65With Love Comes Pain
Author: Laura Kenobi
Disclaimer: Unfortunately for me, I don't own Star Wars. I do, however, own any original characters, planets, etcetera that I created for this story.
Archive: Please contact me first!
Comments/Reviews: You can email me through my profile, and you can always leave a review!
Author's Notes: ((italics)) represents thoughts and "/ italics /" represents communication through the Force.
This story was first published in its original version on July 17, 2001. In July 2005, I decided that since four years had passed and my skills as a writer had undoubtedly improved since this story was first written and posted, it might be refreshing to return to this story and give it a fresh look and an update. For the most part the overall story remains the same - my goal has been to improve on and expand on the original, so I hope the result will prove enjoyable to all of you who are wonderful enough to read and review. The version of this story below is the updated version. Call it the "Special Edition" version of this story.
Summary: When a mission goes dreadfully wrong, Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn must deal with the possibility of loosing his Padawan Learner...
Chapter One
"Get to the ship, Master! I'm right behind you!"
Qui-Gon Jinn could barely hear his sixteen-year-old Padawan Learner. Obi-Wan's voice, despite its raised tone, was drowned out by the sounds of the building exploding around the two Jedi.
With a quick turn of his head, he saw that Obi-Wan was truly directly behind him, running as fast as his young legs could carry him to keep up with his Master's long strides.
Fire burned all around them, making it increasingly difficult to take in a breath. Qui-Gon could not remember a time he had ever sweated so much. He was soaking wet, yet terribly hot.
Their peaceful negotiations had taken a turn for the worse; protestors had taken matters into their own hands and the building had been set ablaze. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan had managed to get everyone out of the building, but the only exit at the north end of the building had collapsed just as the two Jedi had realized everyone was safe and were preparing to leave.
They had quickly decided to try and get to their ship on the east end of the building. Qui-Gon was beginning to wonder if they should reconsider and find another way to escape this carnage.
The Jedi Master could feel his Padawan's anxiety through their bond in the Force, and shouted directions to him.
"Stay close, Obi-Wan! Keep your senses alert!"
If Obi-Wan said something in return, Qui-Gon couldn't hear it. There was a sudden increase in noise, and the world seemed to begin collapsing from all directions. Turning around to make sure Obi-Wan was still behind him, Qui-Gon raced into the ship, and closed the boarding ramp. Yelling for his Padawan to take a seat, he guided the ship out of the hanger and into the air. Turning slightly to tell Obi-Wan to make sure he was strapped in, Qui-Gon stopped short.
Obi-Wan was nowhere in sight. A quick scan with the Force confirmed Qui-Gon's greatest fear.
His Padawan was still down in the burning building.
Obi-Wan Kenobi whirled around just in time to see Qui-Gon lift the ship and pilot it out of the hanger. Fear knifed into his mind, but he forced his racing heart to remain steady. Qui-Gon must have thought that his Padawan was still behind him.
In fact, Obi-Wan had been forced to stop to avoid being crushed – just a few feet away from the ramp and safety. Mentally swearing at himself in every language he knew, Obi-Wan quickly took in his surroundings. The hanger was blazing with flames, billowing smoke, and dropping burning debris from the ceiling all around him at every opportunity. Obi-Wan was furious at himself for getting into such a potentially deadly situation.
((Sith, Kenobi...what a wonderful mess you've gotten yourself into. Now how to get out of here...))
Pulling on the Force like a lifeline, the young man stumbled through the scorching hanger, coughing and gagging from the smoke. ((There must be a door or window somewhere...))
But he had no more time to search. The building could withstand no more, and it collapsed on top of the young Jedi. Obi-Wan felt him a moment of excruciating pain and then plunging into blissful darkness.
Horrified beyond his wildest imagination, Qui-Gon Jinn watched as the building collapsed in one cruel, slow motion, crushing his apprentice. His son.
"Obi-Wan!"
The scream tore from his throat before he could stop himself. He felt a moment of intense pain from his Padawan, and then nothing. Alarm and anguish pulsed through his veins with the force of an erupting volcano. "No! Obi-Wan..."
His next course of action came to the Jedi Master quickly. He would go down and find Obi-Wan. There was no other option; he could not leave his apprentice.
He rushed to the comm unit and dialed for the Temple healers. As the face of his longtime friend, Kitla Mooral, a tall, lean human with elegant silver hair and eyes to match, appeared on the screen, words poured from his mouth.
"Kitla, I need you to be ready to accept a patient that is in the most serious of critical conditions. We will be to the Temple in twenty-four hours."
She nodded, used to Qui-Gon's no-nonsense attitude.
"Who is it that needs this attention, Qui-Gon?"
She knew the answer before he told her. "Obi-Wan."
Unfortunately, the healers at the temple saw Obi-Wan so often that they knew him quite well. Kitla was Obi-Wan's usual healer. She nodded again.
"We will be ready for him. May the Force be with you." She quickly cut the connection and began preparation for Obi-Wan's arrival.
"I'm coming, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon murmured under his breath as he gathered a few medical supplies. "Don't worry... I'm coming."
Pain. White-hot, blinding pain.
Obi-Wan was only aware of the pain that coursed through his entire body – from his toes to his eyeballs. He could not think clearly, he could not see at all, and he certainly could not move. He felt broken. There was a steady pressure on top of him, and from all sides. Trying to reach the Force through the pain, he sent out the strongest call for help that he could muster, only to realize it wasn't even strong enough to reach his Master.
((Great job, Kenobi. Now you've gone and gotten yourself crushed. A fine Jedi you'll make...))
He couldn't think clearly. All he could do was wait. Wait and let the Force decide his fate. He was not scared of death... he only wondered why it was so elusive. The pain coursing through his body was becoming steadily more intolerable.
After what seemed to the young Jedi like a lifetime, he felt the pressure on top of him lessen, and light pierced into his already pounding head, causing him to cry out in pain. He tried to turn to avoid the light, but his entire body exploded with pain and he couldn't hold back a cry of surprise and pain. ((Gods, it hurts...))
A quiet, recognizable voice brought him back to the present, although not completely.
"Padawan, if you can hear me do not try and move."
He could only groan in agreement.
"The building collapsed on you. Do not move." Qui-Gon's voice was laced tight with concern, and Obi-Wan wondered what he looked like. Was he bleeding? Was he burned? Was he missing a limb? From the pain he felt, he decided anything was possible and groaned again, this time with a hint of despair.
"Obi-Wan, I am going to move you to the ship. I'll be as gentle as possible, but there will be pain. You need to see the Temple healers."
((There's the biggest understatement of the year...))
Obi-Wan had his eyes squeezed shut. He wasn't sure if the pain could get any worse.
As Qui-Gon used his strong arms and the Force to move his Padawan, Obi-Wan knew the pain could get worse. It was worse. He heard someone screaming, and realized he was crying out. As he felt himself being lowered onto something, the pain became too much for him to handle and he let himself fall into blissful unconsciousness.
End Chapter 1.
This is the first of about 3 or 4 chapters. Please review! I'll post a new chapter every-other day; let me know in your review if you would like me to email you when I post a new chapter (make sure to leave your email address or leave a signed review). Thanks so much for reading! - Laura