days in which he had become separated from his Padawan.
Former Padawan Obi-Wan berated himself. Anakin had been knighted at the councils' behest in the aftermath of Gennosis, despite Obi Wans trepidation. He had to disassociate himself. Their apprenticeship was over, he had to trust that Anakin was capable. That he had trained him well enough.
Obi-Wan would find that much easier to do however if his former Padawan would just answer his comm.
He sighed, turning to Cody.
“Any news commander?”
“Resistance is all but over from the Clankers General, the supply base is secure but there is still some rouge units near the northern crater field. We are mopping those up as we speak.”
Obi-Wan nodded “Any news of the 501st?”
“I have been able to speak to Commander Rex. They have suffered heavy losses, there is still no communication with Skywalker.”
He gritted his teeth. “Thank you Cody”
He strode forward, heading out into the debris. “I’m going to search for any stragglers. Comm me if there is news.”
“Yes General.”
Obi-Wan reached out into the force. He still hadn’t dissolved the training bond he possessed with Anakin. He knew he should feel guilty about it but he couldn’t, it was his own piece of rebellion against the council. They could Knight Anakin but he could keep this, for his own peace of mind.
And now it was proving useful. As his Padawan had disappeared from where he was supposed to be. Again.
He followed the pulse of the bond. It was weaker than usual. Maybe Anakin was finally getting better at shielding.
The landscape got more broken as he walked. Medics were swarming the blast craters, moving from soldier to soldier. From the shouts, they were triaging. The scene was ugly. The aftermath always was.
As he got further into the battle-scarred sight it became more difficult to walk, there were dismembered droids, parts piled high. Motionless clones, suites blackened. And several downed starfighters.
Obi Wans sense of dread began to grow.
Where was Anakin?
Smoke drifted across the field, obscuring his vision. Making it more difficult to breathe.
He raised his hand and the smoke moved with it, moving higher into the sky before Obi-Wan released it.
His breath caught.
He recognised the yellow wings of that Star Fighter.
Suddenly the landscape didn’t feel difficult to walk through, the air was no longer difficult to breathe. He moved quickly, unnaturally quickly, scrambling over the debris to reach the downed ship.
His Padawans downed ship.
The craft looked broken, one of the wings had detached entirely, lying several yards from the rest of the ship, impaled in the ground and reaching towards the sky.
The ship itself was part buried in the mud, smoke pouring from the gouge in its side.
The smoke also filled the still closed cabin.
Obi-Wan didn’t even think. He raised his arm, reaching out with the force and the cockpit popped open. Even more of the greyish smoke poured out. He climbed over the crumple dura-steel, so he was standing on top of the ship. He looked down into the wreckage of the cockpit.
Anakin was curled against the side of the ship, limp. He was still strapped into his seat, restraints pulling him into an upright position but his head lolled forward. There were bloodstains all down his robes. Obi-Wan could see a nasty looking cut across his face, coming very close to his eye. Judging by the amount of blood on his robes though that was the least of his worries.
Obi-Wan had never shown any real talent for healing, he had been very decisively moved off the healing track when he was an initiate. He had neither the manner nor the skill. But he had done multiple field care courses, he racked his brain trying to remember what he had been taught.
It would be risky moving his Padawan, it could be possible that he had a spine injury, or his current position was stemming some of the bleeding. But it felt wrong to leave him in the wreckage, it didn’t feel safe.
The choice was made for him when flames erupted at the back of the cockpit. Move him it was.
He jumped down into the small space left around Anakin. The starfighters were only designed to fit one, and that was with the basic models. With all the customisation that Anakin spent so much of his spare time doing there was even less room to manoeuvre.
He reached down and released Anakin's restraints. He immediately slumped forward, head falling into Obi Wan’s torso.
He bent down, trying to drag Anakin's arm over his shoulder. His forehead broke out in a sweat. The fire was getting hotter, and closer.
He tried to pull Anakin forward but he was just a dead weight against him.
When did his Padawan grow up so much?
It was no use, there wasn’t any way he would be able to do this in a dignified way in the limited time they had.
He bent down and scooped Anakin into his arms.
He struggled forward, up and over the side of the ship.
The muscles in his arms screamed, protesting the weight. The flames burned at his back.
Further Obi-Wan thought desperately. I just have to get a bit further.
The flames were growing more intense. Consuming the ship behind him. They had to get further away if they were going to be safe.
He kept going, feet slipping on the mechanical debris before they once again landed on the mud. He kept going.
Further, they had to go further.
The flames reached the fuel tanks on the starfighter.
The force of the explosion knocked them to the ground. The heat licked at his back as Anakin rolled out of his arms.
But they hap made it far enough. The flames didn’t reach them. Obi-Wan turned round.
The ship had collapsed into a blazing wreck, Obi-Wan couldn’t even make out its form anymore, but the flames seemed constrained to it. They weren’t following them over the debris field. For now, at least they seemed safe.
Which was good, because Anakin was now in desperate need of attention. The bloodstains on his abdomen were only getting larger. He reached out along the bond but could only feel echoes of pain. And they were getting weaker.
Obi-Wan reached for his field medical kit, retrieving gauze and some emergency Bacta patches.
He pulled aside Anakin's robes and winced. The wound was ugly, jagged and unclean and still bleeding profusely. He didn’t have time to worry about cleaning it. If he didn’t reduce the bleeding now Anakin wouldn’t live long enough to worry about infection. He broke the Bacta onto the gauze and pressed it down on the wound. He felt Anakin's muscles begin to relax as the numbing effect took hold.
And felt some stirring through their bond.
“Please don’t move” Obi-Wan muttered. “Please don’t move.”
Anakin groaned.
Obi-Wan cursed. In the state Anakin was in there should be no way he could be regaining consciousness. But his Padawan had always proved the exception to conventional rules. But being exceptional was not helping him now. He couldn’t wake up now. It could be a death sentence.
He may have never excelled within healing but he had no option now. He reached out into the force, seeking out Anakin's presence. Their bond eased the way.
He tried to send along a calming influence. He had to try and keep Anakin under. He could not regain consciousness.
The healers hadn’t even tried to teach him any skills like this. It wasn’t basic field care, this was something far more, specialist. Jedi Healers were Padawans for just as long, if not longer before they were given the status as a Healer. What Obi-Wan was trying was among the more advanced techniques.
He did not know what he was doing
He had no choice.
Obi-Wan followed his instincts, navigating the bond he had come to know so well. He had to keep Anakin calm.
He had to.
Anakin stirred more at his agitation.
Obi-Wan reprimanded himself. He had to focus. If he didn’t he would only cause more harm.
He took a deep breath, lowering himself into the flow of the force. The battle scarred planet disappeared. The sounds of the flames, the acrid smell of the burning ships and the distant noise of the recovery efforts all vanished.
He was one with the force.
He should have felt lonely, but he wasn’t. He was connected with all. It was peace, It was calm. It just… was.
He tightened his grip on Anakin's arm. He let the sense of serenity drift over their bond.
Anakin calmed. His breathing eased and Obi-Wan could feel him slip deeper into his being. His whole presence became more muted. He wasn’t going to wake.
Obi-Wan breathed a sigh of relief and opened his eyes.
The area around them was even more disturbed than before. Dust covered everything, except for a small circle surrounding them. The wind still seemed to swirl, but none of the debris touched them. Whatever Obi-Wan had done, whatever his connection to the force was, it seemed to have caused a localised sand storm.
He looked back down at his Padawan. Anakin's face had smoothed, his breathing more steady. His wounds remained, but the Bacta seemed to be working. The bleeding had stemmed.
Anakin had stabilised. He wasn’t close to being fine, but he was no longer at risk of imminent death. He needed proper attention though, Obi Wan’s improvised Field Care would not last very long
Obi-Wan ripped off his glove, before hitting his Comm.
“Cody! Are you there?”
The device beeped before the commanders hazy voice crackled through it.
“General. What is your situation?”
“I have General Skywalker. We need an emergency medical evacuation. Do you have my location?”
There was a brief pause.
“I have your tracking signal from your comm sir, But it isn’t very strong. We will try and find you. Is the General stable?”
Obi-Wan grimaced. “For now. I’ve patched him up as much as I can. I don’t know how well it will hold up in the long run”
“I’ll get a ship over to you ASAP General. We’ll get you both out of here. I’ll also notify The Negotiator, make sure the Med Centre know to expect you.”
He let out a sigh. “Thank you, Cody.”
The commanders' voice softened, losing its precise formality. “Any time General.”
The Comm crackled off.
Obi-Wan looked around them. The wind was continuing to pick up as the sky darkened. Anakin shivered in his lap.
He wished he had his cloak or something to try and keep them warm but his military armour offered no protection against the elements. So he hunched over him, trying to provide as much protection as his body heat would allow.
Hold on Padawan he murmured. You just have to hold on.
Obi-Wan was sure he felt a pulse of reassurance through the bond in response.