A Meeting Long Awaited

[Xan]

The time was relatively soon after Xanthus returned to Tatooine from Mandallia, where he had witnessed the death of his second apprentice. With Xotomi Renelo's demise, the former Sith Master had finally come to terms with the fact that he could not simply leave the Empire and the service of Andraste: it would not be enough to simply stop performing deeds in her service. No, he had found the ability and resolve to finally seek out a force that was growing with the intent of taking the fight to the Sith-ruled Imperium. Shortly after arriving, he had met with a contact that could see him into the Rebellion, and he was set to leave with a few others in only a few days. As fate would have it however, he was to be visited by a few ghosts from his pasts both near and far. The ghosts from the past that was near would come in the form of the Sith Crusader Raslekx Kongure, a former student from his days as a Sith Master who was accompanied by an Acolyte. The two had arrived on Tatooine and were actively seeking the ex-Sith and soon to be Rebel. Unbeknownst to Xanthus for the moment however, another presence from his further past was also on Tatooine...

The night air was crisp and cool, dry as a desert bone and filled with the feeling of anticipation. A figure walked through the streets of Mos Eisley, cloaked in dark robes that obscured much of his form and a hooded cloak that cast his face into shadow. He appeared largely unassuming on Tatooine, as many preferred to go about shrouded in dark and obscuring clothing, as it was largely considered preferable to not attract too much attention on the crime-ridden planet. To the average person, Xanthus would have been an average human male, and even to most of his kind he would have appeared to be the same. In truth, he was simply concealing his presence within the Force, hiding his Force signature as he walked slowly and steadily through the city towards where he knew Raslekx and another Sith accompanying him to be located. He wore no armor, though the cloak that he wore was composed of armorweave. He also appeared to carry no weapons, though he was armed with two lightsabers that had dichrome as apart of their composition to render them largely invisible to the naked eye. He was prepared for Force combat, even though he suspected that his preparations might have been in vain. Still, it was always better to be prepared where Sith were involved; a lesson that he had taught even as an instructor to other Sith.

He had become aware of Raslekx and the Acolyte accompanying him when the two had entered into a cantina wherein Xanthus had been relaxing at the time, though to be fair Xanthus had not been entirely paying as much attention as he should have been. Having been distracted by his imminent step forward along his path, he had not been as perceptive as he would normally have been; otherwise he likely have sensed the two Sith much sooner, as any Master of the Force could sense those who did not even attempt to hide or even restrain their Force signatures. Ah well, there was no true time to ponder about his failure of perception, as there was work to do this night.

 

[Fang.]

Tattoine, a planet that no one cared about but everyone seemed to know. Fang was no stranger to the planet having been on it numerous times for different occasions, today was a simple stop, having just completed a mission he needed to refuel his ship. It also provided the Jedi Master with a much needed excuse to relax a little bit, though fate would not see it that way today. Fang was heading towards a Cantina when he felt something, a dark pulse within the force. Sith, sighing, he focused on the source of the energy while hiding his own presence in the force, The job of a Jedi Watchman was never done.

The black clad cloaked figure that was Fang glided it's way through the streets under the crisp skies of Tatooine, moving towards the Sith presences with calm and focus. Fang was aware that there were some Jedi who were hiding out on this desert planet. And if the Sith had discovered them, it was his job to deal with them swiftly, however if they had no suspicions at the present time then he would simply have to tail them until they left the planet to ensure that they didnt find the Jedi. The Jedi numbers were already few, and the last thing that was needed was to lose anymore while also giving the Sith a warm trail to follow.

However, what he did not know was that he would be stopped short, by someone from his past, from more than 10 years ago, someone with whom he shared remarkable similarities, in more ways than one...

 

[Xan]

Along his way through the winding ways of Mos Eisley, Xanthus walked with purpose towards his goal. Unfortunately, the streets of the desert city were not organized in such a way that the trip was a straight line, even by foot. Though it was true that he could have made the walk more direct by using the ceilings, Xanthus was well aware of the fact that a robed and hooded figure leaping along rooftops would be quite conspicuous even on Tatooine. And so he was forced through the twists and turns of the sand-coated streets of the hive of scum and villainy that was Mos Eisley. He figured that Raslekx and his Acolyte companion were not far off now, and yet they were far enough away that they were not considered to be in earshot even if Xanthus were to yell at the top of his lungs. If he was to catch the two before they left Tatooint, he would need to move with a bit more purpose in his steps.

The former Sith Master was just beginning to place a bit more speed into his steps when he rounded a corner stepped onto another street just as another figure was doing the same thing from another direction. With the both of them passing underneath a light source somewhere in the street around them, the man's face was briefly illuminated and Xanthus almost stopped in actual surprise. It was true that most people would have had some difficulty with remembering a face that they had only seen once for a relatively brief amount of time during a battle that had many other events happening simultaneously. It was also true however, that most people had not been given advancements by the Chiss. With increased intelligence and sheer mental power and capacity, Xanthus's already brilliant memory had become near-photographic in nature, enabling him to remember the smallest details over long periods of time. This was how he had remembered the code of the ancient Je'daii despite having only seen the entire code one time in a temple on Tython during the Sith attack on the planet.

It was with this prodigious memory that Xanthus was able to recognize the Jedi who had introduced himself as Lucien Fang during their previous encounter. He could not tell if the man remembered him however, and so he simply stopped for a moment and considered what he was seeing. The Jedi was concealing his presence in the Force and was apparently moving in the same direction as Xanthus himself, meaning that they were likely both headed towards the same objective, though with more than likely differing goals. With that being the likely case, it stood to reason that Xanthus should perhaps attempt to either dissuade the Jedi or reach the two Sith first. 'Although perhaps prudence would dictate that I at least discover why he is here before I continue this line of thought any further.'

With that thought in mind, Xanthus stopped and called out to the Jedi. "Quite a night for a random stroll, Jedi." He said in Fang's general direction. He was well aware of the fact that the Jedi could respond in any number of ways, but the goal had been to get the Jedi to stop first and Xanthus was not giving a particular effort to subtlety at the moment. Fang had last time they met seemed to prefer not attacking first, and so he should hopefully not be aggressive in this, their second encounter.

 

[Fang.]

"Quite a night for a random stroll, Jedi." came a voice from behind him, a voice that was oddly familiar, like an echo from a long time ago. Ordinarily the Jedi Master would have kept walking to keep himself a secret, to prove the person wrong that he was a Jedi or that anyone here was as his Force presence was hidden and so were his weapons. However this voice had picked him out, which meant that he had likely seen Fang before, they had likely met in the past. The Jedi Master turned around, and he was right.

Before him stood a man from his distant past, a man who in many ways, was Fang's mirror image, the man before him was a gentleman like Fang, had a similair combat style and even had the same lightsaber colour as him, the only difference that lay between them was their appearance and that Fang was a Jedi and this man was a Sith, a gentleman Sith. I have not had the luxury for a Random stroll in quite some time, tonight is no different, Xanthus. Fang said with a smirk, turning towards him and making a slight bow, this man had his respect, however beneath the surface of calm, Fang could feel his muscles tensing for combat, however if Xanthus was still the same man he had met back on Teta, then there was a decent chance to avoid combat with him this night.

 

[Xan]

It seemed that Xanthus's call had the desired effect, as the Jedi stopped and turned instead of continuing towards his presumed objective. It only took a moment's perceiving of the former Sith before Fang smirked in his direction and confirmed that he too possessed an impressive memory. Xanthus left the comfort of the wall behind him, taking a step forward that ended with the slightest bow to match the one given him by Fang. "I understand very well that feeling, Fang." Accurately assuming that the Jedi was preparing for combat mentally, if not physically, Xanthus held up his hands with his palms facing Fang in a universal signature of one who wills no ill will upon another. "You can relax, Watchman. I'm not here for combat, only for a bit of light conversation. Afterwards we can both go our own separate ways." With a light smile, Xanthus added: "I think we both know that even if we did start fighting, we wouldn't get very far beyond our opening stances anyway."

 

[Fang.]

Fang chuckled to himself at Xan's reference back to what had happened on Teta, yes, neither of them had wanted to give the first blow, and so while other Jedi and Sith fought around them, the two had circled each other, looking for a point of weakness, waiting for the other to strike. However, things had changed in the 10 years since then, more so than Fang knew. He found it curious that the Sith were hunting down Jedi wherever they could find them, yet Xanthus stated that he was only there for light conversation.

As well as I think I know you, I find that hard to believe considering how your order has been mercilessly trying to hunt down every Jedi they could find. Fang replied evenly, there was not hate in his voice, simply a statement of facts. But Fang would humor this man none the less, But for you, I think I can make an exception. So tell me Assassin, what shall we talk about?

 

[Xan]

Xanthus sighed quietly at the mention of the Sith's standing order to capture or kill any and every Jedi that they came across, though his expression recovered at the fact that this particular Jedi was at least willing to believe that he was not here for combat. "That standing order that you're referring to is called Operation Knightfall, and technically it does give the Sith the option of capturing Jedi alive instead of killing them." Xanthus said nonchalantly with a shrug, simply stating one of the particulars of Operation Knightfall as a point of information. "Anyway, I thought that we might discuss...hmm...well, why not discuss the Force? As I recall, we were having an interesting conversation about that topic during our battle, or more specifically we were discussing at the time why I fought for the Sith while I myself identified not as a darksider but as a Grey." In fact, if memory served the two were actually getting to the point wherein Xanthus might have actually answered that question, but the Jedi had been forced to instead retreat before the conversation could continue. Ten years later was a better time than never to reapproach the topic, perhaps?

 

[Fang.]

Fang shrugged off the comment about the Sith having the option to capture Jedi instead of killing them, it didnt change that the Jedi were still being hunted.
Fang's mind flashed back to that day on Teta, yes, that had and still was the question wasnt it? however, circumstance had kept them from continuing the conversation, something that Fang regretted on some level, because they were so alike, The question on some small level was for himself as it was for Xanthus, because while it was true that Xanthus was grey and not dark, Fang's aura sat only just above grey to be sitting in the light.

That is the question isnt it Xanthus? You've held this answer from me for ten years, I think thats a long enough wait dont you? Fang replied with a small smirk, hoping his humor found its way through

 

[Xan]

Xanthus shrugged lightly before placing his hand on his chin while he pretended to think. "As I recall, Fang, you're the one who left before I could give a proper explanation." Not entirely fair, but then again it was meant to be a jest. How could any Jedi have stayed behind for a conversation when one of their worlds was being put to the flame by the power of the Imperium? But Fang did have a point that the answer was ten years overdue, regardless of reasoning. "In hindsight, I can tell you that I was not truly Grey at the time, but that my mind was clouded by the Dark Side into believing that I was. It was only years after our encounter that I truly became that which I claimed to be for the longest time." Xanthus's usual smile was absent at this point, replaced by a truly thoughtful expression as he recalled having to accept the fact that he had been wrong and thus had to learn the correct path to balance. "I suppose that I should mention that I left the Sith several weeks ago in the name of the ideals that I learned in that time."

 

[Fang.]

Xanthus claimed that Fang had left before xanthus could give him a proper explanations, to which Fang chuckled and replied, True, but your friends were quite eager to get me to leave, it was only polite that I take the hint. He said with a smirk. He continued to listen to Xanthus as he spoke until Xanthus told him that he had left the Sith order weeks ago, Fang didnt know whether his mouth should have dropped or he should have smiled, so he ended up doing a weird mixture of both for a moment before he realized how silly he looked and forced his face back to normal before grinning. Well I am glad to hear it, I didnt think you belonged there. So, now that you've left them what shall you do? where will you go? He asked, he wasnt going to ask the man to join the Jedi, he had only just left the Sith, and besides, while in many ways the two of them were mirror images of each other, Xanthus had always been more grey than Fang ever had.