Chapter Text
TWs: Blood, Mild Panic, Neglect of Wounds (implied), Descriptions of Injuries, Violence, Derealisation, Loss of Hearing (temporarily)
The young Jedi Knight rubbed his temples, trying to fend off the growing headache from looking at his datapad for so long. Who knew fighting in a war would result in so much paperwork? He frowned, looking up at the tiled ceiling of his and his Padawan’s shared quarters on their current ship, on the course of heading back to Coruscant to report on their latest mission. He put the datapad on the rickety old desk for a moment, and looked over to check on his sleeping Padawan. Thankfully, his Snips seemed to not be plagued by nightmares this time, simply exhausted after such a strenuous mission. He would be lying if he said he hadn’t been worried about her. The fear that grabs at him whenever he is forced to send his Padawan into dangerous situations without him backing her up frightens him, even if it’s necessary. It’s not that he doesn’t trust her; quite the opposite. He knows how capable Ahsoka is, but he’d formed such an attachment to the young Togruta that it pains him to put her in any danger. Anakin knew what his own former Master would say about it. He’d probably get another lecture on how attachment can be dangerous and he shouldn’t let his emotions get in the way of their duty as peacekeepers. He had always found that rule ridiculous. He understood the importance of the Jedi Order and what they stood for, but stopping them from forming connections and relationships with others just seemed to be too far. He shoved his hair away from his face and quickly stood up, shaking himself from a familiar path of spiralling thoughts, starting to feel rage beginning the bubble beneath his skin. He gripped the edge of the desk, doing some of the breathing techniques his Master had taught him. Anakin knew he had been a difficult youngling to train, since he didn’t possess the emotional control nor understanding of the Jedi Code as the other Padawans seemed to have. And yet Obi-Wan had continued to train him regardless, no matter how many fights he got into with other Padawans or how many times he slept in his Master’s quarters to chase away the constant nightmares that plagued him.
Shuffling from the bunk behind him alerted Anakin to his waking Padawan, listening to her yawn and stretching her limbs. He breathed deeply and centred himself, not wanting to cause her to worry about him any more than she usually did. He pushed his hair back from his face and turned to greet his Padawan.
“Heya Snips. How’d you sleep?” Anakin smiled, grabbing his lightsaber from the desk where he had left it and slipped it into his belt.
“About as good as usual. No nightmares this time though.” She smiled, stretching her arms above her head, causing her bones to click.
“I’m glad, Padawan. Nightmares are never great. Expected, but not fun to deal with.”
“I know Skyguy. But you taught me how to centre myself so they can’t affect me.”
“Well yeah, but even so, sometimes that doesn’t work. Even for me.” He shrugged, walking over to Ahsoka and patting her on the head. She sighed and nodded, quickly wrapping her arms around his torso. He smiled and returned the hug, ignoring the voice in the back of his head that annoyingly sounded like his former Master, telling him to not get too close to his Padawan. The two stayed like that for a few moments, allowing themselves to feel the relief that passed through their bond that they had both lived through yet another mission. A knock from the door to their quarters startled the two apart, both subconsciously reaching for their lightsabers.
“Who is it?” Anakin called, gently pushing his Padawan slightly behind him.
“General Skywalker. It’s Captain Rex.”
They both sighed in relief, instantly relaxing at the sound of the clone captain’s familiar voice. He cleared his throat and strode over to the door, opening it for his friend.
The metal door slid open and there stood his long time friend and Clone Captain Rex, the familiar blue and white clone trooper helmet beneath his arm. Anakin smiled at the clone and gestured for him to come inside. Rex smiled back at his General, gently patting him on the shoulder as he passed, making his way over to the young Jedi still in the middle of the room. Ahsoka beamed and rushed to meet the captain, wrapping her arms around him happily. Rex chuckled and hugged her back with his free arm, gently cradling the back of her head.
“It’s only been a few hours since we’ve seen each other, Ahsoka.” He chuckled, stepping away a fraction to peer at the young girl’s face.
“I know. But it got close this time.”
“As it usually does. But it’s nothing we can’t come back from. We lost some ground today and had to retreat. One lost battle will not dictate the course of this war.” Anakin frowned, closing the door to their quarters and moving to their sides. Ahsoka frowned and looked up at her Master, tentatively letting him feel the concern and worries she held through their bond. He sighed and pressed his forehead against hers, sending back calming thoughts.
“I know you’re scared, Snips. We all are. But we have to do what we can for the cause, no matter what the risks are.”
“I know Master.”
He sighed and pulled his Padawan into a tight hug, trying his best to comfort the young Togruta. He had never been as good at comforting people as Obi-Wan had been, but he had to try for his Padawan’s sake. Rex frowned at the two and gently petted the back of her head, trying to help ease her. Anakin smiled appreciatively at his friend, grateful to have someone who wouldn’t question how close the Jedi Knight and the Padawan had become despite being warned otherwise. The clone captain nodded and quickly put his helmet down on the desk near them, before entrapping the pair in a hug. He allowed them to stay together for a few moments, allowing himself to feel relief that both his Padawan and friend made it out from that disaster of a battle. They hadn’t anticipated just how far things would go. They were outnumbered twenty to one and even with him and Ahsoka on the frontlines with the rest of the 501st, they would have lost tremendously. Only the yelling of his former Master’s voice through his comlink had made him realise that they needed to retreat. He frowned and kissed his Padawan’s forehead, gently pulling away from her.
“Did you need something Rex?” Anakin asked, looking over at the clone captain. Rex cleared his throat and nodded, “We have to make a temporary stop General. General Kenobi and the 212th need picking up. Something about a malfunction with their ship.”
“Alright, that shouldn’t be an issue. How much time will that add for us?” He asked, reaching over to grab his datapad from where he had left it.
“About a day or so. You should probably let the Council know General.”
“Yeah, let’s go do that. Come on Snips.”
The young Padawan smiled and nodded at her Master, quickly grabbing her extra blaster from beside the bunk she had slept on.
The three made their way through the ship, stopping to check in on the rest of the 501st at Rex’s insistence. A few of them had been wounded in their hasty retreat from Geonosis, something none of them had been happy about. The members of the 501st were proud clones, proud of their reputation as being the most fearsome legion in the Clone Army, especially under General Skywalker, and side-by-side with the 212th and High General Kenobi. He watched as his Padwan did her best to cheer up their troops explaining to them where they were headed now. This seemed to perk a lot of them up, though it wasn’t unknown how close the two squadrons had become over the course of the war. Eventually, the three moved through the cockpit, nodding to the Admiral and making their way into a private room to contact the Jedi Council. Anakin sighed and started the communication with the Council, standing in between his Padawan and closest friend. Holograms of Master Yoda and Master Windu flickered before them, immediately turning their attention to the trio.
“Masters. We will be taking another day or two to come back home. Obi-Wan and his squad need picking up. Apparently there was a malfunction with their ship and they’ve requested aid.” He explained, starting to notice the feeling of the bandages beneath his clothing. His Padawan gently clutched at his wrist, sensing his discomfort.
“Then go and aid them, you must. Wait another few days, your report can.” Master Yoda soothed, nodding at the three.
“Of course Master. We are on course to go pick them up.”
“Injured young Skywalker, you are. Take care of yourself, you should. Caring for your squad is important but they, function without a general, cannot. Yesssss.”
“Yes Master. I will take care of my injuries.” He smiled, bowing to the hologram of the Grand Master.
“You’re reckless Skywalker. Your health should be a priority. We are already losing far too many Jedi. While your methods are questionable, Knight Skywalker, you are one of our best.” Master Windu frowned.
“Yes Master.” He nodded, bowing to the both of them.
“Your squad handling things, how are, hmmm? Like you young Skywalker just, they deal not with defeat well. To retreat from battle they dislike having. Hmmm.”
“They will be fine, Master Yoda. A few wounds, but we have enough bacta on board to heal both our own troops and Obi-Wan’s if necessary. I’m aware they don’t react to retreats very well. Unfortunately it’s a habit they’ve picked up from the three of us here.”
“Make sure, handling things well, are they. Disturb the Force, strong emotions will. We want not to alert any Sith to your location. You return home, keep their spirits high until. Hmmm.”
“Of course Master. We will see you in a few days.”
The two Jedi Grand Masters nodded and ended the communication, allowing the trio to breathe freely. His Padawan tugged gently on his arm, wanting his attention.
“Come on Master. You heard them. You have to let yourself heal too. And plus, I can sense your discomfort.” Ahsoka sighed, shaking her head at him.
“Yeah, yeah, alright Snips. We’ll go get ourselves healed up so Obi-Wan can’t yell at me for being hurt and not caring again.” He grinned, gently petting her head and leading them to the medbay.
Anakin let his Padawan take care of the wounds that he had hidden, knowing that it helped her to calm down, knowing that he was going to be okay. The clone captain sat with them, exchanging messages with both Obi-Wan and Cody, checking every hour to make sure they were still okay.
“You worry too much.” Anakin sighed, elbowing his friend gently.
“They’re stranded on a planet that could be attacked at any moment. We don’t know if they’re hurt or not. They’re our comrades, of course I’m worried.” Rex frowned, checking his comlink again.
“They’ll be okay. Master Kenobi is one of the best Jedi Knights ever. And Cody is the commander of the 7th Sky Corps as a whole for a reason.” Ahsoka soothed, gently holding the clone’s hand. He sighed and nodded, putting his comlink to the side.
“I know that. But after the past few days, it’s difficult to not worry. We could have lost our entire squad in that.”
“But we didn’t Rex. We’re okay. Minor injuries all round, but it’s to be expected. Nobody ever said this would be an easy war to win. But we have to keep going. We’re all afraid of losing our loved ones, my friend. I know I am. The lives of so many people rests on our shoulders. So many innocents depend on us. If the cost is our lives, then so be it. We’ll become one with the Force and help to inspire future generations with the sacrifices we’ve made. But in the end, all this fear, all this bloodshed, will be worth something. We’ll be free. And that’s the most important thing of all.”
The other two stared at the young Jedi Knight in awe, their mouths similarly agape.
“You know, that might be the most Jedi-like speech I’ve ever heard you make, Skyguy. You sure you’re not like Master Kenobi?” Ahsoka grinned, punching him playfully in the arm.
“Never tell him that. He won’t let me live that down.” He laughed, shoving his Padawan back gently. The three laughed, playfully shoving at each other. Ahsoka happily hopped onto the cot between her Master and her mentor, taking each of their hands in her own.
“We’re going to make it out of all this alive. I can feel it.”
“You bet we will Snips.” He smiled, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and smiling at his best friend over her head. Rex smiled back, wrapping his own arm around the young Togruta. The three stayed together in the medbay for hours, talking about one thing or another, trying to stop themselves from checking their comlinks constantly to see if the others were okay.
After hours in hyperspace without incident, the ship eventually emerged in a distant star system, setting its course for the coordinates Cody had sent to Rex’s comlink. Anakin had forgotten which star system his former Master had been sent to and for what reason, having been too focused on planning for yet another attempt at reclaiming Geonosis. He frowned and nervously fiddled with the hilt of his lightsaber, cursing his tunnel-vision not for the first time. His Padawan came to stay beside him, all her minor wounds having been healed over and now clad in her usual battle gear. He glanced at her, allowing her to feel his question through their bond, not wanting to speak.
“Just in case. We don’t know what’s on this planet. Better to be prepared.”
“You’re right, Snips. Good thinking.” He smiled, patting her on the head. She laughed and knocked his hand away, crossing her arms over her chest and staring out at the planet they had begun to approach. Anakin felt the clone captain come to stand at his other side, his armour having been repaired and polished already.
“They’re going to be okay. We’ll land, get them all on board and leave again. We’ll head back to Coruscant, report what happened to the Council and then hang around the Temple until our next mission.”
“Yes, General.”
Anakin sighed and glanced at his friend, unable to see the clone’s face since he had put his familiar blue and white helmet back on. His Padawan frowned worriedly, letting him feel her concern for their friend.
He’ll be fine Snips. Just worried, he thought, locking eyes with her. She sighed and nodded, staring out at the planet where their friends were waiting.
“General Skywalker.” Admiral Yularen called. He sighed and walked over to the Admiral’s side, watching as Ahsoka slid closer to Rex in his absence, wanting to comfort her mentor.
“What is it, Admiral?”
“We will begin descending in a moment. How would you like to play this?”
“We don’t know what’s here. Things may get hostile. Keep the ship hovering, don’t fully land. Me, Ahsoka and Rex will be the only ones going out. Keep the rest of the squad ready, in case we need backup. This should just be a pickup so we should be in and out no problem. But nothing ever goes right with us, so stay on guard. We’ll grab the 212th, Commander Cody and Obi-Wan as quickly as we can and come back. Have people in the medbay ready to attend to anyone that’s injured.”
“Of course General.” The Admiral smiled, saluting to him before turning on his heels to inform their squad of their commands. Anakin sighed and closed his eyes, letting his mind slip into the Force. He cautiously searched for Obi-Wan’s familiar signature, praying to the Daughter that he was still unharmed. He released a breath he hadn’t known he had been holding, as he sensed that familiar, comforting signature, as strong and bright as ever. He smiled and walked back over to the others, gently grabbing their shoulders.
“Obi-Wan is fine. Cody will be too. Let’s get ready to drop.”
“Yes, Master.”
“Yes, General.”
Mild panic clawed at the back of his mind as they stood before the bay doors, waiting for them to open so they could rescue their friends. His Padawan gently reached out and took his hand in hers, gently squeezing. He smiled and squeezed her hand back, sending as much positivity and calmness through their bond as he could manage.
“Let’s go get our comrades and get home.” Rex said, pulling his blasters from their holsters. The two Jedi nodded, disentangling their hands and activating their lightsabers. The bay doors opened with a shudder, revealing the new landscape to the trio. Sprawling fields of vivid greens rose to greet the descending ship, hues of purple, blue and red splashed throughout. Before them laid a climbing mountain range, jagged peaks stabbing at the sky above them. In the field below, was the ship they had been looking for. The trio looked at each other for a moment, before leaping from the hovering ship, intent on finding their comrades. They land safely within the grass, instinctively pressing their backs together and raising their weapons. After a few moments of nothing, the trio began quietly making their way to the seemingly deserted ship. Outwardly nothing seemed to be wrong with it; no smoke, no fire, no holes anywhere. Anakin could feel the concern and confusion emanating from his two companions and he signalled them to slow for a moment, allowing him to quietly inspect the ship. He could see no signs that their comrades had been here, other than the multiple tracks of footprints in the ground around them. He counted eight separate pairs of footprints, meaning that the entirety of the 212th and Obi-Wan still had to be alive. He quickly looked inside the ship, finding nothing inside, other than smears of blood across the floor and walls.
“Rex, Ahsoka!” He yelled, gesturing for them. The two sprinted over to his side, raising their weapons defensively.
“Blood? Force, that’s not good.” Ahsoka frowned, eyes darting around the open field they were standing in.
“Still alive?” The clone captain asked, stepping into the open bay doors and crouching to inspect the red smears on the floor.
“It’s not enough blood for any of them to have bled out. We have to assume that they’re still alive nearby. There are eight pairs of footprints so that means they’re all still mobile. I’ll get the Admiral to orbit in case this gets messy and we can signal him once we’ve found the others.” Anakin sighs, stepping away from the pair to make arrangements. He watched as his Padawan comforted the captain, rubbing gentle circles between his shoulder blades.
They’re going to be okay. They have to be Snips. We’ll find them and bring them home. I swear it, he thought, trying to soothe Ahsoka as best he could. She looked over at him frowning but nodded and quietly spoke to her mentor. He sighed and made his way back over to them, watching as the ship sped off into orbit, waiting for their signal to help. He knew that the 501st would hate it, but he couldn’t risk bringing them with while Kix was still fixing most of them up from their previous battles.
“Let’s go find them.”
“Yes, Master. Let’s go get our friends back.”
“And make whatever hurt them pay.”
Anakin smiled at the pair and nodded, turning to inspect any clues that the group had left behind for them to follow. Other than the blood smears, leftover gear and footprints, there wasn’t much for them to go off of.
“Alright Snips. Lesson time. What do you think they would have done based on what we have here?” He asked, turning to face his young Padawan. The girl frowned for a moment, fiddling with the hilt of her lightsaber while in thought.
“Okay, so we’re in an open field. If they were injured, staying here wouldn’t be the best course of action. They’d need better shelter, especially since we don’t know what’s here or why they were sent here in the first place. Blood could lure predators towards them and in an open field, there isn’t anywhere to go. It looks like the footprints head in the direction of that mountain range. It could have caves where they’ve hidden themselves. It would allow for cover and shelter from both the elements and creatures that could be here.”
He smiled proudly at her, petting her head.
“Well done, my Padawan. You’d be right. Finding cover with injured men would be a priority. Let’s go check it out.”
“General?” Rex called, removing his helmet and holding it underneath his arm.
“Yes Rex?”
“I think we should scour the ship to see if any important gear was left behind that could help us. If they’re wounded, there’s only so much General Kenobi would be able to heal with his connection to the Force without becoming too weak to fight himself. They may not be able to make it to the ship without medical aid first.” He reasoned, warily scanning their surroundings, clearly not comfortable with them being in such an open space.
“Smart as always, my friend. Let’s see if we can find any med supplies and extra gear, then we’ll head towards the mountains.” Anakin smiled, reaching over his Padawan to squeeze the clone captain’s shoulder in appreciation. His friend smiled at him, gently pushing his pale hair from his face and pivoting to go find supplies to help their comrades. The three spent a while combing the abandoned ship, having found multiple healing stims, bacta spray, bandages, spare blasters, and some spare armour. They split it into three packs and began to cautiously set off for the mountain range before them, keeping an eye on their surroundings and each other at all times. Throughout the vivid foliage were smears of red and partial drag marks, indicating the path their friends had taken to find shelter. They kept up the conversation between themselves, trying to distract themselves from having to think about the possibility of losing some of their closest friends and comrades. Anakin kept reaching out in the Force to try to grasp his former Master’s signature, but everything on this planet seemed to muffle their connection. He let out a frustrated huff and kicked a nearby rock into the high grasses around them.
“General?”
“It’s fine, I’m fine. Something is blocking my connection with Obi-Wan. He’s alive but I can’t reach his signature.” He frowned, huffing and tying his hair away from his face.
“That’s not normal, is it? I thought Force Bonds could be felt no matter what.” Ahsoka frowned, tightening her grip on her lightsaber.
“Yeah Snips. Usually no matter where he is, we can always reach each other. Something isn’t right about this place.”
“Let’s just get to them and get everyone back home.” Rex frowned. He readjusted the pack on his back and kept walking in the direction of the towering mountains before them. Up close, they could see hundreds of pockets in the sheer cliff faces, leading deep into the colossal natural structures. Anakin frowned and locked eyes with his Padawan before the two kept walking to keep pace with their friend. They kept following the stark blood trail as the terrain transitioned from soft earth to rough stone. Whoever had begun bleeding so much had clearly been carried by others in their squad, too weak to walk for themself. He selfishly prayed that it wasn’t Cody or Obi-Wan that had been injured so profusely, not wanting to lose either one in this Force-forsaken war.
The sun had begun to set beyond the horizon as the Jedi Knight, Padawan and clone captain began to ascend the twisting mountain range, intent on finding their friends alive. He tried to send as much calmness as he could to his companions, disliking how much worry and fear he could sense from the two. The cave before them was nothing out of the ordinary, but seemed to carry a distant warning within the Force itself. He knew that something wrong was going on with this planet. Shuffling further into the cave, the trio was met with the sound of far off dripping water. Watching their step, they traversed further down into the disorienting maze of pitch black.
“Master?”
“Yeah Snips?”
“They’re going to be fine right? They can’t have gone too far.” The young Togruta frowned, glancing over at her Master worriedly.
“They’re going to be fine, Ahsoka, I promise.” He sighed, gently petting her on the head and continuing to lead the way into the darkness.
The green and blue light from their sabers caught the glint of a wetness on the ground beneath them. Droplets of crimson that led deeper into the depths, slowly growing bigger.
“They have to be close by.” The clone captain whispered, crouching down to examine the blood. Anakin frowned and placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder, nodding at the way ahead of them. Just beyond the curve of the tunnel ahead of them, a faint light could be seen. The captain nodded to his General and quietly got to his feet, putting himself between the unknown light source and his friends. Together, the three followed the path, cautiously listening for any indication that it could be their missing comrades.
“Who goes there?”
“Master! It’s Anakin, Ahsoka and Rex! We got the coords.” He called, gesturing for the other two to remain where they were.
“Prove it!” Obi-Wan yelled back, the Jedi’s voice bouncing off the walls of stone surrounding them all.
“When I was still a youngling, you would let me sleep in your quarters. Even though it wasn’t usual for Padawans my age to still be doing so. I kept getting nightmares of my mother and you would always comfort me.”
“You all always make sure I’m taken care of. You all go out of your way to help train me when my Master can’t. Cody taught me how to work the datapads correctly when I was struggling.” His Padawan added, shuffling nervously beside him.
“I swore to keep both the 501st and 212th safe. If anything was to happen to you Codes, you made me swear to keep them together and safe. You made me swear on our vows.” Rex explained, gently touching the place beneath his armour where the matching tattoo of Cody’s was.
There was silence for a few moments, before blue light shone around the corner, illuminating the Jedi Knight it belonged to. Obi-Wan’s usually uniform brunette hair was a mess, coated in dirt, ash and blood. Crimson was smeared across his white robes, though the man himself didn’t seem to be injured in any way. Ahsoka sprinted forward and launched herself at the Jedi Master, wrapping her arms tightly around his torso. He stumbled for a moment before regaining his balance and embracing the young one just as tightly. Anakin smiled and sprinted over to his former Master, yanking the older man into a tight embrace, letting him sense his relief through the remnants of their own bond. The other smiled at him and hugged him back just as tightly, sending calming emotions to his former Padawan.
“Thank the Force you found us. Come on.”
Obi-Wan led the trio down the tunnel, which opened into a moderately large pocket of space where the 212th were waiting for them. Upon seeing his partner, Commander Cody launched himself at Rex, hugging him tightly. The clone captain laughed, wet and broken as he hugged him back just as tightly, reassuring the other that they were safe now. Anakin looked around at the rest of the 212th, assessing the extent of their injuries quickly. Boil had only a few visible bruises and a dent in his chest plate; Gearshift was sporting a bloody leg, twisted unnaturally; Longshot had his arm in a hastily-made sling, blood seeping steadily through the fabric; Trapper had bandages messily wrapped around half of his face, the other heavily bruised; Waxer and Wooley had only minor cuts and bruises across their visible skin.
“Let’s get to work, Snips. Major first, then minor.”
“Yes Master.” She nodded, immediately making her way over to Gearshift and pulling out the medical supplies she had found in the ship. It was a slow process to get all the clones fixed up enough to get back to the 501st ship with the minimal supplies that had managed to gather, but it was better than nothing. The Jedi worked together to Force heal what they could and bandaged the rest to the best of their abilities.
Obi-Wan. Are you hurt?, he asked through their bond, locking eyes with the other.
A little. I’m okay, I can heal on the ship. Focus on the troops first, came the reply along with soothing feelings. He sighed and nodded, turning his attention back to Wooley, wiping the clone’s cuts over with a bacta wipe. Once the last of the injuries had been cared for, he could feel the relief that swept through the 212th.
“Alright. We need to get back to our rendezvous point so the Admiral can pick us up. They’re in orbit waiting for our signal. I know it’s not ideal to be waiting in an open space, but it’s the best place for them to land.” Anakin explained, watching carefully as his clone captain tended to the bruise on his partner’s jaw.
“Open spaces aren’t ideal. But you’re right. If we’re careful and stick together, this shouldn’t be an issue. Remember, we still aren’t sure of the full extent of what lies on this planet so stay aware of your surroundings.” Obi-Wan added, looking around at each of his men. Anakin felt a faint wisp of guilt coming from the other, making him frown. He placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, squeezing gently. The Jedi Master sighed and smiled at him tiredly, appreciative of the other’s care.
“Just don’t leave anyone’s eyesight okay?” His Padawan smiled, shouldering her pack over her shoulders. All the clones nodded at the young girl’s words, moving towards the tunnel to lead them out. Together, they moved by the light of the three lightsabers, following the now dried trail of blood through the maze of darkness. He had Rex and Cody lead the way, knowing it would comfort the injured clones to see their leaders together. Anakin watched as his clone captain whispered something to the other and pressed a kiss to his temple, trying to soothe his partner’s frayed nerves. The commander nodded and pressed himself closer to Rex’s side, glancing over his shoulder periodically to check that his squad were still alright. The group safely made their way back to the entrance, the two moons of this new odd planet greeting them in the sky. Anakin sighed and sent the signal to Admiral Yularen, quickly checking to make sure they hadn’t lost anyone in the darkened tunnels. Thankfully everyone seemed to be accounted for, easing the panic clawing at the back of his brain. A gentle hand on his shoulder startled him out of his thoughts, his head snapping to meet the gaze of his former Master.
“What now Anakin?”
“We have to make it back over to the ship. We’ll only have the light of our sabers to go by, so I guess we pray to the Daughter that nothing tries to grab us on the way.” He shrugged, eyes scanning over the clones now in their care.
“We will be fine, Ani.”
He smiled at the other’s use of his childhood nickname and squeezed Obi-Wan’s forearm appreciatively before stepping back over to the rest of their group.
“So just across to the ship, right?” Cody asked, frowning at the distance before them all.
“Gar serim, cyar’ika. It should be fine.” Rex soothed gently, holding his partner’s hand gently, rubbing circles on the back with his thumb. Anakin had always noticed that when any of the clones seemed upset, they always reverted to speaking Mando’a as a form of comfort, which always made him smile.
“Hang onto one another with one hand and keep a weapon in the other. I’ll take the back and Obi-Wan can take the front. Snips, you stay in the middle.” He suggested, wanting to make sure they didn’t lose anyone in the dark grasslands. The clones all nodded in agreement and formed a line, gripping onto each other’s shoulders and holding their blasters in the other hand. Ahsoka frowned but did as she was told, putting herself in the middle of the line of clones. His former Master sighed and followed the other’s instructions, putting himself at the front of the line of clones. Rex grabbed Anakin’s wrist before he could get to his spot.
“Trust me Rex. I know what I’m doing.” He soothed, smiling at his friend to reassure the man. He frowned and stared at his General for a few moments before nodding and moving to stand behind his partner. His Padawan looked over her shoulder at him, frowning.
We’ve got this, Snips. Let’s get everyone home, he thought, smiling at her to try to soothe her worries. She smiled back at him and nodded, focusing forward.
Together, the group carefully made their way through the tall grassy plain back to the site of the abandoned ship, still untouched by any life forms on this planet.
You had better explain why you were all here once we’re on the ship Obi-Wan, Anakin thought, shoving it across the bond.
I will, Ani. Let’s just focus on getting everyone to safety first.
He sighed, knowing that the other was right and he should be focusing on getting back to the rendezvous point in one piece and getting off of this planet. He couldn’t help but wonder why the council had decided to send Obi-Wan and 212th all the way out here. He couldn’t recall anything about this star system, not even sure that he’d heard of it before. Clearly there seemed to be no threat of Separatist invasion out here, so he couldn’t help but puzzle at the council’s decision. The 212th were one of the best squadrons of clones they had and should have been helping regain ground, not investigating new planets. The group moved along without any issues, going cautiously so as to avoid alerting anything nearby to their presence. He watched as their ship descended silently and landed just next to the malfunctioned ship. He urged the others to pick their pace up a little, wanting to get their troops medical aid as quickly as possible. The bay doors opened with a creak, revealing the 501st waiting with weapons drawn for their arrival. The presence of their comrades urged the injured clones on, craving the closeness from their vode. He made sure that everyone was on board before he climbed aboard himself, putting the safety of his team before himself like always. Anakin felt an odd weighted stillness settle behind him, sending the hairs on the back of his neck on edge. He froze, not wanting to startle whatever was behind him into attacking.
“Master!”
“Anakin!”
The yells of his family startled him out of his shock, before jagged spikes pushed into his shoulder and tossed him through the air away from the ship. He impacted the earth heavily, his bones snapping and splintering beneath his skin in multiple places. His weapon flew out of his grasp, falling into the tall grass beyond in reach. His ears rang from the impact his body had made, causing his vision to blur and bile to rise in his throat. He grit his teeth against the sudden pain, panic clawing at him as he realised the breaths from his mouth sounded wrong. Too wet and ragged, too raw and stifling. The liquid built up in the back of his throat, triggering his gag reflex and making him throw up. Crimson splattered to the packed earth beneath him, making the panic clouding his thoughts build even further. Shakily he tried to rise from where that thing had thrown him, but found himself unable to use one of his arms. Cursing mentally, Anakin hauled himself up into a sitting position, the world spinning nauseatingly fast around him and quickly assessed his wounds. The arm he could not use was twisted unnaturally, blood pouring from the many entry points of what he assumed to have been the creature’s teeth. The entirety of the left side of his torso throbbed in pain, the splintered bones beneath his skin threatening to tear through the flesh at any moment. Distantly, bright flashes of red, green and blue drew his attention from the bloody mess of his arm. He couldn’t make out any discernible shapes, but his eyes latched into one small figure in the fray, knowing that it had to be his Padawan. He tried to get to his feet, needing to help his family fight whatever had caught him off guard. He had been so focused on making sure their squad got to safety that he had forgotten to keep an eye on his surroundings first.
He watched as his former Master and his Padawan pushed the creature back, flashes of green and blue striking at the thing’s hide, while the clones shot at it, streaks of red burning through the air. The thing collapsed with a screech that shook him to his very bones, rattling his ears even further. He could make out the shapes of his family getting closer, knowing that they would be calling for them but he could not hear past the throbbing headache behind his eyes and constant ringing in his ears. His Padawan got to him first, collapsing beside him practically sobbing, shakily trying to stop the bleeding from his shoulder. Obi-Wan knelt beside her, grabbing his face in his hands and trying to get him to focus. The Jedi Knight’s attention was pulled towards his Padawan, unhappily noticing the bleeding scratch on her arm. Shakily he grabbed Ahsoka’s arm, clumsily ripping cloth from his robe and trying to stop the bleeding. She let out a wet laugh at this, relief flooding their bond that he was still enough himself to care for her before him. He watched Obi-Wan yell something to their troops, who all sprinted back to the ship, only to return moments later with a stretcher between them and the 501st medic Kix alongside them. He distantly felt them move him into the stretcher and carry him back to the ship, though it felt as if he were watching it all happen from outside of his own body. All he could remember before everything went back was his Padawan’s face, tears still falling from her eyes and covered in his blood. He shakily cupped her face in his hand and smiled faintly as she pressed into it, before everything went dark.
His unconsciousness was painted with blinding streaks of greens, blues and reds, flashes of the wounds his troops had gotten and the tear-covered face of his Padawan. As the world around him began to feel more real and light leaked into his eyelids, the first thing Anakin noticed was a heavy weight in the palm of his hand. His bones felt like that had been tripled in weight and he could barely feel his right arm. Groaning in pain, he opened his eyes to the tiled ceiling of the ship’s medbay, crammed with both the 510st and 212th, all fast asleep sprawled on the floor or other beds of the small med room. Asleep in chairs beside him were his Padawan and former Master, having seemingly drifted to unconsciousness while keeping an eye on him. Ahsoka’s hand clasped his own tightly, as if she were keeping him with them all by force if she had to. The only one still conscious was his captain.
“You’re an idiot.”
“Tell me something I don’t know.” He grinned crookedly, gently easing the young girl’s tight grip on his hand.
“You could have died.”
“But I didn’t.”
“We almost lost you, Anakin.”
He frowned at his friend’s tone, realising that the other was genuinely upset that he had gotten hurt. He looked over at him, noticing his partner cuddled against Rex’s side, soundly asleep.
“It was important to get the 212th on board, Rex. Besides, you all saved me so it’s okay. I’m okay.” He soothed, gently pushing calming emotions towards his captain’s signature in the Force. Rex sighed and shook his head, gently playing with his partner’s hair to calm himself down.
“I understand your need to protect us, Anakin. But you’re important too. Master Yoda was right, we can’t function without you. You’re what gives us our purpose. You brought both of these squads together in a family, Anakin. You don’t understand just how important you are to us all. You don’t understand how much it would crush us all to lose you. Not just as a General or Master. But as a friend. As part of our family. You’re as much my brother as the rest of my vode are. It would destroy Obi-Wan and Ahsoka to lose you too.”
Anakin sighed and nodded, even though it hurt to move even slightly.
“I know, Rex. I know.”
“Then stop doing it. Stop always putting us above you. Let us look after you as much as you look after us. It’s only fair.” The clone captain sighed, locking eyes with his friend. He frowned and gently traced patterns onto the back of his Padawan’s hand, pushing soothing feelings through their bond to make sure she had peaceful dreams.
“Anakin?”
“Okay. Fine, I’ll try. No promises.”
“That’s all I ask.”
He nodded and stared at his former Master for a few moments. The other man clearly hadn’t cleaned himself up before waiting at his bedside. Dried blood was still smeared across his skin and clothing, the dirt and ash clinging to the lines of his face.
“Nobody has left the room since Kix let us in.” Rex sighed, noticing his General’s concern.
“Di’kuts.”
The clone commander laughed at this, grinning at his long-time friend. Anakin grinned back, letting the relief and exhaustion of the past few days finally catch up to him.
“Should we wake them up?”
“Nah, let them sleep. We all deserve it.” He smiled, squeezing his Padawan’s hand gently. Rex chuckled and nodded, pulling his partner closer in their position on the floor beside the door.
“Sleep well General.”
“You too Rex.”