A Venomous Galaxy (Crossover) Chapter 6 (Patreon)

Chapter 6: Ahsoka's Power and Anakin's Fate

Things were bad onboard the Resolute. The medic droids present were not enough to keep Anakin's condition stable. His skin was pale and sweaty, and he was still coughing up blood.

All he could feel was pain. He could barely see anything and the flurry of voices was painful to his ears. He could not make out one bit of it, and he tried saying something, anything to them, knowing full well even in that dismal state that they were speaking to him. Yet his own voice could only come out as slurred gibberish.

“This isn't good!” Ahsoka said. She clasped his organic hand, cold and clammy, but he could not properly grip hers back. She had forgotten the fever she had contracted on the mountain and was consumed with worry. She looked at Obi-Wan and at Rex. “Can't we do something?” They both saw the desperation in her eyes. But there was anger boiling underneath too, and even these two seasoned in so many conflicts were wary on how to answer this mere Padawan.

“Ahsoka, I...” Obi-Wan started. He looked back at Anakin. “Let's get him into a bacta tank.”

“General, with all due respect my men are all injured too, and we have yet to scan the extent of Skywalker's injuries,” said Rex. “And our bacta tanks are limited.”

“This is a life or death situation!” Ahsoka said. She went up to Rex so she was only inches away from his face. “I'm not going to ask again.”

She was just a stripling but despite her youth, she was hardly soft. Rex looked at Obi-Wan again. He sympathized with their situation but he had seen many of his comrades die in battle before, and he was hardened to their loss. As far as he was concerned, even with Skywalker as his commanding officer, it was just another thing to be weighed. “General...”

He looked away from the both of them at Anakin. “Put him in the bacta tank. I can feel his life fading.” It was not just Ahsoka that put him on edge or the very real possibility of Anakin dying that worried him. Part of him worried about the Jedi Council's reaction if they learned that Anakin had died. He could not see very many of them expressing any real concern. And even the greatest of them would only advise Ahsoka to let go of her grief. That was far crueler than any of the trials of the Sith.

“Yessir,” Rex said. Anakin was stripped down and moved to the nearest bacta tank. Ahsoka breathed a sigh of relief when he was lowered into the fluid and the lid was closed.

But Ahsoka and Obi-Wan were far from idle. They weren't trained medics but someone as down to earth as Rex still recognized the healing powers of the Jedi, even with neither of them being proper Jedi healers. They did what they could to stabilize the wounded clone troopers. The battle droids had that silly four syllable response to all their orders, but they were still vicious combatants in any warzone. As the two of them looked over the span of injuries on the clone bodies, even Anakin's Padawan wondered if she had made the right move.

Not that there was much time to think about it. They were busy, using what little knowledge they had of Jedi healing and applying what practical knowledge they had of field healing too. Ahsoka in particular despite coming off so strong earlier was out of her depth more than a few times. She had learned a few things from Wag Too, it was not proper Jedi healing used by Luminara Unduli or Barriss Offee, but in the current situation, her mind was scrambled as she couldn't properly remember what he taught her.

She suddenly felt guilty for coming off so strongly to Rex earlier. There were people dying and she couldn't do a thing. She didn't regret her decision one bit. But she still wished that hadn't been so insensitive.

“Let me help,” Rex said to her. He had sensed she was on the verge of breaking down and went to her before that could happen.

“Thanks.” She paused then said, “Sorry about earlier.”

“About what?”

“About wanting to rush my master into the bacta tank. I didn't properly think and...”

“It's fine,” he said. “I lost my head a few times back after my first few battles too. And loyalty to one's comrades is always an honorable thing.”

Obi-Wan caught a glance of them working together. He smiled. He knew they barely survived this battle and they abandoned a vital strategic location for nothing. But things could always be so much worse.

Yet he sensed a strange presence from Ahsoka. There was something strange in her force signature. He didn't know what to make of it, none of her behavior was off. Still, he kept an eye on her.

Coruscant was still several days away and Muunilinst was the closest Republic planet they could reach. Nobody there was happy to see them again. The first battle at the city of Harnaidan where the planet was won for the Republic before Anakin took Ahsoka under his charge was a cruel one. The power brokers of this world were indifferent to who was in charge and so under the auspices of the Banking Clan, they let the Confederacy come in and take over. But that sort of opportunism was not rewarded, and many locations were turned into droid factories and weapons depots. Adults and children alike were afraid to go outside and so they petitioned the Republic to come to their aid. They did but at that point the Separatist forces were so secure they had to destroy many homes and skyscrapers in order to secure their position. Even though the last battle they had fought was on a rural hilltop far away from the greater areas, these old feelings were not so easily extinguished. As far as the people here were concerned right now, the Confederacy and the Republic were two sides of the same coin.

But Ahsoka and Rex didn't care. They needed medical care for their people and they needed it now. The injured and wounded were rolled out.

This location was far more prepared to take care of them. Still, things were not going as smoothly as they could have. The clone troopers were given all the care they needed, there were enough bacta tanks to care for them, and those who had lost limbs were outfitted with droid replacements. But it was Anakin who was suffering. Even within his tank, he stirred wildly.

“This shouldn't be happening,” said the doctor. “His organs are damaged quite badly. Bacta should be able to heal him, but...”

Rex and Obi-Wan knew better. For all the ways people across the galaxy heralded bacta, it was not and never would be a miracle cure. Instead it only accelerated the natural healing capabilities of the body to recover on their own. Dooku's natural talent in the force coupled with the viciousness of the dark side dealt a number to Anakin and they knew it. The latter thought of him as a brother more than he would ever see him as a pupil and for that reason alone deep down he knew that he was witnessing the last moments of his natural life.

“This can't be,” Ahsoka said. Obi-Wan looked at her again. He sensed the strange presence from her again, stronger than ever. Then it seemed like he stopped breathing. She used what she knew of Jedi healing on him again. Her brow was furrowed and she sweated. She was so stressed that Obi-Wan sensed her teetering to the dark side. But he would not admonish her now. He had nothing of the standard Jedi calm himself.

The medical system stopped reading any vital signs. The doctor on hand looked down as if not sure what to say. But the medical droids looked at them. “He is gone.”

Even with his face still so stoic, everyone present felt the shift in Obi-Wan Kenobi's soul. No quips, no arrogance. His skin was suddenly clammy and pale. He felt like as if the next step he took would suck the energy out of him and make him collapse onto the floor.

“No!” Ahsoka said. She closed her eyes and used the power of the force harder. The force was wild. Obi-Wan felt that strangeness from her stronger than ever. The doctor thought to say something but could not, acting like nothing of the cold Muun stereotypes, and instead sighed deeply.

Obi-Wan started weeping. He could not bear the sight of Ahsoka struggling so hard, of Anakin laying there lifeless. He knew he should say something, that every instant of her struggle only added to the tragedy of the scene. But he could not.

Then Anakin breathed again. Ahsoka breathed a sigh of relief and collapsed to her knees, crying tears of happiness. Obi-Wan knew the feeling himself, and a few of the clone troopers clapped at seeing one of their most cherished commanders returned to life. Unlike some of the other Jedi who were assigned command over them, he always led from the front lines. He fought as one of them.

The doctors said they would alert them if something else came up. After everything, the two Jedi and Rex were happy to see that things were going well. They all went outside to get some air.

Ahsoka and Obi-Wan looked out over the place. The people there were giving them looks. Even on this sunny day, the gloom of the moment was felt acutely. They had heard stories of General Grievous' rampage here, when he was even more of monster then. They had counted themselves lucky not to have been present and could not relate to the Jedi who survived the encounter. But after that scuffle on that Sith planet they felt as if they could now talk to them as equals.

But there were other concerns. They were trying to keep it together. Ahsoka sighed wearily to herself and turned away.

“Don't let it bother you,” said Obi-Wan. “They've been through a lot.”

“So have we,” Ahsoka said.

“I figured you would be in a better mood than this. Anakin is going to be fine and...”

“It's not enough. I don't know what to do and it's not enough.”

“Just keep on going on.”

“When I grew up, I didn't think I'd be spending my time doing this sort of thing.”

“Then do the right thing.”

She balled her fist hearing that. “You think that's what we're doing?”

“We could have ended the conflict and we failed. The war would have started and things would be even worse without our involvement. What else do you want us to do?”

“I don't know. I wish the council would tell us something else than barking orders at us.”

He didn't have an answer for that one. As he was on standby, Rex had overheard the whole conversation. But he could not find the words for it. He was a clone trooper, his mission was bred into him. But fighting for so long, losing so many comrades, more than a few times he felt his own doubts.

Eventually Anakin could stand again. The doctor had given him a crutch to walk on. Prideful though he was, he took that advice. After skirting so close to death, he would not take the chance of injuring himself again.

“You're looking well sir,” said Rex.

“Can it Rex,” Anakin said. “I know this isn't my best moment.”

“But you are alive,” Obi-Wan said, accompanied by Ahsoka. “Dying as a hero is a thing which only inspires your enemies and legends down the line. Instead you spend another day amongst the livng. You have her to thank for that.” He nodded at Ahsoka.

“How...?” Anakin started. “You're not a Jedi healer...”

“I don't know,” Ahsoka said. “But I would not let you go master! And I'm...I'm so happy to see you alive!” she said, and embraced him, shedding tears of happiness again.

That touched Anakin's heart. He still hurt all over and he needed this moment. Obi-Wan smiled at Anakin too. Yet even in that moment of intimacy, something bothered him about how she managed to do it.

“I'll open up a communication line with the council,” Obi-Wan said. “They've been waiting to hear back from us.”

The two Jedi nodded. Holding up his comm unit, he opened a line to the Jedi Council. Most of the other members were away from the temple on Coruscant and scattered across the galaxy, acting as protection and envoys. That left only a handful of them present to receive Kenobi.

“Master Kenobi, we received word from Master Windu that you had pursued Count Dooku,” said Eeth Koth. “Were you victorious?”

“We barely survived,” Anakin said. Obi-Wan gave his apprentice a look to admonish him for speaking out of turn but said nothing. “And Dooku escaped.”

“Master Windu tells me you mentioned something about a possible Sith weapon,” Shaak Ti said. “Tell me more.”

The three Jedi on Muunilinst looked at each other. This time it was Obi-Wan who spoke. “There was something strange about Dooku. He came close to killing us several times.”

“So it was true...”

“But there was no weapon. Only this strange thing. Some kind of creature I've never seen before.”

“A creature say you Obi-Wan Kenobi?” Yoda said. “More to it there was not?”

“I think the hunt for the second Sith Lord might be mistaken,” Anakin said. “When we fought Dooku, it was like nothing I ever saw before.”

That got the attention of the whole council. Anakin's words bothered something in the Grandmaster beneath the surface. He had trained Dooku and was sorry to see him leave the order. More even than when he fell to the dark side. But the idea of him being behind everything wounded something strong in him.

Plo Koon sensed his discomfort. “Perhaps that was the weapon.”

“I don't think that was it,” Anakin said. “It was a creature. It must have...it must have been indigenous to the planet itself.” He shook a bit as he said that. He remembered the voice that contacted him. He only heard it when the creature was around him. But he refused it could be that pathetic thing which spoke into his heart and not something else. An auditory hallucination in the heat of battle or the whisper of the dark side. And deep down he knew it these attempts to convince himself weren't true.

“I wonder why the Sith would even lock up something like that,” said Shaak Ti.

“There were statues all about the temple,” said Ahsoka. “They all had different shapes, but they all had this same monstrous expression.”

“That's right, that thing had the same look,” Anakin said. “The same look as that creature.” He shuddered.

“Saw nothing else on this planet you did?” said Yoda.

Obi-Wan looked at Anakin and Ahsoka. They shook their heads. “No,” Obi-Wan said.

“Well then, perhaps it was just an ancient big game hunter,” said the voice of Mace Windu. He was still present on Alderaan staying in Bail Organa's estate as a guest, but he had an interest in this case more than anyone and had opened up a line as well. “A big man amongst these old Sith. Someone who kept his trophies safe. Not something we have to worry about.”

Anakin's face colored hearing those words. He didn't always get along with Windu yet both men still held a grudging respect for each other. But after nearly dying, he felt downright insulted. The only reason he didn't speak up was that he did not know how he could explain it. Or if he should say anything whether he would even be believed. The other masters had viewed him warily since he was accepted into the order as a Padawan and that had not changed in a decade even after becoming a Jedi Knight. He did not want to suffer either the paranoia or the indignation of being viewed as falling to the dark side. For him, it always felt different.

“In that case, it's over,” said Windu. “There's nothing more to say.”

“But Master Windu, I think we should seriously consider the matter of Dooku,” Anakin said. Obi-Wan smiled at his apprentice's initiative. “He may be our prime target. Him, and no phantom master Sidious or General Grievous.” Again, the council members looked at each other warily.

“Can you confirm this, young Skywalker?”

“No, but...”

“Then keep it in your mind. Write it down somewhere if you must. But there's nothing more that we can do. It may keep you at peace if I tell you that I am planning to have Master Vos kill him. He is still on his mission and has won Dooku's confidence.”

“That may be the best option,” Obi-Wan said.

“No!” Anakin said suddenly, catching all of their attention. They had expected an outburst from someone like him but they were surprised to hear him disapprove of killing Dooku. “We should change all our priorities to seize him alive. Someone like him with what he knows is too vital to be killed.” More than proving himself to the council, he remembered that strange feeling from Dooku. He had to know more.

“That is quite an order,” Windu said. “Perhaps young Skywalker wishes to lead the clone army too?” Anakin grit his teeth in frustration as he heard some of the other council members chuckling to themselves.

But Yoda was able to dispel the tension. “Performed well you have. Return to Coruscant you will. Discuss these other speculations you have we will in the future.”

Then the communication line was promptly shut off. Anakin's resentment was simmering under the surface. Ahsoka just embraced him, still thankful that he was alive. Even after that brusque dismissal, he felt his anger cooling off.

“We should head back in a few days,” Obi-Wan said. “It's been a trying time, hasn't it?”

“Yes, it has,” Anakin said finally. But as Ahsoka clung to him, he did not feel peace. Deep down in his heart, that strange feeling tugged at him stronger than ever. Her very presence in the force felt twisted and he remembered his clash with Dooku. Before he knew it, he pushed her away. His Padawan looked betrayed, and she felt guilty for even trying to console him. Obi-Wan gave him a look. Unable to explain himself to the both of them he just said, “Sorry. I...” He paused and allowed himself to think of Padme. “I want to get back to Coruscant.”

When they got back to Coruscant, they immediately rolled out the injured. The medics and Jedi healers had already been contacted, and they were already waiting for their arrival. They took the injured and those who were so mortally wounded they had to be put in the bacta tanks back to the hospital.

Anakin still wasn't walking as well as he had liked. Landing at the Jedi Temple was a source of humiliation for him. He had earned a reputation for being so arrogant and bold with his fellow knights and the masters too. He knew even after returning from a mission, that no doubt some of them were snickering under their breaths. Even the toll of war was not enough to diminish his reputation.

But the instant he saw Padme waiting for him, his heart was lightened. He rushed on over to her, painful though it was to do so. The beautiful woman smiling at him was enough to make him forget any agony he had suffered.

His relationship still in the dark from the rest of the Jedi save Obi-Wan and Ahsoka, the two of them retreated snuck away from the hustle and bustle. “When I heard the news of your battle, I was worried,” she said. “I'm so glad to see you're okay...”

“I'm just glad to see your face again Padme,” he said.

Obi-Wan had been watching the two of them. He would dare not interrupt this tender moment. He also had a woman waiting for him. He would not keep Duchess Satine waiting for much longer.