"So how is this going to go down?" Ahsoka asked as we prepared to land.
"We are going to ask the Hutt clan if we can set up a watch tower either on Tatooine or on a moon."
"Yes I know that, but before hand Jabba said no because he felt like the republic would be spying on them, how is it going to be any different coming from us?"
"The council believes it will be different because I was born and raised here and because you saved Jaba's son. So hopefully with that Jabba will let us put up a tower here." I told her as I landed the ship.
"I don't see how that will help us with the Hutt's, they're gangsters, they don't care if someone helped them once a long time ago." She said as we walked out of the ship and towards Jaba's palace.
"Neither do I but the council is asking that we do."
We made our way to the palace and to my surprise after we told them why we were here we were let in. I was expecting us to be turned away at the door because Jaba had already refused any Jedi contact through holograms. It wasn't too much of a welcome since there were plenty of bounty hunters around where Jabba was sitting just staring at us and keeping a hand on their weapons; little did they know if Ahsoka and I wanted to we could take them all no problem. But we weren't here for aggressive negotiations, just yet.
"The great Jabba would like to know why you have come. He has already made it clear to the Jedi council that no towers will be built on Tatooine." His personal droid told us.
"To be frank we are here to ask again." I told him, "We were hoping because of our past that you would reconsider."
"Because you saved Jabba's beloved son is the only reason you were allowed in and not killed at the door." His droid translated for Jabba after he spoke.
I opened my mouth to speak again trying to get Jabba to change his mind but at that second his son, the one we saved so long ago, came out from behind Jabba. He made a loud squealing noise that made everyone turn to him then slithered his way over to Ahsoka. I guess he remembered her because she was the one who cared for him when we rescued him. When he got to her he raised his arms up wanting her to pick him. She looked at me at first and I gave a small nod of the head to her and she reached down and picked up the little worm. He squealed in happiness and snuggled into her.
"Please, a watch tower on your planet or a moon of your planet wouldn't only benefit the republic, it would benefit you as well." Ahsoka said. "We would be able to watch out for your enemies as well."
"Jabba will consider it." His droid said after Jabba looked at Ahsoka holding his son.
"Thank you." i said giving him a small bow then gesturing for Ahsoka to give the little hutt back to his father. Ahsoka gave the baby back to his father even though he cried a bit clearly wanting to be held by Ahsoka. We both gave a small bow before exiting Jabba's palace.
"If the Huttling hadn't crawled over to you I think this mission might have been a failure." I told her as we boarded our ship and I started to make our way to where my step brother lived.
It was a short ride to the house where my step-brother and his girlfriend lived. When we landed and exited the ship I was frozen in my steps while Ahsoka had started to walk to the house. When she noticed I wasn't by her side she stopped and came over to my side.
"What is wrong Anakin?" She asked me.
"I just realized I haven't been back to this house since I brought my mother's dead body back to be buried." I told her.
She put her hand on my arm as a sign of condolence but remained silent, because Ahsoka was brought to the jedi younger then me she didn't have the bond I did with my mother so she didn't know my pain. I put my hand over hers as a show of thanks then headed to the house. I knocked on the door a few times and soon enough my step-brother answered the door, he looked shocked when he saw me; i am pretty sure he thought he would never see me again. But he still invited both Ahsoka and I into his home. He called his girlfriend over to us and we all sat on his dining room table, this felt a lot like when they had told me my mother was kidnapped.
" I honestly thought we would never see you again after your mother's passing." Owen said.
"I honestly thought I would never return her." I told him. "But I have a favor to ask. This is my padawan Ahsoka, as you probably know, part of the Jedi code is for us to not form attachments, which is the reason I never was allowed to come and visit my mother." I explained.
"I know, your mother spoke often of you and how much she missed you. She practically raised me, I miss her greatly." Owen said.
"I am glad in her final years she had you and your father, I am sorry for his passing." I apologized.
"Thank you. What was this favor you crossed the galaxy to ask?"
"Ahsoka is pregnant, and if the council were to find out she would be expelled. I want to protect her, we have a family to take in the child but we were hoping you would house her here in the later stages of her pregnancy. Please." I asked him.
"Have you fathered her child?" His girlfriend Beru asked.
"Yes I have." I answered honestly. "We are in a relationship, yes it is frowned upon by the council and if they were to find out we would both be expelled. I am asking for your help."
"We will take her in, because we are family. I am doing this for your mother." He said,
"Thank you Owen."
"How far along are you?" Beru asked Ahsoka.
"Six weeks, I still have a while before I begin to show." Ahsoka answered.
"I want to keep her in front of the council as much as I can before she starts to really show, just to throw off suspicion." I told them.
"That is a smart plan, but do you really think you can hide this from the Jedi, aren't you supposed to be all knowing?" Owen asked.
"It would make life much easier if we were all knowing, but no. We are force sensitive, we can sense things that most people cannot. With training we become much more sensitive. It will be a challenge to keep them from knowing but if we send Ahsoka out here at the right moment for the right reason our plan should work." I told him.
"Good luck to both of you. I hope your plan works, we will take her in, and if you ever need anything else please let us know. We are family."
"Thank you, we are here on Tatooine for Jedi business which will hopefully conclude tomorrow, may we both stay the night?" I asked him.
"Of course you may."
"I can show you to your room." Beru offered standing up, after her all of us stood up.
"Ahsoka go with her, I want to pay respect to my mother." I told him.
They all nodded at me and Ahsoka left with Beru to the room we will be staying in tonight and Owen left to go do whatever he was doing before the two of us showed up to his house unexpectedly, I sighed and made myway outside to where we had buried my mother three years ago. It was hard for me to be here standing at her grave again but I wanted to be with her. I missed her a lot. It was only a matter of minutes standing at her grave I felt tears stream down my face.
"Hello mother. I miss you, I miss you like crazy. Not a day goes by where I don't miss you. I wish I had more time with you before you left, I wish you were able to meet Ahsoka, you would have really liked her. She is giving me a child and you a grandchild. You would have made an excellent grandmother and if you were here still we would have placed it in your care. Sometimes I wish I was never found by the Jedi that way I could have spent your entire life with you, I might have even been able to stop you from getting kidnapped and you might have still been here today. I hope you're proud of me mother. I love you."
"How come you never talk about her?" Ahsoka asked coming to my side.
"Because watching her beaten and bruised then dying in my arms was the most painful thing I ever went through. It is not something I like to talk about. Even if I talk about the good I still get reminded of her tragic ending." I told her and wrapped my arm around her shoulder, she wrapped her arm around my waist and nuzzled her head in my chest.
"I'm sorry you had to go through that." She told me.
"It happens here, it isn't uncommon for raiders to take people."
"I see why you hate it here so much."
"Too many bad memories, all the good ones here involve my mother, then the order found me and I never looked back. I wish she would have been able to meet you."
"Do you think she would have liked me?" Ahsoka asked.
"At first probably not, you're very stubborn and she would have disliked it, but you would have won her over eventually, like you did me." I answered, Ahsoka rolled her eyes at me and punched my arm.
"Anakin, I've been wondering something. You and I are both Jedi's, and you are one of the most powerful Jedi's the order has ever had, what if our child is force sensitive, what if he or she is a Jedi?"
"I don't want our child to know war like we do." I answered.
"What if the order finds him or her without knowing we are its parents and take it?" She asked. "This is the only life we know but do we want that for our child?" She asked me.
"If our child is force sensitive we will train it, but I don't want our baby to be taken by the order. If it is he or she will not be able to know us as its parents, we can ask or expect a child to keep that kind of secret." I told her.
"You're right, but what if the order finds it?" She asked me, I could feel her starting to worry more and more.
"Ahsoka you are worrying too much, it is bad for the baby, you need to calm down."
"In the history of the universe has telling a worrying pregnant woman to calm down ever actually worked?" She asked, crossing her arms.
"Probably not." I answered laughing. "But you need too, for the baby. There is a chance that the child won't be force sensitive like us. We will cross that bridge when we come to it. There is no need to worry about something that might not even happen."
"Alright." She said and I could feel her calming down. I gave her a quick kiss on the forehead then the both of us walked back inside.
The rest of the night was very pleasant. Owen was telling me stories about my mother and how kind she was. From what he was telling me she lived a very happy life with her new husband, I am glad my mother was happy. Owen and his girlfriend also seemed like very nice people, they were kind enough to take Ahsoka in for me and the way they talked and went about their life was nice. They were different from most of the people I knew on Tatooine, I know Ahsoka would be in good hands here. After we all had dinner together Ahsoka and I went to our room to sleep. We cuddled together and both fell asleep peacefully. I thought we woke up early but Beru and Owen were already awake and working on their chores by the time I had gotten up. I offered to help Owen with his work and when he said no that we were his guests I started working anyways, he laughed but finally accepted my help, Ashoka stayed inside with Beru doing whatever those girls were doing. It was very nice getting to know Owen and getting to work with him; that was until a member of Jabba's gang appeared at his door asking for Ahsoka and I.
"Jabba wants to meet with the two of you, he has your answer. Come with me." He said walking back to his speeder.
"The Jedi are making a deal with Jabba the Hutt?" Owen asked in shock.
"It is a bit more complicated than that." I tried explaining, :But thank you for taking us in and helping us with our other problem." I said before Ahsoka and I got on the speeder with Jabba's messenger. When we got there Jabba was waiting for us with his son at his arms again, when the little Hutt saw Ahsoka again he reached out for her and Jabba let him make his way to Ahsoka for her to hold him again.
"The great Jabba the Hutt has thought about your request and granted it, under one condotion." The droid told us.
"And what would that be?" I asked.
"That your Padwan oversee the building of the tower and be in charge of it once completed, it is only she that Jabba trusts."
"Jabba, Ahsoka is a Jedi, she cannot stay here forever, she belongs with the order and the other Jedi." I explained.
"This is the only way it will happen." The droid translated for Jabba.
"What if I stay for the building of the tower and for its first few months of operations then leave it in trustworthy hands?" Ashoka offered.
I was beginning to see where Ahsoka was going with this, this would be the perfect assignment for Ashoka in the later stages of her pregnancy.
"Jabba agrees to this." The droid told us, "But he does not want the tower to be built on Tatooine, you may use one of the moons as your base."
"Thank you Jabba." I said before giving him a small bow, "I shall inform the council of our success here and in a few months we shall start the building."
"Jabba looks forward to a beneficial new relationship." The droid translated then Ashoka gave the little Hutt back to his father before we left and went to board our ship.
"Do you really think the council will be okay with this?" Ashoka asked.
"It is the only way to build this tower, they need to be. We need this tower built." I told her.
