Afterglow II | The Clone Wars

9 | That Night

"Here you are, sir" Kix, the 501st medical clone, took a knee beside Obi-Wan Kenobi with a penicillin shot in his armored hand. The Jedi General moved the furred collar of his coat out of the way and titled his head to the side, exposing the skin below his reddening, chapped ear.

Icy temperatures nipped at all exposed areas of the Republic camp, weeding out the weakest of the soldiers. As of then, three had died from hypothermia and four had disappeared in the icy wind that whipped around the mountain range without a trace. Not enough exterior clothing and thermal armor was packed before the departure to the planet, leaving clones to shiver without a method to keep warm aside from rubbing their hands together and congregating around a fire.

Kix clicked the thin needle into Obi-wan's neck swiftly, injecting the pain medicine below the surface of his wind-burned skin. The General winced at the sensation but stayed still, allowing for the medical clone to conclude his task. After a moment, Kix pulled the needle away and cleaned the pointed tip with a small towelette "Thank you, Kix. Now please, save the pain meds for someone else. I am fine" he nodded his thanks, pulling the coat up tighter to his chin to avoid the inescapable cold.

The clone nodded and stepped away, going to return the needle back into his satchel. Anakin, who sat close by on a fallen tree trunk, added more dry wood to the poor excuse of a fire pit. Sparks drifted up into the air, leaving behind a chorus of crackling and snapping kindling. An orange, fiery glow flickered against his pale skin, highlighting his sharp blue eyes. Obi-wan could practically see the anger radiating from them as his former apprentice glared into the fire.

It was quiet in the camp, and an eeriness had settled over everyone's shoulders. Obi-Wan studied Anakin, sensing the darkness that clouded his vision. He stayed quiet for a few moments, and then spoke out "It's going to be alright, Anakin" he leaned forward, bruises coating his cheeks just above the trim of his beard. It made talking somewhat uncomfortable with the lingering jaw pain from his injuries.

"If the separatists drop a third bomb on us, then it won't be" Anakin returned sharply, tossing a small log onto the fire forcefully. Sparks erupted  towards the dark, ominous sky as a result. Obi-Wan followed the cascade of orange and red as it flitted up and dispersed into the air "3/5 of our men have been wiped out. Not to mention you're hurt, and we still have no word on Master Billaba, her Padawan or their squad"

"We haven't lost yet-"

"That second bomb destroyed the west mountain range-" he shoved his hand out towards the mountainous terrain enshrouded with the bleakness of night. Faint stars twinkled in the pitch black "-the same passage that Dakota and Rex took. We haven't heard from them since"

"Assuming the worst gets us nowhere fast"

"Sitting around gets us nowhere fast" he argued back, snapping his eyes up from the fire towards his Master.

"Now you sound just like your Padawan" Obi-Wan softly noted the connection. Not too long ago, he had wisely been easing Ahsoka's concerns about remaining idle, and yet now, it would appear that Anakin himself has drifted to the side of restlessness. Blatantly demonstrating where Ahsoka gets it all from at the end of the day.

"Well, after that last bomb. I've come to see that Ahsoka is right" Anakin lifted his hand and proved Obi-Wan's point "-inactivity leaves us too exposed" he paused and thought to himself for a brief moment, a plan concocting in his tactful mind "I can go search for them, there's no reason not to. Dakota would do it for me. She would do it for any of us" he stood up swiftly from where he sat, his fist balling up as determination reflected in his irises "We lost her once, we can't lose her again"