Acknowledgements: Mega-thanks to JT for a great beta and title
and Sheyen for making me raise this darn biting bunny!
WARNING!!!!! Character death. Bring your Kleenex.
The medic looked with great sadness at the haggard features of
the unconscious man before her. The young Jedi was heavily
sedated, tubes snaking out of his body, vidscreens monitoring
his vital functions. As the medic watched him, she got the
eerie sensation that her eyes beheld not a living being, but
merely the empty husk that had been left behind.
Oh, his looks had nothing to do with it; he was stunningly
beautiful. Thick, closely cropped hair of copper-brown; he had
an aristocratic nose, and full, rosy lips, the thinnest of
braids trailing down to his chest. His lithe body was compact
and powerful, his fingers long and elegant. But somehow, there
was something missing; some vital spark that should have been
there even in uneasy slumber was gone.
It had been only hours since the young man had been found,
sobbing uncontrollably as he cradled the body of his master in
his arms. The boy had been incoherent in his grief; the guards
who had encountered him had to forcibly separate him from the
aged Jedi. Once they had managed to pull them apart, it was
quickly evident that the apprentice, Obi-Wan, was incapable of
getting back to palace by himself. Physically unhurt, so deep
was his shock that his legs would not hold him. He shivered
uncontrollably, and a never-ending river of tears flowed from
his haunted eyes.
Heart aching with compassion, Captain Panaka himself picked up
the boy in gentle arms, nodding to his men to follow with the
body of the fallen Jedi Master. Slowly, mindful of the losses
of the day, they returned to the relative sanctuary of the
palace.
Obi-Wan had been taken immediately to the medics, his fiercely
trembling body wrapped in warm blankets, while the medics
attempted to provide solace. His cries never quieted; he
thrashed to and fro as he reached blindly for one who was not
there. He had to be sedated to prevent him from injuring
himself, and then his body very gradually started to fail....
The medic turned as the communit beeped, not overly surprised
to see the grave face of a member of the Jedi High Council. The
dark skinned man looked at him passively, only his liquid eyes
betraying the grief of his heart. Of course he would have been
appraised of the death of one of his number.
"How is he?" the Councilor asked quietly.
"I cannot explain it, sir," the medic replied, face creased
with worry. "He was unhurt when he arrived here; very
distraught, numb with shock, but unhurt. Now he is showing
signs of systemic failure. His body is ... shutting down." The
Councilor looked unsurprised at the response.
"That is not unexpected. Healer, though it is little known
outside the Order, Jedi have the ability to form bonds of great
power. Such a bond did Obi-Wan Kenobi have to his master. It
formed when he was an infant, days old. He can never remember a
moment where he was alone in his own mind. He ..." and here the
Jedi paused. "He may not be capable of surviving this loss."
Mace Windu closed his eyes in pain as the sad truth passed his
lips.
"Take care of him, Healer. Comfort him if you can. But if his
soul is determined to follow its mate, do not bind him to this
existence. To do so would only force him to endure a lifetime
of pain and emptiness." Abruptly, the transmission ended.
The medic turned once more to the lone Jedi's desolate form.
Heeding some unspoken call, he gently disengaged the tubing and
wires that were tethering him to someplace he could no longer
stand to dwell. He laid one hand on the lost one's chest,
feeling for the heartbeat that gradually slowed ...and stopped.
The despair on the still face was replaced by peace in the last
moment, as the soul once more soared free and became whole.
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