Chapter 11 - Journey

DISCLAIMER: We do not own Star Wars or any of the characters in it, though we wish we did. We only own Aniya Skywalker and Jaufre (pronounced Jaw-Free) Naberrie. =)

Author's Note: Half way through Coming of Dawn now! :D The major changes begin here! ;)

~ Amina Gila

Anakin Skywalker

The sudden sound of approaching vehicles startles us out of our conversation. Two taxis land nearby. The first person I spot is Queen Amidala. I don't recognize anyone in a group except Jar Jar, Jaufre, and Senator Palpatine, probably partly because it's nighttime. The darkness makes it hard to recognize everyone else.

Where's Padme? My gaze darts between the handmaidens but it's too dark to tell if one of them is her or not. Maybe she's already on the ship.

My gaze flickers back to Palpatine again. I can't figure out why I'm feeling so on edge around him, so I shake it off. I'm just glad we can go with Qui-Gon to Naboo. As time goes on, I'm becoming increasingly confident that there was something to Aniya's dreams. And maybe… maybe we'll be able to stop it from happening. Resolve fills me. I will not let her nightmares happen, no matter what. Qui-Gon can't die.

"Your Highness, it is our pleasure to continue to serve and protect you," Qui-Gon tells the queen as the group approaches us. Anakin and I back out of the way to let them past.

"I welcome your help. Senator Palpatine fears the Federation means to destroy me," she replies simply.

"I promise you I will not let that happen," Qui-Gon responds with determination. Queen Amidala, along with her retinue, board the ship.

Jar Jar pauses at the entrance to the ramp, pulling me and Aniya into a hug, which honestly makes me feel better. "Wesa goen home!" he declares happily. I can certainly understand his excitement. If my home was on any planet other than Tatooine, I'd be really excited too. I quickly force my mind away from thoughts of Mom alone on our home planet. I don't need to have a meltdown about that right now.

As the four of us board the ship, I take one final glance at Coruscant. If we're going to be staying there most of the time, like I assume we will, it'll take a long time to feel like home.

Aniya and I watch out the viewport until the ship jumps into hyperspace before heading to the corner of the room, hoping to take some time to sort our minds out.

Just then, I hear footsteps approaching, and Jaufre steps into the room.

"Jaufre!" we call happily.

"Hi Ani!" he greets us cheerfully, crossing the room to take a seat next to us. "Why are you here? You know – not that I mind or anything but why?"

I frown. "The Council doesn't want to train us, so we're staying with Qui-Gon for now."

"What?!" he cries incredulously, "But why?!"

"Because they say we're too old," Aniya explains.

"But that's… that's ridiculous!" he cries at last, "Even I can see that you have skills, that you ought to be trained."

"They're going to reconsider it after the situation on Naboo is settled," I inform him, eyes wandering back to the endless blur of hyperspace. I really hope that they'll change their minds, but at the same time, the decision sounded pretty much final to me. I don't want to get my hopes up again.

"Oh, good," he says, seeming to calm down a little, though his annoyance remains clear, "Because I would be deeply concerned about their mental status if they didn't agree." I laugh, suddenly feeling lighter than I have all day.

He pauses for a moment. "If they still refuse to train you even after this is over, you should move to Naboo and live with us. And we'll free your mother."

Aniya suddenly giggles. "Yes, then we can burn speeder parts together."

Jaufre rolls his eyes, unable to hide his grin.

"We won't be burning them at all," I object, "We'll be making things with them."

"I don't mind, as long as you don't throw parts all over my bedroom floor," he offers brightly.

"Where has Padme been anyway?" I question, changing the topic. She seems to have disappeared. Is she even on the ship?

"With the queen," Jaufre explains, "She –" The opening of the door interrupts the conversation, and Obi-Wan steps into the room.

"I should probably go in case she needs me," he remarks, standing up, "See you around, Ani!" With that, he hurries away.

My gaze turns to Obi-Wan, and I finally decide to ask something I've been wondering since the moment we met. "Why do you have a braid?"

"It shows that I'm a Padawan," he clarifies stiffly. "It's a Jedi custom." Oh.

"So, if we become Padawans, we'll have braids too?" queries Aniya, before smirking. "I can't imagine Anakin with a braid." I shoot her an exasperated look. I know she'll be teasing me relentlessly if we do become Padawans.

"What color is your lightsaber blade?" wonders Aniya suddenly, turning back to Obi-Wan.

"Blue," he replies.

"Cool," I exclaim. "How many different colors are there?"

"Pretty much all the colors of the rainbow," he answers, "Green and blue are most common. Purple, yellow, and orange are much rarer. Red is only used by Dark Siders."

"Why do you have a blue lightsaber?" inquires Aniya curiously.

"Blue comes from focusing more on combat aspects," he replies, a hint of exasperation creeping into his tone. I almost question why, if he doesn't want to talk to us, he's even here.

"Can I see it?" I ask hopefully. I've only seen green and red ones so far, and I'd really like to see what a blue one looks like.

Obi-Wan sighs. "I – do you want to go look around the ship maybe?"

"Sure!" I squeal, grabbing his hand and pulling him along after us as we run out of the room.

"You look like you could use company, and besides, we don't want to get lost," Aniya offers brightly when he looks like he's about to protest.

Half an hour later, we find ourselves in the main control room for the ship. "What does this do?" I inquire, studying the various controls on the panel.

"Where does this go to?" calls Aniya from down the hall, distracting me from the controls. I run over to her, stopping as the door in front of us slides open.

"Can we go in here?" I ask, poking my head into the room that looks very much like it leads to the main reactor of the ship.

"No," Obi-Wan practically groans. "We shouldn't even be down in this part of the ship in the first place."

"But it won't hurt anything!" protests Aniya.

"How about I teach you how to meditate?" Obi-Wan suggests with an exasperated sigh. Meditate? Isn't that something Jedi do?

"But I thought you weren't allowed to train us," Aniya states, looking as confused as I'm suddenly feeling.

"You don't have to be a Jedi to meditate," he replies flatly. "Now come on." We head back to the room we were in earlier and take seats on the floor.

"Close your eyes," he instructs, "Try to quiet your mind and reach out to feel the Force." I close my eyes, trying to follow his instructions. I don't know how long it is before I eventually manage to get into a semblance of the state that I think he's talking about, though it's hard, because a million random thoughts keep popping up. I hardly understand what he's saying, but I feel myself reaching out. I don't understand it, but it's like I can see my surroundings in detail even though my eyes are closed.

I reach out, nudging at the presences beside me. I wonder if this is how Aniya and I always talk to each other. I know the feel of Aniya maybe better than myself, but then I feel something else. As I feel Obi-Wan's presence, something changes. I can suddenly feel him far more clearly. Not nearly as bright and clear as Aniya, but far stronger than I could before. It's like something snapped into place between us, something I don't understand, yet it feels strangely right.

"What was that?" I demand, eyes opening as I'm startled out of the calm which I'd attained.

"What was what?" replies Aniya, looking over at me with a confused expression.

"We just formed a bond," Obi-Wan explains slowly, a hint of apprehension on his face.

"A bond?" I query curiously, looking up at him.

"Force sensitives usually only bond if they're a master and Padawan pair, or in your case, close siblings," he elaborates. "I've – I've never heard of the Force forming a bond of its own between two individuals." Which is obviously what just happened. That's so weird, but it doesn't bother me as much as it maybe should.

"Oh," I nod excitedly. I jump slightly as the door slides open. Qui-Gon steps into the room, frowning as he takes in the scene.

"What is going on here?"

"We were just…" Obi-Wan trails off, suddenly seeming to be at a loss for words.

"You know we aren't allowed to train them yet," he chides, but somehow, he seems somewhat amused at the same time. "I won't mention it to anyone as long as you don't."

"Of course," Obi-Wan agrees immediately.

"Now, it's probably time for you two to be in bed," Qui-Gon declares, turning to us.

"I'm not tired," protests Aniya hastily.

"Tomorrow is going to be a long day," he replies. "We could be walking right into a war. You'll need the rest."

"Fiiiiiiiiiiiine," she concedes at last.

**w**

Aniya Skywalker

The altogether too familiar images dance before my eyes again. The red and black striped being fighting Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, and when Obi-Wan is trapped behind the laser beams, the creature kills Qui-Gon.

I jolt awake, heart pounding. Anakin stirs beside me, before opening his eyes. He probably woke up from feeling my emotions.

"You saw it? Again?" he inquires, worry shining in his bright blue eyes.

I nod, shifting closer to him. "I think… that it's gonna happen if we don't do something about it," I whisper shakily. "They… they said they thought the being might be drawn out to Naboo when we go back there, and…" I shudder inwardly. Within the next few hours, we could be facing that creature. And watching my nightmare unfold in front of us.

No. That can't happen. We can't let it happen. I can't lose someone else so soon.

The door to the room suddenly slides open and Obi-Wan steps into the room, a slightly concerned expression on his face. "Are you alright?" he asks as soon as he realizes we're wide awake.

I shake my head, suddenly wanting to cry.

"Aniya's been having nightmares," Anakin says after a pause. "We think they might really happen because they have before, and the same thing keeps repeating in every one." He takes my hand, holding it tightly. I lean against him, trying to draw comfort from my brother's presence.

"What did you see?" Obi-Wan asks, crossing the room and sitting down next to us.

"That creature that attacked Qui-Gon on Tatooine," I mumble. "It attacked him again and… he was seriously injured and…" I trail off, not even wanting to finish. But judging from the concerned expression that flashes across Obi-Wan's face, I'm pretty sure he knows what I'm trying to say.

"I'll talk to Qui-Gon about it but try not to worry about it too much. The future is always in motion. The vision is only a possible future, not one that is definite," Obi-Wan tries to reassure us. That may be true, but –

"I saw it the second night back on Tatooine, before we even saw it. Or you," I add. Tears sting my eyes as the image replays itself in my mind. No, he can't die. He can't!

"We'll be careful," Obi-Wan tries to reassure us. I scoot closer to him, wrapping my arms around him. Anakin moves forwards to do the same. After a moment of hesitation, he hugs us back. I feel something – Obi-Wan – brush against my mind, sending a wave of calm and peace to me. At that moment, I sense something snap into place between us – no doubt the same feeling Anakin was talking about earlier when Obi-Wan showed us how to meditate.

Any frustration I have over what happened earlier today disappears as I hold onto him, never wanting to let go. I'm so glad he's here. Somehow, he already feels part of our very dysfunctional small family.

**w**

"Ani! It's time to get up!" I hear Jaufre calling. "We'll be coming out of hyperspace soon, and I don't think you want to be left behind on the ship."

Anakin groans, pulling the blanket over his head. I blink sleepily, looking up. Jaufre is standing in the doorway, with Jar Jar behind him. "Wesa home!" the Gungan practically squeals in excitement. I'm still exhausted – probably from the little sleep I've gotten recently – but I'm excited to see Naboo. After all, this is Padme's home planet.

I sit up, yanking the blanket away from my brother, ignoring his muffled grumbles. "Come on! I want to see the planet as soon as we come out of hyperspace."

We're both glued to the viewport when the ship finally emerges from hyperspace, revealing a mostly blue planet, partially covered in white swirls. Is… is that water?

As the spaceship enters the atmosphere, I can soon see the endless green hills and trees that cover the planet's surface, interspersed with large lakes and rivers. It's by far the most beautiful place I've ever seen. So much more so than Coruscant, and let's not even begin to talk about Tatooine. "I didn't know there was so much greenry in the galaxy," I murmur, staring in awe out the windows.

"Or water," agrees Anakin.

As we join the procession disembarking from the ship, I suddenly catch sight of someone I haven't seen in a long time. Padme. Jaufre is trailing after her.

"Hi!" calls Anakin, running over to her, "Where have you been?"

"Ani! What are you doing here?" she inquires, surprised. I guess her brother failed to tell her that we came with them.

"We're with Qui-Gon," I explain, "But they're not going to let us be Jedi. We're too old." Though I've begun to entertain the hope that Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan will train us even if the Council refuses.

Padme frowns, glancing around. "This is going to be dangerous, Ani," she warns, her attention obviously more focused on the present situation than us, right now. I actually don't know what's even happening. I probably should have asked someone before we arrived.

"I thought so," I sigh, images of my nightmare flashing through my mind again.

"Is it? We can help!" offers Anakin.

"She doesn't even want me to be here because of the danger, but there's no other choice anyway because it's not like I could stay behind on Coruscant," pipes up Jaufre, a hint of smugness in his tone.

Padme gives him a look. "You're only thirteen and –"

"And you are only fourteen, which is hardly a difference," replies Jaufre, crossing his arms, a cocky grin on his face. Why do I get the feeling they've already had at least one argument about this? Probably more.

"Where are we going?" Anakin interjects finally before the siblings can begin another squabble.

"To war, I'm afraid," Padme replies. "The Queen has had to make the most difficult decision of her life. She doesn't believe in fighting, Ani. We are a peaceful people…" She trails off.

"I want to help," Anakin insists. And we will help. In any way we can. "I'm glad you're back," he tells her with a smile, which she returns, despite obviously being very worried about the situation. I'm really grateful that at least we could see her again. Maybe this time, when we part, we'll actually get a proper goodbye, since I'm sure we won't be able to see each other once all this is over. At least not for a while.