Chapter Text
Qui-Gon loved his padawans fiercely.
He knew that the Council had a slight issue with it, but none of them could really say anything, not when they were just as bad.
He remembered the pride he felt when Obi-Wan’s skills with a lightsabre placed him third in an age group and therefore skill group, higher than his own
He remembered Obi-Wan’s frustration when he couldn’t master a kata immediately, helping him through it and seeing that beaming smile directed at him.
Training with Obi-Wan was nothing but a joy at times.
Obi-Wan would be something great and he knew that early on.
He couldn’t believe that this had happened.
It all started like this…
….
Qui-Gon sighed wearily, rolling his shoulders in an attempt to relax the muscles there. He and his old padawan, along with Anakin and therefore Ahsoka, had recently returned from a mission.
It had been long and exhausting.
The Separatist droids had outnumbered the targeted village nearly a ten to one, which meant that they spent their days and nights fighting and pushing the droids back until they were able to arrest the Separatist leaders...almost a month later. They’d given the leader to the authorities and returned home afterwards.
They all wanted and needed some rest.
Which meant, that as soon as he heard Obi-Wan's communicator beeping, Qui-Gon groaned, just knowing that this was probably yet another assignment.
He just wanted a little bit of sleep.
He was sure that his plants were probably all severely wilted by now.
“What’s going on?” Anakin asked, looking just as fed up.
“The Council has called an emergency meeting.” Obi-Wan chuckled, giving his Master a fond, but stern look when Qui-Gon rolled his eyes.
Anakin, who had always followed in his grand-master's bad behaviour, was a little more vocal in his disgust, “Great, I can just see it now! Another long, boring debate!”
“Would you rather they call you in to watch the younglings?” Ahsoka asked with a chuckle, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan joining in when Anakin shuddered at the very thought.
“Are you crazy?”
“Just a little- “
A blaster shot cut her off, the first shot hitting the wall far too close to Obi-Wan’s head for Qui-Gon’s comfort. Grabbing the younger man’s arm, he pulled them both behind a stack of boxes, double checking to make sure that Anakin and Ahsoka had also made it to safety.
“I believe that may have been aimed at you.” Qui-Gon warned his old padawan, frowning when Obi-Wan shook his head, waving off his concerns.
“Nonsense, we were all walking rather close together, it could have been aimed at any one of us. Can anyone see where those shots are coming from?”
The words did not help and Qui-Gon kept a protective eye on his ex-padawan as Ahsoka pointed up to be a nearby rooftop. “A sniper. I see him up there!”
The blaster shots kept on coming, deliberately aimed at the boxes which Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon were crouched behind. Making sure that Obi-Wan was as far away from the edges of their shelter as he could possibly be, Qui-Gon quickly formulated a plan. “Alright. Anakin, you flank him on the right. Ahsoka and Obi-Wan, you cover the lower streets….I’m going after him.”
//Master!// protested Obi-Wan over their bond, //It would be better if we both went after him, he can’t escape as easily then! //
//He’s aiming at you. You’ll be safer on the lower levels, where it’ll be harder to hit you! //
//I’m coming with you and there’s nothing you can say to stop me! //
Qui-Gon shot a glare at the younger man, a look that had yet to work, even when Obi-Wan was a teenager. When it failed to work, yet again, he shook his head in surrender. “Fine, change of plans. Ahsoka will cover the lower streets alone whilst Obi-Wan and I go after him….agreed?”
A smug smirk on his face, Obi-Wan nodded, the smirk only growing as Ahsoka giggled at the exasperated look on Qui-Gon’s face.
//You’re a bad influence little one.”//
Obi-Wan gave no indication that he had even heard Qui-Gon as all four Jedi ignited their lightsabres and ran towards the source of the blaster shots, with Anakin, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan hopping up the building.
Racing towards the sniper, the three rooftop Jedi often had to duck down behind metallic cylinders in order to avoid the blaster shots. The sniper sped ahead, leaping onto the next rooftop and disappearing. As Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan crouched behind two separate shelters, they listened out for any sign of the sniper…but the blaster shots had stopped.
“I’ve lost him!” cried out Anakin over the communicators, “Master Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan! Do you have anything?!”
Cautiously, Qui-Gon looked around, “Negative.” he whispered, “But stay alert. I don’t like how bold this hunter is- ”
He froze when he saw Ob-Wan moving to leave his cover.
//OBI-WAN! What are you doing?!// He practically screamed over their bond, watching in dismay as he was ignored, his old padawan stepping out from behind his shelter, glancing around, probably looking for the sniper…who then made his presence known.
A blaster shot came from the right, hitting Obi-Wan directly in the chest, causing him to cry out in pain and stumble back, right over the edge of the roof.
“OBI-WAN!” Qui-Gon cried out, hearing Anakin do the same, his voice clearly devastated at what he just witnessed.
“I’ve got him!” yelled Ahsoka from the lower streets, “Go!”
Shaking away the unnerving feeling of the bond between him and his ex-padawan falling silent, hoping that it was just the shock of the attack that had caused it, Qui-Gon was quick to run after the sniper, closely followed by Anakin. After a few seconds of running, the sniper leapt onto a speeder bike and zoomed away, being sure to drop a smoke bomb behind him in order to cover his tracks and confuse the pursuing Jedi.
Coughing slightly, Qui-Gon could see that Anakin was all too ready to continue the pursuit, prompting him to reach out a hand to stop the younger Jedi. “We are wasting time on this…come, we can catch him later. Right now, Obi-Wan might need us.”
“I can’t feel him over the bond.” whispered Anakin, his face already twisted in grief.
“He’ll be fine, he’s survived far worse.”
Far too much really, but he wasn’t going to focus on that.
“…Come on, let’s go and get him to the healers if Ahsoka hasn’t already done so.”
Swiftly, the pair made their way down to the lower streets, running toward the alley underneath the building Obi-Wan fell off. Upon rounding the corner, they saw Ahsoka seated on the ground, Obi-Wan’s upper body pulled onto her lap as the young Togruta gently brushed the Jedi Master’s hair out of his face.
That should have been the first sign that everything was not okay.
He’d seen Obi-Wan try and walk off a lot worse.
“How is he?” asked Qui-Gon, as the pair made their way over… only to stop in their tracks as Ahsoka glanced up at them, tears in her eyes as the words seemed to get stuck in her throat.
No.
No, this wasn’t happening.
It couldn’t be happening.
Qui-Gon could only stand there in shocked silence as Anakin stormed over, shaking his head in disbelief. “Obi-Wan?” he shook the limp Jedi Master’s shoulders, “Obi-Wan? OBI-WAN!!”
Kneeling down next to the trio, Qui-Gon gently nudged Anakin out of the way and pulled Obi-Wan into his own arms, ignoring how Ahsoka buried her face in her Master’s chest, muffled sobs echoing through the streets.
“Obi-Wan…” whispered Qui-Gon, tears building up in his eyes as he stroked the younger man’s cheek, similar to how he would soothe the child after a nightmare or a particularly horrific vision, “…Obi-Wan please- please don’t do this to me. I need you!”
Silence.
“Obi-Wan!”
Sirens could now be heard.
There was a large part of Qui-Gon that knew that they would be too late though.
There was no sign of Obi-Wan’s Force presence.
“No.” He whispered in grief, barely noticing as Master Windu leapt out of a nearby speeder and rushed over, “No, Obi-Wan please!”
“Qui-Gon…” Master Windu’s voice remained calm, despite the devastating scene, “…Qui-Gon, come on. You need to let go now.”
“No! No, he needs me! What if he wakes up and he’s scared, like after the- “
“Jinn!” interrupted Mace, as he finally managed to tug Obi-Wan out of Qui-Gon’s grip, “He’s not coming back. He’s one with the Force now.”
As Obi-Wan was placed onto a stretcher, with a sheet pulled up over his face, Qui-Gon found himself rooted to the ground.
He couldn’t move
He couldn’t speak.
He just sat there in the middle of the alleyway.
Despite being helped up by a sobbing Ahsoka and a silent Anakin, his eyes remained fixed on the speeder that contained his poor padawan’s body, even when it vanished around the corner, towards the Jedi Temple.
“Come on Qui.” gently encouraged Mace, “You need to let him take the rest of this journey alone.”
At first, Qui-Gon let himself be led into a separate speeder, which Mace ordered the driver to return to the Temple.
And then a sudden thought occurred to him.
“Wait!” ordered Qui-Gon, “Take me to the Clone Barracks first. There’s someone I need to see.”
….
The laughter and playfulness that echoed throughout the corridors of the Clone Barracks pulled at Qui-Gon’s heart.
How many times had he come here, looking for his wayward ex-padawan, knowing that he was likely to find Obi-Wan sitting here with… him.
Upon striding into the mess hall, Qui-Gon quickly scanned the crowd of similar faces. He barely noticed how everything had gone quiet at the sight of him standing there.
Standing there, with that expression on his face that made them all pause, he wondered what they were all thinking.
He didn’t dwell on it though, scanning the crowd until he found who he was looking for.
There.
In the far-right corner, sat a small group of clones. Qui-Gon instantly recognised a couple of them, including Fives (identifiable by the tattoo), Captain Rex (who he and Anakin worked a lot with) ….and Commander Cody.
Taking a deep breath in order to try and get himself under control, Qui-Gon strode over to their table, trying not to lose control as the group stared at him in confusion. “May I sit?” he asked wearily, as the clones all rushed to make room on the bench for him.
Sitting down, Qui-Gon took another deep breath as the clones stared at him. After a few minutes of silence, Cody nervously cleared his throat. “Ummm, General Jinn…Sir?”
Qui-Gon glanced up at the very clone he had come to see and sighed, “There…. was an incident, not too long ago. I felt that you especially Commander Cody, needed to hear it from me instead of the news channels.”
“Sir?”
The poor man had no idea what was coming to him. Gathering his thoughts, Qui-Gon closed his eyes.
He was not going to cry in front of everyone.
“I, Anakin, Ahsoka….and Obi-Wan were making our way to the Jedi Temple for a council meeting when we were attacked by a sniper. During the chase to apprehend the man, Obi-Wan was shot and- “
Qui-Gon was interrupted when Cody leapt up from his seat, “Is he in the medical bay?! What have the droids said?! Will he- “
The clone fell silent as Qui-Gon held up a silencing hand. Before he continued, Qui-Gon watched as Rex tugged his brother back down to the bench, a knowing look in his eyes.
“Obi-Wan was shot in the heart and fell several stories to the ground…I’m sorry Cody, but he didn’t make it.”
Qui-Gon managed not to wince as Rex, Fives and a few of the other clones bowed their heads in respect and grief. Cody’s reaction was very different, however. The scarred clone shook his head in denial, bringing his communicator to his mouth and desperately pressed in his General’s contact code. “General!”
Silence.
“General?”
Had Obi-Wan ever not answered before?
Probably not. It was something that he was conscious of, even when he was just a young boy, which Qui-Gon was grateful for as Obi-Wan used to find himself in trouble a lot of the time.
It didn’t take long for realisation to dawn as Cody turned to leave, making sure that his face was kept hidden from the rest of his comrades as he ran out of the room. Rex moved as though he was going to follow, only for Qui-Gon to stop him.
“I’ll go after him.”
“I’m sorry sir….” Qui-Gon turned around to face Rex, who was clearly upset at the news, “…we all how much General Kenobi meant to you.”
Qui-Gon bowed his head in thanks and hurried after the distressed Commander.
It didn’t take long to find the man. Cody hadn’t made it very far past the entrance to the mess hall before collapsing against the wall in grief and falling to his knees, his shoulders shuddering as he tried to keep his sobs silent. Slowly, Qui-Gon knelt next to him, placing a comforting arm around the young man’s shoulders.
“I’m sorry…” he whispered, “…. I should have protected him. I should have done something.”
He felt Cody shake his head, “He w-would have resented being protected like some shiny.” The clone muttered, “At least he died trying to stop a criminal, that’s the main thing.”
Tactfully choosing not to mention how the sniper seemed to be only targeting Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon simply changed the subject, “The council wishes to hold the funeral as soon as possible…I think Obi-Wan would have wanted you to be there. You and the others if they can.”
“I don’t know about the others Sir, but I’ll definitely be there.” As Qui-Gon helped him to his feet, Cody had a sudden thought, “You caught him, correct? The killer?”
Straightening up, Cody schooled his face into a more neutral expression. “Sir, when you get news of his whereabouts…permission to aid in his capture.”
“Permission granted.”
…………………………………………..
The funeral was a sombre affair, with Jedi from every corner of the Temple showing up to pay their respects to one of the finest Jedi that ever walked these corridors.
’Of course,’ thought Qui-Gon, ‘He could be biased in that aspect.’
He and Cody had chosen to stand together, with Qui-Gon placing a calming hand on the clone’s shoulder when it appeared as though the man was going to lose his composure.
Next to them were Ahsoka and Master Plo Koon, and in front of them was the shrouded body of Obi-Wan. They were standing at the head of the altar, and at the foot of it, stood Anakin.
His expression was blank.
Darker than Qui-Gon had ever seen it, the look reminding him of Xanatos with a painful jolt.
“I’m worried about Anakin.” he heard Ahsoka whisper to Master Plo, “He hasn’t said a word since it happened…not even to Master Jinn.”
Qui-Gon silently agreed with Ahsoka’s concerns. After returning from the barracks, he had attempted to see the young man, hoping to find a kindred spirit who was as close to Obi-Wan as he was, only to be met with stony silence as Anakin ignored every attempt he made to talk about Qui-Gon’s old padawan and Anakin’s old master.
He was startled out of his thoughts as the altar lowered down beneath the ground, the platform sliding shut above it.
He grabbed at Cody’s shoulder in order to prevent him from running over, a bright light shone through gap in the floor, indicating that Obi-Wan had finally been laid to rest.
Seconds later, Anakin was storming out of the room.
They needed to catch Obi-Wan’s killer, before Anakin could get there first.
…..
The news came not even 24 hours after the funeral.
The bounty hunter responsible for Obi-Wan’s death had been spotted in a nearby cantina. It took only a few minutes for Qui-Gon to find Anakin, Ahsoka and of course Cody, in order for them to make the much-desired arrest.
“Did Master Yoda say how they found the sniper?” asked Cody as they strode up to the entrance.
“Who cares?” Anakin snapped, “All that matters is that they found him.”
Upon striding into the cantina, Qui-Gon watched in alarm as Anakin immediately ignited his lightsabre. “Where is Rako Hardeen?” the younger man growled, glaring at every individual (several of whom shrunk back).
A serpentine-like alien, gestured to the back of the cantina, a worried look on his face at the sight of three Jedi and a Clone Commander invading his workplace. “Ah, back room.” he hissed.
Anakin stormed ahead, closely followed by the other three as he burst into the room, only to find a lone figure curled up on the bed, lying deathly still as the group entered the room.
“Is he dead?” whispered Ahsoka.
“He’s about to be…”
Qui-Gon frowned, “Anakin…control yourself.”
Ignoring the Jedi Master, Anakin roughly rolled the man onto his back. The man blearily glared up at the Knight and rolled back onto his side, waving his hand in dismissal. “A Jedi? I already killed a Jedi today…let me sleep.”
The words hurt more than Qui-Gon thought they would.
“He’s not dead.” Anakin snarled in disgust, “Just drunk.” He yanked the man to his feet and pinned him up against the wall, “If it were up to me, I would kill you right here! But luckily for you, the man you murdered would rather see you rot in jail!”
As Rako’s eyes rolled back into his head, clearly disorientated from both the alcohol and the brutal attack, Qui-Gon subtly gestured for Cody to grab the hunter as he himself tugged Anakin away. “Calm yourself Anakin.” He whispered into the Knight’s ear, “Remember your training.”
Furiously, Anakin wrenched his shoulder out of Qui-Gon’s grasp as Cody handcuffed the sniper and roughly dragged him out of the cantina.
“Let’s go you coward, before General Skywalker changes his mind about letting you live!”
....
After a short speeder ride, the group handed the criminal over to the prison guards, with Cody taking the lead. “You should be expecting this scum Fox?”
“You bet we are.” Fox gave his brother a comforting pat on the shoulder, before he and his comrades marched Rako Hardeen away, pausing when Anakin stepped forward.
“Let me if he’s any trouble. I’d be happy to straighten him out.”
As Rako Hardeen was dragged into the prison, the group climbed back into the speeder and set off.
After dropping Cody back off at the barracks and arriving at the Jedi Temple, Qui-Gon pulled Anakin to one side. “You need to control your anger Anakin. If you keep going down this path, you’ll- “
“-turn to the Dark Side. I know, I know!!” interrupted Anakin, rolling his eyes. “But I seem to be the only one who actually cares that Obi-Wan is dead! I’m the only one who wanted to bring that scum to justice!”
Qui-Gon stared at Anakin in shock, before shaking his head and frowning at the younger man. “How dare you…” he whispered, a touch of anger in his voice (despite his best efforts to remain calm), “…how dare you suggest that you are the only one who wanted to hurt Hardeen just like he hurt Obi-Wan! The only who loved Obi-Wan…. you are not the only one who feels like this, but you are the only one who is giving in to hate!”
Anakin pushed past the Jedi Master, “By feeling anything less for that kriffing bastard, you’re only proving that you don’t care. Not as much as you should.”
He moved to storm off, only to stop at Qui-Gon’s next words, voice low and close to breaking.
“Remember this…. he was my padawan, long before he was ever your Master. Do not ever presume to tell me you are the one who feels the most pain at this, do not treat my feelings as less important than yours just because I have chosen not to continue hating the murderer who killed my Obi-Wan. It is over Anakin. Rako Hardeen is behind bars…where he will stay.”
Well…until Rako escaped the following day.