Saga Innocence Lost...Mash Quotation Challenge Response...Anakin/Obi-Wan

Title: Innocence Lost
Author: Kelia
Characters: Anakin, Obi-Wan, OC
Genre: Angst
Timeframe: At the beginning of the Clone Wars
A/N: This is my response to the Mash Quotation Challenge I chose #4 and received:

Henry: ?Look all I know is what they taught me at command school. There are certain rules about war. Rule number one is young men die. And rule number two is doctors can't change rule number one.?



Anakin shifted in his seat as he glanced around hull filled with clone troopers, busily checking and re-checking their weapons and supplies. After weeks of boring classroom training at the Temple, he was finally on his way to a real battle. Not that he didn?t appreciate all the preparation the Jedi required him to experience, he just believed he was prepared for action long before now and he was more than ready to travel to the front lines.

?Stop fidgeting,? Obi-Wan gently admonished, resting a firm hand on Anakin?s squirming knee.

?Sorry, Master,? Anakin sighed, ?I just?,? he paused. ?I?m....just glad to finally be seeing some real action.?

Obi-Wan turned to face him, concern lining his normally placid face. ?Just remember, Anakin, the battlefield we are going to isn?t a game. Real people will be hurt and,? he paused, his eyes filling with sorrow, ?killed.?

?I know, Master, but we?re trained for whatever we?ll have to face and the sooner we crush the Separatists, the sooner the war will be over and no one else will get hurt.?

?I wish it were that easy,? Obi-Wan sighed.

?What do you mean?? Anakin asked, frowning. ?Of course it?s that?s easy.?

?I mean, sometimes the scars of war are worse than the battles,? Obi-Wan replied in a somber tone.

?That?s why we need to end it quickly,? Anakin answered with a shrug. ?Then we?ll spare millions that pain.?

Obi-Wan gazed at him silently for a moment before shaking his head and turning away. ?Either way,? he breathed, ?your time would be better spent meditating on the seriousness of what we are about to face instead of daydreaming about glorious victories you haven?t accomplished.?

Anakin groaned.

?Anakin.? Obi-Wan faced him once more. ?This is your first experience with any kind of hand to hand combat. It won?t be as easy or quick as you think it will be.?

Anakin was silent for a moment.

?What will it be like?? he softly asked.

?I don?t know,? Obi-Wan admitted. ?I?ve never seen this kind of battle up close before either but I do know whatever happens will change the both of us,? he paused, ?whether for the better or worse, we?ll find out later.?

?I can?t imagine it will be all that bad,? Anakin said with a sheepish grin. ?We are going to win, after all.?

?Winning won?t erase the effects our actions will leave on us,? Obi-Wan warned.

?I know,? Anakin conceded. ?But who says the effects have to be bad? I think if we go in, destroy the Separatists quickly and get out, we?ll be fine.?

?And what about the civilians who will be impacted?? Obi-Wan pointed out. ?You do realize once the battle is over, we?ll be leaving regardless of the destruction we?ve caused.?

Anakin?s brows furrowed together as he pondered his Master?s words. ?I?m sure the Republic will send help,? he finally replied in a soft tone.

?There won?t enough supplies in the Galaxy to send relief to every area that will need it,? Obi-Wan pointed out. ?Anakin, it takes years for civilizations to recover from the aftermath of war.?

?That?s why we need to end it, Master, and the sooner, the better.?

Obi-Wan gazed at him silently for a few minutes.

?That I can agree with you on,? he finally murmured. ?And I still want you to spend the rest of the trip meditating.?

A low moan escaped Anakin?s lips.

?You?ll thank me later,? Obi-Wan whispered, as Anakin closed his eyes and began running through his relaxation techniques.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Anakin pulled his lightsaber from the battle droid?s midsection, eu

 

for the child. And for Anaking a tough lesson. But will he learn from it?

Superb use of the quote and challenge.

Bravo

 

Obi-Wan gazed at him silently for a moment before shaking his head and turning away. ?Either way,? he breathed, ?your time would be better spent meditating on the seriousness of what we are about to face instead of daydreaming about glorious victories you haven?t accomplished.?

So very wise, Obi-Wan.

Kelia - fantastic job and you worked the quote in beautifully. Absolute perfection!

War is not for the squeamish, is it - and yet, if one loses the squeamishness, has one lost a part of one's humanity in the process? Obi-wan realizes that; will Anakin learn that?

 

Wow! Loved it!

?How is -,?

?I?m sorry.?

Anakin froze as the doctor placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

?You mean he?he?s?,?

?Not yet,? he whispered in a reverent tone. ?But it won?t be long.?

?Then do something for him!? Anakin grabbed the young Fallen by the collar.

?I?m afraid all we can do is make him comfortable. The wound is fatal.?

?That?s impossible,? Anakin breathed, ?he?s just a child.?

?Look,? the doctor sighed, ?all I know is what they taught me at command school. There are certain rules about war. Rule number one is young men die. And rule number two is doctors can't change rule number one.?

Anakin staggered backwards as if he?d been struck.

?Would you like to see him? He?s still unconscious and will likely stay that way but you are welcome -,?

?No,? Anakin shook his head as tears filled his eyes. While he couldn?t bear being there when the end came for the innocent little boy, he knew he would always be haunted by the image of the his broken body lying in the blood stained grass and the naive enthusiasm the child had for war that once matched his own.

Sadly, how true.

 

Poweful piece. A very important lesson for Anakin indeed. I sure hope he will learn from it. Fantastic job!

 

Fantastic challenge response and very well written. A round of headed your way.

 

Indeed, very good. Eight thumbs up!

Could be inserted into a larger war fic.

 

Wow! That was fantastic!

So sad...

 

That was so sad, but a great response to the challenge! It seems just like Anakin to not understand the consequences reaped by war.

 

That was fantastic, Kelia.

 

Awesome job!!
So sad that the boy had to die...Anakin should have learned a lesson from that.
Great response to the challenge.