Chapter 13

Obi-Wan woke slowly, dragging himself out of the fog of unawareness, the haze leaving him only reluctantly. It was remarkably similar to awakening from a drugged or inebriated state of being, though Obi-Wan could not remember being inflicted with any toxins. However, his memory wasn't too reliable of an account, given that his capturers could have given him something while he was knocked out. Perhaps sneaking to Geonosis without properly contacting Anakin beforehand hadn't been the best of moves, but it wasn't as if he had much of a choice. Anakin's mind had been too messy to navigate and his comm didn't reach Coruscant. Obi-Wan could only hope that Anakin had gotten his recording and forwarded it.

His body ached when he tried to sit up and any attempt at figuring out where exactly he was besides in a room shrouded in darkness was for naught. Great situation you got yourself into, Kenobi.

Obi-Wan dropped his head back against the wall, wincing when that made his head rang. He was bound to be concussed. His attackers certainly hadn't cared too much about what state they left him in.

Reaching out with the Force was also not much of a success as he felt his connection restrained. He frowned in displeasure, trying to make out anything on the cuffs on his wrists, but it was too dark and he couldn't feel anything. If he weren't injured, perhaps he could break out of them, but as it were—

"Are you awake?"

Obi-Wan raised his head, looking into the direction the voice had come from. He still couldn't see in the dark, but he heard chains moving until, after a moment, a small hand reached for his leg.

"Jedi?"

He knew that voice.

"Boba Fett?" Obi-Wan asked. "Is that you? What are you doing here?"

Last Obi-Wan had known, the boy was still with his father. They had landed on Geonosis, Obi-Wan following him, and then— blackout. It frustrated Obi-Wan like nothing else that he had no idea what happened after.

"The Jedi took Dad," Boba said.

The Jedi? No, that made no sense. The Jedi wouldn't let Obi-Wan remain imprisoned, never mind do the same to a child like Boba. Obi-Wan wanted to question him more, but he didn't need the Force to tell what Boba really meant going by how much the boy's voice had shaken.

"I'm sorry."

Silence fell over them.

X

Hours passed. Obi-Wan was worried, bored, and in pain. He still couldn't see any better, but he had moved slightly into the general direction Boba was in, offering comfort the boy had been quick to accept. If he had to watch his father die, presumably killed by someone pretending to be a Jedi – or worse, looking just like them but being far more malicious – there was a chance the boy would reject him. Instead, he had curled up next to Obi-Wan, face hidden in his robes. No words passed between them; the room was as silent as the grave until the door finally opened. Light entered the room, hurting Obi-Wan's eyes until he adjusted to it. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw who it was.

"Master Kadann," Obi-Wan said when he made out the older man.

Kadann had left the Order only a short while ago, but Obi-Wan still remembered it. The news had spread like wildfire and Anakin hadn't been too happy about it. That Obi-Wan remembered particularly well. How much Anakin had fret when he had heard the Master had left the temple, saying that it wouldn't help Kadann.

Anakin had been so worried about the growing—

Darkness. Choking, strangling, do you feel how strong it has grown, dear child?

Next to Obi-Wan, Boba trembled. "The Jedi," he whispered, grieving terrified boy.

Obi-Wan wished he had his lightsaber.

This was not a Jedi anymore.

X

Anakin came back to the base with a Hutt child in his arms, fear haunting his frame even more than before. The winds appeared strong enough to whisk him away, easily making him fracture.

"Anakin—" Padmé started but stopped when she saw the state he was in.

Blood.

Anakin was dressed in it like Shiraya on her wedding night.

Splatters of it were in his hair, in his ripped tunics. Only his arms, his hands with which he was touching the child, were spared of it, childish innocence washing gruesome death clean.

"Jabba is dead," Anakin said. "I killed them, all of them. His child— they can stay somewhere. With the Jedi, maybe. I—"

He looked distracted, absent, like he was trying to shake off the fog. "Obi-Wan is in danger. I felt it, feel it. But there's something wrong, I can't sense him anymore, he's gone—"

Padmé thought if he continued, fell deeper into the pit clawing at him, he wouldn't be able to get out of it again. Anakin needed rest, peace, and quiet, but Padmé couldn't give him much of either. "We received a transmission from Obi-Wan. He ran into some trouble on Geonosis and asked for the message to be re-routed to the Council. I did so and also called Master Dooku. He is on his way here to help. Your mother will be alright."

She would be in safe hands.

Padmé deeply understood wanting to be at two places simultaneously, had experienced such so often in her life already.

"Shmi will be fine," Padmé said.

"I— I have to go," Anakin muttered. "I have to stay. I— He's— Obi-Wan needs me. Mom needs me. I know it, I can't—"

Helpless blue eyes looked at Padmé and, more than anything else, she wished she could ease his pain. "Anakin, you are in no state to fight," Padmé told him softly. She took the Hutt child from him and gave it to the closest rebel. Then she took Anakin's hands in her own. "The Council is on their way. Obi-Wan will be fine."

"But I can't sense him," Anakin croaked, allowed Padmé to pull him close and hid his face in her shoulder. "I am losing control of everything, Padmé. I can feel myself slipping and I don't know how or why. I don't see the way anymore. It feels as if there is something I'm supposed to know, but it's just out of reach and I can only keep my eyes on all of my loved ones and it's still not enough."

It was a weight tied to his legs, dragging him down.

"Obi-Wan needs my help," Anakin insisted. "And I need him. I need him to be my eyes and look and help me understand and guide me as he was supposed to." Anakin laughed; it was a bitter and small thing. "When I was young, I saw him in my dreams and was so convinced that he was made for me, I broke him apart to accommodate me. I can't lose him. I need to go."

Anakin's worry and loss were the color of his tabards. Padmé thought of the stories of her childhood. Shiraya, driven mad with fear, rushing to the night, through armies, to find her mortal wife again, bring them both back to their husband. She remembered being so shocked that the calm and good deity would lose control like that.

"Too human," her mother used to say. "She became too human, but with all her might and power, it was dangerous to lose sight of her divinity because it was still there."

Padmé thought Anakin might be like that. He had forgotten his purpose, and that which was terrifyingly beautiful lost its grace, scrambling for shards.

Padmé was no goddess, but she had been a Queen and in some cultures that was enough.

"Okay," Padmé replied. "Promise me you'll stay by my side."

He didn't promise.

Padmé took him anyway.

X

"Why are you doing this?" Obi-Wan asked Kadann as he dragged Obi-Wan through the halls, Boba stumbling behind him, barely keeping up but trying to hold his head high. Boba's face was swollen, but his expression was cold, devoid of the fear of shaking fingers clinging to Obi-Wan.

He had to keep Kadann's attention on him so he wouldn't hurt Boba. "What is this supposed to be?"

"The dawn of a new era," Kadann replied. "It cannot happen without some sacrifice. The death of a Jedi and a child, even if it is a clone, should be enough."

And so they were dragged to the arena floor.

X

Everything that could go wrong on Geonosis went wrong. Padmé thought that she really should have known better. Anakin was too distracted and too tired to fight with his full concentration and Padmé had been more exhausted than she thought. Her energy left her just as quickly until they found themselves captured and strapped to a pole.

Anakin had stopped breathing.

Padmé wasn't sure if he was aware of it, but his chest had stopped rising and falling a while ago. She had first noticed when they were already halfway to Geonosis.

It was only when Obi-Wan managed to get his shackles off that Anakin breathed again.

"I can feel you again," Anakin repeated. "I can feel you."

Obi-Wan looked at him with wide eyes. Padmé thought she saw fear in them. "Anakin, what happened?"

"I—"

Before Anakin could answer, the droids began attacking and Padmé focused on keeping herself and the kid of unexplainable origin safe as the two Jedi tried to protect them. Anakin seemed to be fraying at the edges while pulling himself back together in the same breath. Every once in a while, Padmé called out to him, unsure if a sound actually left her mouth or if she was just shouting in her head. He hadn't promised to stay at her side, but she had promised him. If her best friend decided to be reckless, she could be the responsible one for once.

Just until the armies arrived.

It pained Padmé that she was relieved at the sight of the armies she had tried so hard to protest.

X

Obi-Wan's bad day could, apparently, still get even worse. He hadn't quite anticipated that, but he really shouldn't be surprised. His life had been nothing if not a lesson in preparing for the worst and enduring the storm. They lost Padmé and Boba on the flight chasing after Kadann and Anakin was slipping, falling, breaking apart—

Obi-Wan didn't know what had happened. One day, his Padawan had been fine and then, within the span of one short mission, Anakin had lost so much of his control. What had he seen?

As soon as they saw Kadann, Anakin didn't waste another second before attacking him. He rushed into combat, terrifyingly protective of Obi-Wan, keeping him out of the battle to the best of his abilities. He fought with a desperation Obi-Wan had only seen once in his life and he wanted to scream, shout that this is not Naboo, that this was darkness. Obi-Wan was here and alive and Anakin needed to focus on reality.

Anakin leaped forward.

Obi-Wan stepped back. Pout of the corner of his eye, he saw a shadow, small, young, for a split-second, he thought it might be Boba. That moment of hesitation was enough as the shadow leaped at Obi-Wan, glowing red blade.

And then all he felt was pain.