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The atmosphere in the ship was rather subdued. And uncomfortable, in the literal sense, as the three Jedi occupants of the small craft were all tired, sore and slightly soggy. Ahsoka shifted uncomfortably in her seat.
Their mission could technically be counted as a success, by virtue of the facts that Master Obi-Wan had successfully negotiated for the safe passage of GAR cargo through the system, and she and Anakin had managed to…procure copies of potential new battle droid schematics. Win win. Happy council, happy Chancellor, everything hunky dory back to the Negotiator for lunch.
Except The Team just didn’t have that kind of luck.
Retrieving the data crystal had been the easy part, but a series of typically unfortunate events found Master and Padawan legging it for all they were worth to the ship on the outskirts of town, alarms blearing all around them as guards began mobilising throughout the compound.
Master Obi-Wan hadn’t fared much better. Leaving the palace and making his way through the grimy wet streets of the city towards the ship, Obi-Wan had been accosted by some very ambitious minor criminals. Usually dispatching this kind was no more than an annoyance, a five-minute distraction, but causing a scene could have upset their delicate situation and Obi-Wan had no choice but to beat a strategic retreat through the rain, hoping he could outrun them to the camouflaged ship.
And then the Force’s Chosen One, the Jedi Council’s sharpest mind and their Padawan, spent the next five hours miserably huddled under a tree in the lashing rain in the nearby park. They had a good vantage point of the mess they’d made as the criminals quite literally crashed in to the constabulary around the corner from their disguised ship.
After dark things calmed down, they were able to sneak out and the ship took off as quickly as possible. Complete with three cold, wet and miserable passengers.
“Nearly there Snips” Her Master didn’t look away from the cockpit window in front of him as he tossed the reassurance over his shoulder. She made a noise of understanding.
“Could we turn the heat up any Master Obi-Wan?” she requested, rather timidly.
“Of course Ahsoka.” He fiddled with the controls and then turned to look at her with a somewhat sheepish look “I’m sorry” he apologised “I would lend you my cloak but I’m afraid it’s enjoying a new life as a blanket for some Lothkittens on Prius V at the moment”
Ahsoka felt herself smile. She could tell he was trying to lighten the mood and she appreciated it.
“Of course it is” Anakin snorted “Master do you have any cloaks left? How many is that this month?”
“Well what was I supposed to do? Not give them my cloak?”
Anakin turned and gave him a very unimpressed look.
“Alright yes” Obi-Wan acquiesced “I could have not given them my cloak, but that wouldn’t have been very Jedi-like of me would it?”
“Yeah well let’s see how Jedi-like you are when the quartermaster starts giving you Yoda’s old cloaks”
“Master Yoda, Anakin”
At that moment, thankfully, the beep of an incoming transmission interrupted them and the holographic blue form of Commander Cody’s head appeared on the dashboard in front of them.
“Generals, Commander” he greeted, characteristically formal.
“Hello there Cody” Obi-Wan answered warmly. “I trust you have been keeping everything running in our absence?”
“Yes Sir.” Cody’s expression did not change. “General we’ve received an urgent message from General Unduli. The 41st are pinned down on Praxus and the General would appreciate your input.”
The atmosphere in the ship turned suddenly tense, Master Obi-Wan scrubbed a hand over his beard, his eyes stormy and face pinched.
“We can be docking within the next ten minutes if we put our foot down.” Anakin confirmed, looking at this Master, all business.
Obi-Wan nodded once with darkened eyes.
“Cody, please have an open channel to General Unduli on the bridge when I arrive, as well as her battle on the holo loaded up and ready so I can monitor the situation” he instructed evenly.
“Sir.” Cody nodded once before the hologram blinked out and a different kind of tense silence descended over the ship.
---
Eight minutes and thirty seconds later the small ship landed in the hanger of the Negotiator, and Cody stood to attention as his General disembarked, General Skywalker and Commander Tano right behind him. The trio were all slightly worse for wear and General Kenobi looked downright dishevelled, which Cody found incredibly unnerving. Hair all over the place, dirty robes, muddy boots and he looked pale and drawn. But Cody could see the same steal in his eyes that had sent Sith Lords and Separatist Generals running for the hills.
“Cody, what’s the situation?” he asked, both men walking briskly in the direction of the bridge, the other two behind them.
“We’re all set up on the bridge for you Sir, a direct line open and all tactical information available. No change in the situation on Praxus, the 41st are fighting droids as well as local guerrilla groups on two fronts.”
General Kenobi nodded and stroked his beard as they stepped in to the lift.
“Why are the local’s fighting us?” Ahsoka asked
“They’re attacking us as well as the clankers. They just want everybody off their planet.” Cody informed them.
“They’ve been invaded by the separatists for the mines on the southern continent, which they do not want to give up. But they want nothing to do with the GAR as they have historically been ignored by the republic. They want to remain out of the war” General Kenobi explained “That is sadly no longer an option” he sighed.
“What a mess” Skywalker commented, rather unhelpfully, in Cody’s opinion.
Kenobi turned to the group before entering the bridge.
“I’ll handle this” he said to General Skywalker and Commander Tano. “You two go dry off and get some rest” he instructed. His eyes flickered over the two others and a ghost of a smile crossed his face. “Well done today.”
Tano looked like she might argue, but a sharp look from Skywalker stopped her. General Kenobi was needed now.
“Yes Master”
“Should we bring you anything Master Obi-Wan?” Commander Tano asked. General Kenobi nodded gratefully.
“Would you mind terribly fetching me a towel please Ahsoka? I’m afraid I’m still rather damp” he said with a rueful smile.
“Sure Master” Skywalker responded. “Come on Snips, let’s leave Obi-Wan to do what he does best.” An uncharacteristically serious look took over his features. “May the force be with you Master”
Cody watched his General gave a slight bow in return, before stepping through the doors into a battle halfway across the Galaxy.
---
“…pinned down on the Southern front, and we’re taking heavy losses on the Eastern. I can’t get through to the local government and the terrain is not doing us any favours.” Obi-Wan could see the worry in the the wobbly blue hologram of Luminara. She sighed. “Master, I’d appreciate any suggestions you might have”
It was a mark of the seriousness of the situation that his childhood friend was addressing him by his title. She was asking for help from Master Kenobi, General and Council member. Not the opinion of Obi-Wan, whom she painted green when they were five.
He switched in to the required state of mind between one breath and the next. It was a role he had undertaken many times for his colleagues less strategically minded, less adept at warfare. He nodded sharply once.
“It’s imperative we speak with the local fighters. I will attempt to get through to someone who may be able to help. I believe Knight Glady recently encountered a smuggling ring using the area as a drop off point. I will consult her report and see if I can make contact with the pirates, and through them the fighters.”
It was a long shot, but if he could get through to the fighters on the ground Obi-Wan was sure he could get them to stop fighting, or at least stall them long enough for Luminara to make progress. He looked at the holo map in front of him, enlarging a section.
“In the meantime, get your troops to engage the Separatists in short bursts, attacking and retreating. They should follow you if they believe you are losing. Try and draw both sections towards the mountains in the South where you can use the landscape in your favour. Do you have enough firepower to cause landslides?”
“Yes Master” Luminara was looking more confident by the minute.
“That’s good.” Obi-Wan nodded. “It should also be harder for the droids to move on the more rocky terrain, tanks certainly won’t be able to and you can buy yourself some time whilst I make contact with the locals”
“Yes Master” Luminara said again with a nod.
“I will let you know when I have someone to speak with, May the force be with you .”
“And with you Master Kenobi” Obi-Wan saw her hesitate before ending the transmission.
“I will be monitoring the situation on the ground from here ‘Nara” he reassured her “you aren’t on your own”
“Thank you Obi-Wan” she smiled a shaky smile at him in gratitude, before ending the call.
Obi-Wan scowled and ran a hand through his dirty hair attempting to neaten it up a bit, his mind going a hundred miles per hour. Anakin was right, it was a mess. A mess he was uniquely qualified to fix.
“Cody, would you pull up the council mission records please?” Obi-Wan shifted slightly where he stood. His damp muddy clothes were starting to itch, and his still damp hair was making his head cold. “And hunt down that towel?”
It was going to be a long night.
---
Every so often, usually in the midst of a battle when he charged on ahead taking down clankers by the tankload, but occasionally in situations like this one, Cody was reminded of just how impressive General Kenobi was.
His General had thrown himself in to the management of the battle on Praxis, and six hours later had not only tracked down a band of pirates, but had persuaded them to give up their contacts and had proceeded to negotiate a cease fire with angry Praxians. All the while closely monitoring the battle on the ground, offering suggestions and support.
It was a masterclass in adaptability and working under pressure. One moment the General was charming and diplomatic, the next brutally honest when he met resistance. At the same time barking out orders to the Commanders of the 41st and analysing troop movements, switching gears at breakneck speed.
But the battle went on, and Cody saw the looks of awe on his brother’s faces change to ones of concern mirroring his own mood. Their Jedi was starting to look a little worse for wear; he had dried his hair and beard (he’s attempted to push the ginger mop back in to shape but it was rather adorably dishevelled instead) but hadn’t managed to change and he was still wearing a fair amount of mud. A couple of hours previous Cody had surreptitiously handed his C.O a ration bar, and someone had brought him a cup of tea. Both of which remained untouched on the console in front of him.
He knew better then to press when General Kenobi was in the middle of something like this; any lapse in concentration and lives would be lost. But once the battle was over they were going to have to do something.
Cody knew first-hand how exhausting it was to be switched on for so long, dealing with so much adrenaline, and he wondered when the pale man had slept last. His voice was getting horse and he was startng to squint slightly. The tell-tale sign of a headache.
Cody sighed and tried to channel his Jedi’s legendary patience as he bided his time, watching the man work. If nothing else he might learn something, and he would be here to catch the impossible Jedika. He settled in at the corner of the bridge, ready to be called upon.
The hours passed. His brothers came and went at the shift change, and the battle wore on.
General Kenobi’s face got closer and closer to the display in front of him, his shoulders hunching over, and Cody was sure he heard a couple of very uncharacteristic sniffs.
“Commander”
Waxer appeared at his elbow, and grunted at him, taking in the scene at the main terminal on the bridge. Cody nodded back.
“He still at it then?” Waxer asked, eyes fixed on their General. Cody grunted and nodded.
“Making progress though” he answered “Hopefully not too much longer”
Waxer hummed thoughtfully before turning to look at his Commander properly.
“You get some downtime, I’ll take it from here” he offered. Cody looked at him sharply.
“Oh relax” Waxer continued, a hint of derision in his tone. “I can babysit just as well as you, I’ll make sure he doesn’t pass out” he looked at his friend again and then at the Jedi in front of them, absorbed in his work, scowling at the holo map. “And I think we’ll need you at full capacity to deal with…this” he waved a hand at the Jedi “later”.
Cody couldn’t help but agree, and he did see sense in his brother’s argument but he was loath to leave his General.
Waxer observed his internal battle.
“Sir, with respect, take your own advice and get some chow and some sleep. I can handle everything, and you have to be awake so you can sit on him tomorrow to keep him in bed.”
Cody snorted at the mental image and nodded his head.
“You’re right vode, I’ll leave it with you” he levelled his best glare on his comrade “if anything” he stressed this part “happens, com me.”
“Yes Sir Commander”
---
Waxer watched General Kenobi let out a long breath and run a hand down his face as the hologram of General Undulli and her commander blinked out for the final time. He rolled his neck and closed his eyes for a moment. Waxer was disgusted with himself when he realised he had the sudden mad urge to give the Jedi a hug.
The clone made his approach and was surprised when this CO appeared not to notice him coming up behind him.
“General” he said, attempting to keep his tone gentle. General Kenobi started all the same and looked behind him with surprised eyes.
Waxer” he greeted. Waxer supposed he was aiming for cheerful but his exhausted, horse voice missed the mark somewhat. The pale man stood up to stretch and Waxer heard something pop. They both winced and the General smiled wryly. He rubbed his eyes. “What time is it?”
“It’s late Sir. Or early, depending on how you look at it” Waxer answered casually. Kenobi nodded distractedly and looked around the bridge, taking in the shift change. Waxer nearly rolled his eyes when none of the bothers on the bridge would make eye contact with their General, mindful of the argument about to take place. General Kenobi noticed it too, and raised one suspicious eyebrow at him.
“Time for bed General” He said, determined to keep his voice even. The Jedi looked down at the pads in front of him.
“Yes of course Captain, I just need to tie up a few loose…” General Kenobi stopped short and took a couple of heavy breaths. His eyes fluttered closed for a moment before… “A…CHOO!”
Everything stopped. Someone swore and a pad hit the floor as the Jedi let out the most enormous sneeze.
“Oh! Excuse me” the startled man apologised, blinking in surprise. Waxer just stared, he had never seen a Jedi sneeze before. It was logical, he supposed, but he just assumed they were too mysterious to sneeze or sniffle. It was very undignified.
“er…bless you General” he offered, slightly off kilter. He got a grateful look in return.
“Sorry about that” the General apologised again and cleared his throat. “You’re right Waxer, I think some meditation would do me good, it’s been a long night.” He paused and Waxer felt frustration bubble up inside him. “I’ll just finish off this update for the council on the situation and then-“
“With all due respect General, that can wait. General Unduli will be filing her own report.” He decided to be bold and placed a steering hand on the slightly shorter man’s shoulder. He was dismayed to feel the course fabric was cold and damp.
“General! You’re all wet!” he exclaimed “You need to change out of those clothes immediately and get a warm shower before you catch something” His idiot General shot him a scowl.
“I am aware of that Captain” he said shortly “I’m afraid I’ve been rather too preoccupied to change.” He said coolly. “I am mostly dry now anyway” he shrugged off the hand, clearly irritated. And instantly backed down when he saw Waxer’s look.
“Perhaps I will change, however, and a shower does sound very nice” he admitted hesitantly. Waxer was rather proud, he was not to be messed with. Privately, he suspected the slight infatuation Cody had for the handsome Jedi led to General Kenobi getting off the hook all too often. Not this time.
“Boots” he called to one of his brothers “You have the bridge”.
“General, after you” he said, gesturing to the open doors to the empty corridor outside. There was a moment where the fight in the other man’s eyes was ignited again, but Waxer maintained his steely gaze and he visibly deflated. It was a weird mix of gratifying and heart-breaking to watch his unstoppable General shrink a little, shoulders hunching and eyes drooping.
---
Obi-Wan felt awful, the adrenaline of the last few hours (last day?) was wearing off and he felt like he’d ran a marathon. Everything seemed to be aching and the walk to his quarters on board The Negotiator was longer than it usually was, he was sure. As much as it irritated him he was glad of Waxer’s hand gently pushing him along, his exhaustion was getting harder to ignore. And to hide, if the Clone’s frustrated concern was anything to go by.
He sighed. He hated worrying his men like this, though truthfully he wished they would trust him a little more – he knew his limits and whilst today had been tough (was it only this morning he was wading through the miserable planet’s streets? Or, yesterday morning, he corrected himself) he had been through worse as a Padawan, never mind in his career as a Knight, and now there was more at stake than ever. He didn’t think pointing this out would go down well, however.
He resisted the urge to sniff. His nose was incredibly itchy suddenly, and of course whilst he had almost everything else tucked in to his belt (a grappling hook, a solar flare and a couple of grenades he should really put away) he had no handkerchief. Typical.
He was incredibly relieved when his door came in to view. His quarters meant a hot shower and a change of clothes. Force he was tired. Maybe he did have time for a nap?
“Thank you Waxer, I’ll see you later” he turned to the clone and gave his best attempt at a charming and reassuring smile, wincing only slightly at the scratchiness of his voice. Waxer regarded him dubiously.
“Maybe I’ll just see you to bed General” he said slowly. Obi-Wan groaned inwardly. The low level headache he’d had for the past few hours (years?) was steadily increasing. He appreciated the concern but he really just wanted to be clean and warm and horizontal. Preferably in the dark and preferably in silence.
“No thank you Waxer” he said, firmly. “I promise I will get in the shower and then get in to bed” He finished, palming open the door. The other man continued to stand next to him.
“Goodnight Waxer” he called as he stepped through the doorway, closing the door behind him. There. He had been as polite as possible, but it was time to put his foot down.
He let his head fall back against the door and closed his eyes in the darkness of his small cabin, enjoying the silence for a moment. He was so tired and sore. He considered the benefits of just sitting down where he was and sinking in to a deep meditation, but as tempting as that was, he was uncomfortable in his damp robes, never mind filthy.
He shuffled in to the fresher, discarding clothes as he went. His limbs were becoming rather achy and he wasn’t sure why, but it meant his shower took longer than it usually would. Nevertheless, fifteen minutes later he was buried beneath his blanket and blissfully unconscious in the peaceful darkness.
---
Obi-Wan crept slowly towards consciousness in a confused haze. The only thing he was sure of was that he was way too hot. He scrambled to rid himself of the tangle of blankets that were suffocating him and struggled to sit up. Which he managed, unfortunately with too much gusto and a wave of nausea hit him forcing him to place a steadying hand on the wall.
Well. He hadn’t felt this awful in a long time.
‘…fun change of pace’ he thought sardonically to himself.
He ran a hand through his hair and grimaced, and then sneezed. Groping under his pillow for his handkerchief he realised he’d have to take another shower.
Free of his blankets, and now freezing cold, he stood up and began shuffling to the shower. His legs were more painful than yesterday, like he’d sparred with Mace Windu and then Anakin without warming up. And despite literally just waking up, he felt as if he’d never been to sleep at all. Ever.
He took stock as he stood in front of the fresher mirror. He wasn’t generally a vain man but the appearance of the person in the mirror before him was downright depressing. He looked exactly like he felt and putting it all together he had a sinking realisation that there was a slight chance he might possibly have caught a little bit of a cold. Fantastic.
‘Well’ he thought firmly, pulling himself together, ‘nothing to be done about that now. A problem for later.”
Standing in the shower under the near scalding water he rested his head on the wall and began compiling his mental to-do list.
Shower (he was already doing that, one thing off the list already. Excellent!) then breakfast. He would have to compile the various reports from yesterday’s activities, then proof read Anakin’s reports and then he would talk to the Council. After that he would have to brief Cody and go over preparations for the mission they would inevitably receive from said council.
Then perhaps, he could be ill. But not for very long.
Pleased he had a plan, he washed himself thoroughly and then stepped out of the shower feeling (if not looking) much better. Enjoying the novel feeling of breathing through his nose he dressed in clean robes and, grabbing a fresh handkerchief, he set out for the mess hall.
---
He could hear the racket of the rambunctious mess hall aboard The Negotiator from two corridors away. An inevitable consequence of having a small portion of the 501st staying with them whilst he, Anakin and Ahsoka completed their latest mission.
Smiling at one or two passing troopers he entered the mess and was pleased when he managed to hold back yet another sneeze. He spotted Cody and Anakin at one of the furthest tables with their heads together, deep in conversation.
Well that can’t be good.
Striding over to them he noticed passing troops shooting him concerned looks. He had attempted to brighten his appearance somewhat after his shower, but he obviously hadn’t been successful. He cursed his pale complexion, it made everything look so much worse!
Anakin’s head snapped up as he approached, and his best friend and his best Commander stopped talking and looked at him. He plastered on a smile.
“Good morning” he said aiming for cheerful and bright. Unfortunately, it fell flat somewhat and Obi-Wan cringed inwardly when he heard his scratchy nasally voice. He cleared his throat awkwardly (and rather painfully) as he sat down.
“Master!” Anakin exclaimed, “you’re…here” he pointed out. Rather unnecessarily, in Obi-Wan’s opinion. He raised an eyebrow.
“So it would appear” he said flatly, faintly amused. And then rather confused when Anakin turned to Cody with an accusatory look.
“I thought you were supposed to be watching him!” he said to the Commander. Cody looked intensely unimpressed at the implication he had not followed instructions.
“Actually General” he said, with just a hint of unusual irritation in his voice “we agreed that you or Commander Tano were going to take this morning, since Lieutenant Snap took a shift last night after Commander Waxer dropped the General off”
Obi-Wan’s sluggish mind was taking a moment to process all this as Anakin said something sheepishly to Cody.
“Watching…? Dropped me…?” he started
“Here you go General” a passing Private handed him a mug of tea.
“Oh, ah, thank you Flowers” Obi-Wan responded distractedly “Sorry – what do you mean? Was someone watching me sleep?” he asked incredulously. Both men in front of him looked rather guilty.
“No no Master” Anakin started
“Yes Sir” Cody said at exactly the same time.
Obi-Wan was starting to feel a little off balance. His headache was building again and he had once more lost the ability to breathe through his nose. It must have shown on his face because he picked up a trace of sympathy in the force. He wasn’t sure who it was from, probably both of them. He took a centring breath and resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose.
“What, exactly, went on last night?” He turned to his former apprentice “The abridged version please, I have a lot to be getting on with” he said tartly, turning to Cody.
“General you are ill and you indicated to Waxer that you might not sleep” Obi-Wan opened his mouth to defend himself but Cody continued on “I believe some mention of meditation was made Sir” he said, a hint of reprimand in his tone “so, to ensure you were sleeping properly and not over-taxing yourself we” he gestured at Anakin here “decided to have someone check on you at intervals through the night” he paused “and to encourage you to stay in bed for as long as possible this morning” he finished. And in the midst of his growing outrage Obi-Wan was rather proud of Cody for managing to point out Anakin’s incompetency in such a passive aggressive way.
His old apprentice opened his mouth to defend himself, but Obi-Wan had heard enough. He could feel his mood darken with irritation and frustration. There was nothing he hated more than people fussing over him. Especially people he was supposed to look after!
He took a sip of his tea. It was perfect, which for some reason he found annoying. He sneezed wetly in to his Handkerchief and sniffed.
“Gentlemen” he said sharply, and then was intensely frustrated when he sneezed again. Nevertheless, he soldiered on in his best ‘Jedi Master and High General’ voice trying desperately to keep it quiet and just between themselves. He had no desire to humiliate his friends but something needed to be said.
“I understand your concern, and yes, whilst I may be a little under the weather at the moment” he stressed the word little “I would like you to remember that I am, in fact, a fully grown adult perfectly capable of looking after myself. And I do not appreciate being treated as anything less than that.” He paused and took a breath, taking in their somewhat stricken faces. “The next time you believe going behind my back is the best policy, perhaps you will bear in mind that I find the idea of my troops and my former Padawan babysitting me to be absolutely unacceptable.”
He heard his tone get shaper with every word, and he knew he would feel guilty for it later, but he was so tired and sore and so unbelievably frustrated with the whole situation he just couldn’t stop himself. Thankfully nobody else seemed to hear them and the noisy mess carried on around them.
He stood up and cleared his throat again. Force it felt like he was swallowing around a stone.
“Anakin, I need your report on the mission for submission to the council in the next couple of hours” he said curtly, and turned to his Commander “Cody, I will be meeting with the council at seventeen hundred hours. Please would you ensure you are available for a briefing at around nineteen hundred” it was not a request. Obi-Wan picked up his tea.
“If anybody needs me, I will be working in my rooms” he informed them. And then softened a little. “I mean it, if you need anything, do please fetch me.” he repeated. And with that, he turned and left the mess. Irritatingly satisfying tea in one hand and handkerchief in the other.
---
Cody and General Skywalker looked at each other as the Jedi Master stalked off with a sniff. General Skywalker sighed.
“Well that went well”. Cody was inclined to agree but said nothing. The uncharacteristic outburst from his usually calm General had worried him, not to mention leaving him with intense feelings of guilt.
Skywalker looked at him, seemingly picking up on his emotions.
“Don’t worry about it Cody, he’s not himself” he tried to reassure the Clone and then paused. “Should’ve put Ahsoka in front of him, he can’t shout at her” he muttered.
“Sir.” Cody smiled briefly. He doubted anybody had ever been able to snap at the young Togruta. General Skywalker made to put his tray away and got up.
“We tried Cody, but it looks like we’ll have to wait for him to come to his senses, and then we’ll be there.” He offered, a resigned look on his face.
“Yes Sir.”
The General nodded and wandered off, hopefully to complete his mission reports. Cody took a thoughtful sip of his caff and flagged down a passing trooper.
“Lieutenant, we need some breakfast sent to General Kenobi’s quarters” the Lieutenant nodded quickly and made to hurry off. “Something hot and easy” he clarified after the retreating clone.
“Yes Sir, on it.” The Lieutenant paused. “Sir…is General Kenobi alright?” he asked timidly, troopers around him stopping to listen unashamedly, matching expressions of concern on their faces. Cody groaned inwardly.
“General Kenobi is…not feeling well at the moment” He’s full of cold and absolutely knackered “He’ll be fine in a little while” A soon as we can get him to stop for more than 5 seconds and lie down “But for now I’d advise keeping noise around him to a minimum and leaving him in peace” If you don’t want to get verbally eviscerated and/or sneezed on.
Thankfully, the troops couldn’t hear Cody’s internal monologue and seemed satisfied with his answer. With nods all round they continued about their business, and Cody turned his attentions to his own.
---
Breakfast confrontations and stubborn Generals aside, it was a rather pleasant day as far as Cody was concerned. They had the rare treat of a day off between engagements and missions, with friends from the 501st along for the ride. Cody missed Rex, he had stayed with the majority of General Skywalker's troops, but he had enjoyed testing his skills on the practice range against fresh competition. He had managed to complete all his outstanding paperwork and they had served his favourite casserole in the mess for dinner. It would have been perfect but for the fact that nobody had seen hide nor ginger hair of General Kenobi all day.
He was leaving the mess, dithering in the corridor over whether or not to check on the him when he heard the cough of someone coming around the corner. Well, problem solved. Even if he weren’t full of cold Cody would have recognised the stride of the Jedi Master anywhere.
“Good evening Cody”
Cody stared at him. The man looked plain awful and sounded worse. He was paler than this morning, his eyes were slightly watery and held a handkerchief to his nose whilst coughing again.
“…Cody?” The ill Jedi promoted him slowly in a nasal voice, snapping the Commander out of his observations.
“Yes General, sorry Sir” he paused, deciding in an instant to take Skywalkers advice and wait until the stubborn man stopped on his own, rather than provoke more conflict. “Would you like to grab a bite before the council meeting? Everything is set up in conference room B.”
General Kenobi shook his head distractedly and began walking to the conference room.
“I’m not particularly hungry, and” he looked at his chrono “I think I’d better get straight there” Cody nodded.
“Yes Sir” he automatically moved in step with the other man. They walked the short journey in silence, bar the occasional sniff from the Jedi who turned to Cody just as they reached their destination. In the open doorway he paused.
“Thank you for accompanying me” he started, and then paused, slightly bloodshot watery eyes looking at him with something Cody couldn’t quite place. “Cody” he continued, seemingly choosing his words very carefully. “I’d like to apologise for this morning, I’m afraid I was terribly rude to you and Anakin earlier. I know you were just trying to help and I’m sorry for snapping at you” he said earnestly, regret written all over his face.
Truthfully, Cody had been expecting something like this. He knew his C.O.
“Really General it’s fine, I’m sorry for going behind your back” Cody started, and then in the same dry tone he continued “in future I will make sure you know when you are being looked after.”
He knew that wasn’t what the self-sufficient Jedi wanted to hear, but it was simply non-negotiable that the Clones would ensure their General didn’t self-destruct. The other man frowned.
“Cody, you and the others shouldn’t –“ he started but was interrupted by the chime of a com channel being opened from inside the room.
“I’ll see you afterwards General. Good luck” Cody said loudly, and abruptly turned and left his General to it. He half expected to be followed but he could already hear the holographic forms chatting before the meeting began.
---
Obi-Wan frowned unhappily as he watched his over-protective Commander hurry away. He wasn’t sure how he had inspired such feelings in his men (and most of Anakin’s men) but he certainly wasn’t ready to embrace it. He shook his head. It was a problem for another day.
“Good evening Masters” he bowed before his holographic colleagues assembled in the air before him.
A chorus of greetings came back at him, and the meeting began.
They had been talking for around 15 minutes (if anyone noticed he was a little quieter than usual they didn’t say anything) when he felt it.
Oh no. He took a couple of deep breaths, he could feel a sneeze coming on. He sniffed as unobtrusively as possible and fished around for his handkerchief. He remembered reading something about sneezes and looking at a light source. Did it stop a sneeze or did it bring on a sneeze? He surreptitiously looked at the weak light above him hoping for the former (all it did was make his headache worse) when he heard his name.
“Oh ah, yes?” he asked coming back to himself, realising with no small amount of embarrassment that he had no idea what they were talking about.
The others looked at him with varying degrees of confusion (sorry Shaak) humour (thanks Kit) and concern (Deepa had turned her big brown eyes on him, Force help him.).
He felt himself flush and hoped the blue hue hid it.
“Apologies I’m afraid I lost the thread for a moment there” he tried, attempting his most professional look but found himself squinting through his headache.
“Obi-Wan are you quite alright?” Deepa asked him, leaning forward in her chair.
“Oh yes-“ he started, but was unable to finish before he let out possibly the galaxy’s biggest sneeze.
His colleagues fell silent in surprise as he blew his nose.
“Excuse me. I’m so sorry I appear to have picked up a bit of a sniffle” he said, attempting to marshal what was left of his dignity. He watched his colleagues exchange looks.
“Force bless you” Plo offered, with sympathy in his tone. Obi-Wan nodded in appreciation.
“Ill, you are” Master Yoda commented from his seat. Obi-Wan turned to him.
“No Master I assure you I’m perfectly fine aside from a slight head cold” he said smoothly. He heard something like a snort of disbelief from someone and chose to ignore it. He looked at Shaak Ti, imploring her to pick up where she had left off. Force love her, she carried on.
He managed not to make a further spectacle of himself for the rest of the meeting, aside from a little sniffing and a very brief coughing spell he thought he had covered up rather well. It was only as they were drawing to a close that he realised he and the 212th had not been given any instructions other than to provide back up for Master Plo on Nalis in a few days time.
He opened his mouth to point this out when Mace Windu brought the meeting to an abrupt close.
“Well thank you everybody, we have much to meditate on. Until we speak again, may the Force be with you all” he spotted the questioning look on Obi-Wan’s face as the others murmured their goodbyes and blinked out, or began to get up and leave the council chambers.
“Wait a moment Obi-Wan” the Master of the Order instructed. Obi-Wan nodded in acquiescence. Yoda made a disapproving harrumph as he hopped down and hobbled out. He paused to look at Obi-Wan and flattened his ears, making another disapproving noise. Obi-Wan blinked in surprise and turned to Mace Windu, who remained in his chair with his fingers steepled over his lips.
Obi-Wan waited expectantly as the silence wore on, with the growing feeling that he was in trouble. He cleared his throat and was taken completely by surprise when it turned in to a full-blown coughing fit.
Mace remained infuriatingly still, watching him pull himself together with an increasingly unhappy expression.
When he was able to breathe again he straightened up and sighed.
“Mace –“
“Kenobi you look like shit” The older Jedi stated bluntly. Obi-Wan pulled up short, surprised. His friend’s observation was brutal but probably accurate, he conceded.
“Thank you, Mace. Charming as always. Is that all?” he asked primly, folding his hands into his robe sleeves. Mace looked at him, supremely unimpressed.
“You have noticed you now have six days before you are due to provide support for Plo on Nalis?” he asked, frown still in place. Obi-Wan nodded silently, his curiosity piqued. “There’s no sense in you coming back to Coruscant, the journey would take half that time”
“Obi-Wan” His heart sank. He recognised that tone, he was about to be given a direct order that he wasn’t going to like. Mace’s next sentence confirmed his suspicion. “You are going to use that time to rest”
Obi-Wan’s head snapped up, he couldn’t believe his ears. The Master of the Order was sending him to bed like some kind of wayward youngling. Like he could just abandon his duties for a while and take a nap because he had the sniffles. Why has everyone lost their minds today? It’s just a dam cold! He felt his anger and frustration surface alarmingly quickly.
“Mace” he growled, readying himself for a fight.
The other Jedi held up a hand for silence.
“No, listen for a moment” Mace’s tone softened a bit in the face of his friend’s frustration. “You haven’t had any time off for months, you’re clearly exhausted, and there is no way you can convince me that you are healthy at the moment.” He paused “This has to stop. I know you seem to be physically incapable of relaxing but I am now ordering you” he stressed the word ordering “on behalf of the full council to do nothing but sleep, eat, watch crap holovids and meditate, until I say otherwise.”
Obi-Wan stared at him, not quite believing his ears, and sneezed. He didn’t know what to say. Mace lapsed into silence once more, allowing him to process.
“Mace” he struggled to keep his voice even. He cleared his throat painfully. “I appreciate your concern, and yes” this almost physically hurt him to admit “I feel terrible” there, he said it. “However, I am surprised I need to point out the consequences of keeping the person in charge of an entire army, a senior strategist and the only person able to stop Anakin from exploding everything, out of the war for that long could be difficult to say the least.” He was unable to stop his voice from raising.
Mace looked at him for a moment before his face transformed like he had just had some kind of epiphany.
“That’s what this is about?” he asked in disbelief. “That’s what your…” he waved a hand at the younger Jedi’s hologram “inability to stop, has always been about?”
“It’s just not practical Mace” Obi-Wan replied stubbornly “I am directly responsible for thousands of troops and my colleagues. I have a lot to do, I can’t just drop everything and go to sleep for a week” he snapped. He sighed and sniffed. He ran a hand through his hair. “I promise I will get a couple of good nights sleep and with some meditation I’ll be better in no time.”
“No.” Mace interrupted him sharply again. “Absolutely not. I understand your point” he said when Obi-Wan opened his mouth again “You have a lot of responsibility, I know, more than almost anyone else” Mace conceded “but you have surrounded yourself with competent people; you have done an outstanding job training up your Commanders, you have taught the rest of the council how to run an army and you have ensured Skywalker knows how to win a battle. All these people can take over for you for a short while”
Obi-Wan scowled.
“The people I am responsible for should not have to do my work for me, it isn’t fair” he countered firmly. Mace threw his hands in the air.
“Why must you make everything so difficult?!” he cried. Obi-Wan remained silent whilst Mace pulled himself together.
“Obi-Wan, everyone I have just mentioned would be the first to volunteer to help you out. I’m not sure why at this precise moment” he shot Obi-Wan a resentful look “but people seem to like and respect you. Whatever your position on it, people are happy to help shoulder some of your responsibilities and are fully capable of doing so. I am going to make things easy for you and take away your choice in the matter.” He said firmly.
Obi-Wan stared, his mouth open but he was drawing a blank on valid arguments. His head hurt. Mace continued, encouraged by his silence.
“Myself and Master Yoda will be looking at your duties for the next week or so and sharing them out. Marshal Commander Cody and Commander Waxer will take over running of the 212th, myself and Master Plo will be running the Third Systems with help from both of them, and Skywalker will be on hand for any strategic help we need. As will the other Masters on the council. It’s time we look at a more equal distribution of work anyway.” Mace paused and looked at Obi-Wan. Who arrowed his eyes.
“Mace-“ he said desperately, though honestly he was out of arguments except a his strong feelings of guilt and a knee jerk reaction of mulishness at being told what was best for him.
“Now, Obi-Wan” the Korrun Master leaned forward interrupting again, the commanding voice back in place. “You are going to go to bed, let your medic take a look at you and spend the next few days doing nothing at all.” Mace’s voice took on a vaguely threatening tone. “If I find you have written a single report, accessed the temple servers or any of the GAR networks I will be exceedingly displeased. Do I make myself clear?”
Obi-Wan clenched his jaw and nodded silently. Mace looked at him expectantly.
“Yes Master” he ground out.
“Good!” the Master of the Order barked. “May the force be with you, my stubborn friend” he added. A lifetime of training meant Obi-Wan knew what was expected of him.
“And with you Master.”
Mace nodded, seemingly satisfied.
“Whole karking lineage…pain in the ass.” he muttered, before his hologram blinked out.
Obi-Wan stood in the silence, looking where the Master had been. He let out a long breath, feeling very deflated and more than a little awkward. He pondered his next move. Their lack of orders and the reason for it would have to be communicated to the troops, in a way that would not result in him being held prisoner in the medical bay for the rest of his life. He realised miserably that he would also have to explain to Cody and Waxer why their workloads were about to increase, and he cursed his complete inability to disobey Mace Windu
The sound of the door opening snapped him out of his thoughts.
---
Cody opened the door once his equipment told him the Holocall in the conference room had ended. He was greeted with the bizarre sight of his General gazing in to space, alone in the dimly lit room. His pale skin and completely still posture added an earie feel to the space. For a moment Cody had the fleeting fear that it had all got a bit much for the Jedi and he’d finally had some kind of break down, but then he turned and offered the bewildered clone a weak smile. Cody let out a small breath of relief.
“Cody”
“Sir” he said slowly. “How did the meeting go?” he asked cautiously. His General looked at him in silence for a moment and stroked his beard thoughtfully.
“We actually have a rather unusual situation Cody.” The pale man cleared his throat “we have a little bit of time off before we need to head to Nalis with General Koon.”
Cody looked at him in surprise. They were the primary battalion of the entire Third Systems Army. Whilst their General had fought and pulled strings for them to have time off before (one memorable trip to Samutis sprang to mind), it very rarely landed in their lap.
“That…is unusual Sir” Cody paused and noticed his General doing his level best not to meet his eyes as Cody followed him out in to the corridor. Strange.
“Why is that Sir?” The ginger man coughed a little and Cody noticed with some amusement the tips of his ears going red.
“Ah, the rest of the Council feels we could do with some time off. To rest” The Jedi explained, false casualness in his tone.
“To rest?” Cody clarified. The Jedi Master nodded awkwardly still not making eye contact. Cody resisted the fond smile that threatened to appear on his face. He put the pieces together.
“I see. A rest to recover from our colds that might be turning in to flu?” he questioned innocently. General Kenobi stopped and scowled at him.
“It is certainly not the flu. I am sure the council, and everybody else” he said pointedly “is over-reacting” he corrected firmly in what Cody recognised, with some amusement, as his ‘shut-up- Anakin’ voice.
“However, yes.” The Jedi continued “They have instructed me to take a break for a few days, to recover.”
Cody assumed here that ‘instructed’ could be translated to ‘ordered’. He said nothing and General Kenobi remained silent as they continued walking until they reached an empty room. He turned and leaned against the table (it looked like one of the Quartermaster’s offices) looking at Cody.
“Cody” he began, and then stopped, running a hand though his hair. Cody felt a pang of concern. He couldn’t remember seeing his unflappable General this uncomfortable before. He waited. The Jedi blew his red nose before speaking.
“I’m terribly sorry about this Cody, but I’m afraid I’m going to have to leave things in your hands, or rather, yours and Waxer’s and the rest of the Council’s, for a few days.” He said, regret written all over his face. “I haven’t been left with a choice” he said apologetically “I am not permitted to do anything until the Council sees sense.”
The clone looked at his sickly General, comprehension dawning.
“Until you’re better” he corrected. General Kenobi looked at him in confusion. “Not permitted to do anything until you’re no longer fluey and exhausted” he said.
“I…well, perhaps, yes” came the stilted response. “But it’s not flu it’s just a cold” he said defensively. Cody resisted the urge to roll his eyes as the other man continued. “I believe they will be in touch with further instructions, and Anakin will be around for extra support. And of course, I’ll still be here.” Big blue eyes full of guilt met his own. “I’m sorry Cody I know it’s incredibly inconvenient.”
Cody resisted the urge to face palm and he tried to temper his language. He badly wanted to swear at the dense man in front of him.
“Sir, if the High Generals hadn’t said anything we would have taken matters in to our own hands. At least this way nobody gets court marshalled” he said, matter of fact.
Kenobi snorted at this, which unfortunately led to a couple of dry coughs. Cody had had enough.
“General, as I understand it, from this moment you are officially Off Duty. Allow me to escort you to the mess hall.” He said firmly. “There might be some casserole left” he added.
For one moment it looked like the other man might argue, but General Kenobi was nothing if not a good strategist and knew when he was beaten. He nodded once before pushing himself upright.
“That sounds…risky” he offered with a slight smile.
“I’m sure it is Sir but those who ate on time enjoyed it” he said lightly. General Kenobi raised an eyebrow at the slight rebuke but said nothing as they ambled out of the room.
---
Anakin set the two plates down on the empty table in the mostly empty mess hall just in time to see Cody and Obi-Wan come through the doors. He winced, Obi-Wan looked awful. His pale pallor made the bags under his eyes seem bigger, his chapped lips and pink skin around his nose were obvious and he moved with a sluggish slowness wholly out of the ordinary.
“Evening Master” he said cheerfully, pulling out a chair next to him and gesturing to a pile of food on the plate as they came closer. He was amused to see Cody’s eyes narrow as he watched his C.O sit down, as if afraid he’d somehow escape. But his Master seemed to almost collapse in to the chair, his posture slumped. He looked positively miserable.
“Thank you Anakin” he said graciously, giving him a nod of thanks.
“I can take it from here, thanks Cody” Anakin shot a look at Cody over Obi-Wan’s head. Cody nodded back and left the room quickly with a murmur. Anakin wasn’t certain, but he was fairly sure they were on the same page. If Cody was anything like Rex, they were.
“…don’t need babysitting” his former Master pointed out, though his thick nasally voice and the accompanying sniffle made him very hard to take seriously.
“I disagree. And I’ve just had an interesting message from Windu that says he does too.” Anakin said with no small amount of smugness.
Obi-Wan groaned.
“Master Windu Anakin” he corrected automatically, burying his face in his hands. Anakin couldn’t help but laugh.
“Yeah well we’re friends now, we agree on something. We’re casual with each other. Don’t be jealous.” he said flippantly.
His Master glared at him and picked up his fork.
“This you agree on?” he asked incredulously, eyebrows raised. “Not the Order, or the Republic, or...I don’t know, the Force?”
“Nah, fundamental differences of opinion in all those things” Anakin slung an arm around the smaller man’s shoulders with a grin and was delighted when he heard Obi-Wan let out a small breath of laughter. He was less pleased at what he felt where his wrist touched Obi-Wan’s neck as he clumsily let his Mater go.
“Ugh you’re really hot!” he exclaimed.
“Thank you” came the droll response through a mouthful of food. Anakin rolled his eyes.
“You now what I mean” he said irritably. And then with no mind for his Master’s love of The Personal Bubble he reached out and placed a hand on the other man’s forehead.
“Anakin! Get off me!” Anakin’s hand was smacked away and he wiped it on his leggings.
“You’re all gross and sweaty” he said in disgust. “Master, you are so ill!” he added in disbelief.
“Yes yes,” Obi-Wan waved a hand dismissively “I’m dying of the sniffles, quite incapacitated by a mild cold. Dooku, Maul, Ventress and your attempt at a curry couldn’t do it but this, this is what’s going to get me.”
Well, the Kenobi sarcasm was still intact, at least his Master wasn’t completely out of it yet.
“Oh be quiet and eat your food” Anakin instructed. “Then we can take a nice slow walk to your quarters and I’ll tuck you in to bed” He added sweetly. He couldn’t resist taking an opportunity to lord it over his Master when it was handed to him. Obi-Wan scowled at him.
“Councils orders Master” he shrugged innocently and then let out a grunt when an elbow met his ribs.
---
Half an hour later and Obi-Wan was getting quieter and quieter as they moved towards his quarters. Anakin had succeeded in getting him to eat almost a full portion of the casserole and most of a peppermint tea. But the other man was starting to droop and was responding to Anakin’s joking taunts less and less.
He must be exhausted.
He turned to look at Anakin as they stopped at the entrance to Obi-Wan’s rooms, a look of clear dismissal on his face.
Forcibly turning him around by the shoulders Anakin gave a little push.
“In we go Master” he said cheerfully, earning a grumpy grunt from The Negotiator.
Anakin smiled as he got a look at the small cabin. Well done Cody.
The bed had been made with what looked like clean sheets, and a second duvet had been brought from somewhere as well as extra pillows. Anakin spotted clean folded sleepwear resting on the pillow. Next to the bed was a veritable tower of tissue boxes, a full bottle of water and a packet of throat lozenges. The table in the small room was clear of the usual piles of pads and flimsi and someone had brought a large selection of herbal tea’s and put them in the middle.
Obi-Wan let out a breath of surprise.
“Oh” he blinked. Anakin smiled and ruffled his ginger hair. He got another elbow in the ribs. Worth it.
“Aww your men do look after you” he said, dancing out of his friend’s reach. Obi-Wan sighed and moved towards the bed.
“Yes thank you Anakin, you can go now I’m quite-“ Anakin could only speculate as to the end of that sentence (he had some ideas of his own) because before he could finish it the other man was overtaken by a sudden coughing fit.
Anakin rushed to the skink and produced a glass of water, gratefully received.
“Thank you” Obi-Wan gasped once he could straighten up. Anakin frowned.
“OK Obi-Wan” he said, suddenly all business. “You get in the shower and I’ll make another tea. It might help your sinuses” he instructed. He gave his Master another gentle push towards the fresher.
“Anakin, you really don’t have to stay” he said calmly. Anakin snorted.
“And disobey a direct order? Master I could never!” he replied as if scandalised by the mere idea.
Obi-Wan shook his head and made for the shower. Anakin grinned and headed for the tiny kitchenette.
He took his time brewing the tea, Obi-Wan would be ages in the shower, he knew. He watched the kettle boil and marvelled at the strange role reversal. He remembered all the times Obi-Wan looked after him when he first moved from the desert climate of Tatooine to the Temple; he had been miserable in cold noisy coruscant with its new foods and dirty air. For the first few months he seemed to catch everything, and every time Obi-Wan was there with gentle reassurance and care. A steady, reliable shield with an endless supply of tea and handkerchiefs.
“Oh that feels much better!” His Master emerged from the fresher in the clean, comfortable sleep clothes towelling his wet hair dry.
Anakin smiled
“Yeah you smell better too” he quickly dodged a swat from the towel. “Hey! I made you tea and everything!” he pouted. Obi-Wan ignored him and sat on the bed, smiling slightly at his surroundings.
Anakin pottered over and sat beside him, handing him the tea and removing the towel from his grasp. The other man nodded his thanks and breathed in the scent of the tea before taking a sip.
“Thank you” he said quietly.
“No problem Master”. Obi-Wan turned to look at him silently for a moment.
“What?”
“I’m sorry about this morning” He said in a tired voice. Anakin stared.
“It’s OK, you really don’t have to worry” he said reassuringly. He suddenly felt very uncomfortable. Obi-Wan never apologised to him, it was almost always the other way around; Obi-Wan so rarely had anything to apologise for. Anakin didn’t like it.
He looked at his friend awkwardly and cursed inwardly when he noticed he was starting to shiver slightly, hairs raised on his arms. Prying the nearly empty teacup out of cold hands he pulled him up to a standing position to a small noise of protest.
“You should go to sleep” he pointed out. And for the first time, perhaps in his entire life, his obstinate Master simply nodded his head silently and pulled back the covers. Sliding in to bed he sighed and closed his eyes.
“Please would you turn out the light?” he murmured.
“Sure Master. Goodnight”.
Pocketing Obi-Wan’s com link and dumping his robes into the laundry basket Anakin left his Master in peace.
---
Thud.
“Ow! Kark! What the kirffing –“
“Shhhh! You’ll wake him up!”
“Ow my kriffing foot! Should’ve known he’d have it booby trapped.”
“It’s a coffee table for Force’s sake now pipe down he’s still asleep!”
It was not the most relaxing of wake up calls, Obi-Wan supposed, but it did the job.
He opened his eyes to see Commander Kix and a very grumpy looking Longshot in his quarters. He blinked groggily attempting to make sense of the picture in front of him.
“Hello there”
Both clones froze comically, before Kix glared and gave Longshot a whack upside the head.
“Ow”
“Morning General” Kix gave him a very particular smile that Obi-Wan had learnt to dread. He looked around the small room. Ah there, Kix’ medical bag. He fought back a groan.
“What time is it?” he asked blinking and swallowed with difficulty. His head was killing him and he was still absolutely shattered. After he’d initially passed out he’d woken several times in the night with a blocked nose and sore throat and had been infinitely glad of the water, tissues and lozenges next to his little nest. He had tried over the night to regulate his body temperature with the Force, he was constantly either too hot or too cold, but had found it so difficult that he gave up, exhausted.
He moved to sit up regretfully. He was nice and warm under the two duvets and the pillows were arranged perfectly.
“You don’t have to get up General” Kix assured him, moving closer to the bed. Obi-Wan waved him away and hauled himself up in to a sitting position. His limbs were still aching terribly.
“I’ll put the kettle on” Longshot chirped cheerfully heading to the kitchen corner.
“Thank-“ the moment he tried moving and talking at the same time he burst in to a fit of painful chesty coughs. Kix quickly moved to his side and passed him the bottle of water, rubbing his back as Obi-Wan struggled to breathe.
“Alright?” Kix asked as his coughs subsided. He nodded.
“Thanks. What time is it?” he asked again, voice croaky.
“Nearly eleventh hour General” Kix confirmed.
“Oh” Obi-Wan was surprised, he’d slept much more than he thought he had. He looked at the bedside table automatically.
“Where’s my com?” he asked distractedly, looking around.
“Here we are General” Longshot interrupted, providing a distraction in the form a cup of soothing camomile tea. Obi-Wan took it gratefully. He was freezing out of the blankets and held the hot mug close.
Kix looked at Longshot.
“Give us a few minutes, will you Longshot?” Kix requested, reaching for his medical bag.
This time Obi-Wan did groan.
“Kix do we have to do this now?” he asked, cringing when his plea came out a little more petulant than he would’ve liked.
“I’m afraid so General” Kix started unpacking his bag and fiddling with instruments “I promise I’ll be quick it looks like you’ve got a simple case of flu” Obi-Wan scowled “but I need to look at your symptoms and make sure it hasn’t reached your lungs.”
He reached out with his stethoscope and Obi-Wan took a deep breath.
The Jedi Master considered remaining still and calm for the the next 15 minutes to be one of his crowning achievements of the year. Kix seemed to use every piece of kit he had, and then when he ran out of tools he simply seemed to subject Obi-Wan to random pats and pokes. All the while being far to close for comfort and making thoughtful and disapproving noises.
Despite his decades of Jedi training Obi-Wan could feel himself starting to twitch and fidget. With one final hum Kix drew back.
“Well General, luckily we’ve managed to catch it before it turns in to a full-blown chest infection” he nodded approvingly and Obi-Wan breathed a sigh of relief. That was good.
“But your glands are swollen, so are your tonsils. You’ve got a temperature, your sinuses are tight and there is some congestion in your chest. It is a nasty case of the flu Sir, you’re in for an uncomfortable few days” he said, sympathetically. Obi-Wan scrubbed a hand down his face. Not good.
“Can you give me anything for it?” he asked hopefully, though having a good idea of the answer.
As predicted, the medic shook his head.
“Sorry Sir. But we can ease your symptoms.” He turned and picked up a pad. “I’ll get you some painkillers and some decongestant tablets, throat spray should help with swallowing and I’ll see if we have any cream for your nose.” Kix eyed his red nose “Stop using the handkerchief Sir it’s too coarse.” He scolded. “Bacta tissues will be gentler” Obi-Wan nodded feeling rather pathetic. His nose was rather sore.
“I think you know this Sir, but I’m going to insist that you rest for a few days to ensure you don’t get any worse. Bed rest and fluids are key to a quick recovery and extremely important.” He said sternly.
“Yes Kix I know. I don’t have much choice at this point do I?” he asked rhetorically. To his mild annoyance Kix smiled.
“No General, sorry. You’re outnumbered.” Kix patted him on the leg. “Now then. I’ll come back later with the stuff, and I’ll get someone to make you something to eat”
“Oh no it’s fine I’ll just get myself some porridge or something” Obi-Wan assured him and made to stand up. Only to find Kix in his way, pushing him back down.
“General did you hear a word I said?” he asked, clearly frustrated with him.
“Er…” suddenly he was finding it rather difficult to think. The pain in his head had flared the moment he tried to move and he put a hand to his temple in pain. “Yes but-“
“No but’s General” Kix interrupted, taking his hand away from his head and gently helping him back down in to a lying position. “You need to sleep and rest. We’ll take care of everything. It’s our duty to look after you and we take it very seriously.” He said sternly, piling his patient’s pillows up and pushing him in to a reclined position.
Obi-Wan squinted up at him through his headache. He really couldn’t think of anything to say to that, but Kix seemed satisfied enough with his compliance and nodded in approval. After pressing the bottle of water into Obi-Wan’s hands he went to the door and summoned Longshot back inside.
“So, how long has he got? You amputating anything?” he asked Kix cheerfully. The medic in question rolled his eyes.
“I’ll be back soon General. Longshot” he nodded at both men and exited. Longshot immediately went to the small kitchenette again. Obi-Wan found the sight of him pottering about strangely comforting he blew his nose and a sudden thought occurred to him again.
“Longshot have you seen my com?” he asked, scanning the bedside table again. He hadn’t been more than two feat away from it since the start of the war and he felt rather bereft without it.
The clone in the kitchen ignored him in favour of serving up some porridge and loading it on to a trey.
“Here we go Sir, I know you’re probably not hungry but have a go at this” he said, flourishing the meal proudly.
Obi-Wan watched him with a growing feeling of discomfort. He hated being waited on and none of this felt right.
“I…thank you Longshot” he said awkwardly taking the tray, still not quite sure what to do with himself. “But I don’t suppose you know where my com is?” he was getting suspicious now.
Longshot didn’t look at him.
“Longshot…” he asked again slowly. The clone was starting to look distinctly uncomfortable.
“Don’t worry about it General, General Skywalker has your com” he paused “or possibly Cody” he added. “either way, it’s safe” he added hesitantly when he noticed the outrage on Obi-Wan’s face.
“Longshot!” he spluttered “That’s my com, I need it!”
“What for Sir?” Longshot asked calmly, faffing with the pillows some more. Obi-Wan batted him away in irritation.
“Well to…check in, and monitor…” he trailed off “I just need it” he snapped, frustrated with himself for not coming up with anything better. Longshot looked at him unimpressed.
“Sorry General, strict orders from Kix and the High Generals. No coms or pads allowed until you’re better” he said briskly. “You’re supposed to be-“
“Resting, I know” Obi-Wan finished for him dully. He couldn’t even summon up the energy to get angry. He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. His head really hurt.
Longshot made a thoughtful noise.
“Eat your breakfast Sir and I’ll leave you alone I promise” he said with a small sympathetic smile. Obi-Wan grunted and picked up the spoon. He had never felt less like eating but that didn’t seem like an option at the moment.
He managed a few bites and sure enough, once he had set it gently to one side Longshot scooped it up.
“Longshot it is not your job to clean up after me” the sick man said sternly.
The clone in question began humming obnoxiously as he washed up.
Obi-Wan rolled his eyes and sunk back down in to the pillows underneath the blankets until his shivers subsided. He closed his eyes for a moment, just a moment, enjoying the warmth and softness.
Longshot turned when he heard soft congested snores coming from the corner, and smiled at his cosy C.O snuggled comfortably in bed. He silently put the dish down and turned out the light.
---
The next few days passed in a similar manner to that first morning. Kix kept turning up to poke at him (though he had to admit the painkillers were a gift from the Force) and Obi-Wan spent more time napping than he did when he was in the creche.
Near enough, each time he awoke there was another person watching over him. They made quite the domestic scene; Anakin would occupy the sofa quietly tinkering with droids whilst the Master read his book, or sometimes Ahsoka stretched out on the floor writing essays occasionally asking for his input, or Cody and Waxer sat on the floor with their backs resting against the bed, watching a mindless holoshow. Each of them keeping a keen eye on him, being incredibly considerate and and making sure he wanted for nothing. They all flatly refused to answer his questions about current events and he gave up asking.
The whole experience was weird and made him rather uncomfortable when he thought about it too hard. He got himself awfully tangled up in the ethics of the chain of command, the role of the leader and the implications of prioritising one person’s wellbeing over the majority. Would anybody else get the same privileges as he did? Why did he deserve it? He knew he would have to meditate on it when he was stronger but for now he managed to push those thoughts down.
Anakin had sensed him starting to brood and had given him a disarmingly fond smile before putting him to sleep with the Force. Bastard.
Yes, this was so incredibly far outside of this comfort zone it was almost laughable, and on a practical level, people kept doing nice things for him and he was running out of ways to say thank you. He couldn’t deny, though, that he felt himself relaxing just a little bit more every day. The troops and his friends were starting to look a little less worried and he had found himself actually enjoying the chance for some idleness.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do when I don’t have time to watch this” he remarked lazily to Cody one afternoon as they were watching some awful soap opera that Obi-Wan had got alarmingly invested in.
Cody snorted.
“I’m sure we can keep ourselves occupied in other ways Sir” He paused. “Maybe the Separatists will step up their game?” he said hopefully. Now it was Obi-Wan’s turn to smile. Cody was not a fan of the show.
“Can I get you anything General?” he asked, as usual.
Obi-Wan shook his head.
“No thank you Cody” he paused, “I fell a lot better actually, I don’t think you’ll need to be taking care of me for much longer”. Cody looked at him dubiously, but he was actually telling the truth. His flu was nearly gone thanks to the excellent care of his friends and Kix, and he hadn’t realised just how bad things had gotten recently until he had something to compare it to.
For the first time perhaps ever he was well rested, clear headed, fed and watered and his calm was not a mask held forcibly in place by iron self control. Aches and pains that had been bothering him for months had subsided (He had suffered through a very painful deep tissue massage from Kix that left him feeling like a sore puddle of goo) and he hadn’t had any stims or even any caff for days.
As much as he was starting to acclimatise to his situation, the real world was starting to beckon. He could feel it in his bones, in the Force; it was time to start fighting for peace again.
---
Cody was only midly surprised when the next day Kix did in fact give their General a clean bill of health. The Jedi looked worlds better than he did even before he came down with the flu; the bags under his eyes had almost disappeared, there was a pinch of colour in his cheeks and he had even gained some much-needed weight once his appetite came back. For their part, Cody knew many of his brothers were now very proud of their porridge and broth making skills.
It was hard to put in to words the feeling of seeing their somehow fearsome yet gentle General up and about, moving with renewed energy and grace. Dressed in his usual tan robes he strode confidently on to the bridge, smiling and greeting passing brothers. Cody thought the increase in morale was almost tangible, and he couldn’t resist grinning at Waxer on the other side of the bridge, who winked back. He wondered if their General had any idea of how much his absence affected them all. As much as he was their C.O, he was also a kind of mascot for everything they stood for.
“Commander Cody” General Kenobi moved to stand next to him at the console scanning the information in front of them.
“Sir”
“Could you please arrange a full briefing for me on the situation on Nails? And if you and Commander Waxer wouldn’t mind meeting me later to go over the past week I’d appreciate it”
Cody nodded and Waxer voiced his assent from the other console.
“Boots” the General turned to one of the other clones
“Sir”
“Would schedule in a call with the Jedi High Council please?” he paused “In private if possible, they’re going to be very smug” he gave a wry smile. The Jedi cleared his throat and addressed the entire bridge.
“Thank you all for your help whilst I’ve been out of commission. You should all be reassured that I feel better than I have in a long time, and I know have you to thank for it.” He paused looking at each of them. “Whatever we encounter on Nalis, we will face it together as a team, and I know I stand with the best battalion in the GAR”
A cheer went up on the crowded bridge at that. General Kenobi smiled. It was cheesy, but just what they needed to hear.
“It’s good to be back”. He added. Cody couldn’t agree more.