Part 3

Flashback…

The Vortex opened in the center of the Jedi Council of earth.  The Jedi
remained seated on there beanbag type chairs, calmly observing the
inter-dimensional portal.  They sat in a large circle.  They watched as the
large man came flying out of the vortex, then slid across the smooth floor.
Arturo found himself face down of the shinny floor, he began to swear to
himself.  The vortex closed behind him.  In the back round there were large
picture windows, which showed the view to the beautiful city outside.

" From the dawn of the multiverse we came." He mumbled in a snotty
mimicking voice. " All that knowledge all that wisdom, and you think they
could perfect a way to smoothen out the landing!" He ranted to himself.
Slowly the Professor got to his feet.  The Jedi watched on curiously and
slightly amused.   Arturo looked around and realized there were thirty sets
of eyes on him. He felt a little embarrassment.  But he couldn't allow his
pride to hold off his mission.

" Are you alright?" One of the Jedi asked.  The Professor brushed himself
off.

" Yes, thank you." He replied.  " Um… Where am I?" He asked.

" You are now on planet earth." Tam-bow one of the Jedi Masters replied.
Professor Arturo raised his right eyebrow.   " We are the Jedi Council of
Earth, its sworn protectors." Tam-bow added.

" You don't say." Professor Arturo replied with a little sarcasm.  The Jedi
council's variety ranged from normal looking humans to bizarre alien beings.
  It took every ounce of the Professors self control not to look around the
room gawking like a kid in a candy store.   There were so many questions he
wanted to ask all the races but there was no time. Now he needed to locate
the help the watchers of the multiverse told him he would find on this
world.  The Jedi waited patiently for Arturo to introduce himself.

" Good afternoon Gentlemen, My name is Professor Maximillian Arturo, and I
need your help!"  Arturo introduced himself.  The Jedi remained with there
full attention on the Professor.

" Please, continue." Jaw-Dean requested.  Professor Arturo went on to
explain about an exceptionally smart young man who created a dimensional
portal.  He told them about Rembrandt Brown, Wade Wells, and being lost in
the multiverse; he talked about the worlds they had been to, what they had
seen.  The Jedi listened.  Arturo then told them about his exile and how an
impostor took his place, he told them about his escape only to learn that
Ms. Wells is now prisoner to a race known as the Kromaggs who are hell bent
on ruling the multiverse.  He was sure to let the Jedi know that Kromaggs
were a threat to every world. The Jedi all listened very closely.

" So you see my friends I'm in trouble and I need your help." Arturo
finished.

" Very interesting." Tam-bow commented.

"Yes, very." Jaw-dean added.

" What is it you would like us to do?"  Jedi master Zem-ch asked.  His
apprentice Xander sat at his side.
" Help me, you have the ability to do so."  Arturo pleaded.  The council
remained silent.

" Professor Arturo we will ask you to wait outside so we may talk this
over." Tam-bow requested.  Tam-bow pointed to two large doors, the doors
opened.  Arturo walked towards them, he stopped before he walked out, and he
turned again to face the council.

" Look, even if you don't consider the Kromaggs a threat, just remember
that there is an innocent young woman involved who will surely die if she is
not helped." Arturo said as one last plea.  He then walked out of the room
through the large doors.  Professor Arturo saw food and a place to rest.
The doors closed behind him.

" What shall we do, this man has asked for our help?" Jaw-dean asked.

" We must decide if it is our responsibility to interfere with the problems
of other dimensions." Tam-bow answered.  Young Xander sat in silence waiting
to here the out come of the decision.  He wanted to help the Professor; he
wanted to say something to convince the council to help this man.  But he
was too afraid to voice his own opinion to the rest of the council.  Who was
he to say anything he thought, he was nothing more than a pupil.  Not a Jedi
knight.

" It is not the duty of the Jedi council to interfere with the problems of
other dimensions." Zem-ch spoke up. "If the danger comes here we will deal
with it." He finished.  Xander was shocked by his master's comments.  Xander
held himself back from speaking his mind.

" Young Xander, do you have something you would like to add?" Tam-bow asked.
  Xander held his head down to hide the sham in his eyes, to try to hide his
fear.

" No master Tam-bow." He answered feeling disgraceful.

" Then we do nothing, we tell this man that we cannot help him." Jaw-dean
said.

" Master." Xander whispered.  Zem-ch looked to young Xander.  Zem-ch looked
deep into Xander's eyes.  It was almost as if Zem-ch was waiting for Xander
to speak his mind.  But Xander was too afraid; he did not want to upset his
master.

" Yes Xander?" Zem-ch asked curiously.

" Nothing." Xander mumbled.  Zem-ch then showed a little disappointment on
his face.

" Very well, then we will inform this man that we cannot help him." Tam-bow
said with some disappointment.  Xander held back his true feelings.

In the room Professor Arturo paced around impatiently, he felt so helpless,
if they turned him down he would have to try to rescue Wade by himself.
Arturo doubted his abilities.

"This could take awhile." He said.  He picked up an apple that was in a bowl
on the table; he was ready to bit in to the juicy apple.

" Professor Arturo will you please return to the council room." The voice
came over the speaker.  Arturo put down the apple.

"Never fails, I just begin to eat, and someone always interrupt's."  He
mumbled to himself. The large doors opened again, he entered in. Professor
Arturo felt a bit uncomfortable entering into the room.  All eyes were on
him.  He got to the center of the room and stopped.  He was quiet and waited
for what the Jedi would say.

" We have considered every thing you have said." Tam-bow began.  " Yes, it
is our job to protect earth, it is our sworn duty." He continued. Arturo
felt the set up for the big let down.  " But it is not our business to
interfere with the problems of other dimensions." Arturo felt like a bomb
went off in his mind; he was devastated by the decision.  " Of course you
are welcome to stay as long as you wish." Tam-bow offered.  Arturo felt his
temper raging inside of him, those bastard's he thought.

"Stay here!" He yelled. " With a bunch of superficial snobs! " He insulted.
  " How dare you people, I came here for help, a innocent life is at stake,
and you turn me down for no apparent reason.  Then you slap me in the face
with your offer." He shouted. " I'd rather look for a wookie!  Maybe he
would show more compassion!"  He finished.  Arturo went storming towards the
door.  " Somewhere on this world is a real Jedi!  And that's who I need!"
Once again insulting the Jedi's.

" Wait!" Yelled a voice from the council.  All eyes turned to look.  Arturo
also turned to see whom it was.  Young Xander began to step forward.
Tam-bow watched on, as did the others.

"Xander, what are you doing!" Zem-ch yelled.  Xander looked to his master,
he realized that Master Zem-ch was upset with him, but he had to say his
piece.

" How can we let this man walk out of here?" The Xander began to say.

" It is not our affair Xander." Tam-bow said.  Professor Arturo smiled.  He
had found the help he was sent to find.

" Forgive me sir, but I disagree." Xander said proudly.  He was filled with
the courage he lacked. The only fear that held him back was gone.  " This
man has come here for our help, he asks us to do something that we are
suppose to do… Help people."  Xander went on.  " If we turn our backs on
this man, we turn our backs on who we are, we must help him."  Xander
finished.  Tam-bow looked at young Xander Caine for a long minute.

" Do you crave… the adventure?" Tam-bow asked curiously.

" No." Xander answered firmly.

" Why must we help this man then?" Jaw-dean asked.  Xander replied with.

" Because it's the right thing to do!" He said with conviction.  Tam-bow
stared into the eyes of the young Jedi.  Xander realized he was disobeying
the rest of the council, but he stood by what he believed to be the right
thing.  Quietly Arturo watched on, waiting for what was going to happen
next.  The suspense was getting to him.   Tam-bow smiled.  Xander was taken
off guard by it.

"We are all very proud of you young Xander, you have past the final test of
becoming a Jedi Knight."  Zem-ch said with pleasure.  Professor Arturo was
baffled.

" You see Professor, young Xander has never once disagreed with the council,
therefore he has never voiced his opinion, he was always in fear of our
rejection of it." Tam-bow said.

" But now he has finally put that fear out of his mind, and without the fear
he is now a true Jedi Knight."  Jaw-dean added.  Xander was almost over come
with the joy, but he kept it in check.

"Xander Caine, you will go with Professor Maximillian Arturo, you will help
him rescue Ms. Wells." Zem-ch said happily.

" Do you except our help, or would you prefer a wookie?" Tam-bow joked.  The
council began to laugh, as did Arturo.  He was relieved that he would get
the needed help.

" Your offer is kind and I except." Arturo answered.  "And please forgive
my short temper, and rude comments.  Arturo apologized. "I'm English." He
added.  Arturo looked to Xander and smiled, Xander smiled back.
 

Present Day…

" Your rescue was quite simple, Xander would slide in and get you out."
Arturo told Wade.

" But how did you know where to find me?" Wade asked.

" It's the sliding device, it had the Kromagg world coordinates in it, and
it was also a tracking device as to where you were, we had no idea you were
about to be executed, we were just lucky we made our move when we did."
Arturo said.  There was still doubt in Wade's mind, Arturo could tell the
look on her face.  She still needed something more, something that to her
would be solid proof.  Arturo thought to himself.  " So tell me Wade, did my
double land on top of Remmy as much as he landed on me?  And do you still
think sliding is better than sex? What about that loathsome creature you
found on lottery world, what was his name?  Ah yes Henry the dog." Arturo
said smiling.  Wade's eyes grew bigger, that was something that only
original Professor Arturo would know. Wades eyes began to fill with tears,
she was over come by happiness.

"Oh my God, it's really you Professor?" Wade said as the tears trickled down
her cheeks.

"Yes" Arturo smiled. It was not a trick, and it was really Professor Arturo,
her lost friend.  She grabbed her friend and hugged him.  Arturo hugged her
back.  The Jedi watched on, he felt good about what he had done.  It was the
right thing to do.  Wade held on to her friend so tightly, she was in tears.
  " There, their Miss Wells there really is no need for this." Arturo said
slightly embarrassed.

" I can't believe it's really you." She said happily.  Wade pulled away from
Professor Arturo; they both smiled at each other.  Wade then looked to
Xander, she ran over to him and grabbed a hold of him, and she hugged him
tightly. " Thank you...my Jedi Slider." She whispered.  "Thank you for
getting me my life back."  Wade kissed Xander on the cheek the young Jedi
blushed.  Professor Arturo began to laugh.

" So what happens now?" Wade asked.

" Now, we go and look for Quinn, and Rembrandt!" Professor Arturo said. " We
have three more days here, then we can slide." He finished.

" I thought we could slide at anytime?" Wade asked.

" Not anymore, that ability left the moment you and Xander slid back into
safety."  Professor Arturo said.  " Besides, we could use a few days of rest
and relaxation."
 

Later that night…

Xander sat on his beanbag chair and meditated.  The doors to his room
opened, Master Zem-ch entered.  Xander smiled as a form of greeting to his
former master.

" Your rescue, how did it go?" Zem-ch asked.  Xander was unsure of why his
master asked that, surly he knew that it was successful.

" I don't understand what you mean sir?" Xander asked.

" When you fought the Kromaggs, what did you feel?"  Zem-ch asked.  Xander
thought to himself.

" I felt safe" Xander answered.

" Did you feel arrogant?" Zem-ch asked.

" No, I allowed the force to control most of my actions, I was focused on
making sure no harm came to Miss Wells, or myself." Xander answered.  Zem-ch
smiled.

" Will you go with them?" Zem-ch asked.  Xander thought carefully about the
next thing he would say, that would determine the rest of his life.

" Yes, they still need my help, I must help them find the one's they call
Quinn, and Rembrandt." Xander answered.

" I've come to say good bye Xander" Zem-ch told his former apprentice.
Xander was curious as to why he would say good bye.  " Tam-bow has foreseen
that once you go, you will not be coming back." Zem-ch said.  Xander thought
to himself, he had never even thought of that possibility, but he knew what
had to be done.

" You have taught me many things, you have helped me to become the man I am
today, for that I thank you.  But now I must go on my own.  They still need
my help, and I have vowed to do so.  Do not think less of me for leaving."
Xander told his former master.
" Xander, I have never been more proud of you than I am right now."  Zem-ch
smiled.  " May the force be with you."  Zem-ch said.  The Jedi master then
walked out of the room.  Xander felt a little sadness that he would be
leaving his world, and yet he was excited at the new worlds he would
discover.  The unknown future awaited the young Jedi, the greatest challenge
of all.

        The beginning...
 

End Part 3
 

All comments should be directed by way of the Sliders Bboard to Hagor 316

 Back To Fanfic Archive