For My Padawan, My Son and My Master, My Father

I felt the burning pain and the shock that quickly followed as the Zabrak Sith's red blade pierced me through the middle. I heard Obi-Wan's cry but hardly registered it as I crumpled to the ground.

The pain. Oh Force the pain!

I'm hardly even aware of Obi-Wan now battling the young Sith as I seek to cope with the pain. The only time I had felt a pain that was even remotely like this was when I was seventeen while on a mission with my Master.

While there, I was bitten by a poisonous reptile, and we were miles away from any kind of help, so Master Dooku had been forced to amputate my left leg just below the knee.

My mind takes me back to those moments.

"Master, it hurts!"

He cried out when the elder Jedi's hand touched the bite.

"Don't touch it!"

Dooku sighed sadly and drew his lightsaber.

Qui-Gon's eyes widened in realization as the dark green blade burst to life.

"No! Master, you can't cut off my leg!"

He was beginning to panic.

"Qui-Gon. Qui. Qui-Gon Jinn, stop that this instant!"

The boy became still and silent.

"Listen to me, Qui, we don't have what we need to treat the bite and poison, and we're too far away from any help. This is the only way," Dooku said firmly but calmly.

His Padawan slowly nodded.

Dooku lifted his blade and swung.

I jerk back to the present. Even the pain of my severed leg wasn't as bad as the pain I'm feeling now, and at that time, I'd had Master Dooku to help me through the pain.

I reach for the dormant bond of my youth and stroke it back to life. There's surprise then worry from my Master's end of the bond.

/Qui-Gon? Qui, are you all right? I feel you're in pain./

/Help him, Master./

/Who? Qui-Gon, what's going on?/

He was getting very worried.

/Obi-Wan. Help Obi-Wan through this./

I felt his realization, shock, denial, and desperation.

/No! Qui-Gon, don't you dare die! Please, Qui. Hold on./

I begin to completely severe our bond.

/Qui-Gon!/

/Help him, Master./

/Please don't do this, child./

He's scared now.

/Promise me./

/I promise, just please hold on./

Our bond is almost severed, but he's stubbornly fighting my attempts to severe it completely.

/Goodbye./

/QUI-GON!/

I severe the bond completely, and I suddenly feel like I'm all alone. Though the bond has been dormant for about forty years, Dooku's presence was always there in my mind because of it. Now that I've severed the bond, his presence is no longer there.

For the first time in nearly fifty years, I am without the strong, comforting presence of my Master, but I needed to do it. If I hadn't, our bond would have been violently snapped when I die.

It had happened to some of the strongest Jedi I'd ever known and left them broken. I would not let that happen to Master Dooku or Obi-Wan.

I had already severed my bond with Obi-Wan near the end of my fight.

It's my last act of protection and love for my Padawan, my son, and my Master, my father.