Turning Point
Chapter Two
Disclaimer: See chapter 1
Summary: Well, the JA books mentioned Xanatos' betrayal, and Qui told Obi about it, but there wasn't anything in depth…. at least, not to my liking. So this is MY version of what happened, and I tried to be as true to the storyline/recollection that Qui told. There was no mention of Xanatos' mother, so I put her in here to add a dramatic twist and the name of the planet the Telosian people were going to go to war over wasn't named, so its a figment of my imagination.
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"Master! There it is!" Xanatos was nearly squealing upon seeing Telos become more dominate as the lifepod neared.
"I can see that Xanatos. And lower your voice, you sound as giddy as a young initiate on their first field trip." Qui-Gon laughed.
Bother master and apprentice stared out the small viewport, watching as the escape pod made preparations to land on one of the platforms. The pod's sensors beeped and recognized the landing zone, and hastily began its decent. It sat down awkwardly on the pad, the exhausted engines dying down.
Telos was a beautiful planet, covered mainly by a vast ocean of the deepest sapphire blue. There were a few islands dotted throughout the sparkling ocean, but there was only one major land mass, and it was near the equator.
Though the smaller islands had their own rulers, Xanatos' father was the one that held the majority of the power, and ruled the entire planet as Governor. He had the power to call for re-negotiations of the planets that bartered with Telos, which he did, calling the Jedi, and his, son in on the meetings.
Xanatos bounded out of the escape pod and was meet by several guard droids, their weapons ready in case the intruders would attack. Qui-Gon disembarked the pod and put his hands up defensively in front of himself, signifying that he was peaceful.
A metallic voice asked, "State the reason for you're landing."
"We are the Jedi that Governor DuCruet sent for." Qui-Gon explained.
The droids seemed confused, and machine "chatter" was exchanged.
Xanatos stepped forward, "I am Xanatos DuCruet. I demand you take me to see my father immediately!"
The droids mechanical heads swiveled, processing the information. A beep came from all the droids and they lowered their weapons, making two lines, flanking the Jedi, and escorting them from the landing pad.
"I think they recognized you." Qui-Gon smirked at his apprentice.
Xanatos grinned at his master as they entered a large hanger. "It's all who you know."
The hanger, to the Jedi's surprise, was part of the manor house. There were several transports, one of which was the official transport for the Telos Governor.
The droid guards led the Jedi through the terminal to a long hallway, up a set of steps, and into a grand room. Large rugs of woven silk lined the marble floor. Antique sculptures and ornaments donned expensive looking tables. The tables were of a deep rich mahogany, topped with polished gold.
The walls were covered in panels that sported detailed, intricate, carvings. The panels ran from floor to ceiling, and were partitioned off by large ivory columns.
"Home" Xanatos breathed with a smile.
Qui-Gon gave his apprentice a sidelong glance and smiled warmly at his padawans remark.
"Xanatos?" Came a loud thundering voice.
Both Jedi turned to see two figures heading towards them from a set of ebony marble stairs. Qui-Gon instantly recognized Governor DuCruet and his wife. The Governor, Crion, though getting on in years, was a tall, well built man, with dark hair and eyes. A little gray was peeking through around his temples. His wife was slightly smaller than he, with coppery hair and deep blue eyes. Qui-Gon instantly saw a family resemblance.
"Mother. Father." Xanatos greeted.
Crion looked at his son, shocked at how big he had gotten and was amazed how much of himself and his wife he saw in the younger face beaming back at him. "Xanatos? My goodness boy, how much you've grown!" Crion threw his arms around his son, smiling broadly at having his son with him once again. "It's about time you come back home."
"Oh honey, he's here as an official Jedi, don't embarrass him." Xanatos' mother, Koyola, scolded the two still embarrassed and exchanging pleasantries.
"I know dear, but still, he's home!" Crion said, releasing Xanatos from his hold.
Xanatos smiled, his blue eyes twinkling, "Hello mother. Did you miss me?"
Koyola gave her son a non-amused look, then threw her arms around his neck. "You know better than to ask a question like that! I've missed you so much, Little Man."
"Mother!" Xanatos yelled, embarrassed.
"Well, you may be bigger than me, but you'll always be my Little Man." Koyola smiled and kissed her son several times, leaving lipstick marks all over his face.
Qui-Gon stood quietly watching the exchange. A small part of him longed for family affection and worry, yet he felt he had a small part of the family life. The Jedi would always be his family, and though Xanatos wasn't blood, he was like a son.
"Mr. Jinn! How's my boy doing? Has he been behaving?" Crion boomed in his deep voice, pulling the Jedi master out of reminiscing.
"Yes Governor DuCruet. Xanatos has been a wonderful student, and is close to becoming a Jedi Knight. I'm proud to have called him my padawan." Qui-Gon said through a smile, watching Xanatos receive more kisses from his mother.
"I'm proud that he's my son." Crion said, laughing at the exchange going on.
Qui-Gon felt a stab of remorse at Crion's comment. He smiled politely and nodded his understanding.
"Ok, enough of that woman. He's had a long journey and you can see him when you get back. "Crion said, pulling Xanatos away from his mother.
"When she gets back?" Xanatos asked, trying to wipe off some of the lipstick off his face.
"Your mother is going to Chetol to see if she can arrange a meeting so we can renegotiate the treaty. They don't take kindly to Jedi, so I thought that my wife could get them to agree to meet peacefully. She has such a diplomatic and regal aura, I thought it best that she oversees this to prevent any conflicts." Crion explained to the two Jedi.
Qui-Gon nodded, "That seems wise. But I thought that Chetol were open to the Jedi and their involvement. Why would they suddenly 'not' want our help or involvement?"
Crion shrugged, "I have no clue. But I didn't want them to think we disrespected them, then call for war! So I told them my wife will assist them in whatever they need, to show we are not hostile."
"Well, I need to go. I'll see you when I get back, Little Man." Koyola said, giving her son one last kiss. She bowed to Qui-Gon and smiled to her husband, the departed to meet her transport.
"I bet you two would like to rest after your trip, and considering you arrived in an escape pod, I'll wager there is a great adventure to tell!" Crion said, placing himself between the two Jedi.
Xanatos beamed, "Oh, it was quite an adventure! I'll tell you all about it!"
Crion laughed as he escorted the two up the beautiful staircase. "Yes, yes, yes. After you get some sleep. It's late and I bet you two haven't had much rest in the past couple of days. You can tell me at dinner tomorrow."
"At dinner? But, there's so much to tell you. So much has went on…." Xanatos whined.
"You can tell me all about your training, and the Temple, and your missions. Not to worry, there will be plenty of time to fill each other in. Right now, you need rest." Crion lead the two Jedi down a long hallway.
Qui-Gon didn't like Crion touching him, but smiled politely. "He's right Xanatos. We need rest and tomorrow you two can catch up on old times."
Xanatos slouched his shoulders in defeat, "Yes master."
Crion hated to hear Xanatos refer to Qui-Gon as master, and gritted his teeth quietly as they stopped in front of a large door. "Xanatos, you can have your old room, you're master will be down the hall."
"Great!" Xanatos bound towards his room and slammed the huge wooden door.
"Kids!" Croin said, showing Qui-Gon down to the far end of the corridor. "There are servants always on call, so don't hesitate to ask for anything."
Qui-Gon smiled and bowed his head to show his appreciation. "Thank you, but I'd really prefer to have Xanatos closer, if you don't mind."
Crion chuckled, "Well, right now he's probably looking over all his toys and comparing his wardrobe to how much he's grown. I think he'll be safe in his old room."
"Yes, but master and padawan are rarely this far apart." Qui-Gon said, motioning towards Xanatos' room, which appeared to be small because of the distance away.
"I'm sorry Mr. Jinn, but this is the only room available. Now to worry about Xanatos, we are well protected here. And my room is right across the hall from his, in case he needs something." Crion explained.
"Yes of course. There isn't any need to worry. You have excellent security and Xanatos has his lightsaber. He knows I'm just a thought away in the case of an emergency." Qui-Gon said, convinced his weariness was overshadowing his senses.
"Right! Well, I'll go and let you get some sleep. You can eat at your leisure and feel free to use everything this place has to offer." Crion gave Qui-Gon a slap on the back. "First thing tomorrow, I'll send a servant to bring you to the meeting with my advisors." he turned and allowed Qui-Gon to enter his room to get some rest.
Qui-Gon sighed and scanned his room. It was quaint, in an overdone sort of way, like the rest of the manor. Elaborate paintings and sculptures decorated the room, but the Jedi master paid no heed. He went straight to the bed, removed his boots, robes, and tunics and plopped his weary body down for some long overdue sleep. He opened up his senses, trying to figure out what Xanatos was doing. Joy, excitement, awe, and nostalgia came flooding into his mind. He smiled and drifted off to sleep, comforted by the knowledge his padawan was happy.
Crion knocked gently on his son's door and heard a muffled "Come in" from the other side. He opened the door and was greeted by his son laying stretched out across his bed, changed into new clothes. "I see you found the clothes I had brought for you."
Xanatos rose up in the middle of the bed, "They fit a little snug, but I like them. Thank you."
"Well, you'll had to excuse the size. I didn't realize how much you grew in the years you've been away." Crion said, closing the door. "Is everything to your satisfaction?"
Xanatos grinned, his happiness showing, "Oh yeah, everything's great! I just forgotten how 'big' my room was!"
"I always made sure you had the best of everything." Crion smiled, walking over and sitting on the edge of his son's bed.
"And I can't get over how big my bed is! Much better than the little sleep couches we have at the temple." Xanatos crawled over and sat by his father. He marveled at all the expensive toys and entertainments that cluttered up the vast room.
"You picked out your bed when you were three. You liked the ebony finish, with all the silver accents. Do you remember?" Crion asked.
Xanatos' brow furrowed in deep thought, then he lit up at the memory. "I remember! You told me since I was a big boy that I needed a bigger bed. You had me to look through designs for days. I had my favorite picked out almost immediately, but I thought you'd be mad because it was the most expensive!" Xanatos laughed at the memory.
Crion laughed along, "Why would I be mad? You are the Governors son, and deserve only the finest things the universe has to offer."
Xanatos stopped laughing, looking at his father seriously. A sudden change from reminiscing to a look of being heartbroken crossed his face.
Crion seen Xanatos' remorseful expression and added, "Telos is powerful because of my leadership. I employ only the brightest scientists, and have accumulated a vast treasury."
Xanatos looked surprised, "A treasury?"
"Oh yes. I could probably buy any planet I wanted." Crion said. "Maybe buy you a planet? Let you rule over the people? Make fortune of your own?"
Xanatos' eyes lit up, "A planet of my own?" Xanatos eyes shone, a wicked grin spread across his face, his heart started to pound at the idea. Suddenly his face fell and he sighed sullenly, "But the Jedi Code forbids such power and wealth."
Crion seen how his son had reacted and how he was tempted by the promise of wealth. "You weren't born a Jedi, they just helped you to harness that force thing, and to train you with weapons and strategy. You were born a governors son, and that title is a privilege. You can have much more than what the Jedi allow, it is your birthright."
Xanatos' face beamed once again at the thought. "I could have anything I wanted?"
Crion grinned at his son, "Would you want to rule a world?"
Xanatos looked over at his father, a hunger seemed to scream from his eyes. "What do I have to do?"
Croin smiled evilly, "Chetol has a vast array of minerals, but the people are too stupid to come up with a way to mine the wealth proficiently. They have factories that could be useful, but they are substandard. Our scientists have already developed ways to extract the minerals and retrofit the factories to refine the raw materials."
Xanatos sneered, enjoying the through of the wealth he could have with a planet like that at his disposal.
"The Chetol people don't want our technology and just want to leave the planet to its natural state. But, if we ruled the planet, we could reap the benefits." Crion explained, his excitement growing at seeing his son's shared desire.
"But they don't want us to rule over them." Xanatos pointed out. "How can we use the minerals and factories to gain control, when they don't want any part of the mining and refining?"
"I have been raising an army to invade them." Crion whispered, then leaned closer to his son. "The people of Chetol are weak and have primitive weapons, but they still outnumber us greatly. If I can get the people of Telos to demand war, then they will supply the extra troops I need."
"But how to get them TO rebel against Chetol and be willing to fight for us?" Xanatos asked, his mind already scheming.
"That's where you come into the equations, my son." Crion said, his tone becoming hopeful. "That is, if you'll help me."
Xanatos looked at the floor for a moment in contemplation, then rose his eyes to his father. A devilish gleam was in his eyes. "Of course I'll help you. You're my father, and the ruler of Telos. How can I deny a royal request?"
Crion smiled broadly, "And since you are my son, and my predecessor, I will appoint you ruler of Chetol."
Xanatos was shocked. "Me? But the Jedi forbid..."
"Look Xanatos, you're all I have left." Crion said sadly. "Even your mother has distanced herself from me. I now regret letting Mr. Jinn take you away. You are my son before a Jedi, and I need you here with me."
With greed shining in his eyes at the prospect of what his father offered, Xanatos bowed his head, "I am at your disposal."
"Good. When the leader of Chetol enters the negotiations tomorrow, I want you to pretend you sense something, with that force of yours. Then I want you to jump him, and find an explosive device on him. We'll say he was going to blow us up to prevent a re-negotiation, and the people will be outraged. I'll give you the device tomorrow morning, before you're master awakens. Hide it well, and lay down the suspicion of foul play to your master, so he will be distracted." Crion explained his plan.
"You know, Qui-Gon won't approve of this." Xanatos sighed. "He wants me to pass the trails and be a Knight."
"He doesn't have to like it. He'll have to respect your wishes, after all, you ARE a grown man, and capable of making your own decisions." Crion put his arm around his son's shoulders. "The question is, What is best for YOU? What do YOU want?"
"I have never felt like I belonged with the Jedi, though I told my master several times I wasn't happy. He has always pushed me on, waiting for me to pass the trails and become a knight to make him proud. He will be upset with my decision to stay with you." Xanatos frowned.
"If he doesn't respect your wishes, then he can leave." Crion gave Xanatos a reassuring squeeze.
"I'll just have to find the right time to tell him." Xanatos sighed, fighting back a yawn.
"You've had a long journey, and no doubt you're exhausted, so I'll let you get some sleep. I'm starting the negotiations tomorrow morning. I'll wager your master expects you to accompany him, so I better let you get to bed." Crion said, raising up and walking to the door.
Xanatos yawned and stretched, "Good idea. I have a feeling that the next few days are going to be a test of my endurance."
Crion smiled, "Good night son." and opened the door.
Xanatos crawled into bed and settled in for the night, "Good night father. I love you."
Crion's face beamed, "I love you too son. Pleasant dreams." He pulled the door closed behind him and went to his own room. A sense of peace flooded over him, and he smiled at his accomplishment.