Chapter Eighty
Aalea lay in her bed in her quarters but, as she drifted off to sleep, instead of the darkness and silence which should have come with slumber, the Force matrix shimmered like a golden web within her mind. She tried to pull away from it, but was unable to. Her awareness was seized by it and thrust onto its latticework of light and energy.
Aalea's heart beat wildly in her chest. She had never heard of such a thing happening before. Any traverse of the matrix was always a conscious choice, but this was being done to her.
Her awareness streaked through the interstices of time and space and, as her consciousness sped along the matrix, she recognized the thread upon which she moved. It was the bond which connected her to Obi-Wan.
Soon, before she could take another breath, a blue jewel of a planet appeared before her, spinning in the blackness of space. Her awareness fell through its azure skies and sailed over its green plains and dark swamps until she saw before her a beautiful building set on the edge of a series of waterfalls. Like a stone her awareness fell, faster and faster, until she was inside a large starship hangar.
Mangled pieces of droids littered the floor of the hangar and among the debris stood three men. Two stood together, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, their lightsabers raised. The third, a figure dressed all in black with a hideously tattooed face, confronted them, a double-bladed lightsaber in his hand.
It was toward Obi-Wan that Aalea's awareness sped. She could sense he wasn't aware of her presence, but she could feel everything he was feeling; the quick thud of his heartbeat, the adrenaline surging through his body, the tightening and relaxing of his muscles as he prepared himself in the Jedi way for battle. She was both inside and outside him, feeling everything he felt, yet observing the whole thing as if she were watching a holovid.
Suddenly, Obi-Wan somersaulted over his opponent. His lightsaber hummed as he engaged the black-clad warrior. The dark warrior was agile and fast, blunting Obi-Wan's attack with a lethal ease. However, Obi-Wan exulted at his adversary's prowess and Aalea shared his thrill at finally facing an opponent worthy of his years of tutelage under Master Qui-Gon.
The dark warrior lunged at Qui-Gon, knocking him down. Qui-Gon rolled swiftly back up, his long hair streaming behind him as he pressed his attack against their adversary. Obi-Wan followed Qui-Gon's lead, master and apprentice working as one against the dark warrior.
With a sharp flick of his hand, the Sith levitated a piece of debris and hurled it towards the controls of the huge door behind him. The massive doors swung open. Obi-Wan stalked after the Sith, confidently twirling his lightsaber, his heart beating furiously.
Their opponent led Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon deeper into the bowels of the complex. The two Jedi pursued the Sith, their blades snapping and crashing against his. They entered what Aalea could see was a huge power station. Catwalks and bridges crisscrossed over gaping pits which housed the generators of the complex. Huge radiant pillars of energy beams bathed the room in alternating bands of darkness and light.
The three warriors battled fiercely over a suspended catwalk, the clash and sizzle of their lightsabers echoing in the cavernous room.
Obi-Wan feinted at the Sith, then Qui-Gon cut across him, his blade swinging. Avoiding the deadly blow, the Sith leapt from the catwalk onto the one behind him. When he landed, he leered over at the Jedi.
Obi-Wan flipped over to the bridge on which the Sith stood, Qui-Gon beside him and once more they engaged their adversary.
They battled down the length of the catwalk, Obi-Wan on one side of the dark warrior, Qui-Gon the other. Aalea felt Obi-Wan drawing more and more on the Force and with that fresh fount of power surging through him, he slashed furiously at the Sith, seeking a breach in his defense. Sparks flew from the clash of their lightsabers.
Then, briefly, Obi-Wan lost his focus and the Sith, sensing this, kicked out with his left leg, pushing Obi-Wan from the bridge.
Aalea watched in horror as he fell. He slammed onto the catwalk below and rolled over the ledge, but managed to grab on. Aalea's heart lurched as she watched him dangling. He held on long enough to catch his breath, then pulled himself onto the bridge.
Obi-Wan picked up his lightsaber from where it had fallen. He glanced up at the catwalk above him as Qui-Gon continued to press his attack against the Sith. With a powerful blow, Qui-Gon backhanded the Sith onto the next level. He then jumped after him, his lightsaber raised.
Obi-Wan drew upon the Force and propelled himself upward to the level upon which Qui-Gon and the Sith were battling. He landed lightly on his feet and activated his lightsaber.
Qui-Gon continued to push the Sith down the walkway, their lightsabers clashing.
Obi-Wan ran after them. Aalea could see that Qui-Gon and the Sith were approaching the entrance of a long corridor. But as the two entered the corridor, she also saw with horror that it was lined with laser turrets.
Qui-Gon pursued the Sith down the corridor. Obi-Wan ran after them but, before he could enter it, lasers ricocheted off the walls, pulsing in thin streams of red light. The Sith, who was furthest down the corridor, was trapped between one wall of lasers, Qui-Gon another, but Obi-Wan hadn't gotten past the first barrier.
The Sith touched the barrier with his lightsaber. It sizzled at the contact, but held. Sneering at Qui-Gon, he deactivated his lightsaber. Holding it loosely in his hand, he paced before the barrier which separated him from Qui-Gon, his tiger-eyed gaze focused on the Jedi.
Qui-Gon, meanwhile, had dropped to his knees. He lifted his head and Aalea knew he was meditating, drawing upon the Force to replenish his strength and aid him when he once again engaged his adversary.
Questions flashed through Aalea's mind as the vision unrolled before her eyes. Why hadn't Qui-Gon waited for Obi-Wan? Why had he pressed his attack so fiercely against the Sith?
Obi-Wan closely examined the length of the corridor and the position of the laser turrets. Aalea knew, just as he did, that he would have to be fast, very fast, if he hoped to reach the end of the corridor before the lasers reactivated.
Obi-Wan looked over at the Sith. Sensing the younger Jedi's gaze, the Sith stopped his pacing. He stared back at Obi-Wan, his orange eyes glowing with hatred. Then, shifting his gaze back towards the still meditating Qui-Gon, the Sith gestured dismissively at him. He then looked back at Obi-Wan and grinned wickedly, his eyes glittering with blood-lust.
Obi-Wan gritted his teeth and clenched his lightsaber. Aalea could feel him tensing and relaxing his muscles as he battle-prepared his body.
It was nearly time. Obi-Wan activated his lightsaber, his body taut, all of his awareness focused on the distance he had to cover in order to reach Qui-Gon.
The laser beams shut off.
Obi-Wan ran, his arms and legs pumping.
Qui-Gon erupted from the floor, his lightsaber flashing over his head as he powered through the entrance to the melting pit to close once again with the dark warrior.
Obi-Wan pushed herself to the end of the corridor but, even as he neared the entrance to the pit, Aalea could hear the buzz of the machinery as the lasers began to recycle.
Obi-Wan slid to a stop as the lasers crisscrossed before him, his boots skidding on the floor. He powered down his lightsaber and peered anxiously through the blazing mesh of light to where Qui-Gon and the Sith battled furiously about the narrow ledge of the pit.
Qui-Gon bore into his opponent, engaging him stroke for stroke, driving him back along the pit's edge. Hope surged within Aalea as she saw the dark warrior was on the defensive.
Hold on, Master, Aalea thought. Obi-Wan is here. He's here
The Sith and the Jedi fought, neither giving the other any quarter, their lightsabers thrumming and clashing in the small room which encircled the pit. They whirled about each other, their concentration on the other almost visible to Aalea. It was the Dark and the Light, she realized, the two opposing energies of the Force, locked in the eternal battle of good and evil.
Then Aalea saw Qui-Gon was weakening. Sweat poured down his face. He labored to catch his breath, even as he continued to match the Sith stroke for stroke.
Obi-Wan drew so close to the laser barrier Aalea could almost feel the energy purling over her own skin. His heart hammered inside his chest, his breath quickening and Aalea knew he too saw Qui-Gon's strength was waning.
The Sith forced Qui-Gon back along the pit's edge. Then, unbelievably swift, he quickly parried one of Qui-Gon's downstrokes. Qui-Gon was unable to counter the move and the Sith cuffed him sharply on the chin.
Qui-Gon staggered back from the blow, his lightsaber reeling above his head. Then, with a quick reverse lunge, the Sith thrust his blade through Qui-Gon's body.
In her bed on Coruscant, her mind filled with the horrifying vision, Aalea screamed. NO! MASTER! NO!
Qui-Gon turned his head as if he had heard her, his eyes searching.
The Sith jerked the lightsaber out of Qui-Gon and leapt nimbly back.
Qui-Gon groaned, his eyes widening as the pain swelled through him. His lightsaber clattered to the floor. Arms hanging limply at his sides, he dropped heavily to his knees. Then, gazing anxiously over at Obi-Wan, he pitched forward and lay motionless on the floor.
Aalea screamed again, and Obi-Wan with her, and their voices echoed together down the corridors of space and time.
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Cian shuddered awake.
"Qui-Gon!" she cried.
She sat up, gasping and panting in terror. Something was terribly wrong. She felt it like a blade in her heart.
She glanced wildly around. She had heard someone screaming. It had sounded like Aalea. It must have been a dream, but something inside Cian told her it was not. If she'd been an ordinary person, someone without Force sensitivity, she would have brushed it off as only a dream. But it had been something more. A definite disturbance in the Force. Cian rose from her bed and quickly dressed.
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Aalea woke up. Her sleep gown was drenched with sweat and her heart was racing. Terror and horror surged through her. She leapt from her bed, dashed from the sleep room into the common area and out into the Temple corridors.
She ran down the hall, her bare feet slipping on the polished floors. Blindly she ran, her only thought to find someone, anyone who could help.
"Master Yoda!" she called as she ran, her voice echoing through the corridors. "Please, someone!"
An initiate grabbed her. She pulled at his arms.
"Please, find Master Yoda! Quickly!"
"What's wrong? Are you hurt? Are you ill?" he asked as he held her firmly.
Aalea struggled against him. "Let me go! I've got to find Master Yoda!"
She saw people running out of their rooms, moving towards her.
"Please, he's dying! And Obi-Wan. Oh, gods, he's alone! He's alone with the dark one! Let me go!"
Then she saw Master Windu running down the corridor towards her. She pulled herself free of the boy who had been holding her and pushed her way through the crowd which had gathered.
"Master Windu," she cried as she ran to him.
"Aalea, what's wrong?"
"Master Qui-Gon," she sobbed as she fell into his arms. "Oh gods, he's dying! The dark one. You must help. Obi-Wan is alone with him. The dark one will kill him!"
"Aalea, you were having a bad dream. Calm down."
"No!" she screamed. "It wasn't a dream. It was real. I saw it! I saw it! You must help him, Master. Please help him!"
Windu looked down at her, then she saw his eyes flicker to her right.
Glancing over Aalea saw Healer Sklar moving towards her, something bright in her hand.
"No!" Aalea struggled in Windu's arms, but he was too strong. "No, don't sedate me! It wasn't a dream. It wasn't---".
Something cold entered Aalea's arm. She felt herself falling into unconsciousness.
"No. Please. Don't. Obi-Wan," she whispered.
And then there was nothing.
To be continued...