The base's stealth speeded was really something. Sleek in body, but painted a matte black that didn't reflect light and make it easier to spot, it had an open cockpit and seating area. Both Jedi currently huddled there in dark clothes and with their light saber hilts covered in black cloth to blend in with the rest of the uniform. Hopefully they wouldn't need to use them, but neither Jedi ever counted on luck.
"We're right over the center of the camp," said the Stormtrooper pilot through the tiny ear pieces each person in the speeder had tucked into their ears, even though Anakin and Obi-Wan preferred telepathic communication when they talked to each other. "Let down the ropes."
"Yes sir," one of the soldiers in the seats answered. He grabbed a coil of thin black cord and flung it over the side, letting it unwind in the air. "Rope is set," he confirmed as he kept hold of the other end and tied it to a handle bolted into the side of the speeder. Gripping the rope tightly for extra security, the trooper motioned to the two Jedi.
Anakin and Obi-Wan nodded and went over to where the rope dangled off the edge of the speeder. Obi-Wan climbed over the rim of the seating area and, gripping the rope with his hands and booted feet, began a controlled slide to the ground below. Anakin waited, ready to climb over the rim. I've landed. The thought was saturated with the older man's Force presence and Anakin nodded to the waiting troopers, confirming that Obi-Wan was alright. Then he climbed over the rim and slid down himself.
He touched down lightly and Obi-Wan grabbed his arm. This way, came another thought. Anakin answered an affirmative and they moved from where they'd landed, right behind the command structure. That Stormtrooper pilot was a pretty good flyer. When they got to the front of the tent, they saw two droids guarding the entrance. He reached for his saber.
Obi-Wan put a hand on his arm. Not yet, he sent. Slowly, the master reached out with the Force to one of the dark alleys created by the rows of droid charging units. He felt a crate of spare parts and knocked it over with a gentle Force push.
There was a clatter and both droids turned to look. "What was that?" one asked in its monoton, metallic voice.
The other droid leaned forward. "Go see," he ordered. The first droid left to go check and Obi-Wan reached out again. A clatter sounded in a different alley. Looking around once, the other guard went to look and the two Jedi slipped into the structure. They were in luck. It was empty. Start looking, Obi-Wan thought to Anakin, including with the message the image of what they were looking for. Anakin sent back the mental equivalent of an eye roll and the two split up to look.
A few minutes later, Anakin contacted his partner. I found the main transmitter, he sent, including the image of what he saw. An unexpected burst of satisfaction came back. That's the same kind that they used in the Battle of Naboo! Can you dismantle it?
Yes, Anakin responded. Just give me a few minutes to-
"Intruders," said a dull voice from the entrance. Obi-Wan cursed under his breath. They'd been found! But Obi-Wan remained outwardly unruffled. Keep working on the transmitter. I'll distract them. Just try to be quick. Anakin heard the hiss of a light saber activating and went back to his dismantling.
Obi-Wan dodged neatly around the first blaster bolts and decapitated the lead droid and the two behind him with one swing. Nice of them to stand all grouped together, he thought as he deflected another bolt and snapped the neck of the droid responsible with a twist of the Force. He finished off the small group with two more swipes and retreated to the side of the entrance. At least I can bottleneck them this way, he thought. And from the commotion outside and the blaring alarm, he was going to need the advantage. How are you doing, he asked his partner.
About halfway done, he answered. It would be easier to just cut it up.
Obi-Wan blanched. Then why don't you do that?
You told me not to use my saber!
Obi-Wan wanted to shake his ex-apprentice, though times like these made him wonder how Anakin ever passed his trials. We've already been found! Use it! And he was relieved to hear the hiss of activation. A moment later, the scents of scorched metal and burnt plastic permeated the room. Then a ruckus sounded outside. More droids were coming. Are you done?
Yes, Anakin answered. What now?
Obi-Wan whirled his blade. Now, we fight our way out.
There was a pause before the other man asked, can you tell the pilot to lower the rope right over this structure? I have an idea.
So, hoping Anakin wasn't about to pull some crazy stunt, Obi-Wan said into his tiny comm unit, "lower the rope right over the command structure."
"By the entrance?" The answering soldier sounded confused.
Obi-Wan relayed the question to Anakin and he thought, no, right over the center of the structure. Again, Obi-Wan relayed the message to the soldier and then there was no more time. The droids were on him.
He leapt over the incoming blaster fire and turned the leap into a front flip. Then, when he came down, he planted each foot on a droid's shoulder, knocking them back and into the force behind them. He back flipped away and landed, light saber still activated. The buzz of a slashing light saber sounded and the smell of burning filled the air. Obi-Wan spared a glance up and there was a huge slashed hole in the structure's ceiling. So that was Anakin's idea, he rejoiced as two coils of rope descended through the gap from the speeder hovering above.
Start climbing, Anakin yelled in his head. He and Obi-Wan leapt up and away from the incoming droid forces, grabbed a rope each, and started climbing as quickly as possible.
Obi-Wan passed through the slit in the ceiling and suddenly pain raced down his link with Anakin. Ani! What's wrong?
Blaster shot, he answered and the words were laced with pain. In my leg.
Hold on, the elder ordered before shouting into his comm unit. "Get us out of here. Now!" Are you out of the structure, he asked Anakin.
Yes, came the reply and Obi-Wan channeled his relief through the link. The speeder lifted further and Obi-Wan resumed climbing. When he got over the rim of the open seating area, he immediately stumbled to where Anakin's rope was tethered.
"Sire, what are you doing?" One of the troopers asked.
He answered as he grabbed the rope. "Anakin's injured. Help me pull him up." And for once, Obi-Wan was glad of the level of obedience from the clones as they stopped asking questions and hauled on the rope. In just seconds, a black gloved hand grabbed the rim of the speeder and Obi-Wan pulled Anakin over the edge. "Where's the wound?" The young man brushed a hand over his right thigh and Obi-Wan quickly slipped into damage control mode. "Knife," he told one of the soldiers and was handed a small hand weapon. Quickly and carefully, he cut away Anakin's right pant leg to get at the wound. He cursed. It was bad.
The wound was black, flaking away in the center with blood oozing sluggishly from the edges. But worse was the gleam of white showing through the top of the wound where the burnt flesh had been scraped away, presumably by the rope and Anakin tried to climb up. Any other wounds, he asked through the link. No reason to tire Anakin further by making him answer aloud.
No, the young man replied.
Obi-Wan nodded and asked one of the troopers, "Do we have a med kit?" A white box was thrust into his hands. Now I wish I had more healer training, Obi-Wan muttered to himself as he started to clean the wound.
So do I, the unexpected reply came. Obi-Wan looked up and saw a pained smile on Anakin's face. It was a reassuring sight.
"How long until we reach camp," he asked the pilot.
The man checked the dashboard in front of him. "About half a standard hour, sir," he answered. Obi-Wan nodded and went back to Anakin's leg wound. With any luck, he could finish the field dressing by the time they landed and get his friend back to the Temple for some better healing. Despite the wound, the mission had been a success.
Obi-Wan was waiting for him outside the healer's in the Temple when he came out. "Well, what did she say?" he asked.
Anakin shrugged. "I have to wear a leg brace, but I'll be fine. I got a research mission to Kamino."
Obi-Wan's eyebrows drew together in confusion. "Why? Is something wrong with the troops?"
The other man shrugged. "I told Master Yoda about our mission and he decided to send me to look at some things." Of Course, he chuckled to himself, I may have exaggerated a few things, like how bad the wound actually was. But I think he already knew and let me go anyway. You can never tell with Master Yoda. But he needed to go to Kamino to take a look at their growth system for the clones and an official mission was a good cover. "I have to leave tomorrow." Hopefully, he'd be coming back with a way to save his family.
Yes, it's a big of a tangent, but I did set him up for this and despite what's going on with his family. there is still a war to fight. How was my action with the droids? And I would like to thank Authors Black. and Stormqueen873. Reading their stories has very much improved how I write action.
Please review, and thanks to those who already did.