Chapter 28
Obi-Wan watched as Anakin's face smoothed out in sleep. All in all it had gone better than he had expected. Not that that was saying much. The bar of expectation was pretty low to start with. He felt horrible for putting Anakin through that and yet selfishly he was pleased. A great weight had been lifted from him. There were no more secrets between them and Anakin still loved him. He didn't hate him or blame him for his failures to be a good master. Somehow, the younger Jedi still seemed to think he had actually done a good job. It was a surprise but definitely not an unwelcome one. Except that meant Anakin was shouldering all the blame for what had happened and he didn't want that. Anakin had been a victim of incredibly clever manipulation and his intention had been to save his wife. Still, he knew and Obi-Wan was glad. Although he still had to speak to Mace. Maybe now he could do it with Anakin there. He wouldn't force him to come but Obi-Wan knew he could do with the support. He certainly wouldn't be going into the detail he had with Anakin. A cliff notes version would be more than enough.
Anakin stirred beside him, his face crumpling into a pained expression. Obi-Wan felt guilty for causing such nightmares. He reached across their Force bond and sent waves of calm and love to try and sooth him. Anakin whimpered and it nearly broke his heart to see the young man sound so pitiful and sad. Obi-Wan tightened his arms around him and whispered quietly into his ear. Thankfully he seemed to calm down and his face relaxed again although he didn't look quite as peaceful as before.
Wondering what more he could do to help, Obi-Wan looked around. Then he carefully reached over to the bedside table, trying not to jostle his companion. He grabbed a book and began to read out loud, though still quietly. He didn't want to wake Anakin, just let him know he was here. It was a few pages before he even realised what he was actually reading. It was a book on various poisons and their antidotes. Strangely he realised it wasn't his book. That meant it had to be Anakin's. It was bizarre to realise that Anakin actually owned a book that wasn't a technical manual. He snorted to himself and then realised exactly why Anakin had this book. He felt a swell of love filling his chest.
Hours passed before Anakin finally woke up again. Obi-Wan himself had still not been to sleep and all of his limbs were heavy with exhaustion. Anakin shifted and then looked up at him. His eyes were still bloodshot and red rimmed from all the crying. He was sure his were the same.
"Hey." He said quietly.
"Afternoon." Obi-Wan greeted him with a slight smile.
"Is it?"
"Just after lunch."
"Did you get any sleep?" Anakin asked, concern colouring his voice. Obi-Wan just shook his head. Guilt crept over his features and Obi-Wan sighed. He still didn't understand it wasn't his fault.
"I'll be alright. I'm sure I'll sleep tonight." He said. Anakin didn't look convinced but didn't press the point either. Instead he settled back down on Obi-Wan's chest, tightening his grip around his waist. Obi-Wan smiled.
"Urgh." Anakin groaned.
"What?"
"I need to go to the fresher. My mouth is disgusting. But I don't want to move."
"It won't take you long." Obi-Wan said. Anakin frowned but clambered over him to get up. He needed a bit of help, being unable to balance easily with only one hand but he soon got free. While he was gone Obi-Wan decided to clean up where Anakin had been sick the night before. It had been bothering him all night but not enough to get up and leave the other man alone to have more nightmares. Once they were both done, they grabbed some snacks to have in bed and slid back under the sheets. They weren't going anywhere that day. They both sat, leaning against the headboard the entire length of Obi-Wan's left side pressed against Anakin's right. Their hands were intertwined and resting on Anakin's thigh as they both ate with their free hands. It was easier for Obi-Wan who still had liquid food. Although watching Anakin try to eat a plateful of pancakes one handed was quite amusing. Especially as he had to balance the plate on his leg while he ate. It almost toppled over at least five times. Once he was done, he handed the plate to Obi-Wan who put it on the bed side table.
"I was thinking about talking to Mace tomorrow. Do you want to come with me?" He asked.
"Do you want me there?" Anakin asked in return which Obi-Wan guessed meant he would very much not like to be there but was willing to go if he asked. He had already put Anakin through so much, how could he ask for more?
"I'll be alright." He said. It was unconvincing even to his own ears.
"Of course you will." Anakin said matter of factly. "But I'll go with you." Obi-Wan smiled gratefully and rested his head on the younger man's shoulder. Anakin then rested his head atop Obi-Wan's after kissing his hair. "I meant what I said by the way. It might have been beyond horrific but I'm glad you told me. You shouldn't have to carry that all by yourself." Anakin said softly.
"I'll admit, I'm happier now that you know." Obi-Wan admitted. Anakin squeezed his hand gently. They were silent for a few more minutes. "One thing we do need to deal with is Order 66. Some of the clones have biochips in the back of their necks with a command in it that Palpatine can activate. It basically convinces them the Jedi are their enemy and they will kill any Jedi they see."
"That's awful." Anakin gasped.
"When I went to Kamino, I persuaded them not to put the chips in the clones they produced after I had been but seven hundred thousand still have the chips. Including Cody and Rex. Admittedly many of the others will have passed on by now."
"Cody and Rex?" Anakin repeated in horror. Obi-Wan nodded grimly. Glancing over he saw Anakin was clearly thinking quickly.
"If we can get one or both of them in for an in depth medical scan I might be able to see what type of chip it is and if there is a way to deactivate it." He said slowly.
"I'm sure that can be arranged." Obi-Wan said.
"If Cody and Rex have it them I'm guessing most of the 212th and 501st will have the chips?" Anakin asked. Obi-Wan nodded again. "Well that makes that job pretty high on our priority list then." He stated. "I don't really fancy having a squad at my back that could turn on me at any second whether they want to or not."
"I suspect Palpatine won't initiate the order until you are his apprentice or it is beyond clear you will never join him." Anakin gave a full body shudder at this pronouncement. "He wouldn't want to risk you being killed."
"Are you sure we can't just stab the sleemo?"
"We would be arrested for treason. I would rather our lives after the war not be spent in jail." Obi-Wan said, not mentioning he had already considered this prospect.
"We could break out easily enough." Anakin shrugged.
"I'm sure we could but the rest of our lives would be spent dodging bounty hunters. I want a peaceful retirement with you, Ani." Obi-Wan told him firmly. Anakin smiled gently.
"If you insist."
"I do."
"I'm going to be so bored."
"It won't kill you." Anakin snickered and made to reply but then shut his mouth, going slightly pale. "Ani?"
"Nothing. Just a flashback." Obi-Wan nodded and squeezed his hand.
"We will get through this." He promised. Anakin gave him a shaky smile.
"Of course. We're the unstoppable team."
The remainder of the day passed easily enough. They spent a fair bit of time talking about harmless topics and some with Obi-Wan filling Anakin in on some particularly important events during the rest of the Clone Wars. Mostly what he knew about Anakin's solo missions so he would have a vague idea what to expect but given how much things were shifting they would soon be in the dark like everyone else. They also both spent a while in a healing trance in the hopes that they would both be fit for the mission to Geonosis. Obi-Wan did not want to imagine being left behind this time. They would need to be careful as Ki-Adi Mundi would be with them but it was better than having to separate. Anakin seemed to have settled after his time in some warehouse but Obi-Wan was suspicious of his reaction to Healer Che needing to set his bone and the subsequent refusal of painkillers. He wanted to be there to make sure Anakin didn't do anything tremendously stupid.
Eventually they both decided to take a stab at going to sleep again. He was so tired his eyes would barely stay open so it looked like he wasn't going to get much choice. They lay as they had the previous night, with Anakin's head resting on his chest and an arm slung over his waist. His grip seemed tighter than normal but Obi-Wan wasn't going to protest. Instead, he reached along their Force bond and strengthened it, bringing Anakin's shields close enough to his own that they were touching. Nothing invasive, they could not see each other's thoughts but they could each feel the other close by mentally as well as physically. He hoped it would be enough to calm them both down. Unable to stay awake any longer, he let sleep claim him.
His dreams were vague and indistinct but definitely unsettling. Thankfully, when he woke the next morning he did feel at least a little rested. He could tell Anakin was awake but he didn't open his eyes just yet. Instead he enjoyed the feeling of having his mental Force presence so close. It was very comforting. Eventually his stomach grumbled loud enough to draw a chuckle from the other Jedi and Obi-Wan opened his eyes. Somehow Anakin had managed to wrap himself even more tightly around Obi-Wan during the night. He was practically laying on top of him, with one leg nestled comfortably between Obi-Wan's.
"Sleep ok?" Anakin asked. He nodded.
"Better than expected actually. I think I was too tired to dream properly." The other man smiled and then shifted himself to he was hovering face to face with Obi-Wan. Then he hesitantly moved forwards and Obi-Wan closed the rest of the gap, kissing him deeply. When they broke apart, panting, they grinned at each other. Both glad of the reassurance of their relationship.
"We should probably go and speak to Windu. Get this over with." Anakin suggested. He did have a point.
"Oh fine." Obi-Wan groaned. Neither of them made an attempt to move. After a few seconds they both laughed. Eventually they managed to drag themselves out of bed and get dressed. They ate quickly before getting ready to leave. They hugged once more before finally heading out of the apartment. The Temple was relatively busy for a change and a few people nodded to the duo as they passed. Ahsoka came bounding up enthusiastically.
"Morning, Master. Master Kenobi." She beamed.
"Hey, Snips."
"Good morning, Ahsoka."
"Are we training today?" She asked. Anakin held up his hand sheepishly.
"I can spar left handed with you. You might actually stand a chance." He said. Ahsoka scoffed.
"What did you do this time?"
"Just had a slight mishap." He shrugged. Obi-Wan could feel him tense beside him. "Obi-Wan and I are just heading to a meeting with Master Windu. Go and get some light practise in with another Padawan or some younglings and I will come and find you once we are done." Anakin instructed.
"Yes, Master." Ahsoka nodded and then grinned before heading off.
"How does she have so much energy in the mornings?" Anakin asked in bewilderment.
"It's Ahsoka. I'd be more concerned if she wasn't energetic." Obi-Wah shrugged. Anakin conceded this was a fair point and they continued on their way. They found Windu in the Room of a Thousand Fountains.
"Skywalker, Master Kenobi, what can I do for you?" He asked as they approached.
"We wished to speak with you." Obi-Wan said, feeling his nerves rising once more. "In private." He added, glancing around at the few other Jedi who were meditating. Windu looked surprised but nodded. He led them down the corridor to one of the meditation rooms. The three of them sat down and he looked towards Obi-Wan expectantly. "There is something I need to confess." He said.
"Oh?" Windu definitely looked surprised now. Obi-Wan guessed he had expected Anakin to be the one who needed to speak privately.
"I'm...well, I'm from the future. When I died the Force sent me back to prevent a catastrophe."
"Well, that would explain the series of shatterpoints that have slowly built up connecting to you." Windu said slowly. "What happened?"
"Palpatine is definitely a Sith Lord." Obi-Wan said.
"And you didn't tell us this, because..?" Windu narrowed his eyes.
"I had no proof. I did try to guide you in the right direction." Obi-Wan shrugged. "I was told not to tell anyone I was from the future until the time was right."
"By who?"
"Master Qui-Gon."
"Of course." Windu rolled his eyes. "What does Palpatine manage to do?"
"Destroy the Jedi. When Dooku is killed he gains a new, more powerful apprentice. Once his apprentice was in place he used something called Order 66 to turn all the clones against the Jedi, slaughtering the vast majority of them."
"The clones can be used against the Jedi?" Windu asked in alarm.
"Only some of them. Essentially when Master Syfo Dyas died, Dooku took control of the clone army, pretending to be a Jedi working on Syfo Dyas' orders. He hired Jango Fett to be the genetic model for the clones and he ordered a biochip to be implanted in them containing Order 66 which only the Chancellor can activate. I think. However, when I went to Kamino to see the clone army, I convinced the Kaminoens not to put the biochip in any new clones made. Only the first few hundred thousand have the chips in. Many of those will be dead by now."
"That's something at least." Windu sighed. "Do you know which clones are affected?"
"Not for sure. The 212th and 501st definitely are though. Anakin is going to see if he can find a way to either deactivate or remove the chip before Palpatine has a chance to activate it."
"That would be most helpful."
"After the clones turned on the Jedi, Anakin discovered that Palpatine was indeed a Sith Lord. He gave you this information and you went to confront him with Masters Fisto, Tiin and Kolar. You told Anakin to stay behind because he was confused. Palpatine had been a friend to him. Palpatine killed you. Anakin went along anyway. He tried to help but Palpatine's new apprentice killed him in the attempt." Obi-Wan choked up on those words slightly. He felt rather than saw Anakin stiffen once more. "As far as I know, only Master Yoda and myself survived." Some of his story was guesswork and some he had seen on some more of the footage Yoda had found from Palpatine's office rather than the Temple. Windu was looking at Anakin in surprise while the younger man simply stared at the floor uneasily.
"That is...a rather unfortunate future." Windu said with a sigh.
"Indeed." Obi-Wan agreed. 'Unfortunate' didn't even begin to cover it.
"We still need proof before we approach Palpatine. Skywalker, you seem to have an in with the Chancellor…"
"Master Windu, I do not think that is wise." Obi-Wan cut in, worriedly watching Anakin go deathly pale.
"Why not? It sounds as if the boy has proven himself loyal. We need his help." Windu pointed out.
"You have often said Anakin is too emotional. If Palpatine finds out Anakin is deceiving him, he will kill him." Obi-Wan argued. He was not going to allow Anakin to be forced to get close to Palpatine in order to expose him. He would leave the order before he allowed Anakin close to that monster ever again. Thankfully, Windu seemed to consider this.
"If he is powerful enough to go undetected for this long, he will most likely sense deception." He finally agreed. Obi-Wan let out a sigh of relief. He subtly used the Force to help prop Anakin up who seemed about to fall over. "What of Senator Amidala? Could we not ask her to simply keep an eye out for anything strange." Obi-Wan didn't like that plan much more than he liked asking Anakin to do it. However they would need someone close to the Chancellor or they would never find the evidence needed to expose him.
"Our best option is probably to capture Dooku. He is the one who told Obi-Wan that there was a Sith Lord controlling the Senate. If he could identify the Chancellor we, at the very least, would have the authority to investigate." Anakin spoke up, voice quiet and unsure. He glanced warily at Windu.
"I agree, Skywalker." Windu said slowly. "You are to speak to Senator Amidala to keep an eye on the Chancellor's doings and I shall attempt to spend what resources we can into finding Dooku. I don't suppose your future knowledge could tell us where he is at the moment?" He asked hopefully. Obi-Wan shook his head.
"Not at this particular moment. If I recall a particular mission that he should be on I will let you know. However things have already changed. Both Grievous and Maul were still alive at this point in time whereas for now, Dooku is the main Separatist leader. Other than Palpatine anyway."
"Very well. Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I shall speak with Master Yoda but this should not be mentioned to anyone else for now. The more people who know, the bigger the risk of Palpatine finding out we are on to him." Windu said. Anakin and Obi-Wan both nodded their agreement. They then all left the room, Windu going one way and the other two heading for the training rooms.
When they arrived they spotted Ahsoka sparring with three younglings who all looked to be around eight. She kept calling out advice to them and they adjusted themselves accordingly. However she was holding them off rather easily and they were looking quite disheartened when she finally called an end to the spar.
"Having fun?" Anakin asked with a smile as they approached.
"Sure thing, Skyguy." Ahsoka said once she regained her breath.
"Yes, Master Skywalker." The younglings chorused.
"Padawan Tano wasn't too terribly hard on you was she?" He asked in a sympathetic tone that made Ahsoka glare at him. Obi-Wan saw him give her a wink as the three younglings all nodded vigorously and had to bite back a chuckle.
"She's really tough." One of them said to Anakin in a rather loud whisper.
"That's because she trains a lot." Anakin told them.
"Can we see you practise?" Another one asked.
"Yeah, how about you and Master Kenobi give us a demonstration?" Ahsoka grinned.
"No!" Anakin said sharply. Ahsoka looked taken aback. "Obi-Wan is still recovering and not well enough to spar." He added in a tone that was slightly softer but still brooked no argument.
"Oh, of course." Ahsoka agreed easily. "I guess you're stuck demonstrating with me then Skyguy." She said. Obi-Wan noted that Anakin was looking slightly ill again and was about to step in when the younger man shook his head violently and gave Ahsoka a grin that was clearly quite strained.
They took up positions and Obi-Wan watched from the side with the three younglings. Anakin held his lightsaber in his left hand as his right was still bandaged. Ahsoka started the fight with an acrobatic lunge, swiping her lightsaber at Anakin's legs but he wasn't there. Having anticipated the move he had already moved to behind where Ahsoka would land and made a sweeping movement with his legs. Ahsoka tumbled to the floor. She was quickly back up, using the momentum from her fall to bounce upright and back into an attack. Obi-Wan smiled slightly at the younglings' gasp of awe. The two continued fighting. It was more even than usual given Anakin's handicap but eventually he disarmed Ahsoka, who raised her arms in submission. The younglings cheered happily but then stopped. As Ahsoka held up her hands, Anakin's eyes glazed over and he went pale, dropping his lightsaber like it had burned him. Obi-Wan could feel his horror and fear through their bond. Something had triggered another flashback. That could be a problem if fighting made Anakin react like that. He immediately stepped forwards to steady the younger man.
"Master?" Ahsoka asked in concern.
"Obi-Wan." Anakin mumbled, clearly still lost in the vision.
"I'm right here." Obi-Wan told him softly. Anakin looked dangerously close to throwing up or passing out. Possibly one then the other.
"Ahsoka, help me get him back to our quarters. He probably just has a case of food poisoning." Obi-Wan instructed.
"Yes, Master." She said, grabbing Anakin's other arm.
"Younglings, the lesson is now over." Obi-Wan told them.
"Yes, Master Kenobi." They say in unison. They all bowed and then ran off, probably to cause some mischief somewhere. Between them, Obi-Wan and Ahsoka helped Anakin back to the apartment and placed him on their bed. Obi-Wan thanked the Force they had told Ahsoka they were a couple so he didn't have to come up with an explanation for why he was putting Anakin in what was supposed to be his bed.
"Are you sure it's food poisoning?" Ahsoka asked in concern once they had laid Anakin down.
"No but he did say he wasn't feeling one hundred percent after breakfast this morning." Obi-Wan shrugged. He didn't like lying to Ahsoka but he couldn't tell her the truth. He was already surprised Windu hadn't given him any trouble over the fact that he had clearly told Anakin about him being from the future before Windu or Yoda.
"Well, I'll leave you two to it." Ahsoka said. "I hope he feels better soon."
"Me too." Obi-Wan told her sincerely. "I'll let you know as soon as he's ok." He promised.
"Thanks." She gave him a quick hug before leaving. Immediately, he returned to the bedroom where Anakin was now sitting up. He had regained a little colour but was clearly clammy from sweat.
"I'm sorry." He said quietly, shame clear in his voice.
"What happened?" Obi-Wan asked, sitting beside him and pulling him into a hug.
"When Ahsoka surrendered, it just...I remembered how I killed you." Anakin's voice broke on the last word and he started crying. "It was in my nightmare last night too. You just surrendered, telling me you were sorry you failed me and I killed you. It was my body and I couldn't control it. I didn't mean to." He whispered brokenly. Obi-Wan almost cried himself. He cursed himself for ever showing Anakin their final meeting. Clearly it had scarred the young man far more than he had believed. For himself, their duel on Mustafar was so much worse but clearly Anakin was struggling with what happened on the Death Star. And Obi-Wan couldn't blame him. It was bad enough he had cut off three limbs off Vader, he couldn't imagine having to deal with the fact that he had murdered Anakin.
"Shhh. It wasn't you. I'm right here and I'm fine." Obi-Wan told him. He couldn't really tell Anakin it was ok because it wasn't. The younger man cried into his tunic until he was finally asleep. As promised, Obi-Wan commed Ahsoka to tell her Anakin was doing marginally better and was now asleep. She thanked him for the update and said she would be in the archive if Anakin wanted her later.
With that dealt with, Obi-Wan gently got up to grab himself a meal. Then he returned to Anakin who had taken the whole thirty seconds he had been gone to sprawl across the whole damn bed. Rolling his eyes, Obi-Wan gently lifted an arm and a leg to make some room for him to clamber awkwardly onto the bed. Then he replaced the limbs, draped over his own body. He made sure to sent love and calmness through their Force bond in an attempt to keep any further nightmares away. One hand gently carded through the silky locks on the head that had just moved into his lap.
It was only an hour or so later when Anakin woke back up. He blinked rapidly and then looked around. Noticing his current position he retracted his limbs with a sheepish expression, giving Obi-Wan some more space. In response, Obi-Wan shuffled over slightly and then pulled Anakin into a hug.
"How are you feeling?"
"Better." Anakin sighed. "Slightly mortified though."
"It's nothing to be ashamed of. You saw something incredibly traumatic. I'd be more concerned if you didn't have some sort of reaction." Obi-Wan told him gently.
"I can't afford to do that in a real battle." Anakin said forcefully. Well, there was no arguing with that point. It was true.
"No." Obi-Wan agreed. "Maybe you should try some more gentle sparring with Ahsoka. I'd offer but we both know that would be a terrible idea." Anakin shuddered slightly.
"Definitely." He agreed fervently. "How come…" Anakin trailed off.
"What is it?"
"Nothing."
"You're a terrible liar."
"Ok, it's not important."
"Still not buying it."
"I just wondered how come it doesn't seem to trigger any flashbacks for you. You've managed to spar with me for years. Yeah, you didn't look too happy that last time but you've never dropped your kriffing lightsaber."
"I've had a lot longer to come to terms with this. Our last meeting aboard the Death Star doesn't bother me so much. In fact I'd almost been expecting it for a long time. Far more disturbing for me was Mustafar and I've had over thirty years to deal with the resulting nightmares." Obi-Wan told him.
"Yeah. Despite knowing you're from the future, it's weird knowing you're so old. I'm practically dating a fossil." Anakin managed a small smirk.
"Oi! Watch it." Obi-Wan told him but the scolding was rather lost given he knew he had a dopey grin on his face. Anakin's face fell again.
"It doesn't bother you that I killed you?" Obi-Wan sighed.
"I spent a long time disassociating Vader and Anakin. To me, my Anakin died on Mustafar really. Once he became more machine than man he was Darth Vader, not my old friend. Besides it was only fitting. How else was I going to die? Tripping over some sand and hitting my head on a rock somewhere in the wastelands of Tatooine? Far less heroic." Obi-Wan commented lightly. Anakin snorted.
"I'm not sure I'd call being killed by an old robot, heroic." He muttered but there was some humour in his voice which was what Obi-Wan had hoped for. They spent the rest of the afternoon lounging around the apartment. Anakin commed Ahsoka himself to assure her he was alright, he had just eaten something funny. He instructed her to speak with the clones tomorrow and make sure they were ready to depart the day after. Anakin probably should have done it himself but they both knew that Ahsoka adored the clones. Especially Fives and Rex. After dinner they played a game of Sabacc which Obi-Wan won and then they went back to bed. Obi-Wan was startled to realise just how much time they had spent in bed over the last couple of days but he certainly wasn't complaining. He forced himself to stay awake until Anakin was asleep. Only once he had done everything he could to prevent nightmares did he allow himself to drift off as well.