While Dooku led the Gungan army to war, Anakin flew his starfighter into the battle droids' control ship and the Queen and her little party double-crossed the Neimoidians; a fierce lightsaber duel took place in the Theed Power Generator.
In reality, Obi-Wan had never before fought against someone with a lightsaber. Normally, the Jedi had to block blaster fire. Lightsaber to lightsaber combat took only place in the Temple's Training Combat Chamber.
This, Theed Power Generator, was reality. Cruel, harsh reality. Every strike, every parry a life or death decision. The dark creature was wild. It was difficult to stay calm and not succumb to its wildness. But Master Jinn was very serene and Obi-Wan could rely on the Master's calmness. They were two against one but the dark creature with its double-bladed lightsaber had no problems fighting both of them at the same time.
Patience. The time to strike will come.
It was Obi-Wan's advantage that the lightsaber form Dooku had taught him was meant for lightsaber duels. Otherwise, he would have been lost before long. The red blade would have sliced him to pieces if he had not been so good at blocking lightsaber attacks. Slowly, he understood how to fight alongside someone who fought in the modern style. It was perfect because they balanced each other. Each sword style had its advantages and disadvantages and they only worked really well when they were combined.
But the dark creature had more than balance and co-ordination. It had strength, perseverance, power and the sheer will to kill. The dark side was incredibly strong in it. Obi-Wan was caught between shrinking away from it or getting closer to it, tasting the darkness, understanding how to use it.
How could they ever win against the darkness if it had such strength?
Next moment, the red-faced guy kicked Obi-Wan in the chest and sent him flying down several levels. Obi-Wan struggled to get on his feet again. Above, he could see the red and the green blades clashing into each other incredibly fast. Closing his eyes, Obi-Wan summoned the Force and Force-jumped up again. Master Jinn and the dark creature had already moved on and were running through a corridor. Obi-Wan sprinted to catch up with them but suddenly several reddish laser shields activated itself between the corridor walls, separating the three fighters from each other. Obi-Wan stopped and tried to catch his breath again. A few metres before him, Master Jinn had sat down in order to meditate. He looked exhausted and sweat stood on his forehead. He looked old. The dark figure walked alongside the laser shields, twisting the lightsaber in its hands, watching Master Jinn with bloodthirsty eyes like a predator lurking for its prey.
Then there was a soft hiss and the laser shields turned away. Master Jinn and the dark creature continued their battle as if they had never been stopped. Obi-Wan ran forwards, ran, ran, ran, but he did not get there in time. Before he had reached the open, the laser shields had closed again, locking him out. Helplessly, he watched the duel through the red shield. Master Jinn was getting slower and slower. He could only weakly parry his opponent's powerful slashes. Obi-Wan summoned the Force again and tried to open the last laser shield that separated him from the two combatants. It did not work. Horror-struck, he had to witness how the dark creature disarmed Master Jinn.
Open! Damn it, open, finally! Obi-Wan wanted to run forward and interfere but the laser shields did not open. And then it really was too late. A red blade burned through Master Jinn's chest.
NO! a silent cry escaped Obi-Wan's mouth. Everything seemed to happen in slow-motion. Master Jinn sank down to the floor in a graceful arc, his eyes wide with shock. The dark creature turned around, grinning maliciously at Obi-Wan.
I will kill you, Obi-Wan vowed. I will kill you and revenge Master Jinn.
When the laser shield finally opened, he dashed forward and attacked, his lightsaber faster than ever before. But his opponent was stronger, darker. Obi-Wan could not win. Soon, he was disarmed too and the creature sent him flying down a reactor shaft with a hard kick. Somehow, at the last possible moment, Obi-Wan's fingers found a tiny nozzle on the side of the pit, to which he desperately clung. His lightsaber, however, was lost in the pit's depths. There was nothing he could do against such a dark creature without a lightsaber. He could just hold on - hold on until the last bit of strength would leave his fingers. His gaze rested on Master Jinn's lifeless body. I was too late. If I had arrived in time, we could have defeated that monster together. But I was too late. And this was his end. He was just a useless Padawan, who should have been sent to the Agricorps long before. Who had never learned to defeat his own darkness. Who had never been good enough for a Master. Now he would simply, unspectacularly fall down, down, down. There would not even be a corpse of him left to burn in the traditional Jedi funeral. A fitting end for him. He wondered idly if someone would miss him. Bant, perhaps.
The dark creature slashed furiously at the shaft's edge, angry that he could not reach Obi-Wan and finish his pathetic victim.
No, I won't give you the satisfaction to kill me too, Obi-Wan thought darkly. I'd rather just let go and fall down.
He did not even have the courage to let go.
His gaze found the lightsaber of Master Jinn. It lay uselessly on the floor. Not very far away.
It would never work. Obi-Wan's hands were already sweaty und worn out from holding on for so long. Where could he summon up the strength to do that?
You can do it. Let go. Trust in the Force.
Let go... Trust in the Force... The Force was here. It was still here, despite death and darkness. It was bright as always. He remembered what Master Yoda had once told a class of younglings: Leave the Force, you can. Leave you, the Force will never.
Help me, Obi-Wan whispered, and the Force helped him. He jumped, no: flew, up, Master Jinn's lightsaber flew into his hand, resting perfectly in it so he could ignite it before he even landed on his feet again. It was a quick slash, slicing cleanly through the dark creature's body. The creature fell backwards, fell down into the black shaft and faded in the darkness - nothing but a horrible nightmare.
Obi-Wan heard a soft groan behind him. He hurried to Master Jinn's side and carefully lifted his upper body up from the floor.
"Don't worry, Master Jinn. I'll get you out of here. You'll be alright," he babbled helplessly.
"It's too late," Master Jinn croaked.
Obi-Wan swallowed very hard. "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry I wasn't fast enough to help you. I'm so sorry..." His voice cracked.
Master Jinn grasped his hand and squeezed it weakly. "You fought very well today, Padawan Kenobi. Your Master has much to be proud of you." He gave Obi-Wan a little smile.
It brought tears to Obi-Wan's eyes. Master Dooku never smiled at him like that. "Thank you," he whispered.
"Your Master - my former Master - is a very strict Master," Master Jinn said as if he had read Obi-Wan's mind. "I know it's sometimes hard to be his Padawan. But I also know he's very proud of you." He took a weak, rattling breath. "Padawan Kenobi, you must tell the Council about this. You must tell them about that dark creature. They need to know. Maybe there are more of his kind."
"Yes, Master Jinn, I will tell them," Obi-Wan promised the dying Jedi Knight. "Here, your lightsaber." He put the Jedi weapon into Master Jinn's hand.
"No...no. I won't need it anymore. There's... peace in the Force. Give it to Anakin... to my Padawan."
"I will give it to him."
"Now he can finally be a Jedi Knight... and no one will tease him because of his short braid anymore... He will become a... great... Jedi... Knight..."
Qui-Gon Jinn died with a smile on his lips. Obi-Wan remained sitting there a little longer, grieving for the deceased Jedi Knight. He closed the eyelids and whispered a last, "May the Force be with you". Then he clipped the lightsaber at his belt, got up and carried Master Jinn's dead body back. It was a long way to go, his arms were exhausted with the weight of the tall Jedi Knight and he was so tired from the fight. Finally, some men of the Queen's troop came hurrying towards him. They looked thoroughly shocked when they saw the corpse in Obi-Wan's arms.
"What happened? Where's that monster? Did you kill it?"
Obi-Wan only nodded weakly. A Naboo man relieved him of the weight and carried Master Jinn's body inside a chamber in the palace. Obi-Wan trotted silently behind them and watched them lay Master Jinn down in a grand bed.
"My sincere condolences, boy," an older man said to Obi-Wan. "He was your Master wasn't he?"
"No, he wasn't my Master," Obi-Wan said quietly. It reminded him he still had to tell Anakin. That was the last thing he wanted to do at the moment. Telling Anakin that his Master was dead, that he, Obi-Wan, had not been able to save him... "Thank you for your help," Obi-Wan told the Naboo, who left awkwardly. Obi-Wan heaved a deep sigh and put his face in his hand. Telling Anakin about it seemed ten times worse than fighting that devilish creature. But he had to do it. Now. If something happened to his Master, Obi-Wan would want to know it immediately too.
From outside, he could hear everyone celebrate Naboo's victory against the Trade Federation. Yes, they had won. However, it was a bitter victory. Tiredly, Obi-Wan went outside to look for Anakin. He found him in a big throng of people who celebrated him. The other pilots, some Gungans and - naturally - the Queen's handmaidens. He looked cheerful, handsome - a champion. Everyone wanted to congratulate him. Obi-Wan fought his way through the celebrating masses. From what he heard, Anakin had single-handedly blown up the droid control ship.
"Anakin!" Obi-Wan pulled at Anakin's sleeve before yet another one could grab his hand and shake it.
Anakin turned to look at him. The broad smile on his face vanished in an instant when he saw Obi-Wan's expression. "Obi-Wan? What's wrong?"
"Not here, please," Obi-Wan said softly. "Come." He pulled Anakin with him into the Palace gardens behind a wall where they were alone. "You better sit down."
Anakin slowly sat down next to Obi-Wan on a little bench. "Please tell me," he said urgently. "Where's Qui-Gon?"
"He's…" Obi-Wan struggled for words to express the horrible truth. He wanted to say something which did not sound so cruel. He's one with the Force now. Don't mourn him. His soul has rejoined the Force. You must let him go. "…dead," Obi-Wan finished finally. This little, ugly word left a bitter taste in his mouth.
Anakin said nothing, he just kept staring blankly at a bed of dark blue flowers and a little fountain sprinkling merrily between the blooming flowers. It seemed as if the peaceful and idyllic surroundings wanted to mock them. Nature did not care in the slightest for what had happened to them.
"I'm sorry, Anakin," Obi-Wan said softly.
"Tell me," Anakin said in a calm, steely voice. His face was still blank from any emotion.
Obi-Wan's fists clenched and unclenched while he tried to give an accurate recount of the horrible events that had occurred earlier, and the blurred images in his mind. "We ran into some... terrible creature. He was a user of the dark Force and he had a lightsaber. We - we fought him together but even then we were not strong enough to get an advantage over him. He was so strong in the dark side... I fell down and when I was up again, Qui-Gon and the creature had already gone into a corridor and I... was too late. There were suddenly laser shields that sprang to life and I was locked behind them. They continued fighting and - and... the dark creature killed him with its lightsaber. I was locked behind the laser shield, I - I was not fast enough - when I ran forwards the last laser shield got up again and I couldn't go through. I - I could only watch..."
Anakin hit his fist hard on the bench on which they were sitting. "I should have been with him!" he said angrily. "I should have been with him, I shouldn't have gone with the pilots, I should have..." He gulped and clenched his fist so hard that his knuckles went white.
"I'm sorry, Anakin," Obi-Wan said in a small voice, "I'm sorry I wasn't fast enough. I - I'm not as good as you and I just couldn't run faster..."
Anakin looked at him, blinked a few times and gulped again. "I don't blame you, Obi-Wan." His voice was steady but there was still that steely note in it. "It's not... your fault. I should have gone with him. I could have helped him. I shouldn't have gone with the pilots just to... show off."
"Show off?" Obi-Wan repeated uncertainly. Suddenly he understood: Anakin was blaming himself because he had not been there when his Master had needed him most. Obi-Wan remembered what Anakin had once told him about his Master: I bet I will still accompany Qui-Gon on missions too when I'll be a Jedi Knight. I could never imagine going on a mission without him. That dream was over now. Obi-Wan felt deeply sorry with Anakin. "It's not your fault," Obi-Wan said gently. "You did the right thing. I heard you managed to blow up the control ship. Maybe the pilots would not have succeeded without your help. You didn't show off, you just used your talents where they were most needed. And without you, many, many Gungans would have probably lost their lives and the whole battle would have been lost. I know it sounds hard now, but Qui-Gon was a Jedi Knight and I'm sure he would have willingly sacrificed his life for the greater good. If he had had the choice, he would have died if it meant he could save so many innocent lives by that."
"Y-Yes, I know." Anakin's lips quivered and he looked utterly lost. There was nothing of the beaming champion left.
Very cautiously, Obi-Wan put a hand on Anakin's extremely tense shoulder, which sagged at the touch. He had not expected Anakin to lean against him and start sobbing into his shoulder. Awkwardly, Obi-Wan embraced the weeping boy and patted his back. "It's not your fault," he told him again.
"We - we had a-an argument this morning," Anakin whimpered, his whole body shaking with sobs, "and we d-didn't reconcile again."
"Oh shit," Obi-Wan muttered and tightened his hold on Anakin. There was really nothing else he could say to comfort him.
"I-I accused him of being selfish," Anakin choked, pressing his forehead hard against Obi-Wan's shoulder. "Be-because he said I'm not ready to take the trials, and I said he held me back and did not want me to take the trials because he wanted to show me that he was mightier, and I said he could not bear losing against me in our sparring matches..."
"Hey, he's not angry at you anymore," Obi-Wan reassured him, gently rubbing his back. "When he was dying, he told me you could finally be a Jedi Knight now and you didn't have to wear that stupid braid anymore. And he said you'd make a great Jedi Knight."
Anakin wept only more loudly at that. "The - the last thing I t-told him were some stupid accusations and I... and I couldn't say goodbye to him. I didn't tell him how much I love him and how grateful I am for everything he did for me. I-I only told him that I think he's selfish and jealous, a - a bad Master who wants to show his Padawan that he's more powerful... I know he never was like that, he-he always wanted to help me and he was never, never angry because he lost a lightsaber match against me..."
"He did not seem hurt or angry," Obi-Wan said softly. "He spoke of you and he was smiling when he died."
"I don't want to be knighted. I only want to have him back. I don't mind if I'm only a Padawan forever, I just want to be with him again."
"I know, I know," Obi-Wan sighed. "It's only normal. Every Padawan wants to be a Jedi Knight as soon as possible. No one blames you for that."
"I do," Anakin said in a small voice.
"Yes," Obi-Wan said simply. "I understand." There were no more words to comfort Anakin, and so Obi-Wan just held him and Anakin cried for a very long time.
Eventually, Anakin pulled away and looked at Obi-Wan out of his swollen red eyes. "Where's his corpse? We need to bring him back to the Temple."
"I brought him here. He lies in a room in the palace now. Do you want to go there?"
Anakin nodded slowly. "Yes. I'd like to say...goodbye." His voice cracked and he started sobbing again. Before Obi-Wan could react, Anakin had his mouth pressed firmly on Obi-Wan's lips. Obi-Wan's heart skipped a beat at the sudden rush of sensations that flooded his mind. Anakin was kissing him fiercely, passionately - desperately. Obi-Wan did not protest or pull away when Anakin's jaw crushed hard against his. He just hugged Anakin again, who was kissing and crying at the same time. Tears running down his face, Anakin tasted salty and wet. He clung so tightly to Obi-Wan it almost hurt. Anakin's hands were fiercely grabbing Obi-Wan's hair, pulling Obi-Wan still closer towards him, trying to get more physical contact than was possible. Closing his eyes, Obi-Wan let Anakin do what he wanted - what he needed. He had never thought about their relationship in that way but it did not feel wrong. Anakin needed this now and Obi-Wan loved him enough to give it to him. Loved him, cared for him, pitied him... whatever the right word was. It did not matter at the moment. What mattered was that Obi-Wan wanted to comfort Anakin and that was what he was doing right now. Finally, Anakin let go of his possessive grip on Obi-Wan.
"I'm s-sorry," he muttered, avoiding Obi-Wan's eyes. He was gasping for breath and his sobs came as little hiccups.
"You don't have to apologise," Obi-Wan assured him and caressed Anakin's cheek, which was wet with tears, showing him it was really alright and Obi-Wan was not going to hate him or feel disgusted by him for what he had done.
"I shouldn't have..."
"It's alright, Anakin," Obi-Wan told him and embraced him again. "There was nothing bad about it."
"Thank you," Anakin whispered and weakly returned the embrace, softly crying into Obi-Wan's tunic, which was already soaked wet.
When Obi-Wan sensed that Anakin's breathing had finally become even again, he said, "Shall we go now?" Anakin nodded slowly and got up. They went back into the palace, avoiding people if it was possible - and if not, Obi-Wan would quickly get rid of them. "Here it is." They had reached the doors to the chamber where Qui-Gon's body lay. "Do you want me to come with you or would you rather be alone?" Obi-Wan gently asked Anakin.
"I think... I want to be alone right now," Anakin said in a trembling voice, visibly afraid of what was going to come.
"Okay. Here." Obi-Wan handed him Qui-Gon's lightsaber. "He wanted you to have it."
Anakin took it and caressed the hilt affectionately. There were new tears glistening in his eyes. "Thank you," he said again, smiling a tiny smile between all his tears. He looked to the doors and shuddered slightly.
"I'm going to wait here for you," Obi-Wan promised him.
"Okay." His hands shaking, Anakin opened the doors and went in.
He stayed there for a very long time. When he came out again, something about him had irrevocably changed. His tears had dried and he looked composed again. He walked steadily and with his head held high. He was very calm and serene. Seeing him like this, it was hard to imagine that he was the same person as the carefree boy who had fought frolicsomely with Obi-Wan in the lake on Naboo. It was even hard to imagine that he was the same person as the boy who had wept in despair in Obi-Wan's arms. It was because Anakin was not a boy anymore. He had left his childhood behind in that room together with Qui-Gon's body. He was a Jedi Knight now.