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Jan. 23rd, 2013 12:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ladyofleithianTITLE: No Power In The Galaxy
SUMMARY: Anakin will be damned if he lets the Force take away Ahsoka and Obi-Wan from him.
PROMPT: Huddle for warmth
DISCLAIMER: Don't own shit.
WARNINGS: Um, bit of a dark ending, really. Other than that, can't say many warnings apply.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Mostly me playing around a bit more in the Clone Wars rewrite 'verse. Yeah, I'll admit I'm kind of rewriting it. Because while it's pretty good, there's a few parts of it that bug me enough to make me want to rework it a bit.
To say that the two of them were in trouble was probably an understatement, really. They had crashed their ship Force knows how many miles from any sort of civilization, and they were in a cave, and they were freezing. Well, at least semi-freezing. At the very least, they had blankets with them. Blankets, Obi-Wan said, were probably their best defense at the moment.
Anakin never thought that he and Obi-Wan would be in a situation where one of them would say that with a completely straight face. But then again, he supposed that desperate times did call for desperate measures, really.
It was long after Anakin had set up the transmitter that he headed back towards Obi-Wan, and the blankets, along with Ahsoka. "You two all right?"
"Relatively," Ahsoka said, smiling if only weakly.
Anakin climbed next to them, snuggling beneath the blankets. "Warm enough?"
"In a matter of speaking," Obi-Wan said. "Although, personally, I would prefer if we were out of this cave...preferably immediately."
Anakin sighed. "I know. I think right now, though, we should get some sleep." Force knows that he needed it, more than anything else. And Force knows that Obi-Wan and Ahsoka needed it as well.
He didn't think he'd actually been this close to the both of them before. But if nothing else, he couldn't say he was complaining. Being stuck on an icy wasteland of a planet was, to put it bluntly, kind of terrifying.
But stuck with his master and his Padawan? Perhaps it wasn't too bad.
***
It was one of those dreams that Obi-Wan wished would stop happening. Being held captive by Dooku along with Ahsoka and Anakin, listening to Dooku's announcement that Naboo would either join him or be destroyed -- almost everyone on the planet wiped out. And worse than that, the sound of something new in those dreams -- horrible, hideous laughter, and krayt dragon yellow eyes. Even as Obi-Wan jolted awake, he was gasping for breath, shivering, sweating -- if nothing else, he was irritated yet oddly grateful for Anakin's half-joking complaint about Obi-Wan stealing the blankets. At least it took some attention away from the nightmare.
"Pot, kettle," Obi-Wan said. "Personally, I don't think I was as bad as you were as a Padawan."
"I wasn't that awful, Master," Anakin said, but he was smiling all the while.
"How about you're both awful at sharing blankets," Ahsoka said, grinning, "And we'll leave it at that?"
They laughed in spite of themselves. If nothing else, it was at least enough for Obi-Wan to keep his mind off the nightmare. Then Anakin grew more serious.
"Master," he said, "What happened?"
Obi-Wan took a deep breath and told him. He couldn't say that it was easy, and yet...
Anakin's brows seemed to have furrowed if only slightly. "You think that Sidious -- "
"It might not be," Obi-Wan said, "And yet it might." He sighed, ran a hand through his long, ginger hair, some of which still stuck to his face with sweat. "I'm not sure. But *don't* worry about me, Anakin. I will be fine."
Anakin's eyebrows seemed to lift if only in concern, but he nodded. Obi-Wan felt almost bad about pushing Anakin away like that, and yet at the same time, if nothing else, he didn't want to worry him. Anakin had plenty to worry about without his Master contributing.
Even as Anakin went back to sleep, Obi-Wan almost envied him. He doubted he could get back to sleep. If nothing else, at least in terms of watching Anakin sleep, he could watch over him. Protect him. He had sworn to do that after Qui-Gon had died, and while he could not say that he was perfect (then again, neither was Anakin. It didn't make Obi-Wan care for him any less), he did his best.
Master Yoda would have most likely scoffed at that ("Do or do not. There is no try.") and yet it was true. He did his best. And he would keep doing his best as long as he could.
Obi-Wan settled back into the blankets now, but there was a certain amount of tension in it as well. Even as Anakin groaned and turned over in his sleep, murmuring something Obi-Wan couldn't make out, Obi-Wan kept a close eye on him. It was the best he could do, looking after him. It was what he was made to do.
***
It was later when they at least tried getting something back to the Republic. Anakin now typed in the code back to the Republic, the frequency that would most likely get them back, at least. He'd always been good at making things, really; indeed, one of his earliest attempted inventions was trying to make a scanner that would locate the tracking device slaves on Tatooine had in their backs, if only to keep them from running away (after all, people wouldn't want to lose their slaves, really, or a good source of profit), and though he couldn't say that he had quite refined it, it at least allowed him to do something useful. Indeed, making things was one thing that kept him sane through his early life as a slave -- that and Kitster and Wald and the others. Now, at least, this transmitter could get the code back to the Republic over long distances -- for example, if they were stuck in the middle of nowhere.
Even Anakin didn't know how successful they would be -- and he supposed that was why neither the Separatists nor the Republic seemed to have an interest in this planet, at least as far as he knew -- but he had to at least try. It was much later, finally, that he got something back from the Republic -- from Master Yoda to boot. "Knight Skywalker?"
"Master Yoda," Anakin said, trying vainly to keep his voice level instead of thank-the-Force-you're-here, "We're stranded on the planet of...well, as far as I can tell, it's nothing but snow and ice as far as the eye can see. No signs of life that I can tell."
"On Nimbus IV, you are?"
Should have checked the name or something. "Yeah," he said, "We're there." He supposed he should have known. Nimbus IV didn't have many inhabitants -- other than the Snow Beasts, who were more than willing to eat anything that crossed their paths. Anakin supposed he should be grateful that they didn't see any Snow Beasts around.
"Heading there immediately, we are."
"That's good to know," Anakin said. He paused. "How long before -- "
"As soon as we possibly can."
Well, that's reassuring, Anakin thought, if only darkly. Still, he tried to at least keep calm. "That's good to know."
"Indeed. Yoda out."
Once the transmission ended, Anakin headed back towards the blankets, towards Obi-Wan and Ahsoka. There was a long silence before Obi-Wan spoke. "You seem to be troubled, Anakin."
"I'm fine," Anakin said. "I'm just..." He sighed. "We're stuck on a planet filled with creatures that we mostly thought were bedtime stories, and it's going to take a while before Master Yoda finds us." He ran a hand through his hair if only wearily. "I think now might be a good time to start worrying."
"Don't say that." Ahsoka, this time. "You don't panic that easily."
Anakin gave her a weak smile. "I kind of do." He sighed. "I've just gotten better at hiding it."
They huddled together now, close in Obi-Wan's embrace, close in the blankets. Anakin was almost frightened at Obi-Wan's expression even in that moment, almost as if, he mused, he was daring the Force to try and take his former apprentice and one of his closest friends from him. And yet there was something in Anakin that admired him, if only because, in a way, he felt the same. Because no one was going to take anyone he loved from him. No one.
***
It was early morning when the transmission came back. Groaning, Anakin stumbled towards the transmitter and spoke. "Anakin Skywalker here."
"Arrived, we have. Sending the scouting party, we are."
The familiar voice of Master Yoda was enough to lift Anakin's spirits, if only somewhat. Then he faltered. "How are you even going to get through all that snow?"
"Impossible, nothing truly is."
Anakin smiled if only faintly. "I kind of knew that. I guess I'm just...kind of nervous is all." A pause. "Being stranded on Nimbus does that to you, I guess."
"Where are you?"
"We're in one of the caves," Anakin said. "Call it..." He smiled faintly. "Call it a place to stay for the night."
"Which one?"
"To the northeast, I think."
A pause. "Understood, this is. Yoda out."
The transmission ended. Anakin turned to Obi-Wan, who smiled at him if only a bit wryly. It was one of Obi-Wan's old smiles that Anakin hadn't realized he missed -- a hint of wryness in it, but also, a hint of affection. "And you thought this was a good time to start panicking."
Anakin laughed. "Well, if I have to listen to Yoda's lectures on responsible piloting or something, I might have to start panicking..."
But in all truth, Anakin felt, even in that moment, like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Master Yoda was coming. Everything would be all right.
***
It was much later, long after a battle with the Snow Beasts on the way to the shuttle that Anakin walked inside, exhausted but grinning, along with the others. Captain Rex, helmet removed, stood there, smiling as well. "Welcome back, General."
Anakin grinned. "I'm glad to be back."
Even as they had time to reunite with the others, even as the shuttle lifted off from Nimbus IV, Anakin knew that that was one planet that he would be happy to never see again. Or at least, one situation he would be happy to not get stuck in again.
And if nothing else -- the Clone Wars seemed so determined to split up the team -- Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Padme Amidala Skywalker, Ahsoka Tano, and so many others -- and they never really did. That one time Obi-Wan had gotten lost (and been presumed dead) and had to find a way back to the Republic, for example. But they never really split them up, and that, Anakin thought, was the way it should be.
Because if nothing else, he would be damned if he lost anyone during this war. Even now, though most didn't really realize it (perhaps Obi-Wan did, or Ahsoka), Anakin Skywalker looked into the heart of the Force, the creature that had taken away those he'd cared for, and challenged it. After all, it was what he was made for, at least in a way. One of many things he was made for. It was what he did -- surviving the impossible. It was who he was, and nothing would change that.
And so, in his way, he looked into the heart of the Force and made this challenge.
Go on. Take people I care for away from me. I dare you.
SUMMARY: Anakin will be damned if he lets the Force take away Ahsoka and Obi-Wan from him.
PROMPT: Huddle for warmth
DISCLAIMER: Don't own shit.
WARNINGS: Um, bit of a dark ending, really. Other than that, can't say many warnings apply.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Mostly me playing around a bit more in the Clone Wars rewrite 'verse. Yeah, I'll admit I'm kind of rewriting it. Because while it's pretty good, there's a few parts of it that bug me enough to make me want to rework it a bit.
To say that the two of them were in trouble was probably an understatement, really. They had crashed their ship Force knows how many miles from any sort of civilization, and they were in a cave, and they were freezing. Well, at least semi-freezing. At the very least, they had blankets with them. Blankets, Obi-Wan said, were probably their best defense at the moment.
Anakin never thought that he and Obi-Wan would be in a situation where one of them would say that with a completely straight face. But then again, he supposed that desperate times did call for desperate measures, really.
It was long after Anakin had set up the transmitter that he headed back towards Obi-Wan, and the blankets, along with Ahsoka. "You two all right?"
"Relatively," Ahsoka said, smiling if only weakly.
Anakin climbed next to them, snuggling beneath the blankets. "Warm enough?"
"In a matter of speaking," Obi-Wan said. "Although, personally, I would prefer if we were out of this cave...preferably immediately."
Anakin sighed. "I know. I think right now, though, we should get some sleep." Force knows that he needed it, more than anything else. And Force knows that Obi-Wan and Ahsoka needed it as well.
He didn't think he'd actually been this close to the both of them before. But if nothing else, he couldn't say he was complaining. Being stuck on an icy wasteland of a planet was, to put it bluntly, kind of terrifying.
But stuck with his master and his Padawan? Perhaps it wasn't too bad.
***
It was one of those dreams that Obi-Wan wished would stop happening. Being held captive by Dooku along with Ahsoka and Anakin, listening to Dooku's announcement that Naboo would either join him or be destroyed -- almost everyone on the planet wiped out. And worse than that, the sound of something new in those dreams -- horrible, hideous laughter, and krayt dragon yellow eyes. Even as Obi-Wan jolted awake, he was gasping for breath, shivering, sweating -- if nothing else, he was irritated yet oddly grateful for Anakin's half-joking complaint about Obi-Wan stealing the blankets. At least it took some attention away from the nightmare.
"Pot, kettle," Obi-Wan said. "Personally, I don't think I was as bad as you were as a Padawan."
"I wasn't that awful, Master," Anakin said, but he was smiling all the while.
"How about you're both awful at sharing blankets," Ahsoka said, grinning, "And we'll leave it at that?"
They laughed in spite of themselves. If nothing else, it was at least enough for Obi-Wan to keep his mind off the nightmare. Then Anakin grew more serious.
"Master," he said, "What happened?"
Obi-Wan took a deep breath and told him. He couldn't say that it was easy, and yet...
Anakin's brows seemed to have furrowed if only slightly. "You think that Sidious -- "
"It might not be," Obi-Wan said, "And yet it might." He sighed, ran a hand through his long, ginger hair, some of which still stuck to his face with sweat. "I'm not sure. But *don't* worry about me, Anakin. I will be fine."
Anakin's eyebrows seemed to lift if only in concern, but he nodded. Obi-Wan felt almost bad about pushing Anakin away like that, and yet at the same time, if nothing else, he didn't want to worry him. Anakin had plenty to worry about without his Master contributing.
Even as Anakin went back to sleep, Obi-Wan almost envied him. He doubted he could get back to sleep. If nothing else, at least in terms of watching Anakin sleep, he could watch over him. Protect him. He had sworn to do that after Qui-Gon had died, and while he could not say that he was perfect (then again, neither was Anakin. It didn't make Obi-Wan care for him any less), he did his best.
Master Yoda would have most likely scoffed at that ("Do or do not. There is no try.") and yet it was true. He did his best. And he would keep doing his best as long as he could.
Obi-Wan settled back into the blankets now, but there was a certain amount of tension in it as well. Even as Anakin groaned and turned over in his sleep, murmuring something Obi-Wan couldn't make out, Obi-Wan kept a close eye on him. It was the best he could do, looking after him. It was what he was made to do.
***
It was later when they at least tried getting something back to the Republic. Anakin now typed in the code back to the Republic, the frequency that would most likely get them back, at least. He'd always been good at making things, really; indeed, one of his earliest attempted inventions was trying to make a scanner that would locate the tracking device slaves on Tatooine had in their backs, if only to keep them from running away (after all, people wouldn't want to lose their slaves, really, or a good source of profit), and though he couldn't say that he had quite refined it, it at least allowed him to do something useful. Indeed, making things was one thing that kept him sane through his early life as a slave -- that and Kitster and Wald and the others. Now, at least, this transmitter could get the code back to the Republic over long distances -- for example, if they were stuck in the middle of nowhere.
Even Anakin didn't know how successful they would be -- and he supposed that was why neither the Separatists nor the Republic seemed to have an interest in this planet, at least as far as he knew -- but he had to at least try. It was much later, finally, that he got something back from the Republic -- from Master Yoda to boot. "Knight Skywalker?"
"Master Yoda," Anakin said, trying vainly to keep his voice level instead of thank-the-Force-you're-here, "We're stranded on the planet of...well, as far as I can tell, it's nothing but snow and ice as far as the eye can see. No signs of life that I can tell."
"On Nimbus IV, you are?"
Should have checked the name or something. "Yeah," he said, "We're there." He supposed he should have known. Nimbus IV didn't have many inhabitants -- other than the Snow Beasts, who were more than willing to eat anything that crossed their paths. Anakin supposed he should be grateful that they didn't see any Snow Beasts around.
"Heading there immediately, we are."
"That's good to know," Anakin said. He paused. "How long before -- "
"As soon as we possibly can."
Well, that's reassuring, Anakin thought, if only darkly. Still, he tried to at least keep calm. "That's good to know."
"Indeed. Yoda out."
Once the transmission ended, Anakin headed back towards the blankets, towards Obi-Wan and Ahsoka. There was a long silence before Obi-Wan spoke. "You seem to be troubled, Anakin."
"I'm fine," Anakin said. "I'm just..." He sighed. "We're stuck on a planet filled with creatures that we mostly thought were bedtime stories, and it's going to take a while before Master Yoda finds us." He ran a hand through his hair if only wearily. "I think now might be a good time to start worrying."
"Don't say that." Ahsoka, this time. "You don't panic that easily."
Anakin gave her a weak smile. "I kind of do." He sighed. "I've just gotten better at hiding it."
They huddled together now, close in Obi-Wan's embrace, close in the blankets. Anakin was almost frightened at Obi-Wan's expression even in that moment, almost as if, he mused, he was daring the Force to try and take his former apprentice and one of his closest friends from him. And yet there was something in Anakin that admired him, if only because, in a way, he felt the same. Because no one was going to take anyone he loved from him. No one.
***
It was early morning when the transmission came back. Groaning, Anakin stumbled towards the transmitter and spoke. "Anakin Skywalker here."
"Arrived, we have. Sending the scouting party, we are."
The familiar voice of Master Yoda was enough to lift Anakin's spirits, if only somewhat. Then he faltered. "How are you even going to get through all that snow?"
"Impossible, nothing truly is."
Anakin smiled if only faintly. "I kind of knew that. I guess I'm just...kind of nervous is all." A pause. "Being stranded on Nimbus does that to you, I guess."
"Where are you?"
"We're in one of the caves," Anakin said. "Call it..." He smiled faintly. "Call it a place to stay for the night."
"Which one?"
"To the northeast, I think."
A pause. "Understood, this is. Yoda out."
The transmission ended. Anakin turned to Obi-Wan, who smiled at him if only a bit wryly. It was one of Obi-Wan's old smiles that Anakin hadn't realized he missed -- a hint of wryness in it, but also, a hint of affection. "And you thought this was a good time to start panicking."
Anakin laughed. "Well, if I have to listen to Yoda's lectures on responsible piloting or something, I might have to start panicking..."
But in all truth, Anakin felt, even in that moment, like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Master Yoda was coming. Everything would be all right.
***
It was much later, long after a battle with the Snow Beasts on the way to the shuttle that Anakin walked inside, exhausted but grinning, along with the others. Captain Rex, helmet removed, stood there, smiling as well. "Welcome back, General."
Anakin grinned. "I'm glad to be back."
Even as they had time to reunite with the others, even as the shuttle lifted off from Nimbus IV, Anakin knew that that was one planet that he would be happy to never see again. Or at least, one situation he would be happy to not get stuck in again.
And if nothing else -- the Clone Wars seemed so determined to split up the team -- Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Padme Amidala Skywalker, Ahsoka Tano, and so many others -- and they never really did. That one time Obi-Wan had gotten lost (and been presumed dead) and had to find a way back to the Republic, for example. But they never really split them up, and that, Anakin thought, was the way it should be.
Because if nothing else, he would be damned if he lost anyone during this war. Even now, though most didn't really realize it (perhaps Obi-Wan did, or Ahsoka), Anakin Skywalker looked into the heart of the Force, the creature that had taken away those he'd cared for, and challenged it. After all, it was what he was made for, at least in a way. One of many things he was made for. It was what he did -- surviving the impossible. It was who he was, and nothing would change that.
And so, in his way, he looked into the heart of the Force and made this challenge.
Go on. Take people I care for away from me. I dare you.
