Author's Note 1: The idea from this story comes from a few other fanfics dealing with time travel, but hopefully I've managed to put my own twist on the story. If not, feel free to bring it up in the reviews! (hint hint ;D)

Author's Note 2: I have to warn you, however, that Anakin won't follow his movie characterization for a great deal of this story. Of course, he starts out that way, but be prepared for major changes. I'll try my best to make it a believable transition! I really feel like George Lucas put Anakin's character through hell, just to force him to turn, even though it went against his personality. Yes, Anakin still has a temper. But having some pent up anger and frustration after living a childhood of enslavement doesn't mean that you're prone to murder. Anger isn't such a powerful emotion that it can change the very core of the person experiencing it, and Anakin was always far too compassionate and empathetic to turn into a monster, in my opinion. Besides, most normal people don't deal with the possibility of losing their spouse by going against all of their ideals and morals to become murderous monsters. George gave Anakin almost no resilience, which just doesn't fit with the facts of his actions and decisions. I also want to deal a lot more with Anakin's slave upbringing, because it was hinted that the other main reason why Anakin turned was a desire for power. But considering the fact that Darth Vader enslaved the entire galaxy, this doesn't seem to mesh with his character or motivations, either. I always got the impression that Anakin wanted more to take power from those unfit to wield it, and less that he wanted to take it for himself and use it to 'put others in their place'.

Author's Note 3: I'm also planning for Padme to have a much larger role in this story than she did in the movies. As someone so intelligent and wise, I thought it was totally ridiculous that George Lucas didn't allow her to influence Anakin more. It seems ludicrous that he could marry someone of such morality and wisdom, and still be so prone to immorality and idiocy. Anakin is often portrayed as small minded, but with some influence from his wife, that could be pretty easily remedied. Not to mention, Padme was more than a little Mary Sue-ish. She needs a little more depth—but that will come later. ;)

Author's Note 4: I haven't read any of the Star Wars books (I'm getting around to it, but school is kicking my ass, so it'll be a bit). I know very little about the extended SW universe, and Wookiepedia is my go-to source for all things SW related that weren't covered in the movies. However, I know I've made quite a few mistakes. Don't hesitate to point them out!

Whew. That was a lot of Author's notes… I promise future chapters won't have that many!

Disclaimer: It's all George Lucas's! I own nothing, probably not even the plotline. This is all for fun and no profit is being made.

Firsthand

By Handmedownrobes

Chapter One: Black Hole

"Master, I have a bad feeling about this," Anakin muttered so only his companion could hear him. He could see the lingering residue of his former Master's mistrust of the Geonosians, but Obi-Wan didn't respond. Anakin sighed and glanced out of the conference room at the patio and surrounding desert wastelands. The first battle of the Clone Wars raged behind weary blue eyes set in a disarmingly young face. He could almost smell the pungent metallic odor that had permeated the droid manufacturing plant where he and Padme had fought their way to Obi-Wan's side. And now the Geonosians were offering their support to the Republic. None of the few Jedi who had been graced with the top secret information of this possible truce knew what to think about it.

At first, Anakin had been staunchly against even speaking to them. The Geonosians would be a key ally that could turn the balance of the war, and they were offering the identity of the Sith lord the Jedi sought (many Masters on the Council were unsettled that the Geonosians even knew there was a Sith lord the Jedi were hunting). But Anakin's memory rang with the sounds of battle droids marching and blasters firing, while his heart stung with the memory of the devastation the Jedi had encountered on Geonosis.

However, it had only taken glimpsing the fear in the Archduke Poggle the Lesser's eyes as he murmured, "We cannot be his slaves any longer," for Anakin's compassion to win out. He knew that fear; he knew how it felt to have his life bound to another's whims. He promised his mother he would free all of the slaves, and so against his better judgment (and to Obi-Wan's shock), Anakin supported the negotiations.

Obi-Wan, who still remained highly suspicious of the deal, cornered Anakin immediately after the council meeting in which Anakin had argued in favor of the negotiations. It was the closest Anakin had ever come to seeing his Master furious.

"What happened to you, Anakin? I thought, out of every kriffing Jedi in this Temple, I could at least count on you not to fall into this folly," Obi-Wan had hissed.

Anakin was rather amused by it. That day, he'd discovered that his former Master got quite red in the face when he was upset. He'd seen Obi-Wan exasperated, he'd even seen him irate, but he had never seen Obi-wan truly furious. "Master, weren't you the one to teach me to let go of the past and focus only on the here and now? Didn't you tell me to let go of my anger and concentrate on what was best for the Jedi and the Republic?"

"And you choose now to listen?"

Anakin had considered that for a moment. "Master, I've been through quite a lot since we were last assigned a purely political mission," he'd pointed out. "And I've been fighting in a war for years." He wouldn't add that he'd also married the Senator from Naboo, but he had certainly been thinking about it. "It's changed my perception a bit."

Obi-Wan could only grumble as he walked stiffly away.

But now Anakin was beginning to have second thoughts. Suddenly the very good arguments that had been raised against this mission floated to the forefront of his mind. He saw Master Windu tersely questioning the Geonosians' motives for this action, wondering why they hadn't contacted the Senate or the Chancellor. During the meeting, Anakin had raised the point that the only way to find out the answer would be to speak with them about it. But now he wasn't so sure.

Why would they contact the Jedi, who were merely the heads of the military operations? If the Geonosians wanted to make a deal to end the war, why not go to the Republic? The Jedi were not politically involved, or, they weren't supposed to be. The idea of the Jedi becoming politically active in the war any more than they already were didn't sit well with most of the Council members. Anakin wasn't sure he liked it much, either.

But for the Jedi, the lure of finding the identity of the Sith lord was too much to refuse, and so Anakin and Obi-Wan were now standing in the antechamber of the Archduke's palace, which resembled a termite's 'd been given this assignment due to Obi-Wan's skill as a negotiator, Anakin's military prowess and fantastic reputation, their proven teamwork, and Anakin's support of the talks. Anakin was working to banish the sudden doubts from his mind, knowing Obi-Wan had probably sensed them by now, but he had the distinct feeling that something very bad was about to happen.

"Welcome, Jedi," Poggle intoned, his manner grave. He motioned to a chair that appeared to be molded of clay or sand of some kind. Anakin was beginning to tire of the desert atmosphere… it reminded him too much of Tattooine, though the landscape of Geonosis' deserts was very different from those on Tatooine.

Obi-Wan and Anakin nodded politely and sat.

"You have many questions, I am sure." Anakin gazed suspiciously at the Geonosian leader. Poggle was displaying all of the traditional signs of nervousness. He was fidgeting, avoiding their gazes. Anakin glanced at Obi-Wan, whose face was, predictably, betraying none of his feelings. Anakin decided to focus on the Archduke a little more, to ensure that any lies he spoke would be detected through the Force.

"I have discovered a difficult truth, Master Jedi. We, the Separatists, were led by the Trade Federation, but they were not acting independently. They served another master, the one you Jedi seek. During the war, we began to have our own suspicions about the one who identified himself as Darth Sidious. It wasn't until recently that we discovered that our Lord Sidious was someone you are already well acquainted with."

Anakin found himself leaning forward, suddenly desperate to hear the Archduke's next words. Obi-Wan's eyes shone with skepticism, but also with a glimmer of curiosity.

"The identity of—" the Archduke's insect-like eyes grew wide as suddenly his speech was cut short. He gasped, his thin, sharp fingers stretching to grasp a small dart that was embedded in his fleshy neck, between the layers of hard-coated natural armor that encased most of his body. His opaque wings twitched as the Archduke's body slumped backward and curled over his low-backed chair.

"Sithspit," Anakin growled, rushing to the very dead Archduke. Obi-Wan turned sharply in the direction of the slant of the embedded dart. Anakin glanced up just in time to see a shadow disappearing into a turreted tower that lay no more than two hundred meters from the patio they had been sitting on.

"Master, did you see that?"

"Yes, and I think the assassin went that way," Obi-Wan said, pointing to an abrupt shift in the shadows near the rock formation that lay just beyond the palace. The two Jedi leapt up simultaneously, pursuing the attacker.

Anakin's vision was reduced to red and brown streaks as he allowed the Force to guide his steps. He and Obi-Wan were locked in a sprint that took them through twisting, winding corridors, past clicking Geonosians, whose wings fluttered angrily as the Jedi barreled past them. It wouldn't take long for them to raise suspicion, especially since the deceased Archduke would be found in minutes, and Anakin was guessing that two Jedi running from the palace wouldn't exactly give the right impression. They had to find this assassin and leave, before things could get any worse. He just couldn't believe he hadn't been able to stop it. An assassin should not have been able to murder the Archduke with two of the Republic's best warriors sitting less than a standard meter away!

Obi-Wan's arm shot out quickly, stopping them both. "He's around here somewhere, and he's expecting two Jedi to be following him. We must split up if we're to find our assassin," Obi-Wan whispered.

"I agree, Master," Anakin murmured. Obi-Wan nodded sharply to a dark passageway carved into the rock to their right. Anakin nodded in return and took the left tunnel. He sprinted down the hallway silently, secretly fuming over the Archduke's untimely death. He had to admit, despite whatever fleeting compassion he'd held for the sentient, he wasn't sorry to see the cause of so many dead Jedi disposed of. But one second more and they would have discovered the identity of the Sith lord the Jedi had been searching for since Anakin was nine.

It was frustrating, to say the least, and was only the latest frustration in a long line of frustrations, many of which the Council had decided to frustrate Anakin with lately. Besides passing him up for yet another important mission, one that they'd given to a relatively incompetent Jedi, they had also taken the time to relate, yet again, how untrustworthy they'd found him to be in a disciplinary hearing.

He knew that he had a responsibility to the Jedi code to keep these irritations from affecting him, but he was only human. After months of fighting, months of watching humans and sentients alike fall to blaster fire, after months of being separated from the only thing that made him feel calm, the annoyances the Jedi were currently piling on to his proverbial plate were almost unbearable. His patience had been tried in the past, but he chafed under the binds of the Council. He couldn't stand watching people suffer and knowing he was not in any real position to help them.

But he couldn't dwell on it, not when he needed every ounce of his attention focused solely on capturing (and killing, a dark part of his mind sneered) the one responsible for the Archduke's death. He didn't have the ability to dwell on that very disturbing thought, so he pushed it from his mind. Anakin would deal with that later. He allowed his feet to carry him through black, twisting, mazelike corridors of rock. He hated being in the dark, but he wasn't about to activate his lightsaber and announce his presence to anything within a kilometer radius to relieve his discomfort.

He focused on expanding his awareness through the Force. He could feel a faint life force darkly shining somewhere about a half a kilometer away and slightly to his left. Considering the distance, Anakin made an educated guess and concluded that it was most likely his assassin. It would take a rather sizable being to create such a distinct imprint from that distance. Now he only had to find which tunnel the kriffing bugger had taken. He kept his eyes on his left side, looking for a passageway that would take him to the assassin.

Suddenly a darker hole erupted in his vision. He dragged himself to a halt, almost tripping himself in his haste. Well that was un-Jedi-like, he admonished wryly. Luckily no one was around to see it.

He inched himself slowing into the hallway, sticking close to the side of the tunnel. His lightsaber sang in his palm; he imagined it humming with anticipation. The quarry was so close. He could feel his presence—it was almost blinding now. Anakin slowed his breathing until it was almost completely silent.

Gotcha.

Anakin was practically sitting on the guy. Kriffing idiot, he thought smugly. Boxing himself in like this. Anakin would make quick work of this. And if he was lucky, he might even get the name of the person who had sent the attacker.

Anakin tensed, preparing to pounce on the assassin from behind. Just as he was about to spring on him, the assassin twisted around abruptly. Anakin found himself deflecting blaster fire almost before he was consciously aware of doing so. Red and blue flashes illuminated the narrow rocky space they were trapped in. The assassin shot some sort of dart at Anakin, which he dove away from. He rolled on the floor and lunged, his 'saber merely a blinding flash of blue, ready to deal a blow that would neatly cut his attacker's hands from his arms, slicing through them at the wrist. But the blade passed not through flesh and bone, but through air.

The assassin was running again. Anakin's fingers itched to use a Force push to bring the guy down, but in such an enclosed space, it was risky at best. He could only pursue and hope not to lose sight of his prey.

Et-chu-ta, Anakin thought savagely as he tailed the assassin.

The assassin was a few inches shorter than him and was humanoid in appearance. His worn armor and assortment of weapons practically screamed bounty hunter. Scum, he mentally growled. He was getting closer—only a few more meters and he would be upon the hunter.

But suddenly the man before him was outlined in white. Kriffing hell. The bounty hunter was leading him outside. And while it would be a relief to have full use of his Force abilities available to him, the inevitable seconds of blindness that would accompany his foray into the daylight caused a niggling fear to gnaw at Anakin's insides. If he couldn't see the assassin, he couldn't kill him. Loss of vision wouldn't be an issue for the bounty hunter; he was wearing a protective helmet that, in all likelihood, had vision enhancers. That's why his quarry had been able to maneuver so effectively within the rock caves.

Anakin blinked rapidly, trying to prepare himself for the blinding daylight that would accost him in a few meters. He kept his 'saber at the ready, preparing to deflect more blaster fire.

But as the light of the Geonosian sun settled on his body and his vision began to clear, Anakin saw only the shadow of the bounty hunter's speeder as it lifted off.

"Kriffing sithspit," Anakin hissed, throwing in a few Huttese curses for good measure.

"Careful, Anakin. That language would make a deep space pilot blush," Obi-Wan admonished gently, appearing at his side, breathing heavily.

"Sorry, Master," Anakin said, too incensed to be properly chagrined. "Do you know where we are right now? The faster we get back to our speeders, the more likely it is we can catch this bastard."

"Use your feelings," Obi-Wan replied cryptically, looking far too calm.

"Why aren't you more upset?" Anakin demanded.

Obi-Wan surveyed him coolly. "Anakin, I highly doubt our dear friend the Archduke knew the identity of Darth Sidious."

Anakin snorted. "Okay, Master. Then why did the assassin choose precisely that moment to kill him?"

"Because, Anakin, it's highly likely that one, or all, of the Separatist leaders discovered the Geonosians' plot to betray them and wanted to dispose of him before he could tell us anything about them. Besides, Poggle said he had suspicions."

Anakin settled for staring glumly at the dark red fields of dirt and scraggly rocks that surrounded them in lieu of a response.

Something was flashing red, and Anakin didn't like it one bit. One of the sensors in the cockpit was going crazy. He had checked every vital operating system in the small cruiser, but to no avail. This was an older model, as it was meant for peaceful missions and not wartime escapades (the twin speeders that rested in the small landing platform of the multi-level cruiser were for evasive maneuvers, but since this was a diplomatic mission, the Master Yoda suggested taking a less threatening vessel to the negotiations, but allowed them to bring speeders in case their talks turned… aggressive). Since the craft was an older model, not all of its sensors were clearly labeled, and Anakin had run diagnostics on every single thing he could think of. Whatever the problem was, it wasn't internal.

He considered waking Obi-Wan to assist him in looking for disturbances outside of the ship, but dismissed the idea. Obi-Wan had an even more difficult job than he did, and that was saying something. The general needed all the rest he could get.

Suddenly his irritating red friend multiplied by four, and he found himself staring at more blinking lights all over his dash. Perhaps it was time to awaken his friend.

What, and admit to him that you don't know what the problem is? The 'master pilot' jokes would never cease, Anakin groused. He tried to ignore the prideful voice in his head that was screaming at him to figure it out. He knew everything about piloting, for Force's sake! Surely he could fix a little problem like this!

Yeah, I would if I knew what it kriffing was, Anakin thought angrily, effectively shutting the first voice up.

But then he looked in front of him. Something is very wrong, he realized. But what?

And then he knew. Everything was dark. Space wasn't exactly supposed to be light, per se, but he was surrounded in total pitch black. No winking of distant stars, no sign of anything, anywhere. He checked his coordinates, but found that they had been reprogrammed. I didn't do that! He thought, outraged.

It was definitely time to wake Obi-Wan up.

"So what exactly is the problem here?" Obi-Wan was usually grumpy when he was awakened early, but Anakin didn't have time to deal with his former Master's bad habits.

"There was a glitch in the computer," he said quickly. "The coordinates were reprogrammed without my knowledge, and now I'm not sure where we are. Nothing is showing up on the readings, and I can't see a single star or planet anywhere. And the ship's sensors are going crazy."

Obi-Wan wearily dragged his hand down his face, hunching over slightly. Had his friend always been so old? Was it just the war?

Anakin wanted to reach out to him, but just then Obi-Wan drew himself up. "Then we manually pilot the ship until we can get readings again."

Anakin was doubtful. "Master, falling out of hyperspace and wandering around until we find something sounds… ridiculous."

"Yes, and so does hurtling very quickly through space using unknown coordinates with no stars or planets of any kind in sight," Obi-Wan said mildly.

He was right, but Anakin would be damned if he would admit it.

"Preparing to drop out of hyperspace," Anakin informed his former Master. His finger rested on the switch that would drop them into the great unknown, and he hesitated.

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Master?"

Obi-Wan smiled at him ruefully. "No, but it's the only idea we have. Besides, I have full confidence in you to save our lives should we end up in a scrape, as you always do," he grinned.

Anakin rolled his eyes. "You know, Master, just because I am capable of saving your skin for the eleventh time doesn't mean you should encourage it. I don't exactly enjoy snatching you up from the jaws of death on a regular basis. It'll give me premature wrinkles," he commented.

"I never thought of you as a vain one," Obi-Wan said, his blue-green eyes sparkling with mirth.

"Yeah, well, I've got to impress the ladies somehow," Anakin winked.

It was Obi-Wan's turn to roll his eyes. "Just press the button," he said wryly.

Anakin pressed down and braced himself as the older cruiser slowed rather ungracefully to a stop. He turned to make a comment about the Jedi Master's dubious decision making skills and how he'd likely ended them up in a real situation when a yawning blackness flickered in his peripheral.

His gaze was drawn to the massive thing looming in front of them. "It's a black hole," Anakin breathed, before everything descended into suffocating darkness.

Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You're my only hope. A lilting voice cut through the haze that surrounded his mind. Was it real? Or was this just a dream? Would he awaken to cannons blasting, or would he open his eyes to see Padme's soft form nestled into him? He viciously silenced that thought, knowing that it would only lead him to yearn for something he knew he most likely couldn't have. In all likelihood, he would arise to find himself in a fraying tan tent and not in the lush rooms of 500 Republica.

He opened his eyes, sitting up gingerly. But it wasn't in his tent that he found himself, and it certainly wasn't in Padme's bed. He gazed sharply around at his surroundings, finding himself in a stark white holding cell. Wonderful, he thought grimly. He focused on remembering the circumstances that brought him to this cell. With a rush, the vision of the black hole before him surged into his mind's eye.

"Kriffing hell," he yelped, in a rather ungainly manner. How had he managed to survive? Had Obi-Wan? And where in the Sith hell were they?

"Would you keep it down," a terse feminine voice commanded from the cell next to his. He spied a grate in the wall to his right. He leaned down, trying to catch a glimpse of who it housed.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Leia Organa," she sniffed. "And I could ask you the same question."

Anakin jolted up with surprise. "I didn't know Bail had a daughter."

"You know my father?" Leia asked skeptically.

"Yes, he serves in the Senate with my—"

"Yes?"

"A, a friend of mine," Anakin finished lamely, wondering where his sense of dignity had disappeared to. "How did I get here? And how did you get here? And where exactly is here?" He blurted before he could stop himself.

Great, now you go informing this complete stranger of your total ignorance of whatever situation you've managed to land yourself in this time, he thought harshly.

"You're in a holding cell of an Alderaanian ship on a diplomatic mission," she said bitterly.

"Wait a second… Bail Organa is the Senator from Alderaan. Why in the hell would he lock his own daughter up in his own ship? Bail wouldn't do that," Anakin snapped, suddenly deciding that it was a very bad decision indeed to inform this strange woman of his lack of knowledge.

"My father isn't here and he certainly didn't lock me up in my own ship," Leia snapped back.

"Then how exactly did you come to be imprisoned in your own ship?" Anakin glared.

"We were attacked. Just beforehand, we saw your ship floating limply in the middle of space. We picked you up, but just after we did we were attacked."

"Attacked by who?"

"Darth Vader," Leia spat.

Who the hell is Darth Vader? Anakin wondered, panicked. They were looking for Darth Sidious, whose apprentice was Count Dooku. Sith Lords always came as a pair—a Master, and an apprentice. If there were another Sith Lord leading attacks on diplomatic envoys of Galactic Senators, it meant that the Jedi now had two Sith Lords and two apprentices to deal with.

Anakin's heart felt as though it was choking him, as it was now lodged somewhere in his esophagus.

"Are you sure? Are you sure it was this Darth Vader who attacked your ship?" After all, he reasoned, it could merely be a guy in a cape masquerading as a Sith Lord merely to strike fear into the people he attacked.

He could sense Leia's contempt. "Yes, I am sure," she whispered slowly, hatred laced in every syllable. "That metal monster has tormented the Galaxy since I was born."

So it was some kind of droid, then. Perhaps it was General Grievous… Anakin had heard rumors that the vile Separatist leader was trained in the use of lightsabers and had a basic working knowledge of the Force. He wouldn't put it past the evil hunk of metal to take on a ridiculous Sith name in order to instill fear. But she said he'd been tormenting the galaxy since her birth, and she certainly didn't sound to be around seven standard years old, which was the length of time General Grievous had been in a position of power. Anakin shook his head, utterly confused.

But right now he had two concerns. The first was getting out of this cell, and springing his neighbor as well. The second was finding Obi-Wan. Once he did, he could worry about General Grievous' possible new identity.

"Does this Darth Vader know I'm here?" Anakin figured he didn't, as he knew Grievous would have killed him on sight. But he was curious.

"No, he doesn't. You and your companion were unconscious when we picked you up, so we moved you to these holding cells until we could figure out what to do with you. Vader has most likely returned to his ship now that he has fulfilled his daily quota of instilling fear and causing pain," Leia hissed. Anakin noted that even while furious, Leia maintained the delicate and distinguished cadence of one accustomed to speaking with dignitaries and politicians. It was the same accent Padme had, and it was impossible to fake.

If this woman said she was Bail Organa's daughter, well, for now he would have to believe her. Though Bail was older than Anakin, he wasn't older by that much. From what he could see of Leia through the grate, she didn't appear to be much younger than him. It was a mystery he would solve later.

However, he was a bit curious as to why Grievous wasn't able to sense his or Obi-Wan's presence on the ship. If Grievous was trained to use a bit of the Force, it stood to reason that he could probably detect the hugely powerful glowing life forms of Jedi from among the usual Force signatures of other, non Force-sensitive life forms.

"Milady, did Grie—Vader, I mean. Did Darth Vader mention anything about Jedi while he was on the ship?" Anakin didn't want to tell her he was one quite yet, but he figured if she'd spoken to 'Darth Vader', he might have let something slip.

"No. He didn't mention anything."

Maybe because Obi-Wan and I were unconscious, our signatures were dimmed. Like that time on Cato Nemoida—his Force signature dimmed a bit when he was passed out in that gundarks' nest. And maybe going through the black hole had something to do with it… Anakin's musings were cut short by a strangled scream from the cell on his other side.

"What in the kriff!"

"Master?" Anakin tried to keep a mirthful laugh from escaping his lips at his normally reserved friend's language. He didn't completely succeed.

"Anakin? Is that you?"

"Yes, Master. I'm in the cell next to you."

Suddenly, Leia broke her silence. "Master? Are you his slave? And who are you? You never told me your name."

Anakin bristled, but tried not to take offence. "No, I'm not his slave, and my name is—um—Jar Jar. Jar Jar Binks." Anakin prayed that Bail's daughter was not familiar with his wife's good friend and the Gungans' representative, as he silently berated himself for blurting out that name.

"Then why do you call the other one Master? And who is he?" Anakin sent out a silent prayer to the Force that Obi-Wan would catch on and also provide a fake name, and that he would be able to figure out a logical reason why Anakin would have referred to him as 'Master'—preferably one that didn't involve making Anakin a 'slave'.

"My name is Qui-Gon Jinn," Obi-Wan said calmly. "Jar Jar is my apprentice. He is training to become a priest."

Perfect, Anakin smiled. That should satisfy their curious friend for a little while. If she didn't know who Jar Jar was, she probably didn't know who Qui-Gon was, either.

"Well, while this conversation is very interesting, I believe we would all like to stretch our legs a bit and take a walk around the ship. Perhaps to an escape pod," Anakin hinted, his fingers feeling the walls of the cell, looking for a weak point. He found a food flap in the bottom left corner of what he believed was the front-facing wall of the cell. He centered himself and called on the Force to amplify the sharp kick he sent at the flap. His boot slipped through the cell wall with a satisfying crunch, and Anakin grinned.

He reached through the hole in the door, finding a key pad on the wall between his cell and Obi-Wan's. He used his mechanical hand to demolish the pad, smirking as his cell door opened, along with Obi-Wan's. Anakin then walked over to Leia's cell and punched the key pad controlling hers with his metal hand. The door slid open, but not before sirens began to blare loudly, making their ears ring.

Leia stood before them, and Anakin actually gasped. She looked so much like Padme—especially when Padme was mad. And Leia looked furious.

"Great! You've managed to inform every being on this ship that we are trying to escape," she screamed, her brown eyes sparkling with fury.

Anakin quickly overcame his shock and lifted the petite woman up, slinging her over his shoulder with ease. "Well, milady, that's why we ought to move quickly."

He and Obi-Wan broke into a run.

"By the way, the ship you found us on—what did you do with it?"

"As if I'd tell you," she hissed. "If it weren't a choice between you and Vader, I'd have you imprisoned for this."

Anakin smiled. Obi-Wan, catching on to his intentions, said, "Milady, we carry weapons that are irreplaceable, and we believe we have left them on our ship."

"What kind of priests carry weapons? And we didn't exactly conduct a thorough search—Vader appeared just as you were being carted off to your cells," she growled, her face in Anakin's lower back and her legs dangling over his torso.

Anakin sighed as they ran through more white corridors, feeling the presence of a great many pursuers just behind them. They didn't have time for this! "Milady, we'll answer questions later. Right now, we must know where you put our ship so we can get out of here," Anakin said quickly.

He could feel Leia's irritation through the Force. "Fine. Put me down and I'll lead you to it," she said dejectedly. Anakin hesitated slightly, but realized that the only way they were going to find their way to the ship would be to trust her. He could feel something in the Force whispering to him to do as she asked. He focused on her Force presence, to see what her intentions were. What he found nearly caused him to stumble and fall.

She felt… familiar. More familiar than Obi-Wan, more familiar than Padme, even. He felt like he'd known her Force presence all of his life. Something in him warmed with the glow of feeling her Force signature. Before he even decided to do it, he was setting her down.

"Thank you," she said haughtily, not at all grateful.

Anakin could only nod.

Anakin sat in the cockpit of the cruiser, Obi-Wan occupying the copilot seat next to him and Leia standing behind him.

"Do you mind if I blast a hole through part of your ship?"

Leia glared. "Do I have a choice?"

Anakin sent her a sheepish look. "No, but I thought it would be polite to ask."

Leia gave an ungainly snort. "If it gets us out of the reach of the storm troopers, then yes. But I doubt we'll be able to evade them once we make it out of the ship."

Anakin smirked. "Milady, if there is one thing I know about, it's piloting. You might want to put on your safety restraints."

Leia rolled her eyes. "I sincerely hope you aren't saying that to impress me," she said, sitting in the seat on Anakin's right, buckling her safety restraints.

Something in Anakin recoiled sharply at the idea of—of what? Pursuing this woman romantically? Well, Anakin did love his wife dearly, and didn't have eyes for anyone but her. But he felt as though this was something a little different. He shook himself, focusing on the task at hand. He could unravel the mysteries surrounding this Leia Organa later.

But just as he was about to bring the cruiser out into space, he realized something. He had absolutely no clue where he was. "Milady, would you mind programming our coordinates into the ship's computer?"

Leia glared at him suspiciously. "You mean you don't know where you are?"

"Well, we were unconscious and floating in the middle of space when you found us," Anakin pointed out, trying not to lose his patience.

Leia bristled slightly. "Yes, and you never explained why, either," she rejoined, reaching over Anakin to put their coordinates into the touch pad.

Anakin saw them and frowned deeply. If he wasn't mistaken (and he wasn't), the closest planet to them was… Tatooine. Another fantastic development, he seethed.

Obi-Wan looked over at the coordinates, fighting a smile. "Why is it always Tatooine?" He queried.

Anakin pointedly didn't respond.

"I know someone on planet," Leia gasped, grasping her stomach and looking rather green. Anakin's evasive maneuvers had managed to convince her of his piloting skill, and almost convinced her lunch to make a speedy exit from her mouth, if the way she was holding her hand to it was anything to go by. Anakin tried not to feel vindicated by this, preferring, instead, to concentrate on landing them safely on Tatooine.

Obi-Wan and he had traded suspicious glances at the nature of the aircraft that had pursued them, though. They were both well acquainted with the 'storm trooper's' speeders—but they were accustomed to fighting with the owners of those aircraft, not against them. In fact, the armor and the weapons of the storm troopers were like extremely advanced clone trooper equipment, which was worrying on several levels. Anakin added this mystery on to his growing list of mysteries that required further investigation.

"Are you sure it's wise to contact them, milady? The soldiers who pursued us will likely track us and bring trouble to them," Obi-Wan pointed out.

Leia nodded. "Yes, I'm sure. I was meant to visit this person, and to convince them to join the Resistance effort," she insisted.

"Resistance effort?"

Leia turned white, pressing her lips together suddenly. Anakin gathered the impression that she had slipped and said something she shouldn't have. He was also oddly positive that no amount of hounding or questioning would convince her to elaborate further, though he couldn't say how he knew this. Padme was quite similar in that way—once she had made up her mind not to say something, no amount of pestering, threatening, or cajoling would change her mind on the matter. Anakin decided it was best to keep quiet.

Obi-Wan glanced over at him, the question written over his features. Anakin shook his head slightly, turning back to the dust brown planet that was now dominating his vision.

"Where is this mysterious person located, then?"

Leia blinked slowly. "I-I'm not sure. I know they're near a town called Mos Eisley, but I don't know where it is," she said quietly.

Anakin grinned. "Don't worry, milady. I know where that place is. It's by a city called Anchorhead, right?"

Leia nodded. "How did you know that?" She demanded.

"I'm very familiar with Tatooine," Anakin said vaguely.

Leia glanced at him, an unreadable expression on her face and more than a few unspoken questions in her eyes. Anakin decided to land the ship before they could become verbalized.

"So who exactly are we looking for?"

Leia pulled her white cowl over her head further, picking up the trail of her heavy white gown so it wouldn't drag so much in the deep desert sand. Anakin glanced back at their cruiser, only glimpsing a faint silver shimmer in the haze of blue and tan that surrounded them. Kriff he hated sand. He hadn't been lying to his wife every time he'd vehemently discussed his abhorrence for the stuff. It was already caking his eyelids and stiffening his hair.

I really need a haircut. Anakin shook the frivolous thought from his mind. Leia was using some kind of handheld homing device, which was beeping irritatingly. Anakin felt an odd sense of déjà vu, as though he was tracing his steps. He knew where they were, but the memories were faint. So much had happened since he'd made a vow never to return to this place, and the information that he'd worked to block from his mind had done a good job of erasing itself. A niggling thought licked the back of his mind, but he just couldn't figure out what was so damn familiar about this place.

As though it had been triggered by something he'd just seen or thought, the memory of riding to find his mother played through his mind. He could hear the anguished screams of the Tusken Raiders as they fell to his blade; he could hear the baying of dogs as their masters were senselessly murdered; he could see his mother's limp frame as she muttered her last words.

Enough, he thought savagely, trying to beat back the images that barreled through his consciousness uninvited. He tried to keep the blizzard guilt from beating down upon him, but he could feel tears threatening to sting his face like ice chips, he could feel the freezing grip of the storm battering his heart. He shivered, holding his Jedi robes to him a little more tightly and ignoring Obi-Wan's worried glances. He focused on convincing his eyelids to hold his tears captive just a little longer, focused only on breathing.

And then he saw it. Suddenly, everything clicked into place, and still nothing did. He was more confused than he had been before, but something deep within him felt as though he was realizing some part of his destiny. Somehow, he had always been meant to come back here, back to the white domed buildings of Lars Cleigg's moisture farm. They rose from the sand dunes surrounding them, somehow dignified despite the sand streaks coating their sides. They loomed above him, reminding him of his failures, reminding him of the part of himself he'd tried so desperately to destroy. His furious promises, his tears of rage that could not be wiped away, even by Padme's soft hands—it all broke through the cells and fortresses he'd built to keep them in.

"He should be around here somewhere," Leia dictated, looking every inch the royal-bred leader she was. "He's a hermit, or at least, that's what my father said. He told me to go to Owen and Peru Lars and they would tell me where I might find him."

Owen and Peru Lars? "What about Cleigg?" Anakin blurted before he could stop himself.

Leia whipped around. "Who?"

"Ah—nothing," Anakin responded. "I was thinking of something else. I apologize, milady."

Leia merely nodded, though the look on her face told him she wouldn't forget the slip. "Anakin, can I speak to you for a moment?" Obi-Wan demanded.

Anakin then realized that he'd told Obi-Wan next to nothing of his trip to Tatooine with Padme. He'd only mentioned that he'd gone to save his mother and failed. He hadn't divulged the fit of rage that accompanied his mother's death, nor had he saw fit to inform Obi-Wan of his mother's husband and his family.

"Anakin, what is going on? I can feel your emotions through the Force, and they're extremely unsettling," Obi-Wan said gravely, compassion evident in his eyes. "Anakin," he intoned softly, "whatever it is, you can tell me."

Anakin grimaced. This was definitely not a conversation he'd ever expected to have with his former mentor. "I- Master, after we find out what is going on here, and how to get back to the Temple with this Leia Organa, I'll tell you what happened." Anakin avoided Obi-Wan's eyes, knowing that Obi-Wan had already detected the blatant lie meant only to temporarily pacify him and subdue the line of questioning. Anakin hoped he would let the issue drop, as he could see just how upsetting it was to him.

Obi-Wan sighed, running a hand through his short-cropped reddish brown hair. He brought it down to stroke his closely cut beard, deciding how to deal with the situation. "Anakin, I wa—I need you to trust me. I've taken care of you since you were a youngling; I've taught you everything I know. I know you are a Knight now, and you aren't required to confide in me, but I want you to know that I'd still like you to. I promise you, I will not take your confidence lightly," Obi-Wan cajoled gently.

It was Anakin's turn to sigh. "I will tell you Master, I mean it," he replied, and this time, he did. "But not right now," he begged.

Obi-Wan stared at him, searching for something. After a few tense seconds, he nodded, smiling slightly. "That sounds fair," he conceded.

They both made their way over to Leia, who was speaking with an elderly couple. Anakin guessed them to be around forty to forty five standard years old. Where were Owen and Peru? he wondered. The two of them hadn't noticed Anakin and Obi-Wan yet, as they stood a few standard meters away. Suddenly, the air behind Anakin shifted and the hum of a motor sounded. He turned and saw a low-lying speeder approach them. It slid to a more graceful stop than Anakin would've guessed a machine of that age and model to be capable of making, and a thin teen of average height with sandy blond hair jumped out of the cockpit. He shot an easy grin at Anakin and Obi-Wan, and Anakin found himself replying in kind.

As he approached them, Anakin had the strangest sensation of looking in a mirror. The youth's deep blue eyes and wide smile seemed rather like his own, but it wasn't just that—something deeper, something Anakin couldn't quite place seemed to radiate from this boy. Everything in him seemed familiar, down to his Force signature, which was startlingly similar to Leia Organa's. Before Anakin could properly make sense of that (or even try to), the boy was in front of them.

"Hi! I'm Luke," he grinned, holding out a hand for them to shake.

Anakin smiled back. "I'm Ana—er, Jar Jar. Jar Jar Binks," he stammered, shaking Luke's hand. Luke turned to Obi-Wan, who wore a politely passive expression, though a hint of amusement shone in his eyes.

"My name is Qui-Gon Jinn," he said, shaking Luke's hand as well. "Our companion is speaking to your parents," Obi-Wan added.

Luke shook his head. "Those aren't my parents," he said solemnly. "They're my Uncle Owen and Aunt Peru. Both of my parents are dead."

Anakin felt his heart stumble and stop in his chest.

"What?"

End Notes: I know, I'm evil. I'm sorry for such a cliffhanger, but I have to get reviews somehow :P Please let me know if you liked the beginning, what you think I could've done better, what facts from the SW universe I've neglected/misstated, and what you enjoyed (obviously, if you didn't enjoy anything, you can say that too—but try to be nice!).

Next Chapter: Obi-Wan meets… Obi-Wan. Anakin wrestles with memories and regrets, while trying to figure out just what is going on with Luke and Leia. Meanwhile, Owen Lars attempts to deal with the reemergence of his mysterious step-brother, and Han Solo drops by Mos Eisley for a little visit.