I KNOW WHAT BETRAYAL LOOKS LIKE HOLY GOD OMG QUI-GON IS SUCH A PRICK

[quigonejinn]

In place of the LONGASS post that was here, really, I realized that I only needed a few things to encapsulate the orgy of intense Q/O and Q/X that is the #7 book of the Jedi-Apprentice novels.

"I was so worried," Bant told them. "I hated to leave you, but I didn't have a lightsaber, and--"

"You did the right thing, Bant," Qui-Gon interrupted kindly. "When instincts are as good as yours, don't question them."

More and more Obi-Wan had to wonder if Qui-Gon was interested in Bant as his next Padawan. It certainly seemed that the Jedi singled her out.

Qui-Gon turned to him. "You fought well, Obi-Wan."

Normally, Obi-Wan would have felt deep satisfaction from Qui-Gon's praise. But now he only wondered if Qui-Gon was merely being nice, preparing him for the day he would be left behind.

"But you will not find them."

"Why not?" Garen asked.

"Because we will," Qui-Gon said, putting a hand on Obi-Wan's shoulder. His eyes glowed fiercely. "We will put an end to this."

Qui-Gon's hand on his shoulder, his steady words, sent a shiver through Obi-Wan. He had been unfair to Bant. If Qui-Gon was encouraging to her, it was only because of his goodness. It didn't mean Qui-Gon wanted Bant as a Padawan any more than it meant that he still wanted Obi-Wan. It only meant that he was encouraging strength where he saw it. Obi-Wan realized it wasn't Bant who stood between him and Qui-Gon. It was Qui-Gon's own feelings. He had known that. He just didn't want to accept it.

[Qui-Gon] knew Xanatos wanted him to use hate and anger. Xanatos wanted more than anything to prove that Qui-Gon Jinn could violate the Jedi Code. That would be his victory.

Qui-Gon found his core of purpose and stillness even as he vaulted, somersaulted, came at Xanatos from one approach, then another. His will collided with that of his former apprentice.

Xanatos flipped backward twice, then changed hands and came at Qui-Gon from a different angle. This was a new skill. Now Xanatos fought with two hands. Qui-Gon would have to be alert for a sudden change in attack. He parried Xanatos' blow with a backhanded sweep, then whirled to jab an uppercut toward the chin. Xanatos stepped back, anticipating the move. But Qui-Gon was already reversing. His next blow missed Xanatos by a hair. He saw the displeasure in his eyes.

"Give up, Qui-Gon," Xanatos growled. "I will outlast you. I will kill you here, then steal the vertex. Your precious Jedi will have to go on without you."

Qui-Gon blocked a sweeping blow. "Your small mistakes have always been your downfall."

"I... don't... make ... mistakes." Xanatos grunted out the words as he took an involuntary step backward under the fury of Qui-Gon's assault.

"Your footwork betrays you," Qui-Gon answered, pressing his advantage with a slashing blow.

"You don't realize how you let me know your next move. Notice how your body is leaning just slightly. You're placing more weight on the ball of your left foot. You're going to move left."

Xanatos shifted his balance, and Qui-Gon, already anticipating his reaction, drove forward. Xanatos nearly dropped his lightsaber as he slammed against the wall.

Ready to push his advantage, Qui-Gon leaped after him. But Xanatos switched hands again, parrying Qui-Gon's blow as he leaped across the room. He landed on a table close to the window. Gripping his lightsaber, he cut a hole in the window that overlooked the tall towers of Coruscant.

The window peeled back. Keeping his eyes on Qui-Gon, Xanatos smiled.

"You will never defeat me, Qui-Gon Jinn. That is your curse." Then he leaped out into thin air.

and:

Qui-Gon staggered both from surprise and an unexpected short strike from Xanatos' left. Was he telling the truth? Desperately, Qui-Gon realized there was no way for him to know. He attacked furiously, delivering a wide arm sweep from the left. The two lightsabers tangled. For an instant, their faces were very close. Xanatos' eyes burned with a strange light. The pale half-circle scar on his cheek gleamed.

"What you revere can destroy you." His voice was soft, yet Qui-Gon caught every word. "Haven't you learned that yet?"

Above him, Qui-Gon saw the lights of the Council room flicker. After the lights, Miro would power up the communications system. Then the repulsorlift engines for the turbolifts throughout the complex. The air circulation would be last.

Qui-Gon calculated that he had only three minutes before the explosion. Maybe four. If Xanatos was telling the truth . . .

"You can't be sure, can you, Qui-Gon?" Xanatos sneered. "Will you allow your precious Padawan to die just to kill me? He tried to get away from you once. Why don't you get rid of him for good?"

. . . in other words, when Qui-Gon's Padawans thinks of him, they touch themselves. They would so totally get down on their knees for him.

Comments

[neotoma.livejournal.com]

Given that I haven't actually read them, no. It's just my usual reaction -- I don't consider anything but the original works in ANY fandom canon.

In HP fandom, that means if it's not in books, it's not canon, even if JKR puts it up on her website (because if it was important, it'd be in the *BOOKS*). In SW, that means stuff that isn't on the screen is fun, and often a nifty idea to raid but not canon.

SW also suffer from the fact that the books are written by different people -- the post-RotJ has a dozen different writers? The JA stories had at least two -- and that they were later contradicted by what Lucas actually put up on the screen. I think lots of the post-RotJ got Jossed to heck and gone because no one really expected the Clone Wars to have been so that the clones were on the side of the Jedi and things like that

[quigonejinn.livejournal.com]

Ah, see, well, I haven't found anything in the JA books that I've read so far that's been the least bit objectionable in that way. I'm not sure how on-board I am with some of the later books, but really, nothing to worry about in the first nine.

I think I work with the same theoretical premise that you did, but I tend to incorporate the EU/website stuff when it meshes well with how things ought to be dammit!!!!!!!! canon.

And hey. If you ever want some of the books -- or the Power of the Jedi sourcebook, shhhhh -- drop me a line, and I'll send them on over.

[neotoma.livejournal.com]

Not objectonable, though I do think you following the EU might curtail nifty ideas that would work equally well. Plus, from what I've seen from other people's comments about them, JA makes Qui-Gon more than a bit of a jerk, and Obi-Wan a bit more needy than they actually appear in the movies.

But sure, I wouldn't mind reading the books. They do sound like fun.