Beyond a Shadow of a Doubt
A/N: I don't quite know if I can convey how sorry I am, our computer died, then our new computer didn't have a disc drive, then I lost the disc with this chapter on it, so I have an excuse for the first week, week and a half of my absence but honestly after that I just kinda lost the drive for this story, but it has been rekindled so keep your eyes peeled I should be updating way more often on this now, and if you're a fan of Final Fantasy check out some of the FFVII fics I wrote in the time between.
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Aida fidgeted with her belt, clipping and unclipping her lightsaber. "So what was my master like when he was a Jedi?" Aida asked.
The question had been building in her mind since they had started off on their way, but she wasn't quite able to bring herself to ask it until now. At first she had been afraid to ask, afraid of what she would be told, but the quiet was really starting to piss her off.
Qui-Gon stepped around a pile of rubble in his path then looked back at her. "Nevan was an infinitely wise man with the temperament of a child."
Smiling at memories which passed through his mind. "We'd known each other since we had started at the temple, we grew up together I could trust him with anything and he could trust me."
"How did the council regard him?" Aida asked, curious as to how a different council of Jedi would have responded to her master.
Qui-Gon laughed lightly. "It was a study in opposites, he was a good Jedi and a wise man, but just as with myself he followed his own ways instead of the council's."
Aida winced, was, had, Qui-Gon kept speaking of her master as though he no longer existed, as if had died long ago instead of being on the same planet, only a short distance away.
Qui-Gon noted the expression on her face. "Is something wrong?"
Aida's responded voice that was small, as if she were afraid of how he would respond. "You keep speaking in past tense, like he's dead."
The Jedi Master nodded thoughtfully. "The man I once knew no longer exists, he died the day he turned his back on the order, the man I travel with now is only a ghost of a former being."
"How can you say that?" Aida asked, her voice regaining its usual strength.
"I can say it because it is the truth." Qui-Gon snapped.
"You've just described the same man that taught me and practically raised me as his own child when your benevolent order turned it's back on me!" Aida stopped mid-step and yelled at him. "You can't possibly believe he is so very different just because he doesn't live in your temple, doing things your way!"
"I see you both share the same short temper he used to have." Qui-Gon commented, voice calm and controlled as always.
Aida ignored his remark and continued. "This is insane, you're his friend!" She pointed back in the direction they came. "You fought to save him, you traveled here with him!"
"This is not the time, this is still a dangerous place, we should discuss this later." Qui-Gon attempted to calm her.
"How the fuck dare you dismiss him like that!"
"Aida I am sorry but-" Qui-Gon stopped and turned his head. "It seems we have a visitor."
Aida followed his eyes and was met with a single man standing down the hall a good distance away from them, activated lightsaber in hand, humming with crimson energy. "Oh well that's just great eh?"
"This is hardly the time for jokes." Qui-Gon reprimanded.
To the Jedi Masters surprise Aida just shrugged. "Seems to me like it's the perfect time, lightens the mood and lulls the opponent into a belief that the person does not take the battle seriously and will be at a disadvantage."
Qui-Gon stared in surprise as Aida activated her lightsaber and ran headlong towards the Dark Jedi they faced.
"Aida wait!" Qui-Gon quickly regained his composure and set off after the girl.
The Dark Jedi didn't move at all during Aida's rush, he simply stood there calmly, lightsaber at the ready.
She swung hard with her right, allowing the opponent time to block and bounced her blade off of this, gaining momentum as she whirled around and swung the other way.
Qui-Gon reached them and launched forward with a quick thrust. The addition of a second attack forced the Dark Jedi back. Slowly he managed to maneuver himself back into one of the larger rooms that occupied the hallway.
Aida spared no time leaping off her feet and diving at him, swinging for his ankles. He jumped in an attempt to dodge and was knocked off balance as he blocked a blow from Qui-Gon. The Dark Jedi hit the floor and rolled out of the way as both blades came down at him.
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Nevan poked a set of skeletal remains as they searched the room. "Honestly, I know they were afraid of all the curses written on the walls, and the traps got more than one of them but you would still think they would take the time to deal with the corpses."
Nevan picked up a leather bound book and brushed off some of the dust, browsing through it.
Obi-Wan gave Nevan an odd look, sometimes the Shadow Master could say the strangest things. He shrugged and stepped over a hole in the floor. "Why do you suppose there are so many skeletons here?"
Nevan didn't even look at him, he simply flipped the page and pointed to the door they had come in from. "This hallway was originally sealed off, the archeologists believe some sort of infection had befallen the people and the healthy decided the lower areas here were the best place to cut them off, hell right now we're in a research lab, not quite medical facility in nature."
Obi-Wan turned to Nevan. "How do you suppose Aida and Qui-Gon are?"
Nevan still engrossed in the novel simply waved his hand dismissively. "Ah they're probably fine."
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Aida ducked and rolled, narrowly avoiding the saber blade that would have decapitated her had she stayed there a moment longer.
Qui-Gon leapt over their attacker launched a kick at the back of his leg. The Dark Jedi dropped to one knee and screamed out in pain. Aida taking advantage of this, grabbed his lightsaber handle and hit him across the face with her own hilt causing him to lose his grasp on his own lightsaber.
"Tell us where your master is!" Qui-Gon said as he circled around to face the man.
"Never." He responded in a deep voice.
"Do it or we'll just cut your head off now!" Aida yelled.
Qui-Gon turned to her in surprise.
The Dark Jedi's lips curled into a devious smile. "There is much hate in you, join us and have the power you deserve."
Aida rolled her eyes. "Oh go to hell, honestly do you think I would really fall for something like that?"
"Hell?" Qui-Gon questioned.
"Hey I may not follow any of those crazy religions but hell is still a nice place to threaten to condemn people to." Aida defended.
"You will all join us or perish." He said, ignoring the litle sidebar Qui-Gon and Aida had going.
"Oh shut up dammit." Aida said as she impaled him on her lightsaber.
"Aida!" Qui-Gon shouted in surpise.
"Qui-Gon?" Aida replied.
"Why did you kill him!" Qui-Gon yelled, disturbed by her almost casual killing of their enemy.
"He wasn't going to tell us anything and he only would have been a threat of we allowed him to live." Aida said, trying to justify her actions to the furious Jedi Master. "What you would have allowed him to live and murder and turn other Jedi to the dark side?"
"He could have been rehabilitated!"
"See that's another problem of the Jedi, they think that everyone has good in them and no matter what a second chance is not only possible but deserved!" Aida yelled back.
"Do not lecture me on what's right!" Qui-Gon shot back.
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Nevan and Obi-Wan encountered another Dark Jedi soon after and were already in the heat of battle.
Obi-Wan brought his blade up to defend himself from the Dark Jedi's attack. Nevan on the other hand pushed his hand out and slowly curled it into a fist, the hilt of the Dark Jedi's blade crumpling in his hand. Obi-Wan blinked in surprise as the lightsaber died out before it even made contact with his.
Nevan surged forward and delivered a swift kick to the man's leg, sending a crushing blow against his face as Nevan brought his hand down.
"He's unarmed!" Obi-Wan yelled.
In a swift move Nevan brought his blade down and decapitated the Dark Jedi. "That doesn't change the fact that he's still a threat."
Obi-Wan stared in disbelief. "But he was unarmed."
Nevan turned to Obi-Wan about to let loose on Padawan for his belief that because the man didn't have a lightsaber he was no longer dangerous. Before he could begin both of them turned around and stared back the direction they'd came.
Nevan hung his head and groaned. "I think we'd better hurry and get back there before they kill each other."
The Shadow Master quickly took off back towards the beginning of both hallways.
Obi-Wan stared at his back, blinked, and then followed suit still somewhat dumbfounded at what had just transpired.
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A/C: I am so very sorry people, that's all I can say I guess other than I hope you enjoyed it, stay tuned for the next chapter which will be out in less than a week I promise you, have a nice Halloween and keep on rockin'?