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Chapter 1

Goodbye

He walked briskly, his steps echoing in the silence of the early morning. Though stoically calm on the outside, his inner thoughts were anything but. As he turned a corner, a bright ray of sunlight hit him full in the face. Immediately a frown appeared on his face. What right did the sun have to be shining on such a day as this?

As he walked on, the halls slowly began to fill as Master's and Padawan's alike rushed about eagerly starting their day. However, Qui-Gon Jinn wanted nothing more than ignore the happy excitement that buzzed through the air as they moved about, for today was…

He stopped.

The healer's ward.

Though he had arrived at his destination, he couldn't bring himself to move. Obi-Wan was mere feet away from him, but the thought of what the healers had told him kept him frozen in place.

"Qui-Gon, you better come here quick. It doesn't look like he'll hold on much longer…"

Yoda always knew when death was visiting the temple. He hadn't slept the previous night at all because of its presence. As a result, just like the many times before, he had spent the night thinking about death's host. This time, it was only a padawan, just 15 years old. Truth be told, this padawan had a special place in his heart. From the time this boy had entered the Temple, Yoda knew he had quite the future ahead of him. As such, he had kept a close watch on the boy's progress throughout the years and in the process had become quite fond of him.

It was not only was his love for the boy that had kept him up for the past night though, but also a confusion he held. He had been so sure that the boy had a long future ahead of him; that he was going to be a central figure in the events of the future, not dead at 15. This more than anything else unsettled him, for in the past his feelings had never lead him astray.

The only answer he was able to get in his meditations was to trust in the force as he had always done.

Sighing at the thought Yoda picked himself up from off the floor and grabbed his cane. Death was knocking and soon, though he hated to admit it, Obi-Wan might just answer…

In the minutes that had passed since his arrival in the healer's ward, Qui-Gon had finally managed to make it to Obi-Wan's door, but no further. Upon reaching his current position, he had barely raised his hand to open the door, before hearing someone on the other side let out a huge sob. He had then promptly dropped his hand and froze.

"Obi-Wan, Why?" a small salmon colored girl whispered, tears running down her face. While there was a sadness to her plea, there also was hurt and anger.

"How could you do this to me?!" she burst out. "I want answers!" She abruptly fell face first onto Obi-Wan's bed clutching his blankets as if they were her lifeline. "Don't do this Obi-Wan," She sobbed. "Come back," she pleaded, "Please come back."

"Bant—" A boy behind her placed a hand o her shoulder, but she angrily shrugged it off.

"He has no right to take the easy way out" she said fiercely, standing up and looking up into the eyes of her friend. "You heard what Qui-Gon said. He said Obi-Wan asked him to kill him."

Garen shook his head and looked to Reeft.

In the small room, the three of them had gathered to say their final goodbyes.

"We've known him for almost all of our lives Bant, he wouldn't have acted that way without a reason" Reeft said. "Give him a chance."

"Jedi don't commit suicide," she said point blank.

Garen sighed, "But they do make sacrifices."

"So this is for the greater good?!" she said furiously. "Attack your friends, turn to the dark side, and take the easy way out?!" she turned to leave but Reeft grabbed her hand and forced her to turn back.

"I trust Obi-Wan" he said softly. "Do you?"

She paused for a moment, glancing at Obi-Wan's prone form, before wrenching her hand out of Reeft's grasp.

"I don't think I do" she said. Turning away quickly, she left the room.

"Plan on standing there forever, do you?"

Qui-Gon shook himself out of his stupor.

"Master Yoda," he politely nodded.

"Time this is not for pleasant talk. Have an apprentice at death's door, we do," Yoda motioned toward the door.

Before they could open the door themselves, the door was thrown open.

It was Bant.

Politely nodding to the master's, she tried and failed to hide the tears she had been crying. Stepping around them, she hurriedly disappeared from their sight.

Within the room the two Jedi Masters found two more young padawans looking sorrowfully at Obi-Wan. Seeing that they had company, the two padawans immediately made to apologize and take their leave, but Yoda silenced them with a nod.

For the next few minutes nothing but the soft pinging and whirring of the machines could be heard as everyone paid their silent respects to the boy who they all had grown to love.

Silently the two Padawan's took their leave.

All was quiet for a few seconds.

"Wrong this is, dead he is not supposed to be," Yoda said. "Find out what happened to Padawan Kenobi, you will."

"Of course" Qui-Gon said nodding. He was deep in thought. Truth be told, he felt he had played a major role in bringing the boy to his death bed, but now was not the time to dwell on such thoughts.

It was at that moment that everything changed. The flat line on the monitor screen brought to life the two Jedi's fears.

"Move! Move!" Immediately healers rushed into the room to resuscitate the boy, pushing the two onlookers to the edge of the room as they watched the frantic efforts of the healers.

Minutes passed and yet the flat line on the monitor never changed. Shaking their heads, the healers stopped their efforts. The time of death was announced before they all left the room dejectedly. Yoda followed soon after sensing Qui-Gon's need to be alone.

In the resulting emptiness and quiet, Qui-Gon moved forward and took Obi-Wan's hand in his own. It was still warm.

As Qui-Gon stared down as Obi-Wan, memories of another time ran through his mind. A time when Obi-Wan was still Obi-Wan, before the force had thrown this major curve into his path.

Memories of his happy smiling face returning after a successful day of classes; the look of satisfaction on the boy's face at the end of a long mission; the intense determination he displayed when the two dueled for fun: The last day he saw Obi-Wan...

"Please don't go Master," he had pleaded.

Qui-Gon paused.

"Its my duty-"

"But you can bend the rules-"

"Not this time-"

Obi-Wan looked down.

"Stay…for me."

Qui-Gon's response had been quick.

"I can't, I'll be back before you know it."

The crestfallen look on Obi-Wan face as Qui-Gon said those words would haunt him forever.

"Goodbye, Obi-Wan."

Goodbye indeed, Qui-Gon bitterly thought.

The door opened and closed quietly. Qui-Gon didn't look to see who had entered. He knew already.

A hand was placed on his shoulder. No words needed to be spoken.

It had only been an hour, but the news of Obi-Wan's death spread like wildfire around the temple.

"What now?" A feminine voice asked.

"I find out the truth Tahl," He said simply.

Tahl looked one more time at Obi-Wan and then grabbed Qui-Gon's arm.

"Let's go."

"I can't," Qui-Gon said resisting.

"He's dead Qui-Gon," Tahl said, "Let the healers do their job. You have to move on. You staying here isn't going to make any difference."

Qui-Gon looked at the floor.

"It's been 6 months Tahl…six months since this whole thing started," He paused. "I always hoped he would come back, but not like this…He was a good padawan...but I don't know what to think after everything that has happened."

"Qui-Gon, you can't beat yourself up over this," she squeezed his hand "Find out the truth, and set yourself free. You've been a slave to the what if's for the past six months."

Qui-Gon nodded.

"I'm just afraid of what I'll find out" he said quietly as he gently broke away from Tahl and left the room.

"Knew I did, that come here, you would."

Qui-Gon had found his way to the room of a thousand fountains, seeking the calming feeling of the living force. Listlessly he had let his feet take him where ever they would. Now he was standing in front a certain Jedi Master.

"Conflicted you are," Yoda wisely said, "Afraid that the truth will confirm your fears."

Qui-Gon sat himself down on the grass.

"There were moments when he was...normal...I would say," Qui-Gon said, "Then he...I don't know how to explain it, it was like he was two different people."

He looked to Yoda.

"What if we were wrong about him?" he asked.

"Hope there is to clear his name," Yoda said. "Hurt you Obi-Wan has, and hurt Obi-Wan you have, the best you can do is, the truth find. Only then can you be at peace."

Qui-Gon could only nod as Yoda slowly walked away from him.

SIX MONTHS BEFORE

Where was everyone?

His heart was beating a million miles a minute as he ran through the halls of the Jedi Temple. Frantically he looked behind him, fear in his eyes.

Where was Qui-Gon?

Hearing footsteps behind him, Obi-Wan pushed himself to go faster. At the end of the hall he saw the lift tube. Rushing up to it, he pushed the button repeatedly, anxiously waiting for it to open. However, it was not to be.

Suddenly the lights went out, leaving the hall completely dark. Though afraid to do so, Obi-Wan turned around. Nothing was there. Then…

Before he could even register the sound, he felt a sharp pain in his neck, then nothing at all as he dropped to the ground unconscious.

Obi-Wan groaned as he opened his eyes to find that he was still in his bed, in his room, and it wasn't even morning. Sitting up, he casually waved his hand in the direction if the light switch and turned on the light.

Suddenly he couldn't stand to be in the dark.

Sighing, he reached over to his night stand, opened a drawer, and pulled a small notebook and pen out. Though not many used pens and paper anymore, preferring to use data pads and the like, Obi-Wan found that he rather liked writing things out when it came to his personal thoughts.

Opening the book, he flipped through, finding an empty page about midway through, and began to write down his dream. This practice had become a sort of ritual ever since he had started having these dreams a few months ago. At first, he had thought that they were just fears he had about being on a mission, as he and his Master had been on one at the time. But as time passed and they returned to the temple, the dreams continued. Fearing that these were premonitions of the future, Obi-Wan had begun writing them down, so that in the event of their possible fulfillment, someone else could decipher them and…do whatever they could to help.

Obi-Wan sighed. It had sounded just as impossible then as it did now. What were the chances of him, a padawan, with no extraordinary ability (as he thought of himself), being a seer?

Shaking his head, he closed the book, and put it back in his night stand. Lying back down, he stared forlornly at the ceiling. He was scared. And he felt alone. He dare not tell Qui-Gon about these dreams. Though he trusted him with his life, it meant the world to Obi-Wan what Qui-Gon thought of him. And that was what kept him from revealing his worries.

He had gone down this road before, only to be told that he was simply focusing on his anxieties. How could he be sure that he wasn't doing that now?

Frustrated, he turned on his side. Try as he might to make himself believe that, he just knew that that just wasn't the case this time. The only comfort he could find in this situation was an old saying that Yoda had once said,

The future is never fixed, but fluid…

Qui-Gon sighed. The sunlight shined through the windows as he passed them on his way to his quarters. He had just come from the council rooms. In his hand he held a datapad. Listlessly he punched in the code to open the door into his and Obi-Wan's quarters.

Sitting on the couch, being the obedient padawan, Obi-Wan was determinedly reading a book that Qui-Gon had assigned him to read during their time off.

As Obi-Wan looked up, he caught sight of the datapad in his master's hand.

"Another mission already, Master?" Though he said it as if going on a mission was the last thing he wanted to do, there was a light in his eyes that told Qui-Gon otherwise.

"Yes," Qui-Gon said simply.

"Well?" he could tell that Obi-Wan knew something was up. He normally jumped right into the details when they got a mission.

Qui-Gon took a seat.

"It's a solo mission."

From the look in his eyes, he knew that Obi-Wan understood now.

"It's for you isn't it?" he said crest fallen.

"Don't look so sad," Qui-Gon said trying to inject some humor into the serious conversation, "It doesn't become you."

Ignoring the effort at humor Obi-Wan pushed forward.

"Where are you going?" Obi-Wan said.

Qui-Gon sighed. Leave to his padawan to not even question if he would go.

"The other side of Coruscant" Qui-Gon replied. "It should be a simple peace negotiation between two warring tribes from an outer rim planet."

Obi-Wan narrowed his eyes.

"If it's so simple, then why can't I come?"

It was a reasonable question.

"I was specifically requested," Qui-Gon replied. "Alone."

"Doesn't that sound a bit suspicious?" Obi-Wan asked.

Qui-Gon tilted his head in annoyance. Conspiracy theories aside, Obi-Wan was teetering along the line between being simply cautious and overly paranoid.

"It perfectly normal in their culture for people not of age to not be present at official meetings," Qui-Gon offered.

At this Obi-Wan objected.

"But I'm not like other people my age!"

"Those are their rules and we must follow them," Qui-Gon said surprised at his padawan's increasing stubbornness over his going on this mission alone. "Obi-Wan what's the matter?!"

"When do you leave?" Obi-Wan said standing up.

"In two weeks," Qui-Gon said, looking up at his padawan. "You still haven't answered my question."

"I had a vision."

Qui-Gon barely had the chance to take a deep breath before Obi-Wan left the apartment quietly without another word.

PRESENT

Qui-Gon was standing in front of a very large window with a perfect view of the Coruscant skyline. Life still went on out there, but for Qui-Gon, the moment Obi-Wan's heart had stopped beating, his life halted to an abrupt stop. After Xanatos' betrayal he had promised himself he would never let himself care about someone as much as he had cared for Xanatos. But somehow, when Obi-Wan had come into his life, though he had fought as hard as he could against it, he had allowed himself to care for the boy to a level he had not known he was capable of. Now that Obi-Wan was gone, so was a huge part of him.

Were it not for the need to find out the truth behind Obi-Wan's death, he wouldn't know what to do with himself. Even now, he only had an extremely vague idea on what his next step would be.

He was leaving.