Before - Legends A Hint of Darkness to Come - An AU Yoda/Xanatos viggie

Title: A Hint of Darkness to Come
Timeframe: unsure, but 15 years prior to TPM-ish.
Characters: Yoda and Xanatos
Summary: Yoda visits young Xanatos for the first time after leaving the Creche.
Disclaimer: This fic was challenged, from a certain point of view, by Darth Ishtar. I know little of the Before era, but decided to try anyway. So here is what came of it...

I'd also like to thank shanobi for some idea and history help with Xanatos.

Challenge: Okay, I challenge you to write a Before the Saga vignette or short story that is AU, but you are only allowed to reveal that it is an AU in the last line. Everything else will have to either be misleading or make it so that when it turns out to be AU, it makes sense.

The high ceiling, large halls of the Jedi Temple engulfed Master Yoda as he slowly moved toward the initiate quarters. His cane in hand, he decided to leave his hover seat a few yards behind because he relished a good walk in the mornings and wanted to visit the new initiate younglings on foot. He was aware of all the children that came to the temple, but took specail care to give them all an interview upon leaving the Creche and entering the initiate dormitory.

There was one youngling that Yoda was particularly interested in; a gifted duelist and leader named Xanatos. The boy was merely 9 years old and had impressed his instructors with his lightsaber skills and his ability to rally the other younglings around him. Other masters used the phrases ?great potential? and ?gifted? to describe him. Yoda thought it time to take a closer look. He hid himself in the Force so that Xanatos would not know that we was approaching.

He entered the small quarters, which had no door, and saw the boy sitting at a spartan work desk at the the foot of his bed. His room companion had not yet arrived and that suited Yoda fine. He stood silently at the door observing Xanatos, who was intently writing on a tablet of paper.

?Good morning, young Xanatos,? said Yoda.

Xanatos was surprised by Yoda?s appearance and jumped to his feet.

?M-Master Yoda!?

As Yoda approached the boy, he leaped up onto the bed, which was an equal height to the desk. He looked Xanatos up and down in appraisal and nodded almost inperceptibly.

?Comfotable, are you, in your new quarters ?? Yoda asked.

?Yes, Master. It is nice to have a space of my own.?

?What of your new room companion?? Yoda inquired.

?His Force ability is low, Master. We don?t have much in common,? Xanatos said.

?Important, Force abilities are, but not all. The Jedi are one.?

?I know, Master,? Xan said, with little inspiration.

Yoda sensed that the child was unsettled. Anxiety radiated hotly from the boy.

?What troubles you, young one?? Yoda asked looking up to Xan as his ears fell slightly in concern.

?Nothing, Master,? Xanatos said.

?Old, I am, but not that old. Struggle, you do, being here, in this place.?

?No, Master Yoda, it?s not that,? Xanatos said sheepishly, ?I got into a fight today. I?m sorry.?

Yoda?s eyes narrowed and his ears rose at this confession.

?Fight, you did, and defeated your opponent. Alert me, Master Tibo Veldaken did.?

?It is not a moment I?m proud of, Master Yoda.?

?Good,? Yoda said drawing the word out.

Xanatos stood in a contrite, submissive stance with his head down and eyes closed. Yoda, again, examined the boy, opening himself to the Force.

?Strong, you are in the Force. Much potential, I sense.?

?Thank you, Master.?

Yoda sensed pride radiating from the boy, the seed of arrogance. Yoda also knew that Xanatos was not comfortable in the Creche, nor his new surroudings. They were not his home. It did not compare to being with his father and the rest of his family. The boy tried to hide these feelings, and some of the masters seemed blinded by his potential, content that he would grow out of it. Yoda was not so sure.

?Have you met Master Qui-Gon Jinn?? Yoda asked.

?Yes, Master. He is a wise Jedi."

"Wise, he is, but also a seek

 

Wow, very well-written AU. The interchange was natural

 

Yes - very well written. I was a bit surprised for some reason, I guess I wasn't expecting the identity of the boy to be revealed until the end

Still, I thought you did well with both characterizations. Considering you'd had little to no Xanatos knowledge - you wrote him quite accurately in my opinion.

Lovely and true observation. Perfect way to end this piece. Great job.

--shan

 

You did a great job of capturing Xanatos' character.

and what an ending!

I wonder if things would have been different had Yoda taken Xanatos as his apprentice.

Great response to the challenge