Dislocation
"This... this is going to be tricky."
"You can say that again," Anakin agreed, readily, "they have the high ground – quite literally. A frontal attack would be suicide. I wouldn't want to try it."
The two Jedi stood on the command deck of the Negotiator, staring at a holographic projection of their latest mission. In the midst of a dense forest, a huge rocky plateau rose straight up, roughly circular in shape, atop of which was their target; a large, domed structure, incongruously squatting amongst the greenery surrounding it. The structure was reported to house a secret laboratory, where the Separatists were rumoured to be working on a biological weapon, specifically targeted to destroy the clones. The Jedi Council has sent the Master and Padawan to investigate the rumours.
It had taken them nearly two weeks to confirm the existence of the laboratory, and now they had only one goal; to destroy it, along with all of the research and development being carried out there. However, the lab was not only extremely well hidden on a planet in the Outer Rim, it appeared to be very well guarded, and almost impervious to ground assault.
Almost.
"They're set up to repel an invading army," Obi-Wan rubbed his jaw, thoughtfully, not taking his eyes off the projection, "not two Jedi sneaking in through the back door... or in this case, the mains water supply pipe."
"Master?" Anakin queried, intrigued by Obi-Wan's thoughtful tone, "What have you seen?"
Obi-Wan tapped a few keys, and a red line appeared, highlighting their possible entrance way.
"This pipe... it feeds directly into a nearby river, pumping water up to the laboratory for filtration... we should be able to use rebreathers to swim up the pipe. It's a metre wide, so we shouldn't have any problems getting through. From there, we'll swim to this point here, cut our way out of the pipe, and make our way to the reactor core. A few well-placed thermal detonators on timer switches should give us enough time to make our escape before the whole place explodes."
"If the scan is accurate," Anakin shook his head, "the trader we bought it from didn't seem the most reliable... so we don't have much to go on. We don't even know if this is the right lab... shouldn't we at least take a look around and see what they're doing in there? Look, here – if we cut out of the pipe a few metres earlier, you can still get to the reactor core through these maintenance shafts, and I can get to this computer interface. I can access their central computer database while you place the detonators."
"It's awfully risky; there are a lot of battle droids stationed down there, and breaching the pipe alone could set off the security systems," Obi-Wan mused, "but, you may be right – we cannot pass up the opportunity to gain an insight on what the Separatists are planning, and there may be a great deal of valuable intelligence we can gather. How fast can you download the information?"
"I'll remotely connect the computer to the Negotiator; the upload will be automatic and undetectable," Anakin replied, confidently, "I won't have to wait around that way. I can just start the upload and then come and meet you; hopefully the upload will complete before the detonators explode, but even if not, we might still get a decent amount of information from the central computer."
"We won't be able to use the pipe to escape," Obi-Wan pointed out, "the water is being pumped up the pipe from the river; when we cut through it, there will be a total loss of pressure and the whole system is likely to drain. In theory we could climb back down the pipe but it would take too long. We need a faster escape route... fighting our way to the hanger to commander a ship might be possible, but we could well get caught up fighting droids and still not make it out in time..."
"Here," Anakin pointed, "this corridor leads from the reactor core straight to one of the outer sections. It runs around the side of the main complex. If we can get to this point here, we can simply cut through the wall and make the jump back down into the river."
"Anakin," Obi-Wan groaned, angling a sour look up at his lanky apprentice, "Why do so many of your plans involve having to make jumps from great heights?"
"Do you have a better idea?"
"At this point in time... no, I do not."
"Then it's settled. It'll be fun! You'll see..."
To avoid detection, the two Jedi took a small, two-seat fighter and flew in from the outskirts of the solar system, approaching the planet from the opposite side to the laboratory. They then entered the atmosphere and flew in low over the ocean, landing on a cliff overlooking the sea. Nearby, a waterfall plummeted over the edge of the rock face with a constant roar, sending spray arcing into the air with a white mist, catching and refracting the sunlight, creating a halo of rainbow colours around the falls.
"This is it," Obi-Wan nodded, as they climbed out of the cockpit and leapt to the ground; "We follow this river straight to the plateau. Come on..."
The jungle was dense, but their lightsabres cut an effective path through the thick overgrowth. Hugging the edge of the river, as they walked, the torrent of rushing water slowed the further they got from the cliff, and the river widened slightly. The planet was populated by a wide variety of flora and fauna; birds screeched overhead as arboreal primates chattered and watched the two Jedi with curious, orange eyes. Insects hummed through the air, which was thick and heavy with humidity.
After a few hours, Obi-Wan signalled to stop; the plateau rose up before them, still several kilometres away, towering over the trees that surrounded it.
"We'll have to swim from here," he murmured, glancing across at his apprentice, "we can't risk being seen."
Anakin nodded in agreement, already slipping the rebreather between his lips and biting down on it. Obi-Wan did the same, as they waded into the river. They had left their thick travelling cloaks and toughened armour aboard the Negotiator, wearing their regular tunics in anticipation of the swim. The water was cold but not unpleasantly so, a welcome relief from the sticky humidity of the rainforest. The water was only a few metres deep, but it was enough to hide their approach from a casual glance.
They swam for some time, until they finally reached the end of the pipe. A metal grille covered the end of it to prevent larger debris being sucked up into the pumps high above, but this was no match for a lightsabre. Obi-Wan went first, twisting around the bend in the pipe, before activating a waterproof torch strapped to his wrist. Above him, the pipe stretched upwards into pitch blackness; he hissed in a breath and released his momentary flash of anxiety into the Force, as he kicked his feet and propelled himself upwards; the gentle pull of the water aiding his ascent, drawn up as it was by the powerful pumps. Obi-Wan reached out mentally through the Force, feeling a responding acknowledgement from Anakin; the younger Jedi was only a little way behind and beneath him.
After what seemed like an eternity of swimming, the pipe suddenly bent at a ninety-degree angle; twisting around it and pushing himself into the now horizontal pipe, Obi-Wan used his torch to see where each length of pipe was connected and sealed to the next one, using this to judge their distance. When he determined they had travelled far enough, he sent a mental nod to Anakin, and drew his lightsabre. Powering it on, he stuck it through the top of the pipe. Rotating it clockwise, he cut through the pipe from the top, around the side, to the bottom, and then back up to the top. Behind him, Anakin did the exact same thing, effectively cutting out a section of the pipe.
As it dropped, Obi-Wan launched himself out of the falling section, landing neatly on his feet, lightsabre already drawn. However, the only witness was a very unfortunate protocol droid, which was quickly decapitated before it could even speak. Anakin vaulted out of the pipe, dropping into a crouch with his back to Obi-Wan's. They moved to a doorway and opened it, peering out into the corridor beyond.
"We're clear," Anakin announced, quickly, straightening back up, "okay... let's do this."
With a nod, the two Jedi separated; Anakin went left, Obi-Wan to the right. Anakin sprinted down the hallway, taking out two or three service droids as he passed. He reached the computer interface room, overriding the door lock and slipping inside; only to be confronted by a hulking Devaronian, who whipped around from the controls.
"What the...? Who are you? Identify yourself!"
"Don't move," Anakin snapped, drawing his lightsabre as the scientist's eyes widened in shock, "I'm here for your research..."
The Devaronian eyed the lightsabre, and then cast a quick glance down at the control panel for the computer interface.
"Don't do it," Anakin shook his head, warningly, "I'm warning you..."
The warning went unheeded, as the Devaronian lunged for the control panel. Anakin cursed, leapt and swung his lightsabre. The scientist's head was separated from his body in one clean swipe... but not before he had managed to hit a large, black button. Immediately, the lighting went from soft white to blood red, and a klaxon blared loudly around the base.
"Computer core has been breached," announced an automated voice, "all battle droids to stations. Computer core has been breached; all battle droids to stations..."
"Anakin?" his communicator chirped, at his wrist, "Anakin, what just happened?"
"Kriff," muttered Anakin, raising his hand to respond, "Err... sorry, Master, the computer core wasn't quite as empty as I expected it to be. Better work fast, I'm going to have company any minute now!"
Holstering his lightsabre for a moment, he quickly sealed the doors, and then set to work, connecting to the Negotiator's computer and beginning the data upload. As he worked, he could hear frenzied voices outside the doors, followed by a whole lot of clanking, clamouring and then... silence. He drew and activated his lightsabre, taking a defensive stance. His security seal was soon overridden by the droids, and the doors began to open. He was met with a barrage of blaster fire, which he easily deflected, the lightsabre twisting and turning, a blurring hum of blue energy spinning in his hands. He pressed forwards, allowing the droids to bottleneck in the doorway, the bolts from their blasters being flung back at them with deadly precision, until there was a pile of destroyed droids blocking the doorway so much that those still firing were unable to get to the opening.
Anakin leapt and launched himself forwards, using the Force to somersault over the ruined droids, landing amongst the remaining units. A sweep of his lightsabre annihilated several in one strike; a wave of his hand sent more of them crashing backwards as he leapt again, landing behind the droids, before turning and resuming the deflection of a hail of blaster bolts. From the other end of the corridor came the sounds of running footsteps, the buzz of another lightsabre igniting, and the droids suddenly found themselves fighting a battle on two fronts, trapped between the two Jedi.
The last droid finally fell as Obi-Wan sliced it in half, stepping over the littered parts, his expression grim.
"We've got less than five minutes," he said, quickly, "let's move!"
The two of them set off at a sprint down the corridor, taking out more battle droids with ease as they ran, ignoring one or two scientists who leapt out of the way in shock at the sight of two dripping wet Jedi running down the hallways.
"Here," Obi-Wan skidded to a halt, pointing at the metal wall, "this should be it; cut us a hole, Anakin, I'll cover you. Three minutes left."
Anakin immediately set to work as Obi-Wan stood at his back; more battle droids rounded the corner, immediately opening fire. Obi-Wan sent every single blaster bolt back at the approaching droids, covering his fellow Jedi as Anakin secured their escape route. The hole cut, he drew his foot back and kicked the metal panel out of the wall.
"Master! Let's go!"
The two of them backed out of the hole, still battling back against the droids, but allowing themselves to be pushed back towards the steep cliff and the sheer drop into the river below.
"Two minutes!" Obi-Wan shouted, as they ran.
"Look out! Turrets!"
It seemed the laboratory was better defended than they expected; part of the domed roof slid back, and two turrets emerged. Huge laser cannons turned towards them, and immediately opened fire.
"Anakin! Run!"
With no way to defend against the high-yield turrets, the two Jedi turned and fled; sprinting towards the cliff, even as the droids kept up a barrage of smaller weapons fire. With his longer stride, Anakin reached the edge first; without hesitation he leapt over it, somersaulting head first and then getting his legs beneath him, heels together. He slowed his descent with the Force before he hit the water feet first, plummeting down, then giving a few powerful kicks and breaking the surface, gasping in a deep breath and shaking the water from his eyes, peering up at the cliff.
Obi-Wan? He reached out through the Force, searching for the Jedi Master.
High up above, Obi-Wan ran full pelt for the edge of the plateau, seeing Anakin just a few paces ahead of him, leaping fearlessly into the steep drop. Behind him, the turret fired, kicking up an explosion of dirt and debris as it blew a crater into the ground. Something – most likely a rock picked up and flung by the shockwave of the explosion - slammed into Obi-Wan's temple, knocking him off his feet, sending him sprawling. As his consciousness deserted him, he distantly felt his right shoulder give a nauseating pop as he struck the ground, hard, tumbling, and then sailing, right over the edge of the cliff.
"Obi-Wan!" Anakin screamed.
The Master fell, as limp as a rag doll, clearly out cold and unable to use the Force to control his descent as Anakin had done. Anakin reached out his hand, desperately trying to channel the Force to catch the falling man, but to no avail. Obi-Wan hit the water a few yards away from him; without hesitation, Anakin slapped the rebreather into his mouth and dived, searching the murky water, until he saw a cream-coloured flash of tunic just ahead of him. He immediately swam towards it; sure enough, Obi-Wan's eyes were closed, his face pale, a stream of red floating in the water around his face from a deep gash on his temple.
Anakin hooked his hands beneath Obi-Wan's shoulders and, with a few powerful kicks, he propelled them both towards the surface. As they broke into the air, he was distantly aware of an explosion high above them; debris began raining down around them. Their mission had been accomplished. The research station had been destroyed. However, Anakin paid it no mind, his priority now focussed solely on the unconscious man in his arms. He wrapped his left arm around Obi-Wan's chest, keeping his head above the water, and used his right arm to swim to the shore.
"Come on, Obi-Wan, don't do this to me," Anakin growled, as he hauled the unconscious man up onto the riverbank, dropping to his knees beside the prone Jedi.
He held his hand out over the Master's chest, gritted his teeth, and, with a powerful shove from the Force, he expelled the water from Obi-Wan's lungs. The effect was instantaneous; the other Jedi choked, rolling over onto his left side, coughing and spitting out the water he had inhaled upon impact with the river.
"That's it, Master, get it all out," Anakin grinned his relief, patting Obi-Wan's back as he choked and sputtered, dragging in a ragged breath, "that was quite the tumble you took back there..."
Obi-Wan could only groan in wordless response as he sagged over onto his back, still gasping breathlessly. Anakin lay to his right hand side, propping himself up on his left elbow, even as the Padawan reached over with his right hand, cupping Obi-Wan's bearded chin and gently turning his Master's head towards him, eyeing the ugly gash to his left temple.
"That looks nasty," Anakin commented, pushing himself to his knees and opening one of the pouches on his utility belt, "I should bandage it before we head back towards the ship."
Obi-Wan groaned, as he started to push himself up, "Yes, well, I think – argh!"
"Master!" Anakin was at his side in an instant, alarm written all over his features as Obi-Wan's face contorted in pain, his left hand clutching at his right shoulder, a pained groan escaping through clenched teeth.
"My... my arm," Obi-Wan gasped out, breathlessly, "there's... there's something wrong with my arm..."
"Is it broken?" Anakin anxiously hovered over him, hand outstretched, but not daring to touch him lest he cause further pain.
"I... I don't know... doesn't feel... right..."
Anakin closed his eyes; he could feel Obi-Wan's agony through their lingering bond, despite his Master's attempts at shielding it. Anakin very carefully reached out and, with a feather-light touch, his fingers brushed up Obi-Wan's arm from elbow to shoulder, across the front of his chest, trying to ignore the gasps of pain as he searched for the source of the hurt, until his gentle fingers brushed over the top of Obi-Wan's shoulder where he found a solid lump protruding under the skin, and Obi-Wan let out a strangled, choked cry of distress. Anakin immediately snatched his hand back, his eyes as wide as saucers.
"What... what is it?" Obi-Wan asked, eyes screwed shut, gritting his teeth, hissing in pain.
"It feels like you've dislocated your collar bone, Master," Anakin replied, grimly, "and I'm afraid there's nothing we can do about it here; we need to get you back to the ship... I'll see if I can make a sling from my tunic belt, try and take some of the weight off your arm... I'm not gonna lie, this is really gonna hurt."
As Anakin unfastened his tunic belt, Obi-Wan lay on the muddy bank of the river, gasping and shivering in shock and pain. His shoulder blazed with the kind of agony that screamed through his nerves and blocked out all other coherent thought. He could not feel his right hand properly, beyond the pins and needles that engulfed everything below the elbow, and even thinking about moving his hand or arm made it howl pain from his fingertips to his temple, joining in the throbbing in his head from the laceration. He tried to release his pain into the Force, but it just seemed to crash back at him like a tidal wave, blocking everything else from his consciousness.
Suddenly, there was a hand on his chest, and he felt Anakin, through their latent, fading training bond, helping him to rebuild his mental shields, pushing the pain back behind them, even if only a little. Anakin then took his tunic belt and laid it across Obi-Wan's chest, draping it from his left shoulder to his right-hand side. He groaned aloud as Anakin carefully moved his right arm; cradling Obi-Wan's right elbow in his left hand, and taking his wrist with his other hand, Anakin cautiously lifted and rotated the arm until it lay across Obi-Wan's torso, taking exaggerated care to move his wounded shoulder as little as possible. Nonetheless, Obi-Wan found himself fighting to stifle grunts and gasps of pain until his arm was in position, lying over the tunic belt.
Lifting the end of the belt, Anakin folded it back over, effectively hooking it around Obi-Wan's useless right arm, before taking hold of the other end. Obi-Wan was able to lift his head enough for Anakin to knot the two ends together, but even this slight movement drew an anguished cry from his lips, leaving him breathless, dizzy and shaking; which only aggravated his shoulder, making the pain worse.
"Master," Anakin was saying, his words sounding distant; all blurred and fuzzy, "Obi-Wan! Stay with me; don't pass out... Master! Can you hear me? Obi-Wan!"
"Y-yes," Obi-Wan stuttered out, panting slightly, "I-I'm here, Anakin..."
"Good," Anakin was unrolling a piece of fabric bandage from his utility belt, thankfully kept dry by its protective wrapping, "let me bind that head wound of yours, you're bleeding all over the place. Then we'll figure out how to get you back to the ship..."
Obi-Wan acquiesced, too focussed on trying to breathe through the pain, as Anakin wrapped the bandage around his forehead, staunching the flow of blood from his temple. When he had finished, he sat back to assess his handwork. Obi-Wan was nearly as white as the bandage around his head, face contorted in pain, his breath coming in short, sharp gasps. Anakin sent a pulse of warmth and strength through their bond and Obi-Wan accepted it gratefully, using it to try to block out some of the pain. After a long moment, the Master's breathing evened out a little, and he gave a small nod.
"Help me... help me up, please..."
Anakin nodded back, pushing himself to his feet. He extended his hands, grasping Obi-Wan's left hand with his, wrapping his right hand supportively around his Master's elbow, and then pulling him to his feet. Obi-Wan cried out in pain and then gritted his teeth, cutting off the sound, groaning as his eyes scrunched in pain, leaning heavily into Anakin's supportive grip. Anakin said nothing as Obi-Wan's hand tightened its grip on his, maintaining his hold until he was sure that the Master was not going to fall. He then gently looped Obi-Wan's left arm over his own neck and shoulders. The younger Jedi held onto the Master's left wrist with his left hand, hooking his right arm around Obi-Wan's waist, taking hold of his utility belt, effectively holding him upright, his damaged right arm held in the rough sling.
Obi-Wan coughed and shuddered, a mixture of pain and nausea rolling through him, and Anakin swallowed, reflexively, feeling the echoes of the sensation through their Force connection, despite Obi-Wan's attempts to shield it from his former apprentice.
"We've got a long walk ahead of us," Anakin said, doubtfully, "do you think you can make it back to the ship?"
"I must," Obi-Wan replied, resolutely, "we have no other way to get off this planet. The Negotiator is outside of scanning, and therefore communication, range."
"Will they wait for us?"
"...I hope so."
With that, the two Jedi struck out into the forest, back along the river bed, towards their waiting fighter jet.
The journey back was made only marginally easier as they soon found the path they had cut on their way to their entry point, so they did not have to fight their way through the foliage so much. Obi-Wan quickly found that pain was his constant companion. Every step, no matter how light, seemed to shoot straight up through his shoulder, which screamed in unyielding agony. Every breath pulled at the ruined joint; lifting or turning his head was an exercise in suffering, and if he so much as brushed against something with his wounded arm the pain twisted up another notch. Breathless and shaking, the tremors caused by the torture of his shoulder only served to make it worse. There was no respite, no reprieve from the all-consuming hurt of the mangled joint.
As they walked, Anakin tried to keep up a litany of reassurance, trying to keep him talking, asking him questions, but Obi-Wan quickly lapsed into silence, all of his mental energy focussed on trying to keep putting one foot in front of the other, breathing as deeply as he dared so as not to pant breathlessly, and releasing his pain into the Force.
Step... breathe... release... step... breathe... release... step...damn it!
Stumbling over a tree root, Obi-Wan uttered an uncharacteristic curse, even as Anakin caught him swiftly, coming to a stop, his concern radiating from him like a beacon. Obi-Wan could not even summon the energy to chastise him for the strength of his emotions.
"Perhaps we should take a break for a minute?" Anakin suggested, for quite possibly the hundredth time since they had started walking a couple of hours previously.
"I... yes, perhaps," Obi-Wan sensed his friend's surprise and the undercurrent of concern at his agreement, but he could not bring himself to make anything of it.
Anakin carefully lowered him to the ground, leaning him up against the very tree whose root he had stumbled over. The young Jedi crouched in front of him, resting one hand on Obi-Wan's left shoulder, gazing into his eyes with undisguised worry.
"Obi-Wan," Anakin said, urgently, "if you put yourself into a trance, I can carry you without causing you further pain..."
Obi-Wan tried to shake his head, but then thought better of it; "I... I appreciate that, Anakin, thank you. But this terrain is treacherous and we don't know if all of the native life forms are friendly. Besides, carrying me will just slow us down further. Better if I stay conscious and we get out of here as quickly as possible. I will be alright... I just need a few minutes to meditate. We must both trust in the Force, my friend..."
Leaning back against the rough bark, Obi-Wan closed his eyes, willing his tense muscles to try to relax, striving to achieve a meditative state, but his shoulder refused to co-operate, twisting and cramping painfully. He tried for several minutes to find a way to relax and release his pain into the Force, but relief remained elusive, and he sighed. The concussion he had no doubt suffered was also impacting his ability to access the Force, his head throbbing in tandem with his shoulder.
"I'm sorry," he said, at last, "we'd better just keep moving... I'd like to get out of this jungle before nightfall if possible."
"You'll get no argument from me, Master," Anakin agreed, once again helping him to his feet and steadying him, supportively, "you know, before you and Master Qui-Gon rescued me from Tatooine, I'd never even seen a tree. I'd heard them described, but until I saw the forests of Naboo and the gardens of the Jedi Temple, I always thought it was something the off-world traders were making up, like the Siren Sisters of Dathomir or the dragons on Devaron..."
"Both of those things are real, Anakin," Obi-Wan mumbled, amused, despite his pain, "perhaps you should be spending a little more time in the archives learning about the galaxy, rather than on lightsabre practice..."
"No way are dragons real, Master! You're teasing me..."
"If by 'dragon' you mean big, scaly, flying reptiles with nasty tempers, you can definitely find those on Dathomir," Obi-Wan replied, through gritted teeth as he suppressed a groan, "they don't breathe fire though. I've ridden one, actually..."
"Why does that not surprise me...?"
"A beast of flesh and blood is far easier to control than a speeder or a fighter, Anakin, if one is in tune with the Living Force."
Anakin suppressed a smile at the familiarity of their conversation, even if Obi-Wan's voice was wavering in undisguised pain. A quick glance across at the Master confirmed everything that Anakin could sense reverberating in the Force between them; his lips were pressed together so hard they looked bloodless white, brow creased in agony, his face white and perspiring, not just because of the humid rainforest. Obi-Wan's breath came in quick, shallow gasps, and Anakin could feel the shivers of fatigue running through him as the young Jedi half-carried him through the jungle. Anakin found himself almost hoping that Obi-Wan would simply succumb to his head injury and pass out. At least if he were unconscious, Anakin could carry him without fear of causing too much pain and get them both back to the ship as quickly as possible.
As it was, they continued to slip and stumble along the river bank, their wet tunics sticking to them, still damp from the river, the humidity giving them little chance to dry out. The ground alternated between rocky and muddy, causing them to slither and slide occasionally. Every misstep, every trip or jolt, drew an anguished gasp or grunt from Obi-Wan, and Anakin's heart cracked a little more each time to feel his beloved Master – his friend, mentor and father-figure – in so much pain.
Finally, as the sun began to dip over the horizon, Anakin perked up considerably at the sound of rushing water, noticing the river speeding up considerably. Over the last hour, Obi-Wan had fallen virtually silent, head hanging down, slumping against Anakin more and more, barely able to drag one foot in front of the other.
"Master!" Anakin hissed, excitedly, "Master, I can hear the waterfall! We're almost there! We've almost made it!"
Obi-Wan managed a slight, pained nod, and Anakin felt the Master summon a little more strength from the Force; the younger Jedi sent him yet another pulse of energy, trying to bolster Obi-Wan's failing reserves. Finally, the trees gave way to the cliff top and their two-seater fighter sat there, gleaming in the dying sunlight. Anakin had never been so relieved to see anything in his entire life.
With some effort, and with some help from the Force, he managed to get Obi-Wan into the second seat, behind the pilot, fastening his Master's safety restraints when he realised the other Jedi was unable to do it with only one working arm. Anakin all but vaulted into the pilot's chair, flicking several switches and powering up their systems, the craft already lifting into the air as the canopy closed overhead.
"Hold on, Master," Anakin said, with grim smile, as the fighter hummed smoothly under his expert hands, "we'll have you back on the ship and fixed up in no time, you'll see."
Obi-Wan gave no reply; Anakin frowned, and gave their bond a little nudge. When he felt no response, he risked craning his neck around to look over his shoulder, and, sure enough, Obi-Wan's eyes were closed, his head hanging down. He had finally given in and passed out. Anakin sighed and shook his head, plotting the course as they cleared the atmosphere, and, slipping on his headset, he hailed the Negotiator.
"Commander Skywalker," the voice of Admiral Block greeted him through the headset, "was your mission a success?"
"Affirmative, Admiral," Anakin confirmed, putting an extra boost of speed into the engines as they accelerated away from the tropical planet, "the laboratory has been destroyed. Did you receive the upload from the central computer core?"
"We received approximately sixty-three percent of the data packet," the Admiral confirmed, "we are already analysing the contents; some of it is fragmented or highly encrypted, but we are confident we can glean a great deal of information from the files. You are to be commended, Commander, this is excellent news for the Republic."
"Thanks, Admiral, but I have a more pressing problem; General Kenobi was injured during our escape. He has a concussion and I think a dislocated collar bone. He's currently unconscious but stable. Please have a medical team waiting in the hanger bay for our arrival."
"Of course, Commander. I'll see to it immediately. Neogtiator out."
Several minutes later, the Negotiator came into view, and Anakin was soon piloting their craft into the hanger bay. He opened the cockpit as the bay re-pressurised, clambering over the fuselage to reach the co-pilot. He quickly unfastened Obi-Wan's safety restraints, and, checking that the other man was definitely unconscious, he used the Force to lift his Master out of the craft, leaping down to the deck and then lowering him down gently. Anakin knelt on the deck, Obi-Wan's head pillowed in his lap, his arm still wrapped in the makeshift sling, and the young Jedi was careful not to jostle the Master, despite his unconscious state.
Anakin glanced up as the bay doors slid opened, and a couple of clone troopers rushed in, dragging a medical hover-stretcher between them and accompanied by a floating medical droid. The droid immediately drifted over to them and a blue light shot out of the sleek, black metal carapace, from which multiple elongated, jointed limbs extended, each tipped with a variety of medical implements. The blue beam swept Obi-Wan's prone form from head to toe and then back again, scanning him.
"Scan complete," the droid announced, in a flat monotone, "diagnosis: severe concussion – deep laceration to left temporal lobe – grade five acromio-clavicular joint subluxation. Patient unconscious. Immediate surgical repair recommended."
"Okay, let's get him on the gurney," one of the clone troopers stepped forwards to assist, but Anakin held up a hand, halting him.
"It's okay," the young Jedi told them, "I've got this..."
With great care, he raised his hands, and Force-lifted the unconscious Master, guiding him over and gently laying him down on the gurney. They immediately set off through the hallways of the Negotiator, the other crew leaping aside as Anakin sprinted past them, leading the way to the medical bay, the stretcher not far behind him, the droid bringing up the rear. They entered the medical bay and the droid immediately buzzed to the side of the gurney.
"I will administer a sedative so he will not regain consciousness. Remove his tunic. I will commence surgery immediately."
Anakin obeyed, swiftly unfastening and removing the damp fabric, leaving Obi-Wan shirtless as the droid hovered over him. Anakin watched mutely in part horror, part fascination as the droid's multiple limbs hummed and whirred. One spiky arm quickly swabbed and disinfected the ugly, bruised lump atop Obi-Wan's shoulder; another drew a scalpel across the skin as other limbs swabbed and suctioned, another limb pushing the protruding collar bone back into place, the droid spinning a polymer material across the bone to reconnect it to the shoulder joint where the tendon had snapped. The incision was swiftly knitted back together and doused in bacta gel for good measure, before the droid turned to the head wound, swiftly removing the field dressing, cleaning and suturing the wound, once again applying the healing bacta.
Its work finished, the droid buzzed again; "Prognosis – consciousness will return within two to three hours. Full recovery from concussion in twenty-four to forty-eight hours. Full use of arm and cessation of residual discomfort estimated in five to seven days. Analgesics and complete rest recommended in the interim."
Anakin gave a derisory snort; "Yeah, right. Good luck with that..."
The droid beeped once, and then drifted back to the corner of the medical bay, where it immediately powered down; the medical bay would automatically reactivate it if the scanners detected any problem with the patient's condition. Anakin glanced around the room, spotting a storage locker. Sure enough, inside, he found a couple of warm blankets. He set about removing Obi-Wan's boots, before draping one of the blankets over his Master. He summoned a protocol droid and sent it to fetch him some clean, dry clothes and something hot to drink, before he found a chair, and settled into a vigil at his Master's bedside. He was determined to be there when Obi-Wan awoke.
It was just over three hours before Obi-Wan regained consciousness. Blinking the room into focus, he spent a good few minutes trying to remember what had happened, before his memory returned, and he managed to suppress a groan of dismay and recollection. The pounding in his head had faded to a dull ache, and an experimental rotation of his shoulder made him clench his teeth, letting out an audible moan of discomfort as the joint throbbed mercilessly – yet it was still a thousand times better than it had been during their awful trek through the jungle.
"Master...? Hold still a moment, this will help..."
A hypospray was pressed into his neck, and the pain immediately ebbed back to a tolerable level, and he managed to turn his head slightly, focussing on Anakin's smiling face.
"Anakin," he murmured, partly in recognition, partly in relief, "we... we made it."
"We did," Anakin grinned, "and we were successful. The research station was destroyed and we got about sixty percent of the data on the computer core. Admiral Block is overseeing the analysis as we speak."
"That's fantastic... well done, Anakin."
"Then you're willing to admit my plan was a good plan?"
Obi-Wan snorted a laugh and then grimaced, his left hand cradling his sore right shoulder; "Well, I wouldn't go that far... I'm still not overly fond of the falling part."
Anakin's grin turned mischievous; "Maybe you just need more practice, Master."
"I think in the future, Anakin, leaping from ridiculous heights is going to be your job, not mine..."
Author's Note: This was both an easy and a difficult chapter to write, because the injury Obi-Wan suffers (a dislocated collar bone) is something I did myself a few years ago - although I fell off a ladder, rather than getting thrown by an explosion! The pain is described as I remember it, and the dialogue ("there's something wrong with my arm..."/ "is it broken?" / "I don't know - it doesn't feel right") is exactly the conversation I had with my housemate while lying on the floor immediately after it happened and before the pain properly kicked in. But at least I fixed Obi-Wan's with a quick surgery - not months of physical therapy! Please consider leaving a review if you are enjoying these works, you have no idea how happy I am to receive any feedback.