Master Apprentice Archive Quick search:

Back to part 1

Anakin took grim satisfaction in obliterating the Destroyer droids that had Padmé's group pinned down by the doors. R2 chirped, the translation screen telling him that all destroyers in the area had been accounted for, but the Force had already told him that. He pulled back on the stick, accelerating and neatly avoiding the ground fire as he made for open space. Not having to fight the auto pilot, deactivated as soon as he had climbed into the cockpit, made things much easier.

Of course, before, all of this had been an accident. A good accident, but an accident nonetheless. He tightened the crash restraints around him, the webbing made for someone much larger. The helmet didn't fit, but he wasn't worried about that. It had made no difference before. Before, before, before. Anakin rolled his eyes at himself. He was getting heartily sick of that word.

Anakin reminded himself that he had volunteered to do this. The other pilots were counting on him. He had worked hard to earn their friendship during the past few days, and they respected his abilities as a pilot and a Padawan. However, their faith that a young boy would be able to help them destroy a Droid Control Ship was dubious, to say the least. He smiled tightly to himself and hoped he wasn't about to get himself blown up.

"Bravo Leader to Bravo Twelve, are you with us?"

Anakin toggled the comm, something he hadn't found on his first panicked flight. He threw off his increasing sense of deja vu. "Bravo Leader, Bravo Twelve is with you."

"Good," Ric Ole's voice was welcoming, despite the deadly situation they were flying into. Admittedly, Anakin had spent some time charming his way into the older man's heart, made easier by their lively debates on piloting. "You're the star of our show, Kid. How do you want to play it?"

"Same as we talked about. There's going to be too many of them to stay in formation once we get close. Everyone should stay with their wingman and cover each other's backs."

"No argument there," Brave Three comm'd. The woman was sturdy and reliable, and had volunteered to cover his wing until he separated from the group. It was a motherly gesture on her part, but he didn't mind. His own mother would have tied him to a stake in the yard during a Tusken Raid before allowing him to do something like this. "Garen?"

"What's up, sprat?" Garen replied, his voice cheerful. He and Siri were flying in tandem behind the rest of the group, making sure that nothing came up from Naboo to surprise them.

"If you and Siri can find the bridge on the Control Ship, shoot at it a lot. It won't penetrate the shields, but it'll scare the pants off of them so badly they won't be able to think."

Siri laughed, delighted by the idea. "Sounds good to me."

Not for the first time, Qui-Gon wished he had some sort of prescience, even as he fell heavily to the platform below and rolled off, grabbing the edge just in time to keep himself from falling again. His entire focus had been thrown by the kick to the face, and his jaw was still ringing at the force of the blow. He could taste blood in his mouth, and spat out the horrible copper taste.

Qui-Gon considered himself lucky to still have his teeth.

He felt Obi-Wan's mental query and replied with a basic 'All is Well', then gathered his scattered wits and pulled himself back up on the platform. Far above him Obi-Wan continued to duel the Sith, their blades swirling and clashing together with fierce intensity. For a moment he had an outsider's perspective – they were dueling so fast that he could see little but a blur of motion.

Qui-Gon shook himself before the spinning blades could hypnotize him. His entire body ached from the fall and was sluggish, pulling at him with the first hints of exhaustion. Even together, he and Obi-Wan's lightsaber skills were only a bare match for the Sith's, who wielded his double-blade as if it were an extension of his body. And Qui-Gon had left Obi-Wan to fight him alone.

The thought was enough to get him moving again, and he called on the Force and leapt, landing on the platform far above and automatically igniting his lightsaber again as he ran to join his partner. Obi-Wan had forced the Sith back, and the two were now fighting in a long corridor. To his horror, shields of energy were closing behind them.

He stopped short as one of the walls of energy slammed up in his face. Forcing himself to breathe, Qui-Gon disengaged his saber. Obi-Wan was trapped further up the corridor. The Sith was trapped in a section just beyond Obi-Wan, pacing back and forth and occasionally batting his saber against the energy wall. He offered Obi-Wan a snide smile, but Obi-Wan was ignoring him, leaning over to breathe deeply.

Obi-Wan, are you all right?

The younger man half-turned, and even at this distance Qui-Gon could see the exhaustion on his face. I'm okay. You're the one who fell.

Qui-Gon bit back a retort. There was no blame in his partner's mental tone, just concern. I'm fine. Injured pride and many bruises. And… you seem surprised about something?

Obi-Wan nodded, wiping sweat from his brow with one hand. The Sith is… gods, Qui. He's better than he was before. He never should have been able to survive this long against us, not after we worked as hard as we did to get that bloody good.

He took a deep breath. So he hadn't been imagining it, after all. Stay where you are when the shields fall. I'll catch up to you.

To his surprise, Obi-Wan shook his head. No.

Obi-Wan, you can't take him alone. Qui-Gon frowned; what was his lover thinking? He touched the bond but could sense no definite thought – just a fierce protectiveness and overwhelming sense of love. We've got a better chance of coming through this if we're together.

Obi-Wan's eyes filled with pain. I don't want anything to happen to you.

Nor do I, but I also don't want to see anything happen to you. Qui-Gon raised his hand beseechingly, hardly aware he was doing it. Please, Obi-Wan. Please don't do this alone. It doesn't matter what's changed. We can do this.

Obi-Wan bit his lip, torn. For a moment Qui-Gon held his breath, afraid that Obi-Wan was going to do what he himself had once so foolishly done – maybe even for the same reasons.

Their eyes locked, and the Moment stretched between them, stalling time and letting them drift in each other's thoughts. Then Obi-Wan nodded, and Qui-Gon breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

The energy fields began to cycle open. As soon as the wall fell he was running, and Obi-Wan held his position, fending off the Sith's brutal attack. The corridor hampered Obi-Wan's defense, but the Sith's offense was almost crippled by the confining walls.

Qui-Gon reached Obi-Wan's side just as the walls cycled closed again. "Don't ever do that again," he said, embracing Obi-Wan tightly.

Obi-Wan shuddered in his arms, nodding, before they broke apart.

The Sith, his anger nearly strong enough to touch, sneered at them through the barrier.

"Get her!" the Viceroy yelled, pointing at the vision of Queen Amidala, proud and defiant at the end of the hallway. Quinlan and Aayla flanked her. "This one's a decoy!"

The droids immediately complied, and Adi Gallia whirled in time to see Padmé leap onto the throne, slamming her hand down on the console. A panel in the arm of the chair slid aside, revealing two blasters. Padmé kept one for herself, tossing the other to Panaka. His shots took out the first droid, Padmé nailed the second, and Adi hit the third with a vicious strike of her hand that separated its head from its body.

Padmé pointed her blaster squarely at the stunned Nemoidian, while her free hand hit another button on the throne. The only door into the chamber sealed itself with a quiet thud. Her voice was steel when she spoke. "Now, Viceroy, we will discuss a new treaty."

"Oh, my," Adi said, a broad grin on her face. The placement of Sabé had been absolutely masterful. "I like you, Your Highness."

"Hang on, R-2!" Anakin yelled, even as he put the fighter into a controlled spin. Bravo Three neatly picked off the droid fighter that had been tailing him, and the resulting fireball blossomed out behind him.

He could see the empty place in the Droid Control Ship's shielding, a tiny window that allowed the droid fighters to enter and exit the great ship. The Force whispered to him of its presence, even as R2-D2's vigilant scanning located the unguarded space. It was not a likely target, as no damage would be caused by an external attack on the hangar bay.

Of course, the Nemoidians had never considered the fact that someone might be crazy enough to land in the hangar bay.

Or crash into it, Anakin thought grimly, fighting the controls of the fighter as he passed through the gap in the shields, diving into the unguarded hangar bay. Gritting his teeth, he cut thrusters and activated the repulsors.

The repulsors didn't fire. The fighter dropped to the hangar bay floor, skidding along in a shower of sparks before coming to a halt against the wall. Anakin breathed a sigh of relief, glad to still be in one piece, and placed his hands on the controls.

Nothing happened.

"Oh, no," Anakin whispered. R2 confirmed his fears. "Everything's overheated." Again.

Leaning back in his seat as the astromech droid worked to restore power, Anakin muttered a string of curses under his breath that would have made a smuggler proud. "Great. Just great."

This is either the best or the worst day of my life, Rillian thought to herself. She was standing with her back against the wall, her lightsaber moving in a blur as she defended herself against the four droids who had her pinned. Even the A.L.T. class, as beneficial to her skills with a blade as it had been, had not prepared her for anything like this.

See what happens when you don't listen to your Master? an inner voice taunted her. You left the hangar bay when he told you to stay. You're going to have the embarrassment of having been killed by inferior-quality droids!

[Help!] she roared. [I'm an idiot and I'm not ashamed to admit it!]

There was a flash of dark green blade and the droids toppled over. Rillian, panting, lowered her lightsaber as Micah ran for her, his gait unbalanced as he compensated for his damaged body. "You all right, Padawan?" he asked, wiping a sheen of sweat from his face with the sleeve of his tunic.

[Yes, Combat Master Giett,] she said. [I thank you for saving my furry bacon.] She had been warned by the creche Masters that her tendency to joke under pressure probably would not be appreciated, but she couldn't help herself. And on the Jedi transport to Naboo, she had discovered that maybe those creche Masters didn't know everything about the Jedi who worked in the field.

Micah grinned. "You're welcome, Rillian. Come on. Let's go see if we can find those Masters of yours. They could probably use a hand."

Rillian nodded, bemused. Qui-Gon had told her to stay as far away from the Sith as possible, but he had also told her to obey the instructions of the other Masters. She wondered if he would be amused by this contradiction as she was. [Okay,] she said finally. [Let's go.]

The three of them faced each other over the melting pit. Sweat was running freely down Obi-Wan's face as he fought to distinguish between then and now. It should have been easy. The three of them were fighting together in the room. He was not trapped behind the energy field, watching helplessly.

He thought, angrily, that it was too bad that he had destroyed Maul's first light staff on Tatooine, because saving that trick for Naboo would have been a great idea. Maul learned quickly, though, and had shielded his weapon with the Force to keep it from happening again.

Regardless of the changes, disorientation still gripped him, throwing off his internal balance. If Qui-Gon had not been by his side, helping to parry the Sith's vicious attack, he would have been dead twice over by now. The bond allowed them to monitor each other, and let him warn his partner as Obi-Wan somersaulted across the pit, bringing his lightsaber up even as Maul snarled and leapt for him. .

The Sith now had a Jedi on either side of him, and they forced him to defend himself, pressing their advantage. They were both tired, soaked with sweat. Obi-Wan wanted nothing more than to sprawl on the cold metal plating he stood on, to let the coolness of the floor soak away the heat of his body.

He sidestepped one of Maul's swings, swatting at the red blade with his lightsaber. If they did not end this soon, he and Qui-Gon were going to start making mistakes, and they could not afford that. When he caught Maul eyeing him with complete and utter contempt, it gave him an idea.

Obi-Wan was well-aware of his own appearance: longish copper hair framed a clean-shaven face, offset by large gray-green eyes. Despite his experience, he still looked frightfully young. They had used that to their advantage many times on missions. Diplomats and allies that might have feared to approach Master Jinn had little trouble opening up to an innocent-seeming boy.

Behind the Sith, Qui-Gon nodded as he read Obi-Wan's intent. He broke off his attack even as Obi-Wan stumbled back, pretending an even deeper exhaustion than he felt. "Obi-Wan!" Qui-Gon yelled, desperation in his voice.

Maul snarled and brought his lightsaber up, unable to resist the opportunity to kill one of the Jedi. Obi-Wan spun to avoid the lightstaff as Qui-Gon gestured with one hand, knocking the Sith off-balance with the Force.

Obi-Wan completed his spin, his lightsaber burying itself in Maul's abdomen before the Zabrack could recover. Qui-Gon had mirrored his move, and a second lightsaber blade sprouted next to the first. Gasping out one last fetid breath, the Sith fell through their blades and onto the floor next to the open pit, dead eyes wide with surprise. Obi-Wan shut down his lightsaber, saw Qui-Gon's blade disappear as he did the same.

Then his arms were pinned to his sides as Qui-Gon almost lifted him off of the floor in a bone-creaking embrace. Obi-Wan gasped out a laugh and buried his face against Qui-Gon's sweat-soaked tunic. They stood that way for a long time, both of them trembling as their bodies threatened to collapse out from under them.

"Well." Qui-Gon stepped back, placing a gentle kiss on Obi-Wan's forehead. Wiping Obi-Wan's wet hair back from his forehead, he smiled. "That wasn't so bad."

Obi-Wan snorted. "Right." But then he looked down at the Sith's body, and back up into Qui-Gon's eyes. The Sith was dead, and they were both alive. Qui-Gon was alive. He grinned like a fool. "Not bad at all." He kissed Qui-Gon thoroughly while standing on tiptoe, breaking the kiss when his tired body protested the awkward position.

Qui-Gon sighed regretfully as their lips parted. "There's still a battle going on. We should probably go help the others."

Obi-Wan nodded as Qui-Gon turned away. He clipped his lightsaber to his belt. Business first. After all, he could always collapse in a heap later. He needed to check with Anakin, and—

He turned as something hit the decking behind him, and his world erupted in blinding pain.

Anakin couldn't stop the grin that spread on his face as the little fighter picked up speed, racing through the hangar bay even as blast doors began to close. I did it! he told himself over and over, almost not believing it himself. And better, this time I meant to do it!

He blasted out of the hangar bay and up into open space even as a string of explosions tore the Droid Control Ship apart. Through the comm he could hear the frenzied yells of disbelief and triumph the remaining pilots voiced. He opened his mouth and voiced one of his own, R2 chirping and excitedly adding his own joy to the mix.

"You did it!" Bravo Three comm'd. She was yelling, a far cry from her usually stoic persona.

"I don't fucking believe it!" Garen yelled, laughing.

"It's blowing up, isn't it?" he couldn't resist saying, his own system flooded with adrenaline. "Believe it!"

Something tore through his mind, and Anakin screamed, jerking in reflex and nearly destroying himself and the fighter next to him before R2 took control. "Obi-Wan!"

Back in the hangar bay, Rillian and Micah had found - unsurprisingly enough - more droids. They stood back to back, Rillian working well with the human Master after months of training under his tutelage. The last of the droids fell, and the Wookiee shut down her lightsaber in relief. The number of droids still hanging around in Theed seemed to be infinite, and they stank when charred by their own returned blaster fire. Even without the stink, she knew there were none left nearby – she couldn't hear any of their distinctive clanking.

Micah turned to face her, about to speak, when Rillian howled in agony and surprise, clutching her head and dropping to her knees. White light exploded behind her eyes as the fledging bond she had with Anakin's Master told her, in no uncertain terms, that something terrible and painful had happened. She howled again, a great mournful cry that echoed in the vast chamber.

Micah whirled in shock, staring in the direction of the power core – Rillian sensed him move more than she saw it, almost blind with shock. "Oh gods," she heard the Master whispered. "No."

Qui-Gon heard the whisper of cloth through air, reaching automatically for his lightsaber as he turned. He had sensed no one--! Obi-Wan whirled on the dark-robed figure that landed in a crouch behind him, a lit lightsaber in his gloved hand.

Before either of them had time to breathe, the figure thrust a blood-red lightsaber blade into Obi-Wan's body, just below his waist.

Qui-Gon screamed, his heart torn into shreds in an instant.

The cloaked figure casually stepped back, withdrawing his lightsaber from Obi-Wan's body. There was a terrible silence as Obi-Wan fell, bonelessly, to the floor.

Riding next to Boss Nass, who remained a mountain of calm amidst the celebration of people, Yoda suddenly clutched a hand to his chest, gasping. "Take me back to the city, you must," he said to the immense Gungan. "Needed, I am!"

Boss Nass picked up the ancient Jedi with his massive hands and settled him in his lap. "Hanging on, yousa should be doin," he instructed. "Hey, yousa dere!" he yelled, giving his mount a tremendous kick. "Got t' be moving now!"

Time stopped. Qui-Gon stared at the shrouded figure before him, and felt a terrible coldness spreading through him. Obi-Wan was curled up on the floor, unmoving, but the bond between the held. He was alive, and mercifully unconscious. The soft beige tunics were a stark contrast to the black ones worn by the body that lay not ten feet from Obi-Wan's side. "Who are you?" he demanded, his ignited lightsaber held firmly in his hands.

The figure stepped forward, stopping next to Obi-Wan's body, and lowered his hood. He was an ordinary-looking human, maybe in his second decade, with greasy black hair and sickly-yellow eyes. "I am a Hand of my Lord Sidious, Jedi."

Qui-Gon nodded. "Thank you. I'm going to kill you now."

The man laughed, kicking Obi-Wan none too gently in the ribs before glancing back at Qui-Gon disdainfully. "I doubt that. You Jedi are all alike – hurt someone they like and you become the easiest targets in the galaxy."

Qui-Gon growled. "I would not do that, were I you."

A mocking grin answered him. Then, deliberately, the Hand ran the edge of his lightsaber down Obi-Wan's right arm, scorching through cloth and leaving a long, horrible burn behind. The scent of burnt flesh and ozone grew stronger.

"If you do that again, dying is going to be the least of your problems," Qui-Gon ground out. He was trembling, but it was no longer from exhaustion. It was taking every ounce of control he had to not fly at the man in a rage. Obi-Wan was still alive, he told himself firmly, and he wasn't going to be able to help Obi-Wan if he got himself killed.

"Why are you here?" he asked, hoping for more information. Information would keep him thinking, might give him a hint as to this Hand's weakness.

"Lord Sidious sent me to ensure that his Apprentice, Darth Maul, was successful. It was to be the Sith equivalent to the Jedi Trials. If he failed, I was to finish the job. He has obviously failed," the Hand said, gesturing at the Sith's corpse unconcernedly.

Keep him talking.

Qui-Gon did not react to the voice that suddenly whispered in his mind, for all that he wanted to cry out in relief. Obi-Wan?

Hurts bloody awful. Prefer to just be sliced in half and have done with it.

Don't even think that, Qui-Gon replied vehemently. To the Hand, he said, "Sith or no, this Lord Sidious might be upset that you allowed his Apprentice to die."

The man shrugged. "But once I bring him the news that I killed the two of you, I think he will be less concerned. Perhaps I will become Darth Maul's replacement. I certainly would be more suited to it. After all, the vaunted Master Jinn didn't sense my presence –"

When the Hand stepped forward again, raising his lightsaber, Obi-Wan struck. He lashed out with his foot, kicking the man fiercely in the side of his knee.

The man howled, not even his scream covering up the sickening crunch of bones splintering. Qui-Gon didn't think; he flung his lightsaber in a Force-enhanced throw. The blade sliced through his neck, severing his head from his shoulders. Both parts fell back, dropping into the melting pit that waited below.

Qui-Gon didn't even bother retrieving his lightsaber, not caring when it rolled away. He took two steps and dropped to the floor next to Obi-Wan, gently turning him over, cradling the younger man in his lap. "Obi-Wan?" He touched Obi-Wan's body with the Force – the lightsaber wound was a terrible path of destruction through Obi-Wan's body. There was no blood – lightsaber burns cauterized instantly – but that was not where the danger lay.

"Qui-Gon..." Obi-Wan whispered, opening eyes that were gray with shock. He was pale and icy to the touch, as if his body could no longer warm itself. "...s... over?"

"Yes, Obi-Wan. Twice over now, thanks to you." He smiled, the smile fading quickly as he touched on their bond. Obi-Wan had used up the last of his strength, the lightsaber burn sending his body into a downward spiral of shock and pain. "Love, hold on. I'll get help --" he reached for his comm link and was stopped by Obi-Wan's hand, clutching at his arm with rapidly fading strength. "Obi-Wan!"

Obi-Wan took a shuddering breath. "I... need you... to take care of Ani."

Qui-Gon stared at him. "Obi-Wan, no. You're going to be all right--"

"No... Ani... targeted, by Sidious. The Sith. Please... don't let him..."

"Obi-Wan, Anakin's going to be fine. Hush now," he whispered, clutching Obi-Wan's hand with desperate strength. "Everything's going to be all right."

Obi-Wan smiled at him, his eyes sad. "It's... it's all right, Qui. You don't have to... pretend," the younger man rasped out, fighting to voice words in spite of the pain. "I know... I'm dying."

The words burned through him, tearing his heart open. Tears gathered in his eyes and fell, and he cradled Obi-Wan's body to his chest. "That's not true," he said, voice breaking in grief and fear. "Obi-Wan, please don't leave me!"

"m' sorry..." Obi-Wan's voice had faded even further, barely audible.

"Obi-Wan... love..." Qui-Gon keened the words, throat closing in despair. He placed his hand on the side of Obi-Wan's face. "Oh, please, love, don't leave me. I love you. Stay with me -- Obi-Wan!" he cried, when the other's eyes fluttered closed. "Obi-Wan!" He cast about desperately through his mind, stumbling across an idea that was almost shocking in its simplicity. "LifeBond with me," he said, not caring at the desperation in his words.

Obi-Wan sighed in his arms. "I die, you die," he whispered.

Qui-Gon shook his head. "No. I live, you live," he said fervently. "I will live, and so will you." He hesitated, the long-forgotten memory floating up from wherever it had hidden in his mind. "You once told me that you could bear anything as long as I loved you. Did you lie to me?"

Obi-Wan shook his head slightly. "No…" he whispered. "But… was a dream. …was not you."

"No, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon whispered, smiling through his tears. "It was me, though I don't know how such a thing is possible. I spoke to you in a room in this very Palace. Do you remember?"

"Yes…" Obi-Wan breathed out the word. Qui-Gon stilled, afraid that it was too late. Then Obi-Wan opened his eyes again, and they were fever bright. "You told me that you loved me."

"Yes, love," Qui-Gon said, brushing sweat-soaked hair away from Obi-Wan's face. "Yes, I did. I loved you then, I love you now. If you leave me, I will follow."

Obi-Wan smiled faintly. "Can't… have that…" Then I … say yes.

Qui-Gon called upon the Force, letting it fill him, bringing with it the words that he needed. "Where you go, I will follow…"

Obi-Wan shuddered in his arms. Th'on swi et alla, A … A del de orrette… he replied, the traditional vows spoken in the oldest Jedi dialect known.

"My life is yours, and your life is mine."

Obi-Wan clasped his hands in a sudden, painful grip. The Force had begun to coalesce around them, the energy almost visible in its intensity, and Qui-Gon felt some part of him awaken and reach for it. Ye'ete pon far, y far ete…

"Come on, come on," Anakin said, pacing back and forth in front of the red force field. Instead of cycling, like he remembered, they were jammed in place. He looked over at Panaka and Rillian, who stood before a control panel, trying to manually shut the entire thing down. Master Micah was standing with them, staring down the corridor with worried eyes. The other Jedi were all trying to find the last of the Nemoidians before they escaped off-planet. He had no idea where Master Yoda was, but he got the feeling the ancient Master was on his way to join them.

[Oh, the hell with it!] Rillian snarled, igniting her copper-colored lightsaber and shoving it into the panel brutally. Sparks flew, landing on her black and silver pelt. The Wookiee growled and brushed off the tiny molten globules before they could damage her fur.

There was a horrified squeal as a computer fried, and the red shields dropped.

He waited just long enough to take Rillian's hand before both of them raced down the long passageway. Panaka was just behind them, and Master Micah, despite his old injury, was cursing under his breath as he awkwardly ran after them.

He and Rillian skidded to a surprised halt in the room at the end of the passage. Anakin looked at the body of the Sith, lying near the pit, making very sure it was dead before he stepped closer.

Obi-Wan was cradled in Qui-Gon's arms, his head resting against Qui-Gon's chest. His eyes were closed, he was deathly pale, and Anakin couldn't help but cry when he saw the lightsaber wound in his Master's body. If it weren't for the training bond, he would have been sure that Obi-Wan was dead.

Qui-Gon stirred at their arrival, opening his eyes to look up at Anakin and Rillian with bleary eyes. "Padawans," he whispered, exhaustion radiating from him. It was nearly enough to cover up the new bond Anakin could sense, a tiny yet brilliant thread of shifting color that wrapped itself around both of them. That's really pretty, he thought distractedly.

He dropped to the floor beside Qui-Gon, taking one of Obi-Wan's cold, still hands in his own. Qui-Gon had woven the Force around them with that new bond, enough to keep Obi-Wan here, but Anakin's other Master was too exhausted to do more. He looked at Rillian, who was clenching her large hands into fists because she didn't know what to do. "Feel what I do," he told her softly. "We can help him. Just watch."

Rillian sat down on the floor, took Obi-Wan's other hand, and rumbled a soft response. [Show me,] she said, her eyes alight with determined fire.

Anakin used his training bond to send gentle pulses of healing energy to Obi-Wan, knowing he could do this all day, if he had to. There was a huge amount of power inside of him, a vast nest of ruby threads in his mind's eye, and it came easily when he called it. Rillian tentatively began to help him, providing him with her own coppery green energy and letting Anakin direct it.

He concentrated on encouraging his Master's body to repel the shock, feeding reserves that had been destroyed. Even with the Force, Chosen One or not, Obi-Wan was going to need more help, specific help, and Anakin didn't know how to do the things the Healers did with the Force.

While Anakin shored up Obi-Wan's energy, making sure the Force knew very sure that it needed to leave him where he was, Anakin sensed Qui-Gon mentally pulling back. His other Master was swiftly succumbing to his own exhaustion. Anakin didn't know what kind of bond it was that Qui-Gon had made, but he was pretty sure it was the only reason Obi-Wan was alive. "Thank you," he whispered, tears streaming down his face.

Qui-Gon gave him a tiny smile. "Captain," he said softly.

"We need a medical team to the power station, immediately," he heard Panaka order crisply. It startled Anakin – he'd pretty much forgotten that they weren't alone. "Trace my commlink signal for precise location – and bring the Jedi Healer with them. She's needed."

Rillian let out a surprised bark, catching her Master in her arms when Qui-Gon slumped back in a dead faint. Anakin pulled Obi-Wan up close to him, not willing to lay him down on that cold floor. Things still weren't right, and he was going to keep an eye and a hand on his Master until he knew otherwise.

Anakin and Rillian looked at each other, a mirror of two Padawans holding their Masters close. "Hey," he said, his voice cracking as he spoke. "Welcome to the Jedi, Rillian."

The Wookiee snorted, her arms tightening around Qui-Gon protectively. [Some welcome, Skywalker.]

** ** ** ** ** **

Breathing hurt. Everything hurt.

The Force answered his call, even if he was too weak to manage more than a tenuous connection. Still, that was enough to encourage him, and gave him enough energy to open his eyes.

Light hurt. He moaned and shut his eyes, and promptly drifted back down into darkness.

The next time that he tried to wake up, he heard voices that he recognized. Instinctively he reached for the nearest one, touching feminine energy that was harried and worried.

"Oh, no you don't," she said. Terza. "Back to sleep, you. We're not done yet."

Done with what? he asked. For some reason, he couldn't think clearly, and he felt as if he were floating. But they don't have bacta yet, he thought muzzily.

"What the hell is bacta?" that voice he knew, and it belonged to Abella. "And wow, was that loud. I bet you they heard that on Coruscant."

"Padawan," Terza said mildly, and there was a smile in her voice, along with a great deal of the empathic concern that Healers were so good at projecting. "We need you to go back to sleep, Obi-Wan."

"He's not listening to us." Cool hands were touching his left arm, and someone was using the Force like a needle and thread to mend. He knew that tactic – he'd seen Adi use it several times during the war. Except that… this wasn't then. For a moment he literally did not know when he was.

No… no, I don't think I want to, he replied, confused. Though after last time, he knew better than to open his eyes. I want to know why I'm surrounded by women.

Abella giggled, high pitched – that only happened when the Chitanok was stressed. "Don't worry, Kenobi. I've seen your dangly bits plenty of times, and you're usually too unconscious to notice."

That was funny. He laughed – and screamed, as something within him ground together. It felt like his insides had been crammed with broken glass, and it was molten.

Warm hands held him down, and there was a swift influx of Force energy that soothed the molten heat, made the pain fade back to a dull ache. There were more than just three sets of hands touching him, but beyond that, he lost count. "I told you so," Terza scolded him, sniffing, and he was astonished to realize that she was crying. "Master Yoda?"

Tiny hands brushed his temples, and the warmth under his head was Master Yoda's lap. Cushy, Obi-Wan thought.

Yoda laughed softly. "The first to think so, you are not. Sleep you must, Obi-Wan."

He felt the gentle press of the Force, a whisper of peaceful slumber. Qui?

Yoda sighed. "Fine, he is. Resting he is, with your Padawans. Resting, you should also be."

He relaxed finally, hearing the truth in Yoda's words, though he was certain there was more to it than that. He drifted off, almost missing Yoda's next words as he sank back into the darkness.

"Live, you will."

He heard the soft rustle of cloth as someone moved. The light he could feel against his closed eyes dimmed. "Try it now."

Obi-Wan opened his eyes, waiting semi-patiently as objects slowly solidified, coming into focus gradually. Immediately he looked for and found a pair of exhausted blue eyes. "Hi," he whispered, his voice raw in his throat. "You look terrible." His partner's hair was unbound, falling to his shoulders in a tangled mess that draped over rumbled tunics. Shadows had formed under Qui-Gon's eyes, and he was dreadfully pale.

Obi-Wan thought Qui-Gon was the most wonderful thing that he had ever seen. He sent that impression through the bond unthinkingly, and was immediately astounded by the very clear sense of happiness that returned to him. Never had the pair-bond been so… he stopped, remembering. It wasn't just a pair-bond any more. He touched it hesitantly, seeing the shining ribbon of fluxing color that bound them together in his mind's eye. It was astounding. It was… he basked in the warmth of it, in the love it carried. It was wonderful.

Qui-Gon smiled at him, touching Obi-Wan's face with one timid finger. "And you look wonderful, as well."

"I don't feel it," he said, wincing at the hoarseness of his own voice. He lifted his arm, vaguely surprised to find that he could, and carefully touched his stomach. His fingers encountered the soft fabric of a sleep shirt, but he could feel an unusual warmth radiating from his skin beneath. "I'm alive..." he whispered, not quite sure he believed it yet.

Qui-Gon swallowed visibly, bowing his head. Confused, Obi-Wan reached out – it was difficult, because his hands and his eyes didn't seem to be working together very well. Obi-Wan ran his fingers through Qui-Gon's long hair, and heard him choke back a sob. "Qui... what's wrong?"

Qui-Gon lifted his head, tears running down his face. "I'm sorry. I thought… I thought I had lost you." He absently wiped at his streaming eyes. "I've never been more terrified in my entire life." He blinked furiously, struggling for control. "I'm so sorry."

"Qui, it's all right," Obi-Wan said, brushing his fingers across Qui-Gon's lips, wishing Qui-Gon weren't sitting so blasted far away. "Wasn't your fault, love. I'm still here."

Qui-Gon laughed despite his tears, the sound full of relief and joy. Then he leaned closer, brushing their lips together. "Love you," he whispered against Obi-Wan's skin. "And I'll never go another day without saying it at least once."

"Ambitious," Obi-Wan whispered back. He managed to lift his head just enough to deepen their kiss, taking solace in the feel of warm lips moving against his own. He grabbed Qui-Gon's hair when he would have moved away, pulling Qui-Gon close again despite the searing jolt of pain in his stomach. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Qui-Gon murmured again, pressing another kiss to his lips before leaning back. "I am monopolizing you. There is someone else who has been very worried about you."

Startled and a little guilty to realize he hadn't even given him a thought, Obi-Wan touched on his bond with Anakin.

His response was a whirlwind of activity as his Padawan rushed into the room, skidding to a stop on the opposite side of Obi-Wan's bed. "You're awake!"

"Debatable," Obi-Wan smiled, too weak to do more than take Anakin's hand with one of his own. Qui-Gon still had a firm grip on the other. "How long have I…?" He nearly frowned in annoyance – he was still speaking in a near-whisper, but he couldn't seem to manage anything louder. Well then, he thought, suddenly giddy. I guess I really did almost die, didn't I?

Qui-Gon squeezed his hand reassuringly. Yes. "Five days. If not for Anakin, Terza, Abella… Adi… and Yoda… you… probably would have taken much longer to wake up."

Obi-Wan was well-aware that Qui-Gon had been about to say something quite different. "Five days… well. That explains a lot." He remembered something about waking, with many hands touching him, but it was a memory almost without substance. "Are you all right?" he asked Anakin.

"I am now," Anakin grinned, almost bouncing up and down in place. "You scared me, Master."

"Believe me, that was not … not my intention." Obi-Wan took in his Padawan's bedraggled, if happy, state, trying to make his brain process more than one thought at a time. "How did we do?"

"The Queen's plan worked exactly as she had hoped," Qui-Gon said, his fingers tracing warm circles over the palm of Obi-Wan's hand. "The Gungan army was successful, the Viceroy is under arrest, and the blockade has been demolished."

Obi-Wan nodded slowly and looked back at Anakin. "How was it?"

Anakin instinctively knew what he was talking about. "It was... interesting. It was a lot harder to do on purpose than it was by accident." He looked down at the floor, embarrassed. "But it blew up nicely, all the same."

Obi-Wan chuckled, even though it hurt to laugh. "Imagine so." He closed his eyes, and then opened them again when he began to feel as if he were floating. It was almost reminiscent of the after-affects of being immersed in bacta, or the viscous pools on Ralltirr. "And… me?"

Qui-Gon sighed. "The lightsaber burned through your abdominal wall and made a mess of things. And yet… you were very lucky that there was nothing the Healers could not repair or… work around. You'll have to ask Terza for the rest. She's going to want to yell at you anyway."

Obi-Wan sighed, and even that hurt. "I think maybe she already did. It could be worse – far worse – so I am not going to complain." Both Qui-Gon and Anakin looked pained at that. He smiled tiredly, squeezing the hands that held his own. "Not dead, really," he whispered. Something else occurred to his very unreliable mind, then. "Where's Rillian?" He was starting to feel faintly nauseous. The Healers must have given him some very interesting drugs.

"She'll be here soon," Qui-Gon answered him, moving the chair he sat in closer to Obi-Wan. "She's representing our foursome with the Queen's delegation to welcome the Chancellor and the Senate Guard. The Senate has actually motioned for Nute Gunray's arrest, and a trial will be held on Coruscant when things settle down."

"The Chancellor is coming here? …gods, Qui, which one?" he asked, holding his breath. He'd been out of it for five days, and Obi-Wan knew with frightening clarity how much could change in very little time.

Qui-Gon reassured him through the bond, sensing Obi-Wan's sudden tension. "Valorum, of course."

Obi-Wan breathed at that, relaxing back onto the bed he lay on. That was the best news he had heard yet. "Why aren't you meeting him?"

Qui-Gon lifted Obi-Wan's hand, brushing his skin with a kiss. "Because, love. Five days ago I told you I was not leaving you, and I meant it."

Obi-Wan closed his eyes, letting Qui-Gon's love through the bond – his love, his relief, his concern – all of it, and more. He touched the bond, feeling the tiny thread strengthen as he examined it. If Obi-Wan thought it was pretty now, at its birth, it was going to be blindingly beautiful when it stabilized at full strength.

He heard Anakin cough discreetly, and opened his eyes to find his Padawan grinning at him. "So that's what that is," Anakin said. "I'm happy for you both, Master, though Mom's going to kill you if you don't have some kind of ceremony for her to attend."

Obi-wan blinked at Anakin, trying to process that. "Cere… oh. Right. I have to think about that now?"

Qui-Gon stood up enough to kiss him again, gently, and the raw intensity of the emotion that accompanied the kiss literally took his breath away. Obi-Wan blinked away the tears that rose in his eyes. "No, not right now. In a few months, perhaps..."

"Good," Obi-Wan replied, taking a deep breath. He waggled a finger at Anakin, motioning for the boy to come closer. "You two are staying with me, and as soon as Rillian is done being official, I'd like her to join us." He paused, pulling himself together enough to finish. "You are my family, and I want to keep you all close."

He woke up again to more darkness, but he had a feeling it was true darkness now. Qui-Gon was close by, he knew instinctively, though he couldn't see him. Terza was leaning over him, poking at the bandage on his arm. "You look familiar," Obi-Wan whispered.

Terza looked at him, her eyes shining, surprised Obi-Wan with the tears that tracked down her face. "You lout," she whispered. "I'm not supposed to be this attached to my patients."

"Sorry," Obi-Wan said, utterly baffled. He had no idea that Terza thought so fondly of him.

Terza smiled then, wiping her face dry. "Just don't show up in my care again any time soon, Obi-Wan. At least not this way. I thought we were going to lose you both."

Obi-Wan felt little surprise at that, though Qui-Gon had mentioned nothing. "I don't remember."

Terza nodded, and he followed her gaze over to the next bed. Qui-Gon lay there, asleep, which explained the deep calm broadcast through the bond. "It's worse than Qui-Gon probably told you – we nearly lost you several times during the first twenty four hours. You kept fading, despite the bond, despite everything we did to try to keep you with us. And every time you faded, he nearly went with you. It's a good thing that Qui-Gon is a stubborn man, because he is the one that pulled you back. And then… I guess it was finally enough." She growled at him. "And if you ever do anything so stupid again, I'm going to kick you so hard your teeth will rattle!"

He laughed softly – and it hurt, despite the floating feeling of what was probably yet more of that heavy narcotic in his system. "I love you too, Healer Terza."

"I know," Terza said, the glare fading. "Now get better. My Padawan has done enough panicked healing this week." She left him, and he was content to drift in the wake of Qui-Gon's sleeping mind before he drifted away, too.

It was the next day – or so he thought. Obi-Wan's sense of time had disappeared completely. He was reclining on the bed, as upright as Terza would allow, resting on a stack of pillows that looked like they had been filched from the Palace. Terza had flat out refused to let him move any further – not that he felt like arguing the point.

Yet.

He felt much more alert after insisting that they stop drugging him so thoroughly. That had been one hell of an argument, and only on his promise to swear to tell the closest Healer if anything felt wrong did they ease the dosage. It had been enough – he could think clearly again.

He was in the temporary infirmary on the outskirts of Theed – sometime that morning, Abella had explained to him that Theed's major medical center had been heavily damaged during the occupation. There were several dozen small infirmary setups, like this one, scattered throughout the city, staffed by healers, doctors, and, in drastic cases, by anyone who could wrap a bandage properly.

Anakin and Rillian were with Padmé – he sensed through the training bond that the Queen was in handmaiden guise, taking some desperately needed time away from the grueling task of rebuilding the capital. He thought that maybe Chancellor Valorum had stopped in to see him at one point, but was also certain he had slept through the entire visit. There had been other Jedi drifting in and out, and he remembered someone – had that been Siri? – kissing his forehead.

So much as the slightest movement caused pain that was nearly blinding, but he didn't care. Obi-Wan had learned a long time ago that pain meant you were still alive. "Where the hell did that other Sith come from?" he found himself asking, without any forethought whatsoever. "And who was it?"

Yoda looked up from Qui-Gon's appropriated bed where he was sitting contentedly, his eyes closed, humming tunes that had been new when the ancient Master was young. "Knew this one, you did not?" he asked curiously, not bothering to open his eyes.

Qui-Gon looked up, putting down the data pad he had been frowning at. From the way he kept rubbing his forehead, Obi-Wan suspected he was giving himself one wrathful headache. "What do you remember?"

"Getting skewered," Obi-Wan said immediately, then found himself forcing back a cough. Coughing right now would probably make him pass out. He lowered his voice back down to a whisper. At Qui-Gon's pained look, he flushed. "Sorry, Qui. I never saw him, and I think I missed a good deal of your… conversation."

"The second one called himself a Hand of Sidious." Qui-Gon folded his hands in his lap, and Yoda finally opened his eyes. Obi-Wan guessed that this was the first chance anyone had taken to actually discuss what happened. "I didn't get an actual name from him. He said that he was sent to track Darth Maul through his final test, and finish it for him if Maul failed. Do you know anything about this?"

Obi-Wan had to admit that he did not. Not that he would have noticed anything – after the first fight he'd been through in the pit, other things had been on his mind. "I've never heard of anything like that before. Did Anakin mention anything?"

Qui-Gon nodded. "He said it sounded vaguely familiar, but he did not recognize the man when I showed him a vid scan from the pit's security monitors. I had a duplicate scan made that will be given to the Senate delegation that is investigating the Federation's actions here. Senator Palpatine has already said that he would be very interested in such a thing."

Obi-Wan launched himself fully upright at that, then gasped as pain assaulted him from the inside out. Qui-Gon leapt to his side, soothing the pain with the bond, gently running his fingers through Obi-Wan's hair. He felt Yoda's Force-sense brush along his body, and every nerve tingled at the Healing wave of energy. He slumped against Qui-Gon's broad frame, breathing in shallow gasps.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Qui-Gon demanded quietly, holding him tightly.

"Sorry," Obi-Wan panted, slowly bringing the pain under his control. He had a vague memory of being hurt far worse, once, but couldn't recall exactly when. Right now, it didn't seem possible. "It's just… you said Senator Palpatine is coming here?"

"Yes," Qui-Gon replied, confused. "He'll be here in two days." Obi-Wan felt Qui-Gon and Yoda's flurry of mental exchange, but couldn't hear it – he was too busy focusing on what Qui-Gon had told him. He had two days to plan what was probably going to be the most insane act of his life, and he couldn't even walk.

He laughed, the sound degenerating into a hysterical giggle. "Sounds great." He kept laughing, unable to stop, though it hurt badly enough to make tears run down his face. He leaned into Qui-Gon's embrace, soaking in the feel of his mate's warmth, basking in Qui-Gon's love.

"You're nuts," Qui-Gon murmured, nuzzling the top of Obi-Wan's head. "I love you."

"Love you, too," Obi-Wan replied, feeling the nudge with the Force as Qui-Gon suggested that he rest. Obi-Wan willingly closed his eyes, even as he told his mind to wake him at dawn.

There was much to do.