The Horrors of Jabiim
Chapter 4
Disclaimer: Disney owns everything and I make no profit from this.
Summary: With the main Separatist force defeated and Alto Stratus dead, Republic Clone Troopers and their brave Jedi Generals are on the verge of victory in the battle for Jabiim, but tensions run high in Shelter Base as Obi Wan Kenobi attempts to defend his former pupil from the fear-driven actions of other Jedi while Anakin recovers from the exhausting battle that had taken place mere hours before…
Warning: For those who have not read my story "A Messed Up Destiny: Before the Dark Times", it is needed for context of what's going on here and for the other side stories I plan to write that will take place in the same universe. So I suggest you go read it or you'll be completely lost here.
Note: Because this story relates to an extremely bloody battle of the Clone Wars, visual descriptions will match the theme of the conflict, so viewer (or in this reader) discretion is advised and should be seriously considered.
Jabiim, Shelter Base Command Center, Obi Wan's point of view:
The battle was over. We had won. It was unbelievable, almost like a dream. Jabiimi soldiers and Clones were gathering around Anakin, cheering for his accomplishment, but the crowd quickly went silent as my brother's body hit the floor. Rex and Cody immediately began pushing others aside so I could get to him, and I ordered Coric and the other medics to stabilize him as soon as I did.
Rex accompanied his brothers, carrying his General inside the base where he would receive treatment for what they assumed to be physical wounds, but would soon discover was far more serious. Coric's examination of my brother revealed that he was suffering from an intense exhaustion, but he was stumped as to why he had fainted, stating that it hadn't gotten to that point and that his vitals were mostly stable.
It was then that I allowed myself to let out a sigh, before beginning to explain what Force Exhaustion was to the medic. Coric listened to me attentively and requested additional details as to what the treatment was, to which I told him that Anakin needed rest, emphasizing that it wouldn't be the first time this had occurred –which was technically true when counting the time travel and his years as a Sith Lord- and that he should be left alone for now.
Rex swallowed nervously at that, almost objecting to my –in his eyes final- decision, but said nothing in the end, excusing himself under the guise of having work to do, even though we all knew that no forms would be getting filled in today. The Captain left shortly after, and I immediately called Captain Orliss Gillmunn, the leader of the Jabiimi Rebels, and ordered him to place guards outside Anakin's room, having sensed much fear from the other Jedi –mostly Padawans- on site and not wanting to take any chances in regards to my brother's safety. Force knew he'd been stabbed for less.
It was about an hour later when I saw Cody again. He was at the main entrance of the base, conversing with Jango about the battle that had been fought here in his absence. The Bounty Hunter's voice conveyed pride for the accomplishments of the Clones, but I could also sense worry for Anakin's condition. Try as he might to deny it, we all –Anakin included- were growing on him and doing so rather quickly.
Jango spotted me a moment later, shoving Cody aside to reach me before requesting –demanding- to know how Anakin was in the most formal tone he could muster. I answered calmly and informed him that my brother was fine and in recovery, but he then wanted to know exactly 'what in the Corellian Hells' could down someone like Anakin.
I let out a sigh at the inquiry, but replied nonetheless. "It's a long story.", I told him, my voice sounding just as tired as I was.
Jango noticed this, but ignored my fatigue, instead preferring to push me for answers. "We have time.", he said simply, his tone conveying more aggression than his blasters ever could.
I sighed again, but relented, for I didn't have the strength to argue any longer. "Follow me. It's better if we speak of it elsewhere.", I told him, wanting to return to my brother's side and remain there until he awoke.
Fett seemed satisfied with the answer and followed me to the medical bay, remaining silent until we got there. When the doors opened and he saw Anakin's still, unmoving form, he cursed loudly and turned to me, demanding to know what had happened to put him down.
Knowing that he wouldn't understand most Force-related terminology, I tried to explain it as simply as I could. "Anakin used too much energy. The battle had been raging on for hours and he had overexerted himself long before he collapsed, but his final move, the hailstorm of Lightning he created to win the day for us, was too much for him.", I said in a serious tone, though I failed to hide the sadness and worry I felt for my brother. "He needs to rest, but is otherwise fine.", I then added, hoping Jango would understand and leave so that no one would have to see me in this state, feeling as helpless as I did.
The Bounty Hunter nodded stiffly and muttered something about Anakin being a reckless idiot, but I pretended not to hear him. In an attempt to change the subject, he then cleared his throat, focusing on how the campaign was going. "Just so you know, with Stratus dead and the bulk of their forces turned to dust, there won't be much opposition for the remainder of the mission. Way I see it, only the cleanup is left and then we can leave.", Jango stated, adopting the tone Rex and Cody did when it came to reciting battle reports.
I didn't reply, merely nodding and weakly pointing to the exit, conveying that I wanted to be alone. Fett muttered something about 'those karking space wizards' along with a few choice words not worth repeating and went through the door, leaving me only with Anakin, and alone with my thoughts.
Meanwhile, Netherworld of the Force, Anakin's point of view:
I awoke feeling no better than I was moments ago, with only vague lines and memories to tell me what had happened since the Republic's victory at Shelter Base. Obi Wan's presence was nowhere to be found, but I could faintly recall sensing his emotions. Fear, worry and helplessness were driving his mind, though he was strong enough to not them dictate his actions.
I could still hear the weak voice of a Clone, reciting some kind of battle report, even though his wording was more akin to how my men used to be in the months before Operation Knightfall, and not so early in the war. Hushed whispers and feelings of fear were all around me, formless shadows of light, filled with terror over what I had done, over how we had won, but they were all gone a moment later, passing away as if they were footprints on Tatooine, erased by the endless waves of sand that made up that terrible place.
My gaze fell on my surroundings. I found myself in what looked to be a military ship of some kind, with the interior design reminiscent of the Old Republic's navy. I was lying on a one-person bunk, with no distinctive design and no markings, bar the Republic Crest that was edged on the bed's side. Calling on the Force, I scanned the rest of the ship for life forms and found only two, both in the ship's bridge, far away from where I was.
Seeing as my saber was intact and still clipped to my belt, I made my way outside the room and began to explore the ship, quickly realizing that a battle had taken place here, with the cruiser having been boarded by at least one lightsaber-wielding opponent, as evidenced by the scorch marks on the walls.
My guard was still down, but only because the Force was telling me that this area was safe. My instincts were telling me the opposite, but I had trust in the Force and simply made my way to the Bridge, passing through half-wrecked corridors and even some that had been blown open, with their contents and occupants still visible in the vacuum of space that lingered just outside.
It made no difference for me, so I simply kept walking, eventually approaching the door that led to the Bridge. I was about to enter, but something made me pause. Even with a headache that would not go away, I still recognized one of the people inside by their Force presence. It was Revan, my trusted friend and mentor. Eager to see him and inquire about the state of the campaign back on Jabiim, I rushed through the door, but stopped myself once I saw who he was with.
It was a woman who appeared to be in her early thirties, with Revan –whose face was now unmasked- was not much older. The lightsaber clipped to her belt told me that she was a Jedi and the robes she wore matched the time period the ship appeared to belong in, but her interaction with Revan was what made me remember who she was.
I saw her kiss Revan on the cheek and mutter something to him, causing him to stumble over himself and turn to me, looking slightly flustered. The Force wasn't easy to listen to with the headache I had, but I managed to make out something akin to embarrassment in his emotions.
Revan then walked over to me as the woman left the room through a side door, her form disappearing shortly before it closed behind her. He then used the Force to pull two chairs toward us and sat in one, urging me to do the same. I complied and got comfortable, waiting for him to speak.
When he didn't, I took upon myself to start the conversation, content with simply talking to my friend for the time being. "So…that was Grandmaster Shan, I assume?", I inquired, causing Revan to make a motion with his hand, his mask reforming to cover his face.
"It was. She really is the most amazing woman I've ever met.", he said in a tone that sounded almost dreamy. Realizing his slip up, he cleared his throat, wanting to change the subject for whatever reason. "Anakin.", he addressed me. "Do you know where we are?"
I shook my head in a negative, still disoriented from this whole experience. Seeing that I didn't know, Revan decided to answer his own question. "We're on the Endar Spire, or my Force Space, I suppose. It's my little corner in the never ending plain of existence that is the Force's Netherworld. Quite comfy, if I'm being honest.", he said and I only nodded, still taking the surroundings in.
Revan must have noticed this, for he probed me lightly through the Force, to see if I was lucid. I shook my head a bit before focusing my mind, willing the surroundings to be more clear and my thoughts less murky. It didn't work, but I did my best to pay attention to what Revan was saying.
"Are you alright?", he asked suddenly, voice full of worry.
I shook my head again. "No, not really. I have a headache and everything here is dizzying and almost like seeing things through heavy fog. My thoughts aren't as clear either.", I admitted.
"Ah.", Revan remarked. "I suppose that's on me. I pulled you in here without warning and you haven't had time to adjust. Just…take a deep breath, let the Force's light flow through you and tell me if it's any better.", he instructed.
I did as me asked of me and after a few moments, things were much clearer. I didn't need to use labels to identify who he was, instinctively knowing him to just be Revan without having to classify him as a teacher or mentor and my headache was gone, allowing me to truly take in my surroundings. Once I did so, I noticed that we really were on the Endar Spire. I could remember learning about this ship in a history lesson when I was around eleven and still training to be a Padawan, and the view from the Bridge was amazing. I could even make out Sith Warships in the distance, appearing to move closer without ever really doing so.
"Better?", Revan asked.
"Much.", I replied honestly. "So, why here? Had I known this was possible, I'd expect the Ebon Hawk, not this place.", I told him, still taking the new information in.
"The Hawk is one of my favorite places to visit, but Meetra is there right now and she's not exactly quiet, so this is the next best thing. Besides, the view is incredible when you aren't getting shot at by an entire fleet, no?", Revan said and stood up to look outside the –half destroyed- viewpoint.
I followed him and we stood there for a moment, content with taking a moment to admire the peace and not worry about what is to come. Qui Gon had taught me to keep my mind on the here and the now, which is perhaps the only that has helped me keep my sanity, for had I been worrying about Sidious with every second that passed, I would have surely gone insane by now.
Revan turned to face me after a few more seconds, his gaze studying me from underneath his mask. "I sense there is something you wanted to ask.", he said, but didn't pressure me to do so. It was a mere observation. Nothing more and nothing less.
I nodded an affirmative. "There is. Did we win the battle and if yes, then why am I here?", I inquired. A moment later, panic began to set in as a new possibility sprang up in my mind. "I'm not…dead, am I?", I asked, knowing Revan had heard me, even if my voice was trembling, and barely above a whisper.
Revan let out a chuckle at my thought, dismissing it immediately. "No, Anakin. Your physical body has simply suffered from Force Exhaustion. You'll be back up on your feet soon, but I thought to bring you here for a talk. We wouldn't want the mighty Darth Vader getting bored now, would we?", he asked jokingly, alleviating my worries.
With them gone, confusion sprung up, along with a desire to learn more about this state I had found myself in. Not dead, but not quite living, either. Fortunately, Revan sensed it and responded well before I managed to phrase a question. "Yoda has said that we are luminous beings. Not some crude matter. The same is true for everyone, including you. You are here because I brought you, and you can be here because the Force itself has allowed it, my friend.", he answered with a laugh, as if it was the most obvious thing in the galaxy. Perhaps it was for him, having been dead for over four thousand years, but it was very different for me.
"Why would the Force allow you to bring me here? I still have so much darkness inside of me. I am everything but the luminous being you think me as.", I asked him, my mind moving to dark thoughts of self-doubt and worthlessness. They weren't entirely unwarranted of course, seeing as I was only able to save Obi Wan and the others by using the Dark Side for its power. I was still dependent on it, therefore my own strength meant nothing.
Revan let out a sigh at hearing my words –and quite possibly my thoughts-, but made no move to correct me, instead pausing to figure out what his next words would be. "Anakin…there is so much more to you than darkness. You aren't just pain and anger. There is good in you too. Padme saw it, Qui Gon saw it and hells, even I saw it! And you can harness all that. You have a power no one can match. Not Sidious, not Vitiate, not Yoda, not even myself. That power stems from you and you alone, not the Dark or the Light. They are both aspects of the Force yes, but you are so much more than a simple Force User, regardless of what side you choose to wield, if any at all.", he told me, each and every word back by the sense of absolute truth in the Force.
I felt a single tear leak from my right eye, but I couldn't find the words to thank Revan for telling me what I so desperately needed to hear. "I…I don't know what to say to thank you…", I told him, feelings myself unable to move, but I had no way of knowing that it wasn't from emotion alone.
Revan gave no vocal reply, merely nodding in acceptance of my words and to show that he was here to help, though it caused me to wonder how so much meaning and emotion could be conveyed through such a simple gesture. For better or worse, I was pulled out my thoughts by what felt like a ship's gravity beacon, pulling me out of the Force's Netherworld and away from the Endar Spire. In the few seconds I had left I looked at Revan, giving him a nod similar to the one I had received moments before.
He chuckled at that, before telling me something I couldn't quite make out, and then repeating himself when he realized I hadn't heard him. "If you really want to thank me, then we'll be going to the Temple's Library when we get back to Coruscant. I've been wondering what the Jedi have written about me in all these years.", he shouted loudly.
The simplicity of my friend's request made me laugh, but everything went black before I could reply with a remark that might have been more coy than usual, though he would never know that. Precisely one second later, I awoke on a simple military bed, with Obi Wan having fallen asleep in the chair next to it, too tired after the battle to watch over me. I laughed again, silently promising to him that I wouldn't underestimate myself again, as well as ensuring he'd get some real sleep as soon as we were ready to make the jump for hyperspace and return to the Galactic Republic's capital.
And…scene! There you have it everyone, the finale of Horrors of Jabiim! I'll admit that this one was difficult to write, mainly because I wanted to fit a lot of stuff in just a single chapter, seeing as it wasn't enough for two full-length entries. The scenes between Anakin and Revan were especially fun to write, mainly because I got to envision what the Netherworld of the Force looks for Revan and the Bastila cameo was just an added bonus. Now, because this was a longer chapter than usual, I'll have to explain some stuff.
So…without further ado…onto our regularly scheduled exposition!
Firstly, the Clones. Even though they don't get a lot of time to shine in this story, I tried to give them their moments in this chapter. It's evident that they all care about Anakin, seeing as 'General Skywalker', to them, is someone who has earned their respect and right to lead them, so of course they'd want to protect and care for him in a time of need.
From Rex and Cody forcefully shoving people aside so that Obi Wan can reach his brother to Coric relentlessly questioning the Jedi Master on how he can help his General, their worry for him is glaringly obvious and intense enough for Rex to want to disobey his superior's orders to ensure Anakin's safety. All in all, they do everything they can to help him because they care and because he has earned their respect, unlike many other Jedi at this point in the War. They aren't doing it for protocol's sake, they are acting on their own violation.
Secondly, Obi Wan and the Jedi. The relationship between Obi Wan and the Jedi Order had changed since the very beginning of his adventure in the past, with him able to see their flaws and freely point them out, while being careful not to repeat the same mistakes and prevent others from falling prey to the same flaws.
The flaw is present here and makes Obi Wan worry about the Jedi Padawans harming his brother is that they –as young and relatively inexperienced- would naturally not know what to do when someone exhibits the level of power Anakin did during the Battle for Shelter Base and would likely be fearful of him, worrying over the worst possible scenarios and letting their fear rule them.
This is why Obi Wan orders for Jabiimi guards to be watching Anakin at all times and why he mentions that Anakin has been 'stabbed for less'. He isn't actively trying to go against the other Jedi, but he is trying to prevent them from making a serious mistake on the off-chance of things ever going that far. It's a precaution on his part, but not one that is entirely unwarranted.
Thirdly, the Netherworld of the Force. This…is a complicated subject. I used my imagination and took inspiration from how Mortis was structured for Revan's explanation to Anakin, thinking that if the Netherworld works in a similar way Mortis does, then all occupants (currently consisting of Revan, Bastila, Meetra Surik and Qui Gon) must have their own "corner" like the Mortis Gods had their spaces. The Father had his monastery and The Son had his castle, and while I don't remember seeing the Daughter's personal location, I'm assuming it existed somewhere in that realm.
The ongoing logic here is that all Force Ghosts have their personal corner in the Netherworld, in which they can do whatever they like (including changing scenery and stuff like that) and can also travel to someone else's corner if invited like Bastila was, hence why Revan wasn't there to greet Anakin when he was pulled into his corner and awoke on the bunk bed.
Note: If there are any questions on this subject feel free to ask via PM and I'll gladly explain. This concept won't really be used much from now on and is simply something I wanted to toy with, hence its inclusion in the story.
Lastly, Anakin's self-doubt. Now, the segment of this chapter where Anakin says that he's everything but a luminous being and starts doubting himself may seem like it's coming out of nowhere since this sort of thing hasn't been mentioned for a while now, but it's totally justified.
Remember, this is Anakin from before Shadows of the Sith and all the other side-stories. He's still fresh out of the Battle of Geonosis and most importantly, his trials on Ilum. I assume people can recall, but in case they can't the whole point of his "fight" with Fake-Sidious was that he had to face his fear and overcome it and the Dark Side's lure, but there was one thing that was also present and went unnoticed.
Fake-Sidious promises Anakin all the power he could ever want, but this trial is meant to present him with his deepest desire, or something that "fixes" a problem of his, which in that case was meant to be an insecurity. It wasn't directly addressed since the plot had to move forwards, but Anakin had constantly been using the Dark Side to fight during all of Book 1.
He overcame it there, but it would be natural for him to gradually notice that the Force doesn't come as easy to him anymore, mostly because the Dark Side is meant to give a power boost for battles and duels. Such is its nature and the Light doesn't work in the same way, which is why he was forced to use the Dark Side in situations where his life depended on it (see chapter 3 of this story and Shadows of the Sith) and that only added fuel to the fire that was this belief that he would need the Dark Side, that he was dependent on it.
Thankfully Revan is able to correct this misconception before it becomes a real problem, which only serves to reinforce their friendship, and helps Anakin realize his worth, hence him promising to Obi Wan that he would never underestimate himself again, meaning that he won't allow such thoughts to fester in his mind.
Important Announcement! This is the final side story before Book 2 of the main trilogy is written. I already have a lot of stuff prepared and it might end up even longer than Book 1 was, so I recommend you all buckle up and enjoy the ride when it gets here! Unfortunately, this means that a lot of behind the scenes work like drafts and editing will have to happen, so I'll be a taking a two-week-long break before posting chapter 1 of that book. The title of Book 2 is "A Messed Up Destiny: The Lord of Vengeance" and you are free to speculate about this in the review section. I will not be spoiling anything about the plot, but I will give you hints if you have anything to ask me.
That's all for now everyone! Reviews are always welcome, whether it be to ask a question or to chat, and I'll see you all next story, but until then, May the Force be with you!