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The planet surface was quite unique compared to any place Obi-Wan had been to before. Veiled by a low-bearing haze rising from small vents in the landscape, the atmosphere gave off an eerie presence, as if something terrible lurked in its midst. Each small, sunken hole in the dark stone steamed an ominous bluish gas that stood out against the pitch-black cloud cover above; here and there, spiky landforms sheared into the sky like teeth, the tops of which were barely visible as they seemed to blend into the clouds.
It was an oppressive sight to behold, a fact which was not lost on Obi-Wan Kenobi as he crept between the dark landforms, lightsaber in hand.
Through the dimly-lit oxygen mask covering his face, Obi-Wan’s eyes scoured the landscape. Somewhere nearby, shadowed and hidden, was a Separatist base. Unlike others which he’d encountered in earlier campaigns, this compound’s designation was stealth—to go undetected and launch strikes against the nearby Republic medstation.
Behind him, tense and barely concealing their own anxiety, were the men of the 212th. They were nervous, Obi-Wan could feel their uncertainty and slight discomfort in the Force. Having only just been assigned to him, the soldiers were not yet accustomed to his leadership, and it didn’t help things that this was their first mission as a full unit.
Obi-Wan’s eyes narrowed as the Dark Side whispered around him, an ominous accompaniment to the shadowy planet’s appearance. Even as he gracefully searched the cold, invisible waves, he felt a slight surge of power within its depths. A warning.
Raising a hand, he motioned for them to slow. Almost automatically, the men obeyed his order.
The Force seemed to hum, the presence growing and twisting—dark. For a moment it drew back, and then spiked once more.
Obi-Wan closed his fist—calling for a full stop.
Adjusting a dial on his mask, he whispered into the narrow, short-range comms. “Something’s out there.”
“Copy that,” Came Cody’s response. The Commander’s voice was devoid of emotion, but Obi-Wan detected a faint hint of doubt in Cody’s presence.
Behind Obi-Wan, there was slight confusion and suspicion coming off the troops. It was only natural, he reasoned, that they not be accustomed to even the idea of the Force. Many troops had never worked with a Jedi before, let alone been led by one.
The darkness vanished.
Breathing slowly, Obi-Wan closed his eyes and let his senses rove across the planet’s surface. Whatever it was that he’d felt was now hidden again, but he’d definitely sensed something…
There came a flicker, a whisper of something coming—and then the Force lit up like a beacon.
Obi-Wan immediately lept into action, barring his teeth as he swung his lightsaber in a deadly arc through the air. Blaster fire filled the darkness with flashes of green light, illuminating the low-hanging gas clouds.
Behind him, Obi-Wan could hear Cody calling out commands, yelling for the men to leap into the action. Return fire streaked from clone-issue weapons, positively blinding.
The firefight was kicking up smoke and dust around them, and Obi-Wan found himself cursing aloud as he struggled to defend his men. If the droids were close, he certainly couldn’t tell. Darkness had swamped his senses and Obi-Wan’s eyes were pretty damn useless, as visual range went down to several meters.
A stray blaster bolt flew towards Cody, and Obi-Wan flew to intercept. Blocking the bolt in a small shower of sparks. Behind him, the Commander’s presence flared with surprise.
For a while, the dance continued, with Obi-Wan diving and weaving about the front of the line of soldiers, blocking what he could and allowing them to slowly advance forwards. That, however, quickly came to an end when a high-pitched whistle filled the air, a keening sound with deadly consequences.
Shouts came from behind Obi-Wan, and Cody’s voice exploded through the broadband comms, calling for them to scatter.
“I need cover fire!” Obi-Wan yelled.
The clone Commander hesitated for a moment, and then Obi-Wan saw extra blaster fire fill the air.
Reaching deep into the Force, Obi-Wan reached out, splaying his hands upwards. The smoke parted at his will, and then the missile came into view, its sleek nose aimed right towards their position. He could feel the others bearing down on them, clearly launched from the hidden base.
Obi-Wan realized with mounting horror that they were essentially out in the open. There was no proper cover on the planet’s surface other than the occasional rock constructs. And there was no way that one of those could protect them from the blast radius.
Gritting his teeth, Obi-Wan extended his presence and wrapped its layers of light about the incoming missiles. Closing his eyes, he let the Force envelop his mind and body. Two of the projectiles wavered before veering off course, colliding with one another in a massive explosion of red light.
Obi-Wan felt the blast and leaned forward, grappling with the final missile. The kriffing thing had increased its speed, propelled by the explosion behind it.
There was nothing he could do to stop it, Obi-Wan realized. He could guide its fall, but they’d all still be caught in its fallout.
Unless...
“Brace yourselves!” Obi-Wan cried, voice raw.
With one hand, he held the missile in the Force, sweat trickling down his face as he fought its urge to follow human life--the heat seeking warhead frantically trying to course-correct--and in the other--
Obi-Wan pivoted on one heel and looked back. Cody was close to him, firing into the dense clouds. Behind the Commander, Obi-Wan could see others, the muzzle flashes of their blasters the only visual indicator of their presence.
Cody’s confusion in the Force soon became surprise--and even fear --when Obi-Wan drew the Force about himself and roughly shoved the troopers back as far as he could.
The missile collided with the ground in a fantastic display of reddish flames, smoke, and toxic gas. Fragments of white-hot metal flew in all directions, and the thick haze rippled, waves of
Obi-Wan felt himself being lifted airborne, feet clearing the ground, before he was forcefully thrown backwards. His face shield cracked, hairline fractures forming a deadly latticework of impending disaster across the glass, and Obi-Wan only had several seconds to throw his arms up over his head before his body collided with the ground. Stars danced across his vision and he felt a cry leave his lips as something cracked painfully against the mask.
Rolling, Obi-Wan fought to stop himself, to at least have some semblance over his body. For a moment, he slowed--and then the ground disappeared from under him.
Hitting the ground for a second time, Obi-Wan felt the air rush from his lungs, fogging the mask terribly. His forearms crashed against the stone; apiece of glass, chipped from somewhere inside his mask, embedded itself in his cheek.
Finally, he came to a halt. Groaning, he lay there in pain, eyes blinking upwards at the dark sky. With every passing moment, his head was becoming more painful; a sharp pain raced down his right leg, but he couldn’t look… He couldn’t see…
Obi-Wan vaguely had the sensation of something constricting his chest terribly before darkness crashed down over his vision.
The last thing that he saw was white-armored form rushing towards him, and Commander Cody frantically calling his name.
||
Head pounding, Obi-Wan leaned back into the cushions, breathing deeply. His chest hurt, and his eyes felt like they were pushing out of their sockets.
Despite the multiple points of discomfort, Obi-Wan blinked, groaning slightly as his eyes struggled to adjust to the lighting.
The medbay.
“Welcome back, General Kenobi.” A medic was looking down at him, dressed in the standard gray uniform.
Closing his eyes for a moment, Obi-Wan shifted slightly and nodded his head to the trooper. “How long has it been?”
“Approximately two days, Sir.”
Obi-Wan’s eyes flew open, and his brow furrowed, causing his headache to cut even deeper into his head. “ What?”
“General Koon was dispatched soon after Commander Cody reported your condition.” The medic said softly. “The base was neutralized successfully.”
Obi-Wan let the information sink in, and leaned back, breathing as best he could.
So much for my first mission with the battalion, he thought.
“Commander Cody requested to speak with you.”
Obi-Wan felt the deep burning in his chest increase slightly as he struggled to get an even deeper breath. “Very well.”
When next he opened his eyes, the Commander was standing before him, shifting slightly.
Obi-Wan let a light smile make its way up onto his face. “Hello, Cody. Congratulations on a successful mission.”
The dark-haired man first looked at the floor and then up at Obi-Wan. “With due respect, Sir, I cannot call that a success. You were in critical condition.”
Huffing slightly, Obi-Wan suppressed a wince as his lungs blazed with pain. He could feel guilt rolling off of the Commander in waves.
“Permission to speak freely, Sir?” Cody’s eyes were fixed on Obi-Wan.
“Granted,” Obi-Wan replied, struggling to keep the shakiness out of his voice.
“Sir… As you are well aware, I have never formally served under any Jedi before. With due respect, why do you treat us so--” The clone Commander’s brow furrowed “--different? We are clones . We’re meant to be expendable. You are a Jedi…”
The Commander broke off as Obi-Wan shook his head.
“No, Cody,” he said, voice slightly hoarse. “You are most certainly not expendable, not you or your brothers. Not to me.”
For a moment, Commander Cody held his gaze, as if challenging Obi-Wan. And then the man stepped back and bowed his head, nodding.
Obi-Wan smiled, eyes crinkling.
For a moment, nothing was said in the room. And then the Force hummed softly, as Obi-Wan finally began to feel the Commander relax a little.
A look of relief came to the Cody's face, as well as a hint of a smile. “Thank you, Sir.”