Chapter 4

Xanatos and Mia stood waiting outside an upscale restaurant in Moyc, the capital city of Konar. The banquet, hosted by the Minister of Commerce, had been the culmination of three days of conference between the companies involved in mining operations on the planet. But, the evening had been cut short and they were leaving early.

"Are you feeling any better?" Xanatos asked.

"The fresh air is helping," Mia answered.

"Holn could be a while with the speeder, and I don't want to stand here idly. Are you up for a walk? From the balcony earlier, I saw a garden at the back corner of the building. It looked beautiful."

She nodded, taking his arm as they started down a stone path. The banquet room had been stifling, and she had fought against the feeling of everything and everyone closing in on her all evening. In contrast, the cool night air was refreshing against her flushed face. She did wish that Xanatos would address why they were leaving early. Her stomach was tied up in knots waiting for him to say something.

"I don't know what happened," she said, finally taking the initiative. "I think one of the smells got to me or something."

"Konari food is quite pungent. I know it's not one of my favorites." Xanatos took her hand in his, squeezing it gently. "Don't worry," he assured her. "It's to be expected. You are still only eleven weeks along."

She hated how her body was betraying her. Foods that used to be her favorites had been barely tolerable for weeks now. Used to keeping an active schedule, she had found herself tired more often than not. And for reasons she was unable to understand, she felt vulnerable and needy in a way she never before had as motherhood loomed before her.

Xanatos, on the other hand, was adjusting to the idea of fatherhood very well, especially since early genetic tests had revealed that the baby was a boy. As a powerful man with many enemies, he felt it wise to hold off as long as possible on making any announcements. Only the closest of staff was aware that Mia was expecting. And of course, Xanatos seemed completely aware of her struggles. He had been gentle, patient, and more than happy to 'take care' of her. He had cut back on her work hours, something they had argued over for days. Attending the conference on Konar had been her chance to prove that she could still keep up, and she had been able to for the most part. That was until the banquet.

They found the garden, and as promised, it was beautiful. A pond with small fish was surrounded by tall flowering bushes. Moonlight reflected off the surface of the pond giving it a golden glow, and the soft sound of rippling waters was soothing. She suddenly questioned Xanatos' motives in leading her here. They had been quarreling quite often over the past few weeks, and this was the perfect romantic setting to sweep her off her feet yet again, and make her forget. He was good at that.

"At least I made it to the refresher in time to maintain my dignity," she mused out loud.

"I don't understand why you are torturing yourself," he said.

"I feel bad for ruining the evening," she admitted.

"For ruining it? I would say that you saved it." Xanatos let out a low chuckle as he ran fingers down the side of her face. "I had finished the business I needed to conduct, and all that was left for us to look forward to was a long night of dreary conversation and drunken businessmen making improper advances toward you. You probably saved me from drinking too much myself, and deeply offending someone."

She turned away, trying to keep a straight face as she fingered the delicate petals on a nearby bloom. But she didn't know why she bothered. As with everything, he already knew that she found his reflection on the evening amusing. She thought of a fitting retort and began to respond, aware that she was engaging in shameless flirting with someone with which she was supposedly angry.

Xanatos was no longer there. He stood at the edge of the water with his back to her. As she approached, she noticed that his gaze had grown stern. His eyes were focused as though he was looking at something in the distance beyond her line of sight.

"Holn," he whispered into his comlink. "Do you copy? Holn?"

There was no answer. Xanatos turned and flashed a smile at her. It was fake. Something was wrong. "Let's go back to the entrance," he suggested. "Holn should be there by now."

He kept a sharp watch, leaving none of their surroundings uncovered by his sweeping gaze as they walked back toward the restaurant. The fact that he always seemed to know things before she did, before they even happened, left Mia feeling anxious. Before she even heard the first blaster shot, Xanatos had pushed her to the ground and shielded her with his body. The blaster shot skimmed safely over them. Xanatos quickly pulled her to her feet, avoiding another shot, and then he pushed her toward the back corner of the building. There was a small alcove. It didn't provide much protection, but Xanatos seemed pleased.

"Stay down," he hissed as blaster fire came from two more directions and hit the outside wall.

"What's happening? Be honest."

"Holn is dead. I sense the presences of six assailants – two on top of the building, two east, two west." He motioned with his hands as he spoke. "They are closing in around us, but it's nothing to worry about as long as you stay put." He turned to leave.

"Where are you going?" she nearly shrieked.

"They are about to learn a lesson about picking a fight with the wrong person."

The tone of his voice chilled her to her bones. As he stepped away from her hiding spot, she saw him pull a silver cylinder from his coat right before the sky around him erupted in blaster fire. She quickly squeezed her eyes shut, hoping he really knew what he was doing. The whine of blaster fire whizzing through the sky continued, but she also heard something different. It was a low hum, maybe more shrill and screeching at times. She risked peeking.

Xanatos held a red beam of light in his hand. The glow bathed him in crimson as he moved with the elegant steps of a dancer. She sat transfixed as blaster bolts seemed to near and then flee from him, or rather the crimson arc that spun around him. His rage darkened eyes were focused, and he moved with the stealth of a predator, like an animal driven by instinct, seeming to know where each shot was before it came.

One man fell to his death from the roof in a cry of agony. The second was silent, already lifeless as he hit the ground. Those remaining converged on Xanatos. A raised hand sent one flying though the air. The sickening crack and thud as the assailant's body hit the wall indicated he wouldn't get up again. Another lunged forward and was impaled, his body nearly severed in half as it fell from the steaming blade. If her stomach hadn't already been empty, Mia probably would have vomited at the sight of entrails and blood spilt on the blanket of grass. The two remaining seemed to come to their senses and turned to run. They were suddenly frozen in place like statues.

"Who sent you?" Xanatos demanded coldly, as he walked between them, his hand outstretched.

"I … I don't know," one said, his voice quivering with tremendous fear.

"I was just given a secondhand order," the other pleaded.

Xanatos studied the second before closing his fist. The man's eyes widened before he dropped to his knees, clutching at his throat. He tried to beg and plead, but no sound came out, only gurgling noises as he writhed on the ground. A blue tone claimed his skin before his body finally fell limp, fear still captured in his lifeless eyes.

"Take that as an example and a warning." Xanatos allowed the one remaining assailant to fall to the ground. "I suggest you talk."

"I don't know …"

"Don't lie to me!" Xanatos yelled, lips pulling back from his teeth as fire flashed in his eyes. Mia had never before seen him this angry. It changed him. It was as though she barely knew the man standing there.

She watched as Xanatos drove the light sword into the man's shoulder, cutting through body armor with ease. The man let out a shrill cry of pain.

"You're just going to kill me!"

"Probably." Xanatos wiggled the hilt of the blade, widening the wound. Mia shuddered as the assailant shrieked. "The question is how much pain I can cause before you die. That all depends on how pleased I am with your answers."

"Go to hell!"

Xanatos quickly withdrew the blade before sinking it into the other shoulder. "A name is all I need."

As the silence stretched on, Xanatos began to drag his blade slowly through flesh. Mia cupped hands over her ears, trying to drown out the cries for mercy.

"Gaden! His name was Rilk Gaden. I was to kill you and bring the woman to a rendezvous point at the mines just outside Moyc."

One final swing of the blade ended the man's wretched existence, and then the blade vanished into darkness. Mia couldn't see Xanatos anymore, but heard his voice as he walked toward her.

"Soren, do you copy. Holn is dead. I need a speeder to pick us up at the restaurant and take us to the hangar."

He extended a blood splattered hand toward her as he closed off the transmission. She took it, trying not to tremble at the rage that still clouded his eyes. He said nothing, even after Soren arrived. The trip to the hangar was made in equal silence, Xanatos' face cut into a distant, emotionless mask.

Xanatos boarded their vessel first, making a complete sweep. When he was satisfied it was safe, he finally spoke to Soren. "Leave now. Take Mia back to Telos."

"Aren't you coming?" she asked.

"I have some unfinished business with Rilk Gaden," Xanatos said, with eerie coldness. He stroked her face gently before resting a hand on her abdomen. "But first, I need to know that you are both safely on your way home."

Mia was curled up on a lounge chair, basking in the warm sunlight that shone down on her balcony. She pretended not to notice when Xanatos came in, not even looking back to see who had arrived. He waited for a moment before exhaling an audible sigh to signal he wasn't leaving.

"Can't I have one moment's peace, Doctor?" she snapped angrily. "I'm not in the mood for any more tests right now."

"I'm not here for tests," Xanatos said softly.

Mia turned sharply. From across the room, the instruments that remotely monitored her heart rate and breathing began to beep urgently. Xanatos didn't need them to determine she was nervous. And he knew if he didn't set her at ease, she would disturb Crion.

"I am not sure why you continue to fear me," he said, allowing his frustration at her behavior to color his voice. "I am not here to harm you."

It had all started with Konar, when he had tapped heavily into the Dark side for the power to make certain Rilk Gaden was no longer a threat. Xanatos knew that Mia had once felt love for him. It was what had allowed her to overlook his minor transgressions even when they infuriated her. Since that night she had stepped carefully around him, afraid of awakening what she had witnessed once again. The fear at times seemed to irrationally consume her.

Mia stood to face him, and he sensed dizziness wash over her. He reached out to help her sit back down to the chair. She was exhausted. It was still was not yet noon, and it alarmed him that she seemed already depleted of energy.

"Shouldn't you be in bed, resting?"

Icy venom filled her gaze before she slumped back down to her chair, defeated.

"Do you know what I am, Xanatos?"

"A damn stubborn woman, who needs someone to care for her, but for reasons beyond my comprehension thought she could make it on her own?"

"I'm a glass doll that you keep in a case away from everyone and everything. You see me as fragile and are afraid that I will shatter if allowed to come out my case."

"You nearly did 'shatter'. Do you even realize how worn down your body was when I found you?"

"I haven't seen Crion for more than an hour a day since returning," she snapped, ignoring him.

"That's more than I've seen him over the last four months," he bit back angrily.

He clenched his fists, feeling a tremble overtake him as he reigned in his own emotions. He couldn't afford to scare her off. There were questions he needed answers to. "I knew things between us weren't great, but I thought we were better off than this," he said more softly. "Why? Why did you take him from me?"

She didn't answer at first. He thought the wait would kill him. Then she finally said, "I don't want him to become like you."

"And your life has been such a stunning example that you can take the moral high ground with me?" he bit back immediately.

"You know what I mean," she said softly. "I can't forget what I saw …"

"I did what I had to in order to protect you and Crion. As far as my giftings, the Force is part of who I am, and part of who Crion is. As much as you seem to abhor the idea, he must be taught to master who he is or it will control him. Trust me, I know."

She closed her eyes and ran a hand down her face. "I am tired. Perhaps you're right. I should lie down."

She stood, shaky on her feet. Xanatos reached for her, and she pushed his hands away.

"Let me help, Mia," he said forcefully.

She finally took his hand and he guided her to the sleep couch, pulling the covers up around her. He sat and watched as she quickly fell into a deep sleep, then left. As he closed the door behind him, Mia's doctor was standing, watching through a one-way mirror.

"How is she really?" Xanatos asked.

"She is back on steady medications, but I would have expected her strength to be back by now. Is it possible she is faking her fatigue?"

"No, I would sense it," Xanatos said. Her exhaustion is very real. "Did you do as I asked?"

"Yes, the chip was implanted at the nape of his neck, just beneath the skin. We won't have infinite tracking abilities, but Crion will be easier to locate. What makes you so certain she will try to run again as weak as she is?"

"I know Mia.," Xanatos replied confidently. There was no more explanation needed. "She won't try as long as I am here, but we will need to enhance security before I have to travel again."