Author's Note: First, apologies for the delay in getting this chapter up, life got in the way a bit for a while. Second, thank you so, so much to all of you who have been kind enough to read and review, your words of encouragement have meant the world to me, and when writing gets hard, I do go back to re-read your kind comments, they really do help me keep going. Thank you so much! Not many letters left of the alphabet now…

Underground

"I haven't seen you this tense since we fell into that nest of Gundarks."

"You fell into that nightmare, Master, and I rescued you. Remember?"

"Anakin! Anakin, disengage your pursuit!"

"No! We can't afford to let them escape again!"

"Anakin, please – we are far outside the range of the Rising Sun's sensors, and both our craft have sustained damage; we must disengage and return to the ship!"

"This is the closest we've come to catching these pirate scum in the three months we've been chasing them around the Outer Rim, Master – we can't give up now!"

"I'm not suggesting we give up, I'm suggesting a tactical withdrawal to – argh! Blast, I've lost my R4 unit! We need to withdraw and regroup with reinforcements!"

"If we do that it could be weeks before these sleemo pirates show up again – this is our best chance to take them out!"

"Well, at the moment – oh my, that was close – at the moment, they seem to have the upper hand, I fear it's them who will be taking us out!"

"Master, there's one on your tail, watch your six…"

"Anakin, we are somewhat outnumbered here, they're everywhere – we must fall back!"

"No, no, no, hang on, if I can just… oh, kriff!"

"Anakin!"

"I've just lost my starboard engine – I'm in trouble!"

"Tell me something I don't know… can you set down on the planet's surface?"

"I don't think I'm going to have much choice, I'm going down!"

"I'll be right behind you, hold on, Padawan…"

Obi-Wan's fingers skipped over the control panel as he desperately fought to fly the battered fighter ship, his R4 droid a smoking hulk behind him as he was forced to compensate for the lack of an astral navigator while simultaneously fending off no less than a dozen pirate fighter ships, all from the larger, heavily armed frigate that was rapidly escaping from them. The Jedi had been despatched to the Outer Rim in an effort to apprehend a band of pirates who had been systematically raiding relief and supply ships from the Repblic to the outlying worlds, and they had tracked the ship to the Sertar System. A routine patrol in their one-man fighters had sent them stumbling into an in-progress raid, causing the pirates to break off their attack on the merchant vessel in an effort to prevent the Jedi from returning to their ship to report their position… which was precisely what Obi-Wan had planned to do, until his hot-headed young Padawan had opened fire on one of the escort fighters, leading them into an all-out dogfight over the rocky, barren-looking planet below. Heavily outgunned and outnumbered, they had nonetheless fought valiantly, destroying a number of the fighter ships… however, the Jedi Master was now watching as his Padawan's heavily damaged vessel plummeted towards the planet's surface, trailing smoke and debris as he entered the upper atmosphere, two of the pirate fighters hot on his tail.

Obi-Wan focussed, deliberately positioning his craft behind the two fighters; a barrage of laser fire took out one of them immediately, as the other spun wildly to evade his shots… inadvertently crashing into a third fighter, which had drawn up alongside them to join in the chase. Obi-Wan raised his eyebrows in surprise, but nodded approvingly to himself.

"Not bad," he muttered, even as his tactical display showed four more fighters converging on him, "Anakin, can you make the landing?"

"If anyone can do it, Master, I can," Anakin replied, tersely, over the comm., "just keep those fighters off my back!"

"Easier said than done," Obi-Wan replied, pulling his craft out of its descent, hearing the scream of tortured metal and engines howling as he looped up and over, opening fire and annihilating another of the fighters, pulling off a tight spin to evade a barrage of weapons fire aimed in his direction, "well, that was close…"

He traded shots and dizzyingly fast manoeuvres with two of the other vessels, drawing them lower into the atmosphere, until he managed to shoot one down, the other landing a shot on the wing of his own ship.

"Oh, dear," he sighed, as the ship spun out of control, the console going haywire as alarms blared damage reports at him, "Anakin, I fear I am about to join you on the surface… Anakin? Anakin, can you hear me? Anakin…!"

There was no response, and Obi-Wan sighed, checking the training bond he shared with his apprentice – intact, but silent. The young Jedi was therefore either shielding intensely, or unconscious; most likely the latter, given his impromptu rough landing. Obi-Wan tracked the downed ship, trying to steer his own damaged craft in roughly the right direction, even as he saw the ground approaching rapidly. He knew that there was no way he would be able to make the landing; so he checked his restraints, took a deep breath, and hit the emergency eject. The cockpit flew off accordingly, as his seat was launched up, the inflatable protective cover immediately popping open and encasing him; he grunted as he felt the impact with the ground, bouncing a few times, before finally coming to rest.

He wasted no time in unfastening his restraints and pushing his way out of the the confines of the protective orb; it was too much of a target for the remaining pirate ships. He sprinted across the rocky ground; sure enough, two fighters screamed overhead, clearly scouting for the downed ships, pulling up and coming around for another pass. Obi-Wan reached Anakin's craft; R2-D2 had already ejected, and was beeping and whistling in dismay. The Jedi Master ignored the astromech droid for the moment, leaping up onto the wing of the ship and using the Force to tear open the canopy. Sure enough, Anakin was slumped over in his seat; Obi-Wan quickly unfastened the Padawan's restraints and hauled the unconscious young Jedi over his shoulder, jumping back down to the rocky terrain below.

"R2 – come on!" he shouted, as he hit the ground at a running pace.

The two fighters swept around, both opening fire; behind him, Annakin's fighter ship exploded in a fireball, and Obi-Wan let out an uncharacteristic curse; with both of their ships destroyed, they had even less chance of escaping the inhospitable world they found themselves upon. Not content with simply destroying the two ships, the fighters flew in tandem in pursuit; Obi-Wan risked a glance over his shoulder – there was obviously no way to outrun two aerial fighters…

An opportunity presented itself in the form of a cave, little more than a narrow opening in the rock face nearby; without hesitation, Obi-Wan lunged for it, R2-D2 just behind him, as the fighters opened fire again. There was a loud rumble, followed by a roar; the cliff-face behind him crumbled and collapsed, cutting them off completely from the world outside. R2 squealed a high-pitched alarm, and then, as the ceiling came down around them, a lump of rock struck the side of his head, and Obi-Wan fell, senseless, sprawling to the ground in the pitch-darkness.

"Master! Master, for kriff's sake, wake up!"

A hand was patting insistently at his face, and Obi-Wan groaned, shifting uncomfortably; he ached all over, but his head especially was throbbing, and he raised his fingers to his brow.

"No, no, don't touch that…!"

"Ahh," he grimaced, hissing through his teeth as his fingers brushed against what was no doubt a nasty laceration on his right temple, tacky with blood and sending a stab of pain through his head.

"Anakin," he mumbled, fuzzily, "are you hurt?"

"Just a bit bruised," the Padawan replied, lightly, "what happened? I think I must have missed something… one moment I was making another spectacular landing, the next, I wake up to find I'm buried alive and you're lying spark out next to me…"

"I was shot down," Obi-Wan admitted, as he tried to blink his eyes into focus, "I pulled you unconscious from your ship before the pirates blew it up; we barely made it into this cave before they shot out the entrance… with any luck, they think we're dead already and they've left."

"Well, if we don't find a way out of here, we might as well be," Anakin replied, lightly, "that's a rather nasty head wound you picked up, did that happen in your crash?"

"I didn't crash, I was shot down," Obi-Wan corrected him, pointedly, "and no… I was hit by a very large chunk of rock when the pirates brought half the cliff down on top of us."

Grimacing, he sat up slowly; the cavern was indeed completely cut off from the outside world. Their only light source came from the torch R2 was shining at the ground, careful not to point it into their eyes, giving them enough light to see by. Obi-Wan squinted at Anakin, who met his gaze, unabashedly returning the scrutiny. Anakin did indeed sport a few bruises, including a blackened eye and a bruised cheekbone, but otherwise appeared alert and intact. Obi-Wan could feel the blood running down the side of his face, and in the dim light, Anakin grimaced.

"You wouldn't happen to have anything we can bind that wound with?" the Padawan asked, grimly.

"Sadly not – and both of our ships have been destroyed, so we can forget trying to salvage any supplies from them. Can R2 get a signal out to the Rising Sun?"

"Not through all of this rock… we need to get back out onto the surface, hopefully they followed our trail and can pick up a signal from out there."

"Have you tried moving the rocks?"

"It was the first thing I tried before you finally woke up… there's no way to safely move them all without the whole thing collapsing in on us. R2's been scanning and mapping the caverns around us, it looks like there's a whole network of tunnels riddling the planet, there may be a safer way out if we can follow one of these tunnels back to the surface…"

"Any idea which planet this is?"

"Mmm… R2 thinks we're on Vanqor."

"Vanqor? Oh… fantastic."

"Well, at least we've got a breathable atmosphere…"

"Anakin…the next time I tell you to break off your attack and fall back, for the love of the Force, please do as I ask!"

"Yes, Master… sorry, Master," Anakin agreed, not looking the least bit contrite.

Obi-Wan suppressed a sigh, as he pressed a hand to his aching head, partially to staunch the flow of blood, partially to try to steady himself as he slowly got to his feet, Anakin hovering worriedly at his side. Focussing on the Force, Obi-Wan channelled healing energy to the laceration, but his head reeled with the effort and he broke off with a gasp, staggering; he would have fallen, but for Anakin's strong grip on his arm, holding him upright.

"Uh… I don't think that's such a good idea," Anakin told him, belatedly, "you've got a bad concussion and I think it's seriously screwing with your ability to use the Force…"

"Can… can you heal it?" Obi-Wan gasped out, leaning heavily against his young Padawan as the cavern spun alarmingly around him.

"That's… not a great plan either," Anakin shook his head, "last time I tried to Force-Heal someone, I put Master Tu'ulio in a coma for a week, remember?"

"Oh… oh, yes," Obi-Wan gritted his teeth, steeling himself, "perhaps not, then… R2, have you found us a way out of here?"

The low beep R2 emitted was dubious at best, but the little blue-and-white astromech droid obediently scooted forward, leading the way deeper into the cavern. Anakin moved to assist his Master, but Obi-Wan waved him off, taking a deep breath.

"Keep both of your hands free and be mindful of your surroundings, Padawan," he said, in a low voice, "if this is Vanqor… then we are in a dangerous place indeed. Be on your guard…"

Anakin nodded and drew his lightsabre for good measure, the blue blade igniting and illuminating the cavern around them as they walked, led by R2, who scanned the way ahead. For what felt like hours, they stumbled through the dark cavern, doubling back several times as they met dead ends despite R2's best efforts, sometimes walking upright in huge tunnels that vaulted high above them, other times bent almost double as they squeezed through narrow passages barely big enough for R2 to fit through.

Several times, both Obi-Wan and Anakin were forced to question where R2 was leading them, but the little droid could only beep reassuringly, and keep rolling over the rough terrain, leaving the two Jedi with little choice other than to follow. Obi-Wan eventually found himself flagging; even Anakin seemed to be stumbling more often than not, both of them utterly exhausted and still sore from their less than perfect planetary landings.

"I… I think… perhaps we ought to take a break," Anakin suggested, after stumbling and catching himself against the rocky wall, breathing heavily, "just for a few minutes…"

"Agreed," Obi-Wan managed a slight nod, instantly regretting the movement as his balance wavered and nausea washed over him.

R2 whistled obediently, coming to a halt, as Obi-Wan swayed a little, stepping past the droid, closing his eyes against the dizziness, stretching out one hand to lean against the wall of the cavern they had paused in.

"Obi-Wan?"

"I'm… I'll be fine, Anakin… I just need a moment…"

"Master…?"

Obi-Wan grimaced, raising a hand to head, as he tottered a few steps further down the tunnel; the Force was screaming something at him, but he could not make sense of the clamouring warnings beyond the dizziness and confusion that assailed him. He raised his hand to his throbbing head, pressing his temple into his palm and groaning aloud as he squeezed his eyes shut, trying desperately to focus on what the Force was trying to tell him… right up until he felt the ground shifting slightly beneath his feet.

"What the-?!"

His eyes flew open, as the rocky ground crumbled, and then gave way beneath him. He teetered on the edge for a long moment, arms flailing for balance, until equilibrium and momentum conspired against him, and, with a yelp of shocked dismay, he found himself falling.

"Obi-Wan!" he heard Anakin's horrified cry somewhere above him as he slid gracelessly down a steep incline; not a sheer drop, but rough, rocky shale sliding beneath him, offering no purchase as he desperately tried to break his fall.

Then, suddenly, the ground beneath him fell away; he threw his arms out blindly as he free-fell for a moment, reaching out with the Force to try to break his fall, but he could not gather his faculties in time, instead slamming hard into the rocky ground. For one moment, he felt nothing but pain, and then, there was only all-consuming darkness as his consciousness fled.

"R2! Stay here!" Anakin ordered, sharply; "No, wait… on second thoughts… scout ahead, see if you can find us a way out of here, or better yet, see if you can signal the Rising Sun to come and pick us up. I'm going after him!"

R2 bleeped in dismay, but obediently trundled away, as Anakin took a deep breath, eyeing the narrow, dark hole that had just swallowed his Master whole.

"Hold on, Obi-Wan, I'm coming!" he called out.

Martialling the Force, he jumped into the darkness, lightsabre clutched in hand. He surf-slid down the slope, gathering speed, as he held the lightsabre out like a beacon ahead of him, using the Force to guide and control his descent, revelling a little in his power and the ease with which he manipulated it. He saw the ground dropping away so he used his momentum to leap into the air, executing a perfect somersault, and landing neatly on his feet. The lightsabre hummed as he swung it around; he was in a deep, pitch black pit, surrounded by rock, pitted with caverns and tunnels. Nearby, a familiar figure was slumped on the ground, silent and unmoving.

"Obi-Wan!"

Anakin dropped to one knee, passing the lightsabre to his left hand as he crouched, his right hand gently gripping Obi-Wan's shoulder. His Master let out a low groan as Anakin gave him a gentle shake.

"Master!" Again hissed, his eyes darting around the cavern as he, too, felt danger warnings from the Force, all around him, "Master, please… wake up! We're in serious trouble here, this is no time for a nap!"

"Anakin?" Obi-Wan mumbled, stirring at last, as the Padawan helped him into a sitting position, cradling his aching head in one hand, "What fresh hell have we fallen into now?"

"You fell down the hole," Anakin corrected him, still glancing around, the hairs on the back of his neck prickling with anticipation of danger, "I only jumped in to see if you were alright…"

"I'm fine… why are you so tense? You're projecting, my young Padawan…"

"And you're seriously concussed," Anakin countered, "can't you feel that? There's something… dark, down here… something malevolent."

"I… oh. Yes… yes, I think… somewhere over… Anakin, look out!"

His lightsabre arced around even before Obi-Wan completed his cry of warning; all he saw was a set of snapping, snarling jaws and a huge clawed hand descending towards him as Anakin reacted, swinging his blade even as he leapt away and Force-pushed the creature back. It yelped and snarled as its severed arm hit the floor with a wet thud; it backed away, keening in pained distress.

"Gundarks!" Anakin realised, in horror, as he sensed, rather than saw, Obi-Wan forcing himself to his feet, his own lightsabre activating as he went back-to-back with Anakin.

All around them, gutteral grunts and snarls echoed around the chamber; from the corner of his eye, Anakin could see how Obi-Wan's lightsabre shook in the Master's grasp, the blue light blurring slightly with the tremors that wracked his fellow Jedi, weakened as he was by concussion, pain and fatigue.

"Master?" he queried, softly, as the growls grew louder, projecting his concern through their training bond.

"I will be fine, Padawan," Obi-Wan replied, though his voice shook a little, responding with a feeling of calm and reassurance; "focus, Anakin, on the moment at hand… though the Gundark is a carnivore and a vicious predator, we are not. Strike only in self-defence, and see if we can find a way out of this mess…"

Anakin's eyes snapped around the cavernous space; in the dim glow of his lightsabre, he counted at least six of the huge, snarling beasts coming towards him; he could sense more behind him, where Obi-Wan was at his back. He searched desperately for an escape route, but could see nothing in the darkness beyond the faint light of their blue blades. He concentrated on the Force, but Gundarks were renowned for their intense savagery and apparent immunity to Force-calming techniques. Instead, he tried to sense a way out of their predicament beyond the otherwise impenetrable darkness…

His concentration was almost immediately broken as a particularly large female roared and charged; he immediately Force-pushed her back, but her claws dug into the rock and halted her backwards slide as she snarled, launching agin; he swung his lightsabre, deliberately scoring a deep wound in her upper primary arm, not severing the limb but enough to dissuade her attack. She howled, and the other Gundarks roared in unison; another one took a swipe at Anakin, who ducked the blow and struck again, trying not to wound it too grievously.

"I don't think they're getting the message, Master!" he called out, as the beasts pressed in closer, "in fact, I think all I'm doing is pissing them off!"

There was no answer, as Anakin could hear Obi-Wan's lightsabre humming and moving, pre-occupied as he was with his own battle, the Master's breaths coming in short, sharp gasps.

"I suggest a change of tactic," Anakin pressed, swinging and fending off another wild attack, "we're going to have to cut ourselves a path out of here, by any means necessary!"

"I… I am forced to agree," Obi-Wan panted, his arms shaking with the effort of holding up his lightsabre, his movements slow and sluggish compared to his usual form, as the Gundarks pressed in closer, scenting their prey and driven by their insatiable hunger, "can… can you get… a sense of direction…?"

"It's a little hard to focus right now…!"

Anakin Force-pushed one of the smaller males away into the wall of the cavern with his left hand, the right hand still twirling the lightsabre, neatly decapitating another one leaping towards him through the air. Behind him, Obi-Wan was similarly fending off the monstrous predators, but Anakin could sense his Master's pain and fatigue through their training bond, a stark testament to how confused and weary his concussion had rendered him; Obi-Wan was normally irritatingly good at concealing his feelings from his apprentice, so to feel that level of weakness from his fellow Jedi set Anakin's nerves even more on edge.

Gritting his teeth, Anakin redoubled his efforts, the Gundarks growing bolder as they encircled the two Jedi, snapping and snarling their huge, sharp-toothed maws. He Force-pushed back two of the closest, and then, reaching behind himself with his left hand, he snagged Obi-Wan's elbow, giving him a firm tug.

"Come on, Master! This way!"

Obi-Wan wavered momentarily, but turned and followed as Anakin launched into a run; head reeling with pain and dizziness, he called on the Force for strength as he forced his shaking legs to obey, taking off after his taller apprentice. Behind him, the Gundarks were snarling and screeching, scrambling to pursue their fleeing prey. Obi-Wan half-turned as he continued to run, reaching up, and using the Force to pull down some of the ceiling of the tunnel; he heard the pained yelps and angry roars of the beasts caught in the rockfall. There were more growls and snarls; the sounds of rocks clattering, and he could tell at least two of the beasts had avoided the collapse of the tunnel and were still in pursuit.

Stretching out his hand again, thoroughly intending to repeat the effective tactic, his foot caught on the rocky terrain and he stumbled. Thrown off balance, he crashed onto the ground, the impact ringing through his already bruised body and aching head, his lightsabre blinking out as he dropped the hilt, plunging him into pitch darkness. In an instant, one of the Gundarks was upon him, clawed hands pinning him down, helpless as he felt hot breath on his face, reeking of decay, foul and odourous.

"Anakin!" he cried out, as the creature sniffed him and growled, lifting him into the air, giving him an experimental shake.

Oh, Force… he squirmed in the creature's grip, trying to free his arms, Gundarks do like to play with their food…

The second Gundark was somewhere behind the first, growling and mewling, clearly wanting a share in the first one's prize; his captor was obviously unwilling to part with any of its hard-won meal, snarling back in warning reply. Obi-Wan closed his eyes and gritted his teeth; he would not be the first Jedi to lose his life to a Gundark, but it would not have been his preferred way to become one with the Force.

Just as he was convinced he was about to feel sharp teeth renting his flesh from his bones, there was a familiar humming sound, and a blue blur of light flashed passed the corner of his eye, and then he was falling in the darkness, hitting the rock below with yet another jarring impact. His head slammed into the rock yet again; it was almost enough to knock him out of his senses, as he heard the Gundark's screams of agony and rage, howls echoing off the close walls of the tunnel, ringing in his heard and pounding in his head.

Clenching his teeth against the pain, he lifted himself up onto hands and knees, head hanging as he fought for consciousness; then pushing onto his knees, reaching out into the darkness, feeling his way with the Force… something cool and metallic landed in his palm and he closed his fingers around it. With the last of his strength, he launched himself to his feet and joined in the fray; twin blue lightsabres buzzed and hummed, the only light in the pitch blackness, as the Gundarks blindly slashed their claws, flailing wildly.

The battle was short but fierce; the first Gundark finally fell to a successful strike from Anakin, only moments before Obi-Wan thrust his plasma blade deep into the second one's chest, and he heard it topple to the ground, before silence fell in the tunnel, broken only by the sounds of the two Jedi panting for breath after their exertions.

"Anakin," Obi-Wan was the first to speak, trying and failing to keep his voice from shaking, "are you alright, Padawan?"

"I'm fine, Master," there was a kind of grim satisfaction in Anakin's voice, tinged with amusement, "are you going to acknowledge that this time I definitely saved your life, yet again?"

"I… uh… yes, well…" Obi-Wan frowned; why was it becoming so hard to think straight? He could barely form a coherent thought, let alone vocalise it; "I… um…"

"Master?" the amusement in Anakin's voice disappeared in an instant, replaced with obvious worry, "What's wrong?"

"I… I don't…" Obi-Wan was forced to power down his lightsabre, no longer able to hold the blade aloft, his arms trembling too much, as he clumsily managed to clip the hilt back onto his belt, "Anakin, I'm sorry… I'm afraid I… I don't feel too well…"

The bright blue of Anakin's lightsabre disappeared, but he could still hear the faint humming… he didn't realise that this was because his eyes had closed until he felt himself falling; this time, he never even felt the impact with the ground, as his consciousness was gone long before he landed on the cold, hard rock.

"Anakin, I'm sorry…" Obi-Wan's voice was faint, shaking and uncharacteristically weak, as his lightsabre powered down, and Anakin felt his worry amp up another notch, "… I'm afraid I… I don't feel too well…"

"Master?" Anakin repeated, allowing more of his anxiety to creep into his tone and not caring how much it showed.

In the darkness, there was a soft sigh, and the unmistakeable thud of a body hitting the ground.

"Master!"

Casting the lightsabre forwards, in its dim glow, Anakin was barely able to make out the slumped figure of his Master, face-down on the ground.

"Oh, kriff," Anakin swore, as he passed his lightsabre into his left hand, crouching down beside the fallen Jedi, "Master? Obi-Wan, can you hear me?"

He gently gripped and shook Obi-Wan's shoulder, but gained no response. Taking a calming breath, Anakin placed his palm flat on his Master's bearded cheek, and closed his eyes, concentrating, and scanning his fellow Jedi with the Force.

"Well, at least you're still alive," he mumbled, well aware he was talking to himself, "oh, kark, Obi-Wan, that's just about the worst concussion I've ever seen, and I was a podracer… just how many times have you hit your head today? You're covered in bruises, kriffing hell that hurts, how in the name of the Force were you even still standing, let alone fighting?"

Anakin shook his head, as Obi-Wan lay silent and unmoving, deeply unconscious. With a sigh, the Padawan rocked back on his heels, casting a glance at the hulks of the dead Gundarks. Beyond them, he could hear the scraping and clattering in the distance of the rest of the pack, trying to dig their way through the rockfall that Obi-Wan had caused to cover their escape.

"Well, we can't stay here," Anakin murmured; "come on, old man, let's get you out of here; let me save your skin, again, I'm not going to let you forget about this…"

He momentarily holstered his lightsabre, plunging the tunnel into total darkness. He could hear the scratching and digging of the Gundarks, worryingly close, as he leaned forwards and groped in the darkness. Finally grasping hold of Obi-Wan, he managed to lift his Master up, and Anakin hefted the unconscious Jedi over his own shoulder. Drawing his lightsabre once more, igniting it for the dim light it offered in the subterranean gloom, he held the plasma blade ahead of him and set off at a jog, wanting to put as much distance between himself and the Gundarks as possible.

Thankfully, the tunnel stretched before him, offering an easy enough path for several minutes, but then the walls began to close in and the ceiling got lower; the tall Padawan was forced to slow his speed and stoop lower and lower until he was on his knees. Having to lay Obi-Wan down on the ground for a moment, he had to resort to dragging the unconscious man behind him, crawling through the tight space, wincing at how much the rough treatment was no doubt exacerbating his Master's injuries.

"Well," he muttered aloud, as he fought his way down the narrow passage, "at lest the Gundarks won't fit down here…"

At one point, he had to use his lightsabre to cut away some of the rock from the ceiling as he almost got stuck, but then, thankfully, the tunnel began to widen a little again, and he was soon back on his feet, Obi-Wan slung back over his shoulder, still out cold. Anakin bowed his head a little as he walked, listening to the Force calling him onwards, certain that he was on the right path. He walked for what felt like hours, until he came to a larger cavern, with huge stalagmites stretching up from the ground; high above him, stalactites hung from the ceiling, dripping water from the rocks above. The chamber was huge, and although Anakin could not see much beyond the glow of his lightsabre, he could sense several tunnels leading off from the chamber… exhausted by his efforts thus far, he decided to rest a while, sinking to the ground, gently lowering Obi-Wan down, sitting him upright against one of the rock formations.

"Master?" he murmured, giving the Jedi's cheek a gentle tap, "Master, I'd really appreciate it if you'd wake up now…"

Obi-Wan gave no sign of stirring; his head simply rolled forward limply, hair falling forwards, his appearance uncharacteristically dishevelled. In the dim blue halo of light, Anakin could see the deep gash on his Master'sforehead was badly inflamed, the skin hot and red, already darkening to bruising and crusted with dry blood. His left eye was similarly swollen, there was a fresh laceration on his cheek, and his jaw was also bruised. These were just the injuries Anakin could see; he was sensing pain from virtually every part of his Master's battered body, but the concussion was the most concerning – coupled with the fact that Obi-Wan had been unconscious for some time now, Anakin was taut with worry.

Licking his dry lips, wishing he at least had a roll of bandages and a canteen of water but lacking even the most basic supplies, Anakin rolled his shoulders to try to release some of the tension knotting up his muscles, shaking his head and running through a few light stretches. He was just starting to relax again when he heard a distant rumble, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up, and all of the tension flooded back as he whipped around in alarm.

"Oh Force, not again… come on Master, time to go!"

He hauled Obi-Wan back onto his shoulder, and fled the cavern, finding himself heading into another tunnel. The Gundark he had heard was unlikely to be one of the ones that had been pursuing them, but if it picked up their scent, it would give chase.

Anakin was just beginning to think that he would be running around in the underground maze forever, when a crackle of static washed over his wrist communicator.

"…Skywalker… can you… please… in… come in… Padawan Skywalker… can… hear me? Come…"

"Yes!" he slowed his pace only a little, lifting his wrist to his mouth and opening the channel, "hello? This is Padawan Skywalker, can you hear me? Who's there? Please respond!"

"…'Walker? Can you… this is Captain… report your… hear me?"

"Hold on! I must be getting closer to the surface! Your signal is barely getting through… just give me a few more minutes!"

"Breaking up… can barely… your status?"

"Captain Trondeau! Can you hear me? You need to get a fix on my position and send someone to pick us up! Master Kenobi is hurt, we need a medical evac, immediately!"

"Heard… 'dical evac… shuttle… keep transmitting, your signal… stronger…"

"We're here, we're here, just come and get us, I'll keep the channel open, by the Force, Captain, it's good to hear your voice, just please come and get us out of here…"

"Your signal is coming through… the shuttle is on its way, Padawan Skywalker, can you hear me? The shuttle is on its way…"

"Yes! I can hear you! Thank you, Captain, we need evacuation immediately, did you apprehend the pirate vessel?"

"Affirmative, though they refused to surrender and attempted to engage us in battle. I regret that the pirate frigate was destroyed… damage to their engines caused an inadvertent reactor overload."

"I'm not concerned about that," Anakin replied, dismissively, squeezing through a particularly tight gap in the tunnel, "Master Kenobi had suffered a severe head injury… actually, possibly more than one. We need immediate assistance and to return to Coruscant as soon as possible."

"Acknowledged. The shuttle is entering the atmosphere now. We have the signal from your R2 unit, shall I instruct the pilots to land?"

"Ah… we were separated from R2," Anakin grimaced as he ducked under a low hanging outcropping, tightening his grip on Obi-Wan a little as he did so, "we got trapped in an underground system of tunnels… I must be getting closer to the surface, as your signal is getting stronger. Have the pilots pick up R2 first and then come get us, hopefully we'll be out of the tunnels by then."

"Yes sir, I'll get a fix on your comm. unit if you'll keep the channel open."

"I will, thank you, Captain."

Anakin fell silent as he focussed on clambering over and around the increasingly difficult terrain, until, finally, ahead of him, he saw the dim glow of daylight, and his hopes soared. Finally able to deactivate and lower his lightsabre, he hooked the hilt onto his belt, and trudged his way wearily towards the mouth of the tunnel, finally breaking out into daylight. Only a few yards away, a shuttle waited, ramp extended to the ground, where a familiar blue-and-white astromech droid beeped and trilled in shrill excitement.

"R2!" Anakin exclaimed, "Boy, am I glad to see you, buddy!"

The droid whistled a happy acknowledgement, and Anakin swept up the ramp, where one of the pilots was waiting to greet him.

"Sir! Welcome aboard!"

"Glad to be here," Anakin nodded, wearily, "get us back to the Rising Sun, on the double. Master Kenobi needs medical help, urgently."

"There's a bed and medical kit in the passenger lounge, sir; I've got some field medical training, do you need assistance?"

"No, I'll see to my Master myself for now; just get us back to the ship, please."

"Very good, sir," the pilot nodded, as she retracted the ramp, sealed the hatch, and then headed back to the cockpit.

Anakin immediately went through to the passenger lounge, where he carefully lowered Obi-Wan onto the waiting bed. R2 let out a low wail of dismay as the Jedi Master lay motionless on the bed, and Anakin carefully adjusted the pillows, fingers brushing back an errant lock of hair as he grimaced and rolled his own sore, stiff shoulders.

Under the bright lights of the shuttle, Obi-Wan looked even worse than Anakin had first thought; his face was blanched white beneath the red welts, grazes and bruises that marred his countenance. He was breathing far too shallowly, his whole body completely limp. Anakin placed his hand on his Master's forehead, closing his eyes.

Master…?

Even reaching out through their training bond garnered no response, and Anakin chewed his bottom lip with worry. He could sense Obi-Wan was incredibly weak, but not the underlying reason, there was too much pain and confusion. He fetched a medical kit and busied himself with cleaning and binding the Master's head injury, as the shuttle took off, launching them back towards their ship, the Rising Sun.

Once they landed in the hanger bay, the pilot offered to go and fetch a gurney, but Anakin declined, wanting to get to the medical bay as quickly as possible. As such, he simply lifted Obi-Wan into a cradle hold in his arms, and carried him to the sickbay, sending R2 to go and re-charge. The pilot went ahead of the two Jedi, clearing them a path as Anakin wasted no time, sprinting through the long hallways, until finally they reached the sickbay, where he burst in, immediately laying Obi-Wan down on the nearest bed.

A tall, grey-plated medical droid clanked forwards, raising a multi-tooled arm in a half-wave.

"Greetings," it intoned, "I am medical droid 2-1B57768. Please stand back and allow me to scan the patient…"

Anakin nodded wordlessly to the droid, making sure that Obi-Wan was at least lying flat on the bed with a pillow tucked beneath his head, before stepping back and clasping his hands behind his back, glancing across at the pilot.

"Thank you for your help," he told her, "please report to Captain Trondeau and ask him to set a course for Coruscant, immediately. Maximum speed. I wish to return Master Kenobi to the Jedi Temple as soon as possible."

"Yes sir," the pilot saluted, sharply, and marched out of the medical bay.

Turning his attention back to the prone figure on the bed, Anakin watched as a blue light shot out of the droid's scanner, sweeping Obi-Wan from head to toe and back again, before doing a concentrated scan on his head.

"Exactly how many times has the patient hit his head today?" the droid asked, pointedly.

"Uh…" Anakin hesitated, "um… at least… three? Maybe four? I'm not too sure…"

"You'll be next to be scanned," the droid buzzed, already leaning over its patient, injecting medication and removing the dressings Anakin had applied, "he has significant swelling and bleeding into his brain. I will operate to relieve the pressure, fix the bleed, and then immerse him in bacta for our voyage to Coruscant. You may take a seat over there and wait your turn."

"I'd prefer to stay with him."

"I am about to drill a hole into his skull and operate on his brain. Do you really wish to observe the procedure?"

"I'll, uh… I'll just take a seat over there and wait my turn."

"Acknowledged."

Anakin crossed over to the hard plastoid chair the droid had pointed to, grimacing as he heard the whirring of a drill firing up. He sat down, closed his eyes, and entered a deep meditative trance, hoping to restore his strength and heal his own minor injuries, leaving the droid to its work.

Sound was the first sense to return. Soft, muted voices, murmured snatches of conversation, somewhere nearby, indistinct and indecipherable but somehow comforting and reassuring, familiar but not recognisable. Touch, next; the feeling of a mattress beneath him, his head cushioned on something soft, a warm blanket covering him, tucked beneath his arms; the occasional brush of fingers on his brow or a hand holding his. He was aware, distantly, that his body ached but especially his head, there was pain there to be certain, but it was an abstract, vaguely registering but kept at bay, no doubt by some pretty hefty medications, though he lacked the cogency to consider this was the cause of his fugue-state. He gradually became aware of smells; incense, light and fragrant, only slightly masking the antiseptic smell of bacta; occasionally the whiff of caff, bitter and sharp and reminding him immediately of Anakin, whose preference for the awful brew over the far superior flavours of tea was always a point of amusement between the two of them.

Anakin…?

He reached out, uncertainly, projecting the call into the darkness beyond his immediate senses.

Master?

There was a momentary flash of shock, and then pure joy flooded through their training bond.

Master! Can you hear me?

Yes, Padawan… I can… what happened? Where are we?

Safe, Master, I promise… can you open your eyes?

Sight. Yes, that was what was missing. He had a feeling this was going to be painful, but he let out a low groan, and stirred, trying to force his eyes open, vaguely aware of movement at his side.

"Master Che? Master Che, come, quick, I think he's waking up!"

A few moments passed as he tried to summon the strength to open his eyes. Finally, he managed to crack open heavy lids, blinking in the blindingly bright lights overhead. Suddenly, the lights were dimmed in deference to his sensitivity, and the two blurs hovering over him began to come into focus.

"Anakin," he finally managed to rasp out, swallowing reflexively, his mouth and throat paper-dry, "Vokara… what happened?"

"You are very lucky to be alive, Master Kenobi," Vokara Che tutted at him, but she was smiling as she did so, "you suffered extensive head trauma… you were in a coma when you were brought in three days ago. It was touch and go there for a while, and you're going to have quite the headache for some time, but you'll make a full recovery."

"Coma…?" Obi-Wan repeated, numbly, still trying to blink her face fully into focus, let alone comprehend her words.

"You were pretty out of it, old man," Anakin had a wry smile twisting his lips, but there were dark circles of exhaustion under his eyes, his face too pale for Obi-Wan's liking, his expression guarded; "I saved your life, you know."

"Oh… not again," Obi-Wan sighed, "you… you look tired, Anakin. Were you hurt?"

"Not at all," Anakin replied.

"His injuries were relatively minor," Vokara said, simultaneously, and the two Jedi shared an amused glance.

"I'm fine," Anakin insisted, folding his arms, "you took the worst of it, Master."

"Hmm," Obi-Wan winced, feeling the throbbing in his temples increase, "when… when can I go home?"

"Tired of my fussing already, Master Kenobi?" Vokara raised one eyebrow, even as she adjusted something on an IV stand, and Obi-Wan realised there was a line in his arm that was no doubt feeding him painkillers, amongst other things, as the pain ebbed away slightly, "I would like to monitor you for at least another day or two; as soon as your vital signs are a little more stable and we have your pain effectively managed, I'll be happy to release you to your quarters… but you won't be returning to active duty for at least three weeks, understood?"

Knowing better than to argue with the Master Healer, and lacking the strength to do so anyway, Obi-Wan managed a small nod, grimacing at the wave of pain and nausea that met him even in response to this small movement. He felt warm hands grasp his left one, squeezing it gently in comforting reassurance, and he managed to raise a wan smile at his Padawan, tightening his own fingers a little in response, even as he felt Vokara's cooler hand upon his forehead.

"That's quite enough exertion for now, Master Kenobi," her soft voice insisted, "I'd like you to get some rest now, please."

Anakin held on to his Master's hand as Obi-Wan obediently closed his eyes, slipping back into a light slumber. Anakin raised his eyes to find Vokara Che smiling at him.

"He will be fine, young Skywalker," she told him, gently, "now, will you please return to your quarters for a few hours? You really need to sleep… and eat something… and for the love of the Force, take a shower, yes?"

Anakin's cheeks coloured a little at he dipped his head, reluctantly.

"Yes, Master," he conceded, "uh… sorry. It's just… he… um… I…"

"You do not need to explain yourself to me, Padawan," Che shook her head tails, amused, "go. Clean yourself up. Get some rest. Your Master will be fine, and you can take him home in a day or two, to fuss over him to your heart's content, yes?"

"Yes, Master Che," Anakin gave her a tight, tired smile, and stood.

He bowed to her, respectfully, cast one last look at his Master, and departed the Halls of Healing. Vokara smiled, leaning both arms on the bed, casting her gaze affectionately at the younger Jedi before her; she had been caring for Obi-Wan since he was a small boy, and had seen him through almost every illness or injury he had ever had the misfortune to suffer. It was no secret that she was fond of the young Master, though she never admitted it aloud.

"Oh, Obi-Wan," she sighed, softly, stroking back his hair, tenderly, "I wish Qui-Gon were here… he would be so proud of how well you are training that boy…"

Beneath her touch, Obi-Wan gave no indication of consciousness, but she was a Healer. She could sense the edge of grief wavering in his Force signature. With a soft sigh, she leaned down, and whispered into his ear.

"I know, dear Obi-Wan… I miss him too. Sleep now, my friend. Anakin will be here again when you awaken, I have no doubt… sleep, young Kenobi."

Satisfied that her Force-induced sleep suggestion was firmly planted in his mind, Vokara watched as Obi-Wan finally succumbed to complete unconsciousness, slipping into a deep, healing sleep. She gently ran her hand through his hair, and then turned, dimming the lights, leaving him to rest, knowing that, with a little time and care, he would make a full recovery.