Did some editing on the dates as the GrS calendar is 3 months different than the After Ruusan Reformation calendar so that my date should line up with Before the Battle of Yavin calendar.
Tatooine 968ARR:2:01:14:33/3GrS:5:01:14:33 Mos Espa Watto's Junkyard.
"Oh my, this place has seen better days." C2 walked into the main area of Watto's Shop.
"I don't need no tin cans here. Begone with you. Shoo."
"Not before I deliver my message."
"A message you say? It better not be someone trying to collect credits from me."
"On the contrary. I am to give you this." C2 places a small box on the counter before turning and walking out. Watto, curious, moves over and opens the box.
"One thousand peggat for you to just bring Shmi Skywalker to this location. Tomorrow Anchorhead, Landing Bay Three. 10:00."
Watto set the message down as thought about who this person could be and why they wanted him to bring his slave with him? The speaker was female so not that cheating outlander. He pictured the droid that had walked in not a mark on it. It had barely ever been where it could have been scratched or dented. Like new but a model and design that felt so old. Watto suddenly remembered something and flitted out into the yard and after a bit of digging found a head that if it was cleaned up and polished would have been identical. He remembered finding this droid and that out curiosity he had it dated. That new looking droid was thousand of years old.
"Shmi get out here! Doopee gran shado shag!"
Shmi heard her master Watto yelling form some part of the yard. She carefully put down the item she was working on and then rushed out to where she heard Watto yelling from. She came up to him and swallowed hard as she saw his anger, but he did not look like he was going to hit her this time.
"Pick up this junk droid and the pile of parts under it. Load up the sled. These over here too and then the list I had you make for Anchorhead. We leave early tomorrow. Important customer. Got to be there at ten." Watto flew away without even looking back. "Now where did I put my dice?"
Shmi sighs in relief. Ever since Annie left it had not been easy. Hearing about the battle on Naboo had been hard to bare as she had found out that Qui Gon Jinn had been seriously injured. She had sent a message, but no answer had come back. If she had time she would check again for an answer.
Ah, Lady Skywalker I have been looking for you all over."
"C3P0 please stop using lady. I am a slave and Watto will punish me if he hears you."
"Oh my that is terrible. Please forgive me."
"It is okay. Now what do you need?"
"Well, I, I appear to be experiencing an error. I am so sorry, I hope I can retrieve the reason soon enough."
"Can you help me with all this."
"Oh my now this is an old model. Part of my programming is based off this model though there have been several hundred since then..." Shmi rolled her eyes as she began to work. How this droid could talk and where did it ever get so much information. Though the work was hard in this heat, it took her mind off missing her son. It was nearly dark once everything was loaded on the sled. She had enough time to clean up and get some sleep before having to get up before Watto.
The alarm woke her and the stimcaf she rarely had a chance to get woke her up a bit more. She made her way over to Watto's quarters and had his breakfast ready by the time he grumbled into view. C3P0 adjusted his perch before Watto settled in to eat.
"Good morning Master Watto, I hope this mornings selection will wake you up and give you plenty of energy."
"Beuanka droida." Watto grumbled as he began to eat. The droid backed away waiting for and order or a request. The droid moved her and there taking a bowl or a dish that Watto was done with. It was not the best Watto had ever gotten but it was the best that he was going to get consider his current situation. Though it could have been the meager meal that Shmi had eaten and her stomach threaten to complain it was not enough. She focus on cleaning the dishes as he was finished with them and rushing to gather the smaller items that Watto would need on his trip. Watto took back to the air and moved out with Shmi rushing to follow him to put his things in the speeder.
"You droid get in and drive huh. I am too tired. Shmi you are coming too."
"Master I..."
"Get in I get a thousand peggat if I bring you with."
"You are selling me."
"No, you're still worth three thousand I think. Not sure why I bring you, but I have too."
"Yes, master." Shmi and the droid got into the speeder and pulled out of the junk yard. The doors to the shop closed and locked tightly, activating the guard droids to cover the whole place. As Watto feel asleep on his pillow in the back and 3P0 drove Shmi was wounding nearly the whole time why she was needed to be along. If he was not going to sell was she going to do something that she had never done. She was no slave girl. No her days of being pretty had been long behind her and she did not know any of that. The hours passed by and the little chance she was not thinking she was in a tired daze.
Arriving in Anchorhead the town was already busy and 3P0 took his time moving around the crowd as they travel to the side of the old debilitated spaceport. Unlike other towns on Tatooine this place really felt ancient. The few other times she had been here she felt constantly watched. The feeling grew as she perked up nearing the loading ramps.
"Master Watto we are here."
"I see that. You... never mind." Watto took to the air as the temperature changed as the canopy opened to the early morning heat. Shmi followed Watto out of the vehicle and then behind her master as he moved more into the shade.
"Landing bay 3 it is nine fifty. I don't like this, too early. Never good to be too early makes you eager, desperate."
"I do apologize master but I had to go faster to avoid the scary sand people."
"Meh." A side door opened and the same ancient droid appeared a second later.
"Greetings gentle beings. I am C2-N2 I am to suggest you move your craft inside so that nothing will be removed in your absence."
"I don't really trust you. I don't like being swindled." Watto mumbled in Huttese. "Ootmians, na nolia, cheeska. Konchee sa myo Gusha..." as he searches his pockets.
"My master does not like to waste time, and is not going to waste yours. I have already informed my master that you have met the minimum obligation to get the one thousand peggat. All you must do is enjoy the refreshments that I have prepared and to hear my master's proposal."
"Move the sled inside
"Yatuka, yatuka." Watto signaled as the droid got back in to the speeder. As soon as the vehicle passed the doorway the door rolled down back into place and the glare of the twin suns vanished.
"This way." The ancient droid beckoned them to follow. The loading dock lead into several smaller offices mostly filled with junk or other odds and ends. At the end of the hallway it opened out into the large hanger revealing a large ship filling up nearly the entire space.
"Seen many space ships. Never seen one like that."
"And you probably never will see another like it. It is over thirty five hundred years old. Please feel free to enjoy the refreshments. There is a place to wash the dust off at that end and then you may take as much as you want. The box over at this table has the peggat as promised. Eat and drink your fill first."
"Why did you want my slave here?" I had to smile as I looked behind me and Watto gasped with Shmi.
"Annie!"
"Mom!" They both rushed to each other as I moved closer to the Toydarian.
"You some Jedi? Bring him back or what's going on? Gonna swindle me out of my last slave, his mother."
"Oh no, I do not have that in mind. However, I will be making you an offer that I think you will accept."
"What kind of deal?"
"You leave Tatooine."
"I have a business, respect here, I leave have nothing."
"You have skills I can use. You have a cabin to yourself. You could be the one to bargain for our supplies consumables and other needed items. You will act as captain at times. However, you can only bring what you can fit in your cabin with you. You will no longer lay any claim to Shmi, but you will get paid well to be a crew member of this ship. The second option is that I pay you enough to have you move from this planet, but leave this planet you will or you will face the third option and lose your slaves, and continue your bad luck until you die in a gutter."
"I knew I should not have come here." Watto let out a string of Huttese and Toydarian that was too fast for anyone other than a droid to pick up.
"The meal has some traditional Toydarian fair. Enjoy it while you eat and keep the blaster in your bag, or you will face the fourth option and die right here.
"Hey you Jedi. Your threat is empty air."
"I am Lady Kimble, I have been many things, but a Jedi I am no longer." Watto swallowed hard as he felt he was now prey. It was as if a grabworm was near and he could no longer fly to get away. His toes touched the concrete of the landing bay before the feeling vanished just before the human walked away. He looked to the door seeing another droid one carrying a large blaster cannon nearly as big as he was. A larger and ancient utility droid was near a modern R2 astromech. They were blocking the way back to his speeder. 3P0 and the C2 droid were talking to each other not far from Shmi and Anakin. Watto then sighed Knowing he was trapped and the food smell alluring, he decided to see what there was and he was not disappointed.
"Master Watto?"
"Wada ya want? Can't you see I am eating."
"Lady Kimble said that I was coming with her and I wanted to give you back this." Watto finally looked at Shmi as she opened her hand. His chance cube that he had left on the maintenance bay floor was resting on top.
"How did you find this?"
"You were so upset about losing it and I went to find it but then you reveal it was what set Anakin free I could not give it back to you, but now I don't need it."
Watto reached out and took the chance cube feeling his luck had suddenly changed. Watto took the money and drove away from Anchorhead a rich being. He quickly sold his junkyard to a Rodian family, paid his debts, and booked passage back to Toydarian for a while. Two Jedi entered Watto's old shop a day later as the Rodian family was moving things around. The three of them straighten up and look at the two.
"Where is Watto the owner of this place?" Obi Wan looked from one to the other and then to the youngling.
"He left. Said he won big at the races. Don't know where races over."
"They do not know anything this dump is a waste of time." Serra Keto looked around and shivered. Not because she was cold but from the smell. The scent had been weak on Anakin, but here on his world and after visiting the hovel they lived in she could barely keep in her disgust.
"A few days before Watto took Shmi and that droid to Anchorhead. He never took her with before."
"Are you sure?"
"He only closes the shop to go to Anchorhead. Where else would he go?"
"A waste of time Serra? Thank you." Obi Wan moves away and then he remembers. "Wald right."
"Yes." The two Jedi leave the shop and then walk out of Mos Espa to their hidden ships. A few hours later they are watching as a crew is cleaning up what looks like the remains of a party.
"See ship was here. Strange thing needed old style couplings to refuel. Total surprise I even had the things in the back of the storage hold. Held this party for everyone in the spaceport. Didn't have to feed my slaves. Ate good myself. Slaves finish cleaning up and you'll eat good again tonight!"
"Was there a youngling with them, a boy around nine."
"Bunch of junk left in the back loading dock. They had three or was it four droids. The Toydarian left that junk. Paid me to get rid of it. Bounty hunter by the looks of the one who owned the ship."
"Do you know if they filed a flight plan?"
"This is Tatooine not Chandrila. Most people say they are going to Geonosis or Rodia if they even bother to file a flight plan."
"Thank you." Obi Wan walked away as the man held out his hand as Serra paid him. She found this guy smelled even worse. Nearly everyone smelled and though she knew it was because of this being a desert planet it still did not diminish her disgust. She caught up to Obi Wan as he walked outside.
"Looks like a dead end. Orbit control doesn't even bother to record longer than twenty four hours."
"I get the feeling that they have not left yet."
"Direction?"
"No clue."
