Until We Die

—Chapter 2—

"Move, Anakin," Obi-wan said inside the cockpit. He hadn't wanted to kill him, not after seeing and hearing him through the broken mask. Just speaking with him again had brought tears to his eyes; dragged every painful and haunting memory back at once. Both the good times, and the bad.

The worst part was, for a split-second he'd thought that he'd reached him. There had even been tears glistening on Anakin's cheek. After his apology, he'd sensed the change in him through the Force, and he had dared to hope. Then, Vader had absolved him.

"I am not your failure, Obi-wan," he'd said. "You... didn't kill Anakin Skywalker. I did."

But the change, if any, had only lasted momentarily. An instant later, Vader had brought that blasted red lightsaber up to his face, and growled...

"The same way... I will destroy you."

Blinking back a tear, Obi-wan sharpened his gaze on the shadow. Several minutes ticked passed, and he'd still showed no signs of movement. After everything he had done, Obi-wan knew he should leave him—let the Force be the one to decide his fate. But... he'd already done that once. And the pain and guilt had eaten him up inside. Robbed him of his identity. Stolen his faith. Turned him into who he was now. Not Obi-wan Kenobi; the Jedi... but Ben. Just Ben.

If he went down there now, there was every chance that Vader would try to kill him. But there was also the slightest possibility that he might surrender. Shaking his head, he almost laughed at his own stupidity. Who was he kidding? Anakin? Surrender? The concept was ludicrous.

But... What if he did?

His next breath caught inside his throat. Looking down, he gazed at his fallen brother with new eyes.

What if... Vader did surrender?

What if this moment—right here—was his chance to change things?

Obi-wan slumped back in his seat; torn for what to do. Blast it! There was only one way to find out, wasn't there? Determined to try one last time, he grabbed hold of the control stick and set the ship down. Then, with one calming breath, he turned, and left.

He'd half expected for Vader to get up once he'd set the ship down behind him. But still he laid there, completely motionless. Yes, he was well aware that it could be a trap, and that Vader could potentially be waiting until he got close enough to spring his attack. But a little voice in the back of his mind, told him that wasn't the case.

Obi-wan cautiously edged forward. Vader was half rolled onto his side, his right leg and arm loosely outstretched, the broken part of his helmet buried in the dirt. The Force around him felt odd, too. Eerily silent, like he was walking into the eye of a storm, or vortex. There was also a noticeable absence of Vader's robotic breathing. He was no longer wheezing and barking like he had been before.

Did that mean he wasn't breathing?

If so, was it possible he was now watching Anakin die right in front of him? His heart hammered at the thought, and he quickened his pace. It didn't matter what Anakin had done. Or the fact that if he was on his feet, he would be fighting to kill him. He was not going to stand idly by while his former padawan died. Sith or otherwise. Not if there was a chance to save him.

He hurried across the dirt, then dropped to his knees at Vader's side. It was hard to tell if he was breathing or not. The only way he could find out for certain, was if he tried to make him move. So, reaching for his hand, he squeezed the glove tight, felt the metallic resistance of the prosthetic limb inside.

And still... nothing. Not so much as a grunt, or twitch.

No, he couldn't be... Obi-wan told himself, shaking off the thought. Anakin couldn't be dead. Not now. He'd survived worse injuries on Mustafar. Surely, he could survive this...

But he needed to be certain. Closing his eyes, he stretched out into the Force, felt along their old bond, and searched for a sign; for some indication, that he was, in fact, still alive. Then, for a split-second, he stopped. Bemused as to how, despite everything, their old Master–Apprentice Force bond still existed between them. Their powerful connection seeming to be as strong, if not stronger, than ever.

Every Jedi knew that it took two to nurture a Force bond, demanding equal effort from both sides to sustain the connection. Which, in theory meant, that not only had he been unable to let go of Anakin... but Anakin had also been unable to let go of him. Something about that thought was soothing, but made the way things ended between them, seem so much worse.

A faint tremor rippled across their bond, and Obi-wan opened his eyes. He was alive. And not only that, but he'd actually responded. Panic gripped his chest, and he squeezed his hand tighter to let him know he was here.

And the black gloved fingers squeezed back. Squeezed so hard, Obi-wan feared his hand might break. Fighting back tears, he ignored the pain coursing through his fingers, and whispered "I came back, Anakin. I couldn't do it. I couldn't leave you again."

Vader groaned weakly beside him, and his helmet moved, slowly rotated to the side, as if he was trying to turn his head. But he soon gave up, and let it fall forward again. The damaged respirator rattled and thumped, as if Vader was trying to force it to start up again, without success.

Listening to Vader struggle, Obi-wan's heart grew heavy. If he stayed this way much longer, he would surely suffocate. Deciding to intervene, he wriggled his fingers, tried to free his hand... and gritted his teeth, when again, Vader's grip tightened around them.

"Let go, Anakin," he said, refusing to give up. "I need to roll you over."

Easing his grip, Vader groaned again, then finally, let go.

Pulling his hand back, Obi-wan stretched and flexed his fingers, stared at them as he worked to get the blood circulating again. The aching throb was excruciating. As if he'd just gone fist to brick with a wall, and lost. It was a wonder none of them were broken. After gaining some semblance of feeling back, he returned his attention to Vader. "Are you ready?" he asked.

And was given the silent treatment.

Vader's lack of response was less than surprising. So, taking his silence as permission, he positioned himself and got ready. Then, with one hand braced upon his shoulder, and the other pressed against his hip, he pushed. And gently rolled Vader onto his back.

His face was finally visible again, and Obi-wan gazed down at him. He watched intently as that one eye blinked away the sand, then stared straight back. But something was different. His stare was emotionless. The burning Sith yellow from before; gone. Replaced by an empty slate grey.

Sensing a flicker of something cold pass through him, Obi-wan shivered. His head suddenly felt heavy, and he tried his damnedest to swallow, but couldn't. Something seized hold of his neck, and squeezed. The pressure constricting his throat, tighter and tighter, making it impossible for him to breathe.

All the while Vader continued to stare up at him, and Obi-wan stared straight back. He knew Vader was choking him. As if this was his last final stand, one last futile effort in order to obtain victory over his former master.

Fighting the urge to cough, Obi-wan reached out into the Force and tried once more to reach him. Even as he probed and prodded along their bond, he held Vader's gaze, watched on curiously as tiny flecks of yellow began to infiltrate the grey.

Vader's eye narrowed, and sharpened—then, abruptly relaxed. Hardened, then softened. Focused, then went distant. As if he could sense him calling across their bond, but was fighting to resist it.

Several long oxygen deprived seconds slipped passed. And, it finally dawned, that he'd have to be the one to try and stop this. He'd been a fool. How could he even think Anakin would surrender? He'd never surrendered before. Not once in the entire time he'd known him. Why in the blazes would he start surrendering now? And to him, of all people.

Inwardly, Obi-wan cursed and shook his head. He needed to end this. As he'd said to Qui-gon earlier in the freighter: "Whether he dies, or I do... this ends today."

And with that, Obi-wan gathered his strength. He closed his eyes and sank deeply into the Force. Then using it to guide his hand, he gestured toward Vader's face...

And used the Force to will him into a deep sleep.

The pressure around his neck dissipated, and Obi-wan slumped forward onto the Sith's chest. He'd only ever done that once over their time together. Back during the Clone Wars, when he had stupidly faked his own death in order to go undercover. Anakin had hunted him down across the galaxy, of course, believing him to be the bounty hunter, Raako Hardeen—the man the Jedi Council had framed for Obi-wan's murder.

It had worked just as well on him then, as it had done now.

Back then, he had forced Anakin to sleep in order to protect the both of them. And he had done it for the exact same reason, this time. It was clear that Vader had had no intention of surrendering, and Obi-wan feared that he was not going to be satisfied until at least one of them was dead. Perhaps, even the both of them.

Obi-wan told himself it was for the best. But he still felt dirty. Just the same as he had done all those long years ago. But in the end, it didn't matter. What was done, was done. And right now, he needed to figure out his next move. Before the Empire came down looking for Vader.

Rising to his feet, Obi-wan paced back and forth, tugged at his beard as he pondered what to do. Vader obviously needed medical attention, and some sort of repairs done on his suit. But where could he take him? Tatooine was out of the question. It was far too... well... primitive, for want of a better word. Naboo was no good either, waking up there would almost certainly set him off.

He turned. Gazed down at the sleeping Sith. No, he needed to take him somewhere civilised, somewhere that had the means to properly treat his injuries.

Only one place came to mind. Somewhere close enough to the core, but not too close. But it was risky. Very... very risky. And there was no guarantee he would even be welcomed there. But it was the best choice he had, and the people whom lived there were good, and kind, and always willing to do whatever necessary to help. It was settled then. He would contact them once he was in orbit.

Now, all that was left, was for him to somehow get Vader's massive body onto the dropship. He could worry about everything else... later.