The night sky was beautiful. Qui-Gon and his apprentice had been sitting on a balcony for many hours watching ships take off into the deep black void of space. He turned his attention to the younger man who was lying next to him, memorizing the joy on his face. He'd never seen his apprentice so happy.
Though he was apprehensive about exposing themselves in such a way, he couldn't say no to Obi-Wan when he requested that they go stargazing. It was one of the few simple pleasures they knew they could always share.
With Obi-Wan nuzzled up beside him, Qui-Gon felt the calmest he had in months. Had he known this was what he was missing out on by hiding his love from the younger man, he would've been far more open with him far sooner.
It would only be a few more hours until the sun came up and they would have to go about their duties. Surely the Council would have some task for Qui-Gon to do while his Padawan fulfilled his newfound responsibilities with the younglings. For the first time in a long time he found himself excited for what the future could bring.
That excitement was short-lived, however. Shortly before the first rays of sunlight would begin to hit the tops of nearby buildings, both Jedi sensed a disturbance in the Force. It was massive, catastrophic. They barely managed to get to their feet before they discovered the source.
A loud explosion shook the temple, sending them sprawling across the balcony away from each other.
Two more explosions shook the temple, knocking part of the balcony loose. Obi-Wan slid toward the railing as the stone beneath him began to tilt and crumble. Qui-Gon reached out for him with both his arms and the Force, but he couldn't get a good grip on the boy.
That was when he heard it. Just before the bounty hunter came into his view, Qui-Gon heard the hum of a jetpack rocket. His eyes widened in horror as a warrior clad in silver and blue armor landed behind his Padawan on the fast-deteriorating balcony.
He rushed forward, but the bounty hunter was too quick. "No!" he cried, the word catching roughly in his throat and presenting itself more like a growl. "Obi-Wan!"
The boy scrambled to get away from he imposing figure that stood over him, but before he could grab his Master's hand one thick-gloved hand found the collar of his tunic, wrenching him back and away from Qui-Gon.
"No— No!" Obi-Wan screamed, struggling against the grip of the Mandalorian. A strong, armor-plated arm snaked its way around the young man's belly, and within a few seconds he was airborne, kicking and thrashing. He reached for his lightsaber, but the arm that had him so tightly by the waist also had a tight grip on his weapon.
Qui-Gon refused to stand by and watch helplessly as his Padawan was taken. He glanced around, taking quick stock of his options. Just three stories below him was a landing pad. There was bound to be a speeder there. He looked back up to his Padawan as the bounty hunter continued his hasty retreat.
-I'm coming for you, Obi-Wan,- he promised through their bond. He felt Obi-Wan begin to protest. -I can't lose you, not now.-
He leapt from the balcony, using the Force to slow and guide his fall. He landed more roughly than he anticipated in the pilot's seat of a formidable craft that the Jedi Order had come into possession of only recently. Qui-Gon could feel its potential for immense speed as he powered it up.
Looking back up, he could hardly see his Padawan anymore. But he could feel him.
He took off after them, dodging the early morning traffic. He tried to push out of his mind the sense of deja vu that crept up on him as he passed many of the same landmarks that were present in his dream.
Of course I'm passing them, he reminded himself. They're familiar and close to the Temple. Of course my mind would go to them. It only makes sense. Obi-Wan will survive this.
He has to.
He was gaining on them, the bounty hunter's jetpack no match for the speeder's engines. He saw, in dismay, that it wouldn't matter. The bounty hunter's ship was just ahead. He was gaining on them, but nowhere near fast enough to reach the landing platform in time.
What are my options? He looked around desperately, panic beginning to creep into his usual calm demeanor. He couldn't lose his Padawan. This couldn't be happening. It was all just a dream, he just needed to wake up…
The Mandalorian landed near his ship then, still carrying a frantically struggling Obi-Wan. As he strode across the landing platform to his ship, Qui-Gon made a desperate decision. He leapt from the speeder to the landing platform, just barely managing to grab the edge as gravity caught him.
With the help of the Force, he managed to pull himself up. His lightsaber was ignited and at the ready before he'd taken three steps.
The bounty hunter turned and held Obi-Wan as a shield.
"Let him go, Jango," Qui-Gon roared as he approached.
"Come now, old friend," replied the bounty hunter, his voice distorted, mechanized somehow by the filter in his helmet. "I'm just doing my job."
"Drop him, Jango. Now."
Obi-Wan's eyes were wide with disbelief as he listened to the casual way the two spoke to one another.
-You know this guy?- he asked Qui-Gon, but he got no response. His Master was far too focused on the heavily armored man holding him.
"No can do," replied the bounty hunter as he raised a sleek, silver blaster and aimed it at Obi-Wan's head. Qui-Gon staggered backward at the sight. Beneath his helmet, Jango Fett smirked. "I'm sorry, old friend," he said as he backed his way up the ramp into his ship.
"Qui-Gon!" Obi-Wan shouted as the hatch began to close. His Master stood, helpless to help him without also killing him. "Qui-Gon!"
As Jango Fett took off in the Slave I, he looked down at the man on the landing platform and sighed. Old fool, he thought. Force-sensitive old fool. His emotions betrayed him, just as they always have.
Down in the underbelly of the ship, shackled and deprived of his lightsaber, Obi-Wan Kenobi screamed. Jango so enjoyed it when his prey screamed. It was far more amusing than the strong, silent types he encountered. He imagined Qui-Gon Jinn would be one such strong, silent type.
Back on the landing pad on Coruscant, Qui-Gon sank to his knees as Slave I left the planet's atmosphere. There were no other ships on the platform, no one with which to barter for transport.
By the time he managed to secure a ship, Jango and Obi-Wan were likely to be halfway across the galaxy.
He retrieved the speeder he'd abandoned, thankful that it had simply puttered to a stop before hitting anything, and with one last forlorn look to the sky, he turned and sped back to the Temple. There was much damage to repair.
-I will find you, Obi-Wan,- Qui-Gon promised. He wasn't certain he believed himself, and he knew that it was wrong to make a promise he wasn't certain he could keep, but it calmed him somehow.
The damage done to the Jedi Temple was devastating. Dozens of initiates and younglings were injured and countless knights and padawans were assumed killed in the explosions that had rocked the northern wall. Four others had gone missing. Qui-Gon couldn't help but wonder if they'd been taken as his Padawan had.
Though he wanted quite badly to tell Yoda how wrong he'd been about the dream, he knew it would be an exercise in futility. It would also be giving in to his rage rather than channeling it into something useful. Qui-Gon dove with vigor into rescue attempts. So many were trapped under the rubble of what had been a mighty structure.
In truth, much of the Temple was still standing. It was only those who had been near their windows at the time of the blast or out on a balcony that had truly suffered in the first explosion. It was when the knights had come to help and the second explosion hit that the bulk of the deaths occurred.
Qui-Gon grew more disheartened with every dead child he found, and the amount of dead children he found only grew as time went on. Some were clinging to one another in fear, even in death. Those were the ones that weighed heaviest on his mind.
"Master Jinn?" A small, familiar voice cut into his thoughts as he carefully pulled a dead knight he was only vaguely familiar with from the rubble. It took him a moment to realize that it was the girl he'd casually flirted with in the corridor just a few hours before.
Wrapped in her robes, held protectively out in front of her, was a youngling. The little girl was badly injured, but she was alive. As Qui-Gon turned to alert the healers of his discovery, he found himself facing Bant, Obi-Wan's oldest and closest friend. The pain in her eyes brought Qui-Gon the closest he'd been to crying in a very, very long time.
"Master Jinn," she repeated. "If… If there's anything I can do to help you find Obi-Wan…" She cast a sad look at the rubble near his feet. He had to resist the urge to surge forth and hug her.
"Thank you, Bant. But I fear this is something I shall have to do alone," he replied as he moved past her with the youngling in his arms. He watched as the healers took her from him, whisking her away to treat her wounds.
"Qui-Gon, sir?" Bant asked. He glanced back at her. "You… You will find him, right?"
Without missing a beat, Qui-Gon nodded. "Whatever it takes. I will bring Obi-Wan home safe." There was something oddly reassuring about his words, even he felt it. "If you'll excuse me, I must go speak with the Council at once."
Bant nodded as Qui-Gon turned and walked off. He felt as though is feet were hardly touching the floor as he hurried to the Council Chamber. He knew that they had already gathered there to discuss what the next official move would be.
He buzzed at the door, but he didn't wait to be acknowledged before he opened the door manually and strode in.
He argued with the Masters gathered there for only twenty minutes before walking away with what he needed: a ship and the council's blessing to deal with the bounty hunter as he saw fit. The latter was given with great protest, but that mattered little to Qui-Gon. They didn't understand the history the two shared.
No one did.