Xanatos's Interlude: Birth of a son! Start of a new life!
His fingers were being ripped out from Kenobi's shoulders. Cold, freezing icy cold surrounded him as he felt like a rag doll fluttering to and throw through the ink black nothingness that was the Dark Side of the Force.
He couldn't feel anything, couldn't hear or even couldn't see something. He just wanted to feel/touch/see anything!
It was frightening, it was haunting, … and it was thrilling. This was the true power of the Dark Side. This was what all Sith strive to achieve and master. Master fear and you shall be in full control of yourself, therefor be one of the most powerful followers of the dark side. Master Darth Umbarmos was the one who had been the one to perfectly summarize all what a Sith must achieve in a little poem that all apprentices must learn at the beginning of their training:
I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
Only I will remain.
But fear was a primal instinct in the make-up of beings. It is one of the most dominant and most volatile emotion to harness and follow. Many Sith tried but the ones to have succeeded hid it so well that none of the Order know how to go about it.
Shapes and shadows blurred in the black landscape, the Rogue Jedi barely registering them as he continued to think about the sensation he was enduring. It was hot like fire on the outside of his body, but cool as ice that ran through his veins.
Suddenly, he felt the burning touch that was that of the instrument of his death. Green liquid surrounded him. With morbid curiosity, he could see his burned off skin return from the bottom of the vat back to their respective places on his body.
Gravity reversed itself as he flew back from the vat back to the platform where his old master, Qui-Gon, with Obi-Wan were standing with their lightsabers on.
Blackness covered the scene as he felt himself go back in time. Sometimes participating in the event in reverse, sometimes being only a spectator. But always, he saw his past up to the point where he was sixteen once more.
Looking at the date, he rushed towards a shuttle to go to the moon Nierport VII where his son was about to be born. His son! It was a foreign feeling for him. What should he do? He was young in age but old in spirit. Would he be able to raise another life-form that depended entirely on him?
Anxious questions, tormenting worries, brooding answers flew around his head as he sat down for the duration of the voyage. He barely remembered Tura Omega, the women being only a one-night stand that he had barely recalled.
The last time, his spies told him about his son. They reported everything about his life, what he did, where he went, his schooling, … every single detail, completed with holovids and holopics to create the illusion that he was with his son even if it was not physically true. He also regularly sent a certain sum of money for his child's care, little sums of money every month. Just enough for Tura Omega to live and life in simplicity but at the same time, didn't have to want anything.
He did feel regret, as he tipped back in the air mere seconds before his death, to not have taken the time to raise and know his son for real. Maybe that was why Myr graciously made him go back even further than Obi-Wan? In any case, he was grateful for the chance and he swore to himself that he wouldn't ruin it.
He hadn't realized how much time had passed. The planet he had been on was not very far from the moon of Eerupha so the journey was relatively short, but it seemed like ages in his torturous mind.
He set out to the refueling station that he thought he remembered Tura to be. From there, he could ask about her whereabouts and be there during her labour. He would be there to hold his son for the first time, he realized giddily. The idea was a luminous intoxication.
It took a good couple of hours, as well as a hole burning in one of his credit accounts, before he was finally in front of a door of a not-to shabby apartment building. He rang, heart beating slightly faster in anticipation. What should he tell her? How would she react in meeting him once more?
The door squeaked as it groaningly opened. A women slightly taller than Xanatos with black hair and bright blue eyes was in the doorframe. The Rogue Jedi noticed that her stomach was bulging but still didn't deformed her feminine forms. She was beautiful in a way only expecting mothers could attain. The skin pale and luminescent as an aura of happiness surrounded her, but not like the Light Side of the Force.
"Yes?" She asked impatiently, seeing that the young man wouldn't stop staring.
"I'm sorry." Xanatos said, shaking himself mentally from his musing. "Are you Tura Omega?"
"That's me. What's it to you?"
"I don't know if you remember me but my name is Xanatos Du Creon. I believe that the child is mine, am I right?"
Her face scowling face crumbled into a fearful one. Xanatos could practically see the dark thoughts of being separated of her baby running around in her mind "Please, don't take my baby away from me. I'll do anything but don't take my child." She pleaded desperately.
Xanatos quickly soothed her by sending calm vibes. The way she acted showed that she loved their son very much and he was glad that Granta had a parent like her to watch over him. "May I come in? It would be better that we talk in a more comfortable setting. Let me assure you that in no way shape or form I will be taking your son away from you."
Tension leaked away from her shoulders. She appeared more tired than before. Gesturing a hand in the apartment, she told him. "We can sit in the living room. This way please."
Xanatos entered the little apartment. It was cosy and warm, a suitable setting for when his son was born and raised in that previous past. Tura waddled a bit due to her belly.
As ever the gentlemen, Xanatos quickly made her sit down on the sofa. "I know that your condition is delicate so please don't force yourself on my account. Would you like me to make you something? You can tell me how everything works and I can make it for you."
She smiled gently. "It's alright. Now, would you please explain to me why you are here?"
Xanatos sat on a chair in front of her. "It's simple. I recently found out that you are pregnant with my child. Even if we had a one night stand, I would still like to be part of the child's life."
"Would you be helping me pay for his upbringing?" He could feel her delight at her good fortune. Judging by the state of the apartment, she wasn't poor per say, but she would still need to pinch every credit. He was glad to have sent some money last time.
"Yes. You lay not know this, but I am, at the moment, the head of a society called Offworld Mining Corporation. This means that everything concerning the welfare of my child will be payed by me. I can also arrange for you to get a better job, but I think that you want your own independence, am I right?"
"That is correct. I have heard about Offworld but I do not want to be related in any way with it. If the child would like to be active later on, I will not oppose him but I will not encourage him either. If it alright with you, I would like to stay here as well as keep my job."
Xanatos nodder seriously. He had already thought that she would do that. "Then at least let me pay you for all medical expanses in the past as well as in the future. It would ease my mind knowing that you and the child are in the best hands possible. I know that I am late in finding out, but I would like to catch up, if this is agreeable with you."
Tura's eyes suddenly started to water. Panicking, for he was a Sith Lord, hence he did not know how to handle this situation, he awkwardly asked. "What's wrong? Did I do something wrong?" While simultaneously leaving his seat to be nearer the mother of his child.
She shook her head. "It's nothing. I was just overwhelmed by the magnitude of the situation and these damn hormones are not helping at all. I will be fine in a couple of seconds."
The uncomfortable silence weighed heavily in the tiny apartment. Once she regained her bearings, Tura picked up the conversation as if nothing had happened. "I refuse for you to pay the past medical expanses, but accept the future ones."
Xanatos jumped on the reply. "Excellent, we won't be going far. There is a reputable hospital on the moon's planet, Eerupha, so we will only take a shuttle for a short trip. When can we leave? The sooner the better, I think. Which reminds me, when is your due date?"
A bit overwhelmed by the 180° turn that she was experiencing concerning her life, Tura answered slowly. "Since I am on maternity leave, I just need comm my family before going anywhere with you. Will it be possible to arrange some transports for them to come visit me from time to time? They have been supportive of me during these past months and I do not wish for them to be cut of. My due date is in three weeks to a month."
There was the snag in the plan. He didn't know that Tura had family that would take care of Granta if she died. His spies had told him that she was an orphan. "Of course your family can come whenever they want. I will arrange for some transport that they can use whenever they want as well as the living arrangements. How many people should I be expecting and who exactly?"
She smiled wistfully, her blue eyes taking a far away look. "They aren't my family by blood since I am an orphan, but they are the workers of the refueling station and we consider ourselves family. There will be only four people in total and they will betaking turns since they can't leave the station alone."
"Understood. Invite them over before leaving so I may meet them and thank them personally for taking such good care of you while I was not there."
"Thank you so much." She leaned towards the young teenager to hug him. "I was afraid since I wanted the best for my son but I knew that it would have been difficult. The gods must have sent you to help. Thank you, thank you, thank you."
Ill-at-ease, Xanatos patted her back while minding her very round stomach. "It is normal since you are the mother of my … son?" He pretended to act surprise.
"Yes, I wanted to know so the medical droid told me it was a boy. Did you wanted it to be a surprise? I'm sorry if I ruined it."
"No, no, there is absolutely no problem. I was just startled that I was expecting a boy, that's all. I wanted to ask you anyway."
"Oh!" She let out. "Well then, I will comm my family so that you can meet them, pack my bags and then we can go to Euphoria. Does that sound doable?"
Looking at the hanging chronowatch, Xanatos asked Tura. "It is a bit late. Why don't you comm your family for them to come over tomorrow morning before we leave? As for tonight, I suggest that you go to bed, after I prepare you dinner, while I will go to a hotel in the area."
She appeared to be surprised. "Oh no, you shouldn't go to a hotel. I have an extra bed that is folded in the sofa. It's not much but it's quite comfortable to sleep in."
"I wouldn't want to intrude …" Xanatos started to say, but he was interrupted by Tura.
"Nonsense. You are doing so much for me, even if we are practically strangers. It's the least I can do." She exclaimed
"Alright, I accept to spend the night here." Conceded Xanatos. "But I must insist on making you dinner. I have eight months, give or take a couple of days, of pampering to do for you. I will not relent on that fact. You should be resting."
Knowing that she will die made him inclined to let her have some fairytale days, without her knowledge. It was the least he could do for everything she had done for Granta in the previous past.
Recognizing that the teenager in front of her was as stubborn as she was, she bowed down graciously from the upcoming argument. "Then let me just supervise in the kitchen since you don't know where everything is."
"But of course, I wouldn't have done it any other way."
Dinner that night was simple but fulfilling. Xanatos was trying to make sure that Tura didn't do the majority of the work. They both went to sleep quite content with the upcoming days that were to happen before the birth of the little boy.
During the next two weeks, Xanatos was surprised at how content he felt. Taking care of Tura was satisfying in a way he was contributing in making her last days happy, in regard to her taking of his son Granta in the previous past. It was a shame that she had to die, but there must be some differences between the two pasts, differences that would explain as to why he, Xanatos, survived and was helping Obi-Wan. Differences to permit the alteration of History.
Meeting those she considered her family was a fascinating experience. There were four individuals in total and part of the day group of the refuel station that Tura worked for: two humans, a male Twi'lek and one Jawa. What a Jawa was doing on a sort-of cold planet was eluding Xanatos, no matter how many times he pondered or meditated on the question. During such meditations, he could practically hear Myr chuckling at the question.
The first two people to come in the morning the eve of their departure were an elderly couple who lived only across from Tura's building.
Alyio Ganavro was an elderly man with a crown of white hair that made he look quite intelligent. He stood tall that made him look quite ferocious , ex-military or former bounty hunter if Xanatos wasn't mistaking, had these piercing brown eyes, cropped-white hair and was very distrustful of the Rogue Jedi the minute they met. It didn't help that the "teenager" was the one to get Tura, whom he considered like a daughter, pregnant and only appeared after eight months. Xanatos wasn't usually one to be afraid of a non-Force-Sensitive, but he nearly felt that his life would end there and then by the various threats that Alyio made. They did strike a tentative peace the day Granta was born. Maybe it was the fact that Xanatos asked him and his wife to be present in the boy's life despite the fact that he had no reason to after the death of Tura.
Alyio's wife, Stariga Ganavro, was the complete opposite of her husband. While he looked every inch like a former fighter, she had the aura of calm gentleness and affection. Her long white hair floated around her shoulders as she moved to and through. She was the one in charge of the cleaning and the cooking for the whole group. Her compassionate green eyes took one look at Xanatos and she decided that he needed fattening up. After that she made sure that Tura rested of course. Her adoptive daughter was the world during the end of her own life. She was the one to reign in her husband when he started to become a bit to frightening towards Xanatos.
The next person to come was the Jawa who lived a couple of blocks away, right in the middle between the refuel station and Tura's home. He was a peculiar one since he regularly took baths and his cloak was always prim and proper, even if he continued to hide under it. He didn't say much but stayed closely to Tura, staring in complete amazement at her round belly. He did seem slightly scared of the Rogue Jedi for reasons that Xanatos couldn't understand. However, Jawas were known for being cowards, preferring to hide and scavenger rather than fight. His name was Klit, a more simplified version of his name that had to many high-pitched sounds that was possible.
The last member of this unorthodox family was a male Twi'lek who was exiled from his community, hence didn't want to use his original name. His coworkers nicknamed him Nerra since it meant "brother" in his native language. He had pale blue-grey skin and looked a bit like a female Twi'lek than a male. Even his manners were a bit more feminine than male-like, one of the most obvious example in Xanatos' eyes was the fact that he organized the whole baby-shower, prepared the room for the new arrival — he had asked beforehand discretely what sexe was the baby two months before Tura decided to know herself — and bought everything, with the limited funds he could spare, that was essential for Tura and her new child.
Each and every one of them had a different personality and history, but together, they formed a mismatched family that had one thing in common, they loved each other very much. The Ganavro couple were the parents and the grandparents that watched over their little brood. Tura and Nerra were siblings that were protect each other, despite that they would bicker like no tomorrow on a good day, while Klit was the eccentric adventurous uncle.
Every day, at least one of them was at the hospital with Tura, whose condition worried the doctors. It would seem that Nierport VII's hospital hadn't picked up the problem. It was to late for Tura, since she wouldn't survive the pregnancy, but her son would. That was all that matter to the mother.
Even as the day of her death grew closer, she was always smiling about happy. A weeks before the supposed due date, Xanatos paid, in secret, a lot of cash to the manager of the refuel station to let the rest of her adoptive family stay near her.
Stariga seemed to have guessed what he had done since she was letting little words slip up here and there. That and the fact that Alyio was bothering Xanatos less when she was around.
The day Granta was born was both the saddest and the most happiest day of the Rogue Jedi's life. Sad since he would miss that small bit of friendship between him and Tura. Happiest since he could finally hold his son in his arms. His son!
Tura Omega died two hours after Granta was born, holding her son and being surrounded by family. Her smile never left her face as tears slowly dribbled down from her eyes.
The next couple weeks were a blur for Xanatos. Between preparing the funeral for someone he never really knew, trying to take care of a baby — not knowing the first thing on what to do — and to hold the "family" together — something he had never done in his whole life.
When everything passed, surreal as a dream, the black-haired teenager finally found his bearings once again. Looking at the calendar, he saw that he had work to do. How he was able to balance that, keeping the timeline as similar as possible and taking care of his son seemed like a herculean task.
He was lucky that the Ganavros, Nerra and Klit were there for his son. Alyio and Stariga agreed to take care of him while Xanatos took care of his business. He made sure that he was there for a week every month, especially during the holidays up until Granta was twelve.
He had more respect for Qui-Gon for raising him. If he was as half as turbulent as Granta — even if he was raised respecting some aspects of the Code —, … he shuddered to think how his old master had cope with Xanatos own antics on top of receiving the tragic news of his turning. He hope that after Obi-Wan came back they could mend the bridges between them.
When the "acid vat" incident happened, Xanatos was prepared. For the past twelve years he had urged his scientists from Offworld to create a shield that could withstand any sort of acids, protecting the user in a bubble for the next 48 hours.
It was easier than he had expected to survive the encounter. It was harder to live until your partner "awoke" to have someone to talk to. Loneliness was one of man's greatest destroyer. It seemed that Myr had good reasons urge him to raise his son since he could focus less on the desolated feelings he had.
The Rogue Jedi waited for twenty-three years: twelve of them trying to keep the path of time the same, eleven going from planet to planet with his son so that he would not interfere with the timeline concerning the potential future he had seen.
Granta was being groomed, by the boy's choice, to be Xanatos' successor of Offworld — renamed MaskedStars, a multi-branch company that specialized in battle, going from the creation of weapons to being a security force. His son was every bit like his father in the business-world: a cunning, charismatic, brilliant businessman.
It was such a shame that he was a non-Force-Sensitive. However, Granta did have the advantage of being a Void. "Darth" — he loathed to call that monster a respective name of the New Order of the Sith — Sidious would never be able to sense him in the galaxy, enabling him to use Granta as an effective hostage to manipulate Xanatos.
Granta had left his his father to go out into the Galaxy and live his life when he was twenty. For the last three years, Xanatos took the time to build a certain reputation in the deserts and under-shadows of Tatooine. That way, he was more available to help Obi-Wan if things go south.
Myriam appeared before him. Hiding a connection in the Force that was trying to make contact with him. Closing his eyes, he smiled as he recognized who it was.
It seemed that today, Obi-Wan had awoke. The Wheels of Time have started to groan as their direction changed.
What would the future bring? Xanatos had no idea, but he hoped that it would be better than the previous one he had watched. If not, he wish that it would not be worse than before.