Hello again, my darlings. So first thing's first I did a bit of revision to this story-that's right I rewrote a rewrite halfway through-and the plot has been changed around quite significantly. A few relationships have been changed, a few plot bits added and some things deleted. It would make much more sense to go back and read up on the changes but you can continue reading from here I suppose if you're willing to work with a little bit of confusion.
That being said, apologies once again for the tremendous amount of lateness, end of the year had me all over the place. Good news is, school's out now so updates should be coming much faster. Anywho, without any further ado, here's the next one. Enjoy!
Among the crowds of spectators that had left the stands to gather around Anakin and cheer, only one tall, dark haired Jedi Knight caught the boy's attention.
"I did it Xanatos! I did it!" Anakin shouted, ceasing his celebrations the moment he laid eyes on the Jedi Knight.
Xanatos' smile widened and he reached up to Anakin to high five him, "You did indeed do it kiddo. You've done us a great service Anakin, I'm very, very proud of you." Anakin beamed as though he'd never been praised for his doings before. But before Anakin could say anything else Xanatos had already turned away and began walking in a different direction to collect his winnings.
After a brief conversation with Watto, when Xanatos returned to the Main Hanger it was practically deserted. Shmi was knelt in front of her son and Padme and Obi-Wan stood near them, engaged in what seemed like an animated talk.
"Xanatos, look at all of the reward money that we got!" Anakin shouted, running over to the Knight once he spotted him. He held up a sack of coins for Xanatos to see and the elder smiled, "That's fantastic, but I'm afraid those won't be any good to you anymore." Anakin gave Xanatos a confused expression.
"Come on" Xanatos said, putting a hand on the boy's back and leading him towards the others.
"Padme" he spoke firmly to the handmaiden that quite literally looked up to him, "I have a very important job that I need you to do. Do you think you're up for a little journey on your own?" Padme looked hesitant but still nodded.
"Alright, Watto is going to bring the parts we need for the ship down here in a little bit and I need you to bring them back to the ship while Obi-Wan and I handle some unfinished business. Could you do that for me?" Xanatos asked hoping she'd accept the mission so he wouldn't have to send Obi-Wan out on his own on the foreign planet.
"Sure, if it keeps Skirmish over here from getting the job instead and winding up in a bar fight" Padme shrugged, not sparing a glance towards Obi-Wan who scowled. Xanatos raised a questioning brow at his apprentice but decided he'd ask about it later. For now the Knight turned to Shmi, looked her directly in the eyes and took her hands into his.
"You've helped us so very much, offered us your son despite how dangerous it was and force knows what would have happened to us if you hadn't. And for that I'm entirely all too grateful" Xanatos took a breath and added, "But my word isn't enough thanks. That's why we're going to head over to your home before we return to our ship with our parts. You're going to pack your belongings and then we're going to go to Watto so he can remove your tracking chips."
Shmi furrowed her brows in question. "I've won your freedom. Both of yours, you and Anakin are free. You can come with us to Coruscant and depending on whether we can bring Anakin to the Jedi Temple you can take up residence and work there. Either way Obi-Wan and I will not leave you without any support system once we get there, alright?"
The tears were visible in Shmi's eyes by the time Xanatos had finished speaking. Her grip on his hands had tightened and she was struggling to keep her composure. "Thank you" she managed to whisper, voice shaking.
"It's the least I can do" Xanatos smiled.
"You freed us?" The small voice of Anakin spoke from beside them.
"I did, buddy" Xanatos said, releasing Shmi's hands and crouching before the boy, "You and your mom are as free as birds now. Watto will never burden you again."
Anakin stared at Xanatos in disbelief for a moment before lunging forward at him, throwing his arms around Xanatos' neck and embracing him with the hopes that the gesture would show half the gratefulness he felt. "Thank you" Anakin's voice was muffled through Xanatos' shoulder.
"You are quite welcome" Xanatos chuckled. When Anakin finally released him he stood and patted the boy fondly on the shoulder.
"Padme,, there's Watto with our winnings" Xanatos pointed to the hangar entrance where Watto was leading two eopies in. "Think you can make it on your own?" Padme eyes the eopies for a moment before shrugging, "Of course."
"Atta girl. We'll meet you back at the ship alright?" Xanatos explained, to which Padme nodded and took off in Watto's direction, R2 close behind.
After the Skywalkers had finished gathering their belongings Anakin insisted on going around to say goodbye to his friends and while they were on a tight schedule, Xanatos, remembering his own rushed departure from Telos both times allowed the boy his time.
Watching Anakin exchange goodbyes with his childhood friends made Xanatos quite ardently wish that he could simply free all the slaves of the planet and give them the lives that every human deserved. He dwelled on the thought for a moment before removing the increasingly large amount on negativity gathering in his mind, focusing himself elsewhere.
"Kitser" he spoke suddenly, kneeling before the two boys before him. He'd been briefly introduced to the child that seemed to be Anakin's closest friend when the boy had stopped by the Skywalker hovel to check up on the pod and offer Anakin words of encouragement the day before. Looking into his eyes, the innocence on his face made Xanatos see what had caused Qui-Gon to pick him up from Telos all those years ago. Everyone deserved freedom, love and guidance and he just couldn't imagine what it would be like to have been raised any differently than he was. Sighing once again as his mind has wandered off, he reached into his robes and pulled out the small sack of reward money that Anakin had given him for safe keeping.
"Why don't you keep these" Xanatos smiled at Kitser, handing him the currency. The slave boy beamed, thanking Xanatos multiple times, but the Jedi simply stood up, ruffled the child's hair and began down the road again, informing Anakin that they needed to go. They made a few more pit stops before reaching Watto's shop where Anakin and Shmi were officially freed and Xanatos made sure that his parts had been picked up by Padme in one piece.
With two eopies loaded with parts the Jedi and the Skywalkers headed back to the Nubian ship that awaited them on the outskirts of town. However half way along their trek Xanatos noticed something off and instructed Shmi and Anakin to walk ahead to the ship.
Xanatos hung back with Obi-Wan and through their bond informed the young man, "There's a probe droid on our tail. I'm not sure why I haven't sensed it till now but prepare yourself to fight in the event that whoever it is that sent it after us is nearby, ok?"
And as soon as Obi-Wan responded with a "Yes, master," Xanatos spun around, ignited his lightsaber and cut a lurking probe droid in half. From a ways off Anakin and Shmi had stopped at the sound of Xanatos' weapon, but he only ordered them to keep moving. Obi-Wan and Xanatos inspected the sparking droid for a moment before deciding they needed to get off planet-fast.
By the time Shmi and Anakin had reached the ship the sound of a fast approaching land speeder behind them had become apparent to the attuned senses of the Jedi. At this point Xanatos abandoned the idea of running and turned in preparation to battle the Zabrak that flipped off of his speeder and toward the Jedi. Halfway towards his descent to the ground the Zabrak ignited a blood red lightsaber of his own, a color that startled both Jedi for a moment before they returned their focus to the fight.
Obi-Wan was quick to go to his master's aid when the Zabrak began swinging ferociously at him. It wasn't long before they became engulfed in a cloud of dust, their quick movements kicking up copious amounts of sand. Despite being a padawan, Obi-Wan didn't fail to pose as a challenge for the Zabrak. He was mindful of his master's movements as well as their opponent's so he could cover Xanatos' few blind spots as well as defend himself. He'd gotten quite used to doing this over the last ten years and he did his best to tell himself that this was just like any practice match. The more he thought about how real the situation was the more off key he'd be and he knew it.
Despite both Jedi's valiant efforts the Zabrak took advantage of the smallest opening in their tactics and smashed the hilt of his double sided saber into Obi-Wan's nose. The padawan took a step backward but before he could recover he was kicked in the chest, sending him crashing to the ground. Xanatos didn't dwell on the loss of his apprentice in the fight as he knew Obi-Wan was resilient and would be alright. Instead he focused on subduing his enemy so he could check on his younger companion. However after several successful blows that seemed to be dealing damage to the Zabrak, Xanatos was caught off guard when the sharp shock of an elbow came in contact with his elbow and then the Zabrak swung a leg across his knees to sweep the Jedi Knight right off his feet.
Xanatos hit the ground harder than he thought he would and took a single second to draw the air back into his lungs. However, a second seemed to be too long because when Xanatos turned over onto his back the first thing he saw was his enemy's glowing red saber coming to crash right above him.
He took a sharp breath once he realized his lightsaber wasn't within his reach anymore and it was too late to call it to his hand. For a moment time slowed down and the realistic possibility of his life coming to a halt right then and there at the hands of the Zabrak hit Xanatos. His final thought was to turn his head in the direction that his apprentice had fallen and assure the younger's safety before he went out but found Obi-Wan nowhere to be found in the mess of sand twirling around them.
And just when he thought it was over, the sound of two lightsabers clashing reached his ears and looking up Xanatos saw the Zabrak turned to block the bright blue blade of Obi-Wan Kenobi from beside him. Obi-Wan attacked viciously, directing the fight away from Xanatos' fallen form. The knight was quick to call his weapon back to himself and run to rejoin the fight.
He never did quite make it as the Zabrak attacked Obi-Wan in a similar fashion as it had attacked him; an elbow to the nose followed by a foot to it. And just as Xanatos had, Obi-Wan toppled backwards, lightsaber out of reach.
"Obi-Wan!" Xanatos called into their bond. The moment his apprentice turned to look at him Xanatos tossed his own saber at Obi-Wan, who used it to narrowly block a blow from the Zabrak. Xanatos began running towards them once again, calling Obi-Wan's discarded weapon to his hand as he did.
He flipped over the battling pair to behind the Zabrak and delivered a few distracting blows before backing away from the fight. The ship was close, and using the force to accelerate his speed, Xanatos dashed into the ship. He could sense Obi-Wan tiring out and knew there was no time to waste. While he was relieved to see Padme, Shmi and Anakin in the ship in one piece, he rushed past them to the cockpit to order the pilots to take off.
"Fly low" he barked, staring out the windshield, "Obi-Wan is still down there so keep the ramp down."
The pilots obediently headed towards the green glow of Xanatos' lightsaber in the cloud of dust below. And just when they came close enough to make a rescue the green glow disappeared and only a red was visible. Xanatos' heart leapt to his throat and he practically flew out of the cockpit to the ramp entrance, bracing himself to rejoin the fight. He suddenly severely regretted thinking it was a good idea to leave his apprentice out there with a possible Sith lord. Yes, a Sith lord. He couldn't imagine for the life of him who else would wield a saber of that color.
Despite Xanatos' preparations to return to the sandy ground below, he arrived at the ship's exit hull just as Obi-Wan jumped onto the ramp. The Knight's relief was short lived as he saw the Zabrak jump up behind Obi-Wan. Multiple scenarios as to what would happen if the Sith made it onto the ship prompted Xanatos to instantly shoot a hand out and force push the Zabrak off the ramp. Before another attempt could be made to infiltrate the ship, the ramp closed behind Obi-Wan and the padawan collapsed with a heavy thud. Xanatos vaguely registered Anakin at his heels but that didn't matter to him in the least bit at the moment. All he cared about was the fallen young man before him.
Xanatos crouched down and lifted Obi-Wan's limp form onto a knee. "Obi-Wan?" He called a bit desperately, putting a hand to the younger's neck to check for a pulse. Subconsciously he knew Obi-Wan was still alive as he hadn't felt their bond snap but he still couldn't help but be terrified by the sight of his apprentice's eyes closed that way and his body so motionless. He looked to the injuries that his padawan had attained and acknowledged that they didn't seem life threatening but his mind wouldn't rest at ease until he saw Obi-Wan's very distinct blue eyes.
"Kenobi, come on!" He growled, putting a hand on Obi-Wan's chest and attempting to give him a bit of a push with his own life force, "Come on!" The last call seemed to have done the trick as Obi-Wan coughed into conscience. Relief instantly flooded Xanatos' features and the glossiness that had began coating his eyes eased back. "Atta boy" Xanatos muttered as he helped Obi-Wan sit up, "Can you walk?"
Obi-Wan, who was still rather disoriented, looked around for a moment before nodding, "I might need some help though."
Xanatos looked relieved, "Alright come on," he swung one of Obi-Wan's arms around his neck and pulled the padawan to his feet. "Let's get those cuts and scrapes cleaned out and then you can have a well deserved rest, alright?" Obi-Wan simply nodded at his master's statement and allowed himself to be led to the shared quarters of the ship which they had been given by the queen.
There was much on Obi-Wan's mind as Xanatos placed a bacta patch over a particularly nasty cut on his collarbone. Among the mess was the question of why his master seemingly abandoned him on the sands of Tattoine to fend for himself and the only answer his negative mind could come up with was that he needed to make sure that Anakin was alright more than he needed to see Obi-Wan to safety. The thought was a dark and unwelcome one, Obi-Wan knew that full well, but he just couldn't help himself. So to try and push it all aside he focused on the worry that seemed to be radiating from the master before him and asked, "What was it?"
"Our attacker." Xanatos answered all too quickly, looking up at Obi-Wan for the first time since he'd began using his makeshift first aid kit. "He was force sensitive obviously and well trained at that too. The color of his blade indicated that he was of a race long thought to be extinct but you never know, right?" Xanatos sighed and returned to his work, "I never thought it would come to this again. I never thought I'd have to see that color of blade ever a-"
The Knight froze as he felt the waves of comfort that Obi-Wan was pushing through their bond. It prompted a smile on his face, "Thanks."
Obi-Wan's returned smile served as a silent "You're welcome." He then returned to the matter at hand asking, "Do you think he'll follow us?"
"We're safe for now, but I'm sure he can guess where we're off to" Xanatos muttered absentmindedly, patching off the last of Obi-Wan's injuries.
"And what are we going to do about that?"
Xanatos simply sighed in response to his apprentice's question and answered, "Let's just hope this hyperdrive works and Watto didn't get the last laugh, yeah?" He offered a small smile before changing the course of the conversation with a pat to the younger's shoulder, "Now why don't you get some rest while I go see if I can reach the council to brief them, ok?"
"Sure," Obi-Wan let out a deep breath and looked around his arms and upper body to the places that'd just been treated. Xanatos turned around to leave but halfway to the door he abruptly strode back to Obi-Wan and pulled the young man into a hug-as much as was possible with the younger sitting. Obi-Wan seemed rather startled at first, but upon sensing his master's emotions, he eased up into the embrace.
"I'm glad you're alright, kiddo" Xanatos said solemnly before pulling back, offering Obi-Wan one more warm smile and leaving him be.
"Tattoine?" Qui-Gon asked incredulously, interrupting Xanatos' tale, "How did you to wind up that far out of the Republic's borders?"
"The Federation's goons chased us around trying to take us down and with a transport ship lacking weaponry all we could do was run. We were forced to land in Tattoine to replace a shot hyperdrive" Xanatos recounted to the hologram of his master before him, "We've been able to gather the parts and we're on our way to Coruscant with the queen now."
"Excellent" the blue shade of Plo Koon nodded, "Ah, tell us, Knight Omega, how exactly did you gather this hyperdrive on such a desolate planet?" He was aware of Xanatos' frequently unorthodox methods of achieving his goals and was quite clearly hoping for an answer that wouldn't lead him to have to reprimand that man who was still quite young in their eyes.
"I was just getting to that, masters" Xanatos began patiently, "There was a slave boy here that helped us. No older than eight or nine and most certainly force sensitive. He selflessly pod raced against his owner to win us our hyperdrive and didn't expect anything in return. His pod racing was enabled by an incredible force presence and because this boy, Anakin Skywalker, more or less saved our lives and in return I freed him and his mother-through the proper means-" Xanatos clarified, glancing over at Plo Koon. "And they are travelling to Coruscant with us now in hopes of starting a new life here. Now that Anakin is free however, his unharnessed power has no means of control and not only would it be dangerous to leave such a strong being exposed to our slowly corrupting system, but I also believe that-" Xanatos paused, sensing that what he was going to say next would either make or break not just Anakin's future, but the futures of hundreds others as well. He took a deep breath and began again. "What with his tremendous hold of the force and innate abilities beyond any youngling his age I have a strong feeling that Anakin may be the Chosen One of the prophecy." Xanatos looked to Qui-Gon, who sat up once he said this. "And with your permission, masters, I would like to bring Anakin before you simply for testing." Xanatos looked around the council to register any reactions. "If I do not have your consent for this request then I will set Anakin and his mother up with a home and work once we land on Coruscant and that will be the end of that."
The council members remained silent for a long moment to think over the situation before Master Windu spoke up. "You seem to have faith in the boy, Xanatos but I doubt Master Yoda would approve of this if he were here. Still, he won't be back from his venture to Dagobah till later, so if you feel as strongly about the boy as you say, I suppose you can bring him before us-just for testing."
"Thank you" Xanatos bowed, "I will report again if another important situation comes up, "Till then, may the force be with you, masters."
"And you, Knight Omega," the council collectively responded before Xanatos ended the transmission. He let out a breath and turned away from his holo unit before running a rather relieved hand through his hair. With that out of the way he could finally get a little bit of rest himself and lay at ease.
Alright so that was the ninth one for you guys. I hope you enjoyed it and you might want to hang tight for the next few because things are about to get intense :) Anyway, let me know how the changes are if you've read back and as always suggestions, courteous criticism and comments are welcome. Till next time lovelies.