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Xanatos Etanial
Jan 8th, 2004, 09:59:35 PM
The cool night wind of Tatooine stood in sharp defiance of it's scalding days, it was still warm, but noticably more tolerable. Though he honestly wouldn't have noticed one way or the other. His name is Xanatos Etanial, X to those who know him well. His life appears to most as a shattered mirror, he's taken more paths than most have ever been given opportunity to. Sith, Jedi, Rogue, Imperial... it read like an itemized list. He had gone from the heights of joy, his wife Rebecca, his children, his friends. To the very bottom of the pit, before picking up a shovel and digging further, death, rebirth, losing his own soul and even his mind at one point. Many would have claimed defeat, ended it, or been institutionalize. But that is one of the few things Xanatos had left, along with immortality, for Xanatos is undead. A gift from old family, had blessed him with the eternal kiss of vampirism.

The wind blew his long hair along his face as he walked the empty streets of Mos Eisley, he was here on business. He had caught wind of a power enhancing artifact being held by a local militia leader, and he planned on taking it. For if Xanatos was one thing. It was persistant. He smiled, his white teeth gleeming off the moonlight as he thought about it. That was moments before he watched a young girl run down an alley, she was no more than 12 he'd guess, and seemed in a rush. He looked the direction she had been running from to see a caravan of sorts, a speeder transport heading straight for the location with around 20 or so men heading for the alley. Slavers.

He'd watch for a little while, maybe get some entertainment. The group pulled up and got out, walking into the alley, he walked to the entrance and watched silently, the alley was a dead end, and they'd already surrounded the girl and were having a little sport with her pushing her back and forth from man to man. He grinned and started to walk away when he heard the scream, even for someone who's heart was as cold as his, it sent a shiver down his spine to hear a 12 year old girl scream. Memories flooded back, his first murder, that of his own sister, at around the same age. One of the only kills he ever truly regretted, it also forced him to recall the honor code he had developed to prevent it from happening again.

"Harm none who are unable to defend themselves."

"Show respect to those whom you face."

"Never cause harm to a child."

He wondered how many times he'd conveniently forgotten those, how many times he'd broken them without a second thought.

But this, this wasn't his concern, he wasn't harming her. He began to walk off again, when he heard her screams echo in his ears once more, cries for help this time. That blasted honor code... by his own inaction he WAS causing harm to her. He turned to see she had fallen, and who he could only presume to be the leader, was now attempting to force himself on her, onto a 12 year old. More than likely to 'prepare' her for what she would be doing as a slave. X's blood boiled in rage.

"Just this once."

With not another word he drew his sword, turning sharply back towards the scene and walked into the alley.

"Leave her alone."

The leader stood up, his fun interrupted and turned around to see who dare speak in such a maner. He almost chuckled at the lone man standing against the moonlight an archaic steel weapon in his hand. With that he motioned for his associates to move in. And they did, charging blindly towards X. Stupid, charging animals, no focus, no style, and now, no chance. The first 3 went down before they knew what happened, he went through 4 more before the others got their blasters pulled, 2 blasters were cut off at the barrel, the slavers holding them meeting the same fate. He threw another 3 that were to the side, simply standing there as if waiting into the concrete walls of the alley with the force, snapping their necks and spines. Now there were only 8 left, including the leader 5 dropped their weapons and took off down the alley, valuing their lives. X wagered the 2 left were the right hand men of this dog they called their leader. He was impressed actually, they stood calmly blasters drawn, with a perfect shot lined up, each of them.

"Shoot each other."

His tone was quiet, and unwavered despite the action he had just taken. And, as requested, they slowly turned their weapons towards one another. Fear, shock, horror played out in their eyes, X enjoyed every moment of it. As if on que they fired at the same time and both fell lifeless. And now it was 1 on 1, if he even bothered to call this slime that. He strode up and just stared at him. No words were exchanged, meerly a simple nod from X, then a quick reach to the man's head and a snap of his neck. He held him there, tilted the head and sunk his teeth in, feeding off the man's lifeblood. When he'd had his fill he let him drop. The girl had crawled to a corner, cowering. He leaned down, and smiled. An honest smile, something he hadn't shown in a long time.

"It's alright, you're going to be fine."

Rhianna Ravenloft
Jan 9th, 2004, 09:51:03 PM
Rhianna, what are you doing, girl...?

She had been a Jedi Padawan a pathetically short span of time. In fact she really hadn't fully recovered from her trip to Coruscant to begin with. She was probably not even supposed to be leaving yet. She hadn't had any formal training, no lessons bequeathing her mystical knowledge, aside from what she already possessed.. But she had checked out a book detailing the construction and assembly of lightsabers. She had been told that to make her own was better. So on the transport she began work on what would be a simple, single blue blade.

It was only a side trip after all, she had explained that she had made a promise to return the mortal remains of the woman who raised her to her native world. Tatooine Not the kind of place one went to for a simple day trip, she gathered. It was go, dump the ashes and back to Coruscant to find her Master.

Upon arriving she had completed the weapon and was confidant that it was done exactly by the book. She may not be the strongest force in the universe but she was smart, at least.

She wandered the night time streets there until she found a spot devoid of garbage to leave the small bag of ashes. Bye Gerda... Thanks for looking after me... With a sad smile, Rhianna began the walk back to the landing platform where the transport was refueling. Passing a lit area, she noted with horrow that the light was gleaming unnaturally off the eyes of a man. A man who was standing over a young girl.... A child, who was laying with her clothes ascew and crying in a terrified manner.

With the maternal instincts and the new courage of a Jedi she made her move. She may miss the transport, but the bastard wasn't going to hurt a child in her presence. She stepped forward silently and made her last minute decison based on what she saw. The monster had fangs... He was smiling at the girl, he must be crazed? She wouldn't give him time to react. She let the newly made weapon come to life in her sure grasp and hurled it straight through the chest of the man.

Pinning him through the wall above the girl, Rhianna let the walls mortar seal him there and then she removed the blade. "You wish buddy... Come on sweet heart, I am a Jedi. I will get you away from the likes of him." She took the young girl by the arms and hauled her to her unsteady feet, taking her to safety and getting their before the man could do something like... break free.

Xanatos Etanial
Jan 9th, 2004, 10:00:07 PM
The girl seemed unsure but relieved, and then pain, sharp, horrible, biting pain. He looked down to see an iridescant blue glow extending from his chest to the wall. A lightsaber, a JEDI lightsaber, he'd been too distracted, he hadn't even sensed the force presence, til now. The girl was dragged away by a woman, who pulled the lightsaber away with her, he managed to pull away from the wall , and stumbled forward. Deep almost black blood trickled down his mouth.

"It figures."

They were final words, and he knew it. With a heavy thud he collapsed to the ground. The little girl he'd tried so hard to save screamed in horror and began to pull from the woman.

"NO! N...no! You don't understand!"

She pointed at the bodies of the slavers strewn about the alley

"He saved my life!"

Rhianna Ravenloft
Jan 11th, 2004, 01:08:39 PM
Rhianna raised an eyebrow in disbelief. She didn't know what the guy was, but there was an unmistakeable darkness about him. Normal people didn't stand over young half dressed girls snarling at them with fangs. She ran her fingers in as soothing a manner as she could manage, being not just a little shaken up herself.

"Shhhh! Its okay now. I do believe he saved you from being abducted, but his motives towards you couldn't have been good. Don't you see his fangs..? He may have bitten you. Clearly he is some deranged monster."

Rhi didn't know the first thing about Tatooine, or the laws that stood in Mos Eisley. But she knew she had to get the girl to relative safety and get to her own transport soon. Tugging the reluctant girl behind her, Rhianna brought her to what appeared to be as close to a military base as possible and explained that she was a Jedi and the girl had been attacked by slave traders and a befanged monster. She had dispatched the monster and gave them the directions to his body, for burial reasons.

Boarding the transport, Rhianna was haunted by the girls words, even as she knew they couldn't be true..

"NO! N...no! You don't understand! He saved my life!"

Ryla Relvinian
Jan 12th, 2004, 11:05:33 PM
***Some Time Later***

This place calls to me…

The wind was hot in my hair, and even despite the head covering I wore I could feel the slight spray of sand on my scalp. Tatooine was a place where you could easily disappear into the crowd… even more so than Coruscant. It was just as I had remembered it from my last trip here, several years ago. This time, however, I had much more knowledge, and more skill… and one less homing implant in my body.

It had been fifteen years since my mother had died. I felt her spirit leave her body even before I had ever heard of the Force… even before I had felt the angry wave of fire rush into our small slave’s quarters. I remembered her as she was before she died… her face young and more beautiful than anything in the heavens, her eyes… old, full of sadness that I did not understand until I was much older. The way our skin was the same cerulean hue, and the fact that she was completely at a loss regarding my long, dark hair.

I stood very still over her grave for a very long time, feeling the subtle change in the winds that told me that the second sun was almost all the way below the horizon. Still, I did not move, letting the wind wrap my cloak about my legs. There was still so much about her I did not know, and the only other person I could ask was…

Well, that was my other reason for being here.

After some time, I walked slowly back to the small speeder I had rented, feeling the familiar shifting of sand under my feet and adjusting my steps accordingly. Funny, how even after so many years of being away from this place, one day back was all it was taking for me to sink right back in to the old familiar ways.

Twilight was now upon the land, setting the shifting dunes aglow with soft gold, slowly fading to deep blue. The journey to his grave, unmarked though it was, seemed to take no time at all. Even below the ground, our shared blood called me to his final resting place.

Brother… I thought to myself, before whispering softly into the night. “Brother. I hope that you have found your peace at last.”

I did not have the happy memories to dwell on for his passing, but I did have my gratitude. There was also… pity. I felt a sadness for what choices he had taken, and what path his life had ended up. Though I did not know how he had met his end, my senses told me that it was a redemption, and with that thought, I turned to leave the grave of what had once been my last living relative.