"They took Anakin's medicine."

Obi-Wan didn't know which hurt worse, his head or having to bear the sight of Ahsoka's fallen features.

"There's no easy way to put it," he continued, wincing away as Grandma pressed an ice pack to his temple. "They hijacked my speeder and stole it right out of my pouch."

"Who?" Ahsoka probed, brows furrowed. "Who took it, Master?"

"The men I met back at the mercantile. The ones I sent up here. They didn't—Ah!" He hadn't meant to give the pain a voice, but the sudden chill caught him off-guard, the ice stinging nearly as much as the cut itself. "They didn't give you any trouble, did they?"

"Nothing we couldn't handle," Ahsoka quipped a bit too easily for his taste, her arms folding across her chest. "But that's not important right now. Why did they take the medicine? Do they still have it?"

Obi-Wan gave a careful nod, trying not to move much under Grandma's stinging ice. "They want ten thousand credits for it."

"Kriff!" Rex muttered, turning away with a huff.

"They tried to pull that stunt on us, too, General," Cody explained. "Apparently, that's how much they think it will cost to repair the damage caused to their property."

A gloved hand closed around Obi-Wan's chin and he ran his fingers over the dirt-coated beard. "Really? They told me the damage was worth half as much when I met them in town. Either way, we don't have anywhere near that amount on hand."

"It's starting to look like their only chance lies in us getting a distress call past the blockade."

"I'm afraid you're right, Cody." Obi-Wan swallowed a sigh, resisting the urge to shut his eyes.

He just wanted to block it all out, make it all disappear. But he couldn't. No one could.

They were truly on their own.

And if Anakin dies because of my inability to hold my own against those barves…

Well, he thought grimly, I don't know if I'll ever even try to forgive myself.

"Can't we go after them?" Ahsoka asked, her voice straining with emotion. "Force them to give it back?"

"Do you even know where to begin searching?" Obi-Wan couldn't suppress the snappish tone, try as he might. "It would only result in a wild bantha chase, and I'm not prepared to waste any more time we don't have, are you?"

It was when her normally vibrant blue eyes glazed over that he glanced away. He couldn't bear to see her cry, not when he felt close so tears himself.

"Ten thousand credits," she choked out in a small voice. "What kind of monster holds medicine for ransom? How could they do something like that?"

"How?" It was Riff who spoke now, and Obi-Wan didn't have to lift his eyes to know the young man's face was red with rage. "You tried to tell me, but I wouldn't listen. They can do it because… because out here, it's a jungle. Of animals and savages, where one tries to destroy the other."

"Now, Riff." Grandma's voice was nearly emotionless, a stark, stony contrast to her usual chipper tones. "Ease up a bit, won't you?"

"Ease up?" The boy took a step forward. "Yeah, I'll 'ease up.' When all this is over, I'm going to go someplace where a man can live like a decent human being. But first,"—Obi-Wan caught the look he gave Ahsoka and made a mental note to do some digging on the state of their relationship later—"I have something I need to do."

In a flash, the boy had crossed the room and was breaking open a large chest. For a brief moment, his eyes met his father's, who had hovered in a corner for much of the conversation.

As he pulled out a blaster rifle, Obi-Wan pushed himself to his feet.

"I'm going after them."

"Riff!" Grandma cried, dropping the ice pack on Obi-Wan's foot. "It's too dangerous!"

"I'm afraid I can't let you," Obi-Wan said carefully, making his way towards the angered young man.

"And why not?" Riff's eyes blazed. "I brought you all here to help you, and those barves only want to tear you apart, just like that juaal did to your men." He charged up the weapon. "I'm sorry, but I can't let them walk all over us anymore. You might be able to sit and take it, but I've taken all I can. It's either fight back or choke, and I'm tired of suffocating."

As Riff made for the door, Obi-Wan rested a firm, restraining hand on his quivering shoulder. "Don't let them reduce you to their level."

Not you, not me, not any of you.

"Don't let them win by making you think you've exhausted all other options."

"But we have, haven't we?" He asked. "What else is there to do?"

"Break through the blockade," Obi-Wan replied, exuding a confidence he didn't quite feel. "If we can get a message to the Republic, they can bring us proper medical care."

"Does your precious Republic know how to treat juaal wounds? They can't bring the right antidote."

"Then they'll bring an army, and one way or another, we'll get that medicine back. But we'll do it the right way, without revenge in our hearts."

A beat. Then another.

It took several painful moments but Riff finally calmed down.

"All right," he sighed. "All right. But I'm not putting the gun away. They're going to return to get their money and I refuse to be unprepared when they do."

"Now," Obi-Wan said with a small smile, "you're thinking like a true soldier, not a brigand."

After that, everyone slowly seemed to drift off to attend to one thing or another. Rex and Cody left to begin brainstorming, along with Riff, who offered his assistance and knowledge as a resident of Otumni. Grandma went back to her baking, thankfully leaving Obi-Wan alone for the time being.

Ahsoka started the journey into the sickroom, no doubt to go tend to Anakin, but not before Obi-Wan noticed her fingers wrapped tightly around the lightsaber at her belt.

She'd been ready to follow Riff, that much was clear, and it left him wondering how far she would've gone.

Would she have taken out her emotion and rage on those men? Or would her training—and more importantly, her conscience—finally caught up with her at the last minute?

Obi-Wan could only hope it would've been the latter.

That's all you can ever do for them in the end, isn't it? He watched her disappear, feet glued to the floor at the paralyzing thought. Hope.

Is that truly the only control I have anymore?

Do my words mean anything? More importantly, would she even have listened?

It was always a gamble with Anakin, who seemed to be his own man these days, and rightly so.

Ahsoka, on the other hand, had always looked up to him not only as her Grandmaster, but as a friend and mentor.

Has my failure today tarnished our relationship? Her view of me?

Am I still someone she can look up to?

Or was Riff Waldar and his heated passions the new role model material?

His head spun just considering the fact. It wasn't true, he knew; it couldn't be.

But he had to wonder…

How could Ahsoka have any faith in him to get them all out of this mess when he barely had any faith in himself?

Oh, Anakin… Wake up…

Please.

I need you.

This need manifested itself in a sudden jerk to his feet, pulling him towards the sick room, erratically pulsing his blood.

Anakin…

When he arrived-Ahsoka hot on his heels-he found Anakin resting all but peacefully. His breaths were short and irregular, his hair clinging tightly to sweat-coated skin.

Obi-Wan swallowed, thrusting a fist to his mouth.

The young Knight looked even worse than before. Before Obi-Wan had left to get the medicine.

Before it all went so horribly wrong.

Behind him, Ahsoka let out a small whimper. It was the sort of sound that could so easily fracture Obi-Wan's already breaking heart.

"This wasn't supposed to happen," she cried softly. "Padawans are supposed to protect their Masters, to keep them safe! Not just let them die!"

Obi-Wan stiffened against the unwanted memories flooding his mind.

Naboo.

Theed.

Qui-Gon…

"Ideally, yes," he said finally. "But I'm afraid some Padawans just aren't capable of such a task."

"What? Why… why would you say that? Is that supposed to make me feel better? You… you think he's going to… to…"

"I'm merely speaking from experience." The words came out harsher than he'd intended, but there was no going back now. "I'm not a prophet, Ahsoka. The future is always uncertain, always in motion. Unlike that past, which is unfortunately set in stone. Now, I'm sorry, but I've got to find Cody and come up with some sort of plan to get a message through this blasted blockade and to the Temple."

And just like that, he left her behind, quitting the room before he suffocated in the wake of his own shortcomings.