Qui-Gon opened the door and walked into the captain's quarters, where Anakin sat on his bed, waiting in anticipation.
Anakin looked at Gabby, his eyes going wide when he caught a glance at her face.
Gabby looked at Anakin curiously. Anakin got up from his bed and knelt down to her level to get a better look at her. Her hair was dark and silky as dark chocolate, her eyes green as emeralds. Just like his baby girl had.
"What's your name, little one?" Anakin asked.
"Gabriella. But most call me Gabby." Gabby answered.
"How old are you?"
"I'm four."
Qui-Gon looked at his son and told him about how Boba was the one to find her and Carousella after they apparently washed up on the shore right near the old Dolph-Inn on Kamino... the very planet on which the storm that took many sailors' lives, and where Anakin's daughter had been lost. And the date that Boba found her. It all seemed to add up.
"Did you... did you have a gold locket when you were found? One shaped like a heart?"
Gabby pulled out the necklace from underneath her shirt. "It's how Boba knew my name when he found me."
Anakin took a moment to let it seep in. He caressed the child's face and looked into her eyes.
He never thought he'd see his daughter again. And here, right in front of him...
"Princess." he gasped. "Is it really you?"
Gabby suddenly felt it all coming together in her head. That voice she remembered hearing every time Carousella sang her that song she knew.
Gabby: When you wish upon a star,
Makes no difference who you are...
Anakin recognized that song. It was his lullaby for his baby girl, solely chosen as he'd wished upon a star that he and his wife would have a little angel of their own. A little angel who would love adventure as much as they did and would love to explore the world as much as they would love their baby.
Anakin: Anything your heart desires will come to you.
"Daddy?" Gabby gasped.
Anakin answered by pulling Gabby into a tight hug. It was such a happy moment for him. He gave his long-lost child lots of kisses.
"I thought I'd lost you forever." Anakin cried, tears falling by the second.
"I..." Gabby said, tears also coming to her eyes. "I thought you were..."
"I thought you might've been too."
Anakin once again cuddled his daughter and didn't want to put her down.
Gabby looked over her father's shoulder at Qui-Gon, knowing very well now he was her grandfather. Somehow, she had a pretty good feeling around him, and now she knew why, especially when he joined Anakin in hugging her.
While Gabby and Carousella were catching up with their parents, Obi-Wan brought Boba downstairs to the galley, where there was someone cooking.
"Hondo, your new assistant is here." Obi-Wan said.
"Ah, a child!" said Hondo. "They'll let anyone on a ship these days."
"My name is Boba." said the boy, getting a little closer. "Boba Fett."
"Hondo Onaka." the weequay tightly took the child's hand and shook it, but made the boy fall down.
Hondo laughed. "Stand up, boy. In my galley, one must learn to stand on one's feet."
Boba blew his hair out from his eyes and picked himself up.
"Kenobi, I thought you said there were three cabin children." Hondo said.
"There are." Obi-Wan said. "The two girls are on the upper deck getting acquainted with their fathers. Long story. Just be ready when we set sail."
As the oldest human left the galley, Boba got acquainted with Hondo.
"Hungry, boy?" said Hondo. "In my galley you're always welcome to help yourself."
Just then, Gabby came down.
"Boba! This ship is so cool!" Gabby said. "Daddy showed me the captain's quarters and what parts set the sails."
"Oh, who is this cute little lady?" Hondo said.
"I'm Gabriella Jinn." Gabby said. "Captain Jinn's granddaughter. Hey, are those apple tarts?"
"Help yourself, little lady."
"Yay! Thank you."
Gabby got right to munching some tarts.
"Aye, she's got a healthy appetite, hasn't she?"
"That's my sister." Boba said after recovering from his initial shock hearing that the captain was her grandfather. "Well, adoptive. We grew up together."
Suddenly, Gabby screamed as she found an ugly rat creature.
"There's a rat in here!" Gabby said, running to Boba. "An actual rat, not bilge rat pirates!"
The rat scurried over to Hondo.
Hondo chuckled and said, "I see you've met my Kowakian monkey-lizard, Pikk Mukmuk."
The ugly creature crawled up and rode on Hondo's shoulder.
"But I thought sailors had talking parrots as pets." Boba said.
"Ha! What imaginations, you two. First pirates, then talking parrots. Next, I suppose you'll tell me stories about owls delivering acceptance letters to a school for young witches and wizards."
This guy is strange. Gabby thought
Hondo removed his apron to clean it off, and that was when the kids noticed he was wearing red.
The Weequay in red. The very thing Dooku said to watch out for before he died.
"Come, children. I'll give you a cook's tour of this fine vessel." Hondo said.
"All hands on deck!" Obi-Wan called.
Obi-Wan gave orders for the gang plank to be raised. And Anakin called over his daughter as a rope was brought up. One end was tied around his waist, and the other was tied to a life preserver placed around Gabby's.
"What's this for?" Gabby asked.
"Just a safety precaution, little one." Anakin said, patting his daughter's head.
"What if one of you needs to go to the bathroom?" Boba pointed out.
"We'll worry about that later."
Gabby looked at Hondo down below.
"Big Brother," she whispered to Boba. "He's a weeuqay in red. And I know because I'm not colorblind. Remember what Captain Dooku said."
"Oh, Gabby. Lots of people wear red." Boba said. "I mean, Hondo's only a cook. How dangerous could he be?"
"Obi-Wan." Anakin called. "Let the crew know to set the sails."
"Set the sails!" Obi-Wan called.
And Carmine and some other crew members got to setting the sails.
And off they were, sailing for adventure.
A little later, Anakin summoned Boba to him.
"Anakin Jinn." Anakin introduced, offering his hand to Boba.
"Boba Fett." the boy said, shaking the captain's hand.
"I understand you're the one who found and rescued my daughter."
"And mine." Armorous said, approaching with Carousella, whom he licked once more.
"Well, I really just found them as they washed up on the beach." Boba shrugged. "I wasn't going to leave a baby all alone like that. Human or pony."
"Gabby's told me you've been a good big brother to her all these years." said Anakin. "My wife and I began to lose hope that we would ever see our baby again. And because of you, she's finally back with her family."
Boba was pretty modest about what he did.
"What I'm really trying to say is." Anakin hugged Boba tightly, to the boy's surprise. "Thank you. Thank you so much for finding and taking care of my daughter."
"Our entire family owes yours a great deal of thanks." said Qui-Gon. "And we shall see to it you are greatly rewarded after the voyage."
Suddenly, there was a scream. As Young Lamenta came across Bane putting together his weapon.
"Daddy!" Lamenta screamed, running into the arms of a man who looked just like Anakin, but with longer hair and glasses.
Anakin didn't like the look of all this. He called for an emergency meeting in his cabin.
"Gabby, meet your Uncle Carmine, your Aunt Caroline, and your cousin Lamenta." Anakin introduced as his brother and his family caught their first glimpse at Gabby for the first time in years.
Though, to be fair, it was Lamenta's first glance ever, as Caroline had been eight months pregnant at the time Gabby was lost.
"It's a miracle." Carmine smiled. "Padme's gonna be so happy when she hears of this."
"I can't believe I really have a cousin." Lamenta smiled, hugging her cousin.
Anakin hated to end the family reunion, but there was a pressing matter to attend to for the good of the family.
"Who hired this crew?!" Anakin said angrily. "This has to be the biggest gathering of cutthroats, villains, and scoundrels I have ever seen, so who hired them?!"
As Anakin shouted more angry words, Qui-Gon covered Gabby's ears, and Carmine covered Lamenta's.
Thankfully, Anakin stopped to breathe.
"Um... well..." said Carmine.
Just then a certain Gungan tripped into the room.
"Sorry mesa bein' late!" said Jar Jar.
"He hired the crew." Caroline said.
Apparently, the rest of the family felt bad Jar Jar didn't have a job on the ship. He was an old friend of Padme's, so Anakin didn't have the heart to leave him out, considering it took a lot to convince Padme to stay back home with her family. And, it seemed Jar Jar made the decision of following advice from their "excellent cook Hondo Onaka."
Anakin held his head in his hand.
"I'm starting to worry about this voyage." sighed Anakin. "Okay... everyone, listen up. In light of this current... situation, we're gonna need to set an example for this questionable crew. So, the rules are simple. No drinking, no roughhousing, and all children are to remain under adult supervision at all times. Is that clear?"
"Yes, Captain." the others said.
"Daddy? If they're bad people, are you gonna make them walk the plank?" Gabby asked.
Anakin stifled a laugh and said, "We're voyagers, not pirates."
"Armorous, I'll need you to supervise Boba while he acts as Hondo's cooking assistant. And Gabby, seeing as this thing with the rope is uncomfortable, as I've quickly come to realize, if there does come an event where I have to step away, I'm going to have you in your grandfather or Obi-Wan's custody."
"Okay, Daddy." Gabby said.
Anakin later brought his daughter back to his quarters, where he set up a nice comfy pillow on the bed so Gabby would have a safe place to sleep beside him.
And while Anakin was doing that, Gabby told him more about how Zam raised her.
"Zam even made the day I was found my birthday since she didn't know my real one." Gabby said.
"Sounds like they really made sure you wouldn't be without a surname or a birthday."
Anakin looked into his sea chest and pulled out a pink box. He looked inside and found some special items inside. The box was filled with baby things. A rattle, baby booties, a blanket, and a plush bear with a pink ribbon. There were also a few photos inside, including his wedding picture and the day little Gabby was born.
Gabby, on the other hand, looked curiously at a framed photo that sat on her father's night table.
It was a picture of a beautiful woman with brown hair like her, brown eyes, and she had a beautiful smile.
"Who's this lady, Daddy?" Gabby asked.
Anakin looked at the picture his daughter was referring to. He sighed sadly as he took Gabby into his lap and picked up the picture.
"That's your mother." He told her.
"My mommy?" Gabby gasped.
"Yeah. She was the most beautiful treasure I ever came across on all my travels." Anakin said. "My Padme."
"Where is she?"
Anakin looked down sadly.
"I nearly lost her the day I lost you." Anakin said. "After your basket fell overboard, she and Carousella both jumped overboard and tried to rescue you. It was either the bravest or most foolish thing they'd ever done. I looked and looked for you, but you were gone. Your mother was saved, but I couldn't bear to see how upset she was when I told her I couldn't find you. It was the most devastating day of our entire life."
Anakin held his daughter closer.
"I cried myself to sleep for many nights and didn't go sailing again for a long time because I was terrified of losing anyone else. And I felt I'd never see you again. And when your grandfather forced me to come on this voyage, I got your mother to stay behind with her side of the family because I didn't want to risk losing her the way I lost you. Finding you again was a miracle."
Gabby leaned into her father's chest and hugged him.
"We may be looking for the loot of a thousand worlds, but I already got the treasure I need right here." Anakin said, nuzzling his daughter's nose and giving her lots of kisses.
Meanwhile, Boba got to work helping Hondo in the kitchen.
Boba mostly was in charge of peeling, cleaning, and washing and drying dishes.
"Be sure to peel enough, boy." Hondo said. "We've got hungry animals on this voyage, and I don't mean the horses."
"I'm peeling. I'm peeling." Boba said.
Boba got to peeling and started to wonder a lot of things. He already knew his father for sure was dead because his body was found in the shipwreck and confirmed dead by survivors.
Carousella's father survived and was now reunited with his filly. And Boba's adopted sister was lucky enough to survive her encounter with the ocean thanks to Carousella swimming and making sure the baby's basket remained afloat, and that the baby inside didn't fall out as she got her to shore. And her father managed to survive his shipwreck. And her mother, her grandfather, and her aunt and uncle.
But, Boba thought about when Gabby pointed out Hondo was wearing red, and he was a Weequay too.
"You know, some of these crew members remind me of these perps back home." said Boba. "On Kamino. You ever been there?"
"Hmm..." Hondo seemed to think. "Cannot say I have. I am not a very good swimmer."
"Come to think of it... I met this old guy who was looking for some buddy of his. He called him... The Weequay in Red." Boba added a little drama to those last three words. "What was his name? Oh yeah! Dooku. Captain Dooku."
"Mmm... doesn't ring any bells." said Hondo.
But in his mind, Hondo was thinking as he looked at his pet monkey-lizard.
I will have to keep an eye on this child. We wouldn't want him getting his nose into business he shouldn't be.