Chapter Text
“Master, we have to help them!”
Qui-Gon Jinn was not in the mood. His friend was mortally injured. Master Tahl would die if they didn’t get her to a proper medical facility. The Hall of Healing in the Jedi Temple had some of the best care available in the whole of the galaxy. She’d be able to be saved.
Obi-Wan had been acting rashly and impatiently since they’d gotten here. His emotions were rattled. All the issues he had seen when he watched the young Jedi in that Lightsaber tournament were rearing their head. This war was a lost cause. These people had been fighting for generations, and would continue to do so. The longer they stayed, the longer Tahl and their own lives were at stake.
“No, we are leaving, Padawan.” Qui-Gon said as he got Master Tahl situated in the starfighter. He turned to gesture Obi-Wan to hurry up…
And froze in place.
Obi-Wan had his lightsaber in hand. Lit and active, and pointed at him. A maelstrom of emotions were swirling within his padawan, and distantly, he could feel them through the bond. frustrationfearangeragitationgriefdesperation. But the sight of his Padawan pointing his weapon at him had sent an icy wave through him.
“I only need the ship for a moment, Master! I can do it! I can help them and then you can-”
Qui-Gon’s hand flew to his own weapon, and ignited it. He held it in front of him as he placed himself between Obi-Wan and the starfighter, a brow furrowed as his lips formed into a firm line.
“No. We are done here. We are leaving, Padawan.”
Obi-Wan’s eyes widened in surprise, but that damned stubbornness remained. He made no move to turn off his own weapon, nor did he step forward. If anything, his emotions grew more fraught, more turbulent.
“Master, we can’t. I can’t! The Force wants me, needs me, to be here!” Obi-Wan protested. Qui-Gon snorted, shaking his head.
“No, your heart wants you to be here. To be with that girl.” Qui-Gon retorted. “Now, you have two choices, Padawan. You can stop pointing your weapon at your Master, and do as you are told like a good Padawan. Or, you can leave the Order, and waste your life in this foolish endeavor.”
His ultimatum got the desired response, at first. Obi-Wan’s face paled, and he gawked at Qui-Gon. He felt his apprentice prod at their bond, as if to see if Qui-Gon was speaking in jest.
He was not. His steely gaze bored into Obi-Wan, and Obi-Wan began to shake as he closed his eyes and looked down. It was in that moment that Qui-Gon felt something in the Force shifting. Energy was beginning to swell and build around Obi-Wan, and Qui-Gon readied himself to face yet another failure as he tensed and braced for what he expected to be a furious outburst of dark energy…
But, wait. While Qui-Gon could sense the negative emotions within his student, he did not feel the touch of the Dark Side swirling around him. Instead, it was the Force itself that was coiling and gathering around his young student. And his own instincts that told him something was about to happen, but gave no hint as to what.
Before Qui-Gon could ask what it was his reckless Padawan might be trying to do, or to perhaps utter some sort of warning, there was a pulse in the Force and Obi-Wan staggered, landing on his back as he stumbled to the ground. The Force rippled outward from Obi-Wan, and nearly caused Qui-Gon to trip as well.
The strangeness of such was enough to, momentarily, cut through the haze of Qui-Gon’s own frosty mood. Confusion, tinged with wary curiosity, saw him lower his weapon slightly. He had never felt a disturbance in the Force quite like this, yet it already felt like it was fading. What’s more, the Force felt decidedly pleased with itself, even if Qui-Gon could not begin to fathom as to why.
Slowly, Obi-Wan pushed himself up and glanced about. His eyes had a haze to them, and his movement was sluggish. He looked like he was moving through a thick sludge. And much to Qui-Gon’s bewilderment, the bond with his student felt strange… It felt far more developed than it had any right to be from Obi-Wan’s end, yet at the same time there was a numbness along the edges. As if the bond had been severed unexpectedly.
He watched as Obi-Wan shifted his shoulders about, a slight frown crossing his features. He reached up to rub at his chin, only to blink more as he began to pat at his face, a sense of wrongness echoing through their connection.
Obi-Wan’s eyes cleared just as he looked up and their gazes locked. His Padawan stared in open mouthed shock, breath catching as he stared at him. Obi-Wan’s face paled only to then grow flushed as his mouth flapped dumbly.
Even without the bond, Qui-Gon would have been able to feel the rush of emotions through the young human.
Confusiondisbeliefdoubtjoysomuchjoyloveaffectionguiltregretsorrow-
There was so much that it made Qui-Gon stagger back for a moment, his lightsaber switching off as his finger twitched. The earlier wave of ice over his mind and heart thawing, if only somewhat. He braced against the ship, and warily called out,
“Padawan?” After a moment, when his student said nothing, he added, “Obi-Wan?”
Obi-Wan however was no longer looking at him. He was looking at everything else around him. Confusion and recognition danced across his face even as he reached out to the world around him through the Force. Qui-Gon watched him mouth the word ‘Melidadaan’ as a sad, almost nostalgic gleam shone in his eyes.
Regretgriefsadnesshope.
As his student’s gaze returned to his, Qui-Gon knew without a doubt that something highly irregular had just occurred. For Qui-Gon did not feel the brash, impulsive boy he had taken as a Padawan upon Bandomeer.
Instead, he felt the eyes of someone older upon him. Someone far more tempered, with far greater mastery of his emotions. There was turbulence, but it was because of whatever had just happened, not for lack of control.
Even despite such, Qui-Gon couldn’t help but be bewildered as he watched those youthful, yet old eyes grow damp. And he was not prepared for the way his student’s voice broke as he said,
“You don’t know how happy I am to see your face once more, Master.”
All Qui-Gon could do at that was stare blankly, his own thoughts scrambled as he tried to figure out what in the name of the Force was going on.
His Padawan didn’t give him much chance to do so. He stood up, glanced around at the ruined city around them, and then back to Qui-Gon. The older man couldn’t help but notice just how differently Obi-Wan was holding himself, as he glanced past him to the starfighter.
A look of understanding crossed Obi-Wan’s features, and he brought his hands together before him. It reminded Qui-Gon of himself.
“Go, Master. Take care of your friend. I’ll be fine here.”
His words made Qui-Gon frown. There was a casualness to his tone that Obi-Wan never used when speaking with him. More than that though, was that after the ultimatum he had just given, that would mean he was choosing to leave the Order. Yet had Obi-Wan not been desperate to become a Jedi Knight? Had he not been despondent before that Qui-Gon had not taken him up as a padawan-learner all those months ago?
Almost as if knowing the exact thoughts going through his mind, Obi-Wan gave him a soft, sad smile.
“I am not leaving the Order, old friend. But I cannot go with you. I am needed here, to end all this bloodshed.” His smile quirked up, just a bit, as he added with a strange note of mirth,
“Who knows. Perhaps this time it won’t take as long.”
Qui-Gon’s brows shot up at that. The urge to inquire as to what in the name of the Force he meant nearly overwhelmed him. But as he felt a spike of pain in Master Tahl, the concern for his longtime friend surged back to the forefront.
“Go.” Obi-Wan replied again, and Qui-Gon didn’t need any further urging. As he turned and clambered into the ship, he felt Padawan reach out through the bond.
We’ll speak later. And do not worry Master… You haven’t failed.
Qui-Gon didn’t know what to make of that parting thought, so he focused on the task at hand. With care, he turned the Jedi starfighter up, and raced skyward in a burst of speed. Answers could wait. And, despite his misgivings…
He couldn’t help but think that maybe, just maybe, his Padawan knew what he was talking about.
-*-
Obi-Wan watched as the starfighter disappeared from view. A hand idly fingered his padawan braid, a part of him still not quite believing what it is his senses and memories are telling him.
The last thing he remembered, he had been aboard the Resolute, heading back to the Jedi Temple alongside his Padawan and Grand-Padawan, Anakin and Ahsoka. They were due a brief break from the frontlines, and Obi-Wan had been hoping that this rotation would actually let them rest and recuperate from the trials of war.
Now, here he was, on the world that haunted him at times in his nightmares. More so, since the Clone Wars had started. Melida/Daan, as it was currently known, in the throes of its generations long conflict.
And from the prickles at the edge of his senses, Obi-Wan could tell that he wasn’t the only one. Five other lights within the Force called out to him, all familiar to him.
Master! Are you there? What’s happened? Where are you? Where are we? He heard Anakin cry out through their bond, and Obi-Wan could sense confusion, uncertainty and a spike of…
Panic?
Obi-Wan had sensed fear in his padawan before, but something about this was different. As Obi-Wan tightened his grip on his lightsaber and set off back towards the Young’s base in the sewers in a rapid jog.
I’m not entirely sure myself, Well that wasn’t entirely true, but this wasn’t the sort of thing he wanted to try and explain over their bond. What’s wrong? Are you alright? Is Ahsoka with you?
Yes, Ahsoka’s with me! But Master I… Obi-Wan could feel Anakin’s frustration and anxiety flaring in the Force even from this distance. He tried to pinpoint where they might be, and even as Anakin started back up, he already had an idea.
We’re in some sewers. There’s a bunch of kids here, and they’re aiming blasters at us! Ahsoka’s scared and crying, and and-
Wait, crying? Why would Ahsoka be crying? She was a Jedi Padawan? Obi-Wan knew that the Force on Melida/Daan felt very much akin to a black hole, a void of pain, suffering, despair and anguish, but they’d faced such on numerous worlds in the course of the war.
Perhaps the sudden… Dislocation has rattled her? Obi-Wan thought, and it would explain why he was picking up what he was from his own Padawan. Though, now that he thought about it, Anakin should be more than capable of calming things down with the Young who’d found him. Even with his temperament being what it was.
Still, he quickly sent back to Anakin,
Ask for Cerasi, and tell them you’re friends of mine. He felt a wave of affirmation, and as Obi-Wan reached one of the grates leading into the sewer, he felt some of his Padawan’s tension ease.
It… It worked. I-I think I have Ahsoka calmed down too. They’re taking us someplace. The anxiety was still there. He could also feel Anakin’s curiosity grow, but Obi-Wan quickly sent answerslater and peacecalmcare through the bond.
He couldn’t help the smile as he felt Anakin grumble at him, but was glad he was doing as he was told. Besides, he was still trying to sort through things here and now as he started making his way through the sewers.
The sudden sound of blaster fire down a passage to his left put his journey on hold. There was one of the others! Without a second thought, Obi-Wan ignited his lightsaber and hurried after the sound and towards the the familiar aura of Commander Cody and-
He froze in place, blinking, as his mind tried to process what he was seeing.
The clone trooper on the ground, pinned beneath an Anooba that was trying very hard to bite at his face, was wearing Commander Cody’s armor. But the trooper, whose helmet had been knocked off when the beast presumably pounced upon him, looked far more like one of the Clone Cadets. And yet, his presence in the Force rang out as the same trooper he had fought beside numerous times.
The clone must have heard his footsteps. Or the hum of his lightsaber. He glanced his way, and for a brief moment, seemed confused. Then, recognition sparked in his eyes, and he called out, “General Kenobi?”
Then he had to focus again on the beast before him, and Obi-Wan shook off his own bewilderment as he leapt forward. The beast let out a sharp, pained cry as his weapon cut into it and brought and sent it staggering back before it slumped lifeless to the ground.
Obi-Wan closed his eyes, briefly, then turned and offered a hand to the clone cadet as he tentatively asked, “Commander Cody? Is that you?”
Cody nodded as he took Obi-Wan’s hand and stood up. He retrieved his helmet as his eyes scanned the passageway around them. “Yes sir. I woke up just a few minutes ago here, before that beast appeared.” He gave him an appraising look before he let out a grunt and smirked.
“Have to say General, you without a beard is just plain weird.”
Obi-Wan snorted, mouth quirked up as he turned his lightsaber off. He rubbed at his own chin, shivering just a bit at how weird it was to find his face so smooth and young again. Then he frowned, mind suddenly latching onto the fact that Cody was younger.
If we’ve been sent back in time, which was a crazy enough thing in its own right, why would Cody be younger? He wasn’t even born at this point.
He didn’t like the implication of that, as he suddenly reconsidered the feelings he was picking up through Anakin’s bond, and what he’d mentioned about Ahsoka.
“Sir?” Cody asked, drawing him out of his thoughts. “You have any idea what’s happened?”
Rubbing his chin again, Obi-Wan said, “I know where we are. And when.” That answer made Cody’s eyes widen and earned him an incredulous look, but Obi-Wan just shrugged. “As for how… Force only knows, because I certainly don’t.”
He shot a look over at the corpse of the Anooba. Thought about the food troubles the Young often had to contend with during much of the fighting. He remembered, vaguely, that they had to hunt at various points, and hadn’t been in a position to be too picky about what they could find.
“I can explain better in a little bit. For now, help me with this would you?” Obi-Wan reached down and worked to haul the beast up and onto a shoulder. It took only a moment for Cody to get an inkling of what he was doing, and soon he was helping to support the heavy beast.
Together, the two of them moved through the sewers. They stopped only once they reached the edge of what the Young considered to be their headquarters and home in equal measure. The children who were stationed as guards blinked and stared wide eyed at the both of them and their cargo. While they recognized Obi-Wan, they eyed Cody with suspicion, while he in turn gave them an appraising glance. Obi-Wan could sense conflicting emotions within the clone, and he couldn’t blame him.
“You’re holding that rifle too loosely, kid.” Cody finally said, which earned a look of confusion that was followed quickly by an attempt at a scowl. Given the kid’s young features though, it was far closer to an impudent pout.
“Who’re you calling a kid?” Cody opened his mouth to retort, then glanced over himself again. He let out a harrumph, but gave the child a smirk.
“Can’t fault ya for that.” He said, as Obi-Wan shot both of the children a reassuring nod. After a moment, they waved them through.
Despite it being nearly twenty four years since he had been here, he remembered all of the faces. All of the names, every room. His experiences here on Melidadaan had been burned into his mind and spirit both, and he was sure even when he was old and wrinkly he would remember this time in vivid detail. After all, the conflict still haunted his sleep to this day, making it impossible to forget.
Quickly handing off the dead Anooba to be butchered, Obi-Wan made his way purposely through the base, heading for what was effectively the command center. The children standing guard let him pass faster than he recalled, but then again, he had quickly shifted into the role of a GAR General.
Even the Young it seemed responded to the aura of command he was giving off. Though it could just as easily have been the fact Cody was walking right beside him.
“Obi!”
That aura cracked a bit as he heard Cerasi’s voice. Out of all the deaths he had borne witness to here on this world, hers had hurt the most. Much as he had meant it in the past when he had told Master Qui-Gon that he didn’t want to remain for some foolish crush, he had come to consider Cerasi as much a dear friend as any of his crechemates. The memory of her death still haunted his dreams.
It took all of his willpower to keep from choking up as she rushed over to him. She shot a curious glance at Cody, but turned her attention to Obi-Wan, brow creased with concern.
“What happened? I mean, I’m glad you’re still here, but I thought-”
Obi-Wan took her hand in his, and gave it a soft squeeze. He gave her a tired smile.
“Master Qui-Gon has taken Master Tahl back to Coruscant. She needs dedicated medical care. I’ve remained to stay and help.” Cerasi brightened visibly at that, but before she could voice her thoughts about such-
“Obi-Wan! Cody!” “Mas’ta Obi! Codee!”
A sinking feeling came over him as he looked past Cerasi, where he saw Nield watching his Padawan and Grand-Padawan with suspicion. And not for the reason that he would have quietly preferred.
Just like Commander Cody, Anakin and Ahsoka had been reduced in age. Anakin looked younger than when they’d first met. And little Ahsoka looked no older than three as she softly chewed at a finger distractedly. Neither of them had their lightsabers.
Cerasi turned her eyes towards them, and while she gave them a friendly smile, she leaned in close as she asked,
“Obi-Wan, how do you know these two Littles? And who's your new friend?”
With a long, shuddering sigh, Obi-Wan closed his eyes. This was going to be an… Interesting day.