A Padawan You Already Have
by ardavenport
The Zabrak Sith was not tiring.
Almost too late, Qui-Gon Jinn saw what the Sith was doing. The Jedi leaped backward, just before the laser doors closed again and Obi-Wan caught up with him. The Sith snarled, leaping after him, but his red lightsaber blade bounced off the barrier with a wicked snap. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan deactivated their lightsabers, but the Sith didn't bother. The being in black paced back and forth. He was nearly all black and red. Black tunics; blood-red skin, black tattoos and horns. His unnaturally yellow eyes glared at his prey, denied him by the energy field that separated them.
The Sith was strong with the Force. The dark side of the Force. Qui-Gon's fleeting confrontation on Tatooine was merely a taste of this colossal battle. They could lose; they could both be killed. Qui-Gon closed his eyes and drew the strength and the light of the Force to him. He needed to be strong; he needed to be more powerful than he had ever been. They could not fail.
Next to him, Obi-Wan did the same, though his Padawan still lacked discipline, his emotions barely in check. Both Jedi were very strong with the Force.
Yet, it did not feel like it was enough.
Qui-Gon had been driving the Sith champion back, always close, but not achieving the killing blow. Now he knew that the Sith had been baiting him, trying to separate the two Jedi, to make them easier to kill.
Master and Padawan activated their lightsabers at the same time, fiery green and blue. The laser doors opened. They attacked together, yet again trying to force the Sith into leaving one side open, but he anticipated them, again, defended both sides and attacked.
A black, booted heel connected with Qui-Gon's jaw. He absorbed the blow through the Force, but was still thrown back onto the floor of the core chamber. He rolled and returned to his feet.
Obi-Wan attacked, with blow after blow forcing the Sith back, but the Zabrak parried and blocked. A strong blow from Obi-Wan's saber separated the Sith's double-bladed staff with a resounding boom, finally depriving the Sith of the double bladed weapon.
Qui-Gon ran and leapt high in the air, over Obi-Wan and their momentarily unarmed opponent. He landed, crouched, spun and attacked.
Again, the Sith spun, scooping up one, red, blazing saber from the two halves of the staff. He blocked both of them with vicious slashes. Qui-Gon sensed their momentary advantage slipping away like water. Fighting next to him, he knew that his Padawan sensed it as well.
Together, they drove the Sith back toward the pit of the energy core of the Palace. It was a vain hope that the Sith would simply fall in. He spun, a whirl of black that landed a hard kick to Obi-Wan's chest. He went flying with a grunt, but managed not to fall into the pit himself.
Qui-Gon kept up the attack with blow after blow, all the might of the Force drove each one, and yet it was like hitting the laser doors. Nothing seemed to work. It was like striking out at a mirror.
The Sith was not tiring. He was enjoying himself.
He spun away from them and the Jedi now attacked together, side by side.
Then Obi-Wan slashed down with his blue saber and the Sith neatly sidestepped it. Obi-Wan spun his saber up for another blow, but he was still leaning forward, vulnerable.
Qui-Gon took a step to the side, instead of blocking the Sith's blade. When the Sith's saber was halfway though its swing, Qui-Gon slashed high, his bright green saber severing the Sith's head from his body.
It flew to the side, hit the wall, bounced and rolled on the floor, the Sith's yellow eyes frozen in a a wide-eyed stare of surprise. The black-clad body toppled and fell nearly on top of Obi-Wan's boots.
Qui-Gon stared down at the carnage at his feet. He momentarily closed his eyes, drawing the Force to him, quashing any regret or grief with his many years of Jedi discipline.
Obi-Wan was a Jedi; he would understand.
Dismemberment was rarely instantaneously fatal, except when separating the head from the body as Qui-Gon had done. Obi-Wan was still alive, barely. Qui-Gon did not go to him, though could not keep back all the sadness he felt for Obi-Wan, his body cut in half by the blow that his Master had deliberately failed to block.
The Sith had gotten used to them defending each other. When Qui-Gon had unexpectedly left an opening for a sure kill, the evil being could not resist taking it, giving Qui-Gon the opening he needed for his own kill.
Obi-Wan's fingers twitched; he still tried to live, even though the struggle was hopeless. He was beyond seeing anything. His life essence slipped away into the Force. The bond between him and his Master dissolved. Qui-Gon Jinn lowered his head. It had been a noble death; the death of a Jedi. He would cremate his Padawan's remains.
And then he would train another.
The Jedi Council had refused to allow him to train the very young, and powerful Anakin Skywalker, partly because he already had a Padawan. Now, they did not have that excuse. Qui-Gon silently vowed to defeat their other objections. He would crush them.
Anakin Skywalker was the Chosen One. This emergence of the Sith proved that the Jedi were in need of such a champion to defeat this new and terrible evil, a Jedi more powerful than any Jedi had ever been before. And Qui-Gon would be his Master.
I will train him, Qui-Gon vowed. I will train him to be a Jedi.
– END –
(This story was first posted on tf.n: 4-Oct-2007)
Disclaimer: All characters and situations belong to George and Lucasfilm; I'm just playing in their sandbox.