Authors Note: I started writing Ashes several years ago when I was in high school and it can currently still be found on my profile in its original iteration as Heritage. Although it is still incomplete, I began editing/re-writing it a few years ago. I had not planned on posting again until it was complete, but I'm hoping that reposting will serve as motivation to finally finish this decade-long endeavor. If you read Heritage, you will still recognize parts of the story, but I have changed quite a bit, especially later chapters. I am also publishing this story on my AO3 account, penname ElentariR.
There are other stories with a similar premise. However, the idea had been floating in my head before I had read those stories. Any similarities to other stories with this premise are unintended.
I own nothing.
Book One
Prologue
A young girl pressed herself further into the stone outcropping. She crouched low, making herself as small as possible in the darkness. The sand and rocks, still hot from the Tatooine suns, scalded her skin, but she remained utterly still. Jabba's henchmen were rapidly closing in on their quarry. Holding her breath, she watched shadowy figures rush by.
The eleven year-old slowly exhaled when the dust settled behind her pursuers. She counted a full minute and a half before anxiously creeping out from her hiding place. Adrina carefully picked her way over rocks and through sand, inhaling sharply when she stumbled. The night was unusually dark, making traversing the desert even more treacherous. She had emerged from the Dune Sea relatively unharmed, but she still had a distance to travel.
Adrina's breath came in short spurts. She had finished the last of her water hours ago. She knew she hadn't hoarded enough, but when the opportunity for escape came earlier than expected, she hadn't hesitated to take it. After two days on the run, every muscle in Adrina's body ached. Her left arm was particularly sore where her implant had once been, but she had closed the wound. What was one more scar amongst the rest? At least this one had been of her own choosing.
With only the stars to guide her, Adrina hoped she was close to her goal. She only needed to make it to the town. She had to be close. If she could only make it there, everything would be alright. Her head pounded with every step she took, her body burned, and her vision began to blur, but she trudged onwards. She was grateful for the breeze that cooled her sweat soaked body and scattered her jagged footprints.
After what felt like an eternity, Adrina could just make out lights in the distance. Relief flooded her body. Mustering what little energy remained, Adrina slowly began to run. Behind her, Adrina could hear more of Jabba's goons. Adrina's feet pounded across the shifting sand, agonized tears streaming down her face.
Adrina ran straight into the town, screaming when a hard body tackled her to the ground. Wriggling and squirming with what little remained of her strength, Adrina fought to break free. She threw sand in his eyes and dashed away. Her eyes desperately searched the buildings in the darkness. There! High in the corner of a cantina, concealed in the business' logo, was a security camera. Adrina waved her arms high over her head, jumping and smiling broadly in the camera. She laughed with relief. She made it.
Then her world went black.
.
Chapter One
.
"Zanki," Adrina bowed her head as she thanked the departing customer. Zythe struggled to keep his droids in working order, causing him to be a regular patron of Watto's Shop. Adrina waited until the Bith had left the shop before returning to Watto's courtyard. Between the nasty sandstorm that had struck two days prior and the shipment of scavenged parts Watto had purchased the day before, the area was in desperate need to cleaning and organizing.
"How are those fan switches coming?" Adrina smiled and ruffled her younger brother's sandy hair as she walked by him.
Anakin scowled and hurriedly fixed his hair. "I wish the scavengers would clean this junk before they sold it," he grumbled.
Adrina huffed out a laugh under her breath. Sand spilled out of the X-series repulser engine when she picked it up. She shook it gently to dislodge what sand she could. "I wish we didn't have so many sandstorms." It was a common sentiment on Tatooine, especially in recent months; the sandstorms had been particularly harsh that year.
Watto's voice, brusquely greeting new customers, drifted out of the front shop.
"He'll be wanting you," Adrina said quietly, nodding towards the shop with her head. "He'll want me out here moving parts." Watto usually called Anakin in to watch the store while Watto made a sale; the boy was too small for the heavy lifting that needed to be done before cleaning began in earnest.
"I'll never get these cleaned," Anakin groaned. The grimy rag hadn't hit the sand before Watto hollered for Anakin, who promptly dashed inside.
Adrina listened with disinterest to Watto's exchange with the customer as they slowly walked through the courtyard. The human needed a hyperdrive for a J-type 327 Nubian – an unexpected request from such a humbly dressed man. She frowned, studying him as she reorganized a haphazard junk heap. His hands and face had seen some toil, but his hair was clean and his attire was new. He carried himself with confidence. A moisture farmer had no need for expensive Nubians, starships renowned for speed with luxury. A smuggler, perhaps, could have use for a Nubian, although a smuggler with a Nubian would likely be a flamboyant cad, not some drab man. Adrina's gut whispered that he wasn't a smuggler, that he was hiding for some other reason altogether.
Ah, but the customer was from the Republic. Adrina snorted, shaking her head. Republic credits were as useless on Tatooine as a fishnet umbrella in a rainstorm. She remembered being outside in a rainstorm once, on her home world, but that was a long time ago. She shoved the memory aside.
"Ootmians," Watto spat after the unhappy customer disappeared. "They think they know everything." Adrina had to agree. "Eh, you, go pick up the cooling unit from Tiber and tell him he still owes me from the last podrace."
"He'll say the salvaged cooling unit is heavily discounted and should count as payment." Adrina wiped her hands on her rough-spun woolen pants and stepped away from the heap. She glanced up at the sky apprehensively. A storm was on the way. "But I'll remind him of your agreement."
Watto waved her away, muttering descriptive obscenities about the duplicitous Chiss scavenger. She silently echoed the sentiments, but kept her eyes lowered. It wasn't a slave's place to make such comments aloud.
Adrina hurried through the streets, slipping through the crowd of people already scurrying for shelter. Tiber scavenged all over Tatooine. He never stayed in one port for long, for which Adrina was grateful. Tiber could never keep his hands to himself. No manner of verbal rebuff seemed to make a some worlds, she would be permitted to kill him for behaving dishonorably – but not on Tatooine, not as Watto's slave; Watto only cared if he received quality product cheaply, not if his slave was assaulted in the process. She was powerless to defend herself
In the end, Adrina walked away with the unit, but not before Tiber ran his hand appreciatively over the curve of her hip and backside. The wind whipped against her hard, sand biting at exposed flesh.
Anakin had already been sent home by the time Adrina returned to the shop. She knew that she wouldn't be able to make it home before the worst of the storm came. The streets were already treacherous. Adrina exhaled long and slow. She would just have to wait it out in the shop and pray Anakin made it home safely. There was nothing she could do for him.
0
The storm lasted much of the evening. Adrina awoke the next morning, very uncomfortable and acutely aware that she hadn't eaten since yesterday's lunch. She had slept under the counter, her arms serving as her pillow. Adrina grimaced, sitting up stiffly and rubbing the back of her neck. The shop was still empty, though Watto was sure to be coming down from his roost any moment.
Slipping off the counter, Adrina dragged herself into the courtyard piled with so-called junk to inspect the damage. It seemed that Watto and the ordinarily useless droids had managed to secure tarps tightly over the mounds of merchandise, solittle damage had been sustained, unlike the results of the previous storm. She sighed as she began the tedious process of folding and storing the tarps.
There was a gnawing feeling in the pit of her stomach. She hated that feeling. The last time she had it, two years ago, a desperate human had attempted to rob the shop. Then fifteen years old, she had surprised them both when she threw a hydrospanner at the aspiring burglar and hit him squarely between the eyes. He had dropped his blaster, turned tail, and ran.
Adrina straightened when Watto flew into the store. "Not much damage, sir," Adrina reported. "Things were pretty secure." Watto nodded.
"Good, good," Watto muttered in Huttese. "Start cleaning up."
She nodded obediently and quietly began her work in the courtyard. She worked harder and faster than was normal in an attempt to ignore her rumbling stomach. An animated discussion broke her focus. Rising, Adrina dusted her pants off and stepped inside the building. She blinked. The Republic man was back, this time accompanied by an equally puzzling young woman.
Watto fluttered over to them, laughing, leaving Anakin by the counter. Adrina picked up the part nearest her – she didn't care to see what it was – and began to polishing. The man appeared just as he had the day before, so she focused her attention on the young woman, her delicacy wildly out of place in the roughness of Tatooine. The woman possessed the hands of a woman who had never performed hard manual labor – smooth and clean. Her hairstyle was beautifully elaborate – all intricately plaited and free falling – and hardly suitable for Tatooine, much less hard work. Her clothing was that of a humble moisture farmer, like her companion's, but were far too pristine and clean.
Adrina told herself she wasn't jealous of the young woman's delicate porcelain skin or clean clothing, but distrust made it easier to ignore the feeling.
"The boy tells me you wanta sponsor him insa race." Watto's sneer grabbed Adrina's attention. "You can't afford parts. How can you do this? Not on Republic credits, I think." Watto laughed at his own words.
Adrina's heart plummeted at the thought of her baby brother racing in the Boonta Eve. Unease and indignation roiled inside her. Her eyes darted to Anakin, but he was carefully avoiding her gaze. Turning to the Republic man, she desperately searched for signs of deception or joke, but found none. The man was serious. Adrina's jaw tightened. Anakin had clearly spoken to the man about this, too. He wouldn't avoid her gaze if he was innocent.
"My ship will be the entry fee." The man pulled a small object out of his belt and a hologram of a Nubian floated above it. It was a handsome ship – certainly worth a small fortune. Even Watto agreed that it was a good ship. "It's in good order, except for the parts we need."
Watto frowned. "But what will the boy ride?" Watto pressed shrewdly. "He smashed up my Pod in the last race. It will take some time to fix it."
Indignation flared in the Skywalker siblings. "It wasn't my fault, really!" Anakin insisted. "Sebulba flashed me with his vents."
"And he saved the pod," Adrina added. She loathed the thought of her brother racing, but she wouldn't let his reputation be demeaned without a fight. The man's gaze swiveled to her, as if he hadn't noticed her before she spoke. Adrina averted her eyes.
Anakin shifted uncomfortably. "Most of it, anyway."
Watto had to admit the truth of it.
The man pressed his advantage. "I have acquired a Pod in a game of chance – the fastest ever built."
Adrina's eyes flicked to Anakin. That sounded suspiciously like something Anakin had declared a few days ago. Had Anakin been speaking to this ootmian?
"I hope you didn't kill anyone I know for it." Watto laughed. "So, you supply the Pod and entry fee; I supply the boy. We split the winnings fifty-fifty, I think." Adrina frowned. It was hardly a fair deal, and the man agreed with her.
"Fifty-fifty?" The man repeated dubiously. "If it's going to be fifty-fifty, I suggest you front the cash for the entry. If we win, you keep all the winnings, minus the cost of the parts I need... If we lose, you keep my ship."
Watto debated about this. It was a risky gamble on the man's part, especially considering Anakin had never won a race before. Statistically, the odds were solidly in Watto's favor.
"Either way, you win," the man said.
"Deal!" Watto announced. The man looked pleased. Watto turned to Anakin. "Yo bana pee ho-tah, meedee ya." Anakin was indignant at that comment, but he didn't say anything. Watto, laughing, flew out into the courtyard.
"Anakin!" Adrina rushed over to her brother, pulling him further away from the customers. "What is going on? I'm away for one day and you decide to race in the Boonta? Mom will never let you!"
Anakin beamed. "But Mom's already agreed!"
Adrina's mouth hung open, shell-shocked and horrified. "Mom's agreed?"
"Yep!"
"Don't sound so smug, Ani! This is serious! You could be killed in the Boonta! That last race nearly..."
"Young Anakin has been gracious enough to offer up his services to help us."
Adrina whirled around to face the man who had spoken, placing herself between the strangers and her brother. Her expression was stony, but her eyes flashed fire. She kept one hand on Anakin's shoulder, the other clenched tightly at her side.
The man's young companion stepped forward. "We would not ask Anakin if there was another way," She said. The man nodded his agreement.
"They need my help, Rina." Anakin told her softly. "If I win, they can fix their ship and fly far away. They're stuck here right now." Adrina said nothing. "You know what Mom always says, Rina, that no one ever helps anyone else. I can help them."
Adrina shook her head slowly. She stared at the man long and hard. Angry words pressed against her teeth, begging to lash out. She painfully swallowed them and lowered her eyes. They had to be desperate – or heartless – to ask a child to risk his life for a hyperdrive and every fiber of her being screamed at her to unleash her fear and anger on the cruel strangers, but the threat of punishment should the customers report her insolence stayed her tongue.
Painful silence stretched between them.
"My name is Qui-Gon Jinn," the man said. He gestured to his right, "And this is Padmé."
Adrina regarded them carefully, completely disinclined to return the courtesy.
"This is my sister, Adrina," Anakin supplied helpfully. "She doesn't like me pod racing either. She says it's too dangerous."
Qui-Gon Jinn gave a little smile. "Your sister cares about you a great deal. It is an admirable quality. You are a fortunate young man."
Adrina's eyes narrowed. Watto hollered at her from the courtyard, followed by a string of obscene words. Grabbing Ani by the wrist, Adrina squared her shoulders and marched away, throwing one last wary glance over her shoulder as she left with her brother safely in tow.
No, she didn't trust that man one bit.
0
The mechanical hiss of the Skywalker's front door masked the angry groan of Adrina's stomach. All hunger was forgotten, however, when she looked up to find Qui-Gon Jinn and Padmé standing in the kitchen doorway with a strange lanky alien. Adrina pushed Anakin behind her, eying them coolly. Nothing seemed amiss, except the fact that two strangers were in her home and her adopted mother was nowhere to be seen.
Adrina was just about to drag Anakin back outside when Shmi Skywalker popped her head around the corner, dish rag in hand. A smile blossomed on the older woman's face when she caught sight of her two children. "Welcome home, you two," Shmi greeted warmly. She stepped forward and embraced Adrina. "I was so worried about you, Rina. I didn't know if you had been able to take shelter."
"I'm alright," Adrina assured stiffly. "I made it back to the shop before the storm got really bad." Shmi smiled with relief. Adrina's gaze flicked once again to Qui-Gon and Padmé and then back to Shmi.
"They are our guests here, until their ship is repaired," Shmi explained softly. "Qui-Gon is a Jedi Master, Rina. It's alright." Adrina continued to watch the two, nearly protesting when Anakin took Padmé by the hand and led her back to his room. Shmi gently placed a hand on her daughter's arm. Adrina's brown eyes narrowed, catching sight of Qui-Gon's lightsaber.
Adrina had heard tales of the Jedi since she was born – tales of interference, death, and destruction. Her father and people held no great love for the Jedi, but the pilots and smugglers brought tales of great deeds. Half of them were probably completely fabricated and the other half were probably mostly fabricated, but somewhere there was bound to be a grain of truth. The Jedi were said to be great warriors, wise and noble, that brought peace and order. The lightsaber was the Jedi hallmark, a formidable weapon of justice wielded only by the worthy. But Adrina knew the truth – it was just a weapon like any other, capable of protecting or destroying at its wielder's will, and the Jedi were just people. She didn't believe in the mystical Force any more than she believed there were actually people out there doing good things with no strings attached.
But it didn't matter who Qui-Gon was – Adrina didn't trust him. Even supposedly honorable organizations had bad members.
"Come," Shmi beckoned them towards the table. "You are just in time for dinner." Shmi looked around and sighed. Adrina smiled slightly and shook her head.
"I'll get Ani," Adrina called over her shoulder, already on her way down the short hallway. She stuck her head into her brother's room. Adrina bit back a laugh. Despite her distrust of the strangers, Padmé's lost expression as Anakin gave a detailed diatribe about his latest project was amusing. Adrina rapped lightly on the doorframe. "Dinner time."
Anakin's shoulders drooped. He pouted, "But I'm showing Padmé all of my projects."
"And they'll still be here after dinner, I promise."
Anakin looked at Padmé for assistance, but she only gave him an apologetic smile. "Alright, alright. We're coming." He sighed. He brightened. "Oh, Rina, I forgot to show you this!" Adrina arched an eyebrow. Anakin bounced off his bed and began fidgeting with C-3P0.
Padmé rose and stood next to Adrina. "He's a special little boy," Padmé whispered. Adrina stiffened, but managed a small smile and nod.
Anakin motioned Adrina closer to his work bench. "You got some of 3P0's covering!" Adrina grinned at Anakin and pulled him in for a one-armed hug. "That's wonderful!" She knew Anakin was working hard to complete the protocol droid.
"Here," Anakin handed his sister part of the gray metal arm covering. "Be careful, that edge is..." Anakin trailed off with a wince. Adrina had already cut her finger on the sharp edge. She inhaled sharply, pressing the injured and bleeding forefinger on her left hand into her thigh and quickly setting the metal down. "Sharp." Anakin finished lamely.
Padmé rushed forward. "Are you alright?" Padmé asked, brow furrowed. Adrina managed to nod, still holding her finger tight against her thigh. Pink tinged her cheeks, embarrassed that she would make such a stupid mistake, and in front of a stranger, no less; she knew better.
"Fine," Adrina muttered. She smiled down at her brother. "That's really cool, Ani. You just might want to keep it on 3P0." Ani nodded, biting his lower lip.
"I'm really sorry, Rina," Ani apologized earnestly.
Adrina smiled and pulled him in for a hug. "It's my fault. It's okay."
The three made their way out of Ani's room and to the dinner table. Adrina found herself sandwiched between Padmé and Qui-Gon. Doubtless it was her mother's way of trying to coax Adrina into liking them – futile efforts.
Adrina's finger throbbed, even several minutes later. To her dismay she had found that the metal had sliced through quite a few layers of skin. She had suffered worse, certainly, but it was still a nasty cut. Adrina held her finger in her lap, wrapping her right hand around the offending finger. She closed her eyes, earnestly wishing the pain would cease. A pale blue glow illuminated her lap. Adrina suppressed a sigh of relief when the pain – and cut – disappeared.
Adrina did not notice Qui-Gon's probing glance or the knowing look that creeped into his eyes.
0
After the meal, when Adrina began her chores, Jar Jar Binks seemed to take it upon himself to assist. Adrina had met people from almost every planet in the galaxy, but none had been as strange as Jar Jar Binks. For all that he was good natured, he was clumsy and dim-witted – and forever in the way. Still, at least there was no pretense about him. He was exactly what he seemed: a bumbling ootmian.
Despite not wanting the foreigner's dubious help, she couldn't let the opportunity pass through her fingertips. She looked up at Jar Jar with a smile as they cleared the table, "How did you come to meet Master Jinn?"
"He saved miya life!" Jar Jar exclaimed, eyes bugging and arms spreading wide. Adrina winced; he nearly smacked Shmi in the face in his blind enthusiasm. Shmi merely shook her head with an indulgent smile and continued on her way.
"Oh? He did?"
"Mhm!"
Words, at first confusing, tumbled out of Jar Jar's mouth and he gesticulated wildly. Adrina could only stand rooted as Jar Jar's grand tale became more clear. Exile, droid armies, life debts, fugitive queens, space battles – it was all so fantastical! Jar Jar concluded his epic with a fatigued flop into the nearest chair. Adrina's gut told her that although it was fantastical, Jar Jar had spoken no lie.
"We would not ask Anakin if there was another way." Padmé's words echoed in Adrina's ears. Guilt reluctantly pricked at her. Adrina understood better than most the decisions desperate people were willing to make – decisions they would ordinarily abhor. And if what this Jar-Jar creature said was true, their guests were indeed very, very desperate. It did not excuse them – not by far – but perhaps despite their willingness to endanger Anakin, Qui-Gon Jinn and Padmé weren't wholly evil.
But she still did not like them and she still despised their or not, it was inexcusable. Anakin was a child.
Adrina's thoughts dwelled on their guests as she continued cleaning around the hovel.
"The Force is unusually strong with him. That much is clear." Qui-Gon Jinn's soft voice made Adrina stop in her tracks. She pressed herself into the wall and strained to listen. "Who was his father?"
"There was no father." Shmi said. "I carried him; I gave him birth." Shmi paused. "I can't explain what happened. Can you help him?"
Adrina frowned, waiting for Qui-Gon's answer.
"I'm afraid not," Qui-Gon said after an uncomfortable pause. Adrina hung her head. "Had he been born in the Republic, we would have identified him early and he would have become Jedi, no doubt. But it's too late for him now; he's too old."
Adrina rushed away, fighting off swelling conflicting emotions. She harbored no trust for Qui-Gon Jinn and she held strong reservations against the Jedi, but even a life among the Jedi was preferable to the life of a slave. Knowing that her precious, innocent brother could have had a chance at a wonderful and meaningful life away from Tatooine plunged a dagger straight into Adrina's heart. Knowing that there was nothing to be done about it now twisted the dagger deeper. She desperately wished there was something Qui-Gon Jinn – or anyone – could do. Whatever their faults and her own misgivings, the Jedi could offer dear Ani a better life than what awaited him on Tatooine. Ani was special. He deserved a fair chance in the world.
"Adrina?" Shmi called from the doorway. Adrina turned around, hoping her tears weren't visible. "He's going to test the pod now."
Adrina shared her mother's agonized look. "I'm coming," Adrina whispered.
Together, they stood on the balcony overlooking the pod. A few long moments later, the pod racer roared to life. Adrina clutched her mother's hand, fighting back tears and blocking out the triumphant cheers erupting from the courtyard below.