Chapter 10 - Escape
Obi-Wan Kenobi opened his eyes slowly, blinking several times before they would focus. Through the drifting smoke he could see Anakin slumped against the controls of the ship, blood seeping from a gash on his forehead.
He tried to move towards his padawan before realising his right leg was trapped underneath a crumpled piece of metal. Just then his apprentice began to stir. Anakin moaned softly as he opened his eyes. He wiped the blood away from his eyes before acknowledging his Master.
"Anakin." There was a long silence. "Anakin! Wake up!" This time a grunt came from the direction of his apprentice. "Anakin, get out of the ship. It's unsafe."
"But what about you? You're trapped", protested Anakin glancing at his Master's predicament.
"Just get yourself out first then worry about me", said Obi-Wan rather abruptly.
Anakin nodded shuffling himself into a position in which he could slide out through the broken cockpit. Halfway through his tunic got caught exposing his back to the glass. He cried out in pain as his flesh rubbed against the broken edges of the glass. Finally he pulled himself free, rolling several yards down a sharp incline.
The smoke was thickening; the ship and his Master were no longer visible. Activating his lightsaber he waded through the smoke blindly, using the Force to guide him back in the direction of the ship.
"Master!" He felt a strong presence in the Force directly in front of him; its aura was strong, but weakening rapidly.
Tearing chunks of the overturned vehicle apart with sheer force from his lightsaber Anakin grappled desperately in the smog for Obi-Wan. He heard an explosion from behind him as the ship caught alight again.
After what seemed like eternity his hands finally came to rest on an arm; Anakin grabbed it as if clinging on for grim death. Obi-Wan appeared to be unconscious, probably due to oxygen deprivation; his face looked calm, almost like he had just fallen asleep. Anakin nudged his Master a second time, still failing to get a response.
"Master" he repeated again, more urgently this time, slicing through the metal trapping Obi-Wan's leg and dragging his inert form from the cockpit. He flung Obi-Wan's body far from the wreckage with all the Force he could muster. A second explosion racked the Jedi ship as the remainder of it went up in a towering inferno. Anakin, having thrown himself out of the direct path of the fire, was crawling away at an achingly slow speed. His muscles shook and grinded with exhaustion, begging him to stop moving. Anakin knew he couldn't or he and Obi-Wan would suffer the consequences. He reached the body of his Master who remained oblivious to the chaos going on all around.
Anakin lay by his Master for a long time in the dirt, watching the flames as they gradually lost momentum and died out. Obi-Wan groaned from beside him. He placed a hand on his mentor, drawing on the Force to help the healing process. To his relief, Anakin could sense that his Master was not seriously hurt. He would be fine - a bit bruised and would have a headache when he woke up, but nothing major. A shiver of relief ran through Anakin, who being too weary to move from the ground he was lying on, closed his eyes and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.
Obi-Wan Kenobi opened his eyes slowly, blinking several times before they would focus. Through the drifting smoke he could see Anakin slumped against the controls of the ship, blood seeping from a gash on his forehead.
He tried to move towards his padawan before realising his right leg was trapped underneath a crumpled piece of metal. Just then his apprentice began to stir. Anakin moaned softly as he opened his eyes. He wiped the blood away from his eyes before acknowledging his Master.
"Anakin." There was a long silence. "Anakin! Wake up!" This time a grunt came from the direction of his apprentice. "Anakin, get out of the ship. It's unsafe."
"But what about you? You're trapped", protested Anakin glancing at his Master's predicament.
"Just get yourself out first then worry about me", said Obi-Wan rather abruptly.
Anakin nodded shuffling himself into a position in which he could slide out through the broken cockpit. Halfway through his tunic got caught exposing his back to the glass. He cried out in pain as his flesh rubbed against the broken edges of the glass. Finally he pulled himself free, rolling several yards down a sharp incline.
The smoke was thickening; the ship and his Master were no longer visible. Activating his lightsaber he waded through the smoke blindly, using the Force to guide him back in the direction of the ship.
"Master!" He felt a strong presence in the Force directly in front of him; its aura was strong, but weakening rapidly.
Tearing chunks of the overturned vehicle apart with sheer force from his lightsaber Anakin grappled desperately in the smog for Obi-Wan. He heard an explosion from behind him as the ship caught alight again.
After what seemed like eternity his hands finally came to rest on an arm; Anakin grabbed it as if clinging on for grim death. Obi-Wan appeared to be unconscious, probably due to oxygen deprivation; his face looked calm, almost like he had just fallen asleep. Anakin nudged his Master a second time, still failing to get a response.
"Master" he repeated again, more urgently this time, slicing through the metal trapping Obi-Wan's leg and dragging his inert form from the cockpit. He flung Obi-Wan's body far from the wreckage with all the Force he could muster. A second explosion racked the Jedi ship as the remainder of it went up in a towering inferno. Anakin, having thrown himself out of the direct path of the fire, was crawling away at an achingly slow speed. His muscles shook and grinded with exhaustion, begging him to stop moving. Anakin knew he couldn't or he and Obi-Wan would suffer the consequences. He reached the body of his Master who remained oblivious to the chaos going on all around.
Anakin lay by his Master for a long time in the dirt, watching the flames as they gradually lost momentum and died out. Obi-Wan groaned from beside him. He placed a hand on his mentor, drawing on the Force to help the healing process. To his relief, Anakin could sense that his Master was not seriously hurt. He would be fine - a bit bruised and would have a headache when he woke up, but nothing major. A shiver of relief ran through Anakin, who being too weary to move from the ground he was lying on, closed his eyes and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.