Part 10 - Genonosis

PART I - PART II - PART III - PART IV - PART V - PART VI - PART VII - PART VIII - PART IX


SIX YEARS LATER

The Republic Medical Ship Thyferra was five times the size of the Dayden Star, and had more beds than Senate Medical Center. It was fresh out of the shipyards, and everything on board gleamed with newness.

"Shiny," Aidriac, Traelyn's thirteen year-old Padawan said.

"Hmmm, yes, shiny indeed."

Traelyn was deep in worried thought. They were streaking through hyperspace, on their way to the Outer Rim, to the little known planet of Geonosis.

"I sense something bad, Master," Aidriac said. "A disturbance in the Force. Death and suffering."

Traelyn nodded. "A huge battle has taken place on Geonosis," she said. "Many Jedi have died and many more are injured."

"It's more than physical pain, Master Traelyn. I sense something else, not fear but something like it."

Traelyn closed her eyes. "Shock and anger, I think. A great loss of confidence. We will have to deal with this as well as the physical injuries. Are you going to be all right?" Privately, she regretted bringing Aidriac on this trip, for he was too young, but he was her Padawan and his place was with her.

He gulped. "Yes, Master."

"Don't "yes, master' me unless you mean it, Padawan!" She smiled to soften her words. "We'll be there soon. When we get to the surface, you will stay with me. Don't worry, you'll just be assisting. We'll get through this."

Jennaea, Traelyn's favorite nurse, appeared in the doorway. "May I borrow your assistant?" She asked. "We could use help loading up the travel packs."

Traelyn nodded. "Go on, Aidriac, and help get the shuttles ready."

He nodded, and trotted off with Jennaea, happy to have something to do.

Traelyn had been overjoyed to find Jennaea's name on the duty list, so much so that she'd resorted to mind tricks on the personnel clerk to get the nurse assigned to her.

"You're shameless, Master," Aidriac had said with a grin.

"What good's a mind trick if we don't use it to get what we need?" She'd chuckled.

* * *

"Master Yoda wants us in the hanger," Aidriac reported to her. She nodded, for she'd been drawn to this spot by a ripple in the Force. She shouldered a pack of medical supplies, and Aidriac picked up two spares as they exited their evac shuttle onto the landing platform. Aidriac swallowed hard, and buried his apprehension beneath his determination.

Traelyn was hit with a wave of pain, and instantly knew why she'd felt compelled to land nearby. Obi-Wan was hurt, and so was his Padawan. Obi-Wan's distress was as much emotional as it was physical, as he seemed to be extremely concerned for Anakin. Master Yoda met her at the entrance.

"Are you injured, Master?" She asked, but he shook his head, motioning her to go further inside.

As they entered the hangar bay, she caught sight of Obi-Wan and Anakin on the ground. A young woman dressed in white was tending to Anakin, and all three were injured, but sensing the level of distress of each of them pointed Traelyn towards Anakin. She was shocked to see that he was missing most of his right arm. She slung her bag off her shoulder and began unpacking her supplies. First she attached a monitor to Anakin's chest, injected him with a strong painkiller, and then turned to Obi-Wan to do the same.

"See to Anakin," he gasped. "He's hurt worse than I am."

"I'll be the judge of that," she said tartly. She quickly checked Obi-Wan's wounds and administered a painkiller.

"I'll be right back, Obi-Wan. Don't try to get up." He relaxed as the drug took effect, and he could release his mind from controlling the pain.

"Master!" Aidriac said in a panic. "His vital signs are unstable." He pointed to the monitor on Anakin's chest.

"He's in shock," she said, leaning over him and placing her hands on his chest. She closed her eyes and reached into the Force, drawing on its power. Anakin's rapid breathing and heart rate slowed to normal. He opened his eyes and looked about in confusion.

"Padme?" He said. "Obi-Wan?"

"I'm here, Anakin," the young woman said, and Traelyn recognized her as Senator Padme Amidala. "Obi-Wan's all right, too."

She probed his mind, sensing other injuries. She motioned for Aidriac to put his hand on Anakin's chest.

"Open up your mind, Padawan, can you locate the source of his pain?" She asked.

"I can sense pain, Master, but he seems to be hurting all over."

"You're right, Aidriac. He has multiple contusions and fractures. It's as if he ran into a duracrete wall."

"Dooku hit him with Force lightning, and threw him up against that rock wall over there," Obi-Wan said. "Then he got up and starting fighting back, he saved my life. I don't know how he recovered so fast."

"Well, he didn't recover, he must have been acting on instinct, with a Force boost," she replied. Turning back towards Anakin, she asked, "Are you hurt, Senator?" Padme twisted and showed Traelyn her back. Deep cuts filled with sand and dirt. "It doesn't hurt now," she said.

"You should come back to the Medstar with us," she said. "Can you watch over Anakin for a few minutes?"

"Of course, I don't intend to leave him," Padme replied.

Traelyn went back to Obi-Wan's side. He was lying flat on the rock floor, still in pain despite the injection she'd given him. She reached for his temples, and began to send soothing touches of the Force into his mind.

"Traelyn," he said quietly. "How is Anakin?"

"He'll be all right, but we've got to get you both up to the Medstar." She examined his wounds more closely, and motioned for Aidriac. "Get a couple of Bacta patches ready, please."

He brought the patches to her, and she watched while he applied them to Obi-Wan's wounds.

"Are those lightsaber cuts?" He asked, astonished. "They're so deep, but they're not bleeding. The pain is terrible, isn't it?"

Obi-Wan nodded. "You're letting a Padawan work on me?" He asked with a wan smile.

"Hey," Traelyn said, "I don't tell you how to do battle..."

He looked at his injuries. "No, but perhaps you should..."

* * *

The lights in the medbays were turned down low. The beds were filled with injured Jedi, wrapped in various Bacta patches and sleeping in healing trances. Aidriac was monitoring Anakin, and practicing control over his empathy.

Padme Amidala approached Traelyn, speaking quietly. "If you have a moment, Master Zavall, could you take a look at my back? It's starting to hurt."

"Of course, Senator, come with me." She led the younger woman to an exam area. "How did you get these cuts? They look like animal scratches."

"They are," she replied. "A Nexu raked his claws over me. It hurt terribly, but then it turned kind of numb."

"There might be some nerve damage," Traelyn said. "Bacta will take care of it, but those need to be cleaned out. Are you up for a warm shower? It would be less painful then if I have to wash them."

"I'd love a shower!" Padme sighed.

"Jennaea!" Traelyn called for the nurse. "This is Senator Amidala. Please take her to the showers and find her a gown and robe to wear. Wait until she's finished and then bring her back here."

She turned back to Padme. "Let the water run over your back for at least five minutes, then let Jennaea check your wounds to be sure they're clean. When you get back, we'll patch them up with Bacta and a bandage."

As Jennaea led Padme away, Traelyn felt a familiar presence flicker into the Force. Obi-Wan was awake.

"You're even more bossy than you were before you became a Master," he said as she pulled the curtain back and entered his cubicle.

"Eavesdropping?" She asked, as she pulled back the Bacta patch on his arm and examined his wound. She uncovered his leg and did the same. He winced. She applied some fresh Bacta, and replaced the bandage.

She gave him another injection of painkiller and then sat down in a chair beside his bed. Taking his hand in hers, she smoothed back his hair with a tender touch, and he smiled a little. "It was terrible today, wasn't it?" She asked.

He grew serious. "I would say that you can't imagine it, but I know how you feel things."

"It's not the same as living through it," she reminded him. "But all the way through hyperspace I sensed a great deal of pain and death. This battle was unexpected; I don't think any of us are prepared for the aftermath. And the Force has darkened considerably. I have a bad feeling about the future."

A stab of grief ran through his mind. "How many?" He asked.

She squeezed his hand and said, "You should be in a trance, you know."

"Tell me, Traelyn. How many Jedi died today?"

"I don't know, Obi-Wan, a lot. Over a hundred," she said, while sending soothing Force caresses his way. He closed his eyes against the feelings of despair.

Traelyn put her fingers on his temples, to sooth him back into a healing trance, but he pulled her hand away. "Not yet, stay here for a while?"

"All right, but you need to rest soon. You've had a busy day." Quietly, she sent tendrils of the Force into his mind, soothing his grief and pushing him towards sleep.

"Considering that I started it off chained to a pillar awaiting execution, it could have been worse," he said drowsily. "Dooku had me dead twice. Anakin saved me from his blade and Master Yoda from... something else..." he murmured. He looked over at her. "Stop fiddling with my mind," he said.

"All right, back to sleep for you," she said firmly. She reached for his forehead and gently soothed him into sleep.

"Bossy," he said, as he drifted off.

* * *

After tending to Padme, Traelyn checked on Anakin. He was deep in a healing trance, and Aidriac was nodding off in the chair beside his bed.

"Aidriac!" She said, "Go to bed. You've done enough for one day."

He rose, sleepy eyed, and mumbled as he left to find his quarters. Padme appeared, and sat down in the vacated chair. "May I sit with him?"

"Of course, if you like. But he won't wake up until we get to Coruscant. We can find you a bed for the night if you want to sleep."

"No, thank you, I'd rather stay with Anakin," the Senator said firmly.

"As you wish," Traelyn replied. "I'll be around if you need me."

* * *

Traelyn settled herself into Obi-Wan's bedside chair, resting her head on the bed beside him. "Traelyn?" He said as he stirred around.

"Shhhh, you should be sleeping," she whispered.

"Am I allowed to get up?"

"You need the refresher? Let's see if you can stand on that injured leg." She stood up and pulled him to his feet, supporting his left side as he tentatively touched his foot down.

"It's good, I can walk on it," he said, but she assisted him out of his cubicle anyway. "Traelyn, please!"

"All right, you're on your own."

When he returned, she helped settle him back into bed, almost as if he were a small child. She checked his bandages, and covered him with a light blanket.

"I hate being the helpless one," he said with a shake of his head. "You shouldn't have to take care of me."

"It's my job, Obi-Wan. Wouldn't you jump in to fight for me if I needed you?"

"Of course. Good point," he said with a sigh. "I guess I just don't like needing help."

"Do you remember when we were little, and I used to cry every time one of our friends was injured, or had their feelings hurt? Who used to comfort me? And who hid me from Master Yoda when I had that temper tantrum when I was 7?"

"Ah, well, that was me," he said. "Are you saying that you owe me?"

"No, I'm saying we're not younglings anymore, we have jobs to do. Mine is taking care of the sick and injured. Yours is being protective."

They were silent for several minutes, and Obi-Wan sighed. "Where is Anakin?"

"I have him in a deep trance; he should sleep all the way home. Master Jeran will see to his arm when we get to the Temple. The Senator is sitting with him. There's something going on there, you know."

"He's infatuated with her," Obi-Wan replied. "He as much as admitted it to me."

"I think there's more to it than that, she's in love with him."

"I don't think that's possible," he replied. "He's much younger than her, and they have nothing in common. I don't think there's anything to worry about."

"Well, be mindful of it, Obi-Wan. She's not a Jedi, it could lead to disaster for Anakin." She wasn't sure he heard as he drifted off to sleep again. She sighed and put her head down again. We'll all be a long time getting over this day, she thought sleepily.

"It will be all right," Obi-Wan murmured as he put his hand on her head.

And so they slept their way back to Coruscant, unaware that for the Jedi, things would never be all right again.