Obi-Wan having visions again is an interesting concept. How do the troops react when he has one in a more public setting? Do they only come when he is tired or could they happen anywhere? What about in a battle? Would you write more?
So far no visions had come again.
Frankly it had been a relief to Cody because the General’s state once
he had woken up again…
The man had collapsed to his knees while getting up!
He hadn’t seen the man in such a state in a long while. Tired yes,
injured yes, but like this?
A dazed, vulnerable kind of confusion lingering in his eyes as he
took in everything around him with a sort of sleepwalker
consciousness. The red tea had happily fixed him up some as had the
warm food Boil had managed to find for the man.
It was almost as if he had forgotten it after that, Obi-Wan going
back to his usual state of affairs. If it wasn’t for the change in
behavior from almost every clone, Cody could almost be convinced it
had all been a hallucination.
But a week of nothing happening and they were mostly back to normal,
no careful observation of their General’s, no making sure that a
trooper was always close to them. Routine as usual.
Battle as usual.
Cody could be forgiven for not recognizing the feeling of electricity
passing through to begin with. It was only the second time he felt
and they were in the middle of the battlefield, it could have been a
weapon or just nerves.
And then he saw his General standing there, lightsaber held loosely
as he stared out onto the battlefield with soft focused eyes,
blasters shots blessedly passing by him. “General!” His cry
grasped attention and several clones dislodged from their spots to
form a barrier around the Jedi.
The thump of boots as they protected the General, the raised shields
to absorb blaster impact and the return of fire.
And yet Obi-Wan stood there like a statue, never blinking and barely
breathing.
General Skywalker suddenly landed not far from them and made his way
through the blaster rain to Obi-Wan’s side, cursing loudly. “This
is not the best time for this. Obi-Wan! Wake up!” There was no
flicker of recognition in those green eyes.
Cody, with no ability in the Force, could tell what General Skywalker
did next was stupid.
He grabbed the other Jedi by the shoulder.
His very Force powers slammed into the Jedi caught in a Force vision
and promptly exploded it outwards towards everyone, slamming into
every clone, every Jedi and every Sith on the field. Every sentient
being with blood pumping through them.
Obi-Wan Kenobi running through the dark, black smoke whipping up
around him as he raced through the shadowed halls of the temple.
Troopers and Jedi’s laid around him, unseeing eyes staring back as
blood of different colors mingled on the floor of a once so pristine
temple that was their home.
And the copper haired Jedi as the only living being, racing through
the halls, to the council chambers. His very being and face open and
full of desperation and grief of someone who had carried to many
burdens that was breaking as he pushed those large doors open to find
the floors covered in the younglings of the temple.
The scream that broke them out of the vision would haunt Cody for the
rest of his life.
Skywalker stumbled from his former Master’s side, almost going to his
knees as he did. Clones, battle trained as they were, barely kept up
against the barrage of unaffected droids.
“Oh Force.” The blond choked out.
Kenobi said nothing. Only slowly sank to his knees in the dust of the
planet, staring straight forward with a lost look in his eyes. From
his limp fingers his lightsaber fell and rolled in the dust.
A man forced to be strong for to long would eventually break and that
was what was happening on the battlefield as tears started to roll
from Obi-Wan’s eyes and down his cheeks to fade into his beard. To
much pain and stress put on those broad shoulders, eventually
breaking the last of him.
That’s why they were there. Cody growled and aimed his blaster
straight and true, stepping in front of his Jedi, noting others doing
the same. Rex was yelling commands somewhere with Ahsoka pressed to
his side and Wolffle was by his own downed General’s side, him
barking his own commands. Fives was pulling Skywalker back behind the
energy shields with Kenobi.
They were players in a game they didn’t intend to lose.
Their strongest players were down but they did not intend to lose.
In the darkness their Jedi’s shined and they would keep them safe and
dust them off once they were ready again. The clone troopers pressed
forward.