"Now be brave and don't look back." Shmi said while gripping onto Anakin's shoulders, a sad smile on her face. She pulled him in for one last hug, trying her best to remember how it felt to have her son's arms wrap around her and grip the fabric of her tunic. They stayed that way for a moment, and it felt like it lasted forever and that it was over in a second.

"Ani, we have to leave." Qui-Gon said, a few steps ahead of them. Anakin let go of his mother, and his eyes locked with hers. She could see the tears that were threatening to spill over, but she knew that her son would be better off leaving than staying here and remaining a slave until he died. She watched as Anakin ran to meet up with the jedi, and watched as they continued to walk away, their silhouettes becoming smaller and smaller, until she couldn't see them anymore. Once they were gone, a tear slid down her cheek. And then another, and another until she let out a sob that was carried away in the winds of the desert.

Anakin struggled to keep up. Qui-Gon was significantly taller than he was, and although he had asked for him to move slower, he had pretty much kept the same pace that he had before, leaving Anakin to try his best not to slip and trip on the sand and rocks as they ran towards what was possibly the shiniest ship that he had ever seen.

Suddenly, the hair on the back of his neck was standing up, and he felt the overwhelming urge to squat low, lie on the ground, hide, do anything to get out of the way. But there was nothing there.

"Anakin, get down!" Qui-Gon shouted. Anakin dove for the ground, but before he could reach it, a hand had scooped him up by his waist, and was holding him against his will. He kicked and screaming, trying his best to wiggle his way out of the grip of whoever was holding him.

"If you continue to struggle, I will kill you right here and now." A menacing voice whispered in his ear. Anakin stopped moving, his body trembling with fear as he was held still by a gloved hand.

"Release him!" Qui-Gon shouted, igniting his lightsaber. Anakin wanted to be impressed by seeing a lightsaber be used in front of him, but he was too scared to make any sound at all. He heard the person holding him let out a low growl, before igniting his own blade. Anakin winced, and turned away from it, the heat and light were so intense so close, its red hue burning into his eyes. He whimpered, his fear palatable.

"Quiet." His captor hissed. Qui-Gon charged forward, and their blades met. Anakin hoped, and believed in Qui-Gon. No one could kill a jedi, and soon enough he would be free to finally get off of this planet. Anakin was thrown to the side, and rolled down a sand dune, coughing and spitting out the sand he got into his mouth. He looked up and watched as the man in black kicked Qui-Gon down, before running back over to collect Anakin, his eyes murderous. Anakin scrambled up and began to run as fast as his legs would carry him, but the man was faster, and he scooped Anakin up like he weighed nothing. Anakin again, began to scream and kick and cry. He screamed for Qui-Gon who lay there in the sand, his body unmoving. He reached out, hoping that someone, anyone would hear him and help him. He felt something get injected into his neck and fought to stay awake. Tried to yell, but the sound died in his throat. Tried to keep his eyes open, but the sky and the land began to blur together until it was all black.

"I lost the boy." Qui-Gon whispered, his voice hollow. They were back on the ship, heading towards Naboo. In the medical bay at his side was Obi-Wan and standing by the front door was the handmaiden from earlier, who Qui-Gon suspected was the real queen.

"What?" She yelled, horrified. "We have to go back for him!"

Obi-Wan shook his head. "We can't." He replied, dejected. "It's either the boy or your people. We had to make a choice." The handmaiden's shoulder's slumped and she looked at the ground.

"But he was just a boy." She whispered, her voice shaking. In her hands, she played with the small necklace that he had given her. The carvings were simple, but it was the sincerity, the kindness in Anakin's eyes when all he had known was hardship that made Padme want to help him. She gripped onto the pendant, and made a promise to herself, muttering under her breath so that no one could hear.

"And no doubt, was wanted for his potential." Qui-Gon muttered. "I am sure that the man I faced out there was a sith- and they had also found out about this boy's potential."

"So what now, master?" Obi-Wan asked. Qui-Gon sighed.

"For now, we go back to Naboo, and stop the blockade. We will inform the council of what happened, and we will go from there." Qui-Gon paused before continuing to speak.

"If this boy is really the chosen one, and the sith have gotten a hold of him before we did… well the consequences could be incomprehensible."

"What do you mean?" Obi-Wan asked.

"It could mean the end of the order. Of the republic." Qui-Gon replied.

"What have you done with the boy?" Qui-Gon shouted at the sith lord. Obi-Wan was behind a ray shield, but he could still hear his master demanding to know what they had done with the child they had taken. The sith didn't respond, verbally, but barred his teeth at Qui-Gon. He again demanded to know what happened to Anakin, but the sith again gave no response. The ray shields dropped again, and Obi-Wan rushed forward, ready to help aid his master when they turned back on, trapping him. Rendering him helpless as he watched the sith run his blade through his master. Obi-Wan yelled, and the sith lord look at him, a smile spreading across his face, but there was no joy in his eyes. He rushed forward, his rage unbalancing him as he attacked, and attacked. Finally, while he was hanging on for dear life, did he reach out, into the force and center himself again. Calling on his master's saber, he leapt, and swung forward, slicing the nightbrother in half. Obi-Wan rushed over to Qui-Gon and held his master in his arms.

"Obi-Wan." He said between labored breaths. "You must find the boy."

"I will, master, I promise" He replied, his voice shaky.

"You must… find him." Qui-Gon said before his body gave out, and he was limp in Obi-Wan's arms.