Chapter 1
Qui-Gon Jinn swept his bright blue gaze across the green sea of grass, observing a few children playing in the distance. They seemed to be playing a game of tag, for a handful of children were scattered across the field with one chasing after them all.
Qui-Gon strode the rest of the way down the ship's ramp and placed his left foot upon a rock, resting his weight upon it. The children, meanwhile, were moving ever closer to the spot where Qui-Gon stood. He smiled to himself; he'd always had a special place in his heart for children.
As they drew nearer a tingly sensation filled Qui-Gon's entire body. Was the Force trying to tell him something?
"Hey, Qui-Gon, would you mind helpin' me with the luggage? It's not all mine, you know." Qui-Gon was startled out of his deep thoughts by the playful voice of his partner, Aryn.
Aryn stepped into the doorway, a navy-colored bag slung over her shoulder. Another emerald one was in her hand.
"Geez Qui-Gon, the Council's gotta start putting you on missions with girls more often. You need to improve your manners." She tossed the second bag to him, a teasing look visible in her eye. She wasn't really mad with Qui-Gon, and she probably didn't care if he helped with the bags or not. She just liked to give him a hard time.
At 33 she was two years younger than him, but she still looked upon him as an equal, which was probably true. She had already been offered a spot on the council, which she had turned down due to her reckless nature.
Qui-Gon smiled warmly at her ever-happy face. "Did you feel something?"
Aryn's face grew questioning. "What do you mean?"
"Never mind." She would have readily responded if she had felt the same thing as Qui-Gon.
Aryn shrugged and stepped up near Qui-Gon. "So, now what?"
Qui-Gon's eyes drifted back to the children. "I don't know." His voice sounded absent-minded. The children came closer and then slowed down to a walk, their game finished. He could now make out bits and pieces of their conversation.
"Hey, let's go get some ice cream at Witel's!" one girl suggested.
There was a chorus of yeah's followed by a, "Sorry, guys. I gotta go. My dad's having some Gedy or somethin' over, and he wants me to be there." The dark-haired boy waved good-bye to his friends and then headed down the road, most likely to his home.
"Can we go now?" Aryn asked in an irritated voice.
"Yes." Qui-Gon closed and locked the spaceship and led Aryn out of the landing field, towards crowded streets of Telos.
Telos was famous for its wonderful technological finds. Many of the galaxy's greatest scientific advances were due to Telos's.
"Kinda odd that they didn't make us land in a docking bay, huh?" Aryn made a stab at conversation.
"Not when you're piloting." Qui-Gon jested.
Aryn feigned a glare at him but made no retort.
"Here we are." She said a few steps later. "Whoa!"
They pair had only seen the door of the house so far, and they were already impressed. It was twice the height of Qui-Gon, metallic, and embroidered with and electronic coat of arms.
"Crion wasn't lying when he said he was the wealthiest man on Telos." Qui-Gon observed, reaching out to press the yellow button that turned on the intercom. Then he said, into the speaker, "This is Qui-Gon Jinn and Aryn Dijio. We're here to see his honor Crion."
"One moment, please," came an electronic voice.
The doors whooshed open barely a second later, with Crion and his son standing in the doorway. "Welcome to Telos." Crion smiled warmly.
Qui-Gon was not too surprised to see that his son was the dark-haired boy from the field. Apparently 'Gedy' was his version of Jedi.
The Forced stirred again inside Qui-Gon, causing him to wonder about this boy. Were their fates destined to be intertwined?
Chapter 2
Qui-Gon, Aryn noticed, seemed to be intrigued with this boy. Throughout their dining at that his father's mansion, Qui-Gon kept a careful watch on this boy called Xanatos.
At first, the boy had simply brushed Qui-Gon off as just another adult, one who must be just as boring as all the others. Soon, however, it sank in how powerful, yet gentle, the Jedi Master was. They had obviously taken a shine to each other.
Aryn had been watching the boy, too. She had known, since they had sat down to dinner, that Xanatos was Force-sensitive. She wondered if Qui-Gon would ask for permission to take the boy back to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant with them. Potential Jedi were usually identified by the time they were six months old; Aryn wondered if the Council would let Xanatos in...
There was something about Xanatos that Aryn just didn't like. He had a mischievous air, the kind of air Aryn imagined a future Dark Jedi would have. Did Qui-Gon feel the same thing?
The group spent the rest of the evening on trivial conversation: Telos's history, Telos's technology, Telos's popular tourist sites. Aryn was almost relieved when they left the rich man's house and headed back to the ship, where they'd be spending the night.
Aryn and Qui-Gon strode back to the ship, the cool night air washing over their faces. I can tell he's thinking about Xanatos, Aryn thought, when will he speak his mind?
Not ten seconds after Aryn had entertained this thought did Qui-Gon speak up. "Do you think the Jedi Council would except Xanatos?"
Her suspicions were confirmed. "Well... gee... I dunno..." Aryn muttered, unsure of what to say.
"Give me your honest opinion." Qui-Gon begged. "If you were on the Council, would you let him in?"
Aryn turned the question over in her mind. Xanatos seemed like a nice kid, and he had lots of potential. There was still that eerie feel he emitted, though...
"Qui-Gon, he's Force-sensitive, that's for sure." she finally answered. "But he gives me this creepy feeling... I'm not sure if he'll make a good Jedi."
Qui-Gon's countenance revealed and expression somewhat resembling disappointment. Had she been too frank?
"Thank you, Aryn." Qui-Gon said before plunging himself into a thoughtful silence that lasted all the way back to his bed.
DISCLAIMER: This story is a work of fiction written in appreciation of Star Wars; to promote the Star Wars franchise and to keep it alive. All characters and settings original to the Star Wars movies and/or novelizations are copyright to Lucasfilm, Ltd. The rest is copyright to the story's author. No profit was gained from this story.