At the memory of Bruck's cruelty, a sudden passion for vengeance rose in Obi-Wan. Bruck's cruelty had once been petty. Now it was dangerous.

Xanatos had made Bruck a killer.

Boiling anger blurred his vision. He hated Bruck as he had hated no living creature. Anger drove out the Force completely, leaving him in a vacuum that he filled with his rage. The rage united with his fear and panic and created a dark cloud that threatened to overtake him completely.

Bruck saw the change in his eyes. His own pale blue eyes flashed with cruel satisfaction. He planted both hands on the hilt of the lightsaber and raised it high.

In that split second, Obi-Wan saw the seeds of his own defeat.

This is the moment. The very worst time is the time you must follow the Code.

Cast away your doubt, Padawan. Let the Force enter you.

Obi-Wan raised his saber. He let his anger and fear move through him, exhaling them in a breath. He reached inside and found his center of calm.

Bruck's lightsaber came down, and he blocked it. But his diversion had cost him. He struggled to the lip of the hill and gained it just as Bruck's next blow fell. Obi-Wan parried the strike, but did not have the balance to counterattack. It didn't matter. He had regained his calm. He could regain his footing. He knew now that he could defeat Bruck.

But Bruck was equally certain of victory. Obi-Wan's fall and his unsteady footwork had con- vinced him that the battle was his. Bruck's flaw had always been overconfidence when he thought he was on the verge of winning….

Obi-Wan circled around Bruck, forming a new strategy. He bounded from a rock and flipped over Bruck so that he was behind him. He just needed a moment to check his chrono so that Bruck would not notice.

Miro was shutting down the system for twelve minutes. He had about eleven seconds until Miro began powering up the different systems, one by one. First, security. Then the water systems would resume.

Obi-Wan moved forward, pushing Bruck back toward the dry bed of the waterfall. He made sure to continue to block Bruck's blows and retaliate, but weakened his stroke slightly. He still wanted Bruck overconfident.

"Getting tired, Oafy-Wan? Don't worry. It won't be long before I finish you off."

Out of the corner of his eye, Obi-Wan saw the red security light beam on the service console. The water would be next.

Bruck's ponytail whipped around as he whirled, attacking Obi-Wan from the left. Instead of blocking the blow, Obi-Wan stepped aside so that Bruck's momentum would send him into the dry waterfall bed.

He heard a distant roar. If Bruck heard it, he did not understand its significance. His entire being was focused on his anger and his lust for victory.

The water gushed from the hidden pipes and spilled out in a torrent.

Obi-Wan had timed his counterattack, and Bruck found himself surrounded by water. He was barely able to keep his footing, but he swung his lightsaber back to aim another blow at Obi-Wan…

And hit the water with the laser. With a fizzing sound, the saber shorted out.

"That's it, Bruck," Obi-Wan said. "Give up."

"Never!" Bruck yelled fiercely, hate still in his eyes. Bruck's face contorted in a frenzy of frustrated rage. He leaned down to pick up a weapon to throw at Obi-Wan, any of the rocks that lined the bed. But the water pulled at him, and he slipped on the mossy rocks. He lost his footing and stumbled back to the very edge of the waterfall. He teetered on the edge for an instant, his eyes wide with disbelief and panic.

In one fluid motion, Obi-Wan deactivated his lightsaber and leaped forward. He reached out a hand, ready to pull Bruck to safety.

But it was too late. Bruck's panic sent his arms windmilling, further unsettling his balance. Obi-Wan felt Bruck's fingertips brush his as his opponent tumbled backward into thin air.

Obi-Wan stepped forward and grimaced as he saw Bruck's body hit a rock and bounce, then hit another. He landed on the dry grass beside the waterfall. His head lay at an awkward angle, and he was still.

Obi-Wan gathered the Force to him and dove off the top of the falls.

He landed clear of the rocks, and pushed himself upward through the cool water. He swam quickly to the bank and vaulted out onto the grass. He felt for Bruck's vital signs.

Bruck was dead. Obi-Wan guessed that he had died instantly. His neck was broken.

He did not have time to wonder how he felt about that. There was Bant to save. Obi-Wan felt in the interior pocket of Bruck's tunic, hoping to find a key to unlock Bant's chains. Surely Xanatos had given Bruck the means to free Bant as well as let her die.

His fingers closed around a small durasteel square with holes drilled into it. It had to be the key.

Taking a deep breath, he dove into the pool. He swam down toward Bant.

He grabbed the chain and fitted the durasteel square into the lock. The chain fell free.

Obi-Wan scooped up Bant and hugged her to his chest. She felt as insubstantial as a handful of snow.

He exploded above the water, gulping air, and swam to the bank. He waded out and carefully lay Bant on the grass.

Her eyes fluttered open. "Breathe," he urged.

She took a ragged breath, then another. Color began to return to her cheeks.

Obi-Wan laid his head against the top of hers. He kept his arm around her. His warm tears mingled with the cold moisture on her skin.

"I'm so sorry," he told her. "I'm so sorry. This was my fault."

Bant coughed. "Don't," she said.

Don't what? Hold her?

"No… need," she forced out.

Things were not resolved between them. There was so much he needed to say. But he could not leave Qui-Gon to fight Xanatos alone any longer.

"I have to help Qui-Gon," he said. "Will you be all right?"

Bant's breathing was easier, and her nod was strong. "I'm fine. Go.

You're his Padawan. He needs you."

Qui-Gon moved fast. He leaped out the broken window after Xanatos. He knew the same thing Xanatos did — that outside, a narrow ledge ran underneath the windows.

He used the Force to propel his leap and guide him to the ledge.

Xanatos was already moving away from him. Qui-Gon guessed he was heading around to the south, where the landing platform was, fifteen stories below.