The Gift of a Destiny (JA slight AU) Updated- The Results are in! 11/24

Basically, this story is about what would happen if Qui-Gon adopted a baby girl. It takes place the same year Obi-Wan is born. Right now, I only have a prologue to post, but I will post more if I get the feeling people are reading. Enjoy!
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Prologue

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It may have been two in the morning, but on Coruscant the day and night were only designated by the rising and setting of the sun. Hover cars still buzzed by, and people filled the catwalks. It seemed as if no one slept, and even in the night there was still work to be done. Every being seemed to have a purpose and refused to slow down for a moment. In the midst of all this hustle and bustle, no one seemed to noticed the hooded figure who weaved through the crowds. The figure walked as if weighed down by a heavy burden, and seemed to have no real purpose or direction. It would turn down alleyways quickly, just to double back in the same direction it had just come. It was plain to all who noticed that the figure was lost.

Finally, though after walking a great distance, the figure stopped in the middle of what seemed to be a deserted landing platform. It removed it's cloak revealing the slight figure of a human female. The woman?s long, blonde hair shone brightly in the moonlight as she removed the pack that had been resting on her back. Gently, she laid the pack down on the platform and backed away. A small cry from the pack brought her back, and she knelt over it for a moment more before she finally turned and walked away. The wind seemed to pick up for a moment as the woman put her cloak back on. One last look back, and a sad whisper of, "May the stars watch over you," and the woman was gone.


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So what do you think? Feedback is welcome.

 

Even though no one seems to be reading I'm going to post the first chapter of the story. Hopefully, this will get the story rolling.

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Chapter 1


A small cry caused Xanatos to awake with a start. He sat up in his bed and passed a hand over his sweaty forehead. "What was that?" he wondered aloud. Slowly he closed his eyes and reached out through the Force. He was able to pin-point the origin of the cry; it seemed to have come from the roof of the Temple. Opening his eyes, Xanatos realized that he wouldn?t be able to sleep until he found out what had disturbed him. He stood up beside his bed and pulled on a tunic. "If I heard that noise than Master must have as well," Xanatos thought sleepily. "Besides," he added with a grin, "if I can?t sleep, he shouldn?t either."

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"Wake up, Master!"

Qui-Gon Jinn rolled over and opened his eyes. He was surprised that his first sight was his padawan?s mischievous yet anxious face. "What is the matter, Padawan? Did you have a nightmare?"

"Of course not, Master. Besides, I wouldn?t wake you up simply to tell you I had a nightmare."

The boy sounded slightly annoyed at the suggestion, but Qui-Gon wasn?t surprised. For a twelve-year-old Xanatos was very mature and independent. He was also very stubborn, full of pride, and hard to scare. The idea that he would run to his master over a nightmare was simply ridiculous in his eyes. Qui-Gon sighed, all of those things made some of the other masters and apprentices very wary of Xanatos, but Qui-Gon was sure that with time and training his padawan would overcome his short-comings.

"Master!" Xanatos?s voice interrupted Qui-Gon?s thoughts.

"Yes, Xanatos. What is so important that you had to wake me up at?" Qui-Gon turned to look at the clock, "?2:30 in the morning."

"I heard something, master."

"Heard something? You woke me up because you heard something?" Qui-Gon raised one eye-brow and pulled at his semi-newly grown beard. It had taken him over a year to grow, but it was still taking some getting used to.

"Yes, master. I heard something cry out through the Force. I believe it?s coming from the roof, on the landing platform to be exact." Xanatos paused to take a quick breath. "I was hoping we could check it out." The boy?s eyes seemed to shine with excitement.

"Are you sure whatever made the sound is still on the platform, Xanatos? It might have just been a passerby who got lost and cried out in confusion."

Xanatos frowned and his eye-brows furrowed for a moment, but slowly he closed his eyes. A moment later he opened them again and gave Qui-Gon a sure, steady look. "It?s still there, Master."

"Alright, let?s go check it out." Qui-Gon stood up and stretched. He slowly pulled on a tunic and proceeded to follow his apprentice out into the hall. "I hope we?re not just going on some sort of wild chase, Padawan. Otherwise, I might have to give you an extra hour of meditation to make up for our lost sleep." His eyes flashed with good humor. Xanatos turned to his master and smiled. "I?m sure it will be worth it, master. Absolutely sure."

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Well, thats it for now. Someone please post. Tell me something... Even if it's to say you think my story stinks. Any feedback is good feed back to me.

 

Great Start! Boy Xanatos sure was a brat then as well!

Oh well at least Qui-Gon ended up with Obi later. Can't wait for some more! Keep up the great work!

Blade

 

Looks good.

 

Thanks Here's Chapter 2. P.S. \\ indicates that the words are being thought.
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Chapter 2

As they arrived on the platform, Qui-Gon suddenly wished he had brought his cloak. The wind whipped his hair around his face and pulled at his tunic. Crossing his arms over his chest he turned slowly in a circle to take in the full area that was the landing platform. Although it wasn?t used very frequently by starships, the platform was very important, especially when emergencies caused the Jedi to need immediate attention. He noticed Xanatos surveying the area as well.

"I don?t see?" Qui-Gon stopped mid-sentence. "Over there." He pointed to a medium sized pack that was lying on the platform. He began to walk towards it, and was suddenly caught of guard when it started to move. Slowly it rocked back and forth, as if something were inside. Xanatos ran past him to inspect the pack. "Be careful, Padawan. It might be some sort of trap." Xanatos paid him no heed and continued to run towards the pack. Qui-Gon sighed, he would have to talk to Xanatos about the importance of listening to him later. Right now though, the boy was kneeling next to the pack and was about to open it. Qui-Gon hurried over, in truth he was just as eager to see what was inside, though he chose not to show it.

On first inspection the pack seemed very ordinary. It was a plain, tan color and seemed to be made to be carried on the back. There were however two things that made the pack different. First of all, the pack was about two feet long, and second, it didn?t open on the top but on one of the sides. The side that opened was facing upward so Xanatos slowly reached over and unfastened the clip that held the bag shut. Pulling back the cloth, Xanatos and Qui-Gon were shocked at what they found.

Inside looking back at them was a small, human, baby girl wrapped in many light, pink blankets. The tiny baby blinked in the sudden light then slowly yawned. After a moment or two of staring at the two shocked Jedi with big dark-blue eyes, she laughed and held out her arms to signal that she wanted to be picked up. The laugh brought Qui-Gon back to his senses as he reached down to pick the child up. Her smile broadened as she looked at the big man, then she laughed again and pulled at his beard.

"Ouch. That hurt, little one. You?ve got quite a grip." Qui-Gon smiled and cooed at the baby a moment more before he realized that Xanatos was staring at him with an amused smile on his face.

"I don?t want to interrupt, but I?m not sure I should leave you two alone, she might overpower you master," Xanatos said with a look of mock concern. At the sound of a new voice the baby turned in Qui-Gon?s arms to see who was talking. She stared at Xanatos for a moment then held out her arms to him. Xanatos was taken aback, most small children didn?t like him. He had once tried volunteering in the nursery, well, he didn?t actually "volunteer" but was "volunteered" for the assignment by Master Yoda, but the day hadn?t gone well just the same. The younger children didn?t listen to him and the smallest babies cried when he became upset and lost his patience. He had decided that day to never take a padawan that was less than twelve years-old. The idea that the little child wanted to go to him was almost unbelievable.

"I think she wants you to take her," Qui-Gon said when Xanatos made no move to take the child. Xanatos shook his head and refused to take the little girl.

"What makes you think its a girl?" he asked.

"Well, the pink blankets are a bit of a give away, but I can also sense it through the Force." The girl squealed in Qui-Gon?s arms and tried again to get Xanatos to take her. "Xanatos, I think you?d better take her before she jumps out of my arms. She wants to go to you after all."

"Alright, give her to me." Slowly, he took the child from Qui-Gon and stood holding her for a moment. She looked at him for a moment and smiled, then she yawned again, snuggled up against his chest and fell asle

 

AWWW! How sweet! How could the mother just leave her there?? Sweet start.

Can't wait for the next post!!

 

GAH this is a great story tell me is Xani a bad person in this story?

 

Awww! How sweet!!!! This is definitely a great start!!! Good question, will Xani go bad in this one? You're doing a great job so far, starlight_kenobi! Keep it up!

AQ

 

Xan finally found someone who can stand him. That was so adorable.

 

Good post.

 

Thanks everyone! I can't say that Xani is actually "bad" yet, but in the next post or so we'll definitely see a hint of his disliking of Master Yoda I'm hoping that this story might give him a little more of a reason for being so evil towards "that little green troll". (His words not mine )

 

Hi everyone! Here's the next Chapter. I would have posted it last night, but I got bogged down in work. Enjoy!


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Chapter 3


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Qui-Gon and Xanatos sat on the couch in their apartment deep in thought. The child sleeping in Xanatos?s arms seemed to have been abandoned, but both were unsure of what they should do. It was too early in the morning to awake the council to ask for their advice, so Qui-Gon had decided to simply wait and see what happened. He could almost feel the Force emanating from the child in strong waves. It seemed to Qui-Gon that it was the will of the Force that they had found the child. Xanatos wasn?t usually so in tune to the Living Force. The fact that he had heard the child squeal through it seemed to be a miracle in itself. The little girl probably would have died had they not found her.

Qui-Gon turned to look at his apprentice and smiled. It seemed that all the excitement had tired him out, and while Qui-Gon had sat there brooding, he had fallen asleep. The little girl rested comfortably in Xanatos?s arms so Qui-Gon decided not to move them. He found a blanket to cover them with, and placed a pillow beneath Xanatos?s head, before going to his own room and falling asleep.

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The next morning, when he awoke, it took Xanatos a moment to realize where he was. But, a sharp tug to his shoulder length, jet-black hair, quickly reminded him of what had happened the night before. Looking down he saw the little girl was still in his arms, though totally awake now, and in her hands she held a fairly good sized piece of his hair. Seeing that he was awake, the little girl laughed and smiled, then proceeded to pull again.

"Ouch, that hurt, little one. Master Qui-Gon was right, you do have quite a grip." He smiled, and proceeded to remove the blanket that was still on top of him. \\Master must have put this on me last night. I wonder what time it is?\\ He walked over to look at the clock. \\Six thirty, I guess Master is already up.\\ He looked down at the little girl, "I guess I?ll just carry you around with me for now. Will you be good for me?" The girl looked up at him and smiled, then she let go of his hair. "Thanks, I needed that back." Just then, the door to the apartment swished open, and Master Qui-Gon stepped in.

"Good, you?re both up. How do you feel?" Qui-Gon asked with a smirk.

"Except for a slight pain on my head from someone?s pulling, I feel fine," Xanatos replied with a slight rub to his head. The baby squealed and squirmed to look at Qui-Gon. She then smiled and held out her arms. "I think she wants you to hold her, master. That?s okay though, I need a shower anyway."

Though his apprentice spoke lightly, it still seemed to Qui-Gon that he was reluctant to let go of the little girl. Qui-Gon gently took the girl in his arms and rocked her back and forth. Meanwhile, Xanatos retired to his room to get a change of clothes. "Oh, and Xanatos, we?re expected in the council chambers at 7:30? all three of us." Qui-Gon didn?t even have to see his apprentice?s face to know that he was scowling. But, Xanatos simply answered back with a reluctant, "Alright." Qui-Gon thought he heard a mumble after that but a yank at his beard reminded him of the other person in the room. "You must be hungry. I?ll take you down to the nursery to see if I can get you some breakfast."

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An hour later, Xanatos, Qui-Gon, and the little girl stood in front the Jedi Council. The girl squirmed in Xanatos?s arms in an attempt to see everyone in the room. Most children would have been at least somewhat frightened by some of the members, but the girl seemed completely confident. Qui-Gon was just finishing the story of how they had found her.

"I decided to allow the girl to stay with us in our apartment for the night instead of waking the nursery staff. Then, I contacted you this morning, and that?s all that?s happened. I believe it was the will of the Force that w

 

That was a little cold of Ki-Adi Mundi. Take her to an orphange. They barely tested the girl before he reached that conclusion.

 

Well, our famous Jedi council isn't exactly known for being the most caring, warm, generous beings are they? That's okay though, they're still cool. But it does seem to me that Ki-Adi seems to be a bit "cold" when you see him in stories. Besides, I had to have someone be the voice of "reason".

 

Nice post.

 

Interesting, can't wait for the next chapter.

Got to go,

 

Still waiting.

 

Sorry, for the wait. I have a horrible case of writer's block I'm giving you a short, short, short post to hold you over 'til I can get over the wall. Hopefully that won't take too long. School is evil ... I would have had a good post for you now if I wasn't so stressed out. Oh well, Bear with me and enjoy! P.S. This post goes with the last one but it took me some time to write. I had Alg.2 homework.Ugh Math!


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"How could they do that?" Xanatos prowled back and forth in the living room of the apartment. His fists seemed to have a mind of their own as they clenched and unclenched. Qui-Gon sat watching him from a chair in the kitchen. The little girl sat in his lap, but instead of laughing and smiling she simply watched Xanatos as he walked around. It seemed to disturb her that he was so upset, even though he wasn?t making any loud noises.

"They just dismissed us. They didn?t even give her a chance to prove her worthiness. How could they just push her away like that?" Xanatos finally slumped into a chair dejectedly. "And you," he turned to Qui-Gon, "you just let them dismiss us. You didn?t even try to save her." He frowned and slumped further into the chair.

"Save her from what, Xanatos?" Qui-Gon finally spoke up calmly. "It?s not like they said they were going to leave her out in the streets. They simply wanted a chance to talk about the situation. Besides, I can see Ki-Adi?s point. I doubt that most parents would come to the temple looking for a lost child." He looked down at the little girl. \\Then again, most parents wouldn?t allow their children to be abandoned on a landing platform.\\ The girl looked up at him and smiled. "I was wondering though, what the council would do if the girl did stay here. We would have to give her a name, and an age for that matter." He sat thinking for a moment. "Padawan, why don?t you spend your time trying to think of a name for her, rather than brooding over the council. I think some meditating would do you good."

Xanatos frowned, then hung his head submissively. He knew that arguing with his master over the matter of meditating was useless. He might as well have told the jedi council to sit in a square and wear pink. It just wasn?t going to happen.

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Again sorry so short 'til later Bye!

 

"He knew that arguing with his master over the matter of meditating was useless. He might as well have told the jedi council to sit in a square and wear pink. It just wasn?t going to happen."

That line was hysterical.

 

Well done starlight_kenobi! Great job!! I loved Xani's thoughts at the end of that last post! Keep up the great work!

AQ

 

Waiting for more story.

 

I finally got more written. Be warned though, this poat is a bit short... not to mention a bit of a cliffhanger.

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Chapter 4

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Xanatos knelt on the floor, in one of the training rooms. He had been meditating for three hours now but still no name had come to him. He sighed and stood up, at least he was more calm now than he had been before. \\Still, I just can?t keep calling her Little One all the time.\\ He was about to sigh again when his com-link buzzed him. He took it off his belt quickly. "Xanatos here. What is it master?"

"I just received word that the council wishes to see us, now." Qui-Gon paused, "Are you ready to see them?"

"I am master. I?ll meet you there in just a minute."

"Alright padawan, I?ll see you there."

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Again, Qui-Gon, Xanatos, and the girl stood before the council. The council member?s faces showed no hint of what their decision had been. Finally, after a moment of silence Master Windu spoke up. "We have discussed this matter thoroughly, and we have come to a decision."

Master Yoda raised his head, "Argued with, the decision will not be. Final it is."

"Of course, master," Qui-Gon nodded in agreement, "I trust your decision will be for the best." Xanatos bristled at his side, but Qui-Gon decided not to take notice of it, for now.

"Now, for our decision," Master Windu spoke up again. "We have decided to allow the girl to stay at the temple." Xanatos relaxed slightly, but resisted the urge to let out a relieved breath. Master Windu noticed and raised one eyebrow. "I have not finished yet, do not look so relieved. There is more." Again, Xanatos seemed to tense, but he did a better job of hiding his feelings this time. "She will stay," Master Windu resumed, "but, she will not be trained."

 

Now comes the question, WHY?

 

I decided not to let you hang on for too long Besides, I finally got over my writer's block. WOOOOOHHHHHOOOOOO!!!! Ehem *buries head embarrassed* sorry. I'm really happy! Anyway here it is, Enjoy! (OH yeah, [ ] these show the use of the master-padawan bond.)

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It was all Xanatos could do to keep his jaw from dropping. Beside him, Master Qui-Gon nearly dropped the little girl. \\How could they do this?\\ Xanatos wondered at the decision. Keep her at the temple but not train her? the idea was absurd. "Why won?t she be trained?" He had meant to stay quiet during the meeting, but found it impossible now. His question clearly showed his displeasure. The words came out as more of a growl than a sentence. The child turned to look at him, for the first time it seemed as if she were truly sad and disturbed.

Master Windu was the first to speak up. "She has no one to give permission for her to be trained. She will stay until her parents claim her or there is room for her at the orphanage. At the moment the orphanage is too full, the recent virus outbreaks have left many children without parents. She would have to be sent off planet if we took her there now. It would take her parents longer to locate her if she was moved, that is why she may stay. But, if parents do not claim her in one month, I am afraid she will have to leave."

Now the child looked as if she would cry. Xanatos knew she could not understand them, but it seemed she could sense what was going on. She turned to him and held out her arms, for a moment his anger left him as he took the child from his master. She hung on to him tightly as if she were scared for her life. He felt her fear through the Force, and sent calming waves out to her. \\I won?t let them do this Little One don?t worry. You will be trained. I?ll fight for you.\\ He turned to his master and looked him in the eye. [We can?t let them do this. She was put here for a reason.] Qui-Gon nodded in agreement.

Master Yoda looked up at the trio. "Hear you, I can Xanatos. Final, our decision is."

"Your decision is unreasonable. I have the right to disagree with it." Xanatos set his jaw and prepared himself for the onslaught of lectures he knew was coming.

Qui-Gon turned to look at him. [Control yourself, Padawan. Your anger won?t do anything but upset the girl.]

"Understand your disagreement with our decision, we do. But allow you to be disrespectful, we will not." Yoda?s voice took on a stern quality he rarely ever used. "Calm yourself, you will." He paused for a moment and turned to each of the members of the council. For a minute or two, no one moved. At least he spoke again, "Test the girl, we will. But, remain our decision still does. Leave the girl here."

Xanatos made no move to hand over the girl. Slowly, Qui-Gon walked over and took the girl from his apprentice?s arms. She looked up at him with a frightened face. He tried to calm her through the Force. She looked over at Xanatos who was still standing where he had been before. She raised her hand, waved to him, and smiled. He didn?t seem to be effected by it at all. She frowned for a moment, as Qui-Gon handed her over to Master Windu. But soon, she was smiling and laughing as she pulled on the master?s robes.

Master Yoda looked at the girl, then Master Qui-Gon, and finally at Xanatos. "May the force be with you," he said. The parting words were echoed throughout the room. All of the occupants, but two repeated the phrase. One of them couldn?t have said it if she wanted to, the other was to angry to wish the masters any sort of good fortune.

 

Good question. WHY wouldn't they train her? If Windu says it b/c she's a girl, I promise that I'll jump into the GFFA and smack him!

Great post! You've done great so far! Keep it up!

AQ