5 years later

Shmi Skywalker sat at her table, a cup of blue milk in her hand, as C-3PO cleaned up the kitchen. So much had happened in the past few years. She was extremely upset about Anakin returning. She loved her son so much, and while she was happy to have him around, she loved him enough to send him away to a better place. Anakin deserved better than what he was getting. Anakin's arrival certainly complicated things. Since Anakin had left to become a Jedi, she had relied on that plan to give him an education, friends, and more than she could ever give him on this dust ball of a planet. But he was sent back. It was difficult at first. Anakin had put on a brave face, not wanting pity. But late at night, Shmi could hear him cry softly sometimes. It cut her to the core hearing her son cry. Sometimes she would hold him, like when he was a child after Watto beat him. Sometimes she would cry.

However, things started to get a bit better. Anakin was able to avoid going back into slavery had gained some fame after winning the Boonta Eve Podrace. It made him known around the city, especially around the race track. People would smile and cheer when they saw him, especially the younglings of Mos Espa. If Shmi ever needed to find Anakin, she could count on finding him at the garage. Some of the racers had hired Anakin to do repair work on their Podracers. Him and Kitster Banai had found a way to create some profit. Of course, Kitster's master took the majority of the credits, but because of Anakin's fame, they always had business to do.

"Mom, I'm back!" Anakin entered the hovel, breaking Shmi's train of thought. She smiled.

"I'm guessing you had a busy day?"

"Yeah, we had finished Old Man Bujak's racer, then Wald wanted Kitster and I to do some tweaks to his father's speeder." Anakin said, moving past C-3PO, grabbing a glass of Blue Milk and taking a seat across from his mother.

"Well, I know how much you enjoy spending time with your friends, but I want you home sooner now." Shmi stated. Anakin shot her a puzzled look. "Why? I always avoid the shady parts of Mos Espa and never stay out too late." Anakin narrowed his eyes. "Are the rumors true? Is Mr. Lars and Owen right?"

Shmi sighed. Cleigg Lars. She started seeing the man 3 years ago and she really loved the man. Cleigg owned a moisture farm far outside of Mos Espa. His son Owen got along with Anakin. However, the Lars family had run into troubles with the Hutts in the past. Cleigg spoke against slavery and tried to buy some with the intent of freeing them. The Hutts, not wanting to embolden this course of action, had Cleigg's wife, Owen's mother, killed. Cleigg stopped speaking out against slavery, but the fire was still in him. Shmi could see why Anakin liked Cleigg and Owen. They agreed on many things. Cleigg treated Anakin well, acting like a father. In fact, Cleigg and Owen were the ones to help lift Anakin out of his depression after being sent back.

The rumors Anakin spoke of were ones of a rebellion amongst slaves. Certain slaves had risen up and killed their masters and inspired others. There were whispers around Mos Espa whenever Shmi walked through the city or was working with her friends. Whispers of slaves getting weapons and beating back bounty hunters. Whispers that a Hutt had been killed by his own slaves. Whispers that the movement was making it's way to Tatooine.

"Mom?" Anakin once again disrupted his mother's thinking.

"Yes Ani? I'm sorry I was thinking." She smiled faintly at her son.

"Is the revolution coming to Tatooine?"

"I don't know Anakin. But if something were to happen, I want you home. Come home earlier from now on until things blow over. Tell Kitster he should do the same. "

"Okay Mom." Anakin got up and gave his mother a hug and moved to leave the kitchen.

"Aren't you forgetting something young man?"

Anakin groaned. "Can't Threepio put the glass away?"

"Anakin Skywalker that droid was made to be a helping hand, not cause you to turn into a slob." Anakin gave a sheepish smile and did as his mother asked.

Anakin stood on the terrace, looking out at the night sky. He could see the stars glimmer and ships coming and going from the spaceport. The terrace was bittersweet to Anakin. No longer did he daydream about the future, but he now mourned for the past.

"There's so many! Do they all have a system of planets?"

"Most of them."

"Has anyone been to them all?"

"Hmm. Not likely."

"I'm gonna be the first one to see them all!"

Anakin shook his head. Stop thinking about him. He's dead. He thought to himself. Promises from a dead man mean nothing. You're back to Tatooine. Sometimes when Anakin stood here and focused, he could feel Tatooine. He could feel his mothers sorrow. He could hear the laughs of drunk fathers and husband in the cantina, drinking away their problems. The lullabies mothers sang to their children, then the weeping of the mothers after their children went to sleep. The evil laughs of slavers. Anakin decided to feel the planet before he went to bed. He felt the same emotions around the planet. The laughter, the song, the cries. Then he felt something he never expected. Fear. He wasn't surprised by the feeling of it, but from where he found the emotion spewing out of. Jabba's palace.

The next morning Anakin woke up and went to Kitster's house. The two friends walked to the garage with their toolkits in hand, chatting about the upcoming race.

"Gault's gonna win Ani, I'm telling you! The mods we did to his engine is going to let him zip right past the other racers!"

"I don't know dude. Gault isn't one to take big risks out on the course. I think Faop will win. He likes to cut it close."

"Too close. Remember his crash? He's lucky to be alive."

"Alright, well let's do a checkup on Bujak's racer and then watch the racer. "

Kitster groaned. "That old geezer is as ugly as a womp rat and has the hospitality like the Sand People. Can't wait to finish with this job."

"Well, he pays well so I'm happy about that." Anakin smiled as they approached the say the place was crowded would be an understatement. The noise was deafening, between the shouts of people and machinery being used.

"Skywalker! Get over here!" An old man barked. Anakin and Kitster walked towards the man. He had a grey beard, but that was all the hair he had left on his body. The horns on his head were old and grainy and a few were broken. Kitster noticed that the old man had black smog over his red jacket and noticed that a panel was open on the podracer behind the old man.

"What's wrong Bujak? God, what happened to you?" Anakin asked, trying to hold back his grin.

"I opened up the podracer to make sure everything you did was good and I was greeted by some smoke!" Bujack spat, sitting down on a seat and coughing. "I need you to fix it!"

"On it boss!" Kitster and Anakin put their goggles on and began to work on the podracer.

"Alright, folks here we are on the final lap! Gault is in the lead, but Old man Bujak and Faop are not too far behind!" Fodesinbeed Annodue announced as the crowd cheered. The racers zoomed past the track, eager to pass their opponent.

"I told you Anakin, Gault is gonna win!" Kitster cried as the two friends watched the race on the screen above. The two had been able to grab seats in the stadium after some bargaining and some stealth, but it paid off.

"Maybe, but I'm counting on Faop or Bujak."

"Bah, I'm surprised the old man hasn't had a heart attack from all the speed he's pushing."

The two watched eagerly as Bujak's bulky red racer began to slowly close the gap between him and Faop's lighter green racer. The two podracers bumped into each other, but Bujak's heavier frame pushed Faop's racer aside to a cliff face. Faop managed to regain control and narrowly avoid the rocks.

"Faop has managed to regain control! He's none too happy about Bujak taking the lead from him. Let's check up on our lead racer!" The two head announcer changed the screen to Gault. He managed to escape the caves with ease, weaving and dodging the rock pillars. However, as Gault exited the caves, his racer was pelted by blaster bolts from the Tusken Raiders above. "The Sand People are still active people! Let's hope Gault's luck hasn't run out just yet!" No sooner than said, a bolt zipped thru Gault's head, killing him instantly. His body lurched forward, death grip on the thrusters. His podracer flipped and spun in the air in an almost beautiful fashion, till it crashed to the ground in a series of tumbles and flames. The crowd let out a disappointing groan, but that was expected. "Ouch! That is unfortunate. Well, the race for first place is between Faop and Bujak! The fame and glory are on the line people!" Forgetting about Gault instantly, the crowd began to watch the two lead racers. The race had gotten so much more interesting. Everyone in the crowd was on the edge of their seats.

Faop's lighter pod allowed him to pick up more speed on the flat track and he began to slowly catch up to Bujak. The two entered the caves that Gault had exited recently and Faop was forced to slow down, lest he crash into the rocks. Bujak's bulkier pod gave him more mass to control the drift, but it cost him the speed. Eventually, they popped out of the cave's mouth, Bujak in the lead with Faop close behind. The Tuskens fired at the racers, bolts brushing the podracers. They made it out of the range of the rifles. They could see the arena up ahead. "This is the home stretch folks! Who will win?!" Both racers pushed their vehicles to the max, the engines whining. Bujak and Faop were neck and neck. Bujak rammed his racer into Faop's, surprising him. The Trandoshan snarled and glared at the old zabrack. Buak laughed and prepared to ram Faop again, but Faop dropped back, went around, and zoomed past Bujak. Bujak had already made a sharp turn in the beginning and when he tried to go after Faop, he lost control and the racer lifted in the air.

"Old man Bujak is down! He's down! Ladies and Gentlemen, we have our winner! Faop, the Trandoshan!"

The crowd cheered and flooded the track, eager to show their praise for the victor. Anakin and Kitster were out on the track with the rest of the crowd cheering. Music played in the background. The crowd swallowed Faop and carried him in their arms as he cheered and shook his fists in triumph. The moment reminded Anakin of when he had won the race that gained him their freedom. Faop was carried to a podium where Fodesinbeed Annodue stood. The two-headed alien embraced Faop, before speaking. "People of Mos Espa, we had quite the race today, haven't we? Full of excitement and danger, we were on the edge of our seats the entire time."

The ceremony was cut short though as a Nikto walked onto the podium, flanked by two Gamorrean Guards. Anakin recognized the Nikto as Puko Naga, one of Jabba's top enforcers. The crowd went silent as he took the stage. "This is an announcement from the mighty Jabba. All citizens are to return to their homes and remain there until further notice. If you are found outside of your homes by nightfall, you will be dealt with accordingly and brought to Jabba himself. That is all." Some protests came from the crowd but they have were muffled. The announcer a pained look on his face as he dismissed the people home. Anakin and Kitster were shocked. Why was Jabba sending people to their houses? This had never been done before. Anakin and Kitster followed the crowd out of the stadium, trying to stick together as people frantically tried to get home.

"Anakin what's happening?" Kitster whispered to his friend as they moved through the crowd, trying to get outside.

"I don't know Kit. But I've got a bad feeling about this." Anakin whispered back.

Suddenly people started screaming in the front. People started running and shoving.

"Go the other way!"

"We're gonna die!"

"Keep your head down!"

Blaster fired erupted outside. Anakin and Kitster were pushed back by the race track. People were fighting in every direction. Some tried to go back to the race track, some tried to run through the firefight. Anakin and Kitster ran to the exit, hoping to avoid the blaster bolts whizzing around. Eventually, they escaped the tunnel and made it outside and they witnessed the carnage. Cartel members were fighting a group of cloaked individuals. Anakin saw Puko gun down a cloaked person and heard him scream in huttese to his comrade.

"Someone get Fortuna on the line! The rebels are here!"