"You don't even answer me?" he called. "Still holding a grudge? What a hard heart you have, Qui-Gon."
"I wasn't aware we were having a conversation," Qui-Gon answered. He moved forward a step. "That was always the way with you, Xanatos — you prefer the sound of your own voice."
Obi-Wan saw a momentary flush on Xanatos' cheeks. Then he laughed. "How tiresome you are, Qui-Gon. Your petty taunts still miss their mark. You never were very clever. And you still rely on children to do your work. You never would have figured out the water tunnels on your own."
Suddenly, he flew through the air in a great leap, propelled by the Force. His black cape streamed water as he activated his lightsaber in the blink of an eye.
Obi-Wan was ready, stepping forward even as Xanatos touched down on the platform.
He saw Bant make a running dive off the platform. She was unarmed, and no doubt was swimming for help. She had only waited for Xanatos to move.
Xanatos' red lightsaber crashed against the green glow of Qui-Gon's.
The angry buzz echoed through the tunnel. Xanatos had landed to Qui-Gon's left, and Obi-Wan raced to cover the Jedi's flank.
Xanatos was a skilled fighter. His strength was staggering. When Obi-Wan's lightsaber tangled with his, the shock nearly sent him flying backward. It was all he could do to keep his feet. The platform soon grew slick with their wet footprints and the water from their clothes. It was hard for Obi-Wan to keep his footing.
Xanatos was as quick as he was strong, already whirling away from Obi-Wan's attacks to strike at Qui-Gon.
Gradually, Obi-Wan became aware that Qui-Gon had succeeded in manipulating Xanatos, getting him close to the narrow stairs. Xanatos took a step down, then another, as Qui-Gon stepped up the fierceness of his attack.
Obi-Wan saw the reason for the strategy. If Xanatos got close enough to the tank, he would have to swing back to gain momentum for his blows. Xanatos would run the risk of shorting out his lightsaber or weakening his attacks.
The strategy could not be obvious, he knew. They had to distract Xanatos with countermoves so that he wouldn't realize how close he was to the water below.
Obi-Wan joined in the attempt, trying to keep Xanatos off-balance while driving him toward the water. The steps were slippery. It was difficult to get enough grounding to lend strength to his blows. He was tiring, but Qui-Gon remained focused, moving gracefully, forcing Xanatos down another step.
As he fought side by side with Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan felt the familiar rhythm pulse between them. The Force was strong, bonding them together as one unit.
Over the sound of the battle, the sizzle of the lightsabers, and his own heavy breathing, Obi-Wan heard a noise. It started as a rumble in the distance. Within seconds, it was a roar.
It was the water flushing the system. A giant tidal wave of foaming water rushed toward them from a conduit in the tank.
"Jump, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon ordered. Using the Force, they made a simultaneous leap onto the platform above.
Immediately, Obi-Wan whirled to face Xanatos, who was no doubt behind them.
But Xanatos had not leaped to safety. Grinning, he deactivated his lightsaber, then jumped off the step just as the torrent roared through.
Within the flicker of an eyelash, he was swept away.
"He'll drown," Obi-Wan said, astonished at Xanatos' action.
"No, he won't," Qui-Gon said grimly, his eyes on the white water. "We shall meet him again."
The battle had not tired Qui-Gon. Obi-Wan could see that it had only fueled his determination to catch Xanatos and defeat him.
"Let's search the area," Qui-Gon told him. "I have a feeling that Xanatos allowed me to maneuver him down the stairs. It was almost too easy."
"He had planned his escape," Obi-Wan suggested.
"Yes," Qui-Gon agreed. "But with Xanatos, there is always a double motive. He was trying to lead us away from something."
Obi-Wan walked to the opposite edge of the platform. "There's a ladder here," he called.
A slender metal ladder was tucked against the wall. It had been hidden by the platform's edge. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan climbed down. When they were just above the surface of the water, they could hear the sound of falling water ahead.
"It's a spillover," Qui-Gon called back to Obi-Wan. The area ahead was concealed by Qui-Gon's broad back. "And there's a duct here leading to the outside. I think — "
Suddenly, Qui-Gon paused. Holding onto the ladder with one hand, Obi-Wan leaned out to see.
Lashed against the wall was a small air-speeder.
"We've found his escape route," Qui-Gon said with satisfaction.
"Qui-Gon? Obi-Wan?" Bant's worried voice floated out to them.
"Here!" Qui-Gon shouted, and a second later her face appeared over the platform's edge.
"I brought Jedi security," she said. "Are you all right? Where's Xanatos?"
"He escaped," Obi-Wan told her. "He jumped into the water when the tunnel was flushed."
"Let's go back up," Qui-Gon told them. "Security can remove the airspeeder. At least Xanatos will be trapped inside the Temple."
They climbed the ladder back to the platform, and two members of Jedi security went down to take care of the speeder.
"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.
Qui-Gon sent Bant back to brief Tahl on what had happened. Obi-Wan wandered off to the edge of the platform where Xanatos had thrown himself into the foaming torrent. He remembered the deep sense of unease he'd felt when Xanatos had risen out of the water, the black form containing a monstrous evil…