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There were many situations Anakin found himself in that were less than desirable, yet waking up with lungs full of dirt skyrocketed to the top of the list the moment he returned to consciousness. He could barely even remember how he got in this mess in the first place.
The tunnel collapsed.
Ah, right. The tunnel collapsed. Which wasn’t entirely Anakin’s fault… but potentially a good chunk of it was. What self-respecting Jedi wouldn’t divert two tons of debris away from themselves at the last possible second in order to survive?
Probably a lot, who would come up with a better plan.
Too late for that now.
Besides, he was fine. For as much as he could tell though without light. But a quick brush over his robes told him he was mostly fine, he just had to find his force-forsaken lightsaber.
“Anakin this weapon is your life,” he grumbled, blindly searching around the cramped dark space for it “Obi-Wan’s going to kill me. Again.”
This was only the second lightsaber he’d lost in a span of just a few years, and he’d really rather not sit through another “you must understand how important a Jedi's lightsaber is” lecture from Obi-Wan.
“It’s got to be here somewhere.” He muttered, still feeling around before the edge of his boot hit something which skittered across the concrete. “Found it.”
And after almost losing it again, he finally picked it up, brushed it off, and ignited it. The sharp blue illuminated the space fairly well, yet his moment of relief ended as soon as he looked around.
The space was even smaller than it had originally seemed. There was a solid wall of concrete behind him, and another solid wall built up from all the fallen rocks in the collapse in front of him.
He was trapped.
Multiple thoughts scattered his brain in the following moments, yet there were two specifically that stood out amongst the rest. One, if he didn’t find a way out soon, he was going to run out of oxygen, and two, he could’ve sworn Obi-Wan was standing beside him during the collapse.
Well, that’s not good.
“Obi-Wan?” He called out, shifting closer to rocks as he listened. “Master, can you hear me? Obi-Wan!”
He didn’t hear anything in return, though he doubted he’d be able to anyway through six feet of solid rock between him and Obi-Wan. If Obi-Wan was even that close. He wasn’t going to take any unnecessary risks, however, so getting out of there became his top priority.
Besides, he already had an escape plan. Sort of. An idea that only Anakin Skywalker could call an escape plan with high risk and slim odds of working properly. It did beat running out of oxygen or starving to death though.
So he weighed his options for another minute before finally making up his mind. Setting his saber off to the side for light, he approached the wall again, letting his fingers brush against the surface.
“Obi-Wan if you can hear me, stay away from this side of the collapse!”
He didn’t hear anything in response, but he kept his optimism up by choosing to believe Obi-Wan was just out of range. He was alright, he could still feel him in the Force, and despite the fuzziness on Obi-Wan’s side of their bond, they were still connected.
For now at least.
Focus, Anakin reminded himself as he took a few steps back, took a few deep breaths, threw his hands up towards the wall, and summoned all the strength he had. It took a moment before things started shifting, a few small chunks of rubble here and there before he finally started getting leeway with the bigger pieces.
At least until an unsteady wave of panic washed over him from Obi-Wan’s side of their connection, and that’s when he heard it.
“Anakin! Anakin stop, you’re going to get us both killed!”
“Master?”
“Stop moving the rocks!” He called back again, his voice sounding distant but all the more panicked. “Leave them!”
“Alright,” Anakin sighed, dropping his hands as the rumbling subsided. They were still trapped, but at least Obi-Wan was conscious and speaking. Well, yelling, but even Anakin wasn’t about to nitpick that little detail. He could do it later, once they were above ground again and safe.
“Master, where are you?”
“Opposite the wall of you, I’m assuming as much.”
“That’s not helpful.”
“That’s the best I have right now. What about you, are you uninjured?”
“For the most part, yeah. Just irritated. We’ve got to get out of here, Master.”
“I’m sure someone somewhere is looking for us as we speak.”
“You sound like you’re in pain,” Anakin frowned, moving closer to the rocks as he laid his hand flat atop the surface. “Obi-Wan?”
“It’s nothing, Padawan. I’ll be alright.”
“Oh no you don’t.” Anakin scoffed “I’ve been around you long enough to know all your tricks, and addressing me as padawan is one of your biggest ones whenever you’re trying to prove a point, which means you’re lying.”
“You talk so much sometimes, you know that?”
“All part of my charm, Master.” He responded easily, concern quickly replacing the momentary lapse of relief between their banter. “What hurts? And don’t say-”
“Nothing.”
“Don’t say nothing. Honestly Master, sometimes you’re worse than Ahsoka.”
“That’s high praise considering you’re her Master.”
“I’m only her Master because of you. You’re the one who requested a padawan.”
“Yes, and I still have yet to figure out what came over me that day. You alone qualify for at least three.”
“Very funny.” Anakin laughed bitterly “At least your sense of humor is still intact.”
“Speaking of Ahsoka, have you tried contacting her about our predicament?” Obi-Wan asked suddenly. The change of topic didn’t slip by Anakin unnoticed, but he still indulged his old Master, even if it wasn’t positive news.
“Can’t get a signal.” He sighed, tapping his comm. “We must be too deep underground.”
“There’s that plucky optimism.”
Anakin rolled his eyes despite the smile teasing at his lips before he sighed, reaching for his saber as he judged the small space again, running his hand along the boulders, searching for some kind of give.
“I’m not having much luck over here,” He eventually admitted, biting back a snide comment “You?”
“I’m afraid I have nothing better, Anakin. This might just be one we have to wait out.”
“I agree, I’m sure we’ll have plenty of things to take our minds off of being trapped when we’ve run out of air, or we’re starving to death.”
“Calm down, Anakin. We’re not gravely injured and there’s still plenty of air.”
“What about food? Unless of course, you’re planning on eating the dirt.”
“There’s a spare ration bar in your belt.”
Anakin froze, opening his mouth to reply before he shut it and checked his belt, sure enough finding a ration bar tucked neatly into one of the compartments.
“Unreal.” He muttered, “How did you-“
“I look after my Padawans,” he replied simply, and Anakin could practically hear the smile in his tone “Especially when they refuse to sit down for an actual meal for days on end.”
“The campaign-“
“Was not as important as you taking care of yourself.” He interrupted, “Nevertheless, I figured a quick snack would serve you well, just in case.”
“Unreal.”
“I believe the words you’re looking for, are thank you.”
“Just this once.” He grumbled, unwrapping the bar “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Anakin didn’t immediately respond, but he definitely made a face after taking a few bites, holding the bar away as if it were meant to poison him.
“Ugh, these things are disgusting. Couldn’t you have packed meiloorun fruit or something?”
“I didn’t think you’d appreciate having rotting fruit in your belt.”
“Why does it have to be rotting?”
“By the time you discovered it? It’d be beyond rotting.”
“Not true! I would’ve noticed it before then!”
“It’s taken you this long to discover the very ration bar you’re eating right now.”
“What?” he scoffed “How long has that been in there?”
“Two weeks, give or take a few days. However long the last campaign was.”
“Ugh! Kriffing hell, no wonder it tastes horrible. That was cruel!”
“They don’t go bad, Anakin. That’s why we use them as rations.”
“Still disgusting.” He groaned, making a face as he set the remaining portion aside and stood up again. “I don’t know how we’re getting out of here yet, but I do know that I am not going out with that being my last meal.”
“And what exactly is your idea of a good last meal?”
“Milkshakes at Dex’s, obviously.”
“Obviously.”
“Look Master, as much as I’d love to keep having such a scintillating conversation with you, we should probably focus on finding an actual way out of this mess.”
“By all means, be my guest.”
“Too good to help all of a sudden, old man?”
Anakin definitely picked up on the disgruntled sigh from his former Master as he scoffed, still searching for a way out. What did he have to be annoyed about anyway? It wasn’t like he was trapped down there alone.
Or maybe it was the fact that he was trapped down there with Anakin. He doubted that thought as soon as it crossed his mind. Of course it wasn’t that, he was a joy to be around and any living thing in the galaxy would be honored to be trapped under two tons of rubble with him.
“Anakin, I wouldn’t call being trapped like this an honor.” Obi-Wan sighed exasperatedly from the other side of the rocks, and Anakin could’ve sworn he felt the following eye roll.
“Oh, so you can read my thoughts but you can’t help me find a way out of this mess?”
“I’ve been searching for a way out since the beginning.”
“How? I haven’t heard you move once!”
“It’s called looking, you know, with my eyes. Perhaps you should try it, you’ll never know what you’ll find.”
“Haha.” Anakin laughed dryly, “Be careful, Master, keep talking and you’ll start giving snips a run for her credits.”
“I was fluent in the art of sarcasm long before Ahsoka came into the picture, Anakin. Unlike you, however, I know the appropriate times to indulge in it.”
“And being trapped like this is what you’d call an appropriate time?”
“I’d-”
“Wait, shh, shut up.” Anakin interrupted, pressing his face to the rocks.
“Anakin-”
“Seriously, be quiet. Do you hear that?”
“Hear what?”
“That,” He said, still holding his face to the rocks. “It sounds like-”
“Gunships.”
“Ahsoka.” Anakin laughed, “She found us! Ha! I knew we’d get out of here one way or another.”
“I don’t sense Ahsoka,” Obi-Wan frowned
“No, she’s gotta be up there. Where else would she be?”
“I’m not sure.”
“She’s up there, Master,” Anakin responded though Obi-Wan could tell it was more of an affirmation for himself, some small bit of hope to hold onto in the dark. For Anakin's sake, he didn’t argue.
“She has to be.”
“I don’t see anything,” Cody frowned, looking up from the datapad in his hand “Rex, are you sure we’re in the right spot?”
“These are their last known coordinates sent straight from Commander Tano’s comm. This is it.”
“Great, so where are the Generals’?”
Rex merely offered a pained look of confusion mixed with uncertainty as Cody sighed and looked around. A few of their men were scattered around, looking for anything at that point to send them in the right direction.
So far, nothing.
“This would’ve been so much easier if they just told us where they were going,” Cody grumbled, jabbing his finger against the screen in a crude attempt to get answers, or just let out his frustrations. Rex didn’t comment on it as he looked around. The sun was starting to set, leaving a dark orange glow across the horizon as he sighed.
“It’s going to be nightfall soon. Whatever we’re going to do, we need to do it now.”
“Sure, got any brilliant ideas?” Cody asked “It’s not like we can just use the Force.”
“Oh come on Cody, what we’ve got is better than the Force.” Rex smirked, holding up his blaster. “Plain old guts ‘n ingenuity.”
“Unless either one of those things can help us pinpoint the Generals’ locations, we’re going to have to come up with a better plan than that.”
Rex didn’t stop him when he turned and walked away.
“Rex! Rex! Rex, you need to look down, down!”
“Anakin.”
“Rex, down! We’re underneath, down, Rex, down!”
“Anakin.”
“Dammit Ahsoka, where are you.” He grumbled, slamming his gloved fist into one of the rocks before he kept screaming. “Rex! Cody! You need to look down, we’re down here!”
“Anakin!”
“What!”
“You’ve got to stop screaming.” Obi-Wan sighed, shifting further against the wall.
“You’re kidding, right? Are you trying to die down here?”
“Listen to me,” he said, frustrated but doing his best to hide it. It wasn’t working. “I want to get out of here just as much as you do-”
“Do you?"
“-but screaming the way you are is not going to help us. It’s only going to make things worse.”
“How could things possibly be worse!”
“Well, screaming the way you are is a surefire way to use up your remaining oxygen quicker. The air is already thinning, if you can’t tell.”
Obi-Wan chose not to acknowledge the large, deep breath Anakin drew in at the mention for the sake of avoiding another argument which at the rate they were losing air, would surely kill them both.
“Then there’s the possibility of you causing yet another collapse. This cavern is already unstable and could fall at any minute.”
“You’re not helping.” Anakin snapped angrily
“Neither are you.” he shot back “Anakin, there’s no guarantee that they can even hear you.”
“That’s what I’m trying to figure out!” He huffed, falling into a strained coughing fit as he leaned against the rocks. “I’m not dying down here, Master, and neither are you!”
“I never said I wanted to die down here, Anakin.”
“Then quit acting like it.”
“I’m just trying to keep you calm.” Came the response, making Anakin freeze completely. He let Obi-Wan’s words settle for a moment before speaking.
“I don’t need to be kept calm , I’m not a child- ”
“I never claimed you to be.”
“I’m a General in a galaxy-wide war , a Jedi Knight for stars sake, not a youngling in the temple creche.”
“I know you are.”
He didn’t respond, he couldn’t. Not here and now, not with Obi-Wan treating the situation like it would be their last with all his stupid calmness and it’s the will of the Force attitude . No, Anakin decided, no way in hell that he was dying like that.
No way.
So he completely ignored Obi-Wan’s advisories and kept yelling. Rex and Cody would find them, eventually. They had to.
Nightfall had started. Rex’s frown only deepened as he watched the dark orange hue of their surroundings slip into an even darker black state. The men they had with them had set up a temporary camp situation based out of the gunships. All had been unsuccessful in their mission to locate Kenobi and Skywalker.
Rex finally tore his gaze away from his datapad when he spotted Cody approaching on his left, again. He had his helmet on, but Rex could still see the disappointment written across his features.
“Rex,” he started slowly, taking his time as if he were trying to find the right, delicate, way to phrase his words. “It’s getting late.”
He didn’t answer.
“I just spoke with Commander Tano. She’s on her way here right now with backup.”
“I don’t get it.” Rex sighed, the sound crackling through his helmet. “These are the coordinates, but there’s nothing here.”
“They’re probably wrong,” Cody suggested, cringing slightly as if he were arguing with himself. “You know how transmissions get messed up sometimes mid-mission.”
“Yeah. Maybe.” He said, looking out upon the flat, desert-y plains of the planet. “What are you going to tell Commander Tano?”
“No idea. It’s not like we have any concrete information about-” he paused, backtracking slightly “We don’t know.”
“Doesn’t this feel wrong to you?”
“Of course it does, but without a location-”
“I know.” Rex sighed “We’re as useless to them right now as they are to us.”
Obi-Wan had lost track of how long Anakin had been screaming, but from the way he was pausing every few seconds to cough and draw in a deep breath, he figured it’d been long enough.
“Rex! You have to look down!” Anakin yelled, pausing to cough, again. Obi-Wan did his best, but no matter how many times he interjected trying to stop him, he wouldn’t listen.
He never listened.
Especially not now. Not when rescue was so close, and yet, so far. Anakin definitely added this moment to his growing collection of times he wished the clones were force sensitive since apparently yelling was doing no good.
And with still no sign of Ahsoka, things were pretty grim.
“Rex!” Anakin yelled once more, his voice cracking the harder he screamed. “R-Rex! Down h-here…”
“Anakin, stop it.” Obi-Wan said, not even trying to hide the annoyance in his tone now. “You’re going to lose your voice, if not destroy it.”
“We have to get… out.”
“They’ll find us.”
“D-don’t know that.” He coughed again, almost to the point of throwing up before he managed a few shaky deep breaths. A loud thud followed a moment later. Obi-Wan feared he’d passed out until he heard his heavy pants on the other side of the wall.
“I got us… into this mess…” He wheezed, dropping his head back against the rocks. “My fault.”
“Anakin-”
“No sugarcoating… Master. Mine.”
“Will agreeing with that statement get you to shut up so you don’t wreck your voice more than you already have?” Obi-Wan asked. He almost felt the pain in Anakin’s strained laughter.
“Thin,” he replied, and even without further explanation, Obi-Wan knew exactly what he meant. He took in another deep breath as well, feeling just how thin the air had gotten. It wasn’t enough, and he was painfully aware of that as his lungs fought to take in more oxygen with his next breath.
They fell silent after that. Obi-Wan tried his best not to focus on Anakin’s pained breaths, either from the thin air or from his no doubt scratched-up throat, probably a mix of both, but even in the face of certain demise, he couldn’t draw his attention away from it.
That and the way Anakin was not holding back on letting all his anxieties out into the Force.
Some about his regrets- mistakes, and choices he wished he had and hadn’t made, others about people. Ahsoka, Rex, Cody, the 501st and 212th, but most of them were focused on Padme.
Obi-Wan chose to ignore those. Anakin’s business was just that, his business, and he was certainly entitled to keep it secret if he wished. Obi-Wan knew he’d tell him when he was ready, and no sooner.
“You don’t have to be scared, Anakin.”
“Not scared.” He whispered, just barely audible. “To die.”
“I wouldn’t call it dying as much as I would say it’s becoming a part of something bigger than us.”
“Fancy way… to say die.”
“I suppose if that’s how you wish to view it.”
“Wish to view… the sun… again.”
“I know.”
A beat of silence. Anakin had more to say, Obi-Wan could tell, but he was choosing his words carefully- almost too carefully. As if he didn’t want to say the wrong thing just in case-
“I’m sorry.”
That one took Obi-Wan by surprise.
What in the universe could he possibly have to apologize for? If anything, Obi-Wan should be apologizing to him. They’d certainly been in more than one situation where Obi-Wan had shouldered the blame because it was his responsibility, and he treated it as such. It was a Master's job to protect their Padawans, not the other way around.
Anakin had a habit of turning it around on him frequently, as did Ahsoka to Anakin.
“For what, Anakin?” Obi-Wan found himself asking. He was sure he already knew, but even after 10 years of raising the boy, he still found a way to keep secrets hidden from the dawn of each new day.
“Everything.”
A million responses ran through Obi-Wan’s mind. I’m sorry too. You have nothing to apologize for. It’s my fault we’re here. I know you are. Forgive me, friend. Your story doesn’t end here.
None of them got said out loud.
Obi-Wan didn’t get the chance when the tunnel started rumbling and shaking. A pang of mild fear that he didn’t bother to disguise ran through him, along with a few choice thoughts, all of which subsided when just enough dirt and debris was shifted out of the way to let in a bright streak of artificial light.
Ahsoka’s voice followed a moment later.
“Masters!” She shouted, “Rex, Cody, I see them!”
Obi-Wan missed the follow-up from their men but it didn’t bother him. He just focused on taking in as deep a breath as manageable when he got the chance, finally speaking when he felt he’d obtained enough oxygen to do so.
“Don’t worry Master Kenobi, we’re coming!”
“Get Anakin first.”
It sounded strained, possibly from his sore throat or from the noise of the digger, or maybe it was all in his head. He didn’t bother to find out, too busy trying to make sure Ahsoka understood her assignment.
He was relieved when she finally seemed to.
“Hang in there, Master Kenobi, we’ll get you next! Have that stretcher ready, boys!”
When everything was said and done, they made it out okay. Obi-Wan only had a minor, minor fracture in his left leg which of course required a brace and somehow a cane that Master Che wouldn’t allow him to leave the halls without. Anakin, much to Obi-Wan’s worries, had nearly destroyed his voice.
He held back to the urge to say I told you so verbally, though he wasn’t as considerate in his mind.
And he would continue to do so, even now on his way back to the halls to visit said stubborn Padawan. Master Che kindly kept him up to date on his condition, including notifying him when he woke up.
He’d just made it to the entrance when Ahsoka caught up with him.
“Master Kenobi!” She greeted him with a smile, “Aren’t you supposed to be resting? You were caught in a tunnel collapse after all.”
“I haven’t forgotten,” he said, grimacing slightly as they took the few steps down into the halls “Besides, I’ve had three days' worth of bed rest, I think I’ll be alright.”
“If you say so,” she shrugged in a way all too similar to Anakin. “I assume you’re going to visit Master Skywalker?”
“I am. Master Che has been keeping me informed of his condition.”
“Me too. She said he nearly destroyed his voice? What exactly happened down there anyway?”
“Let’s just say when Anakin sets his mind to something, he tends not to be directed otherwise. He’s alright though.”
“Think he’s gonna be released today?”
“That depends on what Master Che has to say about the matter.”
Ahsoka nodded but didn’t say anything else as they walked the rest of the way until they reached Anakin’s room. She was in first, Obi-Wan slowly following after. Anakin was awake when they entered, giving a small wave as a greeting.
“What’s the matter, Master?” Ahsoka chuckled “Loth cat got your tongue?”
Both of them were fully prepared to receive a signature sarcastic crack in response, so both were equally confused when he picked up a data pad on the bedside tray, typing into it before pressing the audio button. Ahsoka broke instantly.
“Oh my bantha, you actually lost your voice?” She nearly cackled, completely ignoring both Anakin’s look of disapproval and Obi-Wan’s sigh behind her. “Nice going skyguy!”
“What does Master Che think of all this?” Obi-Wan asked, watching Anakin type something else into the device before pressing the button again.
“Technically speaking, I can talk. She just doesn’t want me to since I run the risk of making things worse.”
“Sounds right.” Ahsoka hummed, still laughing as she pulled up a chair for Obi-Wan, and another for herself paying no mind to Anakin’s glare. If looks could kill, she and Obi-Wan both would surely be dead.
“How long?” Obi-Wan asked.
“Right now, a week. Have to see how things are after that.”
“I did warn you this would happen.”
“Go ahead, Master.”
“Go ahead what?”
“With the ‘I told you so’s.” He rolled his eyes “I know you want to, it’s written all over your face.”
“In your current state, I think that’d be a little cruel, don’t you?”
“I don’t.” Ahsoka said, finally glancing up at Anakin as she smirked. “Sorry skyguy, you walked into this one.”
Anakin shook his head with another silent eye roll, typing some more into his datapad. After a minute, the automated voice spoke.
“How’s the leg?”
“Nothing that won’t heal with time.” Obi-Wan replied plainly. He knew Anakin hated those short, conversation-ending answers, but he also knew that getting into it with an automated voice right now was just going to be a waste of all their time.
So he didn’t.
“Alright,” Ahsoka sighed, reaching over to snatch the device away from Anakin as he threw his arm out in protest. “Relax,” She scoffed, “You can have it back in a minute. For now though, if we’re going to be stuck in this boring room, we can at least have some music.”
“Might I remind you, you came here of your own free will?” Obi-Wan mused, watching as Ahsoka chewed her lip in thought before she chuckled sarcastically.
“No, you may not.” She replied, tapping the screen a few times before the newest collection of Coruscanti hits worked to combat the silent room. “I’m just being a good Padawan, that’s all.” She stated, tossing the device back to Anakin before jutting a finger at him. “Don’t even think about changing that, skyguy. Your taste in music is horrible.”
A silent scoff left his lips before he typed out another message, presenting it to Ahsoka with a smug smirk.
“Just for that, I’m changing the station.”
“Don’t you dare!” She yelped, making a grab for the device while Anakin held it well out of reach. “Skyguy!”
Obi-Wan chuckled but didn’t move to stop them. Not that he enjoyed listening to their back and forth arguments. But as far as he was concerned, having two bickering Padawans was better than having none at all.
He’d let it slide, just this once.