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Secret Discoveries

Reaching the entrance to the central hanger several minutes later with only limited resistance, Kelly-Fyn marveled at the large, shiny ship on the platform before Elaina yanked her into hiding in the hall just as one of the battle droids turned her way.

"There's too many of them," the captain stated hopelessly, peeking around the corner at the dozens of droids.

"That won't be a problem," Qui-Gon casually argued prior to turning to the Queen, who was fancily dressed with a black gown, feather tiara, and white powder makeup. "Your Highness, under the circumstances, I suggest you come to Coruscant with us."

"Thank you, ambassador," the tall girl replied with a soft, yet strong voice, "but my place is with my people."

"They will kill you if you stay."

"They wouldn't dare," the older man spoke again, loud enough to cause the other female Jedi to visibly cringe. Kelly-Fyn was mentally begging her sister to not strike out at the man. Even though the younger girl usually had the fiery temper, Elaina could cause anyone to jump out of their skin when she was in the mood.

"They need her to sign a treaty to make this invasion of theirs legal. They can't afford to kill her," the captain added.

"The situation here is not what it seems," Qui-Gon countered. "There is something else behind all this, Your Highness. There is no logic in the Federation's move here. My feelings tell me they will destroy you."

Again, the complainer broke in.

"Our only hope is for the Senate to side with us…Senator Palpatine will need your help."

"Either choice presents great danger," the queen stated, turning to her handmaidens, "…to us all."

"We are brave, Your Highness," one of the maids responded with a small, feminine voice.

"If you are to leave, Your Highness," the eldest Jedi broke in, "it must be now."

"Yes, please decide before the patrols heading our way do it for you, Your Highness," Elaina put in with almost mocking emphasis on the title. Kelly-Fyn again begged, that time with her eyes. She had had more than enough experience with her sister to know of her incredibly tolerant nature, except when it came to politicians. For some reason, however the young woman was better than the dark brunette in negotiating, her patience became amazingly thin when it came to confronting actual politicians.

"Then I will plead our case to the Senate," Amidala finalized. "Be careful, Governor."

With the three Jedi and the padawan in the lead, about half of the group walked into the hanger.

"We need to free those pilots," the captain stated, pointing to a group of men on the floor, guarded by six battle droids.

"I'll take care of that," Obi-Wan unworriedly replied, walking towards the cluster of people and robots, closely followed by none other than Kelly-Fyn.

(Elaina)

Politicians! The girl had always confused her little sister with her pickiness when it came to choosing those she liked and disliked. Politics, negotiating, and the like were one thing, but politicians? They were always bickering about something or taking advantage of each other. Her thoughts were broken as a droid stood in front of her and Qui-Gon, held up its hand, and addressed them.

"Halt."

"We are ambassadors for the Supreme Chancellor, and we're taking these people to Coruscant," Qui-Gon simply answered.

"Where are you taking them?"

Pause.

"To Coruscant."

"Coruscant…uh, that doesn't compute, uh, we…uh, you're under arrest."

Less than five seconds later, all of the droids blocking their path were destroyed. Kelly and Obi-Wan had just released the pilots, some of which instantly ran to the ship while others raced away as the fighters continued to easily fend off the other oncoming machines. Elaina trotted onto the ship after her friends just as the ship began to take off. She then walked to the cockpit with Qui-Gon, soon to be joined by her sister and the short-haired padawan. The more she looked at him, the more handsome he seemed.

"There's the blockade," the pilot announced just before the giant Federation ships began firing on their own vessel. Knowing that the other Jedi would handle any problems, the girl walked past her sister towards the queen's quarters, using the Force to keep herself from falling over as the captain yelled,

"The shield generator's been hit!"

Unruffled by the sudden jolts, she stopped in front of the door and pressed a button.

"Who is it?" the same voice as that of the handmaiden which had spoken on Naboo asked over the com link.

"I am Elaina Kalonya, one of the Jedi who saved your queen. I'm simply wondering what her tactics are going to be. As much as I dislike working with politicians, there are a few methods I could advise the queen to use in her deliberations with the Senate. I have some experience with negotiating." The Jedi didn't care if sounded somewhat hostile. That was one of the nice things of being what she was. Few could tell her what and what not to do. The door promptly opened, revealing precisely the handmaiden she had been thinking of. Sadly, the girl was still wearing the annoyingly bright orange maiden attire. "Does the queen enjoy torturing you with bright colors?"

The maid's hackles seemed to rise, but, impressively, her voice held no contempt when she responded.

"We do not question the queen's choices; however, I have given her small advice in the past."

"Where is the queen?"

"She just went into the other room to speak with your friends. I was just about to follow her. Would you care to wait?"

"No, my friends are probably wondering where I am." As the other woman began walking away, Elaina noticed the way she walked. "Wait! What family do you come from?" A momentary silence ensued.

"Naberrie."

Naberrie…The name rang through Elaina's mind as she walked towards the audience hall. She had read the name in a political book of some kind recently, but infuriatingly could not remember many details.

-Too bad I didn't listen to most of those lectures as I let my sister believe, trying to be a good influence and all-

"R2-D2, Your Highness," Captain Panaka's voice could be heard saying as the Jedi woman entered.

-Does she need a throne everywhere she goes?-

"Thank you, R2-D2," the queen said to the little droid nearby before turning to the maid that the girl had spoken to. "Padme! Clean this droid up as best you can. It deserves our gratitude." R2 whistled with pleasure as the gussied up lady once again spoke to Panaka. "Continue, Captain." The man nervously looked to Qui-Gon, who instantly took his queue.

"Your Highness, with your permission, we're heading for a remote planet called Tatooine. It is a system far beyond the reach of the Trade Federation."

"I do not agree with the Jedi on this," the captain stated.

"You must trust my judgment, Your Highness."

Once out of the conference room, both of the girls groaned. Sure they had been to Tatooine, but they did not want to go back. Linking arms, the sisters walked to the mess hall for the purpose of wasting away the hour it would take to reach the planet.

--

(Kelly-Fyn)

"That's it: Tatooine," Obi-Wan noted almost precisely an hour later. The twins were leaning against the wall at the back of the cockpit, staring loathingly at the clearly desert planet they were fast approaching.

"There's a settlement," the pilot pointed out. The girls did not hear any more of the conversation as they trotted to the ship's exit to wait.

"Kelly, do you think there might a chance that you can repair the hyperdrive?" Elaina queried.

"Truly, I'm just as disappointed as you that we have to come back here, sis, but I can tell from here that we're not going anywhere without replacements."

"Oh, so you are actually using the Force for something…impressive."

"You insult me, dear sister. I may prefer using my hands to using my oh-so-great talent, but I'm not that stubborn."

"That's a shocker."

"Hey!"

After the Jedi had succeeded in cheering each other up, Qui-Gon came towards them with two rough-looking cloaks of different shades of brown.

"Here," he said, handed the clothes to his companions, "you'll need these. We want to blend in as much as possible." There was a long pause as the ship door opened and Kelly-Fyn and Elaina tossed on the cloaks. "Are sure that you want to come? Even though it's more evident from you, Elaina, I can tell that both of you are uncomfortable in being here."

"It's alright, Qui-Gon," the younger woman replied. "There is more than one reason why we're so uptight. If I can feel it, I know that Elaina feels it. If the Force was a big pool of water, someone just threw a boulder into it."

"Yes, excellent metaphor," Elaina stated. "But can we get this over with?"

To Kelly-Fyn's disappointment, Jar-Jar came along with them. The Gungan instantly began talking.

"Da sun doin' murder to mesa skin."

"Wait!" Captain Panaka called, walking up to them with Padme close behind. She was dressed in rough peasant's clothing. "Wait! Her Highness commands you to take her handmaiden with you."

"No more commands from Her Highness today, Captain. The spaceport is not going to be pleasant…"

"The queen wishes it," the captain interrupted. "She's curious about the planet."

"This is not a good idea. Stay close to me," he ordered Padme. As she walked next to the maid, Kelly-Fyn noticed that she was about the same height (maybe a little shorter) as herself, though with more of a petite and exotic build, while the Jedi was more athletic. The girl could sense that both of the other Jedi were against Padme's being there. Jar-Jar, on the other hand, didn't really care as he was frantically looking around at his surroundings. Meanwhile, R2 whistled casually. Kelly hadn't realized his presence until that moment.

"…moisture farms for the most part," Qui-Gon was explaining to Padme, "but also a few indigenous tribes and scavengers. The few spaceports like this one are havens for those who do not wish to be found…"

"…like us," the maid finished.

"We'll try one of the smaller dealers." Entering a decrepit building, they were greeted by a blue, winged alien who used his small wings to float about four feet from the ground.

"Hi chuba da naga? (What do you want?)" he asked with a rough voice.

"I need parts for a J-type 327 Nubian."

"Ah, yes. Nubian…We have lots of that," was the reply before the alien turned around and yelled, "Peedokie! Naba dee unko! (Boy! Get in here, now!)"

"My droid here has a readout of what I need."

At that, a young boy with sand-colored hair came running from the junk yard in the back.

"Coon tee-tocky malia? (What took you so long?)"

"Mel tassa cho-passa… (I was cleaning the bin like you…)" the boy began, only to be interrupted.

"Chut-Chut! Ganda doe wallya. Me dwana no bata (Never mind! Watch the store. I've got some selling to do here). Soooo, let me take-a thee out back, huh? You'll find what you need."

"Don't touch anything," Qui-Gon told Jar-Jar, who stuck his tongue out at the man's retreating back. In the meantime, the boy sat down on the counter, pretending to clean a part; however, it was obvious that he was staring at Padme.

"Someone's got a crush," Kelly-Fyn whispered quietly enough so that only her sister heard it. Although, Elaina smiled slightly at the remark, it was clear that she was only half paying attention. Her focus was on the boy nearby, as if there was something about him that only the Jedi could see.

"Are you an angel?" he suddenly asked Padme, who laughingly queried in turn,

"What?"

"An angel. I've heard the deep space pilots talk about them. They live on the Moons of Iego, I think. They're the most beautiful creatures in the universe.

"You're a funny little boy. How do you know so much?"

"I listen to all the traders and star pilots that come through here. I'm a pilot, you know? And, some day, I'm gonna fly away from this place."

"You're a pilot?"

"Mm-hm, all my life."

"How long have you been here?"

"Since I was very little, three, I think. My mom and I were sold to Gardulla the Hutt, but she lost us, betting on the podraces."

"You're a slave?"

"I'm a person and my name is Anakin!"

"I'm sorry. I don't fully understand. This is a strange place to me."

As Jar-Jar began making a mess and the other two humans watched, Elaina surprised her sister by whispering,

"There's something about him. If I was to put it into a metaphor and the Force was a school of fish, he would be surrounded by many of them…possibly even more so than us."

Confused, Kelly asked,

"Are you trying to say that he…?"

"Yes…he has great potential with the Force. I can see it in his eyes. You know, since you seem so similar to him, maybe the Council would let you train him. After that, I'm sure they would be more than happy to put you on the Council itself. Of course, he may be too old."

"Them and their rules…we were too old, yet here we are: two of the youngest Jedi Knights in history."

"Hit the nose!" Anakin advised Jar-Jar, who complied, causing the little robot to cease its destructive mode. The sisters continued talking as the conversation between Anakin and Padme recommenced.

"Are you sure of this, Elaina? Sensing potential was never my forte, so I can only feel a fringe of it; however, I have to admit that it's there."

"I am positive. I'll talk to Qui-Gon about it. One of the things I noticed on those stocking trips you used to drag me on is that he rarely passes up an opportunity."

Suddenly, the Jedi in question came striding through the shop towards the front entrance.

"We're leaving," he demanded. "Jar-Jar…" The Gungan was trying and ultimately failing to balance a bunch of parts on his hands, soon falling over.

"I'm glad to have met you, Anakin," the handmaiden said before going out the door, soon followed by her companions. The female Jedi were last.

"I was glad to meet you to!" the boy called after the girl.

"Nice to see you again, Watto," both women said in unison, receiving confused looks from both the slave and the Toydarian. They softly giggled together while catching up with Qui-Gon.

~Well, it may have been worth it to come along, if only for the jokes~

After finding a shaded, quiet place for everyone to sit down and rest, the man took out his communicator and began talking to Obi-Wan over the com link.

"Padme," Elaina unexpectedly began, "how old is the queen?"

"Why do you ask?" the other girl queried in turn, almost hostilely.

"Oh, just curious."

"She's fourteen."

Of course, Kelly-Fyn only half listened to that dialogue since she was paying more attention to Obi-Wan's casual, manly voice as he spoke to Qui-Gon over the link.

"I'll check back later," he finished, starting out of the shade, only to be stopped by Jar-Jar.

"Noah gain, Noah gain…da beings hereabouts: cawazy! Wesa be robbed un crunched!"

"Not likely. We have nothing of value, that's our problem."

Several minutes later, in the marketplace, Jar-Jar once again got into trouble. The group was walking towards another shop when they heard the Gungan cry out with alarm. Turning to the noise and seeing her companion being pushed to the ground by another alien, Kelly-Fyn put a hand on her hidden lightsaber, only to have her sister stop her. She couldn't understand how her twin could be so calm in certain situations.

"Think," the older girl whispered as Anakin stopped the attacker and spoke to him in the local language, causing him to back down and walk away.

"Hi!" the boy said as the Jedi, maid, and droid approached.

"Hi there," Qui-Gon replied.

"Your buddy here was about to be turned into orange goo. He picked a fight with a Dug, an especially dangerous Dug called Sebulba."

"Nosir, nosir," Jar-Jar countered. "Mesa hate crunchen. Dat's da last ting mesa wanten."

"Nevertheless, the boy is right. You were heading for trouble," the man corrected. "Thanks, my young friend."

"But, but, but mesa doin' nutten!"

They once again ended up beside Anakin as the boy bought something from an elderly shop owner. Elaina was quietly talking to Qui-Gon, who had to bend down to actually hear what the girl was saying due to his over-six-foot height and her just-over-five-foot stature. She was probably telling the Jedi about Anakin's potential.

"Here," the boy coaxed Qui-Gon, clearly breaking his train of thought, "you'll like these pallies. Here." As the man put the food…or whatever it was into his belt, his lightsaber was revealed for a split second.

"Oh, my bones are aching!" the old woman cried. "…storm's comin' up, Annie. You'd better get home quick."

"Do you have shelter?"

"We'll head back to out ship," was the reply as the group moved off towards the edge of town.

"Is it far?"

"It's on the outskirts," Padme answered.

"You'll never reach the outskirt in time! Sandstorms are very, very dangerous. Come on! I'll take you to my place."

By the time the visitors followed Anakin into a small, poor hut, the sandstorm was already sending its grains up Kelly-Fyn's pant legs.

"Mom! Mom, I'm home!"

"Oh, dissent cozy," Jar-Jar commented as a dark-haired, middle-aged woman of medium height emerged from what appeared to be a small kitchen.

"These are my friends, Mom."

"Hello."

"I'm Qui-Gon Jinn," the man introduced, although a glint of recognition crossed his eyes, as Anakin dragged Padme to see a droid he was bragging about. "You son was kind enough to offer us shelter."

(Elaina)

While Kelly and Padme went to help Anakin's mother, Shmi, in the kitchen, the older twin stood beside Qui-Gon as he spoke to Obi-Wan over the com link. The padawan explained that a transmission had been sent from Naboo and its contents. When he was finished, the man responded,

"It sounds like bait to establish a connection trace."

"But, what if it is true and the people are dying?"

"Either way, we're running out of time. Now," he said, turning to Elaina, "what was it you were saying earlier about the boy?"

"I don't know why I feel it more with this boy," she half lied. "He has great potential, Qui-Gon…and I know that you sense it too."

Thanks for reading! Please review and let me know how I'm doing so far! I'm not quite as sure of myself with this story compared to my other ones because I haven't been able to think this one out nearly as much as I did with the others.