Disclaimer: Oh, to own Xanatos and Obi-Wan would be a dream, but Jude Watson and George Lucas do a fine job with them.
A/N: Thanks for the great reviews! Now, it is time for the confrontation between Xanatos and Qui-Gon, with an exhausted Obi-Wan pinned behind the desk! What shall happen? Do I feel evil today or kind…hm….? Qui-Gon might seem a little out of character, his anger getting to him. But I think only Xanatos is allowed to ruffle Qui-Gon like that, makes for a good plot.
Chapter 7
Words are the most dangerous weapon"Hello Qui-Gon."
Obi-Wan's eyes widen and his breath quicken. He tried to call out, tried to access the Force but everything was closed off to him. The Jedi Master, his last hope, was only a couple feet away and the boy couldn't do anything about it.
"Xanatos."
"I must say I'm surprised that you came back. Wherever you went must have not been that important," commented the Dark Jedi as he made his way forward and leaned back against the marbled desk.
Qui-Gon frowned as he crossed his arms. Something wasn't right here, Xanatos seemed happier than usually, like he won a victory. "You're the one behind the attack that almost killed a Jedi team, aren't you, Xanatos? It would be the perfect way to draw me away and plan some other ruthless attacks to get your revenge."
Xanatos just laughed. "As much as it seems like a great plan, I had nothing to do with an attack against some unknown Jedi team. Our fight is between you and me, Qui-Gon, and I don't wish to bring others into it. It would be a disadvantage from my perspective."
Obi-Wan scoffed mentally. Not wishing to bring other Jedi into his revenge plan against Qui-Gon, what a joke! Obi-Wan tried to move once again. But Xanatos held the boy secured and there was no way the Dark Jedi was letting go of his prize.
"Where is Obi-Wan Kenobi?" Qui-Gon's voice grew hard and one could tell that the maverick Jedi did not want to play word games.
"Oh, wouldn't you like to know. It seems strange that before you left and I mentioned Obi-Wan, you were not interested in him at all. What's this change, my old master? Did something happen when you were gone? Did the Jedi Temple tell you to bring back the child, so they can kill him, kill him before he becomes a threat." Xanatos voice no longer held its mirth but was laced with intense, well-controlled rage. Obi-Wan shivered on the ground and squeezed his eyes shut as the Dark Side seeped into his mind from the bond he shared with the man.
"What do you mean, Xanatos? Why would the Jedi kill Obi-Wan Kenobi? We just want to take him away from this planet, away from you." Qui-Gon shifted on his feet. He didn't like how this conversation was going.
"Don't play dumb with me, Qui-Gon. I know that you sense the disturbance in the Force, that release of the Dark Side. You and the rest of the idiotic council just don't want another Dark Jedi roaming the galaxy. But you forget, Qui-Gon, no one picked the boy before his thirteenth birthday, and sad to say, he turned 13 about 2 days ago. So, now, he officially is now free of the Jedi Order and you hold no sway over what becomes of him." Xanatos studied Qui-Gon's face, looking for any reaction but there was none. However, he felt despair arise in Obi-Wan and a single thought trickled through their bond, "I can't go back." Biting his lip to suppress the urge to smile, Xanatos was about to continue when a distant look encased Qui-Gon's eyes.
During Xanatos' little speech, Qui-Gon felt a foreign presence touch his mind. It felt familiar, but there was such pain and pleading that Qui-Gon could feel dull traces of the Dark Side with it. A memory arose in Qui-Gon's mind.
Padawan Qui-Gon and Padawan Mace Windu stood before a locked room in of the lower, restricted areas of the Temple. The hallway was dimly lit and the black metal door was covered in cobwebs and dust. No one had been down here in a very long time.
"You open it," dared Qui-Gon.
"No. Heck, Qui-Gon, we're not suppose to be here anyway. I mean if Master Yoda found out-"
"Found out, I did already. Not suppose to be down here, you two are not," spoke Yoda from behind the two padawans.
Both of them turned and bowed and Mace apologized, "We're sorry, Master, but we felt drawn here."
"It was the will of the Force," backed up Qui-Gon.
Yoda nodded and stood before the door, "Relics of an ancient race there are, behind these doors. Once were allies to the Jedi, but powerful they were, too powerful. Became enemies they did and behind these walls, hold we do some of their knowledge and culture."
"But why Master Yoda," Mace took a step forward, his curiosity getting the best of him.
"Descendants there are, of this dead race. If awaken any do, will be lured here, they will and dispose of them we must. Dangerous they are to the galaxy," Yoda spoke with such sadness, for he was opposed to killing. But, if the Saterins were as powerful as the Sith, and it was the Force's approval, then what choice did he have. "Tell no one of this, you shall swear. Now come, off to your studies."
Mace nodded and made his way back to the entrance, his hand cupping his cheek. It was apparent that the dark Jedi Padawan was in the deep thought over this new information. Qui-Gon took one last long look at the door and felt a cold presence touch his mind. Shields sliding up into place, Qui-Gon frowned at the door and followed his master back into the light.
Another memory flashed in Qui-Gon's mind as the foreign presence began to pound against his shields.
A grief-stricken Qui-Gon sat on the stone floor, leaning against the wall, staring at the same black door before with anger. That presence he felt in his mind when he was a child hummed in the void that was once Xanatos. He could still remember with such clarity, Xanatos glaring at Qui-Gon with such rage over the body of his dead father. The Dark Side radiated off the boy, but there was something else hidden beneath the negative energy. It was that cold power that seemed to expand beyond what he knew about the Force, the same coldness that touched his mind when he was a Padawan now seemed to wrap around Xanatos.
"One of them, Xanatos was."
Once again the green master was able to snuck up to Qui-Gon. Qui-Gon turned his red-rimmed eyes to Yoda, "I thought that we wouldn't train them, thought that we would kill them."
"Hope I did, that maybe our teachings could change their nature. Wrong I was, almost awaken Xanatos did, but something held him back," whispered Yoda as he looked at the door.
Qui-Gon also resumed his attention to the door. Never again would he train an apprentice. And if he ever ran into Xanatos or one of the descendants of this ancient race that were Sith in sheep's clothing…let's just say he would not be gentle.
Qui-Gon felt the intruder pause. At that moment, the Jedi Mastered used some of his anger to push away at the cold presence. "GO AWAY, YOU SITH!" With that said, the intruder retreated back into nothingness.
Shaking his head, Qui-Gon reentered back into reality and noticed that Xanatos was now sitting behind his desk, staring at him with those ice-blue eyes. How long was he out? It couldn't be that long, must a minute at the max. But whatever happened while he was in his mind, Xanatos' manner had changed. No longer was Xanatos the cocky man when he had entered the office but seemed to have grown older and more ruthless.
Xanatos leaned forward, his elbows on the edge of the desk, "I thought you wanted to kill me, but it seems you are preoccupied with something else."
Qui-Gon felt a shiver run down his spine. Xanatos voice slithered in the air and was laced with that cold power.
"So, you were the one touching my mind. I must say that seemed unlike you Xanatos, making your presence seem like a foreigner and touching my mind. If this is one of the methods your descendants used, then maybe it was a good thing that you were all exterminated. And maybe," Qui-Gon uncrossed his arms and pulled out his lightsaber, igniting it, "I should kill you and any other Dark Side user descendant before any more damage is done upon the innocent."
Xanatos locked eyes with Qui-Gon, the humming lightsaber not bothering the man.
"Get out, Qui-Gon."
Qui-Gon took a step surprised, "No, Xanatos. Isn't this what you want? A fight to fulfill your revenge?"
"I do not feel like it at the moment. There are more pressing matters at hand," Xanatos continued to speak in his blunt tone as he stood up.
"Xanatos DeCrion, you are under arrest. You'll will not-"
Xanatos sighed, "I thought you were going to kill me Qui-Gon. Or is it that you are going to arrest me, bring me back to the Temple and along with the Jedi Council, kill me then. How just like the Jedi, all back-stabbing murderers."
With a snap of his wrist, the wall behind Qui-Gon opened and a heavily armed squad of guards came pouring in, guns aimed at the Jedi Master. "Now, go along with these soldiers and I promise that no one in the mining tunnel 5km outside of town won't die in an unfortunate accident."
Qui-Gon growled as he disengaged his lightsaber and clipped it back on his belt. "I'll see you again, Xanatos."
"I'm hoping for it, Qui-Gon Jinn."
Qui-Gon nodded and walked out of the room, the guards following behind him. When the wall shimmered back into place, Xanatos collapsed into his chair. It had been awhile since he resorted to the Saterina Force level. As much as he wanted to fight Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan was his "pressing matter." Looking down, Obi-Wan was still slumped against the desk, a couple tears making their way down his dirty cheeks. He didn't know what had happened when Qui-Gon withdrew into himself. All he knew was that suddenly; Obi-Wan quite fighting and a huge amount of despair overcame their bond.
Making his way back to his chair and casually looking down, at Obi-Wan's form, Xanatos touched the boy's shoulder gently and the despair that was drowning the boy eased and became just a ripple instead of a wave. Relying on instinct that something had occurred between Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon, Xanatos knew that the time for talk was over. Drawing upon his blood power, the Dark Jedi released his hold over Obi-Wan and focused on getting rid of the Jedi. Pressing a button under his desk to call for the guards, Xanatos was not as surprised as he thought he would be that Obi-Wan did not move from his position.
Waiting till Qui-Gon left, Xanatos turned to face Obi-Wan and whispered, "What happened?"
Obi-Wan stared at an intersection where the wall and floor meet, his voice croaked, "He turned me down. I tried to call through him in this tiny thread that I felt between us on our way here, but he pushed me away. He wants to kill me…"
Obi-Wan's breath hitched and eyes squeezed shut to prevent tears from falling. "Why? Why do the Jedi hate us so much! I'm a Saterin, but I'm not a Dark Jedi! I might have touched the Dark Side, but I don't embrace! I'm NOT A SITH!"
Xanatos' eyes widen slightly when Obi-Wan almost yelled the last part. Collecting his thoughts, Xanatos saw his opportunity. "Then prove them wrong, Obi-Wan. Show them that a Saterin can be a good person. Show them that everyone who draws upon the Dark Side are not evil, are not Sith."
Obi-Wan opened his eyes and stared up at Xanatos. Xanatos saw the conflict within those dark blue eyes. He could see Obi-Wan standing by his side, red lightsaber humming and striking down Qui-Gon. But soon, that conflict hardened and Xanatos found himself staring into eyes that were just like his eyes a few moments ago. Except the difference was that Obi-Wan's cold eyes cut through all of Xanatos' shields and he found himself staring not into the eyes of an ex-Jedi broken-down, exhausted child, but that of a Saterin who just awoke from a long vision.
"I'll join you, Xanatos. I'll work for you, be by your side. I'll let you help me master these new powers and to find the other sources of information. I'll let you teach me how to control the Dark Side, but that's as far as it goes. If you every try to sway me towards embracing the Dark Side or ridiculing that my ways are too Jedi, I'll leave Xanatos. I'll leave and never look back."
Obi-Wan felt a surge of confidence and his voice remained calm, "So do we have a deal?"
Qui-Gon stepped out of Offworld's building and stared up at the gray sky. The clouds threatened to spill rain and ignite the sky with lightening, but they didn't. The clouds seemed to be able to hold back the raw power and only allowed a few raindrops to fall or a thunder to rumble in the sky. Its control seemed awe-inspiring but at the same time frightening. To have that much power, the ability to control such intense power caused Qui-Gon to shiver and pull his cloak around him.
Why did he just think of the clouds like that? Walking back towards his ship, Qui-Gon decided that having a little help wouldn't be bad when confronting Xanatos again. He would go the Agriculture farm and ask Obi-Wan to help in bringing Xanatos to justice. The Jedi Master could just visually the boy's face brightening up, those blue eyes shimmering in happiness, the bright light of the Force spilling out of the child.
"Maybe it won't be bad to make the boy my Padawan. I could persuade the Council to agree, despite Obi-Wan being thirteen already. Yoda would be very pleased. Green troll probably foresaw it," thought Qui-Gon, a bounce returning to his step.
Qui-Gon's foot stopped in mid-stride. Obi-Wan's presence and the foreign presence that had touched his mind in Xanatos' office were very similar, too similar. Feeling a sense of dread, Qui-Gon turned around and looked up at Xanatos' window. For the second time in his life, the Jedi Master's heart shattered. All thought of making Obi-Wan his Padawan disappeared forever. In the window, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Xanatos DeCrion were shaking hands.
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A/N: suspense music playing in the background Oh boy, Obi-Wan and Xanatos teaming up and Qui-Gon watching it all! The hope for Obi-Wan returning to the Jedi is slowly dying. What's going to happen? Will Xanatos stick to Obi-Wan's conditions? Will Obi-Wan be able to fight off the temptations of the Dark Side? The sky darkens and lighting flashes in the background MWHAHAHAHA! Cough Anyway, stay tuned!