Occasionally, Obi Wan would be asked by some curious sentient if he wished he could see. The Jedi would smile and, with a slight shake of the head, say there was no use in wishing for what could never happen. The Force had willed him to be born blind, and he accepted that.

The answer, though honest, was not entirely accurate. He accepted his blindness, but there were times when he desired to know just what it was about a sunrise that caused his master to wake up inhumanely early to watch it. He knew that he was missing something, when the other passengers aboard the ship on which he was travelling gasped in delight as they approached Bellazura, a planet renown for its beauty. And when he attended a sleepover with Garen and Reeft, all those years ago, he wished he could have watched that holofilm without needing Garen to describe the scenes to him in hushed whispers, so as not to disturb the other padawans.

There was one circumstance in which Obi Wan had never longed for visual sight. That was lightsaber combat. He was always at the top of his class in this subject. It was in the dance of blades that he benefited most from the absolute dependence on the Force that his blindness necessitated.

Thus, Obi Wan was battling confidently against this mysterious dark warrior they encountered. He and his Master were on either side of the being, manuevering with their usual seamless teamwork. Their opponent had a resonating Dark Side presence, and there was no question in Obi Wan's mind that he was a Sith.

As deeply attuned with the Force as he was, Obi Wan was able to dodge a kick that would have sent him careening off the narrow catwalk. The thought of what may have happened if he had plummeted off the edge rattled him briefly, but only briefly, for he had to focus on this battle. Together, he and his Master forced the dark warrior further and further down the walkway. Or was the dark being actually leading them?

"Obi Wan, withdraw." Qui Gon commanded abruptly.

Every fiber of his being protested, but the padwan was incapable of disobeying this particular order. It had been deeply ingrained into his training from the earliest years of his apprenticeship. Should his master see an unexpected element that Obi Wan could not, due to his blindness- an element Qui Gon knew the padawan would be unable to sense immediately otherwise- his master would give the one word order: withdraw.

"Withdraw" was not an order Qui Gon ever employed lightly. Obi Wan's noncompliance would almost certainly cost him his life. Thus, he retreated a few meters back on the narrow catwalk, enough to distance himself as he tried to discern just what his master was warning him about. Qui Gon was currently too fiercely occupied to elaborate any further.

It was frustrating to stand by when all he wanted was to be there to help his master. The open catwalk lead directly into a hallway, and the two combatants were making their way toward it. He could hear their lightsabers clashing, but listened past it and became aware of a barely audible hum. It was the hum of something electronic. Perhaps this was the danger?

Then he heard something interesting. There was a series of clicks throughout the hallway. His master and the Sith were now moving down this hall, still fiercely battling. But Obi Wan could not join them until he knew what the click was and why it was a hazard.

Now that he had an inclination of what to look for, Obi Wan paid attention to the slight ripples of the Force that indicated the flowing of electricity. Most often, this electrical flow meant that lights were on, and there were many lights in the area. But there had to be something more to this particular energy flux.

The clicks were silent now, even the humming had ceased, and the fight was still moving down the hall. When the clicks restarted, Obi Wan paid careful consideration to the exact location of the source of the sounds. There was some kind of electronic conduit set up every few feet into the hallway. They were activating and deactivating in cycles.

The final conduit clicked, and the combat stopped abruptly. Obi Wan sensed that Qui Gon and the Sith were on either side of that conduit, meaning that the source of that click had separated them. Neither seemed inclined to breech this unknown barrier, judging from the fact that his master powered down his lightsaber, and the Sith made no move to attack him.

Now the puzzle fit.

Light was an entity that Obi Wan never could, and likely never would, learn to sense. It was immaterial and mysterious, not quite particles, and not quite waves. The electricity that elicited light, however, was perceptible. The mysterious, undiscernable obstacle between the two opponents must be highly concentrated light: a laser. These laser barriers are set up at equal intervals along the hall, and went through cycles of activity and rest.

And here was the danger from which Qui Gon had protected him. If Obi Wan had run into the laser barrier, it would have killed him instantly.

The padawan approached the first laser barrier. Now that he was aware of the threat, he was free to rejoin the battle. Up ahead, Qui Gon was meditating, building up his energy for the coming engagement. He sensed that his master was tiring, and this brought a heavy sense of regret that his disability had prevented him from being at his side, however briefly.

Obi Wan was so troubled by this thought, he nearly started when he felt his master emotions through their bond. The elder harbored no disappointment in him. Rather, he was pleased that his padawan had been sharp-witted enough to decipher the puzzle on his own in so short a time.

This made Obi Wan suspect that Qui Gon had purposely not identified the danger. Ever the teacher, he had handed the youth a test in the midst of battle.

Sensing the flow in electricity again, Obi Wan activated his lightsaber, impatient to join his master, as he waited for the laser barrier to deactivate. When it did, the apprentice raced to the larger area beyond, where the combat broiled.

His pulse quickened when he realized that the electric flow was active again, and he slid to a halt mere inches before the last laser barrier. The line between success and failure loomed invisibly before him. He could not sense it, but it was there just the same, separating him from Qui Gon more effectively than a thick durasteel wall. There was no option left but to wait.

Qui Gon was one of the best swordsman of the Order, but he was tiring. This youthful Sith seemed to have a limitless supply of energy. Clamping down on his restless impatience, Obi Wan focused on their every movement, and his breath caught when the Force sent a warning. The being pushed his lightsaber hilt into Qui Gon's face, disorienting the Jedi briefly. That moment was all the Sith needed to finish the duel.

"NOOO!" An anguished scream reverberated through the chamber as the Sith's lightsaber blade tore through his master's body. It took a moment for Obi Wan to realize the scream was his own. He could already feel his master's aura weakening in the Force as his life drained from him.

There was a soft thud as Qui Gon fell to his knees, a more muffled thud as his body dropped to the ground. The master's pain rang through their training bond and for a moment Obi Wan felt literally sick with fear. He was going to lose his master.

The Sith's triumph and satisfaction radiated like waves in the Force. The demon then turned its attention to Obi Wan, still trapped behind the shield. The young Jedi felt an unconscious twitch of muscle at the corner of his mouth as his jaw clenched tightly, rage building. Anger at the creature, for mortally wounding his master, was merely a shield from the anger at himself, for failing to be there to save him.

At that moment, tearing his focus from Qui Gon, the whole universe narrowed until there was only the Sith. Obi Wan's every sense was trained upon the creature. Nothing else existed. He would destroy the monster, make him pay for cutting down his master.

The Sith's posture was aggressive, confident, as he paced, waiting for the shield to open. Its breathing was heavy yet controlled.

With the deepness of his own concentration, Obi Wan could discern even the rough, sandy texture of its horns, the tiny hairline crack in one of them, the light sheen of sweat that ghosted its skin. Anger gave him a focus unlike he'd ever experienced before.

The wait could not have been more than a minute, but it felt like an eternity. Impatience had him bouncing slightly on the balls of his feet, body ready for the confrontation. The click of the changing cycle was all Obi Wan needed before he exploded in motion, attacking with a ferocity that momentarily startled his opponent.

He pressed his advantage, funneling his rage into aggression, reveling in this heady, empowering new experience of the Force. Seductive, intoxicating, it whispered compelling promises of the power to destroy his master's murderer.

These promises seemed forthcoming when he cleaved the demon's lightsaber in half, leaving only one active blade. He gained the upper hand, forcing it to retreat briefly. A hard kick landed on Obi Wan. Instead of knocking him over, the Jedi used the momentum to flip and land neatly before locking blades with the Sith.

So focused was he on driving the creature backward, that the Force push caught him completely unprepared. The lightsaber slipped from his grasp and he tumbled into the melting pit several feet before finding purchase on a jutting power node.

The fall startled him enough to realize what he'd done. Horrified at his touching the Dark Side, he only barely registered his own lightsaber falling past him into the core of the melting pit. It was all he could do to continue hanging on as he came to the sickening realization that he nearly betrayed everything he'd been taught. He almost disgraced his own master trying to avenge him.

After this alarming revelation, he took a deep breath, then released it, along with the tendrils of hatred that had him trapped just a few moments prior. With some coaxing, he was able to gather the Light Side of the Force to himself again. Wrapping it closely around him like a favorite robe, and looked to it for guidance.

Above him, the Sith scraped his blade along the pit's edge, showering burning sparks down on the Jedi.

With his anger released, Obi Wan realized he would still need to kill the being, not for revenge, but to protect Naboo. If the padawan failed here, the Queen was certainly the next target. The planet would be thrown into turmoil. The people of Naboo would suffer. Furthermore, he needed to survive this to warn the Counsel that the Sith have indeed reemerged, for there were always two. The consequences of his failure could have dire repercussions for the entire galaxy.

His goal, to kill the Sith, remained unchanged. But his motives were now adjusted appropriately. Such was the subtlety of the Dark Side, the ease with which it could be excused.

Now was not the time to meditate on what it meant to stay in the Light. As his Master was fond of reminding him, he needed to keep his focus on the here and now, so he turned his thoughts to the problem at hand.

His weapon was his life. And currently, his life was melting in the core of this pit. If he did not think of something, his body would shortly follow.

He stretched his senses in the Force and felt his master's saber above him and to his left. The Light Side gave him clarity as he prepared to leap up and claim it. With a great burst of energy, the padawan soared upward, propelled by the Force. At the same time he called his master's weapon to his hand, activating it the moment the cool corrugated handle touch his palm.

Before the Sith could react, Obi Wan flipped over and behind the Zabrak, then cleaved him in half with the blade. He paused briefly, listening to the body fall, and couldn't help but reflect that this was the end of a being who had become enslaved to the Dark. There was no satisfaction in his death, only sorrow for a life twisted and wasted; and understanding that, unless he was mindful, that could very well be him.

He spared only a few seconds on such reflections before he raced to his master's side and, with great gentleness, raised his head slightly off the ground and in his arms.

"It…It's too late, it's…" his master murmured.

"No!" Obi Wan uttered, denying even though he could feel the man's life fade as they spoke. To lose his master would be to lose a very essential part of himself.

"Obi Wan," the elder spoke softly, "promise…promise me you will train the boy."

The youth's heart sank. Anakin's fate was the furthest thing from his mind at this time. And besides that, how was a blind man to train a seeing boy with no prior instruction in the ways of the Force? He did not think he could do it.

But how could he deny his master's dying request?

"I will see to it that he is trained," Obi Wan finally answered, voice thick with sorrow. "I won't be able to teach him myself."

Qui Gon must have felt his fear and doubt, for the next moment he felt his master's calloused and alarmingly cold fingers brush against his cheek. Their training bond was open and unshielded now. Obi Wan could almost hear the mild rebuke in his master's thoughts, accompanied by a mental shake of the head. "Why so insecure, padawan mine?"

"It's difficult to be confident, when you're dying due to my incompetence."

A rush of emotions flowed from his master through their training bond: gentle reassurance, firm confidence in Obi Wan's abilities, even filial love. This last one nearly caused him to weep as he realized he was losing the only father he'd ever known.

"You have never been incompetent. This is the will of the Force." Then his Master gathered his strength for another audible remark.

"He is the chosen one," Qui Gon quietly asserted "He will bring balance." The request was once more on his lips, "Train him."

Obi Wan could only manage a nod, since his throat was constricted with grief, but it was vigorous enough to reassure his master of his intention to fulfill that request. Qui Gon seemed satisfied with this. His eyes drifted shut and his body went limp as his spirit rejoined the Force. The padawan clutched the body tighter, as though he could keep the man with him by the strength of his grip alone.

The aura of his master vanished and the training bond shattered abruptly, leaving Obi Wan with prone shape in his arms and a sharp pain in his head. Resting his forehead against that of his master, he rocked gently back and forth trying to stave off the pain, both spiritual and mental.

"There is no death, there is the Force." Obi Wan murmured the last tenet of the Code to himself as he held the form that was once his master. Still, there was pain.

How long he kneeled there, Obi Wan could not tell, but after that indeterminate length of time, the padawan realized he should be attending to the mission. He brushed away tears he had not noticed he'd shed. Orienting himself to this loss and dealing with his emotions would have to wait. He had a duty to attend to, a people to serve and protect.

Now that he probed the Force, he felt the triumphant feelings ringing from the Naboo. It would seem the queen's plan had worked, and they had won back their planet. He hesitated before deciding to leave the body there temporarily. His master was considerably taller than he, and difficult to carry. Obi Wan may need his hands free if there was still a fight to attend.

Walking back to the main hall of the planet, he encountered the ripples of other beings in the Force approaching. A moment's probing confirmed them to be the queen, the real one, with some of the security squad. Perhaps they had come to try to assist in the battle with the Sith, not knowing it was already over.

The group came upon him and stopped. Captain Panaka was first to speak. "The enemy, where is he?"

"Dead," the padawan intoned, because they may not understand what he meant if he said "one with the Force." It caused the young Jedi to shudder, to think of becoming one with the Dark Side itself.

Padme, spoke next, gently, "What's happened to Master Jinn?"

"He, too, is dead."

Those words were more difficult to utter, but he soothed himself with a speculation of the wonder it must be to join the Light.

At the moment he almost wished himself capable of sight. Perhaps he could better grasp the concept of being one with the Light Side, if he could see the entity from which it derived its name.