Chapter 3 – Trouble in Salt Lake City
While Mrs. Pratt showered, Mr. Pratt and Ruth picked up Xizor, and the other adults cleaned up the mess in the living room, Luke and Anakin went into a spare bedroom to discuss what information Luke had so far.
"Another benefit of Earth's knowledge of our galaxy," Anakin noted. "They are able to see connections others cannot."
"But I thought you killed Xizor," Luke protested. "Your ships destroyed his skyhook…"
"I did destroy his skyhook. He must have escaped." He shook his head. "Ruth is obviously in love with him and can't see any fault in him, and her father's sided with her. That's going to complicate matters."
Luke flipped through the police reports the city had provided him. "We're assuming he's still in charge of Black Sun, though. For all we know, someone else could have taken his place. And who knows? Maybe he really is trying to go straight and is pursuing religion as a means to do so. I can't know until I talk to him."
"Try to hold your conversation with him when Ruth isn't around," Anakin advised. "She'll jump in and defend him, which will only distract you."
"Good idea." He fanned out the police reports in order to get a good look at all of them, then opened a holomap of Salt Lake City.
"What sort of crimes are being pinned on Black Sun?" Anakin asked.
"Robbery of an arms store, suspect escaped," Luke replied, scanning the reports. "Suspicious activity near the Lion House restaurant, suspects gone on arrival of police; vandalism near Tabernacle, suspect apprehended but released on bail, hasn't been seen since; street brawl near the Seagull Monument, suspects escaped; more suspicious activity at LDS Visitor's Center, suspects arrested and identified as known members of Black Sun, but they aren't talking. Need I go on?"
Anakin whistled. "Most of those are around city landmarks."
"And the suspects are off-worlders," Luke added. "What I imagine is that they've been sent to case the joint, if you catch my drift."
"Do you mean to say that Black Sun is planning an attack on the church's headquarters?"
He pushed a button, and points of red appeared on the holomap to mark the locations provided by the police reports. A few were scattered here and there, but most of them clustered around Temple Square.
"What does Black Sun have against the Mormons?" Anakin demanded.
"No idea," Luke replied. "I have an appointment with the church's First Presidency tomorrow. They've agreed to talk to me about the matter. Hopefully they can provide some information."
"Brigham is going to flip when he hears about this," Anakin muttered.
"All the more reason to keep this quiet until we have more data," Luke replied. "I don't want anyone panicking and giving Xizor cause to suspect that we're onto him."
Anakin shook his head again. "I'd hoped to see you over the holidays, son. I just didn't know you'd bring a crisis with you. You seem to be good at that."
A door slammed, and someone shrieked.
"Sounds like Xizor's made his entrance," Anakin noted. "And the kids aren't thrilled."
They stood and entered the living room, where the handsome Falleen was shaking hands with Felix and Clinton and grinning widely. Ruth was clinging to his arm and smiling dreamily up at him, and her father beamed proudly as if introducing an old friend. Cody and Mrs. Pratt, meanwhile, were holding back from the welcome party and glaring untrustingly at their visitor.
"Luke, Anakin, meet Xizor," Ruth gushed.
"Ah, Anakin Skywalker," Xizor noted, voice smooth. "We've met."
Anakin looked his old rival up and down, ignoring the proffered hand. Xizor had once been affluent and dressed and acted accordingly; either he truly had lost his position with Black Sun and with it his wealth, or he had truly changed his lifestyle in an attempt to turn a new leaf. He wore a conservative uniform reminiscent of an Imperial officer, with the only ornament on his body being a shield-shaped golden medallion with the letters CTR emblazoned on it. His demeanor was no longer haughty or confidant – rather, he appeared relaxed and genuinely friendly. There was nothing about him that suggested he was up to something sinister.
Which, in Anakin's mind, only confirmed that he WAS up to something sinister.
"Hello, Xizor," he greeted in a neutral tone.
"Hello indeed," Xizor replied. "I never imagined I'd run into you again." He chuckled. "How has life treated you since the demise of the Empire?"
"I choose not to answer that."
"Oh come now," Xizor chided. "Let's not let old differences come between us, especially during the holidays."
"Sorry, but he doesn't consort with Black Sun," came Cody's snide remark.
"Cody!" hissed Liberty. "Don't get involved!"
"Come on, Lib!" Cody shouted. "He might have fooled everyone else, but he can't fool Anakin Skywalker! A snake can't change his scales, can he?"
"Oooh," groaned Brigham. "That was harsh."
Xizor lowered his hand. "I can see that I'm not yet welcome in the eyes of all."
"You'll just have to try a little harder," Ruth encouraged. "Show them that you're really a good man inside."
"Yes," he smiled, looping an arm around her waist. "I shall."
The two of them strolled off, talking softly, leaving a dumbfounded Anakin behind. Had Xizor truly changed, as Ruth had suggested? Or was he simply charming the Pratt family as part of some greater plan? And most of all, what was that greater plan and how did it involve Brigham's family, especially his naïve younger sister?
"Psst," whispered Austin, leaning over to Anakin. "What's the meaning of that medallion Xizor was wearing?"
"I have no idea," he confessed.
"It's a CTR shield," Brigham replied. "It's a Mormon thing. CTR stands for 'choose the right.' It's kinda like WWJD – 'what would Jesus do?'"
"I know Jesus wouldn't be caught dead with his hair in a topknot," Cody said, making a face.
Sleeping arrangements were an adventure all their own, it would seem. At least Luke and Xizor had hotel rooms – everyone else fought over the house's four guest rooms.
"I say married couples get the rooms first," suggested Mr. Pratt. "Sorry, Austin, but I really don't count you and Liberty as a married couple."
"Not yet," Liberty said with a wink at Austin.
"So Clinton and Judy, and Hyrum and Lydia get two of the rooms," Felix noted, ticking points off on his fingers. "Grandma probably needs her own room too. What about the last one?"
"I say the kids get it," Lexus declared with all the authority an eight-year-old can muster.
"I'm not sure…" began Mrs. Pratt.
"All in favor of kids getting the last room say 'aye!'" shouted Christopher.
"Aye!" came seven youthful voices, with Cody and Brigham's voices backing them up.
"All right, kids go in the ground floor bedroom," Mr. Pratt declared, stepping aside as the children stampeded into the room with their sleeping bags.
"Mr. Skywalker?" asked Mrs. Pratt. "Where would you like to sleep? You can always use our room."
"No need," he replied, dropping his bag beside the couch. "If I'm not mistaken, this couch folds out into a bed. It will do."
"Okay. Can I get you some sheets and a blanket?"
"Yes, thank you."
At long last the house quieted down as Mr. Pratt left to take Luke and Xizor back to their hotel rooms and everyone else retreated to bed. Anakin pulled off his boots and gloves, removed his cloak, and laid down on the hide-a-bed with an exhausted moan. What a day. What was supposed to be a restful vacation had become yet another jaunt into interplanetary intrigue and double-cross. A rejuvenated crime organization, a back-from-the-dead old foe, a city's safety in possible peril… and as if things couldn't get more complex, a young woman's love and his own son's safety were tied up in the mix.
Muffled giggles and chatter came from the kids' room not far away. At least the children had it easy. For a child, life was simple. The Christmas season to them simply meant a break from school, lots of presents (hopefully), songs, and decorations. In their minds, the biggest conflict was the ongoing "Does Santa exist or not?" debate. For a brief moment, he envied them.
One of the girls – he guessed Wendy – squealed in laughter, to be shushed by an insistent hiss. He smiled sadly. Being with Brigham's family made him wish he had family memories of his own. A childhood as a slave didn't offer much in the way of fond nostalgia. And thanks to his own choices, he hadn't had the opportunity to enjoy time with his own family.
Perhaps next Christmas I can arrange for a family holiday, he decided. I'll have to discuss it with Luke and Leia. I'm sure they'd be most receptive.
Satisfied, he allowed himself to drift off to sleep.
Luke shut the car door and buckled his seat belt. "So you're the artist formerly known as Prince Xizor," he quipped, using a little Earth pop culture in an attempt to break the ice.
Xizor laughed. "I am."
He pretended to adjust the seat belt, in the process slipping a hand into his pocket and thumbing on a small recording unit. "I've heard a lot about you from both my father and Cody. But I'd personally like to hear your history from you."
"Oh, you can learn that from reading a book, I'm sure," Xizor demurred.
"The book maintains that you died almost a year ago," Luke countered. "But unless I'm addressing a very solid-looking ghost, the book is missing something."
He sighed. "It's personal."
"Share it," encouraged Mr. Pratt. "It's a great conversion story."
"All right," Xizor conceded.
Thank you, Mr. Pratt! Luke wanted to cheer, but he kept quiet.
"You know well that I used to be the leader of Black Sun," Xizor explained. "I had wealth and power beyond anyone's wildest dreams. Unfortunately, I had many enemies, among them your father. And almost a year ago, your father killed many of my employees and very nearly destroyed me with them when he demolished my skyhook. It was a miracle that enabled me to make it to an escape shuttle in time.
"But news of my 'death' spread fast, and by the time I found my way back to my headquarters, another had taken charge of Black Sun. In a matter of hours, I was ruined. My wealth and position had gone, the lavish life I had led was over. And I couldn't show my face in public, or Vader would surely have tracked me down and finished me off.
"In desperation I fled to Ord Mantell, scrounging for a living by cleaning freighters. Meanwhile, I sank into depression – who wouldn't after being brought so low? I remember I drank rather heavily during that time, and I spent hours at a time screaming at the stars, raging at fate and the Force for their cruelty.
"One night, shortly after the discovery of Earth and the fall of the Empire, I got on the Holonet and posted a desperate message. By that point, I was almost suicidal. I believe if nothing had happened that night, I very well would have taken my life. But someone replied to my plea almost immediately – a young lady named Ruth Pratt.
"We bonded almost immediately. She told me about her religion and its message of hope, and offered to put me in touch with the missionaries. I soon moved to a small town in Arizona and took the religious discussions, all the while keeping in correspondence with Ruth." He smiled gently. "She saved my life. If she hadn't reached me that night, I'd be dead. But now I have a new life, a new reason for living. And after I am baptized into the church at the end of this year, I plan to propose to Ruth and be bonded to her forever as a husband."
"Now that's a great story," Mr. Pratt beamed.
Luke smiled. "That's a touching story, Xizor, but would it send you back into depression if I told you that I really didn't believe you?"
Xizor raised an eyebrow. "Would it damage your ego, Jedi, if I told you I really don't care?"
"All right you two, play nice," Mr. Pratt chided. "Luke, your hotel's coming up."
"Thank you, Mr. Pratt," Luke told him.
"See you tomorrow for dinner?"
"Sure. Thanks for the offer."
The Pratt car pulled away, and Luke flicked off the recorder before entering the hotel lobby and shaking the snow from his cloak.
Either Xizor's had a lot of time to concoct a story, or he's telling the truth. He lies too smoothly to tell the difference. At any rate, I can't know for sure if he's behind all this until I have more information.
He made his way up the stairs to his room. Maybe his meeting tomorrow with the First Presidency would sort a few things out.