The Dancing Guard of Mandalore
Obi gets sick: Part One
@worm-strung-string had a cute idea while sick. turning it into a piece that may or may not enter into the actual story. but was fun.
“What happened?”
“I don’t know! He just collapsed!”
“He can’t just have collapsed. Something must have happened.”
The voices pierced the haze of consciousness that Obi-Wan clung to. He had been feeling a little off these last couple of weeks. Nothing that concerned him anyway. It was just strange to remain in a single place, following a single path of time, for so long.
He didn’t remember falling. He only knew someone had picked him up. Obi-Wan blinked a few times through watery vision. Clones. Ones Obi-Wan should know, but the names escaped him.
“I’m comming Kal’buir.”
“He’s in the middle of training the Commandos. He’s not going to be able to get here.”
“He’ll get here. Take Ben’ika back to Kal’buir’s apartment.”
“Prudii said he’s raiding medical.”
“For what?”
“Whatever he thinks will help.”
Keeping his eyes open was to much work. Obi-Wan knew he was moving, carried. The warmth of a familiar bed helped ease him to sleep.
****
When Kal barreled through the door of his Kamino apartment, the Nulls were staring bleakly at the open bedroom door. They looked just as lost as they had sounded on the commlink. Kal wound his way through the Nulls, gently patting their shoulders to reassure them. They had never been ill a day in their lives. How would they recognize it in others, much less treat it.
“The bacta isn’t working, Kal’buir,” Ordo said quietly.
“This bacta isn’t made to treat illness.” Kal reassured. “It can help though. Good thinking.” He’d educate them on the different bacta treatments later. They only needed the variety for battle wounds. The Kaminoans had made the Clones immune system much more robust than a normal human’s.
Kal gingerly lowered himself down onto the side of the bed, fearful of waking the Jedi. A handheld scanner rested on the nearby table, so Kal braved himself for what it would show him. He could already see the Jedi was pale and feverish. He pulled back the blankets to leave only a thin sheet. The Nulls had removed Ben’s armor and outer garments. The medical scanner only confirmed what he saw. There weren’t a lot of options for treatment at this stage.
“We just have to wait.” Kal sighed. These boys were so used to bacta and stimms solving almost every problem. Kal needed help and there weren’t a lot of people he could go to. “Mij? I need you to visit my apartment.”
“No pleasantries? A simple how are you?”
“Mij, it hasn’t even been an hour.”
“I’m already on the way, Kal. Had to get a few things. Can you determine what’s wrong?”
“Fever. Some sickness that battle grade bacta can’t fix.”
“Better than nothing I suppose.”
Prudii leaned over Kal’s shoulder to get his voice in line with the commlink. “Sargent Mij, I got stuff from the medbay. The scanner showed congestion in the lungs.”
“Ah, helpful, D’ika. Keep Ben’ika comfortable. We’re almost there.”
Kal scowled. “We? What do you mean ‘we?’” The commlink went silent. His apartment was about to get very crowded. “Do what Mij asks, boys. Can one of you get the shig brewed?” The Nulls moved, but Kal could only brush the damp auburn and white hair away from the Jedi’s eyes. Only leaving the bedside when Mij pushed him away, to do his examination.
Once Mij stepped away from the bedside, the wrinkly waste of flesh strill lightly nosed at the Jedi’s arm. It leapt onto the bed and flopped down beside the Jedi before Kal could get a word out. It’s slobbery jowls firmly on the Jedi’s chest.
“Walon, get that out of my rooms!” Kal glared at the man in dark black armor. “Never invited you anyway.”
Vau shrugged, pouring a cup of shig. “Mird is doing exactly what we are. Checking in on a sick friend. We’ll leave when its satisfied you are taking care of Ben.” He managed to ignore the glares from the Nulls.
They didn’t need a fight. Kal waved his boys down. They were clearly unhappy about it, but kept the peace while the Jedi was asleep. Kal muttered, “Ben already has a fever. He doesn’t need a beast smothering him.”
“Mird would never allow that to happen.”
The doctor stepped between Kal and Walon to prevent a fight. Mij did look severe, but not worried. “Ben’ika should be fine. It seems he has been running at such a high stress level that now that he had a chance to relax, his immune system couldn’t cope. It’s just a common cold. A bit of a fever. Some congestion. At this stage, there’s no inoculating him.”
“But how did he get sick?” Jaing asked. “I thought Kamino was a clean environment.”
Mij shrugged. “It probably was already in his system. Just waiting for a chance to strike. Keep doing what you’re doing. Sleep and fluids. He needs plenty of fluids. Shig, juice, water. Whatever he can keep down. D’ika grabbed a box of hydration packets, so you’re good there. Brilliant boys you have, Kal. Too bad none of them are interested in becoming a surgeon.”
The Nulls made various faces of disgust at the idea. Field medicine was one thing. Working in a lab like the Kaminoans was the last thing they wanted to do. Kal did not blame them. “Soldiers first, Mij’ika.”
“Right. Comm if anything changes. Walon, we need to get back to our training groups. So does Kal, but I can get Alpha-43 to cover.”
“Marlo? Good choice.” Kal sat back down on the side of the bed, ignoring the strill’s presence. “He’ll handle the new batches fine. The Alphas make good training Sargents.”
“They’d be better battlefield captains.” Vau frowned. He stood and signaled for Mird to join him. “Stay too long and you’ll have Jango to answer too.”
“I can handle Jango, Walon.” Kal grimaced as Mird licked the Jedi’s face before bounding back to its master. Kom’rk handed Kal a basin of cold water and a cloth. His boys were brilliant. Gently wiping the Jedi’s face, Kal pushed down the memories of doing the same for his biological children while their mother fussed over the medicines and bottles. “It’s going to be a long few days. We can only hope Ben’ika cooperates once he starts feeling better.”
****
Ordo halted at the bedroom door on witnessing a fantastic display of strength from a man who was sick. Ben looked miserable. Red blotchy face and damp hair and constant sniffling. He kept pushing Kal away and trying to pull the blankets over his head. Kal kept trying to pull the blankets off. “No, I can’t sedate you! You need to be awake to drink something.”
“Then leave…. Me.. alone…..” Ben sniffled, his voice muted under his arms.
“You’re a grown ass man! This shouldn’t be that difficult.”
“You be sick then.”
“I have been. And I was not nearly as ornery as you.”
Ben sneezed and groaned, sinking deeper into the bed. “Should I ask Walon… for the truth…. Or Jaster.”
“Just drink something.”
“I don’t want it.”
“What do you want.”
“Sleep!”
“You just woke up, Ben’ika. You asked for water.” Kal said exhausted of the argument.
“I hurt. I’m tired. Just leave me alone.” Ben grumbled weakly. The fight trying to hold on, but the burst of energy fading fast.
Sighing heavily, Kal reached over to gently brush the damp hair away from Ben’s eyes. “I promise you, Ben’ika, you’ll feel better after drinking something. Getting cleaned up and letting me change the sheets.”
Ordo rolled his eyes and turned away to let the two be. Clearly Kal’buir didn’t need help.
“Go away, Kal. I’m fine.”
“You’re miserable.”
“Ugh… Fine. I’m banishing you.”
“What are you? Five?”
“I’m banishing you with my mind.”
“Rude.”
A cup clattered to the floor. Ordo turned to see what happened. Ben was curled around his head, groaning after a painful sneeze. But Kal wasn’t there. Ordo’s eyes darted to every corner of the bedroom. The cup rolled through a small puddle of water, but the man who had held it was gone. There were no other exits. That couldn’t be possible. “Kal?” Ordo stepped into the room. His eyes locked onto the man in Kal’s bed. The one Kal had never used until that man had showed up. “What happened to Kal?”
“Huh?” Ben looked up, misery painted across his face.
“Kal. Where is he?”
Ben blinked confused. “He was just here.”
Ordo turned around and walked out. Kal had called Ben a Jedi. That Jedi just did something to Kal. This was beyond what Ordo understood. He activated his commlink to everyone that needed to know. “This is Ordo. Kal’s gone. Ben did something and now Kal is not here.”
Master Post. Continues in Part 2
