Febuwhump Day 27: Survivor's Guilt

Febuwhump Day 27: Survivor's Guilt

Fandom: Star Wars

Timeline: Post order 66 (Obi-wan of the character for the story)

  Obi-wan never thought he would walk through the temple halls again. It has been about three years since the Jedi purge. Going to the temple hadn't been an easy decision but one he needed to make. Bail Organa had reached out to the Jedi and asked him to go. As unfair asking was eventually Obi-wan agreed.

    The senator was looking for evidence of the chancellors wrongdoing and figured looking at the ruins of the temple would be worth checking out. However Bail would not be able to find his way around the temple. He needed a Jedi and thought of Kenobi.

    The Jedi temple had been beautiful. Obi-wan grew up within these walls. Now the halls we're empty. The place had started to look rundown.

    Memories of the people Kenobi met inside of the temple flooded his mind as he walked. There were his padawan friends Prie, Bolla, and Siri. Then his friends from the council. Fondly he thought of people such as Kit Fisto and Quinlan Vos.

    It almost felt as if he could see the memories of running down the hall with other padawans and of talking to his friends as he got older. The padawans avoided hitting anyone in the hall the same way he had with his friends.

    With these memories came an immense amount of guilt. Why had he survived when they all died? Bolla died in the war to Cade Bane and the other two childhood friends had been killed in the order. For his older friends most had been killed in the order. Why was he still standing when so many couldn't? What did he do to deserve living when the others didn't?

    Everyone Obi-wan had ever cared for was dead so why wasn't he? He survived both of Maul's attacks while Qui-gon and Satine didn't. He survived the order while everyone else succumbed to the sudden betrayal of the clones. Young children and older Jedi all feel the same so why hadn't he?

    From there Obi-wan thought of his time in the war. So many of his men had died so why had he survived? None of them deserved the cruel fates they had been given. The former general could have helped them more, could have saved them.

    Guilt slammed down onto the jedi. His knees gave in and he collapsed in the empty hall. Tears streamed down his face as he wondered why he survived. Out of everyone to survive why him? The man sat there on his knees sobbing until tears couldn't form anymore. Once his breathing was back under control he stood once more.

    The mission would be for nothing. No information could be found in the temple. He would return back to Tatooine and inform Bail of his failure to find anything. Bail apologized for sending him and the conversation ended.

    Laying in bed that night Obi-wan's head spiraled with thoughts. Not too long after laying down he would sit back up and shake his head. Shaking his head sometimes helped to get rid of any harmful or unwanted thoughts. 'There must be a reason I'm still alive. There must be.' he thought. Laying back down the Jedi curled into a ball. There has to be a reason he survived and they didn't, right?

Febuwhump Day 20: Knife Wound

Fandom: Star Wars

Timeline: The Bad Batch

The vibro-knife glided through Hunter's fingers. It flew directly into the victim's lower chest. The man hit the ground with a yelp. Crosshair grabbed at the wound. It hurt, it hurt like hell.

    Wrecker weighed his opinions. He could run back to Crosshair and help him or he could stay with the others. He knew the decision may cost him his life but he wasn't going to let Hunter's decision cost Crosshair his.

    "Tech! Hold on!" Wrecker yelled. The two slide behind some large rocks and Wrecker snatched some medical supplies from his brother's pouches.

    "Wrecker what are you doing?" Tech looked at the man confused.

    "Go ahead I'll be right there." With that Wrecker took off back to where Crosshair lay.

    "Wrecker!" Tech stepped from behind the rock and faced him. Rather he didn't hear him or ignored him, Tech didn't know. He ran to join back with the group.

    "Wrecker we need to go! He'll be fine." Hunter spoke of over the comm. Once more Wrecker ignored the others.

    Crosshair's head was spinning. The knife wound was deep. No blood escaped the wound as the heat element to the vibro-knife cauterized the gash immediately. He could hear someone talking to him but the voice was slightly hazy. The man's mind raced. He wondered what was next for him, if this was the end. He wondered if his family hated him or if somewhere they still cared. When he finally made out the voice he knew at least one of them did.

    Wrecker moved Crosshair somewhere slightly safer and hopefully somewhere the imperials wouldn't find them. Removing the knife was the tricky part. Grabbing the handle he pulled it out of the man's flesh quickly. Crosshair cried out as the knife left his body. "I know" Wrecker attempted to soothe his brother.

    Little amounts of blood leaked from the injury. Wrecker did what he could for Crosshair. He finished by rapping some bandages around the wound and sat with him for a minute to make sure he did everything right.

    Crosshair went from angry to confused; from Hunter will pay for stabbing me to why was Wrecker helping me? It took tell his brother was done for him to realize there was no cruel joke. He wondered what would happen now. Would Wrecker save him from the hell that was the empire or would he leave him again? Would once more Crosshair have to watch his family leave without him, leaving him no choice but to stay with an army that saw him as a number?

    Wrecker wasn't comfortable leaving Crosshair. The wound was deep and extremely dangerous. Yes the knife was gone but would he be okay?

    As soldiers came closer Crosshair looked at Wrecker, "go."

    "Will you be okay?" The normally bright and cheery man was so worried it hurt his stomach. It hurt Crosshair to see him this way. He missed Wrecker's positivity even if it was a little much sometimes.

    As soon as he nodded Wrecker started standing. "I love you Cross. Stay safe!" The man booked it out of there. Some regs followed him but others simply didn't see the point. He'd get away, they always do.

    A scar that should have been a reminder of how much his family hated him became a reminder of the love they still had. Yes the wound had been given to him by Hunter but it was cared for by Wrecker. He risked capture or worse death to help Cross. He took that chance and waited until he had to leave. Somehow he was glad he was stabbed. At Least now he knew someone still cared about him.

Febuwhump Day 26: Forced to Choose

Fandom: Star Wars

Timeline: The Bad Batch

    The Bad Batch had finally been caught. All that needed to happen was for them to be executed for their crimes. Crosshair walked from the command deck where the orders were given. The empire would give the clones a little less than a day to reveal any secrets that could potentially save their lives.

    As the family's time ran out, Crosshair debated going to see them. It would be the last time he could after all. If not for anything he decided to go for closer. Why the man wanted closer he wasn't really sure but he needed it.

    Only a few minutes were left for the batch to spill some secrets when Crosshair arrived at the cell. The electric shield prevented the family from escaping. Hunter sat on the floor holding a crying Omega. Tech sat on the hanging bench bouncing his leg. His elbow rested on the other knee as he tried to think of a way out. Wrecker sat near Hunter and Omega making sure both were okay and Echo sat over with Tech trying to help him with a plan. All but Omega looked up at Crosshair as he cleared his throat. "Hello."

    "What do you want Crosshair?" Tech asked.

    Crosshair took in the sight. It saddened his to see them this way but is what traitors deserve, right? "Just came to see if you had any information" he hissed.

    "No we don't. We aren't working for any rebel groups Crosshair. We don't have anything." Hunter held Omega tighter.

    The sniper looked down at the little girl. She was terrified. Looking at the others he could see just how scared they were. Most couldn't tell but he could, he knew the looks on their faces. Though he had only seen it a few times during the war it struck some form of fear into his heart.

    "Even if we had information they'd kill us anyway so there's no point." Tech informed the soldier. That was true; no matter what they were screwed.

    "If that's all I'll be leaving." Crosshair started walking away. Behind him he heard Hunter trying to comfort Omega. As the man approached the end of the hall he stopped. Soldiers entered the other side of the hall to execute his batch mates.

    Now he had to make a choice. Does he go back, destroy everything he worked for in the Empire. After all Crosshair thought he agreed with the ideals of the system. He'd already killed so many people for them. Sure the Republic had him snipe a few people but not nearly as many as the Empire.  But could he let his family die? He grew up with three of them and had become rather fond of the other two. The five soldiers had protected each other no matter the cost to themselves. They had fought side by side for so long. Omega had barely gotten to live yet. He would have drowned if it wasn't for her. He would be dead if it wasn't for any of them. Forced to choose between his head or heart; between stability or love, he chose love.

    "Alright it's time" one of the stormtroopers spoke. Hunter grabbed Omega as tight as he could to protect her or at least to comfort her. The others stood ready to at least try to escape their fates. Tech stood on his own while Wrecker and Echo stood close together. Both were fans of physical touch so being so close was comforting. None of them really expected to survive but they couldn't just sit there and wait.

    Crosshair sighed and turned around. Running down the hall he grabbed his blaster and shot. The stormtroopers fell to the ground. The batch looked at each other surprised. The killer skidded to a stop in front of the cell. Echo had gone over to inform Hunter and Omega they were safe. The girl had been buried in Hunter's chest and he only had his eyes on her. The gun shots had scared the two thinking time had run out for them.

    Omega and Hunter stood slowly. The man looked around then looked at Crosshair. "Alright. We need to find our weapons. I assume you know where they are?" He smiled softly.

    Crosshair nodded and the family, now whole again, ran to find the weaponry. From the weaponry they went for a ship. The Marauder had been left on the planet they had come from. Once off world Crosshair looked around at his family fondly. Seeing them all back on the same side made him smile. Still the deserter wasn't sure if he'd made the right choice.

    Back on the Marauder the group greeted Gonky and Wrecker gave Lula a big hug. Finally everyone was able to relax a little. Sitting down, Crosshair watched them interact with each other. Now he knew he'd made the right choice. No one really knew what was next but whatever it was, Crosshair was just happy to be home.

Febuwhump Day 25: Assumed Dead

Fandom: Star Wars

Timeline: The Clone Wars

Dooku's crimson lightsaber plunged through Rex's lower back. Anakin turned around. Obi-wan had told them to leave, he would take care of Dooku. Apparently he lied. "Rex!" Anakin yelled. The clones body fell to the ground.

    Anger flooded Anakin's heart. From his heart the grief used his veins to spread to the rest of his body. It took control of him and suddenly he was running to fight the sith. Lightsabers clashed as the Jedi pushed Dooku away from Rex.

    Rex couldn't move. He knew what happened; he could tell that Anakin thought that the injury had killed him. The pain made his somewhat wish it had. All the commander could do was hope that someone would notice.

    "Anger is not the Jedi way Skywalker." Lightsabers clashed again.

    "Shut up."

    Obi-wan pulled himself from the floor. Dooku had slammed him against the wall with the force. He had lost consciousness for, to him, an unknown amount of time. He quickly walked to where the current fight was taking place. His eyes landed on Anakin and Dooku first then to the injured soldier.

    Anakin fought dangerously. Swift, anger-filled movements took Dooku slightly by surprise. However what Anakin didn't realize was he fought much better without the guidance of anger.

    Obi-wan moved to join his brother in the fight against his grandfather. Fighting Dokku could be difficult sometimes but in the end it had to be done.

    Rex still couldn't move. The men were unaware that his heart still beat and that his lungs still heaved air in and out. If they didn't come to the concussion soon they would be correct. Rex wasn't sure what hurt more the wound or his general's reaction. He wasn't aware Anakin cared so much for him. The feeling was both comforting and eerie .

    Before long the Jedi had to retreat. Anakin looked over to his master with a question in his eyes. Obi-wan nodded understanding the words reflected in his eyes. Leaving the fight, Anakin kneeled down beside Rex and picked him up. "I'm so sorry Rex. I'm sorry." He whispered.

    Obi-wan ran after Anakin and the three entered the nearby Republic star ship. On the ship Anakin carried Rex to the medical bay. There the droids would take him to the morgue.

    Obi-wan stayed with Anakin until Rex was rested on the cold medical table. There Obi-wan studied Rex's body to see if he had sustained any other injuries. Found memories of the man flooded his mind.

    "Obi-wan, go lay down." Anakin turned to face him.

    "Alright." He nodded and walked a little closer to the table. "Rest eas- Anakin he's not dead." As soon as Obi-wan pointed to the slow rise and fall of Rex's chest, Anakin called over a medical droid. None of the droids had come over to assist the three because Rex had been proclaimed dead and there were living soldiers who needed their help.

    The droids would start to work on Rex almost immediately. Anakin helped Obi-wan over to a bed. There after the older of the two were taken care of they would wait for updates on everyone's conditions. When they finally got the news Rex would be fine both somewhat relaxed. Of course the two cared for all of their men but both were rather close to Rex.

    When the soldier woke up he was greeted by his friends. Everything would be fine. Not many people could say they survived a sith encounter. At least Rex could.

Febuwhump Day 28: "You're Safe Now."

Fandom: Star Wars

Timeline: Post Order 66 (Character is Caleb Doom/Kanan Jarrus)

  Caleb ran. Gray and Styles followed. Depa's body lay on the ground behind him. Other members of his beloved battalion followed the two officers. The Bad Batch tried to help, except for Crosshair. Hunter yelled that they would take care of the child. "Taking down a padawan shouldn't be too hard!"

    The child ran for the trees. Not long after he would come to a cliff. Hunter talked to him, trying to reassure him that everything would be alright. Caleb took a step back and fell.

    Kanan woke up. His breathing sped up and tears dropped out of his eyes. Hera touched his shoulder and the man jumped. "Kanan? What's going on?" She asked. He leaned into her shaking.  "It's okay. You're safe now." She rubbed her hand gently over her lover's head and held him.

    Hera knew what this was about. Nightmares always got worse nearing the anniversary of the Jedi purge. Kanan had already explained what the nightmare had been about, assuming it was the same one he kept having. The man's reaction was always the same.

    "You're safe Kanan." After a moment his tears dried and breathing became less panicked. He pulled away from Hera briefly before resting his forehead against hers.

    "I know." He responded. "I know."

Febuwhump Day 24: Bloody Clothes

Fandom: Star Wars

Timeline: The Clone Wars

      Pain doesn't always register. Sometimes the adrenaline of trying to stay alive and keep your men alive; all while trying to win the battle in front of you, drowns out body signals. The warm blood mixed with sweat and become unnoticeable to Obi-wan. The gash in his side didn't bother him other then an uncomfortable feeling he couldn't pay attention to. It has come from a flying piece of debris. Stuff like that could move so quickly no one even knew.

    As the battle came to a close Obi-wan started to get dizzy. The uncomfortable feeling grew from when it appeared a few minutes ago. When the 212th overtook the Separatist base they knew soon they could rest. It only took a few minutes to overrun the remainder of the droids and the few sentient beings that occupied the base.

    Obi-wan searched for triage. He wanted to help prepare the men before they were taken somewhere for better help. Quickly the bloody fabric around the wound was noticed. "Sir!" The clone rushed up to their injured general.

    "Yes?" Kenobi felt lightheaded. He blamed it on dehydration.

    "You're hurt."

    "Huh? Where?" Obi-wan looked down at himself. The bright red liquid surprised him. The cloth clung to his skin. Blood allowed the man to find other injuries easier.

    Now the pain hit. The feeling brought Obi-wan to his knees. His breathing sped up and he pulled his brown robe off his shoulders and balled it up, careful to not get anymore dirt in the wound.

    The clone called for a medic and kneeled down to their general to help keep him from bleeding out. A medic would arrive and the Jedi was taken to triage.

    Once at triage the cloak was removed from the injury and thrown off to the side. Not long after Obi-wan would be moved.

    Cody had made his way to triage. He intended to help where he could as well. Seeing the blood-covered cloak struck fear into the man's heart. Cody loved Obi-wan; not that he'd ever tell him. He'd have to look later. For now he had a responsibility to help his men.

    When everything calmed Cody finally got the chance to find his general. He was fine. Visibly he relaxed and walked over to talk to him. "How are you feeling?"

    "Fine" he answered. "How are you?"

    "I'm alright. I saw your cape and got concerned. I thought I'd come check up on you."

    "That's awfully sweet of you." The two would talk about any known casualties, the next step to take, and anything else they needed to say.

    "Looks like I'll be needing a new set of robes." The general joked.

    "Looks like it."