"And can you believe that young Padme turned out to be the queen of Naboo? That was certainly a shock to all of us, although I'd had my suspisions about the girl." Qui-Gon said, offering a smile.

Shmi Skywalker listened to every word; she loved hearing the details of her son's adventure and of the republic world she had never seen.

"I still think she's an angel..." Anakin said softly.

"Of course she's an angel... in that demonically disobediant sort of way." Qui-Gon stated with a slight hint of laughter in his voice. He struggled to keep the details of the story happy. He told Shmi about how Naboo was saved from the cruel Trade Federation and how Anakin had shown off his wonderful piloting abilities. She was amazed, naturally, but she still wanted to know the details of Anakin's fate.

"Annie, I saved some scrap metal for your droid. Perhaps you should use this little bit of free time to work on him, hm?" Shmi suggested softly.

Anakin's young eyes seemed to sparkle with delight. He was glad to be able to work on his protocal droid again. He nodded to his mother and quickly darted into his room to resume his work.

An awkward silence remained between Shmi and Qui-Gon for awhile. Each knew of the subject that had to be brought up, but neither were truly ready to discuss the details. Still, being a mother with concerns for her beloved son, Shmi softly asked, "What is to become of Annie? Is he to become a jedi knight?"

"I took Anakin before the council to discuss his training. They confirmed that Anakin is certainly a special boy with a great connection to the Force, but they denied me the formal right to train him partly because I already had a padawan and partly because too much fear dwelled in his heart." Qui-Gon stated.

"You already had a padawan? I don't think I understand..." she said softly.

"A padawan is the proper term we give to those whom we train. I was training a boy by the name of Obi-Wan Kenobi." he paused after mentioning that name as though his heart had missed a beat. He sighed then resumed his explaination. "I had been training him since he was very young. There wasn't much more he could learn from me. The council must decide who is ready to face the trials of becomming a jedi knight, and they had yet to make that decision. However, it was quite clear that Obi-Wan had learned all that he could from me. Perhaps they over-looked that just to spite me and make things all the more difficult and complicated."

"What did you do then?" she asked.

"Well, Obi-Wan and I faced a vicious Sith lord. A Sith is like a jedi, trained in the Force and in the jedi customs, yet the Sith do not follow our rules. A jedi follows a code of honor, whereas a Sith dwells on hatred. The Sith had been gone for some time, but somehow, we were attacked by one. Throughout the course of battle, Obi-Wan and I were seperated by the security curtains. Knowing that I had other missions to accomplish, I awaited the perfect moment and acted as though the Sith had given me a mortal wound. Obi-Wan believed the facade and avenged my supposed death by defeating the Sith. In defeating the Sith, he faced the necessary trials to become a jedi knight, although he probably does not know that. So, I told him not to train Anakin, but instead, to become a great jedi knight. I then told him to leave me because I would be taken by the Force and needed time to myself. He nodded and left, never questioning me at all." he continued. Again he stopped and closed his eyes. Retelling the story made the memories hurt even more. "Once he was gone, I found Anakin and told him we would be going to see you. This is the best place for me to train him because it is outside of the republic, away from the council, away from any other Sith encounters, and-"

"Away from Obi-Wan." she stated softly, then caught his gaze of surprise, "You needed to be away from Obi-Wan because you feel as though you betrayed him."

"Feel as though I betrayed him? I don't feel as though I betrayed him, for I -know- I've betrayed him. His eyes always held this innocent gaze, a trusting innocence, and that was stolen from him. The pain in his eyes... the pain I caused to dwell in his eyes. I always taught Obi-Wan that a jedi should strive to make all life forms happy and at peace, but look at what I've done to him! Guilt dwells in my soul, but I know this was the only way. Less pain comes to him by my death than in the truth of my betrayal." he said.

"This happened because of Annie. Perhaps.. perhaps he shouldn't be trained. You should return to Obi-Wan." Shmi said in a near whisper.

"No, Anakin is the chosen one to bring balance to the Force. That is a fact I can not ignore. If I don't train him, no one will, and balance shall never come. Sacrifices had to be made. Obi-Wan is strong and will move on in time." Qui-Gon said firmly.

But pain lingered in his soul. He knew Obi-Wan would be able to move on, but Qui-Gon himself would never let go. Memories still danced tauntingly in his weary mind; memories of a boy he loved so much he betrayed.