Disclaimer: Joss, WB, UPN et al. own Buffy. George Lucas, Lucasfilm, LucasArts and others own Star Wars. Michael A Stackpole owns the X-Wing and I, Jedi novels. I do not.
Title: Xander the Jedi: Chapter 5
Author: Paradigm Shifter
Rating: Same as before.
Pairing: Err… Xander/Other characters (mine)
Feedback: Please, I beg.
Thanks: Again to Luis Silva, who basically asked me what the plot was, and forced me to think along to Xander's return. Also to Michael Wilson, and his fic The Beginning (and its sequels), which (to me anyway) includes so many crossovers flawlessly that it is quite stunning. Well worth a read. Or possibly two. Or more.
Continuity: General season 5 (Dawn)
Crossover: Buffy/ Star Wars. Old Republic.
*
On consultation with Yoda, Xander decided that his light-sabre would not, in fact be just one. It would be two.
They would also not be just any old plain light-sabre blades, which only had one gem and frequency, and therefore one length.
No. These would be dual phase.
*
Xander began, finally to create the blades. He started by meditating for two days, non-stop. This atunement with his environment allowed him to find the two perfect primary gems for the blade, of the six he would need. Ransacking the ambassador's quarters on the transport Yoda had brought revealed the others. The alcohol decanters were encrusted with gems of many types; diamonds, emeralds, sapphires, rubies, corusca gems from the heart of the Yavin gas giant, and topaz.
Xander selected for the first blade two corusca gems and a diamond. For the second blade, the remaining corusca gem, a topaz and an emerald.
The circuitry and battery packs were taken from several sources, the mainstay coming from the blasters that were part of the ships standard inventory. A cut down blaster flashback suppressor formed the parabolic flux aperture on each blade, and the high-energy superconductors were appropriated from two R2 repair droids. Xander nearly had a heart attack when one objected strenuously to having part of its 'eye' removed. He had been leaning over the droid, working the focussing lens out when it had suddenly tooted at him and whistled indignantly. It even went so far as to extend its arc welder and try zapping him, but that failed because Xander merely absorbed the energy and sent it back to the R2, overloading its circuits and activating its emergency power kill switch.
All that was left were the handles themselves. Unwilling to use inferior equipment on what would have to last for practically ever, Xander refused to scrounge whatever he could.
He ended up asking Yoda to create a pocket of zero gravity in the air, while he used the Force to melt and manipulate the remains of the blasters he had torn apart to mould the handles and grips. Yoda watched with fascination at the approach Xander used, wholly within the Force himself, and bathing each component of the blades with the Force as he worked with them. Most Jedi used whatever material was available, but Xander refused to use anything that could possibly compromise the blade. Nejaa Halcyon in particular was notorious for having light-sabres that were made out of anything lying around. They never broke down, but he passed them onto students as he felt they deserved them. Yoda almost let the zero-grav bubble slip as he thought of one blade he had seen, you could have stuck it on a speeder bike and no one would be any the wiser, as it was made out of part of the handlebar. Or another where he had hollowed out a hydrospanner to form the hilt. A Jedi mechanic.
When Xander had finished forming the handles, he collected all the components together and arranged them on the floor in front of him. They were not quite touching the floor, hovering and rotating slightly as he soaked each in the Force, examining each for any possible flaw.
He found none.
Slowly lifting each piece with his mind, Xander started to assemble the blades. Circuits boards snapped together and pathways bonded as the Force flowed through the atoms. Circuits snapped into the housing of the handle and gems were mounted in the rotation grid for the dual phase nature. High-energy superconductor next and finally the parabolic flux aperture, where the blade would appear from. In the allotted space at the opposite end of the blade the battery packs were linked and charged, preparing for the first use of the blades. A last check of the blades with the Force assured Xander that everything was as it should be, and all the electrical pathways were secure.
Both the blades were as perfect as they could be.
Xander stood and thumbed the blades on. Both engaged with the characteristic snap hiss that all Jedi knew, and all outlaws feared. Yoda sighed at the beauty of a job well done, and a test passed with no errors.
Xander examined the blades.
The first, in his right hand, was just over a metre in length, not including the handle. Due to the corusca gems, the blade had a golden tint to it. Flicking the dial on the handle to its second phase, the blade slowly lengthened to three metres. Xander frowned as the golden blade popped and crackled. Looking up, he saw that Dagoba's weekly monsoon rainstorms were early, or he had been longer than he thought he had in creating the weapons. Satisfied with the first blade, he snapped it off and clipped it to his belt. Looking at the second blade, it, similar to the first was initially a metre in length, and extended to three when switched to the second phase. The diamond and emerald in the blade gave it a silvery green hue. Nodding at the second blade as well, Xander turned and headed for the shelter of the ship, which Yoda had already taken refuge in while he was examining his new light-sabres.
Xander bowed to Yoda. "Master, if I may, how long have I been making my light-sabres?"
Yoda nodded. "Nearly eight days have you been working now, Xander. Superb, those blades are, novel, your approach was. Padawan you are no longer. The rank of Jedi Knight, do I bestow on you. Always act wisely, and in the Force be true."
Xander smiled and bowed deeply. "Yes, thank you, Master. Do we return to Coruscant?"
Yoda nodded. "Your back, you must guard, from the council. Many will be jealous of your power, and seek to harm you…"
"Even though they are Jedi? I thought that would be forbidden."
"Forbidden it is, Xander, but that does not stop it from occurring."
Xander nodded and exited the ship to begin packing all the equipment up of the trip back.
*
The equipment was all packed and the ship was ready for take off. Yoda stood at the boarding ramp watching the Dagoba swamp.
"Xander!"
Xander pulled himself out of the co-pilot's chair and went to see what Yoda wanted. "Yes, Master?"
Yoda looked at him straight in the eye. "Your very final test comes now. A place of the dark side exists in the swamps. Find it, and survive what you find there." Yoda glanced at Xander's two new weapons. "Need those, you do not."
Xander looked stunned. "You said the dark side was the ultimate danger. If the cave is strong in the dark side, how do I defend myself if I do not have my weapons?"
Yoda reiterated. "Need those, you do not." Then he continued quieter, "But if to take them, you wish, stop you I cannot."
Xander nodded and headed off into the swamp with his light-sabres clipped to his belt.
*
Finding the cave Yoda told him about proved to be more difficult than he thought it would be. The entire planet was one swirling mass of Force energy, and the dark side was always good at hiding.
Xander came after several minutes of walking to a small patch of flowers and beautiful vines in the midst of the gnarled trees of Dagoba.
When the snap hiss of a light-sabre activating reached his ears, Xander's surprised leap propelled him up nearly to the middle branches of the trees. Landing awkwardly about thirty feet from where he started, Xander gave a cry of surprise as the ground gave way beneath him.
He stood in the dark side.
*
Stepping forward, Xander took in his surroundings. Mist swirled round his feet and lapped at his waist. No sound could be heard except Xander's own breathing. Taking a further step forward, Xander realised that it wasn't only his breath that he could hear, but also that of someone breathing perfectly in time with him.
Suddenly paranoid, Xander ignited one of his light-sabres. As the hiss filled the cavern, black lightning flew out of the mist in front of him. Catching it clumsily on his blade, Xander ducked and rolled, only to be confronted with a robed figure.
Not a Jedi robe either. This person was dressed, if that was the right word, no… swathed… in a dark grey cloak. A cowl hid his face, making it impossible to tell who it was. The figure advanced, cackling maniacally. As a hand was freed from the robe, Xander backed away, igniting his second sabre.
The hand contained a light-sabre. When the blade ignited, it cast an angry red colour onto the mists. Xander's skin crawled as a voice echoed through the cavern.
"Anger is a most sweet ambrosia. Despair will also serve. Feed me… free me…"
The light-sabre wielding hand lunged. Xander stepped sideways and parried, trapping the blade for a short time. Xander brought his other blade across and through the cowl, removing the robed things head.
As the head bounced and rolled, the cowl came free. As it reached its final rest, Xander stared into his own features, twisted by hate and rage.
"No…" Xander bolted for the exit and raced like a madman through the forest and swamp to the transport.
*
Reaching the comparative safety of Yoda and the transport, Xander slowed and stopped, halting to bow at Yoda, before picking up what was left of equipment to store and getting on the transport.
Yoda followed him. "Do not fear, Xander. That cave brings out your deepest fears for yourself. Face their fear, everyone must, lest it destroy them."
Xander said nothing.
"Help, it may do, to talk…" started Yoda.
Xander stopped the vocalised though with a look, then calmed and nodded an apology for the action, and his acceptance that maybe he should.
"I… saw…me. But I was dressed in grey robes and cowl. I couldn't see my face! He… I mean me… attacked me. I took his head… my own head… my…" Xander gulped deeply and tried to breath more evenly, stopping the tears that would come if he didn't. Xander began in his mind the mantra of all Jedi.
A Jedi shall not know fear. A Jedi shall not know anger. A Jedi shall not know love. There is no anger, no fear, no hatred, no lust, no love. There is only the Force.
Xander ran through this as if his life depended on it.
In a way, it did.
"Calm, now, my friend?" asked Yoda.
Xander just nodded as his breathing slowly returned to normal.
"Come. Let us return to Coruscant, come up with some evidence of Dooku's activity the Jedi Council must have."
Yoda flicked a switch with the Force, and the small transport ship gently rose off the ground, angled itself for a swift atmospheric exit and blasted out of the forests and swamps that had been its home for the past months.
*
Obi-Wan stood in front of Mace Windu and Adi Gallia. The two Jedi Masters had called him into a private council. Obi-Wan did not yet know what it pertained to.
"I came as ordered, Master." Obi-Wan bowed to Mace Windu.
"Thank you, Jedi Kenobi for your swift response. We cannot wait for Yoda to return with Xander, whether he is trained or not. You must go to Anakin. His Force shadow has become tinged with darkness. We cannot afford to lose Anakin even if Xander is stronger."
"Certainly. Anakin is my apprentice after all; we have been separated for far too long. It will be good to see him again."
Adi Gallia leaned forward. "We are sending you to Anakin not only for his own sake, but for yours, as well. If any of those opposed to Xander's training become militant, as it appears they might if Master Yoda does not return soon, we will need both of you protected. Despite the fact that Anakin often rails against your teaching, he respects and loves you, Obi-Wan. He will defend you, as you will defend him."
"Yes, Master."
Adi Gallia continued. "Take the new prototype Starfighter. It's an enhanced and greatly modified version of the one you flew to the cloner's and Geonosis recently. I just finished the combat trials. Should you encounter problems while travelling, it should aid you greatly."
"Yes, Master. Thank you."
"Obi-Wan!" called Mace Windu.
"Yes, Master?"
"May the Force be with you."
*
That's the end of chapter 5. More will follow, but I'm very busy. I need more hours in the day…