The Jedi And The Warrior

Attack On The Temple

The morning dawned bright and clear. Piercing rays of sunlight crept around the windows of their starfighter, shafts of gold across the controls as Qui-Gon brought them out of hyperspace. Flyra stood behind him, staring over the city of Coruscant, the rosy beams colouring the silver buildings.

I can't.

Obi-Wan's words bounced around and around in her skull, cracking something inside of her each time she heard them. She wanted to hate him, to rage and roar at him, but she couldn't stop seeing the agony in his eyes, couldn't stop hearing the way those words had stuck in his throat.

He had hated himself for them. But he was meant to be a Jedi. A great Jedi. It was his fate.

Flyra closed her eyes, stifling the dry sob that worked its way up her throat. She loved him. And she was almost certain he loved her, too. In another world, perhaps they could have spoken it to one another.

Qui-Gon guided the ship towards the city, banking beneath the light clouds. She heard footsteps behind her, and glanced up as Obi-Wan strode over to stand beside her, crossing his arms over his chest. His blue eyes sparkled in the rising dawn, his brow drawn tight with some unknown turmoil.

It hit her then, how much it would break her to leave him behind. To never hear his voice. Feel his presence.

They were gliding into the highest lane of airships, Qui-Gon navigating cautiously between the darting starfighters and freighters, when the mighty roar grew in the sky above them, along with the wind that buffeted their ship.

Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan went still, exchanging wide-eyed glances. Flyra cast between them.

"What is it?" she asked.

Obi-Wan swallowed, shaking his head. "It can't be," he said.

Qui-Gon cast his eyes up to the roof of the ship. "They followed us to Coruscant," he said tightly.

Flyra's eyes widened. How had they followed them through hyperspace? But Qui-Gon slid easily into that calculating calm that had served them well on Dantooine, beginning to weave between the other ships in an attempt to confuse their pursuers.

"We need to draw them away from Coruscant," Obi-Wan said, bracing a hand on his master's seat. "It's too dangerous to bring them close to civilians."

It was at that moment that the whine of blasters exploded around them, and Flyra started back. Red streaks danced across the window — one of them hit a freighter ahead of them, and she watched it spin downwards towards the distant buildings.

She stared, body frozen, unable to stop imagining the impact of metal on metal, and the lives that would expire within seconds.

"They're shooting at civilians," she whispered.

Obi-Wan nodded, doing her the honour of not drawing attention to the shake in her voice. He leaned forwards. "Master, we need to fly higher."

Qui-Gon didn't take his eyes off the skies. "We can't, they're blocking the passage above us," he muttered — and pulled a lever at his side.

Flyra's stomach leaped into her throat as they plummeted downwards, and she saw Obi-Wan's hands tighten on the back of the chair. "What are you doing, master?" he gasped out.

Qui-Gon said nothing, steering between the buildings that rose up to meet them like a sudden, steel flock of crows, navigating the endless labyrinth of the city at impossible speed. Ahead of them, Flyra could see the Jedi Temple speeding closer, as though they were stationary and it was the Temple that was moving, and Obi-Wan, seeming to understand his master's plan, spun on his heel and hurried to the sliding doors at the base of the ship. He motioned to Flyra to follow.