STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS

Episode 2A

TITLE: Collapse

AUTHOR: Susan Zell

DISCLAIMER: All characters from "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" series are the property of George Lucas and Lucasfilms Ltd. No profit has been made by this venture. I've merely borrowed the characters to tell a small tale of "in between". All toys will be returned to their rightful place in the toy box at the conclusion of playtime. All scrapes and bruises are the fault of the previous owner….oh wait that's me.

SUMMARY: A diplomatic mission goes awry, leaving Obi-wan, Anakin, and Padmé struggling to survive an assassination attempt.

TIMELINE: Sometime after Bombad Jedi

SPOILERS: none really

RATINGS: PG-13, Non-slash.

TYPE: Action/Adventure, Hurt/Comfort

WARNINGS: Violence

APOLOGIES: I am not a doctor nor do I play one on TV; Nor am I a SW fanatic with factual nuances at my beck and call; therefore, all discrepancies be it SW jargon/lore/etc or medical diagnoses are my own. Also, this story hasn't had the nurturing I usually give my stories. I've been distracted of late with a new career direction. But I know folks have been clamoring for a new story. Hopefully this one can stand enough on its own as a decent narrative that will bring interesting character interaction and exhilarating adventure.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: I'm an Obi-wan fan, but I do love the father/son/brother relationship between Obi-wan and Anakin and how it plays out against the backdrop of the Clone Wars, both the movie versions and the television show. So my stories will evolve around that. Hopefully I've treated both characters with the respect they are due.

NEWS: I know it's been a long time between stories, but there is no helping that. First off, I don't post stories unless they are complete, aside from minor tweaking. Second, my new career takes precedent over all fan writing, but fear not since it still includes being a published author. Look for my new steampunk alternate history novel "Vampire Empire: The Greyfriar" on bookshelves in November under the name Clay and Susan Griffith. The link at the author's page will tell you all about it. Please check it out!

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Chapter Two

To Kill A Jedi

The mountain descended on them and hit a hall of incredible Force. Anakin and Obi-wan extended their power only straight above them to lessen the mass they had to bear but it was still tremendous. The sheer weight of the debris brought both Jedi to their knees, gasping.

Padmé let out a small cry of fear drowned out by the howl of the dying mountain as the debris shuttered to a halt close above her head. Only the sheer will of the Jedi kept it at bay, but the strain of holding it was evident on their faces, twisted cruelly with pain.

Their world was reduced to a mere bubble. They would be in complete darkness if it weren't for the small lantern she held, illuminating Anakin's agonized face scant inches from hers.

"We can't …hold this," Anakin ground out.

"Clear a hole …the entrance…close. I'll …hold." Obi-wan muscles tightened in expectation, his eyes closed, his words clipped and harsh.

"You can't …do it alone!" Sweat was already pouring off Anakin.

"I will. I must. Hurry."

"On three." Anakin timed it and then released it gradually. Obi-wan cried out as the weight settled solely onto him, his back bowing with the effort. Their world shrunk even smaller. Anakin almost took back his position but Obi-wan rallied, though the exertion was costing him dearly. His breath was nothing but hoarse gasps.

"Anakin…" Padmé 's voice was low, fearful, doubting. The agony in Obi-wan's face frightened her.

Anakin had no choice but to ignore her as he got his bearings on where he last saw the opening to the outside and started using the Force to push his way through the scant openings widening the fissures and creating a small tunnel supported by his own Force bubble.

It was a slow process that Anakin hurried despite the dangers. He wasn't paying attention to weight distribution or anything mathematical. He just shoved as hard as he could to clear a path. He was using up tremendous amounts of energy but he knew that Obi-wan was wasting more. The pressure of the Force inside the shield was staggering. It roared in his ears.

Padmé held the lantern in trembling hands as she watched the two men do the impossible. Anakin was like a mad man attacking the compacted debris, but like a miracle it slowly inevitably parted. They were rapidly running out of time, not to mention air. It was already becoming stifling hot in their small world.

Something wet struck her cheek. Then another fell to the lantern's barrel. It looked black in the glare. Touching it hesitatingly, she wiped it away from her cheeks. Red stained her fingertips. She glanced up at Obi-wan and she gasped in horror.

"Anakin!"

He paused and looked back. Padmé was staring at Obi-wan whose every muscle shook, veins stood out like taunt cords in his face and neck. But Anakin's keen eyes saw what distressed her so. Blood was dripping from the man's eyes, nose, ears and mouth, streaking across his face like a blackened web. The strain was costing Obi-wan everything he had. They had only a few minutes left before he was spent. For while the Force's energy was limitless, a Jedi's stamina was not.

Padmé wasn't sure Obi-wan was seeing her though his red haze even though his eyes were wide open, dilated, and looking directly at her. His panting breath sprayed her with blooded spittle as it hissed from his straining lungs.

There was nothing that Anakin could do but continue to dig their way out and pray that it would be in time. He dove back into the work with a frenzy that risked his own strength, driving the bubble ever outward in a long straight line toward freedom. Sweat was pouring off his face and stinging his eyes. His hands moved manically this way and that as he shoved and pushed with the Force. The rock around him groaned at the disturbance but gradually gave way under his assault.

Finally light burst through as Anakin thrust one final time, falling to his hands and knees in the cramped space he had created. The path was open from Obi-wan's shield to the outside. His own limbs were trembling with the strain of holding it clear as he shouted, "Padmé, hurry!"

"But Obi-wan…we can't leave him!"

"We won't. I need you safe. Come on!"

She crawled out past Anakin as fast as she could, ignoring the pain as rocks and debris scraped her hands and knees. His eyes were shut tight, deep in concentration as she moved into the bright sun, blinking rapidly. Then she turned back, anxiously waiting to see if Anakin and Obi-wan were coming. Anakin was backing out. "Stand …aside, Padmé …please," he commanded through clenched teeth. She scuttled over to the side of a massive rock. Anakin emerged covered in dust, his hands outstretched.

He knelt to the side of the opening, his breath a rasping sound. The debris he held back shuddered, letting loose puffs of dust all around as it fell inch by inch. It wouldn't hold for much longer. His arms trembled as they reached back with the Force toward the wavering tunnel and Obi-wan, letting it wrap around his former Master till he had a good hold, and then with a scream of rage, desperation and prayer, he yanked. Obi-wan shot out of the tunnel just as it buckled and fell. Anakin collapsed to the ground as dust and shattered rock rolled over him like an exhale of foul breath, covering his body.

Obi-wan tumbled to a halt a few feet away and lay limp. Dust coated his skin, his hair, his clothes, everything, his ivory tunic now gray. Padmé didn't know whom to run to first. But Anakin was closest. She lifted his dust caked head and was relieved to hear him moan, his eyes blinking rapidly, already coming around. She kissed him quickly on the forehead, her tears washing away a bit of his filth. Then she ran to Obi-wan. He lay on his side toward her, his face awash in blood, his beard stained even redder now.

"Oh, Obi-wan."

Checking his pulse, she found it barely and only by pressing her fingers deep into his carotid artery. His breathing was so very shallow. She wiped away some of the blood, but it was everywhere. He looked horrible. There was no response to her ministrations, not a moan or even eye movement beneath his blood crusted lids.

Anakin shifted behind her and she turned back to him, helping him to sit up. "Are you all right?"

He could only nod. His body felt wiped, muscles ached and his skull was splitting. It was an effort to even hold his head up. Finally, he whispered, "That was close."

She wrapped her arms around him and held him tight for a few moments. He sank into her shoulder, savoring her yielding body and soft skin. He could have stayed for hours there, lost in the attention of his wife. But then he remembered, the collapse, his Master, and he started violently, pulling away.

"Obi-wan." He struggled to stand.

Placing a shoulder under him she tried to get him to his feet, but she couldn't. Neither of them had the strength. "He's alive," she assured him. "But I couldn't wake him. Oh, Ani, he looks terrible." Together they crawled over to where the unconscious Jedi lay.

"Damn it, Obi-wan," whispered Anakin as he saw the state of his friend. "You never do anything halfway, do you?"

Blood still glistened on the Jedi's face, mixed with dirt, more black now than red. It had soaked through to his collar. But at least the blood had stopped flowing. His fingers found the same thready pulse as his wife. He tried to summon the Force to scan deeper but it was an elusive tendril he could not grasp, not yet.

"Is he going to be okay?"

"I don't know, Padmé." The sky above them was darkening, ominous clouds building and with it the threat of a downpour. He could feel that much at least, so he knew the Force was still with him, just spent. "We need to find shelter. We're in no shape to weather a storm out in the open."

"I'm not sure I can go into another cave."

"It will be all right. We'll stay near the entrance." He tried again to shove himself to his feet, failing miserably. Padmé tugged him to his knees, but she had to steady him. "You'll need to help me with Obi-wan. I don't think I'm going to be able to carry him very far." Annoyance crept over him. He hated being weak, especially in front of Padmé, but there was little he could do to remedy that at the moment. Time was what he needed, Obi-wan too. They had expended far too much just to get this far. It would take at least a day or two to get his strength back, Obi-wan probably even longer. They had both taxed their energy levels far beyond what was healthy. Obi-wan's system just crashed finally. Anakin felt like his would do the same at any moment.

Their surroundings were wild and tangled; the jungle floor below them filled with raucous cries, but near the jungle floor on a ledge just high enough off the jungle floor to keep them safe from most predators and enemies there was another small cave. He pointed to it. "There."

He felt his wife shudder at the dark maw but she didn't say anything. Instead she knelt next to Obi-wan and lifted his shoulders up off the ground. It wasn't easy but she managed as Anakin grabbed an arm and with great exertion hoisted him onto his own shoulders. Standing however, proved to be a monumental task. It took the combined effort of both him and Padmé and the remaining residue of the Force to gain his feet. He swayed precariously, his hands clutching his friend tensely.

Padmé held Anakin as he tottered, fearful they would fall off the edge. Then they set off toward their new base camp.

It took almost an hour before they reached the cave's entrance. Anakin was barely on his feet; each step forward drained him further. His world had collapsed to thinking only that, moving forward, precious step by precious step. Obi-wan hadn't stirred once, not even when Anakin crashed to his knees, tearing them viciously on the rocks. Padmé begged him to stop but the rain was already falling, slowly at first and now more heavily. Somehow he got to his feet again, though he had no memory of it.

Anakin's vision had caved to only a few feet in front of him, relying on Padmé to steer him in the right direction. All his concentration was completely tuned to staying upright and carrying his unconscious friend.

He wasn't even aware that the rain had stopped falling because they were in the cave, not until Padmé pulled him to a halt.

"We're here. You can put him down. Please, Anakin, put him down."

His eyes just stared at her for a few seconds before comprehension flickered. Then he just fell. Muscles gave in, his own consciousness a fleeting thing. He didn't remember hitting the ground.

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If you enjoyed this story, please check out my professional work. It's got more of the same great character, action, and angst.

Now time for some Acknowledgements.

Alekto: Hello, my friend! Welcome to my newest and probably oldest fandom. What do you mean "what's really going on"? It's my usual. (wink) I hope everyone takes a gander at Alekto's writings. She really rather good.

ObiBettina7: It's so nice to be missed. Thank you for waiting so patiently during my extended absence. To me, Obi-wan is always the master of calm. He rarely does anything rash. And I am never one to languish long when action beckons. My spouse is the one who dabbles in plot and politics. I prefer the straight up action and of course the characters. If my spouse were writing fanfiction the opening would have probably gone on longer. Ha!

ElNino9: I adore h/c stories too! Maybe a little too much. Ask Alekto! Glad I can keep the characters of Obi-wan and Anakin true to form regardless. I'm a stickler on that.

Pronker: Greetings! I'm glad my version of Padme is working. I was unsure about her since she's hard to get a good read on, but "righteous anger" was exactly what I was going for.

Charliebrown: I love your enthusiasm. Thank you! And you make me blush with your very kind words. Trust me, my writing talents are finally being recognized thanks to my publisher. Here's hoping I can juggle both fanfic and a professional writing career. My two best addictions!

Mo Angel, Angie, Torli, and Random Nemesis: Glad you are all enjoying this newest story. Hopefully it will deliver! I usually try to update weekly. That gives me a few days to get the next chapter in decent shape to post. And as you'll find out I'm notorious for cliff hangers.