Destiny Eclipse

Xander Vos · Last edited by Xander Vos on Thu May 08, 2008 7:57 am; edited 1 time in total

Chapter Fifteen

**23 ABY**

Jedi Temple – Council Chambers

Kavar, Lyn, Vikro, and Xander stood before the Council. They knew this must be an important mission for two Masters and their Apprentices to be required. Vikro, however, knew otherwise, but kept quiet, knowing this mission would be testing on how Xander fought with a friend and fellow Padawan on the field.

“There have been reports of disturbances in Thespis, which is a city not to far from here,” Abba said, “We need you, Kavar, to lead the way, as you and Lyn know Bakura’s landscape very well, and Vikro and Xander for their strength in the Force in dealing with troublemakers.”

Lyn shifted uncomfortably, bitter at once again being reminded that he had been given a lot more local missions than Xander, who had been sent on dangerous mission after dangerous mission, all successes. He felt like bursting out and reprimanding Xander, telling the Council how it was just Vikro doing the hard work, and Xander desperately not wanting to be unique, and the rest that Xander had dumped on him without asking.

Taking a deep breath, he remembered the Jedi Code. There is no emotion, there is peace. Xander had spoken to him in confidentiality. Whatever issues Lyn had with him lay between him and Xander, he had no right drawing the Council in. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. Lyn understood how Xander felt, he could not just cast his best friend’s feelings aside in an attempt to draw more glory to himself. There is no passion, there is serenity. Lyn let his feelings fill him, to almost bursting point, then slowly let them seep out, leaving him feeling calm and at peace. There is no death, there is the Force. He and Xander were joined now, joined for eternity. He couldn’t let a trivial matter come between them. He took a deep breath and focussed again on the Council, who were speaking seriously to his Master.

Kavar glanced at Lyn, and gave him a supporting smile, sensing the conflict that had just passed through his Padawan, letting him know he had done the right thing.

“Masters, I will do what I must,” Xander said, speaking for the first time. He had paused, frowning as he was about to speak, feeling the rush of emotions in his best friend. He felt confused. He had known Lyn for a long time, longer than he had known Jysek. They had matured together, now both adults in their prime. He glanced over at Lyn again.

Lyn had lost his traditional spiky hair, opting instead for a cut that let his hair hang gently behind his ears, but not too long as to get in the way, although it remained messy, unbrushed. Xander smiled, Lyn had never been fond of conforming, always rebelling in the slightest ways. Lyn had never had a major growth spurt, his height resting at a meter seventy.

To the contrary, Xander had shot up when he reached eighteen, much later than most of the other boys. He was over ten centimetres taller than Lyn, and made sure he knew it in teasing bouts. His strictly short hair that he had worn through much of his Apprenticeship now rested at his shoulders, and he had added blonde streaks to it, as a replacement, not an adequate one, to the tattoo he had never received as a member of the Vos clan. Xander was nearing thirty, and knew that he was to be promoted very soon. He felt for Lyn, who had been held back by his Master, who wanted to be very thorough with Lyn’s training. Xander hoped that he and Lyn would be Knighted in the same ceremony, as that would be the ultimate honour for the pair.

“That is good to hear, but unnecessary,” Koras said, frowning at Xander, “We know that no matter what you shall give any mission your all. You have proven that on many occasions now.” Koras had watched Xander grow from a young boy into a man, sensing the conflict that still resided in Xander, knowing what his Grand-Father had become, fearing he would follow the same path, especially after that outburst on Naboo all those years ago.

One who had watched Xander for quite some time, who had been absent – conspicuously so, for over a decade now, was Rive Caedo. Despite the time, Xander always expected to hear a witty remark jump from the old man’s mouth, or a stern telling off if he ran too fast in the hall. Xander missed the man, who had come close to a father figure for him.

“You may leave whenever you believe you need to, the Council wishes you all strength in the Force, and we hope you will return safely to us,” Shatterpoint finished, breaking him out of his train of thought, smiling at them all, especially at Xander, who she was especially proud of, he had changed so much – for the better – since she had brought him here. He was finally finding his path in life, and with friends and allies to support him, she knew he would do well long after she had joined the Force.

Bakura – Thespis Outskirts

Xander walked ahead of Vikro and Kavar, Lyn at his side. The two glanced suspiciously around, and into the town, where reports of insurgents had originated. They had hear reports that a group of terrorists were holding many of the people in the town hostage to gain a large sum of money from a bank situated in the middle of the town.

The four Jedi exuded an air of calm, glancing around the town casually. However, beneath the surface a thick layer of tension spread between them, unbeknownst to a casual observer. The casual glances they threw at buildings in the town were absorbing information that might help them later. Sizing up sniper spots, figuring out escape routs, and the like.

Xander glanced around, surprised at how quiet the town was, and a little suspicious. Even if there was a hostage situation, civilians should still be out and about, or in their homes, and yet everywhere seemed deserted. The four walked closer and closer to the centre of the town, now dropping any pretences of calm and gripping their lightsaber hilts.

“Keep an eye out for snipers on any roofs,” Xander said quietly to Lyn, not taking his eyes off the roof-tops as they passed. Finally, as they rounded a building advertising a certain type of legal spice, they spied the bank.

“There it is,” said Lyn, igniting his sapphire coloured blade, as Xander ignited his dark green blade. Two identical snap-hisses behind them signified their Masters igniting their own blades, as still not a person was seen.

Suddenly Lyn felt a wave of darkness through the Force. “Down,” he ordered, pushing Xander down onto the ground with the Force, as a blaster bolt sped down, charring the ground just past where he had stood. If he had still been standing, the blast would have struck him in the side of the head before he had time to react.

Vikro turned, and leapt to the roof of the building where the shot had come from, slicing through the chest of the Bakuran who had appeared there shortly before the blast had been fired. He fell back in surprise, dropping his rifle. Vikro turned, watching in amazement as dozens, if not more, men appeared on various roofs around the centre of the city, men pouring from the bank, with various DC rifles, some even bringing out powerful E-Web blasters, setting up the chain guns, and pointing them at Xander, Lyn and Kavar. The snipers pointed at Vikro, making sure he stayed glued to the spot.

“Time to die, Jedi,” a man snarled as he took a step away from the others, towards the Jedi Knight and the two Padawans.

Kavar took a step back, closing his large black eyes. The Sullustan stood perfectly still, his green lightsaber dipped forward slightly in concentration. His eyes whirling open suddenly, he raised a hand, and the top of the bank rumbled, collapsing on top of the men stationed beneath it, crushing any cries of surprise from them as it buried them.

The snipers opened fire, and Xander, Lyn and Vikro whirled into action, Kavar ahead of them, slicing through the chests of men who moments ago had been high above his head. The tiny Sullustan shoved through the men with surprising force, their lifeless bodies toppling from the roof top to hit the floor with a dull thud.

Xander and Lyn remained on the ground redirecting blaster bolts into the bodies of any men who appeared to be directly harming their Masters. Xander glanced up at Vikro, who stood at the edge of the roof, battling three men who wielded Force Pikes, an unusual weapon for such a quaint town.

Xander watched, his eyes in surprise, as a man emerged from the edge of the rubble, carrying an ancient rocket propelled grenade launcher. He must have been the leader, who had stepped forward, Xander realised. By stepping forward he saved himself, the rubble falling mainly behind him.

“Master!” Xander called out, sending tendrils of Force Lightning into the man, throwing him against the rubble, and quenching the life from him.

As Kavar felled the final man, silence fell amongst the town, as all eyes fixed themselves on Xander. Vikro and Kavar leapt from the roof, landing softly on the floor, their lightsabers deactivated and resting on their belts. Vikro marched past Xander, not saying a word to him as he begun to check the pulses of the men on the ground.

“What?” Xander demanded, “I saved your life!”

“With the use of the Dark Side,” Vikro said, whirling around. Xander was surprised to hear an edge in his voice, “You gave in to your anger and-”

“No,” Xander declared, “I didn’t feel any anger, fear or any other Dark Side emotion at all, I used my judgement, and that was the quickest way to save you. If I hadn’t, you would be dead, and the morale of the Jedi Order would be crippled. The Sith would be able to defeat us much easier, and the Galaxy would lie in darkness. I prevented that, yes with a Dark Side power, but not with the Dark Side. I side-stepped the rules to achieve an outcome the Force desires.”

Vikro studied him for a moment, realising he was right, and that sometimes the right course of action is not decided by the rules, but by the circumstances. All he could say was, “Beware the quick and easy path Xander,” before rising from the last of the dead men, and calling Kavar and Lyn to him.

“We’ve dealt with the terrorists,” he said, “But the women and children are missing, which is odd. They must be near by, or they themselves may be hostages. Whilst Kavar’s action was rash, killing the hostages, it may have saved countless more lives. If they had killed us, the other hostages would have then been killed, the bait for the trap no longer needed, and the four known hostages were a willing sacrifice to save the hundreds trapped.”

Lyn and Xander stared shocked at him. The way he spoke he sounded as if he preferred them to be alive than the hostages. Vikro turned and with a sad smile said to Xander, “Sometimes the rules must be broken to save the Force,” he said. Xander nodded, understanding.

“I think they’ll be near by,” Lyn said, “There’s a system of caves on the outskirts, opposite where we arrived from, and it would be a logical place to keep captives. A fresh water stream runs by near it, and it has plenty of cover. Coupled with that the caves are laced with metals that would throw of scanners.”

“Then that’s where we will look,” Kavar said, moving forwards, the others following him.

Unknown Location

The man didn’t know where he was, or who he was. He had awoken to find himself in captivity, leering faces appearing everywhere he looked, though he had determined them to be specters in his mind.

All he remembered was light, and then blur. The door to his cell was locked fast, and the only window was made of an indestructible material, even the chair by his bed wouldn’t shatter it when thrown at it. He sat on his bed, his face in his hands, trying to make sense of where he was.

He knew much had happened, he still had flash memories of floating in some sort of liquid, feeling it sting him as it knitted together his flesh from injuries created long ago. He remembered feeling like he was being watched. He remembered nothing else.

Bakura - Thespis Caves

Lyn walked ahead with Kavar, Vikro and Xander slightly behind, murmuring to each other presumably about their conversation from earlier. Lyn gazed into the cave’s depths, trying to discern where the townspeople could be being held. Kavar put out his hand, stopping his Apprentice. Xander and Vikro also stopped.

“There is a very large cave at the end of this tunnel,” he whispered, “With seven guards blocking the way, and a further ten guards dispersed between the prisoners. We must take those ten out as quickly as possible, or they will kill prisoners. And please be quiet or they will hear us.”

Lyn silently kicked himself in his mind for forgetting that, as a Sullustan, Kavar would be seeing this cave as bright as the daylight outside. He winced slightly, imagining what the actual day would look like to a Sullustan.

“How are they able to see?” Asked Xander, curious.

“They have glow rods set to very dim which they are using to check on the prisoners,” said Kavar and, sure enough, as they neared the cavern, they could make out dim light.

Perhaps if we pulled the glow rods from them, they would be in the darkness, then you could take out the guards patrolling the hostages,” Xander said, “Then we could blast them with light and take out the rest of them if you get into any trouble.”

Kavar was silent for a moment, considering the plan, then nodded, “Very well,” he said, disappearing in front of them into the darkness. Xander, Lyn and Vikro waited, and suddenly cries of confusion rippled through the tunnel, echoing off the walls. Soon Kavar returned, his arms full of glow rods, which were now extinguished, only one remaining barely light.

He nodded to Vikro, before turning and moving stealthily into the camp. Sudden thumps could be heard as he clinically dispatched the guards in the camp. Finally he returned to them breathless, they’re on to me, light up and take them out,” he said.

Xander, who had positioned the lights on the floor in strategic places, lit them all simultaneously using the Force, momentarily blinding the guards. The Jedi, who had steeled themselves for the sudden light through the Force, leapt forward, slicing through them methodically. Not a single shot was fired.

Lyn moved between the hostages, relieving them of their bonds. One man stood up, stretching his aching hands. “Thank you for your help, Jedi. They came into town only a few days ago unexpectedly, and slowly people began to disappear. Finally it became obvious it was them and we staged a battle, three of my men were killed, and they captured the rest of us,” the man said, glaring at his feet, “They set the trap hoping to catch the Jedi, who they claimed had an Enclave in the area. But you aren’t from here, are you?” He said, almost begging them to say they weren’t. The idea of a Jedi Temple on Bakura terrified him, it would mean the Sith would arrive en masse and wreak havoc across the planet.

“No, of course not,” Vikro said, “We are part of the Phantoms, as you should have guessed, and I’m sorry, but we can’t disclose the location of our Temple for obvious reasons.”

The man sighed in relief, “I’m Jak by the way, Jak Pharlan. I’m in charge of the minor policing force this town contains, that in war time serves as our military.” He paused, expecting them to surrender their names. When they didn’t, he continued, “Are they all gone from our town now?”

“Yes, it is safe to return,” Xander said, as the Jedi checked that no one was injured or sick. After doing so, they turned to leave. Almost as an afterthought, Lyn turned back, “Oh, and sorry about your bank, my Master doesn’t know how to control himself,” he said, keeping a straight face, before breaking into a grin.

Jak stared after them in obvious confusion, and they could hear him mutter, “Jedi, pfft,” under his breath.

_________________

Time to start again.

Xander Vos

Chapter Sixteen

**23 ABY - Three Days After Thespis**

Bakura – Jedi Temple

The day began like any other. Both Xander and Lyn rose early, jogging to the top of the Temple, sitting on one of the viewing balconies, over looking the forest. The two sat in meditation, breathing deeply and letting the life in the forest wash over them, submerging them in the lives of the animals in the forest.

Xander followed the adventures of two birds as they soared through the tree tops, before they dived, catching a pair of rodents that Lyn had been following. Lyn frowned slightly, concentrating on different animals.

Their adventure to Thespis had left them shaken. Humans were beginning to suspect that the Jedi were based on Bakura. The Council had been discussing it for the past three days, seriously considering moving the Temple to another world that would conceal them better, but the ancestry coupled with Vikro convincing Jak that they didn’t come from Bakura meant that the issue was tentative – if any further hints arose that they had been discovered, they would leave immediately.

A warmth crept across Lyn and Xander as the golden sun rose from its bed, to begin the day. More animals flocked from their dwellings, and begun to search for food to feed their hungry babes, or to satisfy their own hunger.

Finally Xander stretched and rose, moments after Lyn himself had begun to move. Lyn grinned at Xander, “One of these days I’ll last longer than you. I can be patient, you know.”

“Of course you can,” Xander quipped, “As patient as a Sith in a room of unarmed Jedi.”

“Why you,” growled Lyn playfully, racing towards Xander, who raced away towards the cafeteria. Xander felt a pang of regret, even after all these years. He remembered a time, just before he had left on his journey, when he and Jysek had raced. Then he had easily beaten Jysek, just as easily as Lyn was beating him now. Lyn had always been faster of the two, and Xander enjoyed that, as it separated Lyn from Jysek firmly, allowing him to view them both separately.

They reached the entrance to the cafeteria and stopped. Standing before the doors, obviously waiting for them, were Vikro and Kavar, with stern expressions on their faces. Xander reached out and probed his Master through the Force, questioningly. All he met was a brick wall. Vikro was hiding his emotions, unusual coming from him.

Kavar turned to Lyn and spoke softly to him, a puzzled expression blossoming on Lyn’s face. Vikro turned to Xander, “Come with me,” he said, disappearing up the hall towards the Council Chambers.

Xander glanced at Lyn, who shrugged and followed him, Kavar lingering at the back. As they reached the Council Chambers, the doors were shut, Vikro already inside. Xander understood. Many a time Vikro had summoned him before the Council, but as a Council Member, not his Master, and this would be one of those occasions.

As the doors slid open, the room was bathed in darkness, and as Xander and Lyn stepped in, Kavar stopped, letting the doors slide shut in front of him, before walking off. “Master?” Lyn said turning back, but was stopped by a figure.

Around the room, five lightsabers ignited, casting a mixed glow around the room. The purple, blue, and green light splayed over them. Xander reached towards his lightsaber, but stopped, no fear or anger emanated from the room. There was no danger. Although the blades were ignited, the faces of those who held them – the Council, Xander now realised – were still shrouded in darkness, presumably through the Force.

“Lyn Korak, step forward and kneel before me,” a female voice commanded. Lyn swallowed nervously, and stepped forward. The figure lowered her sapphire lightsaber, letting it hover gently above his left shoulder, then over towards his right. Xander’s eyes widened in realisation. He knew what this was.

“Lyn Korak, over the past twenty years you have grown from a young boy into a man. You have proven yourself over and over on missions with your Master, and now he has decided it is time. Rise Lyn Korak for the first time, as Jedi Knight.”

Lyn rose, grinning, and remembered himself, bowing before Abba, “Thank you Master Abba, I won’t disappoint you.”

“Xander Vos, step forward,” said a male voice, and Xander grinned, recognising it at once as Vikro’s voice. He stepped forward, kneeling before his old Master.

“Xander Vos, you were found after a planet was ravaged by Sith devastation, it was rumoured you would either leave us in great darkness into great light. With what has transpired since then, the correct fate is obvious now. Rise, Jedi Knight Xander Vos, and claim your rightful title as Blade of Light.”

Xander was a little unnerved, having never heard of these rumours, but deeply honoured to have been given such a wondrous title.

“Thank you Master Vikro, I pledge myself and all my strengths to the destruction of the Sith. May my strengths shatter them, and my weaknesses lure them into a false sense of security. I pledge myself to the Council, and give them my fealty, as Blade of Light.”

He rose, staring solemnly into Vikro’s eyes, now revealed as the ceremony neared its close. The two kept a passive expression on their faces. But after a moment Vikro broke into a smile, followed quickly by Xander.

“Congratulations Xander,” Vikro said, gripping Xander in a hug.

“Thank you, Vikro,” Xander said, feeling odd at not having to use the title Master before Vikro’s name, unless he chose to.

He stepped back, turning and embracing Lyn as well, the two staring into each other’s faces, grinning. Abba raised her arms, and the lights flickered on in the Council chambers.

“Go forth now, and fulfil the Order’s wishes as our two newest Jedi Knights,” she said, finishing the ceremony, and breaking into a smile.

Suddenly the formality of the room vanished, and Xander and Lyn moved between the Council Members, shaking hands and hugging the Council who gave them good wishes for the future.

Finally Xander and Lyn were ready to return to their room for the last time, where they would pack their belongings and move up a level to the Knight floor, where they would each get a separate room. While that would be exciting, it would also be sad. It would be Xander’s first time on his own.

He looked back at the Council, gave Vikro a firm nod, and stepped out into the Temple, to begin the rest of his life.

To Be Continued... In Part Two.
_________________

Time to start again.

Xander Vos

PART TWO

The Sword of Light will always prevail against the Daggers of Darkness.
-Ancient Bakuran Enclave Saying

Chapter One

** 23 ABY – One month after Xander’s Knighting**

Utapau - Surface

The man watched a group of Utai lead a dactillion dragonmount across the Starport, from one set of cages to a transport, from which it would be transported off-world. Most likely to some Hutt’s lair as an equivalent to Jabba’s Rancor. The air was arid, the dryness startling the man, who had lived most of his life within the lush wetness of Bakura. He had arrived on Utapau only days before, to meditate in silence.

Utapau had been a hotspot in the final days of the Clone Wars. Obi-Wan Kenobi, the Jedi Master who had trained Luke Skywalker, had served there, or so the historians claimed. The devastating Order 66 had failed to kill him, proving how strong the man was, and Darth Vader had torn himself apart trying to find him. Since then the world had been held by the Empire, and only in the last ten or so years had it been added to the New Republic.

What had drawn the man here most of all, however, was the rumours that the original Jedi Order could possibly have originated on Utapau, or at the very least, Utapau was one of the main planets giving members to the Jedi Order. A wry smile touched the man’s lips at the thought of the short and stubby Utai or the tall and lanky Pau’an becoming Jedi Knights, though his thoughts also flashed to the Bakuran Enclave, where many members came from odd species, such as Trandoshans, Mandalorians, Barabels and Mon Calamarians. The Force certainly wasn’t selective.

The man rose, and stepped over to his small dwelling which had been leant to him by the Pau’an, as their own token of respect for the Jedi Order and what it represented to them. Ever since Obi-Wan Kenobi had fought for them there, they had revered the Jedi, devastated to learn their world had been one of the dozens to witness the death of the Order. When the man had arrived, he had let mention that he was a member of the Phantoms become common knowledge to the Pau’ans, who he knew could be trusted with such information. They had tripped over themselves to see that he received whatever accommodation he desired.

The stew on the small fire was boiling, and he quickly removed it, dousing the fire, and pulling up a chair. He dug in, eating his way through the delicious stew he had made from some of the rare vegetables on Tatooine. It reminded him of his home, being in this rustic dwelling on a barren planet, and yet it wasn’t home. So many of the Jedi had been born on Tatooine – Vikro, Abba - and that traitor of a Jedi Urwen. Many years ago Urwen had returned to the Temple after being appointed Jedi General, unleashing his anger on the Temple, killing many Younglings, and escaping to the Sith Empire’s home world. He had never been seen since.

The man’s fist tightened in anger. He had tried hard to fight the man, but had failed, receiving a scar on his arm for his trouble. The scar hadn’t bothered him for years, and he had nearly forgotten about the trouble that Urwen had wrought until a week ago when the injury had flared up, for some unknown reason he assumed had to do with the lack of physical training he was putting himself under.

The sun went down and slowly each of the nine moons rose into the sky. In the sinkhole below him, lights shone brightly from the carved sides as the night society slowly came out. Whilst most Utapauns lived below ground, many lived on the surface as pilots or mechanics or the like. Many others worked as tamers of the dactillions, the pay high because of the numerous deaths and maulings achieved by arrogant keepers or vicious dactillions.

The man stared into the sky, wrapping his cloak around him, shivering slightly. The cold did not bother him, but for the first time in his life, Xander Vos felt alone.

Unknown Location

The man stared out of his cell window, his hands bloodied from his incessant pounding on the door. But now something had changed, the atmosphere of the guards was of excitement. They had been cooped up in a small room that over looked five cells, of which three contained prisoners, for hours now. The man was in the middle one, an Iridonian Zabrak on his left, a Quarren on his right.

A door opened at the far end of the room, a bright light beyond blinding the man slightly. He shifted his hand to block his eyes from the fierce glow. A man, trailed by three heavily armed guards, walked slowly into the room, his shoes clicking on the steel floor, the light behind him slowly fading, sharpening his features.

He looked down his nose at the three prisoners, before pointing at the Quarren, saying something quietly to one of the guards. The guard nodded, pressing a button, allowing them into the Quarren’s cell. The Quarren looked at them with a look of suspicion on his face, and he backed up into his cell. The guards approached, and quickly held him down as he tried to dart between them and out the door. The man said something to him, as if of a routine he had repeated over and over. They took out a complicated looking machine, pressing it to the Quarren. He began to scream, to shake them off, but they held him down. They looked at the reading, confused at what it said, and showed it to the man, who consulted it and shook his head, before pausing, and nodding to the guards. The guards pulled out vibro-swords, impaling the Quarren, as he screamed in pain and horror, and then slicing off his head. They dragged the body from the cell to a garbage dispenser, and hung the head on an information post near the desk, positioning the face to stare lifeless into the faces of the other two prisoners.

The man swallowed nervously as the man approached his own cell. The door disappeared with the press of a button courtesy of one of the two guards, and the man stepped in, regarding him scornfully. The man was tall and stern, his grey lifeless eyes seemed to stare past the prisoner, uncaring, and the way he stood asserted authority over anyone who dared challenge him.

“Prisoner 112A, you have been scheduled for testing, and I, Jonas Weyx, shall carry it out. I do not need your permission for said testing, so any form of resistance shall be subdued,” the man said, sounding as if he had said that so many times it had lost any meaning to him.

Glad he finally had an identity, 112A nodded, fearful he would end up like the Quarren. The man nodded, signalling the guards who moved forward. He backed up, glancing at the walls, as if looking for a way, any way, for him to escape. Slowly edging forwards, the guards pounced, pressing something against his skin. He felt a sharp sting, and he shouted out, and then nothing, the man peered at the reading, and then nodded, the previous tension in his stance elapsed. Jonas stood, peering closely into 112A’s face, focussing on him intently this time, much more interested thanks to the reading on the display.

He turned to leave, saying over his shoulder as the cell door flickered back in to life, “Congratulations 112A, you are Force Sensitive. Training will commence within the next few weeks. You shall serve our Master well.”
_________________

Time to start again.

Xander Vos · Last edited by Xander Vos on Fri May 30, 2008 2:21 pm; edited 1 time in total

Chapter Two

**23 ABY – One Week After Leaving Utapau**

Bakura – Jedi Temple

The Bakuran sky glimmered in the dying light, the sun casting a deep red glow across the sky. Xander soaked it in, relishing in having returned. His journey to Utapau had taught him much about himself, and that was valuable enough to have spent as long there as he did. When he had returned he had been told that he was to move to his new quarters that were his by right as of ascending to the rank of Jedi Knight.

As he stood there staring out at the beautiful sunlight, he knew that it represented the end of a day, but also the end of a saga, the end of his time with Lyn, the end of his time as a Padawan to Vikro – even though he’d been a Jedi Knight for over a month, it only felt like he was truly becoming one now – and most of all an end to his childhood. But, of course, with the end of every day comes the start of a new one, and Xander smiled, encouraged by the prospect, and waited for Vikro.

“Xander? What is it you wanted to see me about?”

Xander turned, smiling at the familiar face, “Thank you, Master Vikro, I know how valuable your time is, the Outer Rim Sieges must be wreaking havoc with the Jedi Order..”

“Come now Xander, you should know by now you can call me Vikro, I’m not your Master, and I don’t like pressing my rank on others. But yes, the Outer Rim Sieges aren’t going as well as we hoped. After our initial victory at Lorta where we had the fortune of finding you, barely any of the battles have gone our way. But that’s for another time. What did you want to talk to me about?”

“Very well. Thank you Vikro. Its just-” Xander hesitated, unsure how to continue without betraying the emotion welling up within himself. He composed himself and begun again, “Throughout my life I have had companions – my parents, Jysek, Lyn, you, but now I’m on my own. Whenever the Council sends me on missions, I’ll be alone. I know I’m expected to take an Apprentice in the next few years, but until then I’ll be alone. I’ve never been alone before and, well, I feel so empty.”

Vikro nodded in understanding. “Xander, you must understand, that nearly everyone is alone at one point or another in their lives, and you must learn to accept this as a human being. As a Jedi Knight, however, you should know that a Jedi Knight shall never be alone. They have the Force by their side, supporting them in every move they make towards bringing about the destruction of this new Sith threat, or just towards stopping the greater evil.”

Xander nodded, absorbing the information, but letting it rest just short of realisation, “But if the Force is always an ally when we make moves to bringing about a greater peace, what would happen when we use it in moments of passion? Will it still support us? My actions in Thespis seem to have been rash in your eyes, and my actions upon finding my Grand Mother’s grave were certainly not correct. Will the Force still support us despite our hiccups, or abandon us until we return to the right path?”

Vikro stared him down gravely, knowing full well Xander was ashamed of his past actions, but that however did not excuse him of them. “You have committed ghastly acts in the past Xander, nothing on the scale of even just a Dark Jedi, but ghastly for a Jedi Knight. You struck your Master, you used a Sith technique on nearly defenceless civilians, yes to save your Masters life, and yes they had malicious intent, but nevertheless, still horrid. The Force forgives all if the right path is achieved. Even in the moments before death, if a Sith Lord resigns himself to the light and sees the errors in his ways, he is redeemed, and becomes one with the Force as he should be. No one is beyond redemption. Remember that Xander.”

Xander nodded, breaking into a semi-relieved smile, “Thank the Force. I thought I was alone to face the perils of the Galaxy. Knowing I have the Force makes it all the more easy. The Sith stand no chance.”

Vikro grinned, “They never did.”

Kroprulu – Sith High Council Chambers

“Over the past two decades, we have taxed the Outer Rim worlds, and many Expansionary Region and Mid-Rim worlds. Beginning with Lorta, we have attacked such worlds as Eriadu, Naboo, and Lyran IV, where a group of smugglers harbouring a fugitive was destroyed. We have completely obliterated much of the inter-sector economy, and more than effectively announced ourselves to the Galaxy,” said Darth Revenous, standing tall and firm before the eyes of each Sith Lord, and, most importantly, the Empress Chick, daughter of Empress Dell.

Empress Chick had only recently assumed her role as leader of the Empire, after killing Lord Supremus, the Sith Lord responsible for the death of her brother, Cal Zavier, who she still missed terribly. For the mean time she was in more of an advisory role, more of a figurehead than a leader, as she still learnt how to effectively run the Empire. Nevertheless, the power she held in her grip was enormous. She had command over one of the largest Empires the Galaxy had seen, and most probably the most powerful.

“With these taxations on the economy, the remnants of the Old Galactic Empire barely surviving, soon to be completely eradicated, I suggest we thrust the dagger through their heart, so to speak. I propose we attack the Tibanna Gas world, Bespin. It would be an immense strike into the heart of the remnant, and even if it were to fail, the damage done would be sufficient. With our Empire finally revealing itself, we will finally be able to bring the ancient homes of the Sith, such as Korriban, Ziost, and Thule, into our rule, and cast away the shackles of any possible resistance.

“Ever since Darth Crusher’s death during the strike on Anoat where a surprisingly large Imperial force had amassed, I have led this campaign strongly, not loosing a single craft, and only ten thousand men. This final strike will hammer the final nail into the Old Galactic Empire’s coffin, putting an end to the Imperial’s attempted return. I ask your permission to lead this strike personally from the ground rather than from in space with Grand Admiral Lanik as I have the previous worlds.”

Lanik, the young boy who had long ago fought well on Lorta, better than even the Grand Admiral of the time, had been promoted in reply to Astra’s disgrace. Only four years after becoming a fully fledged member of the Sith Navy, he was promoted to Grand Admiral, at only nineteen, proving his prowess. As far as Revenous knew, Astra now lived far from the capital city in “retirement”. Revenous had worked his way silently up the ranks for quite a while, watching in awe at the power of Lanik, motivating him to work even harder. At news of Crusher’s death, Revenous had put in a request to take his place, a request that Supreme Commander Minious had been more than eager to accept.

“As you stated, you have proven yourself more than a dozen times, on many exotic worlds,” Zero’s cool voice cut through the silence, his assessing eyes flicking over Revenous, putting him on the spot as he had so often whilst Revenous was merely an Apprentice, and so many others. “I would give my vote for you to launch the final strike. You’ve given astute reasons, and I would agree whole-heartedly.”

Revenous turned, facing the rest of the Council, more emboldened now that he had one Council Member’s support. Quite often even just one voice of assent of dissent could sway the entire Council to that path of reasoning, and, though he dare not say it aloud, Revenous secretly feared this weakness.

“I would also agree,” Lord Tontie said, his cool and calm features had remained passive through the entire meeting, soaking in all information before calmly making an assessment.

“As do I,” Lord Minious said, nodding.

“And I,” Empress Chick said, as Darth Revenous had predicted she would, as the others turned to face her, awaiting her final say on the matter. Even with nearly the entire Council in one frame of mind about an issue, only one Council Member had to support her to sway a vote. “This is the beginning of a glorious reign for our glorious Empire. The prophecy of old created by Darth Nosiop shall prevent us from immediately expanding the Empire in all directions, but a control over even just a part of the Galaxy would be supremely beneficial for us all.”

Darth Revenous, High General of the Sith Military, bowed before the Council, at its smallest – yet most powerful – since the Empire had first initiated the idea of a Sith Council thousands of years before. “Then I shall begin my preparations. We shall launch within the next month, but I shall of course announce it to you before we leave. My thanks, Lords, and Empress.”
_________________

Time to start again.

Xander Vos

Chapter Three

**24 ABY**

Bespin – Outer Atmosphere

Lyn piloted the Martial-class shuttle into the high atmosphere of Bespin with ease. Xander and Padmé Dral, an aged Jedi Knight with years of experience - who had only remained at the junior rank because she had no need of any sense of greatness - sat behind him. They were relaxed as they allowed Lyn to control the craft that would carry them to their latest mission for the Jedi Council. Xander had only met Padmé a few years ago but had already mustered a great deal of respect for her.

Only a week ago the Council had asked the three to inspect the gas canisters on Bespin. Whilst three Jedi Knights would normally be over the top for such a simple mission, Lyn and Xander were still learning how to act without a Master, and Padmé had agreed to help them as an observer only.

The Jedi Temple received most of its fuel from the Tibanna gas canisters, and once every few years, a Jedi Knight, or a pair of Jedi Knights, was sent to inspect them in case there had been tampering, or anything of the sort. This fear had increased ever since the Thespis incident, even though no further attempts to damage the Jedi Order had occurred, and since then, a patrol was sent every five months. Apparently Lyn and Xander had drawn the short straws and were asked to partake the mission.

Padmé walked over to stand behind Lyn in the small cabin, placing a calming hand on his shoulder. “This is just a routine mission Lyn, no need to be tense. By the time we land we just need to check twenty canisters, look over the contract with the administrator, and be on our way.”

“I know, I know,” Lyn murmured, his eyes darting in between the clouds, half expecting a fleet of Star Destroyers to burst forth and spew fire on them, “I just get the feeling that there’s danger coming. I just can’t explain it.”

Xander glanced at Lyn’s face. When Padmé had spoken up of Lyn’s uncomfortableness, he had been surprised. Lyn hadn’t betrayed any emotion to him through the Force, and there was nothing odd about the way he was flying to tell of anything worrying him, and yet Padmé had been able to pick up – rightly so – on a tenseness that Lyn was subtly emitting. Xander sighed. Despite being a Knight he still had a lot to learn.

The shuttle flew quietly down, the clouds dissolving around the wings of the craft, forming water vapour on the craft. Hissing softly the Martial-class shuttle settled down on the landing pad that had been reserved for the Bespin Enclave. Of course, to the administrators of this particular gas platform, they were merely private clients. The Council was always careful, even loyal miners of the Tibanna gas who had shipped the gas to them for decades didn’t know their true identity.

Standing, Xander ruffled Lyn’s hair, trying to calm his friend. “Just relax, nothing will happen. Routine mission: in, out, home. Like Master Padmé said, nothing to worry about.”

Anoat System

High General Revenous stood on the bridge of Grand Admiral Lanik’s Super Star Destroyer Doom. The craft cruised through space as the technicians prepared the information for the final Hyperspace jump that would bring them out right on top of the gas giant Bespin.

He turned to look at the Grand Admiral himself, who was ablaze with motion, whirling around from his viewport to order about the crew upon the ship, and the comm technicians who would then transmit orders to his fifteen Admirals on each of the fifteen Star Destroyers. Lanik’s crisp Grand Admiral uniform was spotless, and as stiff as a board. The medals clipped to the front displayed honours from far off worlds where he had proved himself first as an Ensign, then as an Admiral, and most recently as a Grand Admiral. Revenous shook his head as he allowed a wry smile to his lips. It still astounded him that one so young could be as brilliant as Lanik was. When he was no older than a boy, Lanik had stood strong where former-Grand Admiral Astra had failed, killing many on Lorta’s surface, only fleeing in the face of a Jedi Master, whom even Darth Crusher had struggled against.

Lanik turned, noticing that Revenous was looking at him. He walked slowly over to the High General, and although their differences in age, Revenous took a step back. Ever since meeting Lanik in person he had been slightly intimidated by the Grand Admiral who stood three inches taller than Revenous. He was especially intimidated aboard Lanik’s capital ship, where all the personnel were deadly loyal to the Grand Admiral over everyone else, even the Empress.

“The navigation systems have been set. We are ready to leave for Bespin any minute now. You mentioned earlier that something was troubling you, what was it?” Lanik said, the authoritative air about him that had been summoned as he walked towards Revenous vanishing as he spoke to Revenous as a friend, not a fellow officer.

“I don’t know. Recently I’ve been feeling confused,” Revenous said, feeling the words tumbling out of his mouth and they disgusted him. They made him sound like a coward, not the powerful High General that he was. “The Council has been betrayed. Our Empress killed a fellow Councilman. The same Councilman killed the Empress’ brother. I feel the further down this track the Sith go, the more towards self-destruction we tread. Something must be done to pull the Empire together once more. I only hope that this battle proves enough to boost our morale enough to return us to our former glory.”

“I understand what you’re saying,” Lanik said, “But now isn’t the time for such concerns. The Council can command us even if it is on the brink of internal warfare, and we are bound to carry those orders out. Whether we like it or not, we will serve the Council until we die if we hope to call ourselves true Sith.”

“You’re right but-” Revenous started.

“Stop,” Lanik said, a strange tone creeping into his voice. “I sense a presence – weak, perhaps far away, but there nonetheless - I haven’t felt since I was a young boy... It was,” he struggled to put a face to the presence he sensed, “It was a young boy on Lorta, during our first battle of the Sieges. He was strong in the Force, but try as I might, he wouldn’t come with me to the Sith. Despite being young and untrained he was strong enough to resist the pull of the Dark Side. I almost killed him, but the Jedi arrived and Crusher and I were forced to flee. Perhaps I sense his presence because he is close to us, maybe on Bespin itself. If he is, he shall not escape this time.”

Revenous stared forward, biting his lip to contain the arguments he wanted to spill forth, reserving himself as he knew he should, and as Lanik had ordered him to. Whilst they were of the same rank and Lanik hadn’t officially said anything, Revenous knew when he was being asked to follow a command, and Revenous was not about to argue about the powers of their corresponding ranks on the bridge of Lanik’s capital ship.

“I wouldn’t know, I can’t sense him,” Revenous said, and suddenly felt Lanik summon the authoritative air around himself once again.

“Prepare for the jump,” Lanik said, his eyes taking in Revenous’ confusion, flicking over his passive features, before turning back to shout to his men that they were heading out, and that they must prepare for the battle ahead.

Bespin – Tibanna Gas Platform 1365A

Lyn walked slightly ahead of Xander and Padme, who were calmly walking at their own pace. Lyn, however, was on edge, and was constantly tugging at his robe as if it were choking the air from his lungs. Drops of sweat rolled slowly down his brow, and a quick swipe of his hand removed them every few seconds.

“Lyn, relax,” Xander said, hiding his grin at his friend’s nervousness, “Its not as if some inter-Galactic monster is about to gobble us up, calm down. Sure, get nervous on a mission behind enemy lines, but this? This is nothing. This is-,”

He broke off, and stared up, where the ominous white-grey triangles of the Imperial Star Destroyer had emerged, fifteen in total, and an enormous one – which Xander assumed was the Super Star Destroyer.

Lyn spun back to them, glaring at them both for doubting him. Xander sighed in defeat, knowing he had been wrong. “This is trouble,” he finished. The trio spun around, racing back the way they had come. “Get to the transport,” Xander called, “I’ll try to find something with a little more firepower to take them down. Meet up with me once I do and transfer across. Where do you keep your fighters?” He fired at their guide who had gone into a panic.

“In our h-hanger. This w-way,” he stuttered, and raced off with Xander in quick pursuit. Xander ducked under piping, flipped up stairwells, and managed to reach the hanger, which was on the other side of the platform in less than ten minutes.

His eyes darted around, trying to find something that could help them, and they locked onto a gleaming YT-2400 craft, the sleek design standing out from the other dirtier craft. He headed towards it, but stopped. He turned, “What are the ignition codes?”

“I can’t give you them. I just can’t,” babbled the aid, backing up, “That’s our most prized fighter. Its pilot would loose his mind if it went missing, or get so much as a scratch on it.”

“Do you understand what’s happening?” Xander almost shouted, “The Sith are invading! And you’re worried about scratching this craft? Now, I’ll ask you again,” said Xander, in a more gentle tone, whilst still maintaining the pitch – now straining to be heard above the fighter alert alarms sounding out, and the launches of craft, “What are the ignition codes?”

The aid glanced at him, and wiped his brow nervously. Finally he gave up, and reached into his pocket, fumbling with his datapad, and transferred the codes to Xander datapad. Xander nodded at the aid in thanks, and raced up the quickly descending ramp into the cockpit. He clicked his datapad into the port, and watched in relief as the thrusters fired into life.

Hoping it would run without a pre-flight check, he lifted off, gliding through the low atmosphere, unconsciously glancing up at the quickly encroaching Imperial craft. Swarms of black dots were belching from the craft, and Xander knew they had little time before those dots would get close enough to form into the larger forms of TIE Fighters.

“Lyn? Padme? Where are you?” He shouted into the speaker, flicking to the frequency used by the Bakuran Enclave.

“No need to shout Xander, we’re right below you, the shuttle doesn’t want to start. I’m thinking that that aid tampered with it,” Lyn said, suspicion creeping into his voice.

Xander rolled his eyes, “Lyn, get over it. Not everyone is out to kill us. Only the Sith, and that man was certainly not a Sith. Probably just ran out of fuel, or an engine is acting up. Now, as soon as I set down, I want you two onboard and manning the turrets as quickly as you can. Those TIEs will be here any minute, and I need to be able to concentrate on contacting the Council.”

“Will do,” said Lyn, and clicked the comm channel to indicate that all had been confirmed. Xander settled the YT craft down on the landing pad, squeezing in next to the larger Martial-Class shuttle. He drummed his fingers on the control panel as the boarding ramp hissed down to clang on the metal of the pad.

“All secure,” came Padmé’s voice over the inter-comm channel minutes later, as the pair settled into their turrets. Unlike its predecessor the YT-2000, the YT-2400 had resumed the side cockpit of the earlier models, and was easily modified. This one had an above average amount of laser canons – the two the 1300 had had, at the top and bottom, but also a third positioned above a slightly lowered engine, allowing three gunners maximum, a co-pilot to man the anti-fighter gun at the front, and the pilot. Xander cursed the Force that a ship of this potential couldn’t use it.

Xander flipped through the channels, finding the secure hyper-wave transmission channel for the Bakuran Enclave. As the craft rose into the air, he spoke desperately into it, “Green Base, this is Echo One. We need help. Repeat, in desperate need of help. Sith forces have appeared over head, and no escape vector apparent. Send aid, and my mentor if at all possible.”

Static met his message, and Xander shook his head in despair, repeating the message. Keeping an eye on the sky, he tensed as the first TIE squadron came into range, small sensors pinging as it picked up these new craft, and Xander quickly gave them the appropriate designations. The craft shook slightly as each turbolaser fired bolts into the TIEs, eradicating the squadron in seconds, even as they quickly tried to retreat in the face of such deadly accuracy. Two more squadrons, much more cautious this time, quickly appeared in its place, and Xander was forced to flip through the air to avoid return fire at his communication dish. The two squadrons formed up into one large squadron, and Xander was forced to spend one of his limited concussion missiles wiping out a large number of them, spinning the rest away and making them easy targets for Lyn and Padmé. Even as they finished eliminating the last craft, five more squadrons – albeit with less TIE Fighters in each – flew down, intent on wiping them out and avenging their former comrades. Without help they wouldn’t last an hour.
_________________

Time to start again.

Xander Vos

Chapter Four

**24 ABY**

Bespin – Inner Atmosphere

“Green Base, this is Echo One. We need help. Repeat, in desperate need of help. Sith forces have appeared over head, and no escape vector apparent. Send aid, and my mentor, if at all possible.” Xander repeated, clenching his teeth as an explosion sounded on the hull from a TIE bomber squadron’s recent attack. Lyn and Padmé fired reflexively, destroying two of the sluggish bombers, but the sheer amounts of fighters were quickly overwhelming them.

For the last twenty minutes Xander had been flying through sheer skill and the skin of his teeth to avoid death. Luckily the Gas Platforms own defences were attracting more attention for the Sith than one lone fighter. If any of his communications had gotten through to the Jedi, they should have been at Bespin by now, but with no change in the battle, things had obviously gone differently. Another strike like the one they had suffered from the Bombers and they were done for. He shook his head in confusion. What had tipped off the Sith to their location? And even at that, why would they send an entire fleet to kill just three Jedi? Xander knew the Sith knew they had returned, but they couldn’t possibly have discerned the Jedi’s homeworld, or there would have been a full scale attack. Could it be the fuel this planet supplied the Jedi? What if the Sith weren’t here for the Jedi at all and it was another battle in their Outer Rim Sieges?

Xander shook his head to clear it of such thoughts. They were dangerous in this heavy battle, and he needed all his focus on destroying the fighter squadrons, and holding on until the Council sent help. If all else failed, though, he would be forced to launch a suicidal attack on the Super Star Destroyer in the hope of knocking out their leader. Futile, he knew, but if they were to die, he would die with the satisfaction that they had seriously inconvenienced the Sith, even if at nothing more they damaged the Super Star Destroyer, or even just rattled it and gave more chance of success to the local defence.

“Lyn, focus fire on the incoming TIE Phantoms, with shielding they are more formidable than those TIE Fighters. Padmé, those bombers are getting too close, take them out,” Xander said, flipping the craft on its side as he fired the forward laser, causing two TIE Fighters to veer into each other, and a third swerve off, into a stray laser blast from Lyn’s canon. “Scratch three,” Xander said, grinning.

“Hey! That third one was mine,” Lyn said, as he spun his turret around, raking fire over a TIE fighter and its wingman.

“No! My blast destroyed it, therefore my kill,” Xander said laughing at the growl from Lyn over the comm. His laughter died and he sobered. Despite the much needed distraction they were still in the middle of a battle they were fast losing. The third turret was at fifty percent, any more damage and it would have to be replaced rather than repaired, the shield generator had fallen into the red at only twenty percent, and the engines were straining on only seventy percent. This baby would need a whole heap of repairs.

Xander allowed himself a slight chuckle, he was already thinking of this craft as his own, and he didn’t even own it. He’d always wanted a craft to replace the last one he had owned – the only one he had owned – his X-Wing, because the craft he and Jysek had used to escape Kinyen couldn’t really be considered his, and if it was, it was more of an embarrassment than a ship, the way its engines had let out so quickly.

“We’ll see what they say, hey baby?” He murmured, rubbing the control panel affectionately, hoping if they survived the Council would grant him this one favour.

“Did you say something Xander?” Padmé said, her voice tense as a fresh wave of attacking craft screamed over head.

“Nothing,” Xander said, turning his attention back to the fight, quickly flipping onto his side to avoid a barrage of proton torpedoes from a TIE Bomber.

Bespin – Hangar Bay 19

High General Revenous swerved a blast of flame as a TIE Fighter near his Sith Fighter detonated brilliantly. His shields flickered, and recovered to full strength. Targeting a turbo-laser turret guarding the hangar, he squeezed the trigger beneath his fingers, and watched in satisfaction as his damage indicator showed the tower’s power percentage down from one hundred percent to only fifty percent, Revenous’ powerful lasers ripping through the durasteel.

Revenous’ wing mates let loose with their own volleys, and the tower ripped apart like an over-ripe juma fruit. “Good work men,” Revenous said, congratulating them as they regrouped. Around them the battle was heavily one-sided, the hangar collapsing under heavy barrages of fire. Finally, a final volley of bombs from a TIE bomber squadron smashed through the ceiling, collapsing the hangar in on itself, preventing the ten Z-95 Headhunters, three X-Wing fighters, and one A-Wing from lifting off if their pilots had ever arrived.

“Sir, four TIE Squadrons report that they have intercepted a YT-2400 craft bearing pirate marks near platform 1365A. They report heavy casualties already, roughly estimated at six TIE Squadrons and two TIE Bomber squadrons, as well as one TIE Phantom Squadron. They believe that this craft has some sort of extraordinary being aboard the craft, because of its high performance levels, possibly even Jedi. Suggestions?”

Revenous stared forward, thinking. There were many more targets that Darth Minious had ordered eliminated, and Grand Admiral Lanik had told him to put these above all else. But this lone craft had already cost them casualties far higher than the rest of their casualties combined, and coupled with Lanik’s mention of a strong Jedi he had encountered years ago, and his desire for him to meet his end, Revenous doubted there would be complaints if he eliminated the craft. The opportunity to destroy this Jedi, or multiple Jedi as he was beginning to suspect from the description, was too tempting to pass up. He opened his comm channel again.

“Torga, take over. Eliminate targets in order of priority, and then regroup back at the Doom. I shan’t be long, and wasting time aiding me could prove costly if the Jedi is as good as Silver Nine claims. Only one with the aid of the Force such as myself could hope to eliminate them. It would be suicide for you.”

“Yes sir,” Torga said, not even betraying a hint of resentment at Revenous’ otherwise stinging analysis. Torga was a loyal soldier, and a fearsome pilot. He knew where his skills lay, and they were certainly not in something such as the Force.

Revenous nodded. He shifted Torga’s name on his datapad, calling for a promotion from Wingman to Squad Leader. He had shown much skill to prove that he was ready for such a promotion, and although that meant he would be leading a squadron of his own with no help from Revenous, he knew he would do well.

Revenous steeled himself for the fight ahead. Even with the added support of those four TIE squadrons, the Jedi had proved already that he or she was accurate with laser turrets, with or without the Force, and this could very well turn into a struggle for his life.

Bespin – Inner Atmosphere

Xander spun the craft on its axis, as he struggled to avoid a fresh barrage of fire. The shield generator was losing power at a constant rate now, and within two minutes it would be at critical. Whatever spare power he had, Xander diverted to the shields, but he knew it was only a matter of time before he was forced to land or be shot out of the sky.

“Xander, the turbolasers are showing low power signs, what do we do?” Lyn said, “Keep fighting or what?”

“Keep fighting,” Xander called back, “If we don’t stop them, we’re dead, you got that?” He shouted sharply.

“Alright, alright,” Lyn muttered, “No need to snap.”

“Lone fighter heading in, of unknown design, but four squadrons of TIEs seem to be following it at a discreet distance, keep your eyes open,” Padmé called, and Xander glanced down at the Friend-or-Foe radar screen and saw a lone orange blip appear. He frowned. At last they were actually taking them seriously – this fighter was coming from the hangar, meaning it had been told of them. But why only send one? And what kind of ship was this? It looked nothing like the TIE fighters.

It was bulkier, and somewhat resembled the Sith Fighter of the Old Republic era – or what relics of them remained. Instead of a single pair of wings, it contained two pairs, much like an X-Wing, although its style held the style of the old Sith Fighter’s wings. The cock-pit was bulky, where a shield generator and hyperdrive appeared to be settled, if the YT-2400’s designator was functioning correctly. What kind of fighter had the hyperdrive and shield generator on the outside? It left them vulnerable to attack. Perhaps a stronger shield had boosted the Sith Empire’s confidence that this craft wouldn’t be destroyed easily.

“Keep your eyes open for that fighter,” Xander said, “Put it to the top of priorities – the both of you.”

“Roger,” Lyn and Padmé said in unison, switching to dual fire, and flashing it with fire at every turn. The craft spun, weaved, dived, and feinted, anticipating every laser that came at it, even before they were fired. This was interesting.

“Its a Sith,” Xander said, and from the affirmatives Lyn and Padmé gave, Xander guessed they had come to the same conclusion. “Be very careful, he is not to be taken lightly. Take out the shield generator and hyperdrive, he’ll be heavily crippled and easily defeated.”

“Easier said than done,” grunted Lyn, “Its hard to lay a shot on him! And even if we do, the shield generator would just recharge!”

The craft shuddered, and Xander glanced at the readings, sweat forming on his forehead again, as the shield generator fell into the red. “We have to land!” He shouted, “Any longer and we’ll be shot out of the sky. At least on the ground we can take them by surprise, and as long as we stay away from the gas canisters, we can’t really be taken out from the air.”

“Alright, but make sure they don’t follow us,” said Padmé, firing at the Sith craft as it followed them tightly. Scoring a lucky shot, she held down her trigger, and several further shots followed as the craft seemed visibly surprised by the hit. Padmé let out a rarely seen surge of passion as a bout of flame poured from the craft, and the shield generator rattled loose.

“Shields are down!” Xander said, “Fire at that hyperdrive!” He grinned, but struggled to maintain it as he pulled hard on the yoke, keeping the craft from plowing through the platform. “I’m taking her in, prepare for emergency landing!”

Screeching to a stop, he sliced through the transparisteel with his blade, leaping out, not bothering to waste time with the ramp, knowing any second could be his last. He turned, calculating the distance to the Sith craft, which was still being fired at by Lyn, who was on the top, but Padmé had also cut through the transparisteel on her canon and was jogging to meet Xander. It turned, noticing Xander out on his own and fired at him once, twice, and Xander’s green blade surged to life, and swung and spat as it blocked the blasts back, knocking Xander to the ground, but smashing into the craft, sending flames through the cockpit. The pilot shielded himself, pushed a button by his seat, and ejected from the dying craft even as Lyn jumped from his seat as well.

Xander leaped from the ground to the craft, and from the craft to the pilot who had lit a ruby blade. He swiped at the man, knocking him from the ejector seat, and the two fell back to the ground, where Lyn and Padmé had made their way into cover and stood waiting. The man was breathing heavily as he hit the ground, and stood, pushing Lyn away through the Force, and striking Xander in the head as he landed, knocking him to the ground.

Padmé slashed at the man, graceful in her movements, but deadly. She ducked under him, knocking his chin with the butt of her lightsaber. He spun away, coming in again to attack. Xander rose, wiping blood from his cheek, and made sure Lyn was alright. The two watched the pair duelling, panting slightly from only a moment fighting with the man, and Padmé was outlasting him, gaining the upper hand.

Finally, the battle seemed over as Padmé pushed the man to the ground, smashing his lightsaber away, and Xander marched forward, as the man fell to the ground, and held his lightsaber blade to the man’s chin, preventing him from rising again.

“In the name of the Jedi Bakuran Enclave, for justice in the Galaxy and to avenge the deeds of evil, I, Xander Vos, place you in the custody of the Jedi Order,” he said. From the pouch on his belt, Xander produced a pair of stun-cuffs, and clipped them to the man’s wrists as he spat angrily in Xander’s face.

“Its no use,” the man said, defeatedly, “You can’t win. Our forces will be stopped by nothing short of an armada, and the Jedi Order doesn’t seem to have them in their back pocket.”

“He’s right,” Lyn said, pointing into the air, “Look.”

Above them, twelve new triangles had appeared, much larger than the Imperial Star Destroyers, although smaller than the Super Star Destroyer. What were these? A new weapon the Empire had developed?

“We’re doomed,” Xander said, sinking to his knees as the man behind him began to laugh, a cruel, sinister laugh.

Unknown Location

“Good, good, the anger swelling in you is good, it is strong. Use it, destroy the training droids with nothing more than your mind. Your power is that great,” The Master said, chuckling as his Apprentice rose to fight. Prisoner 112A – he knew no other name – concentrated, raising his hands, bringing forth the power he had learnt to harness, and the droids shook, crumpling under his might, and spinning into each other, erupting into huge balls of flame as they hit. Several however, survived his concentration.

They raised, and armed their lasers, targeting the figure who had already left his former location, and spun to face them from the opposite side of the room. He raised the palm of his hand, absorbing the first laser bolt that was fired, stopping the second and sending it shooting back into its sender, destroying it immediately.

With only two droids of the original seven remaining, the odds had drastically increased for 112A, and he allowed a confident, arrogant smirk to rise to his face.

“Excellent work,” The Master said, from the observation booth above the room, standing tall in his grey robe, the hood spread back over his shoulders. His wispy black hair showed his age in the form of a slowly increasing bald spot in the middle of his head, although it remained long and powerful at the back. His brown eyes showed a depth to his character that on the surface appeared to be non-existent. 112A had spent the last few months learning the depth of The Master, and how much he had actually been through in his life.

The Master had been orphaned at a young age, his parents murdered by raiders to his village. In his anger The Master had killed them, proving to the Universe he was pure evil. According to The Master, he had established a training facility in the far depths of the Galaxy, aboard a ship, where he trained Apprentices once at a time, and it was now 112A’s turn. He explained away 112A’s memories of a bacta tank as an injury 112A had sustained during a training exercise that had resulted in memory loss, and even hallucinations, which is where his experiences as a prisoner had come from.

112A believed him – what else could he do? He knew no other life, and the plausible explanation The Master had provided was entirely believable. He struggled to separate the hallucinations he had suffered from reality, and still struggled to remember what had happened before the accident.

He shook his head clear, he needed to concentrate on the battle. One of the droids struck him with the laser, burning his arm, and he growled for losing his concentration. He clenched his teeth and his eyes drew together, and he raised his hands, letting loose a primal scream. A slight burning resulted, and the droids erupted into electric blue fire, and 112A realised it was resulting from the power emerging from his finger tips. He released the energy, and the droids collapsed to the floor.

“Very good, you are learning well. That power was Force Lightning, one of the most powerful Dark Side techniques if you can master it correctly,” The Master said, cackling evilly, “Very soon you shall be ready to take your rightful place as a full Sith, and then the Galaxy shall know true doom.”
_________________

Time to start again.

Xander Vos

Chapter Five

**24 ABY**

Bespin – Orbit

Twelve Star Defenders, four Corellian Corvettes, and a few wings of fighters. That was the extent of the Enclave’s battle-group. It outnumbered the fleet the Sith had amassed, but they had eight of them. Eight. With even just three they would be able to rip apart the Jedi’s defences, and destroy the Order. The only thing saving them was the unknown location of the Jedi’s Temple.

Koras Aldamar stood upon the bridge of the Guardian, watching as his ships manoeuvred into position as they converged on the Sith, who were quickly setting up escape vectors. Since most of their fighters were engaged planet side, the Sith were intelligent enough to realise when they were overpowered, and that a fight would just prolong the inevitable.

Only an hour ago they had received Xander’s distress call, and rather than reply, the Council had wasted no time in dispatching Shatterpoint and himself to prevent the deaths of three Jedi Knights. Xander had also requested Vikro, but he had been unavailable. The Sanctuary Pipeline and Corellian Trade Spine Hyperspace routs had cut the normal journey between the two planets if he had flown through normal hyperspace – which would have been five or six hours, too late to save them – down to under an hour. The fleet had materialised as planned, and a declaration of surrender had been received by the Sith.

On the gas platforms below – which were nothing more than specks from the bridge of the Star Defender – hordes of TIEs – Bombers, Phantoms, and Fighters alike – broke rank and fled back to their capital ships, after witnessing the appearance of the mammoth like Defenders. They must have been confused about the allegiance of the craft, but their Friend-Or-Foe monitors did that for them.

The Defenders were an odd design. Although bearing a similar naming sequence to the Destroyers used by the Sith, the Defenders had only been sketched out twenty years ago, with the first constructs put into action only ten years ago. The Mon Calamari cruisers had been designated Defenders to highlight their more benign function. Accessing their huge funds that they amassed every year through gifts of gratitude from planets they had aided – over the past three thousand years – the Order had placed orders for fifteen Defenders, of which twelve had so far been produced and delivered, fitted with droid crews as the Order had specified.

As of course there was no way for the Order to employ non-Jedi, the majority of their fleet was droid-run, with even the starfighters fitted with special jacks for either droid or organic use. The Sith, however, didn’t know this, and assumed an entirely organic crew was at the helm of the great ships of war that were bearing down on them.

Of the twelve, ten of the Star Defenders were Strident-class, with the other five – three already and a further two to come – were Viscount-class, large and powerful enough to take on a Super Star Destroyer. Koras cursed inwards that they wouldn’t be able to see this potential with the population capacity the Order had. There was the occasional smuggler or pilot who offered their aid to the Temple, who the Temple would give shelter to on Bakura, and they were given heavy training and then promoted to the highest position onboard the craft. Whilst the lack of personnel was a disadvantage, Koras was still much relieved that they finally had a formidable fleet with which to attack and destroy two Sith fleets at once. Any more, however, and they may not last the battle.

Koras looked across to the Star Defender flanking his to the right, the Protector. Although he could not see the slim, attractive woman on the bridge, he could sense his wife, Shatterpoint’s, strong presence guiding the droids through their tasks as they prepared to cut off the Sith who had foolishly launched an attack.

Two Star Destroyers, clearly against the commands orders, had broken off the retreat, and were bearing down on three Star Defenders, the Temple, Feleah, and the Purity. The three craft had the advantage over the pair, in so far as they clearly intimidated the Star Destroyers, which were firing ion canons only, hoping to quickly take out the shields and weapons. In reality, half the turrets on the three lay dormant, the other half only charged to half power, most power on all Defenders sent to the shield instead.

Shatterpoint’s craft bore down on the two Destroyers, the Protector’s lasers fired menacingly, smashing through the two tinier craft’s shield as the three Stridents added to the barrage. Before long, the two craft switched to lasers, and concussion missiles, firing at the weakening shield of the Feleah. Breaking through, ripples of fire appeared across its surface as its canon emplacements slowly evaporated under the unending barrage of fire.

A bright flare of light that forced the viewport on the bridge to tint and Koras to look away, signified the detonation of one of the Star Destroyers. Realising its impending doom, the destroyed Star Destroyer’s counterpart tried to turn tail and flee, and was punished as turbolaser canons pinpointed its engines, blowing it apart.

“That’s the last of them,” Koras said, smiling, as the Sith fleet jumped into Hyperspace, winking out of existence. “Damage report.”

“Roger,” a droid said, clicking its mandibles against screens in front of it, bringing up figures, “Sage reports shields at eighty percent, two turbo-lasers down to forty percent, and one engine grid down to seventy percent. Golte reports no damage. Cion reports one turbo-laser destroyed, one engine at ninety percent. Trinity reports shields at eighty percent, two engines at sixty-five and eighty-two percent respectively. Elitha reports no damage. Ghost reports no damage. Seraphic reports no damage. Purity reports no damage. Temple reports one damaged turbo-laser canon at seventy-three percent. Feleah reports three canons damaged, and two concussion tubes at ten percent. Our craft has taken no damage, nor fired a single shot. Protector reports no damage. The corvettes stayed out of range and escaped any harm.”

Koras sighed in relief. Those damage reports were repairable. They had lost none of their fleet. Nothing critical had occurred amongst their craft, and aside from a few engines and shields, the damage was solely in the laser canons.

“Sir, we are receiving a transmission from an incoming craft,” a droid said, “Patching it through.”

“Master Koras! Glad to see you made it,” Padmé Dral’s very much alive voice came through, and Koras could see the grin plastered on her face. The adrenaline from the battle mixed with the relief at survival had caused strange effects in the three, and Koras could hear Xander and Lyn whooping for joy in the background.

Koras smiled, “Docking Bay 49 is all yours Padmé, come aboard and meet me on the bridge, and you can tell me all about it.”
_________________

Time to start again.

Xander Vos

Chapter Six

**24 ABY – One Week After Bespin’s Invasion**

Jedi Temple – Council Chambers

“Xander Vos, Lyn Korak, Padmé Dral. The three of you have together proven yourselves as formidable opponents to the Sith. You did not falter in the line of duty even when faced with overwhelming odds.” Grand Master Abba said, before a crowd of onlookers, who, despite the Council’s best attempts, had insisted on being present at this special Council meeting. Amongst the crowd there were several youngsters who hadn’t even been chosen to become Padawans, but their bravery in the face of punishment showed just how much they admired the trio’s efforts.

“Lyn Korak,” Abba said, turning her attention first to the shorter boy, who was fidgeting on the spot, nervous. Lyn had always been shy, and with so many people’s attention focussed primarily upon him, he had begun to fidget. “Master Kavar, before his journey away from the Temple, proved to have been a strong Master, training you, and fine tuning you to the will of the Force. If he were here today, he would indeed be proud,” Thunderous applause met this statement.

“I hereby declare that, if you so choose, you may take your own Apprentice. You are more than ready, and shall train him well. Whomever you choose will be the luckiest of the Initiates.”

Lyn blushed slightly and rubbed his shoulder, embarrassed. Composing himself he murmured his thanks to Abba, bowing slightly as she turned her attention to Padmé.

“Padmé Dral. Long have you been with us, and many an Apprentice have you trained. I doubt there is not one amongst the crowd here today who does not admire you in one form or another. You trained many Apprentices how to use their chosen Lightsaber Forms, and many others the history of our Order. And yet you deny yourself your true calling as a Jedi Master. Today, despite your persistence and insistence against such a move, the Jedi Council shall promote you to the rank of Jedi Master, if nothing else than to satisfy our need.”

Padmé grinned as if she was a little girl holding a bag of sweets, and moved forward, ignoring protocol, and wrapping Abba in a hug. The pair had trained together as Apprentices, and despite their differences in rank, they would always be friends first, Jedi second. “Thank you Abba,” she said, smiling through her face of tears.

Abba nodded, and turned her attention to the tall man standing next to her. Years ago he had come to the Temple, a round-faced and curious young boy. His eyes had held wisdom beyond his years, having faced many adventures that many aged Masters at the Temple had never had to face. He had seen his life-long friend cut down before his eye. And despite all that he had been lost and intimidated by the life of the Jedi.

Over the years he had grown, both physically and mentally under the rigorous discipline of Council Member Vikro. The pair had fought for the Order on many worlds, defending several others in space and on land, in space stations and underwater. And now, he stood before her, no longer the boy he had been, but a man, strong and true, standing tall and proud for his actions. The stubble on his face that he hadn’t shaved off since the adventure on Bespin as a vow not to forget what had transpired showed beyond a doubt that he was no longer a shiny faced youth, but a man, and a Jedi Knight.

“Xander Vos,” Abba said, choking back emotion, “You came to us many years ago, unsure of your path, and with no faith in yourself. Now, you are confident, with a direction in your life. You have matured before our eyes, and have proven our faith in you to be well placed. You have been unsure of your readiness to take your own Padawan, and the Council understands your grievances. However, we also believe you are ready. Xander Vos, the Jedi Council confers upon you the right to take a Padawan learner to teach in the ways of the Force.”

Xander bowed low, his head shaking hard as he fought back tears, bowing it low to conceal this fact, although Abba knew. She always knew. He looked up as the tears fell free, rolling down his cheeks. “Thank you, Master Abba. I have fought hard in the name of the Enclave so that others can live in peace. I have sacrificed so much so that others could live in comfort. And never will I hesitate to do so again. In all my power as a Jedi Knight, I promise to you, and the crowd gathered here, that I shall fight until the last breath leaves my body to defend this Temple.”

Abba nodded, and clapped, encouraging the crowd gathered to clap as well. Slowly, the crowd trickled out the doors, and back to their routines. Abba turned and took her seat, as the rest of the Council did so as well.

“I apologise that we couldn’t keep the crowd back Lyn,” Rive grinned, “I know how much you hate crowds.”

“I’ll live,” Lyn said, laughing slightly in the wake of such a momentous occasion.

“Now,” Vikro said, sobering, “We must discuss this Sith you brought back in captivity. You claim he was the High General of the Sith?”

“Yes,” Xander said, “His uniform bore the correct markings, and the craft that he flew suggested he was a person of importance. Once we had captured him, and Masters Koras and Asil arrived, the Sith fleet broke ranks and fled. Now, if he had been a Sith of lower rank, his commanding officer would have held the attack together and enacted more damage on the Enclave’s fleet. Because they didn’t, it leads me to believe that he was either the leading officer of the invasion, or one of them.”

“Very well,” Koras said, “What should be done with him? We have him in captivity, but he claims that ever since a few weeks ago he had begun to have doubts in the Sith, and wanted to convert to the Jedi. We believe it is some form of a lie to allow him to spy on us for his Sith Masters.”

“I don’t think so,” Lyn spoke up, “The way he was acting once we had captured him and were bringing him back suggested that he was almost relieved. I know that is easily faked, but even Master Padmé could sense something about him that suggested he was genuinely willing to convert.”

“Its true,” Padmé added, supporting Lyn, “I sensed no deception from him. I suggest we allow him to train as a Jedi, but that at the slightest inkling of deception, we halt his training and return him to captivity.”

Asil looked at Abba, who hesitated, “Very well,” she said finally, deciding, “If a Master is willing to train him we shall allow him to train as a Jedi.”

Bakura – Jedi Temple

After the meeting, Xander walked out of the Council chambers. After discussing Revenous – as they had learnt his Sith name to be - they had discussed the battle and what was to become of the craft Xander had used. They had agreed to allow him to keep it, and so was now currently undergoing repairs. He smiled at the thought of again having his own ship.

Xander glanced around. Many of the initiates from the gathering still gawked at him from along the hall. He tried to hide his grin. He remembered when he had been their size. New to the Temple, everyone appearing as strangers, and having experienced heavy trauma Xander had been alone, but for these youngsters, they had just witnessed heroes of the Jedi Order, the people they should aspire to become. Knowing what they had done on Bespin probably daunted many of them, and they under-estimated themselves.

Xander walked over to one of them, a human boy of no more than ten or eleven. He crouched by the initiate, and smiled at him. “What’s your name, son?” he asked, trying to help the boy get over his nerves.

“Leon, sir. Leon Danex,” the boy said, cleaning his datapad nervously, even though he didn’t glance down.

“I think its shiny enough Leon,” laughed Xander, and the boy glanced down, grinned sheepishly, and put his datapad back in his belt pouch.

“So how did you get to the Temple Leon?”

“Master Koras found me, sir. I was born on Nar Shadda, and that’s where I’ve lived. Only last year Koras rescued me and told me I had powers enough to become a Jedi. Is that true? Will you be my Master?” Leon said, almost impatiently, though still intimidated by Xander.

Xander frowned slightly, surprised at the boy’s impatience, “Perhaps,” he said gently, “We’ll see.”

He got up and moved off, finding a Kel Dor who was trying to pretend he was reading a holo-pad, but was sneaking glanced down the hall whenever he could.

“What’s your name?” Xander asked.

“Wes, Wes Odo, sir,” Wes said, grinning slightly.

“Now why do you want to be a Jedi?”

“I want to be a Jedi because I want to help people. On Dorin, there are so many accidents from our over-developed technology and the inability to control it, that I felt like I should help, but I never could. I want to learn to harness the Force to help people like my own species, but also the Galaxy itself.”

Xander nodded, satisfied. “Thank you, I will take that into consideration.”

“Does that mean you will train me? My first Master left half-way through my training.” Wes said, his eyes wide as saucers.

Xander snapped to attention. He had assumed Wes was an initiate, but on closer examination, he did appear to be about fifteen, or sixteen, Xander wasn’t sure when it came to Kel Dor physiology.

“Who was your Master?”

“Master Kavar, he trained your friend, Master Korak. He went into meditation and left me behind,” Wes said, downcast.

Xander smiled reassuringly, “Perhaps I will take you as my Padawan, we’ll see.”

He stood again, and nodded to himself. While Leon had lied slightly about his beginnings – Koras had been no where near Nar Shadda in the last year – he was strong in the Force, and could need rigorous training to quell his rebellious attitude. On the other hand, Wes had been genuine in his desire to aid people, although Xander had sensed that if he had answered the question about Apprenticeship in a less diplomatic way, Wes may have jumped to anger, and Xander had certainly sensed anger at his predicament. He certainly needed intensive training to undo the damage that Kavar’s rash leaving had caused. Xander was surprised that Kavar would do something like that. He hadn’t been aware that Kavar had taken another Apprentice yet since Lyn. Making up his mind, Xander headed off for a much needed rest.

He keyed in the code to his apartment, 23100, and entered, sighing as he settled down on his bed, smiling to himself, and ridiculed himself as small tears formed in his eyes. For once in his life, he was content with where he was.
_________________

Time to start again.

Xander Vos

Chapter Seven

**26 ABY – A Year and Two Months After Bespin**

Jedi Temple – Council Chambers

“Wes Odo has been orphaned, so to speak, by Master Kavar. He trained Lyn Korak well, and should be commended for that. As well, his performance in the Ambush at Thespis was legendary, he defeated three scores of men on his own. However, his abandonment of Wes Odo is not highly regarded at all. His sudden departure for his home world of Sullust for ‘mediation’ came at an inconvenient time, and if not for Wes’ diligence could have sent the boy over to the Dark Side. I sensed it in him while I spoke to him about the possibility of becoming my Apprentice,” Xander said, standing in the centre of the Council chambers, feeling slightly vulnerable with the eyes of the seven Jedi Council Members.

He felt at ease slightly at the fact that amongst the seven, there was the possibility that two of them may have a special deposition to him. Obi-Tyler, recently added to the Council, and Vikro, had both trained him at different times, and a third, Padmé, who had taught him Ataru, was rumoured as a possible addition to the Council in years to come. Shatterpoint, as well, had found him, and Koras had saved his skin enough to regard him with fondness. But Abba, Rive and Jaden... Xander was unsure. Rive seemed comical enough, but Jaden and Abba stayed distant and unattached most times, the emotion Abba had conveyed at the meeting after the Invasion of Bespin a little over a year ago was the first that she had shown towards Xander. He had to be careful when picking his words against Kavar, or the Council could see it as a disrespect to a non-present Master and punish him.

“After further discussing issues with Wes, I believe that I am correct in my decision. I would like to take him as my Padawan learner with the Council’s permission. With his training half completed, he could prove a danger to others if not himself if not trained completely and properly.”

“Yes, we have discussed young Odo for a while now. Kavar’s desertion was a shocking one, and although he promised to return upon departure, we can only assume that the uncompleted training of his Apprentice reflected a failure on his part. Perhaps Knight Korak proved to be a more easy Padawan than Odo, and that he was confident, as Korak was his first Padawan, and was shocked at the challenge Odo produced. Whatever the reason, whether that be it, or nothing more than speculation, you are here, and Kavar is not.” Rive said, deep in thought.

“If I may,” Koras said, looking around, and gaining confidence, “I move to allow Xander Vos to resume Wes Odo’s training, until and when Wes becomes a Jedi Knight.”

“Aye,” the Council said in unison, and Xander smiled, happy to be training his first Padawan.

“Now, the official meeting shall be held with Wes present, but if he doesn’t complain, you are now Wes’ Master, congratulations,” Vikro said, smiling. His Padawan was now the Master, the circle was complete.

Bakura – Training Centre

Xander easily blocked a strike from Wes Odo, and flipped his lightsaber over so that it was below his Apprentice’s blade, pushing slightly and sending the Kel Dor’s blade clattering to the floor.

Xander shook his head, disappointed, “Did Master Kavar teach you nothing about lightsaber combat? I know of Younglings in the Bantha clan who could beat you at the rate you’re going.”

Wes bit his tongue in bitter disappointment, choking back a sharp response, “Master Kavar always thought that learning the ways of the Force was more important. ‘Know the Force, and your lightsaber becomes irrelevant.’ That’s what he told me. He thought if you could prevent a fight, your fighting skills needn’t develop.”

Xander was stunned speechless for a second before he regained control. This was the Kavar who had fought viciously in Thespis, killing more than his share of the ambushers, and yet apparently here he was telling Wes Odo that lightsaber skills were irrelevant.

“So what happens when you go up against a Sith, or someone who doesn’t care who you are, they just want to kill you? What good is the Force then? You need to be able to fight them hand to hand, lightsaber to lightsaber,” Xander said, stressing each word to convey their importance.

Wes mumbled something incoherent, staring at his feet.

Xander stared at him, daring him to speak up, “What was that? Say it louder.”

“I said I don’t know!” Wes said, practically shouting.

Xander stared at him disapprovingly. “Wes, your past Master may have done you injustices, but that is no reason to unleash your anger. It is one of the few emotions a Jedi should learn to let go of. Emotions are good, they help fuel us toward our goals, but emotions such as anger do nothing but embitter us and turn us against our allies.” Xander paused, and then continued in a more gentle tone, “I know Master Kavar has committed a serious error in your training, and if he ever returns I will personally see him held responsible for it, but there is absolutely no reason for you to take it out on me. You must see that.”

Wes rolled his eyes, and summoned his lightsaber back to his hand, demonstrating the extraordinary Force abilities he was already picking up, testament to just about the one good thing Kavar had done for him. “Whatever,” he said, marching from the room, ignoring any attempts by Xander to stop him.

Xander sighed, and shook his head, he had thought Wes would be a challenging, but cooperative student. Clearly he had been wrong. Already a rift was forming between them, one he wasn’t sure he could fix.

As he turned to leave the room, he saw Vikro leaning on the doorjamb, a wry smile on his face.

“Was I ever this difficult?” Xander said helplessly, walking over to his former Master.

“Every day of every year,” Vikro said, “You were actually worse because whenever you complained to me you had reason to.”

“I apologise with all my heart for any pains I cost you in the past,” Xander said, sighing, “I just hope every training session isn’t like this, I need to let him see what potential he has, and how to harness it.”

Chuckling, Vikro put a hand on Xander’s shoulder, “That’s the spirit, now, let’s continue this over a Corellian Brandy, my tongue’s parched after that Council Meeting. Some boring briefing on a treaty on some backwater world, or something like that.”

Xander smiled and nodded, following his old Master from the room. Vikro always knew just what to say to cheer him up, though Xander knew that to him Council Meetings were the most interesting part of his day. Perhaps things were looking up after all.
_________________

Time to start again.

Xander Vos

Chapter Eight

**31 ABY**

Hyperspace – En route to Eriadu

“I knew Anakin wouldn’t remain a Jedi for long,” Lyn said, flopping back in his seat. Only a year prior, Anakin – Revenous’ real name – had abandoned the Order peacefully, announcing himself a Dark Jedi and beginning an organisation on Eriadu that was as of yet unnamed.

Following the Sith invasion of the planet twenty-five years ago, the planet's economics had been thrown into chaos, with several criminal organisations succeeding themselves as attempted governments for the planet. After leaving the Order, Anakin had arrived on the planet and had grouped several such groups to him, using his charismatic leadership to grow in control of the planet.

Currently he was even drawing in member states from off-world. Xander had heard with distaste that Black Haven – a criminal organisation he had been enslaved to for six months – was preparing to join Anakin.

“Hey, cut him some slack. From what I’ve seen of him, he’s really changed,” Xander said, sitting opposite his friend, “Just because he sees himself as more of a Dark Jedi should not be held against him. I mean, there have been worse conversions from the Temple in the past,” he said, flinching in memory of the violent leaving of Urwen, who was now reportedly Darth Embeion.

Lyn shrugged his shoulders placidly, “I guess you’re right, but still, I don’t understand what the Council sees in making an alliance with an outlaw. The Sith have reportedly stated that they will no longer accept him back into their ranks, and we certainly won’t accept him back considering some of the scathing remarks he had to say about Grandmaster Abba’s leadership skills and techniques.”

“We need all the allies we can get, and since Anakin knows our location, we really can’t afford to loose him as an ally. Its a relief we were able to wipe Urwen’s memory of our location, but we won’t be able to do that again, unless we are extremely lucky.”

“I know, but what if this is nothing more than a trap? Anakin used to be a Sith, how can we be certain he is trustworthy?” Lyn said, looking for the first time – as if only just noticing them – at Leon Danex and Wes Odo, who sat side-by-side, staring at their Masters as they became lost in their musings.

“Because he knows what we’re capable of, our fleet could easily crush his small band of followers,” Leon declared confidently, a smile on his face, knowing his Master would be impressed by his answer.

Lyn paused, shaking his head slightly, disapproving of Leon’s brash reply, “He also knows that since we are Jedi we would never attack an enemy that has not directly attacked them.”

“But if he kills us he would directly attack us, and as such the Council would neutralise any perceptible threat they found within his organisation, and send a new team to form an alliance. He would be foolish to decline twice. It is far more worthwhile teaching a possible ally a lesson than having to start over with a new group.” Wes said.

Xander nodded approvingly, and noticed that Leon sunk into his seat, glaring at his toes sullenly. At the awkward pause in the conversation, Xander made a loud movement as he stood, “I think we’re almost there, so strap in and I’ll set us down.”

Eriadu City – Eriadu

“Welcome Master Jedi,” Teretha Norn said, bowing courteously before the two Jedi Knights and their respective Apprentices. He noted that one of the Apprentices seemed to be almost rebellious, and mentally noted that. His master, Emperor Anakin had asked him to take note of any unusual behaviour in case it was to come to a fight if the meeting turned hostile. He drew his datapad and typed the information in, concealing the note by using it to call an air-speeder to take them to the Emperor’s palace.

The two Jedi Knights bowed, and after a pause, so did the two Apprentices. They proceeded to the vehicle, and as they settled in, one of the Jedi Knights, the one with longer hair, turned to his companion, who had short, dirty blonde hair, and murmured something in his ear. Teretha shifted uncomfortably, aware that if they decided that this was an ambush – which it wasn’t – they could kill him in the blink of an eye, faster that he could call for help, faster than he could take in the breath to call for help, faster than – he shook his head. He needed to stop thinking about it and concentrate on his duty.

The palace appeared before them as they turned right at the solid stone national archives building, appearing in all its grandeur. The towering spires of the recently built building caught the rays of the setting sun, sparkling beautifully as if possessed by an eternal flame that shone brilliantly from within. The huge pillars of the glass building were huge, thicker than even a Wookiee could wrap his arms around. Only the steeple of the building was metal and concealed from view. This was, supposedly to stop assassins from a clear view of the Emperor as he worked, but in actuality it was because it was the renovated bridge of Anakin’s old capital ship whilst he had been with the Kroprulan Sith Empire. Apparently whilst organising his move to Eriadu he had sent a request to the Empire that treated him as a hostile, boldly asking for his decommissioned ship’s hull. They had granted his request coldly, and Anakin had walked away with his troops inspired by his calm and cool nature in the face of large odds.

Teretha stopped the speeder on one of the higher level’s landing pads, and gestured for the Jedi to follow him off and towards the turbo-lifts that would carry them up to their meeting with the Emperor. The two Knights left the speeder without a word – and Teretha found this odd, they hadn’t said a word through the trip, though a gasp of wonder had escaped the Kel Dor’s lips before he clamped them shut in a move of self-control – and their Apprentices followed.

Teretha followed them obediently, used to following behind the more important individuals, but suddenly shook his head clear and rushed to the front, guiding them to their lift with a sheepish smile, almost forgetting that he was meant to be acting as the host.

As the Jedi stepped inside, he cleared his throat and tried to make conversation, “So, what’s it like at the Temple? Lots of Jedi there?”

The Jedi with the longer hair shot him an ice cold stare that made him shrivel up in his boots. “I mean, I wasn’t trying to find out where it is, I was just making conversation and I was just feeling awkward and,” Teretha babbled as the Jedi turned away again, and with a soft tone the lift doors opened again, and the Jedi stepped out, ignoring him. He cursed softly to himself at his stupidity, and rush ahead again, slapping the button to slide open the door into the antechamber of the Emperor’s main office. His secretary glanced up before double-taking and picking up her comlink, talking rapidly into it.

The door slipped open, and with a last glance at Teretha from the shorter Jedi Knight, the pair, with their Apprentices in tow, stepped into the Emperor’s office. Teretha looked away, embarrassed, and smiled bashfully at the secretary, who smiled back, before turning back to her duties.

Emperor Anakin’s Office – Eriadu City

Xander glanced around the huge room, taking in his surroundings as Lyn moved ahead of him, straight towards the four waiting chairs in front of the desk at which a very different man from the one they had shot down on Bespin five years ago sat.

“Ah, Xander, Lyn, and, Wes and Leon, correct?” He said with a smile, his arms opened wide invitingly as the four took their seats. Sharp nods from Wes and Leon indicated he had guessed their names correctly. In reality however, he had taken pictures of them along their journey and run it against all known Jedi Apprentices.

“Thank you Anakin, or should I say Emperor Anakin?” Xander said with a slight smile.

“No, no. For friends Anakin is just fine. Only the members of the soon to be finalised Outer Rim Syndicate need address me by my title,” Anakin said, grinning slightly at the title, “A bit extreme for a one system “Empire” I know, but it makes me feel more important and motivates me through my tasks, so I guess there’s no harm to it.”

“Outer Rim Syndicate?” Lyn said, raising his eyebrows, before turning to Xander, grinning, “He’s already picked a name he likes.”

“Well, I had hoped once the alliance was formalised between us, I could move to formalise an alliance with the Sith on Kroprulu – I mean, I doubt they would choose to be enemies with me when an alliance is far more profitable for us both – and after that, in addition to all the criminal gangs joining me here, I would truly be a syndicate, no?” Anakin said with a mock smile.

Xander smiled briefly before sitting forwards, “About the alliance, the Council accepts on one term.”

“Any, my friend,” Anakin said, putting up his hand to halt any further words from Xander’s mouth, “But first, a brandy for either of you?” Then, leaning forward and gesturing for Xander and Lyn to lean forwards as well, “Are they old enough to drink yet?” He whispered in a staged whisper, loud enough for Wes and Leon to hear.

Lyn smiled, and shook his head. Anakin looked a little crestfallen, “Oh well, just the three of us then?” Xander and Lyn nodded, and he summoned an aide to pour them each a glass, with the rest of the bottle left on the table for seconds.

Xander lifted his glass and took a sip. The rich, smoky texture of the Corellian Brandy smoothed his throat, and he paused, as if to draw inspiration from the drink in his hand, “We ask that any information pertaining knowledge of our home world be sent directly to us – any moves by the Sith or private organisations to find out where we are located and we are to be alerted immediately – deal?”

“Of course, I’d have it no other way. Of course, since I already know the location, should I sift between genuine threats to your location, or send them all to you?”

“We’d prefer all to be sent. You never know when a cold trail could suddenly become hot again,” Lyn said, taking a long sip from his brandy, refilling it from the bottle and drinking again. He put his glass down as he noticed Xander look at him, an innocent expression crossing his face, “We don’t have any good brandy at the Temple,” he muttered petulantly, almost like a little child.

Xander rolled his eyes and grinned at Anakin, “Excellent, now, we just have to formalise the alliance in these documents, and then we’ll be on our way to leave you in peace in your glass temple and fake Super Star Destroyer bridge.”

Anakin choked on his drink, his face turning bright red – whether this was from being caught out in the lie or because of the burning brandy caught in his throat was unclear – and he pounded his chest. “How did you know?” He asked finally.

Xander smiled, “Simple. I know the Sith Empire, they would never hand over a piece of a craft to a traitor like you, no offence,” he added as a pained expression crossed Anakin’s face, “Just expressing their mind set. Also, I know for a fact that your old capital craft wasn’t decommissioned, but is still in use, just under a different leader.”

“Why do you even need me? You seem to have spies already set up,” Anakin said with a quirky smile.

“We have our reasons,” Xander said, grinning at the shock he had caused in Anakin, and sensed he was gradually gaining the man’s genuine respect.
_________________

Time to start again.

Xander Vos

Chapter Nine

**31 ABY**

Eriadu - Outer Atmosphere

“What did you gather from this mission? What do you believe you have learnt?” Xander asked as he set a new course into his nav-computer for the trip back. Instead of taking the quicker route back to the Temple via the Corellian Trade Spine he had decided to take his Apprentice along a more scenic route, to point out a few of the significant planets in Xander’s history. The course they were taking would bring them to Tatooine, and from there they would head on to Naboo, then Kinyen, then Lorta, then finally back to the Temple. Lyn and Leon were heading back on the direct route in a hired shuttle, which they were piloting themselves.

Wes paused for a minute, considering his answer, “It seems that despite his change of heart, Anakin has proved himself as a loyal friend to the order. Perhaps that suggests that even with all that can go on with individuals their loyalties remain true to those who treat them well in return. Perhaps that is why he left the Sith in the first place. From the stories we have of them they seem like a cruel, barbaric bunch.”

Xander paused what he was doing, and turned to Wes, “Be careful with what you think,” he cautioned, “Whilst it is true the Sith can be barbaric in their actions, and cruel to those who fail them, they can also be extremely kind and tolerable. Jedi who become Sith would not loose their old traits completely, and Sith who become Jedi must have had those ideas and feelings within them even as a Sith, so there is the possibility that most Sith can act with kindness, it all depends upon who that kindness is directed.”

“Of course, sorry Master,” Wes said, again emanating that curious feeling through the Force, and Xander waited until they jumped to Hyperspace and settled back into his chair before addressing his Apprentice again.

“Why do you never say what you feel?” Xander said suddenly, jolting Wes out of his submergence in his feelings.

“What?” Wes said, perturbed.

“You hide your feelings from me, you say what you don’t mean, but your true thoughts leap out through the Force to me like a flare in the dark of the night.”

Wes paused, composing himself, almost considering whether it was worth revealing his true thoughts to his Master, “You’re a kriffing hypocrite,” he exploded, launching himself up from his seat and whirling to face Xander, his eyes shining angrily.

Xander was taken aback with the voracity of the attack, “Excuse me?”

“You talk about all these emotions and so on, and yet I know your story. You’ve gone closer to the Dark Side than most Jedi will ever go in their entire lives! You used Force Lightning on people to protect your allies! You acted selfishly and out of self-preservation, and now you lecture me on how to feel?”

“I was young, and foolish,” Xander said, speaking over Wes as he tried to launch another attack, “I know I acted incorrectly, but that is no excuse for you to do the same. If anything it is motivation for you to try and behave better, to strive to be better than how I was when I was not much older than you. Never assume that because of my actions that that course of action is correct, that what I have done serves as justification for what you wish to do. Never make the same mistakes as I did,” Xander said softly.

Wes stared at him long and hard, before breaking eye contact with Xander. He muttered something and wandered away, intent on getting some sleep before they arrived at Naboo. Xander shook his head in disappointment and silently glared at the ceiling, as if it had somehow brought about this schism between him and his Apprentice, before stalking back into the cockpit to make sure everything was as it should be.

Kinyen - Outer Atmosphere

Xander sat brooding in the cockpit, his face in his hands as he pondered what to do with Wes. There was fire in the boy, injuries on his inside that had been created carelessly by Master Kavar, fire that Xander was not sure he could douse. He absently flicked back a switch, and slowly eased a lever back as a blinking light and a soft klaxon indicated their nearing of the Kinyen System.

“Wes,” he called, turning back to stare back into the quarters. Suddenly he was smashed forwards as a blinding light struck the forward viewport. Xander spun around, pulling up schematics furiously to try and figure out what was attacking them. The craft – whatever it was – struck again, and something came loose to the aft of the Swift Eagle, and Wes stumbled into the cockpit, confused and bleary.

“What’s happening?” He asked.

“Pirates,” Xander said, looking back at him, and buckling his lightsaber and belt to his waist, “Prepare for an attempt at boarding. The damage is to extensive for us to power up the canons, and the hyperdrive has been damaged, so no chance that way for a few hours while it resets.”

Wes gulped, and drew his own lightsaber, which he had only used on rare occasions. The hammering continued, and he turned, almost fearful, to Xander, “And what happens if they want to destroy us, not board us?”

“Well, firstly, they’re pirates, so they would get nothing out of our destruction. Secondly, if they do,” Xander looked a little worried, "We run for the escape pods and hope they take their time.”

A metallic clang resounded through the ship, and Xander felt relief wash over him. He turned to Wes, “See, they’re boarding us, now, get ready for-,”

A lancing blue bolt spun out of a gaping hole in which one of the escape pods had just been, striking Xander in the temple and dropping him to the ground. Five men poured into the main room of the Swift Eagle, and Wes ignited his lightsaber, standing his ground.

“Well looky here,” one of them said, grinning maliciously, “A little Jedi. Looks like his Master is out cold, so he shouldn’t be too difficult. Unless we’ve made him angry.” He grinned again, as his four companions continued to encircle Wes and Xander.

Wes knelt by Xander, checking his vitals, not once taking his eyes off the man who had spoken. “I will give you one chance to surrender, and then my actions shall not be of my own consequence,” he said calmly, to which the men burst out laughing.

“Well don’t worry you little water rat, we won’t keep you hung up on your guilt too long,” another man said, drawing a long, evil looking vibrosword, swinging it experimentally.

Wes swallowed nervously. He backed up, unsure how he was going to defeat them and escape. He glanced between the men, waiting for them to make the first move.

Unknown Location

“Your training is nearly complete, only this duel remains before you are to take your Sith name,” The Master said, holding his orange blade loosely in front of him, awaiting 112A to make the first move.

112A allowed himself to be submerged in the ruby glow of his own blade, letting a sense of calm wash over him as he prepared for the duel with his Master. Everything he had learnt had led up to this point. When he chose his Sith name, he and his Master would be able to train more Sith, become more powerful, and defeat any enemy in their path. The Master was powerful, 112A knew that for sure. He was single-handedly running a training ground whilst also somehow maintaining nourishments. He must have had a droid work force, or perhaps slaves, but whichever it was, all this proved just how powerful The Master was.

112A flipped, swinging his blade with a powerful slash, in a move typical of Djem So. In addition to his training in the Dark Side of the Force, 112A had also received physical training, and his bulging muscles were testament to how hard he had trained over the years. The Master was older, less attuned to 112A’s style than he had been when they had first duelled many years ago, and stumbled back under the aggression and brute power that 112A displayed.

The Master grinned, “Excellent, I am most pleased in your progress, you have truly made me proud,” he spun to the side, and feinted left before striking low down, bringing his lightsaber up and across. 112A not only stopped the attack, but smashed The Master’s lightsaber back into the ground, leaving a glowing mark where it struck.

The Master, breathing heavily, paused for a moment, catching his breath, before attempting again to throw 112A off guard. He turned, summoning a metal chair, throwing it at 112A.

112A ducked, and caught the chair before it hit the far wall, sending it hurtling back with twice the speed, where it struck The Master, sending him crumpling to the ground, “Two can play at that game,” he said, smirking.

He stepped over, closer to The Master, and held his blade to the man’s throat. The man he considered the closest thing he had to a father. When 112A had awoken all those years before, he had been lost, aimless in the world, without a strand of memory from before waking up in the containment cell, except for passing flashes of memory of a bacta tank, although he hadn’t had to use one during his training.

“You have passed,” The Master said, smiling, shakily raising to his feet, “And now, you must choose your new Dark Mantle. Kneel,” he ordered, raising his lightsaber, and pausing for breath.

112A knelt, his head bowed, a thrill shooting through him as he realised it was finally time.

“You shall henceforth be known as... Darth Mauv,” The Master said, moving the lightsaber from one shoulder to the other, a few of 112A’s hairs peeling back from the heat.

Darth Mauv smiled, “Thank you, my Master. Together we shall conquer the Galaxy.”

The Master smiled, momentarily, before moving away towards a door, which slid open as he approached. Then Darth Mauv saw the most extraordinary sight. The Master bowed before another man who walked through the door. Darth Mauv faintly recognised him as the man who had tested him all those years ago to see if he could be a Sith. Jonas Weyx. That was his name, Darth Mauv could just recall the bored speech the man had given before testing him. So why was The Master bowing before him?

“Thank you, Darth Doom,” Jonas said, nodding, “I shall pass on my commendations to Emperor Dude himself. You have done a tremendous job with this one. He shall be a valuable addition to our Empire.”

Empire? Emperor Dude? Darth Doom? Darth Mauv took a step back, The Master – or Darth Doom as Jonas had called him – was bowing and nodding his thanks to Jonas, as if he weren’t in charge, and this Emperor Dude seemed to be the one in charge, nothing was making sense in his mind anymore. Darth Mauv shook his head, trying to clear it of the confusion threatening to overthrow his sanity.

Jonas walked calmly over to him as Darth Doom slipped through the door, placing his lightsaber on a bench and picking up a different two, clipping them to his belt and marching off. “Are you ready to serve Emperor Dude and follow him in every move he makes?” He asked.

“I am,” said Darth Mauv, nodding. If Darth Doom followed Emperor Dude, then so would he. Whatever confusion that he felt would surely be explained within the coming hours. He hoped he would have the chance of meeting the Emperor in person, or at the least one of his aides, to help him come to terms with what had happened.

“Very well,” Jonas said, studying his face for a moment, “Follow me.”
_________________

Time to start again.

Xander Vos

Chapter Ten

**31 ABY**

Kinyen – Outer Atmosphere

Wes tensed, and suddenly, one of the men charged him, slashing ferociously at Wes’ head, as another dived, his blade pointing out and towards Wes’ gut. Wes slipped to the side, gracefully, avoiding the lower blade, and battered the higher blade aside. He spun, slicing at the hand gripping the lower blade, and released it from the arm to which it had – just moments before – been attached to.

The man roared in pain and dropped to his knees. In the blink of an eye, Wes smashed the pommel of his blade into the back of the man’s head, knocking him to the ground, and putting him out of his pain. He turned, the four remaining men regrouped, a little more cautious after this ferocious display of energy and initiative, despite his Master being unconscious on the ground.

His Master. Wes’ eyes flicked down for a moment to where Xander’s body lay limp, a small amount of smoke expelling itself from his robes where the stun bolt had struck him. Despite their differences, Wes never wanted any harm to come to his Master, and would fight hard to defend him in any case. He turned back, facing the men again, who were now all in front of him, rather than the circular stance they had taken before.

One man brandished a blaster, pointing it at Wes, and squeezed the trigger, as another spun around, smashing his blade into Wes’ gut, doubling him over. Wes rolled to the ground, and the blaster bolts smashed into the far wall, leaving gaping holes where the cockpit could be seen beyond.

“That’s it, this ends now,” Wes said, slicing at the man’s legs, sending him jittering to the floor before a similar smash to the head knocked him unconscious as well. “My Master will freak when he sees what you’ve done to his ship.”

Pausing, Wes glanced at the three remaining men. Then he bared his teeth in a feral grin, then let out a roar, flipping over their heads, and letting loose a wide scythe of his lightsaber, catching two of the men in the stomachs, immediately cauterising, but sending them crashing to the floor, unmoving. The final man, the supposed leader who had spoken at the beginning, blocked the strike with his sword, performing a complex wrist-twisting move that sent Wes’ lightsaber flying through one of the holes and into the cockpit.

“Not so powerful without your little laser-sword, eh?” The man said, wiping a smudge of blood from his chin, grinning ferociously as he closed in on Wes.

Wes moved forwards, smashing his forehead into the man’s nose, before following through with an upper cut which sent the man reeling back, searching for support from the far wall, which he hit with a sickening crunch.

“The Force is my ally, and a powerful ally it is,” Wes said, calmly, moving forwards, raising the man into the air using the Force. He slowly closed his fingers, and the man began to choke. “Never again board a Jedi craft,” Wes said coldly, and the man nodded frantically, searching for breath as his fingers scrabbled at his neck. “Go back to whatever pitiful existence you once held, and remain there for the rest of your life.” Wes released the man, who fell to the ground, his chest heaving.

Wes moved to Xander slapping him gently on his cheeks a few times before his eyes fluttered open. “What happened?” Xander asked groggily, trying to sit up, but failing, his arm still numb from the knock-out.

“Don’t worry Master, its over. They won’t bother us again,” Wes said, glancing over at the one surviving man, and the four others who would be lucky if they lasted the next few days given their states. They would need high medical attention, or at least a medical droid, and based on their scungy appearance, these men had neither.

Nodding slightly, and finally managing to rise, Xander helped Wes carry the men to their own craft, then worked steadily, depressurising the escape pod seal, before slaving the pirate craft’s controls to jump to Hyperspace after detaching itself from the Swift Eagle.

Xander settled into the cockpit of his ship, setting course immediately for the Jedi Temple, wasting no time in returning home after the traumatic experience he knew Wes must have just faced. He turned and glanced at Wes, who was smiling happily to himself.

Perturbed, Xander paused what he was doing, “Why are you smiling? You just fought five pirates, your head is bleeding slightly from the scalp, and you’re smiling?”

Wes just continued to smile, turning happily to Xander, saying “You were right, Master. You were right.” He settled into his seat, a content smile on his face.

Bewildered, Xander turned back to the star charts, shaking his head in confusion as their craft hurtled on, back to the Jedi Temple.

Bakura – Outer Atmosphere

The Swift Eagle jolted out of Hyperspace with a lurch, and Xander frowned, checking several readings, flipping a switch, pausing, and twisting a dial. He sighed in frustration and kicked the plating, “We blew a fuse on the trip, and we’re now operating on our backup Hyperdrive, what fun. At least we’ve arrived. I only hope our valued technicians have a replacement Hyperdrive.”

Wes smiled at Xander, “Don’t worry, I’m sure they will. If not, I’m sure there’s a ship around here we can nab one from and then claim innocence.”

Xander laughed and nudged Wes in the ribs, “When did you grow a sense of humour?”

“About the same time as you grew arms. You never knew I could be funny?” Wes said, a picture of innocence, “Then maybe now’s not the best time to tell you about the holes in the wall of the cabin.”

“What?! I thought there was only holes in the cockpit wall!” Xander shouted, leaping up, and racing to the cabin, checking the wall. He paused, and came back into the cockpit to where Wes was struggling to keep a straight face. “The wall is fine,” he muttered, glaring at Wes.

“I told you I had a sense of humour. But did you listen?” Wes said, letting a snigger escape his lips.

Council Chambers – Jedi Temple

“Are you sure? They may have had false symbols on their craft. There’s no way of being certain,” Jaden said, his brow furrowed in confusion.

“There was no doubt. The pirates were from Black Haven. I just don’t know what they were doing near Kinyen. I’m also unsure whether they were following higher orders, or just unaware of the recently signed alliance between our Order and the Outer Rim Syndicate,” Xander said, standing before the hastily assembled Council. Vikro was appearing on hologram off on a mission somewhere that Xander assumed was serious enough to send a Council member.

“Very well. We will discuss this further with Anakin. He must make sure that all organisations that have collaborated under his rule are to follow his instructions, and to not attack his allies. How is things with your Apprentice? Lyn mentioned on his return that there was a level of friction between the two of you. Is he coping with his new Master, or do you believe he is too far gone to continue training?”

“Everything is fine now,” Xander said, smiling. “It seems that some good did come out of the pirates’ attack. When I was knocked unconscious, Wes was forced to fight to protect me, and I think that in doing so he realised that there are more important things in life than petty grudges against someone who is just trying to do the best by you. We’ve made up, and everything is excellent. Thank you for your concern though, I’ll mention if anything is wrong in future.”

“Very well,” Koras said, eager to move things on, “But there’s still the matter of Anakin himself. Has he reverted to the way he was as a Sith? Did he attack you? Did anything happen to suggest that there was a possibility of an attack?”

“Nothing whatsoever, Master,” Xander said, shaking his head, “He was very hospitable, even gave me the first decent brandy I’ve had in years,” he said with a laugh. “But I did notice an aide who took us to his palace taking notes on our behaviour, so I believe that if we had attacked him, or shown any aggressive tendencies, he would have been prepared to fight back, hard and fast. I’m just glad we have him on side, we’ll need an information ring with the increasing chances of our discovery here.”

Abba nodded, relieved. She smiled, “Thank you Xander, that will be all for now. I think you should get a Healer to check your injuries. Repairs are being made with post-haste to the Swift Eagle and should be finished within the week.”

“Thank you, that ship means everything to me,” Xander said, grinning, “May the Force be with you.”

“And with you.”

Jedi Temple – Bakura

Xander smiled. Everything was perfect in his life. Everything was how he wanted it. But still... He searched his mind. Something was incomplete. He had everything he wanted. An Apprentice, a ship, a good relationship with both, and friends around him. Lost in thought, he bumped into the person walking in front of him. Xander looked up, embarrassed, and felt his heart thump quicker as he looked into the most beautiful face he had ever seen.

The woman standing in front of him couldn’t have been much more than two years younger than him, her brown, flowing hair streaked occasionally by a beautiful blonde, her face peppered slightly with freckles, and wonderful, deep, hazelnut eyes.

“I’m, sorry,” Xander said, bumbling over his words, “Completely my fault. Should have been watching where I was going.”

“No, the fault is mine,” the woman said, smiling at his awkwardness, “What did the Council want you for?”

“Oh, nothing really, just returned from a mission to Eriadu where I had to organise an alliance with the Outer Rim Syndicate, nothing special.”

“Oh!” The woman said, the word sounding more like a noise than an actual word, a gorgeous noise. “You’re Xander Vos!”

“Why yes, yes I am,” Xander said, a lopsided grin spreading on his face, “How did you know?”

“I’ve heard much about you. My old Master, Tarya told me about a mission you went on once, to Thespis?” She said, unsure.

“Why yes, that was the last mission I went on with my old Master, Vikro,” Xander said, smiling, as he started walking to the cantina with her by his side, “I seem to be at a disadvantage though. You know my name, but I don’t know yours.”

“I’m Mia. Mia Romis.”
_________________

Time to start again.

Xander Vos

Chapter Eleven

**35 ABY**

Sparring Chambers – Jedi Temple

Left. Right. Left. Right. Up. Down. Left. Right. Up. Down. The pattern continued as Xander struck each imaginary target in his warm up. The standard Ataru movements were usually athletic, but the more complex manoeuvres forced the opponent into the athleticism. Xander had buried himself in his training ever since the news that his old Master, Vikro, had died at Korriban the previous year. He couldn’t accept the fact that the kind man who had been as much his father as Korto had been was now dead,

Left. Right. Left. Right. Up. Down. Left. Right. Up. Down. Spin. Kick. Right. Punch. Left. Right. Left. Right. Up. Down. Left. Right. It had been ten years. Ten long, and gruelling years, but Xander believed Wes was nearly ready to take the trials and become a Jedi Knight. The pair shared a close bond, ever since the incident with Black Haven, and Xander felt a sense of sadness at losing his Apprentice. He shrugged the notion away. He was not losing an Apprentice, but gaining a friend and peer.

Left. Right. Left. Right. Up. Down. Left. Right. Up. Down. Spin. Kick. Right. Punch. Left. Right. Left. Right. Up. Down. Left. Right. Stab. Pivot. Right. Left. Leap. Kick. Stab. Slice. Xander shut down his lightsaber, satisfied that the manoeuvres had worked up an admirable sweat, and he breathed heavily as he paused to drink from his flask. Wes was due any moment for their duel, and Xander knew that he would have improved drastically since their last serious duel.

Xander smiled, everything was perfect. Mia and he were in love, and he had every intention of proposing to her as soon as Wes was knighted and he had a chance to be alone with her for a few days. Ever since they had met he had courted her gallantly. At first she had hidden her feelings in her training of her Apprentice, a Twi’lek girl from Nar Shadda, Shyra’tec, but slowly, bit by bit, she had opened up to him.

They had taken holidays together on the rare occasions that they were given time off, and Xander had taken her on a romantic trip to Obroa-skai, where the Yuuzhan Vong transformation of the planet eight years ago had left it with a much softer appearance. The planet now reflected beautifully the organic nature of the gas giant Obroa-held.

Xander paused for a moment. He had almost completely forgotten about the Yuuzhan Vong. It was the most peculiar thing. Extra-Galactic invaders arrive in the Galaxy, and are beaten back at every turn by the Kroprulan Sith Empire, even though they caused wide-spread damage before largely disappearing again, presumably to look for a less defended Galaxy, and he, Xander, had forgotten about them. He shook his head, a wry smile rising to his lips. This was certainly an odd life he led, when even a Galactic-wide threat could slip from his mind as quickly as water through cupped hands.

“Master?” Wes said, entering the room silently, the doors sliding shut behind him without a sound.

Xander jumped, and turned, “Your getting better that. A little more practice and I won’t have to pretend not to hear you.”

Wes laughed, stripping off his main Jedi robe, just leaving the tight-fitting garments that fit snug to his body on. He stepped to one side of a large ring, typing in a series of commands to the main computer system, and immediately a series of obstacles appeared, ranging from fire hoops to electrical sensors, that would fire stun bolts if depressed.

“Are you sure you’re ready for this?” Xander said. Many Jedi Masters struggled to finish this difficult setting with all feeling still in their body, and Xander usually left with several bruises and a scorched limb of some sort.

Wes nodded, “I’m ready. More importantly, are you? You may be getting slow in your old age.”

Xander feigned indignation. “Excuse me? I’m barely over my prime.”

“You’re forty-one. That’s not exactly near your prime,” Wes said, a snort of indignation escaping his lips. “I wouldn’t put it past you if you were still a vir-“

“That’s quite enough,” Xander said, glaring at his Apprentice, “Now, are we going to duel, or are you going to start counting my grey hairs?”

“Very well,” Wes said, igniting his lightsaber. Xander did the same, and Wes begun the training simulation.

Wes leapt up to a higher platform, running the length of it to achieve the optimum angle for an attack on Xander, and dived whilst in mid-run, spearing his lightsaber towards Xander. Xander backed away slightly, raising his lightsaber and transferring his weight to the soles of his feet, blocking Wes away, bouncing to the ground.

Wes leapt forwards, locking his blade with Xander’s, “Oh, and by the way, there’s one hundred and twenty-three,” he said, grinning. The Kel Dor kicked out at Xander’s legs, and Xander was forced to flip above Wes – straight into the path of a flame ring. He dived through it, patting out the fire that had started on his leg as he landed, and turned to face Wes.

“That may be so,” he said, grinning, “But I’ll never have more wrinkles than you.”

“That hurt,” Wes said, with a pained expression, “Considering how many you already have.”

“Oh, that’s it,” Xander said, speeding into a sprint, charging Wes down, forcing him to dodge to the side, onto a pressure sensor, and to subsequently block a stun bolt away. During this time Xander leapt away, hiding in the darkness created when the excersise had started, shutting off the lights.

Wes slowed to a cautious pace, trying to find Xander in the darkness, and as he neared Xander, Xander leapt out, changing momentarily to Jar’Kai, despite his sloppiness in it, in a hope to throw Wes off-guard.

The Kel Dor back away, trying to keep up his Ataru stroke, even though Jar’Kai was stronger against Ataru, and finally was forced to switch to Djem So, even though he was nearly incompetent in it. Xander soon begun to struggle to keep the manoeuvres of Jar’Kai going, the strain put on his arms growing to strong, and finally he was forced to return to Ataru, putting his legs back to work and taking the strain off his arms.

Wes, also, returned to Ataru gladly, and they moved through the field for nearly an hour, side-stepping traps, ducking under flamethrowers, and working up a heavy sweat. Finally Xander paused by the controls, swiping at them with his lightsaber after first switching it back up to full. Static swept across them and the system shut down, the various traps and contraptions sinking back into the floor where they belonged.

“That wasn’t very fair,” Wes objected.

“Since when did we agree to play fair?” Xander said, raising an eyebrow.

“Well, the Council won’t be happy about having to replace that. Its quite expensive. You could have just tapped the button.”

Xander shrugged, “But that wouldn’t be dramatic.”

The pair circled each other in the now plain ring, and Xander struck first, knocking Wes’ lightsaber up slightly, and moved in to crack him in the jaw with the pommel of his blade, but Wes back-flipped away, regaining his composure. Wes paused, before moving in again, feinting left before smashing Xander in the side of the head with the pommel of his own blade, Xander dropping like a stone.

Xander awoke to find Wes’ hand in his face, and Xander accepted it, slowly getting to his feet, “That wasn’t fair, just so you know. I was warming up for quite some time before you arrived, so I was already a little tired.”

“You’re already a little old,” Wes said, teasingly, “Good duel though.”

“Yes,” Xander sighed, “I suppose. You finally beat me. Well done. You truly will be a great Jedi Knight.”

Unknown Location - Tund

Darth Mauv sat in his room, meditating. Everything was working out so far. Following the revelation of the truth, he had been put in charge of a training facility for young Force Sensitives who had the potential of becoming powerful Sith. He had felt pent up frustration at this, tired at having to baby-sit wet-nosed youths, yearning to meet the Emperor he had begun to hear much about.

Finally, a year ago, the Emperor had come personally to over-see the development of something Darth Mauv had little knowledge about, and the two had finally met. Apparently the Emperor was pleased with Darth Mauv’s progress, both with the academy, and with him in person.

Darth Mauv was beginning to get the impression that there was something being kept from him about who he actually was. Darth Doom – formerly The Master, Darth Mauv thought scornfully – had turned out to be one of the Emperor’s personal bodyguards – having disappeared after Mauv’s training had been completed, and had only appeared in tow of the Emperor, his eyes constantly shifting, searching for the possibility of any hidden threat.

A week ago he had submitted an application to Jonas to be given some sort of position from which he could actually aid the Emperor, and Jonas had written back saying events dictated that very soon things would change for the better.

Darth Mauv smiled. Finally he would reveal himself. There were whisperings of a relocation to a world much closer to the Core. If that was so, then things truly must be coming to a climax. People seemed to be preparing for battle, or something similar, for craft were visiting Tund nearly every other day, with a large fleet slowly building itself up. Jonas seemed to be saying that within five years everything would be ready, and then something, Darth Mauv knew what, would begin.

Whatever it was, he would be ready.
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Time to start again.

Xander Vos · Last edited by Xander Vos on Wed Oct 28, 2009 5:27 am; edited 1 time in total

Chapter Twelve

**35 ABY – A Month After the Duel**

Council Chambers – Jedi Temple

“Wes Odo, you have been brought before us because you have completed the Trials set by your Master on behalf of the Jedi Council, and your Master now believes you to be ready to progress to the rank of Jedi Knight. This would take you away from his leadership, and into the unknown,” Abba said, the Council seeming infinitely smaller without the beaming personality of Vikro, lost the year prior on Korriban with the destruction of a curious Jewel of the Force, which absorbed and fed off the midichlorian within a Force user.

Wes stepped forward, bowing low, before looking up at each Council Member in turn, “Thank you Masters, I am honoured to be considered for this honour. I realise I may have proved to be a trouble for the Council in the past since being – abandoned – by Kavar, but I have learnt, and grown from the mistakes I made in the past, and I know I am stronger for it, more than ready to face what is to come in the future.”

Abba nodded at Xander, and he stepped forwards, clearing his throat nervously. He had big shoes to fill – the speech Abba had given at his own Knighting ceremony had been more powerful and elegant than anything he thought he would be able to muster.

“I was but a boy; younger then you are now, when I began my journey...” Xander said, and slowly, his tongue loosened, as he explained to Wes his history as a young boy, the challenges he’d faced, the traumas he had been forced to deal with. “But in the end,” Xander said, finishing, “I know that whatever I have faced in the past has shaped me for who I have become, and who you see standing before you today. It is the events of our own private pasts that dictate who we become, and for you, with your fine and bold past, I have little doubt that you will be nothing short of legendary.”

Jaden nodded at Xander, and Xander resumed his place off to the side, as Jaden completed the ceremony with soft words of his own, followed by a blessing, and then the customary lightsaber knighting as Wes knelt before the entire Council who were on their feet.

As Wes rose, tears shone in his eyes, and he turned to Xander, nodding his thanks, unable to express his gratitude in words. Xander stood back, smiling, over-come by the pride that he felt for the boy – no, man now – that stood before him, a Jedi Knight now, and about to head out on his own journey, which would inevitably see him take an Apprentice. Then Wes would be standing in Xander’s own shoes, and, who knew, perhaps Xander would stand where Jaden stood now.

Xander turned, and slipped out of the room, as each Council Member congratulated Wes in turn. Xander made his way down the corridor, turned, left, and took the turbolift down to the ground level. He walked across the bridge separating the Council Chambers and Training Rooms from the Living Quarters, deep in thought. He remembered his journey well, but recounting it for Wes had brought back other memories. The Outer Rim Sieges which, apparently, with the Invasion of Bespin, had ended, could have affected Tatooine. Could have affected his parents. He reached the Quarters, took a turbolift up to the third floor. He decided then and there that when this was all over, that he would return home, to his old homestead near Mos Hurga, just to check up on his parents, to tell them the news of everything. He paused slightly, combing his hair slightly, and licking his lips nervously. Then he took a deep breath and knocked lightly on a door three doors down from the left.

Mia opened the door, and smiled in surprise, “Just what I needed, someone to brighten my day,” she said, kissing him gently on the lips, before gesturing for him to enter. Even though Jedi Knights had better quarters than the Padawans – not having to share with anyone else – it was still fairly small, nothing more than a bed and a small room with a refresher. They sat gently on the bed, and Xander drew his arm around Mia. She rested her head on his shoulder, and they sat for a moment in silence.

Then Xander turned to her, standing slightly off the bed, before turning back to kneel before her. “Mia,” he started, and she stared at him with a slightly bewildered expression on her face, “I’ve known you now for four years. We have seen highs, and lows. You were there for me when the news of Vikro’s death came through. You supported me and opened up to me when everyone avoided me slightly, as if to spare my feelings. I love you with all my heart. Will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?” Xander had said this all staring at the ground, but now he raised his eyes, full of hope, to meet Mia’s own beautiful eyes.

Her soft eyes were full of tears, tears of joy. “Yes, of course. I love you more than anything,” she said, embracing Xander passionately, before pulling back and locking her lips with his.

Xander smiled as they broke for breath, gazing into the eyes of his future wife. This day would be long remembered. It had seen the end of Wes’ Apprenticeship, but the beginning of the rest of his life.

**36 ABY**

Outer Grounds – Jedi Temple

Amid thunderous applause, Xander and Mia kissed for the first time as husband and wife, the entirety of the Jedi Order present on Bakura cheering them wildly. Xander turned and gazed out at the crowd, catching the eye of Lyn Korak, Wes Odo, Obi-Tyler, and Asil Leikane each in turn. A pang of sadness swept through him. There was another he had wanted to share this happiness with, but he was gone, forever, absorbed into the Jewel of the Force before it shattered.

He turned back to Mia, gazing slightly at her slightly bulging stomach. At least one Vikro is here, Xander said, smiling at the thought of having a son within a few months. His own flesh and blood, his own creation. His life just couldn’t get any happier. He couldn’t wait to return home to tell his parents the good news, the grand children he was bound to produce for them over the coming years.

He grinned at Mia, kissing her again, longer this time, before turning and heading back down the aisle with her to the waiting ramp of the Swift Eagle, which would take them to their honeymoon. He paused, glanced back at the Jedi Order, so many emotions running through him. Every single Jedi on Bakura was assembled to wish him well. Every one of them cared for him and his wife and their soon to be born son. He shook his head slightly. How did he ever get so lucky.

Xander turned, and raced up the ramp to where his wife was waiting, embracing her and kissing her again. He turned and waved a final farewell to the crowd as the ramp begun to close again courtesy of a tap of the button from Mia. This was life. This was perfect.
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Time to start again.

Xander Vos

Chapter Thirteen

**37 ABY**

Outer Atmosphere – Tatooine

Xander grinned from ear to ear as he prepared the Swift Eagle for its descent. The suns shone strongly onto Tatooine, but not too strong. It was a warm day, but not a hot day. For him this was mildly warm, but for the Tatooinians, it would seem quite cold. Perfect.

The sky darkened slightly as Xander reached Mos Hurga, and he glanced out the viewport and, unbelievably, there it was, a series of clouds gathering in the air. He couldn’t believe his luck. Every few years areas of Tatooine were home to massive monsoons, where all moisture that had built up in the air finally unloaded. He laughed slightly. This certainly was his parents’ lucky day.

His craft settled down near the city, and Xander glanced out at it for the first time, and took a double-take. Where the city had stood thirty-five years ago was now a wreckage, marking the site of what looked like a series of fights. Buildings that still stood had heavy blaster-scoring, while others had given out under the pressure and had collapsed.

His heart stuck in his throat, and Xander moved through the city cautiously, hoping against hope that this was all just a sickening dream from which he would awaken. He reached the Talore workshop, and sunk to his knees in despair at the wreckage that greeted him.

He turned, desperate for some sign that his parents were still well, that nothing had happened to them, but everywhere he searched nothing but ruin and wreckages, with corpses, met him. Something metallic clinked at his feet, and he knelt, and picked up the lightsaber.

He didn’t recognise it, but had a sickening feeling as to who it belonged to. Closing his eyes, he tried to draw images to the possession, an ability common in the Vos family. Slowly sound and pictures formed before his eyes, and, with concentration, he drew them together, creating a cohesive image coupled with sound:

Lysa Sornfree, one time Jedi Knight, stood, waiting for her husband to finish tinkering with his lightsaber. “Come on,” she urged, “The alerts sounded ten minutes ago! The Sith could have destroyed the entire city by now, we have to stop them!”

“Alright,” Korto said, straightening up, “All done. Let’s go.” The pair raced to the speeder that they kept hidden at most times, but that Korto had slowly been improving over the years. Since Xander had left they hadn’t had much to do but to tinker with things, improving them any way they could.

After five tense minutes they arrived in town, where smoke was already billowing from several buildings, and the roar of resistance was reaching a frenzy as men, women and children were cut down charging an organised unit of Sith Troopers. At their fore stood a man with a lightsaber ignited, the yellow blade spelling doom for anyone who drew to near, his Force Lightning sending people to their knees with agonised screams where they stood.

Lysa and Korto stopped their speeder, and stepped calmly from it, igniting their lightsabers. Lysa’ aqua blade hadn’t been used in so long that it almost felt foreign in her grip. Almost. Korto, on the other hand, had constructed his emerald blade only recently, but had never actually used it, receiving some basic advice from Lysa, but nothing that would help him defeat a Sith Lord.

“I’ll fight the Sith, you just make sure that everyone is ok,” Lysa said, and Korto nodded. He raced to where George Talore was rallying all able-bodied men, handing out blaster rifles, and offered his help.

Lysa turned, and moved down several streets to where the Sith were advancing, and she paused, shouting her challenge, “In the name of the Force, I shall cut you down, you monster!” She raced forwards, and the Sith, surprised at the challenge, stopped his men from firing, turning instead to fight her himself.

“It has been long since I have fought a Jedi face-to-face,” he said to a Sith trooper who seemed to be in charge.

“But Lord Minious-”

“I said I will fight her!” He thundered, stepping forward as she met him, their blades meeting in a charge of sparks and crackles. He parried her aggressive blow, and slipped into Trakata, avoiding her blade whenever he could, knowing she would tire. She was old, possibly an old Jedi from the Republic in exile, but there was a fight about her. She roared angrily, slashing at him when she could. Behind her, her roar was met by the co-ordinated efforts of Korto and George, who the Sith troopers quickly became preoccupied with.

Korto stepped to Lysa’s side, adding any distractions he could to the effort to bring Minious down. He stopped, almost bored, and sliced low, bringing his lightsaber up at the end of the strike. Lysa managed to block the blow, although she stumbled back, and Minious turned, pressing the advantage, hammering away at Korto’s weak defences. The man finally dropped to his knees, his lightsaber rolled away, and moments later so did his head.

“NO!” Lysa shouted, rushing forwards, not caring that she gave into her rage, not caring that what she was doing was of the Dark Side, not caring when first her left arm, and then her leg were sliced cleanly off. Minious was impressed by her fighting spirit, maintaining her balance through the Force, but this duel was at an end. He smashed his blade into her breast-bone, and she gasped as she fell backwards. Minious spun, spearing her cleanly through the heart, as the lightsaber fell to the ground, her grip cold and lifeless.

“I had forgotten how weak they were,” Minious said, sniffing in distaste, as he turned to witness the last of the resistance, George Talore, cut down in a barrage of blaster fire, “Leave the bodies and possessions as they are. They shall serve as a reminder of what happens when one crosses the Empire.”

The heavens chose that moment to open up with their torrent of rain, which quickly mixed with Xander’s tears as he lay on the ground, weeping, at the deaths of those that he had loved so much. He turned his fiery eyes to the sky, “I will kill you Minious! If it is the last thing I must do!” He roared; clenching his fist so hard that blood trickled between his knuckles.

But no one heard him. No one heard the sobbing that escaped his chest, the ragged breathing turning to sobbing as Xander howled at the Force for what it had down. No one heard him as he swore to kill the Sith Lord Darth Minious if it were the last act he committed. Howling at the cruelty of it all, the knife through his heart twisting deeper as he sobbed for the release that would end it all.

To Be Concluded... In Part Three.

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Time to start again.