Chapter 10 Blocking Anakin
Zak knelt next to Obi-Wan; his master lay on his back with his face turned away from him. He touched the side of his face, "Master?" He said softly.
Obi-Wan moaned quietly but did not move so Zak patted his cheek lightly, "Master?" He repeated.
Obi-Wan groaned loudly and his lips moved; Zak patted his cheek a little harder, "Master." He said louder.
He groaned again and turned his face toward Zak; and his apprentice could see the crease across his cheek and gash above his eye, reopened and widened. Still, Obi-Wan did not open his eyes, "Come on, Master." Zak said, taking Obi-Wan by the shoulders and shaking him.
One of the Clones squatted down next to him, "Here, let's try this." He said, taking a little snow in his hand and rubbing it along the side of Obi-Wan face.
Obi-Wan groaned loudly, shook his head, brought one hand up to his head…and opened his eyes. He blinked twice and then focused on Zak, "Wha…what are you….doing here? I…I told you…to get…help." He whispered haltingly.
"Well, I did; see?" Zak answered moving slightly so that Obi-Wan could see the Clones gathered behind him.
"Ah, well done." Obi-Wan replied and then closed his eyes.
"No, Master; you have to stay awake." Zak said urgently, shaking him again.
Obi-Wan smiled weakly and opened his eyes, "I will; I just needed to reassure Master Anakin. He was very worried." He explained.
"Oh, don't scare me like that, Master." Zak told him, relieved.
"I'm sorry;" Obi-Wan answered and then extended his hand, "Help me up will you."
The Clone took it and pulled him into a sitting position; Obi-Wan brought his knees up and rested his head on them, "Is Boba alright?" He asked.
"Yes, Master, he's behind us; the Chancellor made him wait until they rewrapped the bandage on his arm." Zak informed him.
"The Chancellor? He should not be here." Obi-Wan said.
"Well, he is." The Chancellor replied coming over to squat down beside him, "I see you have found our poacher."
"It is much more complicated than that, Chancellor." Obi-Wan answered, "With all due respect, it is very dangerous for you here; there are more than this one poacher."
"How many more, Master Kenobi?" The Chancellor asked.
Obi-Wan started to shake his head, groaned and put his head back down on his knees, "I don't know; there is this one, another dead one on the other side of the summit and one who was shooting at us while we were climbing. This one hinted that there were more before he was killed." He explained. "You should not be here."
"Well, right now, neither should you. I do not want to push you, but we really must get you back down and have my personal physician have a look at you." Bail said.
"Yes, I cannot argue with that; he should probably see this." Obi-Wan replied, lifting the bottom of his parka to reveal his blood-darkened tunic underneath.
"He shot you with one of those things, didn't he." Boba said as he came up to stand next to Zak.
"Yes, and I discovered the hard way that a lightsaber will not deflect a slug." Obi-Wan said lightly.
"How bad is it, Master?" Zak asked.
"I don't know, Padawan." Obi-Wan answered truthfully.
"Well, it looks bad enough. Can you stand?" Bail asked.
"I think so." Obi-Wan replied, holding a hand out to the Clone.
Bail took his hand instead causing Obi-Wan to hesitate, "Come now, Master Kenobi; this is no place to stand on ceremony. Let me help you up." Bail said.
Obi-Wan sighed and gripped Bail's hand; a Clone moved to his other side and together, they pulled Obi-Wan to his feet. He stood there for a moment, fighting a wave of dizziness, "Zak, my lightsaber; the keeper kicked it out of my hand." He said.
Zak scanned the ground, "The keeper?" Bail questioned.
"Yes, that's the complicated part; did you find it, Zak?" Obi-Wan asked.
"Yes, Master." Zak answered and brought it to him, "Who's the keeper?"
Obi-Wan shook his head slowly, "Later." He sighed, "Are any of their weapons still here?"
"No, Master Kenobi; we didn't find any." One of the Clones reported.
"I did not expect there would be; they would not want me to have one." Obi-Wan answered.
"Yes, it would be further evidence against them." Bail surmised.
"That is only part of it. Giving me one of their weapons would give me an advantage they did not want me to have." Obi-Wan corrected.
"Advantage? I am sorry, Master Kenobi, but you are not making any sense." The Chancellor replied.
Obi-Wan closed his eyes, sighed and rubbed his forehead, "I know; I should have explained…." He sighed again, "I'm just very tired and sore; they are hunting me." He finished.
"What?" Bail stated, "What in the galaxy for?"
"For the thrill of it; I guess." Obi-Wan answered wearily, "And it apparently is not over according to the keeper."
"Well, it is for now and you can explain it all later; right now, we must get you down from here so that you can get proper medical attention." Organa replied taking Obi-Wan's arm and putting around his shoulder.
"Chancellor, I don't think…" Obi-Wan began.
"I know you don't; but as I told you before, this is not the place to stand on ceremony." Bail replied, cutting him off and putting his arm around Obi-Wan's back.
Obi-Wan sighed and shook his head…carefully and then allowed the Chancellor help him move forward. Holding his other hand to his side, they moved slowly across the open expanse. Flanked by Clones, some of them walking backward to cover their retreat, they reached the top of the trail without incident. Determining that it was too dangerous, Obi-Wan stubbornly refused to allow the Chancellor to support him during their descent from the summit; using the rock wall to support himself, Obi-Wan climbed down unassisted.
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"Well, you're the keeper, Moran; what are we going to do now?" One of the hunters asked.
"We wait is all; the Jedi is bound to come after us and then we can start the hunt again." Moran answered, "Just be a little patient, Viral."
"You promised us a challenge; I haven't even gotten a shot at him yet." Viral complained. "Maybe you should just refund my fee and I'll just be on my way."
"If you want to leave, Viral, that is up to you; but you know I'm only the keeper here, I have no authority to refund anything. Besides, the hunt isn't over yet; it's just begun to get interesting." Moran answered, smiling.
"When we agreed to this elimination rule, I didn't really think it would actually become necessary. I don't think I want to risk my life on this thing." A second hunter said.
"Fine, Tyrien, you are free to go; there is no rule against leaving the hunt before it's over. But if you want your fee back, I'm not the one you have to see about that." Moran answered.
"That's alright, I'd rather lose a few credits than my life. I wish the rest of you luck." Tyrien replied as he gathered his things together. "Besides, I've already gotten my shot at him; and I guess it was worth the fee just to see him fall." He laughed and the others joined in. "Where's the next hunt going to be, Moran?"
"We haven't decided yet, but we are considering Hoth." Moran answered.
"Another cold hunt? I was hoping for something a little warmer." One of the other hunters said.
"We are also considering Endor, Kien; would that suit you better?" Moran asked.
"Endor; never heard of it. But if it's warm, I'm in." Kien replied. "But let's finish this one first."
"Yes, let's not get ahead of ourselves; does that mean your still in, Kien?" Moran asked.
"Absolutely, hunting something that thinks like we do is…well, challenging." Kien said.
"Good; who else is still in? Viral, have you decided what you want to do? Devan? Orlan?" Moran inquired.
"I'm in; Gibbon and Barclay got careless and they paid for it. I really want this one." Devan answered.
"Yeah, me too; they underestimated him. I'm in as well." Orlan seconded.
"Alright, that just leaves Viral and….Egan, what about you?" Moran asked.
"No, I think I'll pass and leave with Tyrien. This one is too much of a challenge for me; contact me when you've set up the next hunt." Egan replied.
"Fair enough; this Jedi has turned out to be a more difficult quarry than we thought. No hard feelings?" Moran answered.
"None; we all agreed when we first spotted him. It just didn't work out quite like we thought it would. Good hunting to the rest of you, though." Egan said.
"Right; that just leaves you, Viral." Moran inquired again.
"Well, I don't like the thought of losing my fee; but better that than my life. I pass." Viral said after thinking it over.
"That's understandable; and the rest of you understand that the elimination rule will not change?" Moran reiterated.
Kien, Orlan and Devan all nodded.
"Good; those who are leaving are free to take one of the speeders and either I or the boss will contact you with the information for the next hunt. Those staying, I suggest you get some rest because the Jedi probably won't be out of action too long they recover pretty quickly." Moran told them.
They said their goodbyes and Viral, Egan and Tyrien left; when they were gone, talk turned back to the hunt.
"Moran, what makes you think he's going to come back up here alone?" Kien asked.
"Oh, he will…if we give him the proper incentive." Moran answered.
"What incentive?" Orlan asked.
Devan smiled, "I know." She said.
"What? You mean you?" Kien surmised.
"Of course; look at me, what man wouldn't be tempted to help me?" Devan answered with a devastating smile.
There was laughter and they all agreed that she would be very hard to resist.
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The entrance hall was lit up as Bail helped Obi-Wan into the house. Hearing the sound of speeders, Breha was there to meet them.
"Contact Dr. Averill." Bail instructed.
"Bail, what happened?" Breha asked in shock and concern.
"They were attacked up on the summit; no more questions now, dear; please, just contact Dr. Averill." Bail answered.
"Oh…oh my, take Master Kenobi upstairs; I will call…Boba….oh, no! I'll be back as soon as I speak with the doctor." Breha turned and rushed from the entrance hall.
"Can you make up the stairs, Master Kenobi?" Bail asked.
"Yes, I've made it this far; just help me over there and I can use the banister for support." Obi-Wan replied.
Gradually, Obi-Wan pulled himself up to the second level; Bail walked behind him in the event he should fall with Zak and Boba bringing up the rear. When they reached the last step, Obi-Wan used the wall and walked himself to his room. Holding on to one of the bedposts of the bed, he started to remove his parka and Bail moved to help him.
"No, Chancellor; I stand on ceremony here." Obi-Wan said.
The Chancellor stepped back and nodded, "Very well, Master Kenobi; I will leave you to it then." He bowed out of the room. "Boys, why don't we give him a little privacy."
"Master?" Zak ventured.
"It's alright, Padawan; go on now." Obi-Wan told him.
When the door slid shut behind them, Obi-Wan sagged heavily against the bedpost and sighed before continuing to remove his coat.
"Obi-Wan?" "I'm all right, Anakin." "I feel pain; are you hurt?" "Not badly; stop worrying." "I want to come to Alderaan." "No, Padme needs you." "But you're hurt." "And she is going to have her baby soon." "You need me." "Not as much as she does." "Can I send you healing strength then?" Obi-Wan hesitated, if he opened himself up to Anakin that much he would know what happened. "No, that won't be necessary this time. I will see you in a couple weeks when the baby is born." Obi-Wan felt Anakin's uncertainty and there was a pause before Anakin's thoughts came to him. "May the Force be with you then, my brother."
Obi-Wan was sitting on the side of the bed when Zak returned a few minutes later and knocked on the door, "Master?" He called tentatively.
"Yes, Zak." Obi-Wan replied as he waved his hand toward the door control and opened the door.
Zak stood in the doorway, "Can I sit with you until the doctor comes?" He asked.
"Of course, why don't you help me here; I can't seem to be able to get my boots off." Obi-Wan answered.
Zak entered eagerly, bent down in front of Obi-Wan and pulled his boots easily.
"That feels better; thank you, Padawan." He said, smiling.
"Can I do anything else, Master?" Zak asked.
"No, I'm fine; now that my boots are off, I think I'll just lie down here and close my eyes for a few minutes." Obi-Wan answered, putting his head down and bringing his feet up.
"Yes, Master." Zak replied as he unfolded the blanket at the foot of the bed and covered him with it.
Obi-Wan sighed and closed his eyes, "Thank you, Zak." He murmured.
Zak sat down in a chair near the window, "Your welcome, Master." He replied.
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"Master Kenobi, can you here me?" Dr. Averill asked as he finished his initial examination of the sleeping Jedi Master.
Obi-Wan blinked and raised his head slightly; the blanket was folded back to his knees and his tunic had been removed to reveal the injury to his side. Zak was standing at the foot of the bed; Obi-Wan gave him a reassuring smile and put his head back down.
"This is Dr. Averill, Master Kenobi." The Chancellor said from the chair by the window.
"You have been very lucky," Dr. Averill informed him, "the slug does not appear to have done any damage to your internal organs. I should be able to remove it without complications."
"Remove it?" Obi-Wan repeated.
"Yes, Master Kenobi; there was no exit wound. It should only take a few minutes to extract it." The doctor replied.
Obi-Wan smiled, "I don't feel particularly lucky at the moment." He said, "Take it out."
Averill smiled back at him, "Yes, that was my intention." He said, "This could be painful, can I give you something?"
"No, as a Jedi, I have been taught to control my pain centers." Obi-Wan declined, knowing that if he allowed the doctor to drug him, he would no longer be able to block his thoughts and feelings from Anakin.
"Your apprentice thought that would be the case; otherwise, I would have given you something instead of waking you." The doctor answered.
Obi-Wan raised his head and looked over at Zak, "He is a very good apprentice." He replied and smiled at him. Zak smiled back and looked down at the floor.
"Yes, he appears to be; when you are ready, Master Kenobi, I would like to begin." Dr. Averill said.
Obi-Wan took a deep cleansing breath, closed his eyes and reached out to the Force.
"He's ready, Doctor." Zak told him.
"But he hasn't said he was ready yet." Averill objected.
"He can't; he's merged with the Force; believe me, he is ready." Zak assured him.
"Very well; I hope you are right, son." The doctor replied, as he inserted a probe into the hole in Obi-Wan's side; Obi-Wan only reaction was a very slight flinch as the probe went in.
Minutes later, the doctor deposited the slug onto his tray; packed the wound with bacta, sealed it and bandaged it before turning his attention to the graze on his cheek and the gash above his eye.
"Should we wake him now?" The doctor asked Zak.
"No, he'll come out on his own when he's ready; he probably already senses that you're finished." Zak answered.
"Ah, good, good; Chancellor, you requested that I save this for you." Averill said, picking the slug up and depositing it into Bail's hand.
"Thank you; yes, when we catch these monsters, we can use this as evidence against them." Bail answered, closing his fingers around it.
"I would like to have a look at your…um…is it proper to call him your son…yet?" The doctor asked.
Bail sighed and smiled sadly, "No, not yet." He replied.
"Ah, I am sorry, Bail; soon though?" Averill inquired.
"I do not know; I hope so." Bail said. "He is resting in his room; I will walk with you."
He turned to Zak, "If you or Master Obi-Wan need anything, Zak…" He said before leaving.
"I know, I will; thank you, Chancellor." Zak answered
The Chancellor nodded and closed the door behind him.
"I feel for the Chancellor; he wants Boba to be part of his family." Obi-Wan said.
"I know; I think he is coming around though." Zak replied.
"Is he?" Obi-Wan questioned, "How do you know that?"
"I just know." Zak answered.
Obi-Wan put his arm underneath his head, "You do have knack for knowing things like that." He said.
"Is that my special talent?" Zak asked.
"Yes, it could be." Obi-Wan told him, "Go get some rest, Padawan; it has been a very long day."
"Are you going to be alright? What if you need help during the night?" Zak questioned, worriedly.
"Then I will connect with you; now go on to bed." Obi-Wan answered.
Zak nodded, "Yes, Master." He answered, pulling the blanket to cover Obi-Wan before leaving.
Obi-Wan smiled to himself after Zak left, remembering what Padme had said about him nearly a year ago; a truly remarkable boy, she had said. Obi-Wan had to agree with her as he let himself drift off into sleep.