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Author	Topic: Descent Into Darkness AOTC AU A/P, Z/?, O/S, Xan. Updated 11/7 Xan and Obi encounter
GeneralKenobi7 Registered: Jan '09	Date Posted: 3/28 6:04am Subject: Descent Into Darkness AOTC AU A/P, Z/?, O/S, Xanatos. Sequel to Family Bonds. Updated 3/27
	Poor Zane! It must be terrible to feel Qui-Gon dying a bit more every minute But Zane counting points was funny Anakin really didn't shine in that contest Update soon! -----signature----- Ewan Mace:"Sometimes a Jedi's most important duty is to stand and wait. I presume you've mentioned that to Anakin on occasion?" Obi-Wan: "Not more than twice a day." Proud Padawan to EG Kenobi
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jacen200015 Registered: Jan '02	Date Posted: 3/30 10:37am Subject: Descent Into Darkness AOTC AU A/P, Z/?, O/S, Xanatos. Sequel to Family Bonds. Updated 3/27
	GeneralKenobi7: Poor Zane! It must be terrible to feel Qui-Gon dying a bit more every minute Yeah But Zane counting points was funny Anakin really didn't shine in that contest No he didn't. Update soon! Probably sometime early this week. -----signature----- If I review then PM me when you update. thanks so much. Send me your completed 'the saga' stories! Check out my new story Descent Into Darkness Don't quote me the odds. I shall do as I must. Do or do not, there is no try.
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jacen200015 Registered: Jan '02	Date Posted: 4/1 6:35am Subject: RE: Descent Into Darkness AOTC AU A/P, Z/?, O/S, Xanatos. Sequel to Family Bonds. Updated 4/1
	And here comes the month of April. I'm sure you're all busy, but hopefully it's busy at a job and not searching for one. I have an interview on the thirteenth and sent out two more applications, hopefully i can get something soon. Sigh Anyway, here is another chapter to read to help you all through your week ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Chapter 3 After Obi-Wan left to go to the lower levels to check on the captain’s security measures, Zane approached Anakin. “Who do you think may be behind it?” Anakin stared out of the widow for moment and then looked at Zane. “I’m not sure. It can’t possibly be Count Dooku, and it can’t simply be disgruntled miners. A Separatist with a grudge perhaps?” Zane shrugged. “It could be, but there’s no strong proof. A senator makes a lot of enemies.” “I feel there is some more to this then a simple assassination attempt. What if there’s a more sinister motive? What if someone wants war to break out?” Anakin said. “The four D’s? Disruption plus demoralization plus distraction equals devastation. The disruption could be the discord in the Senate. The distraction could be the attacks on the senator.” “Or demoralization can be the attacks on the Senator. To destroy the hopes that the dispute with the Separatists can be resolved peacefully,” Anakin put in, a frown forming on his face. “We should get a hold of Xanatos and see if he can find out something.” Zane nodded. “Yes, I was just thinking that.” Anakin glanced toward Padme’s bedroom. “Negative three and six,” Zane said with a smirk as he followed Anakin’s gaze. Anakin looked back at him. “What?” “You scored negative three and Padme scored six,” Zane responded. Anakin rolled his eyes. “Give me a break. I’ll choose my words better next time.” “Want to bet on it? You already dug yourself a good hole to hide in,” Zane said. “Just wait until you get a crush on a girl. Then you won’t be laughing,” Anakin responded. “I should add another two negative points for inappropriate time and place in what you said.” Zane grinned and Anakin just scowled. Anakin walked over to where the security screen and flicked it to the pone that showed the inside of Padme’s bedroom. Padme was pulling back her covers, her long brown hair flowing down her back. He stared, totally fixated on her until she draped something partly over the lenses of the camera. “Hey.” Anakin opened the door to her bedroom and stepped inside. “You know, covering the camera lenses does not help us do our duty to protect you.” Padme drew her robe back over her nightgown as she sat on her bed. “I programmed Artoo to give out a warning if there is an intruder, Anakin. I am sure your Jedi senses will be able to detect anything amiss without the aid of the security camera.” “Yes, but—” “Look at it this way. I’ll be the bait, you catch the assassin and we can get to the root of these assassination attempts. Now I’m going to get some sleep,” Padme said, dismissing him. Anakin left her room and released his annoyance into the Force. “She’s so stubborn.” “And she’s stressed,” Zane added as he stood near the window. “I don’t think the attention you’ve been giving her is helping much.” “She could use a distraction,” Anakin pointed out. Zane shook his head, holding back a laugh. “What would your mother say? Speaking of your mother…” Zane paused and then looked at Anakin. “I had a vision this morning, it was mainly brief flashes of different events. In one of the flashes I saw a disturbing image involving your mother.” Anakin braced himself. Did Zane have a similar vision that he had been having? Was his mother really in serious trouble? His skin prickled as Zane continued. “I saw your mother die.” Zane said. The door that connected the corridor to the apartment slid open at that moment and Obi-Wan walked into the room. “Captain Typho has more than enough men downstairs,” he said. “No assassin will try that way. Any activity up here?” “Quiet as a tomb,” Anakin replied absently, his mind still absorbing what Zane had told him. His stomach churned and nausea crept up his throat. “I don’t like just waiting here for something to happen.” I have to do something. Obi-Wan shook his head and took a viewscanner from his belt that would let him see into Padme’s room. Turning to face him, Anakin said, “Padme…Senator Amidala, covered the cam. I don’t think she liked me watching her. Obi-Wan’s face tensed and he let out a little growl. “What is she thinking? Her security is paramount, and if compromised—” “She programmed Artoo to warn us if there’s an intruder,” Anakin explained, trying to calm Obi-Wan before his concern could gain any real momentum. “It’s not an intruder I’m worried about,” Obi-Wan countered. “Or not merely an intruder. There are many ways to kill a senator.” “We know that, but we also want to catch this assassin,” Zane said. Obi-Wan looked at Zane and back at Anakin incredulously, his eyes widening in shock and disbelief. “You’re using her as bait?” “It was her idea,” Anakin protested. “Besides she had a point – we can sense any danger without the aid of a security camera. Don’t worry. No harm will come to her. Zane and I can sense everything going on in that room. Trust me.” “It’s too risky,” Obi-Wan scolded. “Besides, both of your senses are not that attuned.” Zane immediately felt defensive and knew Anakin felt that way too. Was Obi-Wan implying that they were arrogant about their abilities? Anakin answered in a suggestive tone. “And yours are?” Obi-Wan could not deny the look of intrigue that crossed his face. “Possibly,” he admitted. Anakin smiled and nodded, and he faced the window and closed his eyes, falling into the caressing waves of the Force, and focused on Padme’s sleeping presence. Zane frowned. Now what was that about? There were times when he just didn’t understand them, especially when he was included in something that was usually reserved only for Anakin and Obi-Wan. Was that supposed to be a private joke that only they understood? He looked back out the window and concentrated his senses to pick up any hint of danger to Padme. “You look tired,” Obi-Wan said to Anakin as he stood beside him. Anakin gave a little shrug. “I don’t sleep well anymore.” Will he agree that it is a vision or will he just say that it’s a dream? “Because of your mother?” Obi-Wan asked. “I don’t know why I keep dreaming of her,” Anakin answered, letting a little frustration come through in his voice. “I haven’t seen her since I was little.” I know why, she’s in danger, that’s why. /Okay, Zane, your turn./ /Why do you keep insisting that Obi-Wan is not going to believe that it’s a vision?/ /Because he has dismissed my other visions in the past and I would rather not start a debate about visions and dreams. You know this./ “Your love for her was, and remains, deep,” Obi-Wan said, unaware of the silent conversation between the two Padawans. “That is hardly reason for despair.” Zane opened his eyes and looked over at Anakin and Obi-Wan. “I think it’s more than it appears to be. I have had a brief glimpse of her death this morning when I was in the garden. Perhaps we should look into it?” Obi-Wan rubbed his chin and then crossed his arms. “I will speak to the Council at the next opportunity. If the Council can’t be persuaded to have someone look into it, then we’ll have to think of something else.” “Thank you, Master,” Anakin said. /Maybe you should give him more credit./ Zane suggested. /Maybe./ Anakin answered, wondering about the fact that Obi-Wan was willing to do something. ~~~ Xanatos slipped into the Temple from the very bottom, several layers down. This would be a good escape tunnel if the Jedi paid any attention to it. He stepped over broken pieces of the walls and attempted to avoid the wet mossy spots. You would think they would learn to have a back door, but oh no, they think that they are all powerful that they can defend the whole Temple from a possible attack. An hour later, Xanatos was in the healer’s ward. Having found a brown robe in one of the store rooms, he looked just like any other Jedi. He had the hood pulled up so no one could see his face and had made sure he hid any darkness that would alert the Jedi. He entered the room and locked the door behind him. Turning on the light, he then sat down on the chair next to Qui-Gon, who was fast asleep. Taking a quick look at the monitors, Xanatos saw that Qui-Gon’s vitals were way too low. “It seems I have come right on time.” He took the container that he had hidden under his cloak and opened it. Taking a pinch of the mélange, he opened Qui-Gon’s mouth and sprinkled a bit in. Qui-Gon swallowed it down, unaware of what he was being fed. Xanatos filled a cup with water from a small fresher adjacent to the room and dripped some into Qui-Gon’s mouth. After the first small pack of mélange was finished, Xanatos sat back in the chair and looked at Qui-Gon’s vitals again. The seconds slowly ticked by and Xanatos absently began tapping his fingers on the arm of the chair. He took out another package and began the process again several minutes later. ~~~ Zane drew himself out of his meditative state and found an intriguing conversation going on. Why was it, as much as his father and Anakin disliked politics, they managed to start arguing about politics and politicians? “…don’t forget that she’s a politician. They’re not to be trusted,” Obi-Wan cautioned. “She’s not like the others in the Senate, Master,” Anakin protested strongly. Obi-Wan eyed him carefully. “It’s been my experience that senators focus only on pleasing those who fund their campaigns, and they are more than willing to forget the niceties of democracy to get those funds.” “Not another lecture, Master,” Anakin said with a profound sigh. He had heard this particular diatribe repeatedly. “At least not on the economics of politics.” Obi-Wan was no fan of the politics of the Republic. He started speaking again, or tried to, but Anakin abruptly interrupted. “Please, Master,” Anakin said emphatically. “Besides, you’re generalizing. I know that Padme—” “Senator Amidala,” Obi-Wan sternly corrected. “—isn’t like that,” Anakin finished. “And the Chancellor doesn’t seem to be corrupt.” “Palpatine’s a politician. I’ve observed that he is very clever at following the passions and prejudices of the senators.” “I think he is a good man,” Anakin stated. “My instincts are very positive about…” He trailed off, his eyes widening, his expression becoming one of shock. “I sense it, too,” Obi-Wan said breathlessly, and the three Jedi exploded into motion. Zane was the last one to enter the room and saw Anakin slash two large centipede creatures in half. He heard Obi-Wan shout something about a droid and saw the older Jedi leap through the blinds, right through the window, shattering the glass. Zane blinked and watched as the droid, and Obi-Wan hanging from it, sped off. Zane barely registered Padme and Anakin speaking as he rushed from the room to go find a speeder. Of all the crazy… ~~~ Fifteen minutes after Xanatos had given Qui-Gon the second package of mélange, Qui-Gon slowly opened his eyes, his face still ash colored. “Xanatos.” he croaked out, his voice so low that Xanatos barely caught it. “You’re alive?” “You really did forget about my last visit, didn’t you?” Xanatos shook his head and then tugged off the hood. “Yes it’s me, alive and well.” Qui-Gon’s eyelids fluttered closed and then opened again. He could feel himself getting weaker and his eyes could barely register what was in front of him. The only thing he could rely on to tell him what he saw was the Force. Xanatos frowned and took another packaged piece of mélange from the container. He broke it in half and put it to Qui-Gon’s lips. “Chew this.” Expecting resistance, Xanatos was startled when Qui-Gon actually complied. Has he forgotten that I have threatened to kill him before? Is he so far gone that he doesn’t care anymore? Qui-Gon chewed and swallowed the stuff and his tangled thoughts loosened. “Never should have…left you…I failed you.” Xanatos shifted uncomfortably in his seat. This was not what he had planned on happening. He was not expecting a confession from Qui-Gon. “Enough! I am here to get revenge. This mélange I have been giving you will heal you, but it will also make you addicted to it. I am the only one who has a supply of it, and if you don’t take it once you’re addicted to it, then you will die. Since I know you would never think of suicide, you would become dependant on me and I will have my revenge.” Qui-Gon managed a weak chuckle as he stared at Xanatos with now sightless eyes. “Would that…make you happy?” Xanatos’ face grew red. His carefully made plans were quickly coming apart. “I’ll turn Anakin and Zane to the dark side, then! They trust me completely, it would be so easy.” “Would that…make…you happy?” Qui-Gon repeated, his breathing becoming more labored. Pale blue eyes flashed to the readouts. Xanatos shut off the monitors with the Force before looking back at Qui-Gon. “Why would you care?” Qui-Gon lifted his hand with all the strength he had left, his hand trembling from the effort as he touched Xanatos’ cheek. “Not pur…fect. All mmake…mus…takes….” The rest of what Qui-Gon said came out completely garbled and then his whole body seized up and his arm fell. The last remaining strand of the bond Xanatos had with Qui-Gon snapped and a strangled cry escaped his mouth. No, no, no, no, no! He can’t be gone, he can’t! Xanatos gently lifted Qui-Gon’s arm and placed it on the bed under the covers. He closed Qui-Gon’s eyelids with his hand and wiped away the sweat on his face. Standing up, Xanatos placed the container on the seat so that he could pull the covers up over Qui-Gon’s face. Hot tears escaped his eyes and dripped down his cheeks. He’s gone. Why do I feel so numb? -----signature----- If I review then PM me when you update. thanks so much. Send me your completed 'the saga' stories! Check out my new story Descent Into Darkness Don't quote me the odds. I shall do as I must. Do or do not, there is no try.
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Valairy_Scot Registered: Sep '05	Date Posted: 4/1 7:59am Subject: Descent Into Darkness AOTC AU A/P, Z/?, O/S, Xanatos. Sequel to Family Bonds. Updated 4/1
	Is this an April's Fool joke? Qui dying while Obi's hanging and Ani's drooling? “Thank you, Master,” Anakin said. /Maybe you should give him more credit./ Zane suggested. /Maybe./ Anakin answered, wondering about the fact that Obi-Wan was willing to do something. See, not is all as it seems, Anakin. -----signature----- http://boards.theforce.net/fan_fiction_resource/b10304/25405090/p3/?52 Prolific Author thread: list & links there. Muse fueled by coffee. Often AWOL despite frequent sipping. Writes on inspiration, not a schedule. 2007-2008 the quality years
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GeneralKenobi7 Registered: Jan '09	Date Posted: 4/1 8:23am Subject: Descent Into Darkness AOTC AU A/P, Z/?, O/S, Xanatos. Sequel to Family Bonds. Updated 4/1
	Qui-Gon is dead!?!?! On no! -----signature----- Ewan Mace:"Sometimes a Jedi's most important duty is to stand and wait. I presume you've mentioned that to Anakin on occasion?" Obi-Wan: "Not more than twice a day." Proud Padawan to EG Kenobi
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jacen200015 Registered: Jan '02	Date Posted: 4/3 12:02pm Subject: Descent Into Darkness AOTC AU A/P, Z/?, O/S, Xanatos. Sequel to Family Bonds. Updated 4/1
	Valairy_Scot: Is this an April's Fool joke? Qui dying while Obi's hanging and Ani's drooling? You wish. I'm not good with jokes and whenever i do have a good April Fools joke, it's usually a couple weeks after April Fools. Life continues even while someone is dying. “Thank you, Master,” Anakin said. /Maybe you should give him more credit./ Zane suggested. /Maybe./ Anakin answered, wondering about the fact that Obi-Wan was willing to do something. See, not is all as it seems, Anakin. So true. Obi-Wan may not be a Padawan anymore, but he is learning and he does have the right to change the way he goes about things. GeneralKenobi7: Qui-Gon is dead!?!?! On no! Yeah -----signature----- If I review then PM me when you update. thanks so much. Send me your completed 'the saga' stories! Check out my new story Descent Into Darkness Don't quote me the odds. I shall do as I must. Do or do not, there is no try.
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earlybird-obi-wan Registered: Aug '06	Date Posted: 4/4 12:01pm Subject: Descent Into Darkness AOTC AU A/P, Z/?, O/S, Xanatos. Sequel to Family Bonds. Updated 4/1
	Hey, just found your story and it's real great seeing the events of AOTC developping with Anakin and Zane. Zane is a nice character. -----signature----- writer and Star Wars fan FANART [link=http://boards.theforce.net/fan_art/b10020/25793899]fanart[/link] stories in my bio
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jacen200015 Registered: Jan '02	Date Posted: 4/7 3:02pm Subject: Descent Into Darkness AOTC AU A/P, Z/?, O/S, Xanatos. Sequel to Family Bonds. Updated 4/1
	earlybird-obi-wan: Hey, just found your story and it's real great seeing the events of AOTC developping with Anakin and Zane. Thanks i'm glad that you're enjoying it. Zane is a nice character. Thanks -----signature----- If I review then PM me when you update. thanks so much. Send me your completed 'the saga' stories! Check out my new story Descent Into Darkness Don't quote me the odds. I shall do as I must. Do or do not, there is no try.
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jacen200015 Registered: Jan '02	Date Posted: 4/12 1:53pm Subject: Descent Into Darkness AOTC AU A/P, Z/?, O/S, Xanatos. Sequel to Family Bonds. Updated 4/1
	A/N: My beta reader still hasn't gotten back to me about the latest chapters I've written. So, are you guys fine with waiting a few more days or would you rather me post a new chapter now? -----signature----- If I review then PM me when you update. thanks so much. Send me your completed 'the saga' stories! Check out my new story Descent Into Darkness Don't quote me the odds. I shall do as I must. Do or do not, there is no try.
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AZURASKYE Registered: Jun '07	Date Posted: 4/12 6:57pm Subject: Descent Into Darkness AOTC AU A/P, Z/?, O/S, Xanatos. Sequel to Family Bonds.Updated 4/1 Author Note
	Great story Post as soon as you can
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jacen200015 Registered: Jan '02	Date Posted: 4/23 10:56am Subject: Descent Into Darkness AOTC AU A/P, Z/?, O/S, Xanatos. Sequel to Family Bonds.Updated 4/1 Author Note
	AZURASKYE: Great story Post as soon as you can Thank you A/N: Okay, i sent the revised chapter back to my beta and three additional chapters for her to beta, meaning that once she gets back to me I will be 6 chapters ahead and you guys will get an update -----signature----- If I review then PM me when you update. thanks so much. Send me your completed 'the saga' stories! Check out my new story Descent Into Darkness Don't quote me the odds. I shall do as I must. Do or do not, there is no try.
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AZURASKYE Registered: Jun '07	Date Posted: 5/3 7:40pm Subject: Descent Into Darkness AOTC AU A/P, Z/?, O/S, Xanatos. Sequel to Family Bonds.Updated 4/1 Author Note
	Think we might get a post this week?
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jacen200015 Registered: Jan '02	Date Posted: 5/3 10:03pm Subject: Descent Into Darkness AOTC AU A/P, Z/?, O/S, Xanatos. Sequel to Family Bonds.Updated 4/1 Author Note - Date Edited: 5/3 10:04pm (1 edits total) Edited By: jacen200015
	AZURASKYE: Think we might get a post this week? I tell you what. If i don't hear from my beta by noon on Monday the 4rth then i will go ahead and post the next chapter. -----signature----- If I review then PM me when you update. thanks so much. Send me your completed 'the saga' stories! Check out my new story Descent Into Darkness Don't quote me the odds. I shall do as I must. Do or do not, there is no try.
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jacen200015 Registered: Jan '02	Date Posted: 5/4 8:18am Subject: RE: Descent Into Darkness AOTC AU A/P, Z/?, O/S, Xanatos. Sequel to Family Bonds. Updated 5/4
	Okay, i can always edit this chapter later if i need to. Enjoy. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Chapter 4 “Not that one, this one!” Anakin snapped at Zane as he jumped into a yellow speeder with an open cockpit. Zane ran back to the speeder he had passed and jumped into the passenger seat next to Anakin just as the speeder roared to life and began moving. Anakin narrowed his eyes as he flew the speeder off of the platform and into the busy Coruscant traffic. He pressed his foot harder against the gas pedal as he calculated where Obi-Wan could be. Searching within the Force as he flew, Anakin pinpointed where Obi-Wan was and turned right and up a lane. A few minutes later they spotted Obi-Wan hanging onto the sides of the droid, but they only managed to get a few feet closer before the droid blew apart and Obi-Wan fell. Zane gripped the seat as Anakin sent the speeder downward, the wind stealing his breath away. Anakin angled the speeder underneath Obi-Wan, still going down so that Obi-Wan could land without breaking anything. His eyes narrowed and his grip on the steering controls tightened even more. Soon a reassuring thump sounded on the back as Obi-Wan landed, and then they were zooming off after the assassin. “Hitchhikers usually stand on the platforms,” Anakin informed Obi-Wan. “A novel approach, though. Gets the attention of passing traffic.” Zane looked behind him as Obi-Wan slipped into the back seat. “We almost lost you there,” he said. “No kidding. What took you guys so long?” Obi-Wan asked. “Oh, you know, Master,” Anakin said flippantly, hoping it would settle Obi-Wan down. “I couldn’t find a speeder I really liked. One with an open cockpit, of course, and with the right speed capabilities to catch your droid scooter. And then you know, I had to hold out for the right color—” “There!” Obi-Wan shouted, pointing up to a closed in speeder that the assassin had been near. Anakin swerved to head for the indicated speeder and narrowly avoided several shots the assassin made with his blaster pistol. “If you’d spend as much time working on your lightsaber skills as you do your wit, young padawan, you would rival Master Yoda!” Obi-Wan said, and he ducked, getting jostled about as Anakin cut a series of evasive turns. “I thought I already did.” “Only in your mind, my very young padawan,” Obi-Wan retorted. He gave a little cry and ducked reflexively as Anakin dived in and out of traffic, narrowly missing several vehicles. “Careful! Hey, easy! You know I don’t like it when you do that!” “Sorry, I forgot you don’t like flying, Master!” Anakin said, his voice rising at the end as he took the speeder down suddenly to avoid another blasterbolt from the stubborn bounty hunter. “I don’t mind flying,” Obi-Wan insisted. “But what you’re doing is suicide!” His words nearly caught in his throat, along with his stomach, as Anakin cut hard to the right, then dropped suddenly, punched the throttle, pulled back to the left, and lifted the nose, zipping the speeder up through the traffic lane and back in sight of the bounty hunter—only to see another line of blasterbolts coming at them. “Whoa! Good move,” Zane told Anakin, a grin on his face. He looked over his shoulder at Obi-Wan. “Relax, Anakin has it all under control.” At that point the bounty hunter dived to the side suddenly, and the eyes of all three Jedi widened and their mouths opened in screams that were drowned out by a commuter train crossing right in front of them. Obi-Wan tasted bile again, but somehow, Anakin managed to avoid the train, coming out the other side. Obi-Wan looked over to his padawan, to see him assuming a casual, in-control posture. “Master, you know I’ve been flying since before I could walk,” Anakin said with a sly grin. “I’m very good at this.” “Just slow down,” Obi-Wan instructed, in a voice that suggested that the dignified Jedi Knight was about to throw up. Anakin ignored him, taking the speeder in fast pursuit of the assassin, right into a line of giant vehicles. Around and around they went, cutting fast corners through the traffic, over the traffic, under the traffic, and around the buildings, always keeping the assassin’s speeder in sight. Anakin took his craft up on edge, skimming the side of one building. “Would you rather I drive, Obi-Wan,” Zane suggested. Obi-Wan shook his head, “You’re just as bad as he is.” “Yeah, well I’m not the one who jumped out a window to catch a droid,” Zane pointed out. “The assassin is getting desperate,” Anakin stated, his face now a serious mask. “Great,” Obi-Wan answered dryly. “Oh wait,” Obi-Wan added when the speeder in front dived into a tram tunnel. “Don’t go in there!” “Too late,” Zane said as Anakin sent the speeder zooming in and then right back out, a huge rushing train chasing them. Obi-Wan screamed about as loudly as the train was blowing its horn. “You know I don’t like it when you do that!” “Sorry, Master,” Anakin answered unconvincingly. “Don’t worry. This guy’s gonna kill himself any minute now.” “Well let him do that alone!” Obi-Wan insisted. “We want to catch him, not win a podrace!” Zane shouted above the noise. They watched as the assassin zoomed right into traffic, soaring the wrong way down a congested lane. Anakin went right behind. Both speeders zigged and zagged widely, frantically, the occasional blasterbolt shooting back from the lead one. And then the assassin cut fast, straight up, a tight loop that brought the assassin behind the three Jedi. “Great move,” Anakin congratulated. “I got one, too.” He slammed on his brakes, reversing trust, and the assassin’s speeder flashed up right beside them. And there was the assassin, firing point blank at Obi-Wan. “What are you doing?” Obi-Wan demanded. “He’s going to blast me!” “Right,” Anakin agreed, working frantically to maneuver away. “This isn’t working.” “Nice of you to notice.” Obi-Wan dodged, then lurched as the speeder dropped suddenly, Anakin taking it right under the assassin’s. “He can’t shoot us down here,” Anakin congratulated himself, but his smile lasted only the split second it took for their opponent’s new tactic to register. The assassin swerved out of the traffic lane and shot straight for a building, coming in at an angle to just skim the rooftop. Obi-Wan started to shout out Anakin’s name, but the word came out as, “Anananananana.” Anakin was in control, though, and he slowed and lifted his speeder’s nose just up over the edge of the rooftop. Zane’s eyes widened as he saw another obstacle that showed itself almost immediately, a large craft coming in low and slow. “Take the corner!” “It’s landing!” Obi-Wan shouted, and when Anakin didn’t immediately respond, he added desperately, “On us!” It came out, “On uuuuuuuuuuuuuus!” as Anakin brought the speeder up on the edge and zipped around a corner, clipping a flagpole and freeing its cloth contents. “Clear that Zane,” the seemingly unshakable padawan said, nodding down to the torn flag, which had caught itself on one of the speeder’s front air scoops. Immediately Zane crawled out of the cockpit and laid gingerly on the front engine, he bent to the side, down low and tugged the flag free, and the speeder lurched forward, nearly dislodging him. “Yikes!” Zane yelped and backed himself back into the cockpit. “Careful.” “Sorry, Zane.” “He’s heading for the power refinery,” Obi-Wan said. “But take it easy. It’s dangerous near those power couplings.” Anakin zoomed right past one of the couplings, and a huge electrical bolt had the air crackling all about them. “Slow down!” Obi-Wan ordered, “Slow down! Don’t go through there!” But Anakin did just that, banking left, right, left. “What are you doing?” “Sorry, Master!” “Uh, Anakin,” Zane said, his eyes wide. More bolts crackled all about them. Right, left, right again, up and over, down and around, and somehow, incredibly, out the other side. “Oh, that was good,” Obi-Wan admitted. “That was crazy,” the rattled Anakin corrected. The older Jedi glared at him, caught a glimpse of the greenish color that had suddenly come to his padawan’s face, and then just put his head in his hands and groaned. “Okay, we can all agree that that was downright insane,” Zane commented. “It’s a good thing we didn’t have supper.” “Got him now!” Anakin announced. The assassin was sliding his speeder sidelong around a corner between two buildings up ahead. And Anakin went right around behind, only to find the lead speeder stopped and blocking the alleyway, the assassin leaning out the door, blaster pistol leveled. “Ah, blast,” Anakin remarked. “Stop!” Obi-Wan told him, and both ducked as a line of bolts came at them. “No, we can make it!” Anakin insisted, punching the throttle. Zane felt bile rise in his throat and swallowed hard. “Yeah,” he croaked out, agreeing with Anakin even while his stomach did not. Anakin dived his speeder under the assassin’s, barely missing it, then went up on edge, slipping through a small gap in the building. But there were pipes there, and no level of flying could put the speeder safely through them. They bounced sidelong, then flipped end over end, narrowly missing a giant crane and clipping some struts. The damage brought forth a giant fiery gas ball, nearly immolating them, and in the uncontrolled spin that followed, they bounced off yet another building and the speeder stalled out. Anakin winced, expecting a line of curses to come at him, but when he finally glanced over his shoulder at Obi-Wan, he saw the Jedi staring straight ahead, eyes wide and unblinking, and saying, “I’m crazy, I’m crazy, I’m crazy…” over and over again. “But it worked,” Zane responded with a grin. He looked over at Obi-Wan, “We made it.” “It didn’t work!” Obi-Wan yelled at both of them. “We’ve stalled! And you almost got us killed!” Anakin looked down at his hands and body, and waggled his fingers. “I think we’re still alive!” He grinned, trying to disarm his fuming master, but Obi-Wan seemed as if he was about to explode. “It was stupid!” Obi-Wan roared. Zane looked at Anakin. “I think we better find a quicker way to get this assassin,” he calmly said, his face relaxed but a bit green. Anakin worked wildly, trying to restart the speeder. “I could have made it,” he protested sheepishly. His confident expression strengthened as the speeder roared back to life. “But you didn’t! And now we’ve lost him!” Even as Obi-Wan finished, a barrage of laser bolts rained down around them, setting off explosions that rocked them back and forth. The three Jedi looked up to see the assassin zooming away. “No, we didn’t,” a smiling Anakin said. He took the speeder up, the sudden thrust violently throwing them all back in their seats. They came through the area of smoke and carnage with several small fires burning on their speeder. Zane slapped at the flames on the control panel. Again they chased the assassin on the main travel lanes, dodging and turning fast about incoming traffic. Up ahead, the assassin cut fast to the left, between two buildings, and Anakin responded, going right and up. “Where are you going?” a perplexed Obi-Wan asked. “He went down there, the other way. “This is a shortcut. I think.” “What do you mean, you think? What kind of shortcut? He went completely the other way! You’ve lost him!” “Master, if we keep this chase going, that creep’s gonna end up deep-fried,” Anakin tried to explain. “It would greatly help Senator Amidala if we can find out who he is, and who he’s working for.” “Oh,” Obi-Wan replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “So that’s why we’re going in the wrong direction.” Zane grinned, having already figured out Anakin’s plan. Anakin took them up and around, finally settling into a hover some fifty stories up from the street. “Well, you lost him,” Obi-Wan said. “I’m deeply sorry, Master,” Anakin replied. Again, he seemed hardly convincing, as if he was saying just what he had to say to keep Obi-Wan from scolding him further. The Jedi Knight looked at him hard, ready to call him on it, when he noticed that Anakin, seemingly deep in concentration, was counting softly. “Excuse me for a moment,” Anakin said. He stood up and, to Obi-Wan’s complete shock, jumped out of the speeder. Obi-Wan lurched over to the edge and stared down, watching Anakin drop – about five stories – before landing atop the roof of a familiar speeder that was zooming beneath them. “I hate it when he does that,” Obi-Wan muttered incredulously, shaking his head. Zane scooted over into the pilot’s seat, not at all fazed at Anakin’s stunt. “Do you want to sit in the front?” Obi-Wan slipped into the seat Zane had vacated as Zane chased after the assassin that was now trying to shake Anakin off of the speeder. “Cool idea, don’t you think?” Obi-Wan glared at Zane. “It could have been done sooner.” Zane shrugged as he moved the speeder down to the correct level behind the assassin. He saw Anakin’s lightsaber fly through the air and caught it. “Here, hopefully he won’t need it too quickly.” Obi-Wan took his padawan’s lightsaber and shook his head. “You and Anakin are too reckless sometimes.” Zane angled the speeder down to the street where the other speeder was plummeting. “And you jumping out of the window to catch that droid wasn’t?” “Okay, so maybe that was a little reckless,” Obi-Wan admitted as they landed on the street. He caught sight of Anakin on the street and called out to him. Zane and Obi-Wan hopped out of the speeder and walked over to Anakin. “Anakin!” Obi-Wan said, pointedly holding Anakin’s dropped lightsaber in his hand. “She went into the club, Master!” Obi-Wan patted his hand in the air to calm Anakin, not even registering Anakin’s surprising use of the feminine pronoun. “Patience,” he said. “Use the Force, Anakin. Think.” “Sorry, Master.” “He went in there to hide, not run,” Obi-Wan reasoned. “Yes, Master.” Obi-Wan held the lightsaber out toward his student. “Next time try not to lose it.” “Sorry, Master.” Obi-Wan pulled the precious weapon back as Anakin reached for it, and held the young padawan’s gaze with his own stern look. “A Jedi’s lightsaber is his most precious possession.” “Yes, Master.” Again, Anakin reached for the lightsaber, and again Obi-Wan pulled it back, never letting Anakin go from his scrutinizing stare. “He must keep it with him at all times.” I know, Master,” Anakin replied, a bit of exasperation creeping into his tone. “This weapon is your life.” “I’ve heard this lesson before.” Obi-Wan held it out again, finally relinquishing that awful stare, and Anakin took the weapon and replaced it on his belt. Zane rolled his eyes, careful to only let Anakin see it. “Come on, let’s just go get this guy. We’re all feeling an adrenaline rush right now.” Obi-Wan led the way into the gambling club and Zane walked with Anakin. “I think he finds the lectures relaxing,” Zane commented. Anakin nodded. “He does seem to have calmed down. I guess I overdid it this time.” Zane grinned. “But it was fun.” Anakin playfully swatted at his head and Zane ducked. “Only because I was the one he was shouting at the most this time.” “Do you see him?” Obi-Wan asked as they entered the loud, bustling club. “I think he’s a she,” Anakin said. “Then be extra careful,” Obi-Wan said. “And I think she’s a changeling,” Anakin added. Obi-Wan nodded to the crowd ahead of them. “Go and find her.” He started the opposite way. “Where are you going, Master?” “To get a drink,” came the short response. Anakin and Zane blinked in surprise and looked at each other. “You did overdo it,” Zane said, shaking his head as Obi-Wan went to the bar. “Let’s go find that assassin before he gets too many drinks,” Anakin suggested before they separated and began milling through the crowd. Obi-Wan watched them for a bit from his seat at the bar out of the corner of his eyes. He signalled to the bartender, then watched as a glass was placed in front of him and amber liquid poured in. “Wanna buy some death sticks?” came a guttural voice from the side. Obi-Wan didn’t even turn to fully regard the speaker, who wore a wild mane of dark hair with two antennae twirled up from his hair like curly horns. “Nobody’s got better death sticks than Elan Sleazebaggano,” the ruffian added with a perfectly evil smile. “You don’t want to sell me death sticks,” the Jedi coolly said, waggling his fingers slightly, bringing the weight of the Force into his voice. “I don’t want to sell you death sticks,” Elan Sleazebaggano obediently repeated. Again the Jedi waggled his fingers. “You want to go home and rethink your life.” “I want to go home and rethink my life,” Elan readily agreed, and he turned and walked away. Obi-Wan tossed back his drink and motioned for the bartender to fill it up. Zane caught Obi-Wan starting on his second drink and then continued to move through the crowded room. He stopped walking when he heard an odd rush through his ears. The people, the noise, the club, everything faded, to be replaced by an endless desert of rolling dunes. The air tasted dry, but had a spicy smell to it. He heard a sound of water dripping but he saw no sign of any water as he turned around trying to find the source. It was a startled shock when he came out of the vision to the intense noise, crowd, and smells in the club. He blinked, trying to reorientate himself and then after a second or two realized he must have missed something when he saw Anakin and Obi-Wan leaving the club. He hurried to catch up to them and saw that they had captured the assassin. He reached them just as Obi-Wan began to attend to the assassin’s arm. The assassin awoke and growled ferally, wincing in agony, all the while staring hatefully at the three Jedi. “Do you know who it was you were trying to kill?” Obi-Wan asked her. “The senator from Naboo,” the assassin said matter-of-factly, as if it hardly mattered. “Who hired you?” Zane asked. Her answer was a glare. “It was just a job.” “You will tell us,” Anakin responded, his voice hard. The bounty hunter snorted. “The senator’s going to die soon anyway,” she said. “It won’t end with me. For the price they’re offering, there’ll be bounty hunters lining up to take the hit. And the next one won’t make the same mistake I did.” Tough as she was, she ended with a grunt and a groan. “This wound’s going to need more treatment than I can give it here,” an obviously concerned Obi-Wan explained to the two padawans. “Who hired you?” Zane asked the bounty hunter, throwing the full weight of the Force into his question. The strength of it surprised Obi-Wan, even Anakin. “You will tell us…Now!” The bounty hunter glared at Zane, but lips twitching, she started to answer. “It was a bounty hunter called—” They heard a puff from above and the bounty hunter twitched and gasped, and simply expired, her human female features twisting grotesquely back into the lumpy form of her true Clawdite nature. The three Jedi tore their eyes away from the spectacle to look up, and heard the roar as they watched an armored rocket-man lift away into the Coruscant night, disappearing into the sky. Obi-Wan looked back to the dead creature and pulled a small item from her neck, holding it up for Anakin and Zane to see. “Toxic dart.” Anakin sighed and looked away. So they had foiled this attempt and killed one assassin. But it was clear to him that Senator Amidala—Padme—remained in grave danger. Zane straightened and looked away toward the direction of the Temple. The adrenaline rush from the chase was dropping and Force sense relaxed to its regular state. He used the Force to further relax himself, to clear his mind, and then stiffened when he felt an absence, a discoloring of the Force indicating that a Force user had recently passed into the Force. A knot settled in the pit of his stomach and his mind went numb as he detected the absence of his bond with his Master and the absence of his presence in the Force. Anakin followed Zane’s gaze to the Temple, his eyes becoming wet as he too sensed that Qui-Gon was gone. -----signature----- If I review then PM me when you update. thanks so much. Send me your completed 'the saga' stories! Check out my new story Descent Into Darkness Don't quote me the odds. I shall do as I must. Do or do not, there is no try.
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GeneralKenobi7 Registered: Jan '09	Date Posted: 5/4 9:49am Subject: Descent Into Darkness AOTC AU A/P, Z/?, O/S, Xanatos. Sequel to Family Bonds. Updated 5/4
	“Just slow down,” Obi-Wan instructed, in a voice that suggested that the dignified Jedi Knight was about to throw up. Poor Obi-Wan... Good chapter, you managed the addition of Zane well. -----signature----- Ewan Mace:"Sometimes a Jedi's most important duty is to stand and wait. I presume you've mentioned that to Anakin on occasion?" Obi-Wan: "Not more than twice a day." Proud Padawan to EG Kenobi
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