"I'm still not entirely sure how good an idea this is, sir," Rex spoke quietly. He'd sat on most of his misgivings throughout the whole process of hiring transport to Kaller, and on the crowded transport itself, but now that they were making their way though Plateau City he felt the need to speak up at least once.
"Nor I, if I am to be entirely honest," Obi-Wan… no, Ben, Rex had to keep reminding himself that, spoke with something approaching wry humor.
"Then why are we all the way out here?" Rex asked, biting back the rest of what he wanted to say. Why were they out here when the whole point of their staying on Tatooine was to stay hidden and safe, as well as to keep a watch over Padme's child?
"I received a transmission from an old friend, he said the… venture that took place here on Kaller some months back may not have been as successful as some might have wished," Ben spoke casually, nothing that would have attracted the attention of anyone listening in, but Rex knew immediately what he was getting at.
"Who?" Rex asked bluntly. "And you know the odds of finding anyone, after all this time..."
"Caleb, and I know. But I thought it was worth the risk to check," Obi-Wan took the lead, wandering slowly through the streets. He had his hood up and looked as though he wasn't paying much attention, but Rex knew appearances were usually deceiving.
"On so little as a rumor?" Rex spoke quietly, not entirely expecting an answer.
"I also had a feeling, a hunch if you will," Obi-Wan admitted.
"A hunch. Well, I'd take your hunches over most people's solid evidence," Rex admitted, scanning around them and staying alert. He couldn't place the name, but that was no great surprise, names tended to blur together there at the end, and unless he was working with the General or Commander names and faces tended to slip from memory. It was a source of regret, but at the same time he wasn't sure if he could have remembered everyone and kept his sanity.
They were moderately in disguise, concealing cloaks that wouldn't be out of place in Kaller's chill damp weather, and Rex had a fairly shapeless hat pulled low, covering the still pink scar on the side of his head, and several months worth of untamed beard growing in. If the locals were especially good at identifying humans there would be no hiding that he shared the same face as so many others still in the service of the Empire, but he hoped no one would be expecting a defected clone trooper here and no one would think to look too closely. The same would hopefully go for the supposedly deceased traitor General Kenobi.
They finally arrived at a part of the city that seemed disreputable enough to suit Obi-Wan, making their way inside a bar and up to the counter. He listened as Obi-Wan spun a tale, a simple cover. Rex, not using that name of course, had in the past had an ill-advised affair with a women a long time ago and she had left with his only son. He'd heard a rumor that she might have ended up here with a human boy, fifteen now, and fallen on hard times. Did they know of any humans who might meet that description?
Most seemed disinterested in helping them, and they kept moving. Finally though, several bars and other unsavory public locations later they started finding some hope. No woman of course, since she was fictional, but a young human man had been seen around. He might have left, of course, but he did fit the description. Finally as it started getting dark Obi-Wan led them to a slightly better part of town to find a room to rent. Rex hesitated at spending too many credits, but they didn't have too many options. Besides, what else were they going to spend them on aside from bribes and arranging transport back? If worst came to worst they had other means of getting back, but attracting the least amount of attention was preferable.
"We'll go out again once it's light, I have no desire to go in after dark to some of the locations we'll be searching. I doubt we could convince anyone our intentions were benevolent," Obi-Wan said easily, taking one of the beds.
"No point in borrowing trouble. Do you think it's him?" Rex asked.
"It's more of a lead than I feared we might have," Obi-Wan said, sounding like he didn't truly want to hope just yet. Rex knew the feeling all too well.
Caleb slowly hauled himself out of the pile of ratty blankets that made up his bed, blinking at the light coming in through the cracks in the barred up windows. The building had been something before, offices maybe, but it had been abandoned and then condemned and then a sort of bolt-hole for people like himself. It kept the rain off, and it was relatively secure. He was a light sleeper, and the one time he'd woken up to someone trying to search him he'd stabbed them in the arm with a small vibroknife he kept close. No one else had tried since then. Now though, he'd overslept, and he struggled against the urge to close his eyes and try to sleep a little more. All his aches and discomforts blurred together and his thoughts felt hazy. He hauled himself up, swaying a little, and then tugged his cloak close against the ever-present chill, coughing into his sleeve. It was a nagging thing that hadn't gone away, but it wasn't as though he could buy anything for it, and medical supplies were always kept under tight watch.
Caleb knew he should try and find something to eat, but the thought made his stomach roll unpleasantly and he resolved not to think about food just yet. He stumbled a little on his walk to the door, bracing against the wall and letting his head hang. He was so tired, and it was hard to see much of a point to keep getting up and fighting, but he was too stubborn to stop. He drew in a shaky breath and continued on.
First stop was the pawn shop, the owner usually had a few jobs he could do, and he never asked too many questions when Caleb turned up with obviously stolen goods to sell. He was glad he wasn't ever expected to make much conversation, just given a box of filthy jewelry, some rags, and a bottle of metal polish that made the cuts on his hands sting and didn't help the urge to cough. He sat down heavily with it, without even his usual halfhearted complaints, just focusing on removing tarnish and whatever else and trying to ignore everything else.
"Oi, someone was asking about you yesterday," the shop-keep finally spoke, breaking the silence and startling Caleb.
"What?" Even though his haze, Caleb felt a stab of fear. No matter how tired he got and how convinced he would become that he was numb to the sensation, the smallest thing could bring the terror flooding back. Blaster-fire and death and needing to run.
"Or someone like you anyway," The Kalleran shrugged, bending down to start sorting through another container. He was, as best Caleb could tell, ancient for a Kalleran, thin and wiry with long trailing head tentacles. "Two men looking for one of them's lost bastard son. You missing a father?"
"I never knew my father, but really doubt that's him," Caleb spoke slowly, relaxing a tiny bit. The Empire wouldn't use such a ruse, would they? But bounty hunters might, his mind traitorously informed him.
"Eeh, just giving you the heads up. They were around The Salty Toad yesterday, might be around again today if you're curious."
"You always say curiosity's a good way to get bitten," Caleb managed a smile, hoping it didn't look at fake as it felt. The shop-keep chuckled and then got up to head back to the front as the door chimed.
Caleb didn't look up, staring at the half-scrubbed bracelet in his hand when the words from up front finally registered. Something he couldn't quite make out but in an accent that was achingly familiar, and then the shop-keep spoke up.
"Ah, you again." The voice came from the front and Caleb was moving without thinking. A familiar voice and men looking for him couldn't be good. He dropped the rag and the bracelet he had been working on, getting up and stumbling to the back door and out into the alley.
Caleb wasn't thinking, just moving, he'd come back later when they left. At the end of the alley he nearly ran into someone, looking up and the apology dying in his throat. The man may have had a beard, but there was no way he could forget that shared face. He knew he needed to do something, reach for his knife, his lightsaber, turn and run, something. But his body refused to respond, the final jolt of terror simply too much for it and the world seemed to spin, and then it went very dark.
Obi-Wan was finally feeling like he was getting somewhere. The old shop-keep obviously knew more than he was letting on, and his reluctance to talk seemed more out of protective suspicion and not wishing any trouble than out of a desire for a bribe. Obi-Wan was considering if he should push harder or simply keep an eye on the shop for a time when Rex pushed his way hurriedly through the door, holding a cloaked figure in his arms.
"He came running through the alley and then he collapsed," Rex spoke tensely, Obi-Wan tugged the figure's cloak away from his face, touching his cheek.
"This is him," Obi-Wan said, sure of it. The face was much thinner and careworn than the bright eyed youngling so full of questions that he remembered, but there was no doubt it was the same person. Caleb had survived. "He's burning up, he needs medical attention."
The shop-keep cursed quietly, starting around the counter. "The kid helps me out around the shop, thought he was looking a little poorly, but he didn't say a thing."
"He'll be fine now, we'll take care of him," Obi-Wan took his hand off Caleb's cheek, gesturing to put a little Force behind his words. As grateful as he was that some people had obviously cared about the teen's welfare, he wasn't in the mood to deal with them interfering.
"Right, you take care of him," The shop-keep nodded decisively, as if the thought had been his own, and Obi-Wan turned back to Rex and Caleb.
"Lets go," Obi-Wan hoped they would be able to care for him on their own, he had no wish to take him to a medical center unless the need was dire.
Rex carried him without complaint, and Obi-Wan suspected he was not much of a burden, as thin as he looked from just the touch. He had been surviving, but not thriving. He felt a stab of guilt at that, some of the first years he'd been Qui-Gon's padawan had been spent almost entirely on survival. How to talk to people, how to handle what space and nature could throw at you, all the small details of living in the universe that one couldn't learn from classrooms and datapads. Instead Caleb had been put as a Commander and while Obi-Wan wasn't privy to his Master's lessons, he imagined they were far more about surviving in wartime as a soldier, not as a fugitive.
Caleb hadn't yet shown any sign of waking up by the time they arrived back at the small room they had rented.
"Lets get him cleaned up before anything else," Rex suggested, and Obi-Wan nodded.
"I doubt it's any fault of his, but I would prefer it was a high priority, and it will give me a chance to see how badly off he truly is," Obi-Wan spoke gently, making sure the door was locked behind them before he started helping Rex strip Caleb down, putting the filthy cloth right into the cleaning unit. He patted gently at his pockets, not surprised to find his lightsaber, setting it down carefully on the rickety bedside table. The holocron was more of a surprise, but for the moment he set it beside the hilt. That likely explained how he knew to stay away, and Obi-Wan was glad his message had reached at least one.
Caleb didn't seem as bad off as he feared, no obvious injuries, but the fever worried him. He hoped it was simply a reaction to being under far too much stress and not something worse.
"Should I try and find him any medicine?" Rex cupped Caleb's cheek as the teen finally stirred a little.
"Antipyretics if you can find them, and something easy to eat," Obi-Wan said, taking his slight form, feeling him shiver as he hauled him into the tiny sonic shower in the 'fresher. It didn't take long before he was stretching Caleb out on the bed. The teen looked up at him blearily as he tucked a blanket around his shivering form, sitting beside him.
"Is this… am I seeing things?" Caleb asked hesitantly.
"That's a little difficult to answer without knowing what it is you think you're seeing. But I'm here, and quite real, and you're in a room I've rented on Kaller," Obi-Wan spoke calmly, settling his hand on Caleb's shoulder in hopes of grounding him some.
"Master… Kenobi? I got your message," Caleb said quietly, coughing at the end. Obi-Wan frowned slightly at that, he hadn't noticed the cough before, but if needed one of them could go back out for something to ease it.
"It's Ben Kenobi," Obi-Wan spoke gently, not that he thought there was anyone here to hear it if Caleb let his old name slip. Kenobi was common enough as a last name, and Ben even more so as a first.
"How did you find me?" Caleb asked, and Obi-Wan started to answer when he heard the door being unlocked.
"I'll tell you in just a minute," Obi-Wan assured him, glancing to the door as Rex came in, carrying a small shopping bag. He must have found someplace to get supplies more quickly than Obi-Wan had anticipated.
Caleb took one look at him and tensed, then he was scrambling, grabbing his lightsaber and trying to throw himself into a defensive stance between Rex and Obi-Wan.
"Stay back! You won't..." Caleb wavered a little as Rex stopped dead with surprise.
"That will be quite enough," Obi-Wan never raised his voice, reaching out and plucking the lightsaber out of Caleb's hands before he could register what was happening, turning it off. "Rex is not your enemy, now get back into bed before you hurt yourself. "
Caleb flushed darker, trembling and looking back to him, then to the door as Rex came inside just enough to close it behind him, but not coming any closer.
"But he… but the others..." Caleb tried to say.
"I know," Rex spoke up then, his voice heavy with regret. "They turned on you, betrayed you, killed your Master, killed almost everyone. But not all of us. I know it won't ever make up for what they did, but if you'll let me, I'd like to help you."
"I don't… I don't know," Caleb said after several long moments, biting back another cough, he was still trembling with exertion or chills or a combination of both and after a moment more he sat down heavily, tugging the blanket back over him like a makeshift shield. "Where are my clothes?"
"In the cleaning unit, they'll be done in a little while," Obi-Wan kept Caleb's lightsaber with him, tucking it into an inner pocket. Letting him continue to have access to it while feverish seemed like it could be a poor decision.
Caleb nodded, huddling in on himself but not taking his eyes off Rex and Obi-Wan silently cursed himself for not thinking of this likelihood. Caleb was still young and impulsive and not in the best state of mind to manage his emotions.
"How about..." Obi-Wan started, mind searching for ways to defuse the situation, when Rex spoke up.
"Begging your pardon, Sir, but I was thinking I could go see how much transport back is going to be, if you're willing to make the food yourself," Rex nodded to the door, offering Obi-Wan the bag. He took it and the transparent excuse with just as much grace.
"I think I can manage something," Obi-Wan nodded back, there was little need to, they already knew the transport schedule for the next two weeks, but in the small room there was no way to get away from each other and Caleb might do better with a little time to adjust to the situation.
Rex excused himself, slipping back out of the door and leaving the two of them alone.
Obi-Wan got the soup heated without any difficulty, sitting down with the cup of it and the antipyretics. Caleb had been quiet the entire time, seemingly lost in thought.
"I'm not hungry," Caleb eyed the soup with a mix of longing and revulsion.
"These pills should be taken with food, at least a few bites if you can manage it," Obi-Wan spoke firmly. Caleb looked like he could ill-afford to skip any meals, even if this was just the fever stealing his appetite.
Caleb looked like he wanted to argue, but after a moment he bit his lip and turned to the soup, taking a small bite, Obi-Wan relaxed a little.
"I didn't get to say before, how we found you. We were able to get a list of confirmed executions, and look for missing names." It sounded bland, clinical, as if those names weren't people Obi-Wan had known for most of his life.
"Oh," Caleb stared down at the soup, eating slowly, and then taking the pills to swallow them with some of the liquid. "How many names?"
"Not enough," Obi-Wan let regret leak into his voice at that, but Caleb didn't look like he expected anything more hopeful.
"What are you going to do with me?" Caleb asked finally, poking at the last few spoonfuls of liquid in the small cup.
"Help you, if we can. I understand if you won't want to come back with us, for any number of reasons. Not the least of which where we've been staying is… somewhat harsh as living conditions go, but it is a great deal drier," Obi-Wan felt his lips twitch at the understatement. "If that's the case then we'll do what we can to help you find somewhere safe to live under better conditions. You can even stay here if you wish it."
"You'd let me come with you?" Caleb looked up, eyes wide with surprise as he spoke breathlessly. The cough seemed more nagging than acute, only flaring up when he spoke.
"Of course," Obi-Wan put his hand on Caleb's shoulder again to squeeze gently. He hadn't been entirely certain until he saw him, unsure what would feel like the right course to take. But he couldn't imagine dropping him off and leaving him behind now any more than he'd seriously considered denying Rex when he'd asked to accompany him to Tatooine.
"I'll… I'll think about it," Caleb finally said, drinking the last of the broth and setting the cup down shakily.
"Take your time, it will be much easier to hire a transport if you're well," Obi-Wan patted his shoulder again, and then stood up. "The medicine may make you drowsy, I am sure you could use the rest."
Caleb nodded, stretching out on the bed and tucking the blanket back tight around him, closing his eyes. Obi-Wan went to clean up the small amount of mess he'd made heating the soup, waiting for Rex to return.
By the time Rex did make his way back to the room, Caleb was out like a light. Between illness, exhaustion, and the medicine Rex was fairly sure he'd sleep through most anything. He moved quietly anyway, no sense in asking for trouble.
"That was well done," Obi-Wan nodded to Rex, as he closed the door quietly behind him.
"I thought giving him some space would be best," Rex kept his tone carefully neutral. With how badly Caleb had reacted, the last thing he wanted to do was jeopardize their chances of being able to help him.
"He may react better when his head is clearer. I offered that if he wishes, he could return with us," Obi-Wan said, glancing to where Caleb slept.
Rex stepped closer, reaching to touch Caleb's cheek with the back of his hand, checking his fever. Caleb sighed, breath hitching for a moment but not actually coughing, turning into the touch.
"If he won't come with you if I'm there, you should stay with him. I can figure something out," Rex spoke softly, brushing some of Caleb's hair back from his face.
"Don't be ridiculous," Obi-Wan spoke firmly. "Lets not make plans based on one delirious reaction."
Rex started say something, then he nodded.
"While he sleeps we should plan for if he does decide to return with us, the place we have is tight for two, for three..." Rex sat down on the bunk with him and Obi-Wan took the distraction gratefully, starting to go over the plans they had made to make the small desert dwelling more habitable.
It was well into evening when Caleb woke up again after some time spent tossing and turning in uneasy slumber, Rex broke off the quiet discussion to fix another cup of soup for Caleb and something a little more substantial for them. Caleb stayed quiet, tugging on his clothes but not the concealing cloak, draping the blanket around his shoulders instead. He glanced up when Rex came over, reaching up to take the cup of soup with hands that only trembled a little.
"I'm sorry, for before." Caleb looked up, searching Rex's face. "I know you're your own person, I just..." He trailed off, looking away.
"It's difficult?" Rex asked.
Caleb nodded, scrunching up a little more. Rex hesitated, then reached out put a hand on his back, rubbing soothingly. He'd offered support to his brothers over the years, and seen them supporting each other, but the Jedi tended to stick to their own. He wasn't sure if the comfort would be welcome or rejected, but after just a moment Caleb shuddered all over and turned to him, pressing against him and reaching up with his free hand to grab at his shirt. Rex had the presence of mind to grab the soup cup before it could spill, setting it aside as Caleb just clung, body shaking with barely repressed sobs.
Rex wrapped his arms around him, sitting down with him on the bunk and just letting him cry. He stroked over hand through hair that obviously hadn't been cut since the incident, fingers brushing over the braid that Obi-Wan hadn't touched when he was cleaning him, not even to fix it.
"S-sorry," Caleb whispered after several long minutes, obviously fighting for composure. Rex patted his back, trying to be reassuring.
"You don't need to be sorry, sir. Fevers will do that to you," Rex gave him an easy excuse to save his pride, and felt Caleb nod against him.
"Thank you," Caleb's voice was quiet, but it sounded like he was slowly getting himself under control again, and when he tried to pull back Rex let him go.
"I'll warm your soup back up, you still need to eat," Obi-Wan offered, moving to take the cup and carry it to the tiny food prep area in the room. If he'd been at all bothered by the emotional display he showed no sign, if anything Rex thought he sounded unusually compassionate. Obi-Wan had been fairly closed off when he wasn't putting on some sort of performance and while Rex didn't blame him, he still hoped for some sign that Obi-Wan was healing in his own way.
"I know," Caleb said, sounding resigned, and Rex got up to grab him a handful of tissue paper from the 'fresher, to clean his face and blow his nose. Caleb took it gratefully, wadding up the tissue when he was through and slumping, looking more physically and emotionally wrung out from his outburst than as miserable as he was before.
"Here," Obi-Wan handed the now reheated soup to Caleb and he took it with a whispered thanks, eating slowly but steadily and taking a new dose of pills without complaint. He was asleep again almost before Rex finished cleaning up the plates.
Rex tugged the blanket up over Caleb's shoulder, eyeing the single other bed and then glancing at the floor. There were no extra blankets and he didn't trust them not to charge them if he requested another, but he'd slept in worse places over the years.
"I can take the floor, sir," Rex offered, seeing Obi-Wan start readying himself for bed.
"There's more than enough room for two in my bed. I know you're not a restless sleeper," Obi-Wan replied, without hesitation.
"If you're certain," Rex eyed the bed, thinking that Obi-Wan was perhaps being a little optimistic in his assessment of the situation. But even crowded in bed beat the hard floor.
"Quiet certain," Obi-Wan stripped off down to just his inner layers, settling on the bed all the way against the wall, obviously waiting for him.
Rex decided it wasn't worth objecting any further, stretching out on the bed beside Obi-Wan and trying to give him as much room as possible, then giving up when with the dip in the mattress Obi-Wan ended up lightly pressed against his back anyway.
"You did well," Obi-Wan spoke quietly into the dark after several long minutes, after his steady breathing had convinced Rex he'd already fallen asleep. "This may work after all,"
Rex wasn't entire sure what he was referring to, or maybe it was just everything in general. "I hope so, sir," He spoke quietly, without opening his eyes, waiting for sleep to come.
It took just under a week before both Rex and Obi-Wan deemed Caleb well enough to travel. His fever had broken after the first day, but he was still weak from malnutrition and stress, and Rex thought packing in on a crowded transport breathing in stars-knew-what was just asking for trouble and pneumonia. But finally they all made their way onto the ship that would, after a few planet hops in a roundabout way, take them all back to Tatooine and whatever new life waited them there.