Giac lowered Obi-Wan onto the med bay bed, trying his best to be as careful as he could but Obi-Wan still winced with every move. Once on the bed, Obi-Wan slowly laid down, letting out a sigh as he could finally relax. Giac stayed at his side, frowning at his brother's multiple wounds. Tessa had already moved away, immediately searching the storage compartments for medical supplies. Anakin remained at Obi-Wan's bedside, glancing around the room. There was only room for two people injured in the med bay at a time, and it didn't have much standing room either. Two medical droids stood deactivated in the corner, motionless and devoid of life, while the rest of the walls were lined with storage compartments, counters to work on right underneath them.
"Shouldn't we activate the droids?" Anakin asked, eyeing the medical droids as he watched Tessa search.
"No need. I know what I'm doing and he's not dying anyway." Tessa replied, taking bandages, syringes and some kind of cream that Anakin didn't recognize out of the cabinets. She put them on a metal medical trolley, quickly pushing it over to Obi-Wan and then, without hesitating, she grabbed one of the syringes which Anakin noticed was in a metal casing. She put it in between her teeth while she grabbed a knife from her belt and used it to rip the sleeve of Obi-Wan's uninjured arm.
"This is probably going to hurt." Tessa warned, grabbing the syringe from in between her teeth and placing it on the inside of Obi-Wan's now bare forearm. She pressed a button on the top of the metal casing that covered the syringe, causing the drug to flow into Obi-Wan's blood stream. He grimaced in response, but didn't flinch.
"What is it?" Obi-Wan asked, clenching his fist as she removed the needle.
"Painkiller. Should make your ribs not nearly as painful as I'm guessing they are." Tessa answered, observing Obi-Wan as he nodded and laid his head back on the bed. Giac was likewise doing the same, though while Tessa looked calm and calculating, a familiar look that Anakin often associated with healers, Giac looked worried and reastless, his concern starting to show.
"I'll sort his torso out, you work on his leg, Tessa." He ordered, walking over to the trolley with all the medical supplies on it. Tessa immediately intercepted him, stopping Giac in his tracks.
"Oh, no you don't. You're leaving." Tessa ordered, pushing Giac back. In response, Giac frowned at her, making a move to walk around her.
"I'm just going to help, Tessa. Obi-Wan -"
"Will be fine without you. I can sort him out on my own." She interrupted, blocking his path again.
"That doesn't mean I have to leave-"
"Yes it does. You worry, you fret and then you hover, which is distracting and annoying." Tessa argued. When Giac opened his mouth to protest, Tessa immediately jumped in to cut him off. "Was your mother a healer? No, she was a seer. I'm the one who's mother was a healer and I say leave, so leave. Now, Giac." Tessa stood defiantely in front of Giac, daring him to argue. He backed away at her sudden demands, just as he raised his hands in a sign of surrender, a shocked look on his face.
"All right, your Ladyship, calm down." Giac mocked, a smirk forming on his lips even though he eyed Tessa cautiously, as if she would pounce at any second. Then he turned to Obi-Wan, looking at him as if he was asking for permision to leave. Obi-Wan understood imediately.
"I'll be fine, Giac." Obi-Wan reassured, though he was smirking as well now, observing Tessa's vicious glare that was sent to Giac with amusement.
"Good, I'll be back in a bit. Don't die while I'm gone, understand?" Giac jabbed a finger at Obi-Wan to emphasize his point as he left, turning to walk to the exit.
"I'll try my very best." Obi-Wan reassured, following Giac's attempt at humor.
"You better." Giac added, eyeing Tessa one last time before he carried on walking to the doors. "Now I know where Risa gets her bossy personality from." He muttered under his breath, though Tessa caught it.
"I heard that, Kenobi!" Tessa yelled after him, though she moved back to Obi-Wan's bedside.
"Three words, Tessa." Giac spun round, spreading his arms wide as he walked backwards this time. "I. Don't. Care." He finished, sending the now fuming women a mock salute. In retaliation, Tessa grabbed a container off one of the counters, throwing it at Giac. It would have hit him bang on the head if he hadn't dodged in time.
"You missed." He stated rather smugly, only succeeding in angering Tessa further. She threw another container and Giac only dashed out the med bay just in time to dodge it. When the doors closed behind him, only then did Tessa calm down. Meanwhile, Obi-Wan and Anakin were both trying - and failing - to contain their laughter.
"Man, I'm sorry but I am starting to think your brother is the best, Obi-Wan." Anakin sniggered.
"Tessa certainly doesn't think so." Obi-Wan added, making Anakin positively cackle with laughter, Obi-Wan following suit. Tessa just glared at both of them.
"Watch it, you two. I've got knives on this belt and I'm certainly not afraid to use them." After Tessa's threat, Anakin and Obi-Wan suddenly stopped laughing, both swallowing in fear at the same time.
"Sorry, uh... Tessa, right?" Anakin asked, trying to quickly change the subject. Tessa seemed to look at him with a critical eye before raising her hand for him to shake.
"Yes, Lady Theresa Rackhoff at your service, but everyone calls me Tessa. I'm Giac's sister-in-law." Tessa introduced herself, just as Anakin shook her hand.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, mi'lady." Anakin smiled at her, making Tessa smile back.
"As it is a pleasure to me you, General Skywalker. I've heard a lot about you from Obi-Wan." She explained, moving to the trolley with all the medical supplies on.
"Oh really?" Anakin raised an eyebrow, sending a pointed glare at Obi-Wan, who winced in discomfort. "That's funny. Obi-Wan never mentioned you, or Giac for that matter." This seemed to catch Tessa off guard for she instantly stilled. When she turned to look at Obi-Wan, her gaze was thoughtful and Obi-Wan seemed to be trying his very best not to look at her.
"Yes, well, the Kenobis are as stubborn as brick walls. Can't get them to do anything, including persuading them to be a little more open every now and again." She explained casually, though her eyes did narrow on Obi-Wan who was finding the ceiling much more interesting to look at. "Anyway, let's get you sorted, Obi-Wan. Can't have you bleeding on the palace floors once we get to Selencia. My sister would throw a fit if she found out." Tessa picked up some bandages and bacta, walking over to Obi-Wan's leg to wrap it up.
"Risa's on Selencia?" Obi-Wan asked, finding enough courage to look at Tessa, who had a certain look on her face.
"No, unfortunately for you, she's on Coruscant, drafting peace treaties and trade agreements with Senator Amidala and Senator Organa." She corrected, wrapping Obi-Wan's leg up. Thankfully it had stopped bleeding but Obi-Wan wasn't exactly concerned about that right now.
"Unfortunately?" Obi-Wan echoed, looking fearfully at Tessa. He'd been friends with Tessa for years, more so than Giac had ever been, and he knew the bitter tone that laced Tessa's voice. He was so dead.
"Yes. After all, who's going to restrain me while she's not here?" She questioned, just as she pulled the bandages tight, causing flares of pain to travel up Obi-Wan's leg. He gasped in pain, clutching the bed sheets like they were the only thing keeping him centered in reality. Tessa just ignored Obi-Wan's discomfort, heading over to look in the cabinets again. Anakin took the opportunity to make sure Obi-Wan was all right.
"Are you all right, Obi-Wan?" Anakin whispered, eying Tessa cautiously who was looking through the cabinets way too viciously.
"I'm fine. Just realizing I need to listen to Tessa from now on." Obi-Wan whispered back, still wincing in pain. He looked up to watch Tessa search through the cabinets, a look of dread on his face.
"Why?" Anakin asked, confused.
"She told me I should've told you about this." Obi-Wan gestured to everything around them, referring to what Anakin had only just learned about his former master. "Because I didn't listen to her, she's a bit angry with me."
"A bit?" Anakin echoed incredulously back, just as Tessa walked back over to them, a tub of ointment in her hand.
"Right, this ointment should help with that bruised neck of yours. Then we can work on the ribs." She declared, Anakin moving out of the way so she she get to Obi-Wan's side. She opened the tub, lathering her hand in it. Once Obi-Wan had moved his head to reveal his neck, she set to work by rubbing it in, all the while with a concerned frown upon her face as Obi-Wan winced every time she caught a particular tender spot. "You know, you should be glad Giac isn't here - he'd go mental if he saw how bruised this is." Tessa added, Obi-Wan saying nothing because she was completely right – Obi-Wan's neck had swelled up bad, becoming a messy tapestry of pink and purple bruises. After a pause she spoke again. "You need to stop attracting trouble."
"I don't at-attract..." Obi-Wan trailed off as he started to cough, his face scrunching up as the coughing racked his body. "...trouble." Obi-Wan finally finished, the coughing intensifying. He was sat up by now, Tessa and Anakin instantly by his side for support. They already looked worried, so when Obi-Wan pulled his hand away from his mouth to reveal he was coughing up blood, it was no surprise that Tessa's eyes widened further in fear, as did Anakin's.
"Skywalker, you need to go get Giac." She ordered, turning to Anakin as she quickly put on a face of calm. Anakin however, looked like he was about to panic.
"What? Why?"
"Just do as I say. Giac will be in the cockpit with the pilots. Tell him Obi-Wan doesn't have enough energy to heal himself and his broken ribs have punctured his lungs. Tell him to get here immediately."
"Heal himself? What are you talking about?"
"Just go! Now Skywalker!" Tessa barked, grabbing Obi-Wan as he deteriorated into another coughing fit.
Anakin didn't need telling twice. He ran out the med bay at full speed, racing down the corridor. He used the force to open the door at the end of it, bringing him into the cargo hold where all the clones and Selencian soldiers were. Everyone stopped talking and doing whatever they were doing previously as he entered, all eyes turning to him. Ahsoka caught Anakin's eye, confusion written all over her features.
"What's the matter Master?" She asked as Anakin sprinted to the ladder, beginning to make his way up to the next floor.
"Its Obi-Wan. He's not doing good." Anakin answered over his shoulder, just as he got to the top of the ladder. He didn't turn around to see Ahsoka's and the clones' reactions, instead continuing to run to the door of the cockpit, using the force yet again to open the door.
When he ran into the room, Anakin noticed the pilots were seated at the controls, lights flickering on the control panel. Stars littered the sky outside of the viewing window, while Giac stood in between the pilots' seats. All three turned round when Anakin entered, Giac observing him with a worried frown.
"Something's wrong. I-I can feel Obi. What happened?" Giac moved towards Anakin, his stammering in the middle showing his concern breaking through the stern voice he had adopted.
"Obi-Wan's broken ribs have punctured his lung. Tessa said something about how Obi-Wan doesn't have enough energy to heal himself–" Anakin didn't get time to finish because Giac's eyes had already widened, his body barging past Anakin and making for the door. Anakin barely registered the pilots exchanging looks between each other before Anakin followed Giac out.
Anakin was quite surprised at the speed Giac moved – he didn't even bother with the ladder, instead jumping the 10-foot drop to the floor. The Selencian King completely ignored everyone in the cargo hold, making for the door without a second glance. Ahsoka joined Anakin as he followed Giac, silently falling into step with Anakin.
"How bad is he?" Ahsoka asked, looking up at Anakin.
"His broken ribs have punctured his lung. He was coughing up blood when I left." Anakin responded solemnly, feeling Ahsoka's shock and worry at the statement through the force. They were unaware that Giac heard every word.
In no time at all, Giac had ran to the med bay doors, opening them with a wave of his hand. He stopped dead at the sight of Obi-Wan coughing on the bed, Tessa desperately trying comfort him. Anakin and Ahsoka nearly ran into Giac's back as they rounded the corner and sped through the door.
"Giac get over here and give your brother some energy! Giac!" Tessa yelled at Giac, finally snapping him out of the shock. His eyes locked with Tessa's, before quickly walking over to Obi-Wan.
"Damn it Obi-Wan, I said don't die while I'm gone." Giac growled, helping Tessa hold Obi-Wan.
"Oh yes, because eveyone wants to get injured!" Obi-Wan managed to growl back at Giac, sending him one of the infamous Kenobi glares, just before he started wheezing and coughing again. He was obviously struggling to breathe and the sight made Giac snap into action.
"Sorry, Obes. I'm going to give you some of my force energy, now. When you get it, heal your lungs and ribs okay?" Giac explained in a comforting voice. Obi-Wan just nodded weakly in response between coughs. Giac exchanged another look with Tessa before addressing Anakin. "Skywalker, you're going to have to get ready to catch me." Understandably, Anakin looked perplexed to say the least.
"Sorry, what?"
"Look, Anakin, I'm going to do something that I know you don't fully understand at the moment, but you have to trust me. When I do, afterwards, I'm most likely going to pass out. You have to catch me when I fall ok? I don't want a bruised head when I wake up as well as a headache." Giac explained, his eyes pleading for Anakin to agree. After staring at Giac for a moment and sharing a glance with Ahsoka, Anakin eventually nodded.
"Okay. I'll catch you."
"Thank you. Ready, Obi?" Giac addressed Obi-Wan this time, looking for confirmation to start.
"Hurry up." Obi-Wan hissed through clenched teeth, his chest heaving and screaming in pain. Giac didn't need telling twice.
Anakin watched curiously as Giac closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Nothing Anakin had ever seen could prepare him for what happened next. Giac's eyes snapped open, his iris's glowing silver. Blue energy suddenly appeared from nowhere, curling around Giac's hand, swirling and shimmering across his skin. Anakin felt a wave of light force energy leap across the room, something he had never felt before and by the way Ahsoka gasped beside him, he guessed Ahsoka had felt it too. After observing the dancing, glowing blue energy, Giac moved his hand to Obi-Wan's arm, grabbing it after a second of hesitation.
Obi-Wan's reaction was immediate. Obi-Wan's eyes snapped open like Giac's had done, his eyes shining silver. He took a deep breath of air, the blue energy traveling up his left arm and to his whole body. No longer looking like he was in pain, Obi-Wan raised his right hand, the blue energy now swirling around in his palm. He clenched the fist, flexed his fingers and moved his wrist. It was then that Anakin realized the hand Obi-Wan was moving was the one that had been fractured.
The miraculous healing didn't stop there. Obi-Wan then placed his now miraculously healed hand on his chest, letting out a gasp as the blue energy spread over it. Anakin heard some very worrying cracking noises that he later would find out was Obi-Wan's bones snapping into place, his punctured lung healing with them. The blue energy continued to move across his body after his chest was healed, healing all the scratches, bruises and bumps, even completely healing the wound on his leg that had reopened in the fight against Grievous. The flesh knitted itself back together underneath the bandages, the blood flowing back into his body like time had been reversed, leaving only clean undamaged skin. There wasn't even a scar.
When everything was healed, Giac immediately stepped away, breaking the link. The blue energy dispersed or disappeared altogether, the eyes of the two brothers returning to normal. However, both of them looked exhausted and Giac swayed on his feet. Anakin nearly didn't catch him when he fell, just as Obi-Wan's eyes rolled to the back of his head and he passed out too.
Giac woke with a banging headache. He groaned as he sat up on the bed, wincing as the bright lights on the ceiling caused pain to spark behind his eyes when he opened them. It was way too bright.
"I forgot this feels like a hangover." Giac muttered, his eyes now closed as he rubbed his face with one hand.
"I know. It's horrible." Freezing, Giac opened and looked in the direction of the familiar voice. It was his brother, putting his brown leather boots on. He was sat on a bed – a medical bay bed Giac realized – and was now dressed in Selencian clothes, apart from his favorite boots. They were completely different to his beige Jedi robes – now he wore a white shirt and black trousers, along with a blue jacket, silver designs across the edges. Giac guessed he must have found them in the storage compartments since his Jedi robes were probably torn and covered in blood. There was no one else in the med bay of the ship; just him and Obi-Wan, something he was thankful for. He would probably have to thank Tessa for that later.
"Are you okay?"
"Fit as a fiddle. I managed to heal everything, even the bruises. My leg is healed too and I can finally use my hand again." Obi-Wan answered, standing up. He moved easily, as if he hadn't been suffering from serious injuries only hours before.
"Wait a minute – you healed everything?" Giac asked, groaning as he rolled his neck. "Obi, I only told you to heal your ribs and lungs, no wonder my head hurts so bad!" Giac exclaimed, quite annoyed and he had every right to be. His headache would probably still be there when he went to sleep later.
"Oops. Sorry, though see it as payback for that time you pushed me into that fountain in the courtyard." Obi-Wan defended, smirking. He wasn't sorry at all and Giac knew it. Grabbing the pillow on his bed, Giac threw it at Obi-Wan. His smile was wiped off his face for a second as he dodged the incoming pillow, but it quickly returned when the pillow sailed harmlessly over his head.
"You missed." Obi-Wan's smug smile was cut short as Giac used the force to bring the pillow back just like a boomerang, hitting Obi-Wan square in the face as he turned around, sensing the danger through the force.
"Doesn't look like I missed to me." Giac chuckled. Sending Giac a playful glare, Obi-Wan picked up his own pillow.
"That's it. You are so dead." Obi-Wan swung the pillow at Giac, who quickly dodged his swing, grabbing the pillow that had hit Obi-Wan off the floor. And that's how the pillow fight started. Soon there were multi-colored Pokus* feathers all over the floor, equal amounts of feathers in the two brother's hair, laughter ringing in the room. They only stopped when they heard someone clear their throat near the door.
In perfect unison, they both turned their heads towards the owner of the voice (who happened to be the Selencian commander), stood in a perfect freeze frame ready to hit each other with the pillows. Giac was the first to speak.
"Dexter?" The commander, Dexter, barely concealed his mixed confusion and amusement. Both Obi-Wan and Giac quickly hid their pillows behind their backs, even though they had been caught in the act, along with the tones of evidence in Pokus feathers that were scattered across the floor. "What are you doing here?" Giac asked, laughing nervously. Dexter only raised an eyebrow.
"You're trying to conceal pillows that are clearly behind your back. Has that ever been attempted before?" Dexter inquired, enjoying the situation. The two brothers only brought the pillows out from behind their backs, pretending to only just realize they were there.
"Oh, these? We were, um...What were we doing Obi?" Giac asked, looking at Obi-Wan purposely, non-verbally telling his younger brother to come up with an excuse.
"Checking for space bed bugs." Obi-Wan quickly answered when he understood Giac's message.
"Exactly." Giac nodded, Obi-Wan already carrying on already.
"Terrible critters. Sharp teeth. Big red eyes."
"Yeah! Horrifying things." Giac agreed, shaking his head solemnly. Dexter didn't look convinced.
"Right... Anyway, Tessa sent me to check up on you two. I think it's safe to say you both couldn't sleep."
"Because of the space bed bugs!" Obi-Wan protested. Giac elbowed him in the side, telling him to shut up. Dexter didn't know what to make of the situation by this point.
"Right, space bugs... Look, I also came to tell you some bad news. I'm afraid that because you didn't contact us on a secure line your highness," Dexter looked at Obi-Wan, "the conversation leaked to the press. Not the holonet, just the press on Selencia." Regaining his Kingly composure, Giac became serious again, Obi-Wan next to him adopting a similar expression.
"So you're saying..." Obi-Wan trailed off, Dexter nodding, already knowing Obi-Wan's question.
"Yes. When we land, practically the whole population of the capitol will be waiting for you. It's going to be one hell of a crowd." Giac let Dexter's news sink in but after some thought, Giac realized it was no big deal. He had spoken to large crowds of people before; this time would be no different. However, when he turned his head to look at his younger brother, Giac realized he was the only one who felt that way. Obi-Wan had paled tremendously, fear cloaking his face. Giac had forgotten that his brother wasn't one for attention, or fangirls.
Giac couldn't help it. He burst out laughing.
* Pokus are a type of poultry on Selencia, and unlike chickens, they have three pairs of wings instead of two. Don't ask me how. They're just weird like that.