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The Chosen One – Chapter 1
Full Summary: Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Padme are riding aboard the Queen's ship, when it's suddenly shot down. There is little trace of who has done it, and what's worse is they are forced to land on the planet Tatooine, which is controlled by the Hutts. Upon arriving there, they meet a peculiar boy, who seems to have constant mood swings. Obi-Wan thinks that the boy is dangerous, but to Qui-Gon, something remains unseen in the boy's soul. He can feel the Dark Side of the Force flowing around the boy, and can feel the power the boy possesses, but he feels the need to help him. He wants to show Anakin the Light Side of the Force, in the process throwing the Emperor's hold off of the boy. The Emperor, who has stolen control of Tatooine from the Hutts, will not let the boy slide from his fingers so easily, even if it means hurting his conflicted Dark Apprentice…
…
Qui-Gon Jinn was in utter shock.
It wasn't supposed to happen this way; everything had been planned out carefully, and for what? A Gungan who can barely walk without causing a whole planet to detonate; and a disturbance in the force so clear in his mind that his head felt like it was going to explode.
There was a gasping sort of sound, and a gust of wind blew Qui-Gon's hair all around him. He turned around swiftly to look at his apprentice – Obi-Wan Kenobi. He had a serious look on his face, and Qui-Gon guessed that whatever was about to come out of his mouth wasn't good.
"We've been hit by a laser fire. It isn't good, the hyperdrive has been damaged." He then looked at Qui-Gon, as though waiting for him to save the day. Luckily, Qui-Gon had a plan B.
"Are there any nearby planets? We are going to need to land the ship, make repairs."
Obi-Wan nodded, "It just so happens there is a nearby planet – Tatooine. It doesn't exactly have a beautiful visage, but it will have to do."
Qui-Gon walked forward, his cloak billowing behind him. Obi-Wan followed with some hesitation, "Are you sure we should land there? It isn't exactly a safe planet."
"And a broken ship isn't exactly a place I would like to stay either." Qui-Gon gently placed his hand on his apprentice's shoulder; Obi-Wan's gaze was unwavering but full of hope and fear. "We must be brave for what is to come." He spoke softly, then started to walk again. Obi-Wan followed him with more confidence this time.
The queen's handmaid, Padme, was waiting for them. Her eyebrows were slanted and she looked troubled…and irritated.
"Are you planning on doing something?" she asked. Obi-Wan, not wanting to have to face this headstrong girl, left it up to his master to reply.
Qui-Gon smiled, "We have the whole thing under control. We're going to land on the planet Tatooine." He waited calmly for her reply.
Her face changed abruptly as horrified shock melted over her features. "Tatooine? This is not a planet the Queen would have chosen."
"Well the Queen isn't here right now."
She frowned, bit her lip, and crossed her arms over her chest. She looked like she had wanted to snap back, but obviously thought the better of it.
"Now, young handmaiden, will you please have the kindness to sit down so I can land the ship?"
She sat down stiffly next to Obi-Wan, who simply stared forward. One would think he was ignoring her presence, but he was simply shy.
The whole ship was shaking by now, and Padme let out a slight cry as she was jolted forward. Obi-Wan caught her by the arm though, and pulled her back up. He himself was ruffled, and his eyes were wide.
Qui-Gon's face was full of concentration and concern. "We're almost there." He reassured his wide-eyed passengers, "we'll make it."
Padme loosened up a bit and Obi-Wan let out a relieved sigh, rubbing his forehead with his sleeve. He had never liked flying.
Light exploded into their eyes as they entered the atmosphere of the planet, which was so much brighter than the dark barrier surrounding it. Clouds drifted around them and the ship steadied slightly. From her view, Padme couldn't make out any people, but she could see mounds of sandy hills with dark holes leading into them. No, houses! She realized as they got closer.
Figures appeared in the distance, primarily humans but also Jawas and other various aliens. She could have sworn she saw some Tusken Raiders too. Obi-Wan looked around in wonder and curiosity, whilst Qui-Gon concentrated on getting the ship ready to land. Padme was leaning forward in her seat, nervous and a bit intimidated. She had heard stories, that this was a planet to be feared. Gangs and dealers roamed around every street corner, and the inhabitants of this planet were not to be trusted. She took this bit of information to mind before straightening herself and waiting for the ship to land.
In what seemed like a million light-years later, the ship finally landed smoothly on the sandy-cover that the planet was held under. Droids and men alike were both running (and floating) towards the ship. Qui-Gon pressed the door release button before getting up out of his seat to meet the new inhabitants. Obi-Wan and Padme followed more cautiously behind, both having heard the fearful stories.
"My name is Qui-Gon Jinn, and these are my two fellow travelers – Obi-Wan Kenobi and Padme, a handmaid." Qui-Gon introduced himself and the rest of the crew. "We are in need of parts for our ship, as you can see, it's been damaged."
The short -very short - man he was talking to was rubbing his chin and eyeing the ship; mainly where most of the damage was. He had a dark cloak on, and it was impossible to see his face. "I'll take you to my master." He replied, and everyone was shocked to hear a young boy's voice. This was no man, but a mere boy!
"How old are you?" Padme bravely asked, everyone shot her a look, but were just as curious as to find the answer.
The boy didn't seem to hear her. "Come on, I'll take you to my master."
Qui-Gon's eyebrows rose at the word 'master', but he didn't comment on it. He was the first to follow after the boy, noticing that the company the boy had been with all were scruffy and wearing raggedy clothes. The boy hadn't told them his name yet, and he would wait patiently until the boy felt comfortable enough to speak his mind.
Obi-Wan had caught up with his master, "Master, forgive me, but do you think this is wise? Following this…this boy?" he asked in a low voice.
Qui-Gon replied just as low, "We will in time find out who he is, but be patient. There is much to learn, and sometimes patience is the only way in getting to find it."
Obi-Wan strongly disagreed, but didn't say anything as he fell into step with Padme, who lagged slightly behind. "I think this is foolish." She whispered to Obi-Wan.
Obi-Wan looked curiously around him, before answering: "I agree."
The droids were starting to shift next to them, forming a tight circle around the trio. Little did they know that Jar-Jar Binks, a Gungan, was still on the ship, watching their every move. He would be called when the time was right, but for now, he had to wait and observe.
"Here," the boy spoke once they reached a large sand-mound. Padme recognized it as one of the houses she had seen, but this one was slightly bigger. She noted the people in the streets were all wearing dark hoods, so it was impossible to make out if they were men, women, children, or a different species. "This is the local shop, my master should be in here. He controls it and all of the other trade and markets. This is the best one though, and he's usually in here."
They nodded and followed the boy inside. They were buffeted with a cool breeze, and Padme about died with relief. A planet so hot was utterly baffling to her, since she had grown up on a lukewarm planet. There were counters and random parts lined all along the walls; the boy stopped very suddenly, and the trio nearly crashed into him. They all looked up to see what had frozen the boy.
There was a man, if you could call it that, staring straight at them. His skin was wrinkled and grey, and his yellow eyes could be seen from underneath his hood. The boy gave a slight bow before straightening up again. "There are passerby's here, their ship is damaged and they are in desperate need of spare parts."
The boy lifted the hood off of him to reveal dark blonde curly hair, tanned skin, and blue eyes. There was a hard glint to them though, one that could be described as hatred. Perhaps fear, anger - Possibly all three.
The man, thing, stared at them for a little, before turning back to the boy. "Very well Anakin," his voice was raspy. "You may return home for the day." The boy – Anakin – looked very surprised, but he covered it up impressively.
"Yes Master." He bowed again and backed away, almost tripping in his attempt at a fast-walk out of the store. He was clearly excited to be excused for the day, and looking at this thing here, no one was surprised.
So this is that so-called 'Master' he spoke of, Qui-Gon thought.
"You are in need of parts are you?" he asked, eyes glinting dangerously. Padme shivered; the eyes of a killer.
"Yes…?"
"You can call me Darth Sidious."
Padme blinked extremely fast, and Obi-Wan almost gasped in shock, but he managed to muffle it. The dark lord…was hiding out here?
Qui-Gon, on the other hand, seemed completely fine. "Yes, Darth Sidious, you can see the damage here." He pulled a small black object from inside his cloak and lifted it up so that Darth Sidious could see. A faint blue light appeared as Qui-Gon pushed the button, and the image of a ship could be seen. Qui-Gon pointed to where a visible dent was that showed the wire's, and explained that their hyperdrive was fried.
Darth Sidious said nothing for a while, then said, "I will have to attend to your…problem…tomorrow, for I am quite busy now." Noticing that his gaze wasn't on him, they turned to see what he was looking at. A Tusken Raider (also known as Sand-People) was standing right outside the door, club in hand.
Padme had frozen in fear, and Obi-Wan was about to reach for his lightsaber, when Qui-Gon's hand stopped him. "We understand." Qui-Gon said, bowing. "But if you could recommend a place for us to stay, we would be grateful."
Obi-Wan's jaw nearly dropped to the ground and Padme had to hold in a squeak. Qui-Gon was trying to make small talk with a Sith Lord while a Tusken Raider was standing just outside the door? He must be playing at something, but what?
Darth Sidious turned his attention back to Qui-Gon, apparently as surprised as Obi-Wan and Padme, but he didn't let it on. "The Barrel Inn." He replied in his monotonous voice, before directing his attention back to the Tusken Raider. The trio cautiously left the store, in fear that there were more Sand-People, but to their immense relief there wasn't.
"Master, what was that?" Obi-Wan asked, both amazed and angry at the same time.
"That was me trying to get on his good side. We didn't come here for trouble, and we don't want to leave with them trailing on our backs."
Obi-Wan glanced respectfully at the ground, but Padme spoke up. "We wouldn't have been in this mess if it weren't for you."
Qui-Gon's eyes lowered as he said, "I know."
Padme didn't say anything else, just started walking. "Come on, let's find this Barrel Inn and hope it isn't as hot as it is out here."
…
It turns out it wasn't. The sand was hardened and cool inside, and the windows allowed a breeze to come through. Padme sat stiffly on the bed, surprised when it turned out to be soft. Obi-Wan soon followed her lead, while Qui-Gon chose to stand. He was looking out of the window.
"I'm still shocked that the Sith were here all along and we didn't even know it…"
"This planet isn't under our watch, there is no way we could have known."
"But still, they've been hiding here this whole time and for what? That boy didn't look any older than 12, 13. Were they really here for that long? Or did they just get here?"
"Padme, I'm sorry I don't know the answer to your questions, but for now…we're just going to have to stay put. There is no way for us to leave with our ship damaged, and we can't borrow one because then we'd have to go get Jar-Jar. We can't arouse suspicions, especially if the Sith are here."
Padme didn't say anything else; instead she occupied herself with looking around the room.
"There are only two beds." She observed.
"I'll sleep on the floor." Obi-Wan offered.
"No," Qui-Gon stated, "I will, you two need a good night's sleep."
"Master, no offence, but so do you."
"I'll be fine, please, sleep on the beds."
Obi-Wan nodded, "If you're sure."
"I'm sure."
Just then a silver protocol droid came in, "Is there anything I can do for you sirs, madam?"
"Yes please, can you get us another bed set?"
"Of course, right away, anything else?"
"No, that will be all."
"Good day." The droid bowed and left.
"Should we trust them?" Obi-Wan asked.
"We must."
Padme looked like she disagreed, but didn't say anything to them.
"What about that Anakin boy, should we trust him?"
"My apprentice, you ask too many questions." Qui-Gon smiled, and went forward to stroke the boy's head. "In time, you will see."
Obi-Wan had no clue what he meant about 'you will see', but he listened with respect anyway.
Padme obviously wasn't thinking the same thing. "I don't think we should trust him, if they're here, he's probably been corrupted."
"His eyes were normal." Obi-Wan pointed out, looking from Padme to Qui-Gon. Qui-Gon looked deep in thought, he was rubbing his chin and nodding.
"We'll have to see how events play out."
"I don't like it."
"You don't have to like it, young handmaiden."
Padme's jaw clenched and she stared forward, stubbornly ignoring the Jedi Knight.
Obi-Wan frowned and looked away, wishing with all his might that they would be off this horrible planet soon.
Qui-Gon once again put a hand on his shoulder, "Do not worry. Everything will be okay, soon."
Obi-Wan looked up at his master, as though he didn't trust that statement. Qui-Gon smiled and walked away.
"I don't like it." Padme stated again once he left.
"Neither do I." Obi-Wan said in a soft voice.
…
