SITUATION - Discard immediately to remove a Situation from
play. (Errata'd text)
---------------------------------------------------------

The katana was unfamiliar in Xavier's hand.  He held it
before him while MacLeod maintained a defensive stance.

The two opponents had exchanged weapons during the brief
melee on the stairs.  Thrusting and parrying, they had
moved out onto the manor's lawn.

MacLeod was fighting like a madman, in a bizarre style
that mixed sabre and katana.  Forced to muster all his
energies in response, Xavier was rapidly becoming
exhausted.

The time had come.  MacLeod's visit was not totally
unanticipated.  St. Cloud knew that his rival would
eventually track him down.

Yelling, Xavier lunged forward.  Duncan moved aside and
the Moroccan went shooting past.  St. Cloud felt the blade
of his borrowed weapon sink into the stone pillar behind
his opponent.  He had only a second to act.

As MacLeod spun for the finishing blow, Xavier released
his grip on the sword and kept moving forward.  Even so,
it was a near thing.  The blow that would have taken his
head missed by centimeters.

Disarmed, St. Cloud had no chance.  Fortunately, the
moment had been prepared for.  Xavier took one step to the
side and kicked at a wire strung between the pillar and
the house.

Lights mounted on the house illuminated the lawn with
their brilliance.  Momentarily blinded, MacLeod stepped
back with one arm before his eyes.

Xavier had no intention of continuing the battle.  He spun
and was through a basement door in seconds.  He slammed
the door shut behind him and heard the satisfying click of
the lock snapping home.

St. Cloud was always ready to travel.  He moved quickly
through the basement, ascending to the kitchen above.  A
quick trip down a passageway brought him to a garage on
the side of the manor opposite MacLeod, and a waiting car.

Xavier had no sense of MacLeod's presence.  However, he
knew that could change in seconds.  Getting into the car,
St. Cloud started the ignition and was down the driveway a
minute after he had escaped the Highlander.

As Xavier drove through the night, he considered the
situation.  Obviously, his alliance with Horton and the
man's band of fanatics and mercenaries had been a mistake. 
St. Cloud had thought to profit from the mortal's
organization.  However, the man had either escaped or been
killed.  Horton had been less than truthful about how much
MacLeod hated him.  That anger had brought Duncan on with
a fury that Xavier had found impossible to oppose.

In any case, St. Cloud had no intent of maintaining his
connections to Horton.  Let the mortal fend for himself.

Mentally assessing his situation, Xavier allowed himself a
small smile.  Long experience had taught him to travel
light and keep his wealth close about him.  A small case
full of jewels rested in the boot of his car.  That would
provide him with enough to get by on until he made several
withdrawals.

He would have to be careful and quick.  Horton had hinted
at how much he knew of Xavier's affairs.  He or his allies
might be able to get at St. Cloud's many secret accounts.

After that . . . well, Xavier could only admire Horton: 
the man had been true to his principles, however twisted. 
The ex-Watcher had planned to betray his ally.  However,
Xavier couldn't hold that against the mortal.  He had made
similar plans himself.

So St. Cloud felt no desire to seek revenge on Horton. 
The man was not to be underestimated:  his scheme had been
brilliant, worthy of Xavier himself.  Only random chance,
the weakness of Horton's allies, and MacLeod's
determination had undone their plans.

But MacLeod . . . it was twice now that the Highlander had
thwarted him.  The Immortal was on his guard, and it would
be . . . unwise for Xavier to take his vengeance in the
short term.

But St. Cloud had learned to wait over the centuries.  He
would chip at MacLeod's defenses now, perhaps pick off a
friend or two.  He wouldn't want the Highlander to think
he had won a total victory.

For the most part, however, he would bide his time,
reestablish himself elsewhere, perhaps gather an ally or
two.

As Xavier drove off into the night, his mind was filled
with plans of the future . . . 

---------------------------------------------------------

Plan Ahead is often overlooked among Xavier St. Cloud's
Reserved cards.  It is usually dismissed as a somewhat
inferior version of the Police card that removes
Situations.

Why inferior?  Because Plan Ahead's owner has to put the
card into play, and then discard it as necessary.  Until
it is discarded, an opponent can negate it like any other
Situation.  Police/Remove Situation, on the other hand,
can only be stopped by Xavier's Forethought, Kurgan's
Disguise, Annie's Escape, and a Thunder Castle card.  If
someone uses Excessive Force, they gain even greater
benefit from using a Police card.

So why use Plan Ahead?  Several reasons.  For one thing,
you _can't_ use Police/Remove Situation unless your
opponent puts a Situation into play.  If he never puts a
Situation into play, you can never play that particular
Police card.

On the other hand, you can play Plan Ahead whether there
is a Situation in play or not.  It can stay out, waiting
until necessary while you play other Specials.  Its mere
presence may be enough to keep an opponent from putting a
debilitating Situation into play until he draws a Police
card to remove Plan Ahead.

Also, by using six Plan Ahead cards, you can remove six
extra Situations.  Most Personas are limited to six Police
cards.  That number drops further if they use the
Police/Counter Damage card.  There are other, more limited
cards that can remove Situations (Investigation, Precinct,
Bedsoe, and Simple Mind), but having Plan Ahead still lets
you handle any Situation.

Plan Ahead is also a Situation that your opponent has to
use cards to deal with.  If he uses Situation-removers to
deal with your Plan Aheads, that leaves him with fewer
cards to deal with your Plot cards, Forethought, Poison
Gas, Carl, Pedestrian, the various Watcher Field Agents,
and any other Situations you decide to use.

Also, Plan Ahead bypasses Disguise/Kurgan and
Escape/Annie, being immune to both cards' effects.

Is Plan Ahead worth putting in a non-Xavier deck? 
Probably not.  Richie and Darius-users have better cards,
much less better Xavier cards, to use.

One thing to remember:  Plan Ahead is _not_ a counter
card.  Any Situation you intend to use it against will be
on the table long enough to have some effect.

While Plan Ahead isn't a card that will win you a game,
it's not to be underestimated.  Particularly with the new,
potent Situations added by promotional cards and the Movie
Edition, it can be extremely useful.

Overall, Plan Ahead is a good card to add to your Xavier
deck if it doesn't significantly increase your deck size. 
At the very least, you can use it in lieu of the
appropriate Police card.

(This story details the events in Xavier St. Cloud's life
after "Unholy Alliance Pt. 2."  The events of this story
diverge somewhat from the end of that episode.)