Chapter 22

Ahsoka Tano was not stupid. She knew something had happened between her Master and Master Kenobi, she just wasn't quite sure what. Master Kenobi rescued Anakin and then suddenly they can't be in the same room as each other without the awkwardness affecting everyone in the room. Then her Master decided to pull some suicide plan, which wasn't necessarily unusual except Ahsoka could tell he didn't particularly care if he survived. Normally his hairbrained schemes were a last resort, that time it had been his first instinct. Then something had changed again on Naboo. The dinner with the three of them had been hilarious and informative. The fact that Master Kenobi not only knew about Anakin's mother but had been the one to tell him to save her was also strange. Then there was the holoimage of Master Kenobi that Anakin had just happened to have on him when Ahsoka was positive he had not grabbed it from the Temple. Nothing, about either Jedi, matched any of her teachings from the Temple and Ahsoka was beginning to learn that that was not necessarily a bad thing. Her Master was definitely closer to Master Kenobi than any other Jedi she had ever met.

In all honesty, she owed everything to Anakin Skywalker. He had been her last chance to become a Padawan. She was fourteen, a year older than most other Padawan's and no Master had been even remotely interested in taking her on, not even Master Plo. If the war hadn't broken out she would have been sent to Bandomeer. She had been ecstatic to discover that she was to become the Padawan of Anakin Skywalker, of all people, only to find he had not requested a Padawan, in fact he was firmly against the idea. At that point she had expected to be sent back as a failure and then he had turned around and accepted her after all. That had been the best day of her short life.

The more time she spent with him, the more she realised he had plenty of secrets. The fact that he trusted her enough to tell her some of them was a source of great pride to Ahsoka. She was honoured to keep his secrets. One of those was clearly to do with Obi-Wan. She knew how important the two were to each other so having to deliver the news to her Master that Master Kenobi was missing was awful. She had vowed to do whatever necessary to help find Master Kenobi. Then Anakin had led them to the undercity with perfect ease, interacting with that, Skarsuk figure, with great familiarity. She couldn't wait for that explanation. For now, they had an important mission and she would not let it fail.

Obi-Wan cursed himself for his stupidity. He had been tracking Bane through the dark streets of Coruscant's black market area, wishing Anakin were with him. Having grown up on Tatooine, Obi-Wan assumed he had picked up some skills at dealing with the kinds of people who were in the area. He, himself, was rather hopeless at such things. While he had dealt with many black market problems as a Jedi, he had never really had to deal with any of the dealers outside of arresting them. After a long chase, he had sensed a disturbance in the Force and recognised Maul's signature. His concern skyrocketed. Despite his caution, a cloaked figure had slammed into him as he turned a corner. Before he could react there had been a needle in his neck and everything went black.

Now he was in a plain, white cell, Force only knew where, with no idea how long he had been unconscious. His arms were shackled above his head and there seemed to be nothing else in the room. A single door stood opposite him. He sincerely hoped that Anakin would not try to rescue him, although he knew that idea was futile, but he suspected it was exactly what Maul wanted. If it was indeed Maul who had him. It certainly hadn't been Maul that had bumped into, and injected, him. Obi-Wan suspected that part of the reason he had been caught so easily was that he had become so used to knowing what was going to happen, or at the very least having a vague idea, that his reactions to unknown situations had slowed. That was going to be a problem. He tried to reach out to the Force only to find himself unable to quite reach it. Then he finally noticed the absent feeling in his chest and realised his access to the Force had been cut off. Glancing up, up saw the shackles on his wrists were indeed the type of binders that cut off Force access.

"Blast!"

"Not enjoying your stay?" A voice asked. Obi-Wan looked up to see Ventress standing in the doorway. He frowned in confusion. Now Ventress was involved as well?

"How could I not enjoy it now that you're here, my dear." He said. A cruel smirk crossed her features.

"Don't worry. It won't stay pleasant for long." She assured him. "Maul has many plans for you." So they were working together. Obi-Wan did notice the slight distaste with which she said Maul's name. Then he realised that while Maul seemed to have replaced Grievous as a leader of the Separatist army, they were both Force users and so were probably in competition for the title of Dooku's apprentice. Maybe he could use that.

"Are you saying you don't have any plans for me yourself?" He asked, feigning disappointment. Another brief flash of annoyance.

"Oh my dear Obi-Wan, I have plenty of plans for you but my Master wants to speak with you." She recovered quickly. "Although, his only specification was that you were to be alive." That was all the warning he got before being blasted with electricity. Thankfully it was only brief and he panted for a few seconds before shaking off the lingering pain.

"Is that all you've got? Not very creative, are you?" He taunted. Another wave, this time it went on for what seemed like forever. Every nerve was screaming out and he could feel his skin burning under the onslaught. Eventually it ended and he slumped forwards limply. Ventress moved closer and lifted his face so it was level with hers.

"I hope you're comfortable, Kenobi." She whispered. Then she adjusted the shackles so that his feet were barely touching the floor, which meant that his arms were now supporting most of his weight. Ventress left. His shoulders began to burn only minutes after she left and his wrists hurt as the shackles dug into the skin. He cursed as he couldn't even offer his pain to the Force given that his access was cut off. The hours began to blur together, he couldn't sleep despite his tiredness as whenever he got close to nodding off, he would slump slightly which jarred his aching shoulders waking him right back up.

It was an indeterminable amount of time later when Maul entered his cell, grinning maniacally. Rather predictably he was treated to a few rounds of Force lightning. This time the pain was exacerbated by any movement as moving caused his arms to feel like they would be ripped off any second. After one particularly violent burst he writhed and then felt a flare of agony as his left shoulder dislocated. He screamed in pain. Suddenly the lightning stopped but he continued to experience small shocks which caused pain to shoot through him as each shock forced him to disturb the dislocated joint. Blackness was creeping in from the edges of his vision and he didn't even notice a small injection being administered to his side. He did, however, notice the blackness receding and the room came into focus again.

Pain then erupted in his chest as a robotic foot slammed into him, definitely breaking some ribs. A chain reaction of agony throughout his body made him scream again. Maul's laughter rang in his ears. Obi-Wan coughed and he saw something red spatter on the floor. Another injection was administered and immediately his eyes slid closed. Darkness took him.

The next time he awoke all he could feel was pain. He bit his lip hard to stop a groan of pain from escaping. Then he realised he could hear voices. They were talking quietly and he could only make out bits and pieces.

"...wants him alive." That sounded like Ventress.

"I won't kill him." And that was most definitely Maul. At the sound of his voice a full body shudder ran through him which caused a blast of agony.

"You do...carried away."

"He is my...do as I please."

"Skywalker...here."

"Good." Maul's voice sounded delighted. Obi-Wan felt a stab of panic. Anakin couldn't come here. Between Maul and Ventress he might get himself caught, especially as it was Obi-Wan on the line. He knew Anakin would be reckless. If Maul caught Anakin then...well, he didn't even want to consider such a thing. Obi-Wan knew that it would make the last time he had found Anakin look like nothing.

"No!" He moaned at the though and the exclamation escaped before he could stop it. This drew the attention of both other people in the room.

"Ah, finally waking up." Maul grinned. Obi-Wan coughed again and more blood spattered on the floor. His ribs burned in protest. Maul was holding a small, wicked looking knife in his hand. Ventress was eyeing him angrily. She glanced over to Obi-Wan and then left the room. Maul advanced towards him and made a small cut on his cheek with the knife. Given the burning pain he felt, Obi-Wan immediately knew the knife had been poisoned with something. The burning sensation continued and then intensified as Maul made another cut, this time on his neck. Maul then made sure the wounds were healed, sealing the poison inside his body. Then he pulled out a small vial and forced Obi-Wan to swallow the contents. Within seconds he felt as if his insides were being fried.

"Oops. You drank too much." Maul didn't seem to be worried. "Enjoy the feeling of your organs being liquified." Obi-Wan's eyes widened. If Maul had given him what he thought he had, then he would probably be dead in a matter of hours. Even if he was rescued, he doubted that anyone would have the cure on hand. It was exceedingly rare and also illegal. Maul laughed as he saw the realisation on Obi-Wan's face. "You should just live long enough to see me execute your friend." With a last laugh, he left. Obi-Wan wanted to struggle. It sounded as if Maul had, or was about to capture Anakin. But he had no strength left. He was in agony and could barely think straight. As the pain increased, he screamed. Everything burned and yet the darkness would not take him this time. His surroundings just became a haze as his vision blurred due to the tears streaming down his face. All of his senses were on fire and eventually he vomited. The effort caused a flare of searing pain in his chest as his ribs protested. Then it was swallowed back into the rest of the agony. Still the blissful darkness would not take him and his voice soon grew hoarse from his screams. Suddenly the door opened and he cringed. Maul couldn't be back. He simply couldn't take anymore.

"Kriff! Obi-Wan!" Came a familiar voice, cutting through the fog in his brain. "Ahsoka, get in here! Now!" Suddenly, the blurry figure of Anakin Skywalker came into his field of vision. He felt the shackles being released and he had no strength to do anything but fall. Strong arms caught him and lowered him to the floor. The movement hurt. He vomited once more and was vaguely aware of someone cursing loudly. Then he felt a huge rush as his connection to the Force came back. Immediately the familiar, soothing presence of Qui-Gon surrounded him, taking a large proportion of his pain away. He could also see Anakin's Force signature pulsing from a concerned blue to an angry dark red, edging on black. Despite the anger he could feel from Anakin, Obi-Wan finally felt safe and he let out a sigh of relief.

"Master...Oh Force! Master Kenobi!" Another voice came from somewhere in front of him.

"Come on Obi-Wan. You need to stay with me." Obi-Wan wanted to say he was trying but his voice wouldn't work anymore. Exhaustion tried to take him but the lingering pain was keeping him awake. He was aware of Anakin cursing and fiddling with his belt. "Ahsoka, you're going to need to hold him for me." Hold him? Why?

"Why?" Apparently he wasn't the only one confused.

"Because I need both hands." Anakin snapped angrily. "Just hurry up." Obi-Wan felt the coolness of a new pair of hands lightly holding up off the floor. It felt wonderful against the heat that was still consuming him. He felt a light mist fall over him and after a few moments most of the pain faded. His head cleared.

"An'kin?" He asked, his voice barely a whisper. The one word made his throat burn.

"I'm right here, Obi-Wan. I swear you're never leaving my side again."

"Hurts." He whimpered. Despite most of the pain having faded, his insides still felt like they were on fire.

"You're still in pain?" Anakin frowned in horror. "The Narco-mist should have helped."

"Insides. Lava extract." Obi-Wan tried to tell him.

"Oh kriffing hell! I'm going to rip the bastard limb from limb!"

"What's lava extract?" Ahsoka asked. Anakin ignored her as he pulled more things from his belt. Eventually he grabbed something and injected Obi-Wan. Nothing appeared to happen. Anakin continued administering things to Obi-Wan via sprays and several injections. Finally the burning sensation faded.

"Master, we need to get out of here. Those sleemos could be back any second." Ahsoka pointed out.

"I don't know if he'll survive being moved and I'm not taking the risk." Anakin told her firmly.

"Move." Obi-Wan tried to insist. "Maul. Kill you." He still couldn't seem to manage proper sentences but it was an improvement.

"He can try." Anakin replied darkly and an ugly expression crossed his face. Then he pulled out something that looked rather like a chromostring but those weren't found outside of medical bases.

"Master." Ahsoka's voice came from further away but it sounded more urgent.

"Alright!" Anakin growled. "Ahsoka, you're going to need to guard while I carry Obi-Wan. Here." He chucked his lightsaber at her and then Obi-Wan felt himself being lifted up gently. His head rested against Anakin's collarbone. He heard Ahsoka leaving to check if the coast was clear. "I'm sorry it took so long, love, but I'm here and nothing is going to happen to you." Anakin swore quietly.

"I know." Obi-Wan told him, equally quietly. "Not your fault."

"I should have been with you, not on some ridiculous trip to Vandor-3."

"Didn't know."

"Coast is clear." Ahsoka came back. They began to move but he was barely jostled at all. In fact, if he hadn't been able to feel the air rushing past him, he wouldn't have even known he was moving. He glanced up and saw a hangar coming into view. So he had been on a ship. He wondered how Anakin had found him. Then he heard a growl from behind them and a voice that made him instinctively curl close into Anakin.

"It seems you have something of mine, Skywalker." Maul said. Anakin kept moving, faster than before. He could hear Maul chasing them.

"I'll hold him off." Ahsoka said.

"Ahsoka, no!" Anakin called. His voice was tight with worry and anger. "I'll hold him off. You get Obi-Wan out of here. I've done what I can but he needs better medical attention." He felt himself change arms and Anakin took his lightsaber back. Desperately he tried to keep a hold of Anakin. He was the only thing that made him feel safe as he was still too weak to even attempt to protect himself.

"No." He called to Anakin but it was too late. The younger Jedi had extracted himself from Obi-Wan's grip with a pained expression and then dashed back the way they came and the sounds of lightsaber combat reached him. Terror gripped him. "We have to help him." He told Ahsoka.

"Sorry, Master. Anakin gave me strict instructions." She told him regretfully and they continued the way they had been going. Anakin had sworn not to leave his side and now he was gone, off to fight someone who wanted to kill him just to hurt Obi-Wan. Some part of him, deep down, knew Anakin had done the right thing. There was no way Ahsoka was ready to take on Maul by herself but that didn't stop him being both terrified and angry. Finally they reached the ship they must have come in. Ahsoka put him in the med bay but Anakin still had not caught up with them. If he wasn't back soon then Obi-Wan was going to find him, exhaustion and injuries be damned.

Suddenly he felt the ship take off. He let out a sigh of relief. Anakin must be back. After a few minutes Ahsoka reappeared looking upset. Obi-Wan's heart stopped.

"Where's Anakin?" He had hoped Anakin would have let Ahsoka fly and come to see him.

"He's…" Ahsoka gave him a pained look. "He's still on Maul's ship." She admitted.

"What!? We need to go back. Now!" He exclaimed in panic.

"I'm sorry, Obi-Wan. Anakin gave me explicit instructions to get you to a medical facility." She told him, giving him a regretful look.

"I outrank Anakin, so I order you to go back." Ahsoka bit her lip and tears filled her eyes as she shook her head.

"I promised him I would look after you. If you die on my watch he'll kill me. He's my Master, I want to help him too but he gave me my orders and I will see them done." She stated, voice growing more firm with every word she spoke, though she still sounded like it was killing her to do so. He wanted to rage at her and force her to take him back to Anakin but he was so exhausted that he was in no condition to do so. There was nothing he could do but wait and hope.

He waited impatiently as the med droid gave him a full scan. He was slightly distracted when the droid informed him and Ahsoka that he had been given no less than five different poisons, including the Nkllonian lava extract. Somehow, Anakin had neutralised them all but they were still in his bloodstream. There were also some drugs designed to keep him awake even through the pain and to maximize any pain he felt. Given the amount of stuff that had been injected into him over the past however many days, Obi-Wan was rather surprised to still be alive and without any apparent brain damage. Apparently most of his internal organs were over fifteen percent liquified as well. That probably wasn't healthy. The droid informed them that the damage had been halted when the poison was neutralised and some of the damage rectified by the administration of bacta via chromostring which had allowed much quicker healing. However, if he didn't get most intensive care soon the damage would become permanent which would have some rather nasty consequences.

"Kriffing hell." Ahsoka exclaimed once the droid finished his report. Anakin was such a bad influence but it did rather sum up his thoughts as well. Ahsoka disappeared to check how much longer their trip would be. "We're almost there." She told him, coming back.

"Where are we going?" He asked.

"Kaliida Shoals medical facility. It's the closest medical facility." She replied. The closest?

"How long have I been gone?" He asked, rather afraid of the answer. Ahsoka sighed.

"Five days." She admitted. Obi-Wan swallowed painfully. "Anakin has been frantic. The Council only gave us three days to find you. It took us that long to find the trail and the Council tried to recall us. He refused to go so we're technically breaking orders right now." She confessed.

"Wonderful." He groaned. Then he felt a stab of unhappiness that the Council had ordered Anakin to stop looking for him. Had they given up on him or had they simply decided they couldn't spare Anakin from the war any longer? He was also worried about what would happen when they finally reported back to the Council. Would Anakin be in much trouble when they found out he had actually completed the rescue? Assuming he made it back of course. That thought sent another pulse of terror through him.

"I'm going to let the med droid knock you out. You've still got the stuff in your system that is keeping you awake but you're going to crash soon. Better it be while your unconscious."

"No. I want to be awake when Anakin gets back." He protested. Again she shook her head. He tried to argue once more but then the droid injected him and almost immediately warm sleep folded him into its embrace and he knew no more.