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The disaster trio were on another recon mission, this time it was just the three of them in a ship that was not up to Anakin’s standards, and who made sure to let the other two know every couple of minutes, “Urghh, why won’t this thing go any faster?”
“Anakin, you have said that at least ten times now, why can’t you accept that it won’t go any faster,” Obi-Wan said tiredly, “Because I refuse to believe that the people that made this ship could be so stupid!” Anakin replied exasperatingly. Obi-Wan simply sighed and went back to the holopad he was reading.
“Uhh Master?” Ahsoka started, and Anakin looked at her out of the corner of his eyes, “What is it Snips?”
“If you wanted excitement, I’d say we are about to get some,” she replied. Obi-Wan looked up from his holopad at this comment, “What is it, young one?”
“Well, a separatist frigate has just appeared on the scanners and they’ve already launched fighters.”
“Finally, some excitement,” Anakin said grinning, as he started evasive manoeuvres.
“Anakin, I wish you wouldn’t say that,” Obi-Wan chided as he strapped himself in, he knew how Anakin’s ‘evasive manoeuvres’ went.
They were doing all sorts of flips and barrel rolls as Anakin successfully evaded the barrage of lasers sent their way, but soon enough, one of the main engines was hit, “Blast!” he shouted, “I told you this thing wasn’t fast enough.”
“We’re going down Master!”
“I can see that, thanks Ahsoka,” Anakin said sarcastically.
“Instead of bickering, let’s try and find out at least where we are landing,” Obi-Wan started, “Anakin focus on landing this thing, Ahsoka strap in and see if you can bring up anything on the database about the system we’re in, as quick as you can, we’ve got minutes, if that.”
“On it Master,” Ahsoka replied quickly, Anakin simply turned back around to face the front, “This isn’t going to be easy.”
“Good job you are the one flying then,” Obi-Wan reassured. Anakin smiled quietly to himself.
Only a few standard moments later, they were entering the planet’s atmosphere, “According to this, the planet's air is breathable, it used to be inhabited but an ice age wiped out all life.” Ahsoka announced.
“Great,” Anakin said annoyed, if it wasn’t sand it had to be the next worse thing. He despised the cold, it was the one thing he could truly never get used to ever since he arrived at the temple.
All they could see out the viewport was white, “This is going to be a nightmare to land, I can’t see where the land ends and the sky begins.”
“Trust in the Force Anakin, you are more than capable of landing this,” Obi-Wan tried to reassure, “I appreciate the Faith, Master, but this isn’t going to be smooth, brace yourselves!”
With that Anakin felt they were close to the ground and pulled up with all the strength he had. The ship hit the ground with an almighty crash, the viewport shattered as all three of them shielded their eyes from the transparisteel and icy air that felt just as sharp. After a few hundred metres, the ship came to a stop. Anakin opened his eyes first, “Everyone alright?” he asked desperately. “Fine Master,” Ahsoka responded quickly. “Yes Anakin, are you alright?” Obi-Wan asked with a hint of worry. “I’m okay, but looking at the state of this place, the ship won’t be going anywhere, even with my skills,” Anakin replied with concern.
“I’m inclined to agree with you.”
“That’s a first,” Anakin received a glare from Obi-Wan, to which he just smirked.
Turning away from him, Obi-Wan said to Ahsoka, “You said this planet used to be inhabited, correct?”
“Yes Master,” Ahsoka replied eagerly.
“Well then,” Obi-Wan said scratching his beard, “There is bound to be some kind of shelter standing, we will freeze if we stay here.”
With that, the three of them put on their cloaks, the only meagre thing to protect them from the negative numbers outside, Anakin stuffed a beacon into his pocket, and climbed out the smashed viewport, the entrance to the cockpit blocked shut by debris.
After what seemed like hours of walking to Anakin (which was most likely only twenty minutes), with the wind hitting his face, eyebrows and hair forming icicles, cheeks as red as tomatoes from the sheer cold, he spotted something that looked like a potential shelter in the distance, “There!” he shouted to the other two, in hopes of being heard over the wind, pointing to the faint outline of some form of salvation.
Obi-Wan wasn’t one to complain but he was desperate to get out of the cold just as much as Anakin. He raised his hand so Anakin could see he had heard him and the three of them made their way towards what they hoped would be their reprieve.
As they stood before it, they discovered it to be an old shack, “Uhh this doesn't look great Masters,” Ahsoka said disappointingly, “Well if it keeps the wind out we’ve hit the jackpot,” Anakin replied, opening the door. Inside the shack was bare, but it kept the wind out, and as a small mercy, there were the small remnants of an old fireplace still with some kindling next to it. “I guess the owners left before using it all,” Obi-Wan thought to himself, grateful for that fact.
They entered the small building, instantly feeling the relief of the wind leaving them, however it was still bitterly cold. Obi-Wan made his way over to the fireplace, “I suppose you’d know how to start a fire Master, probably how you lived back in the day,” Anakin joked, Ahsoka laughing alongside him.
Obi-Wan turned around and scowled at him, “Why don’t you take your very funny words outside and set up the beacon so we aren’t trapped here until the next ice age.”
The thought of going back outside immediately wiped the smirk off of Anakin’s face as he frowned, “Hrrmm, fine come on Snips.” With that he headed back towards the door, wrapping his cloak around him as tightly as possible, Ahsoka following quickly behind, still giggling to herself.
It was taking Anakin a while to set up the distress beacon, his flesh hand was so numb he couldn’t feel what he was doing and his mechno hand had pretty much completely seized up. Ahsoka had gone to search the perimeter as the time it was taking her Master to do a simple task was boring her.
As Anakin finally switched on the beacon, something hard and freezing cold hit his face. He jumped up startled to see Ahsoka laughing again, however, he was not amused in the slightest. “Ahsoka, what makes you think that was a good idea,” he shouted as he started walking towards her. As he walked towards her, Ahsoka stopped laughing as she heard something Anakin couldn’t over his own voice. The ground beneath him was cracking, there must’ve been a frozen pond underneath where he was, “Master stop!” she shouted. “Oh no, you are not getting away with this,” Anakin continued, taking a couple more steps, until he heard it too. He stopped, looked beneath his feet and saw the spider cracks he was standing upon, and with one last horrified glance at Ahsoka, he was gone.
“Master!” Ahsoka screamed, moving as close as she could to the edge without stepping on the ice, eyes frantically searching for any sign of him below.
Suddenly, Anakin reappeared. “Ah.. Ah.. Soka,” he tried to get the words out between rapid breaths, he was struggling to keep himself above the water. Ahsoka got on her stomach to distribute her weight to stop further cracks and inched towards the hole her Master was trying to get himself out of.
Anakin finally got a grip on the edge, but couldn’t pull himself up. Ahsoka reached him and grabbed his hand and started to pull him up when suddenly, he was gone again.
Underwater now, Anakin was desperately looking around, something had grabbed his robe and pulled him back down. He couldn’t see what had gotten a grip on him, he was frantically kicking his legs, trying to hit his attacker. After about a minute he managed to shrug his robe off and whatever had a hold of it, went back down to the depths along with it.
He tried to kick back towards the surface but he had been under the icy water too long now, he was tired and getting dizzy. His energy had just about run out when a hand reached in and pulled him out, “I’ve got you Master,” Ahsoka shouted to him as she heaved him up onto the snow, “S-S-S-Soka, w-w-what?”
Panicking, Ahsoka hoisted him up into an almost standing position and slung his arm over her shoulder, he was shivering uncontrollably and he was as white as the snow they walked on. It took them way too long to get back to the shack in Anakin’s state, Ahsoka kicked open the door, “Master Obi-Wan!” she yelled, “Help me!”
“Ahsoka?” Obi-Wan turned from the fire he had successfully started, to see the near unconscious, shivering and confused state of his former padawan, “Anakin!” he shouted and rushed towards them. “What happened?” he said sternly to Ahsoka, though not angry at her, just scared. Ahsoka explained what happened then said, “Quick shouldn’t we get him to the fire,” as she made to move him, “No!” Obi-Wan did shout this time, he went to take Anakin off of Ahsoka and slung his arm over his own shoulder, “If we warm him up too quickly, the cold blood will rush from his extremities and could stop his heart.” Ahsoka looked mortified, “Listen Ahsoka, I have an important job for you,” she kept looking at Anakin, unable to focus, “Young one, listen to me,” Obi-Wan got her attention back. “You need to go back to the ship, it’s not far, and you need to see if you can salvage any kind of supplies, like blankets or water, anything you can find.”
Tears formed in her eyes, “I can’t leave him, this was my fault.”
Obi-Wan took her face in his hand, “Ahsoka, this is important, his life depends on you finding those supplies.”
“Okay,” she blinked back the tears, “Okay,” she said again more confidently. She took hold of her shivering Master’s hand, “Hold on Skyguy,” she said to him. “Hmm w-what?” Anakin replied in a shaky voice, and with one final glance at Obi-Wan she left for the ship.
“Anakin, are you with me?” Obi-Wan asked worriedly, all whilst lightly shaking his former padawan to get some sort of response. “S-So c-c-cold,” was all he got in response, he was shaking so much it looked like he was having a seizure. His lips were blue and his face trembled with every attempt of a breath. “I know dear one, can you stand?” Obi-Wan tried again, “Hmmm what,” was all he got in response.
With that, Obi-Wan took matters into his own hands, Anakin couldn’t do anything for himself at this point. He sat him against the wall furthest from the fire and started to pull his boots off, “Mas’er wh’r you doin?” Anakin clumsily asked. “I’ve gotta get these wet clothes off of you Anakin you’re becoming hypothermic.” He removed Anakin's tunics next, “Mas’er it’s cold, why're you doin’ this?” He was completely out of it. “Because it’ll warm you up, trust me dear one.” Obi-Wan continued taking his tunics off until he was just in his underwear. The room had warmed slightly due to the fire but Anakin was still shivering furiously. “Come on Padawan, stand up,” Obi-Wan coaxed his young charge. “M’ not your Pad’wan,” Anakin responded as Obi-Wan pulled him to his feet. His former Master was relieved to hear some sort of semblance to his usual self, “If you say so Knight Skywalker.”
Obi-Wan took his cloak off and wrapped it tightly around Anakin, “Hold this,” he instructed as he pulled Anakin’s flesh hand to hold it in place, as he too stripped himself of his upper tunics. He then opened the cloak and wrapped his arms around Anakin’s middle, enclosing the pair in the cloak. Anakin just gave him a strange look, “I’m transferring my body heat to you Anakin, you need to warm up gradually.” Still shivering, but not as badly now, Anakin simply let his head fall onto his old Master’s shoulder. “I want to go home,” he sobbed. “I know my dear, did you get the beacon set up?” Anakin simply nodded, “Good, Rex’ll be on his way soon then.” Obi-Wan gently soothed him, rubbing his hands up and down his bare back trying to warm him.
After a few minutes Obi-Wan deemed Anakin warm enough to move slightly closer to the fire without risking a heart attack. He guided him forward so they were a few metres away from the warmth and sat Anakin down, still wrapped in his cloak. Obi-Wan put his upper tunics back on and sat behind Anakin, pulling him back against his chest. Anakin melted into his Master’s touch and absorbed all the warmth he could from him. He started to close his eyes, “No Anakin, I need you to stay awake for me my dear,” Obi-Wan calmly spoke to him. “Mm tired.”
“I know, but you must stay awake for me, just a little longer.”
“Okay, Master.”
About an hour later, Ahsoka burst through the door again. “I’m back! Look I managed to get into the sleeping quarters, I got a blanket, a sleep tunic, two bottles of water and a few ration bars. How’s Master Skywalker?”
“He’s warming up, just resting, good job Ahsoka,” Obi-Wan said with a big smile on his face, Ahsoka had pulled through better than he could’ve hoped. Ahsoka beamed at the praise.
“Anakin, Ahsoka’s back,” Obi-Wan whispered softly into his ear. “Hmm Snips,” Anakin mumbled back. “Good to see you too Master,” Ahsoka replied, moving to sit by the fire herself, it was still freezing outside after all. She put the sleep tunics and blanket by the fire to warm up, then passed Obi-Wan two of the ration bars, “Thank you my dear,” he responded, quickly eating his.
“Anakin, I need you to eat something.”
The young knight simply shook his head.
“Come on Anakin, you need some energy in you,” Obi-Wan said, unwrapping the bar and holding it close to his former apprentice. Anakin begrudgingly took it from him and took a small bite, “Well done, dear one.”
After they had eaten and had a drink, Obi-Wan went to move Anakin, who groaned childishly in response, “Anakin, I’ve got some clothes for you, it’ll make you warmer, now come on, shift.”
Anakin sat up on his own as Ahsoka passed the tunics that were nicely warmed by the fire to Obi-Wan. He then removed the cloak from Anakin, receiving a pained wince from the younger man, “Bare with me Anakin, I promise this will make you feel better,” Obi-Wan soothed as he dressed Anakin in the tunics. He laid his cloak on the floor next to the fire and ushered Anakin to lay on it. He pulled his brother’s head onto his lap and looked to Ahsoka who then wrapped the warm blanket over her Master.
Only an hour later, whilst Obi-Wan was absent mindedly carding his hand through Anakin’s now drying hair and Ahsoka was stoking the fire, his comm beeped.
“Generals, do you copy?”
The sound of Anakin’s captain’s voice was the best thing he’d heard in a long time.
“Yes we copy, glad to hear your voice Captain,” Obi-Wan responded.
“Likewise Sir, you guys okay?”
“A bit cold but surviving,” Obi-Wan smiled as Ahsoka looked to him, hope shining in her eyes, “We’re ready to go home if you please, Captain.”
“We will be with you in a few minutes Sir, Rex out.”