Before - Legends Where Dark Things Walk (Xan, Qui-Gon, OC fic) Updated 10/27/05 New Post

Hello I'm Darth_Pixel and I'll be your writer for this evening...

Seriously though this is a story I've had in my head for a while that refuses to sit down and shut up or at least take a number, so here I am.

I will try to update every few weeks, but I expect to get very busy very soon, so if there are lapses between posts from time to time I apoligize in advance.

A big thankies goes out to Neon Star for holding a blaster to my head and making me post this.

Disclaimer: All praise and thanks go to the Almighty Flanneled One. Xan's not mine and I'm sure if I tried to claim him as such, some of the ladies round these parts would get to me long before Lucas had the chance. The OC's are mine and if you feel the urge to use them, please ask first.

Now that the legal stuff is out of the way, on to the story!

......................

Xanatos DeCiron stood over the fallen body of his father, eyeing the big man who stood irresolutely before him with deep hatred.

?I?ll never forgive you for this Qui-Gon?, he whispered, the fury in his voice through the deceptively soft tone. ?Someday, I will make you pay. I?ll never forget what you stole from me!? He was screaming now, his voice rising with each syllable he uttered to a deafening crescendo that echoed loudly off the vaulted walls. He picked up his father?s ring from the place it had fallen in the fire.

?And this is how I?ll always remember the debt you owe me, which can only be repaid in blood?, he said, his voice soft once more. Without warning he pressed the hot metal of the ring to his cheek.

The sizzling sound was audible, and the smell of burnt flesh filled the air. ?No Xanatos!?, cried Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn in despair, ?It doesn?t have to be this way!? The midnight blue eyes fixed on their adversary, glinting dangerously.

?No it didn?t?, he said quietly, ?But you made it this way Qui-Gon, and now you must suffer the consequences!? He drew his blade and faced his enemy. ?And now, my old Master, we shall see how proficient a teacher you truly are!?

He leaped so quickly that Qui-Gon barely had the time to activate his own green blade before Xanatos? azure one was upon it. The fallen apprentice circled his former mentor, like an animal searching for a weakness in its prey?s defenses.

He charged again, this time fainting to the left before whirling right with a high jab slanted upwards toward the chest area. The move was designed to be a killing blow Qui-Gon realized in a moment of clarity. His apprentice had fallen and truly meant to end his life.

In his rage, Xanatos had over-extended the reach of his blade, leaving himself exposed. With one deft movement, the Jedi Master disarmed the enraged younger man, and put his blade to his throat, the conflict in his eyes evident.

In the space of a moment, his resolve wavered, and the fallen Jedi saw his chance. Using his elbow, he threw a downward blow, meant to dislocate Jinn?s shoulder. The Master realized his pupil?s intentions however, and was already twisting away from it, but he was too slow.

The jab hit its mark slightly off-center, and while not causing the damage it was meant to, effectively disabled its opponent. Xanatos wasted little time. He opened the window and turned to his former master, his eyes burning with a fire that threatened to consume him. Over the din of the raging storm, Xanatos locked eyes with his opponent.

?We came to this planet as friends Qui-Gon Jinn and shall leave it as enemies, but I promise you this, on the blood of my father: the next time we meet, you will be made to suffer the way I have suffered, and then you will die.

Without a backward glance, he grabbed his saber and leaped out the window into the night

...

Xanatos rose from his meditation wordlessly, his mind on the memory of his ?betrayal? of his old master. He often used it to remind himself of his purpose, and to reaffirm his resolve to exact revenge upon Qui-Gon Jinn.

It had been five months since his rebellion and he was still unsure as how to proceed. He?d stolen

 

Very nice set-up. You did a good job with explaining the whole Xan/Qui-Gon thing on Telos and I liked how you thought about what he would be doing after escaping from the Jedi.

Keep going. It's very intriguing....

 

Oooooh very intriguing beginning .... I love just about anything with Xanatos and Qui-Gon and I look forward to seeing how you develop him further Very good start so far!

Edit -- If you would send me a link along with the Title,Author, Summary, Disclaimer, Keywords etc etc so I can update the new stories index ...

 

The jab hit its mark slightly off-center, and while not causing the damage it was meant to, effectively disabled its opponent. Xanatos wasted little time. He opened the window and turned to his former master, his eyes burning with a fire that threatened to consume him. Over the din of the raging storm, Xanatos locked eyes with his opponent.

?We came to this planet as friends Qui-Gon Jinn and shall leave it as enemies, but I promise you this, on the blood of my father: the next time we meet, you will be made to suffer the way I have suffered, and then you will die.

Without a backward glance, he grabbed his saber and leaped out the window into the night.

An amazing start! This story will obviously be a good one. Hope you post more soon.

 

This story promises to be a great one. Can't wait for you to add more to this.

 

A big thanks to everyone who's taken an intrest in this little fic.

Now for the replies...

Diane Thanks. I'll do my best.

Layren I think you'll find what I am doing with Qui-Gon interesting.

Healer_Leona I'll post as often as I am able.

AnakinsHeir Thanks very much! I hope you'll like what's coming.

MY-T-Chewbacca Ask and you shall recieve...

Sorry for this being a bit short.

...

Xanatos scanned the streets with a practiced ease, all the while appearing to keep his eyes upon his unlikely contact. He?d detected no duplicity or deception from her than was normal for someone in a crime syndicate. Focusing in, he brought his attention back to Eravasi, who was briefing him on what would happen next. ?I am not just your contact Mr. Zedrin. I am also an Overseer.?

Xanatos stiffened at that news. He knew that she had appeared to be more than a simple contact, but he?d had no idea that she was that high up in the organization.

?There are only twelve overseers in the whole of the Web?, she continued. ?I am a Recruiting Overseer. I will be judging whether you are worthy to join us or not.? Xanatos looked at her with dismay.

?I thought I was already in?, he said, It appeared that this was going to be harder than he had initially thought. She laughed softly.

?No, no Mr. Zedrin. Reputation alone is not enough to earn one?s place in such an extensive operation. I need to see you in action for myself.?

?As you wish?, he purred. ?And call me Te?gazi. I insist.? It was better for her to think he was trusting. If she underestimated him slightly, it would work to his advantage if something went awry.

?It is far too early, I think for that?, she replied.

?Where are you taking me??, he asked. The dilapidated, seedy looking buildings that had dominated the landscape had gradually given way to nicer surroundings. They now seemed to be in an upscale part of town.

?To our hanger, it?s where we keep many of our ships. Sluis Van is an excellent place to hide things one doesn?t want to be found. Besides, it boasts one of the best shipyards in the galaxy. We?ll be taking one of our best ships, the Iegan Angel. Once we?re there, I?ll tell you what you need to do.?

Xanatos nodded, taking the time to note exactly where they were going. The hanger complex's outer perimeter looked like any other privately owned one would except for the fact that he could spot twelve guards around it, and he was certain that there were at least a few concealed ones lurking about. Two stepped forward and one of them asked him politely but firmly for his weapons.

?You seem to keep things very secure?, he said while handing over all but his concealed lightsaber. Eravasi caught the sour note in his voice and shot him an amused look.

?One can never be too careful. It is not a question of your motives Mr. Zedrin. We simply must be prepared for anything. People have been foolish enough to try to steal some of our vessels.?

?Sluis Van?s ship security systems are some of the best in the galaxy. If someone had even attempted to steal one, it?d make headline news.?

The Overseer gave a cold smile. "That is only if it is ever reported to the authortites. We prefer more personal methods of dealing with theft.?

?Ah, I see?, said Xanatos, getting the warning completely. Presently they entered a large domed complex and made their way through the main hall until they reached a locked door. Eravasi punched in a security code and placed her palm on the scanner. The computer gave a small affirmative beep and then the door opened with a soft hiss.

Xanatos? eyebrows shot up in surprise as he took in his surroundings. The hanger was large enough to house a small fleet. Pilots and curriers hurried about, making checks on various ships and their systems. Eravasi noticed his surprise.

?You are impressed I see. We have bases like this one all over the galaxy, though this is one of the largest and most important. Only the best get stationed here.?

?You have quite an oper

 

This is an interesting story. I had never thought about what Xanatos would do.

Thank you for posting this story! I will continue to read it!

 

I'll admit it: my conscience has gotten the better of me. Starting next week, I'm going to be very busy, so I'm trying to make up for it now with frequent posts. Oh well. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth eh?

TraxxasJedi It's not something that's been explored really. It's a very interesting idea to me as well, and I was a little surprised to discover no one's really looked into it (or at least written about it). Glad I got your attention, I'll do my best to keep it.

Healer_Leona Poor Xan! He never seems to catch a break does he? I'm glad you liked the post.

Here's a little Qui-Gon. Poor man...

...


The room was dark and cluttered. Clothes were strewn haphazardly about and it looked as if the small, two-person apartment hadn?t been cleaned in ages.

In the center of the room propped wearily into a sitting position in a large chair sat Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn. He had dark circles under his eyes from lack of sleep and looked disheveled, as if he had not changed his clothes in many days. In the opposite chair, a worried Mace Windu sat, eyeing his friend carefully.

?He made his choice Qui-Gon. No one could have made it for him. Yoda said he would have to make one final one?, he said in a soft, sad voice. ?Let him go. There?s nothing you, or anyone could have done.? Qui-Gon looked at him blearily.

?No there was nothing that could have been done at that point: it was far too late, but Mace, I should have seen it coming! Why couldn?t I sense the darkness within him that must have surely been there? If I had, maybe I could have helped him somehow.?

?There was nothing you could have done Qui-Gon?, repeated the dark-skinned Master a bit more firmly. ?He made his choice?, he said again, ?Now we shall see if he can live with it.?


Xanatos awoke with a start, blinking confusedly. After he?d plotted the jump coordinates, he?d gone to his quarters when he realized that their mystery destination was a few hours away. He hadn?t meant to fall asleep. He was more tired than he?d realized.

A soft chime sounded, interrupting the brief moment of quiet. The ship had exited hyper space and had arrived at its destination. He rose and made his way to the cockpit.

Inside he found Eravasi waiting for him. ?Good you?re awake. It?s about time I told you what your first task will be. We are currently above the infamous Republic Spice Depository that orbits Kessel.

It is here that the Republic stores all the illegal spice it recovers during raids. It is sent little by little back down to the planet to be reprocessed and sold normally. One of those small shipments alone is worth more than this ship.

The entire load itself is invaluable, but there is no way we could pull of that kind of job. Even if we could there would be no way to sell it. That much spice appearing on the market at one time would be more than enough to tip the republic off. What we?re after is a much smaller, practical target.

One of our more careless pilots managed to get caught in a Republic blockade. He had to dump his cargo to escape.? Xanatos raised an eyebrow.

?I bet your people weren?t too pleased with that.?

?No, to say the very least. Suffice it to say that Yeldrick Solo will not be making that mistake again.?, she said. Again Xanatos caught the warning. The price of incompetence and failure with in the Web obviously brought death more times than not. He seriously doubted they knew the meaning of light punishments.

Against his will he was reminded of gentle reprimands from his old Master. That chapter of my life is over with he told himself sternly. There is no point in dwelling on an obsolete and irretrievable past. Qui-Gon gave up the right to be in my life, the moment he raised his blade against my father .

Turning his mind back to the task at hand he was now all business. ?I suppose we will be retrieving that spice??

Eravasi nodded approvingly. ?Good. You catch on quickly. Yes, that is your first task: Infiltrate and retrieve the spice using whatever means neces

 

Oh yay! Updates! Very good portrayal of Xanatos here. I especially liked his trying to find a better way than killing all those innocent guards. Very very good. he did have some of his Jedi training retained after all -- poor Qui too I could feel for the man .. he needs a hug. .

 

YAY NEW POST! I believe at this rate you will continue to keep my attention lol. Hop for the next one soon and pray tat on the future you mentioned you'll still find time to write!

 

Oh good, Updates. I've been trying to play catch-up in my reading.

So Xan has gone off and aligned himself with a criminal organization. That makes a lot of sense since later we see him heading Offworld. I like your OC. She seems quite.... efficient, ruthless, demanding. I like the way you've fleshed her out.

And then poor Xan, having his Jedi training get in the way at the more inopportune times... and then have to explain his way out. LOL

Great job. Keep going.

 

Before I get to the replies this evening, I feel the need to explain a few things that have passed and are coming.

The first of which is something I'll give you a little hint on because it's not really fair to drop a hint that know one here (on the JC) has any possible way of knowing.

The color silver always has special meaning in whatever I write. It's a tip off, whether the color is applied to a character, or a special object. That's all I have say there I think.

The second thing is an apology and an explanation for what's coming. This post may sound a tiny bit strange. There's a reason for it. You see, it's an echo of something that happened to me, and I think Xanatos would have reacted the same way.

I was in the 7th grade taking a science exam. The sky was pretty and blue outside, and everything seemed pretty normal. 5 minutes later I happen to look to the window casually. The sky is pitch black and the trees are blowing!

At this point, I'm worried, so I put down my pencil and go ask my teacher what's going on. No sooner had I done so then a student bursts in and tells us that there's a tornado heading straigh for the school, and we're to go to our designated spots immediately.

There's nothing like being told that you are going to die. Everything appears in startling clarity. Some of the kids start crying and screaming, others go into that detached denile, but not me.

See, to me going out with dignity was preferable to cowering like a frightened child. We get up and go to where we're supposed to. Let me tell you, there was pandamonium in the halls that would have done my heart proud on normal occasions. Little children running everywhere, crying and the like (it was a k-12th school).

We sit down (I noticed amusedly that they had us infront of a row of lockers. If the tornado came through it would throw them on top of us) and my best friend was shooting me sort of cencerned looks the whole time. Finally he say, "Are you going to be okay?"

I respond, "Yeah, you just wouldn't expect it to end like this would you? And all I can say is the last thing I ever got to do is take a stupid exam." He laughs then gets serious and says, "Just in case we don't make it, it's been an honor to be your friend." I grin and say, "It has been fun has it not? Well we'll go out the same way we came in shall we?" He nodded and said, "I think it's only fitting."

What did we do you ask?

We proceeded to insult every single man, woman and child that walked through our portion of the hall. We made fun of the popular kids, who we'd never been able to touch before. We even started making fun of each other, when we ran out of people to insult. The point of the story is this: that seems like something Xan would do to me, and people do do it. I know, I'm one of the ones crazy enough to do it.

So if you think this next bit's wierd, blame my life expiriences for it, lol.

Now that that's out of the way, on with the replies!

Layren : Thank you so much! You know, this is my first time writing Xan, so I'm happy to hear I have him right.

TraxxasJedi : I did find the time to do it, yay for me! I'll probably be posting once each week on the weekend.

dianethx : *gasps and then falls over* I don't believe it! Diane reviewed my post which had Qui-Gon in it and didn't mention him at all! Someone check her pulse! She must be sick! Heh. Seriously though, I'm glad you caught my hint. I like Eravasi too, you'll see a bit there's more to her than ruthlessness as time goes on though... *clams up*

Healer_Leona : He is crazy, but that's what makes him fun. *snatches Qui away from adoring women* No hugging the distraught Jedi Master! He's supposed to be tortured, at least for now...

Now on to the next chapter. It's short...


Xanatos carefully maneuvered the Angel into a flight path that would place the ship in the hanger bay. He glanced sideways at the Overseer. She nodded. ?I?m bypassing the security locks now. If this doesn?t work we won?t eve

 

LOL. I don't always mention Qui-Gon. I always pay attention to him, though.

I love that they are going to rush the guards. How very Han is that! And the fact that things keep going wrong!
Eravasi closed her eyes briefly, wondering why every time she attempted to do anything with a male it went to hell. LOL.

Good job. Keep going.

 

?You don?t trust my demolition skills? I know almost exactly what I?m doing.?



That is sooo Xanatos! Excellent post! Wow yikes about the tornado story. A tornado touched down about a mile from my house once.. it was pretty cool. We got it on film and everything ...

 

This is a interesting post. He "almost" knows exactly what he's doing. How very stupid on his part! He should avoid the "almost" I think.

 

Hey guys. I just want to apologize for taking so long. I've had school and sickness to deal with. I just found out my grandma is quite sick. She very nearly bled to death, so I might be going to visit her. If I can though, I'll try to have the post up tomorrow.

Pixie

 

I hope your grandmother is feeling better. But I did want to tell you how much I enjoyed this story so far. Your readers will be here when you get back!

 

Yes we shall be here!

 

Well my grandma was released from the hospitial today, so everything should be okay. Thanks for the support everybody.

...

Layren : Yeah, Xan's insane. He's great though isn't he?

TraxxasJedi : Remember he's playing a part. He actually does know exactly what he's doing, far more than anyone suspects.

dianethx : Maybe Eravasi's been taking cues from Han's ancestor eh? He's rubed off on her apperently.

Healer_Leona : No Jinn will not need a healer! No touchie until I'm through, lol.

DreamOfKenobi : Thanks. She is feeling better. I got news of her condition this evening, and she's at home now. Glad to see a new face.

Here's the post, hope ya'll like it:

...

?They?re almost here?, said Xanatos in a tense voice. ?If you have a plan now is most definitely an excellent time to clue me in.? Eravasi peered into the dim light of the corridors thoughtfully.

?It?s poorly lighted down here?, she said at last. ?We?ll use that to our advantage. There?s an alcove on either side of this hall. We?ll ambush them as they pass.? She dug in her pack for a moment and then withdrew two flash grenades and handed Xanatos one.

?This?ll do?, he said appreciatively, ?but it would be better if we had some flash mines as well.? No sooner had he voiced the request, when he found a flash mine being handed to him. He looked at the Overseer in wordless disbelief. ?What don?t you have in that pack??

?An easy way out?, she replied anxiously. ?Stay sharp. The element of surprise will tip the odds in our favor, but if we make a mistake that advantage will evaporate. Then we?ll be up a data stream without a processor?, there was a slight pause, then she added, ?Set your blaster to stun. We?ll try to leave as many of them as alive as possible, since you seem to favor non-violent solutions so ardently.?

?Whatever is your pleasure m?lady?, said Xanatos smoothly, unflinchingly meeting her searching gaze. She nodded crisply. The two intruders took up opposing positions at opposite sides of the hall. Within a few moments the faint sounds of footsteps echoing loudly off the walls became progressively clearer

Eravasi motioned for Xanatos to get ready. Pausing to cautiously stick out his head, he threw his flash mine out into the hallway and readied his grenade, while the Overseer did the same. No sooner had they done so when he began to detect the sound of voices approaching.

?And now they want to up the number of hours each shift works per patrol! The only excuse they?ll give is something about ?promoting an image of a Republic willing to protect its interests with overwhelming force.? I call it an overwhelming load of bantha poodoo!? There was loud laughter, a pause, and then another voice continued the conversation.

?Damn bureaucrats. It?s not like this installation is in any danger. False schematics are on record, guard patrol schedules are classified, and the vault central security is so heavily encrypted it?d take a five year old to crack it. No one would be crazy enough to even dream about-?, the guard was cut off in the middle of his sentence as the first of the flash mines went off, exploding the world into a brilliant shade of white incandescent light.

Confused cries, curses, and moans of pain filled the air. Eravasi motioned to the former Jedi to take the left side, threw her grenade into the middle of the group, and then sprang forward lithely with deadly grace out of her hiding place.

In a blur of motion she dove forward, shot the lead patrol, and hit the next one in line with the butt of her blaster. It connected with his skull with a sickening thud. Before he hit the ground she was already twisting away, whirling like unstoppable silver touched tornado, towards her third target.

Xanatos followed her lead by throwing his own grenade, deliberately hiding his own unique brand of grace by slide tackling the guard closest to him and firing at the next one on the way down using the first as a human shield. Sparing a quick glance right, he couldn?t help bu

 

please more, yes? okay I come back soon.

 

Hey guys, sorry for the long wait. I've been a bit busy.

I'll try to have something up by the end of the week at the latest.

Pixie