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Place: The Home of Shmi Skywalker The sandstorm was hitting hard as our group stepped inside the home Ani shared with his mother. His mother Shmi was standing in the kitchen fixing a meal when we burst in scattering sand across the packed dirt floor. She looked up in surprise as we stood in front of her, most likely an unusual sight. "These are my friends, Mom." Anakin explained as his mother scanned us in bewilderment. Recognition crossed her face as she saw me, but otherwise, she was obviously unsure of who we were and why we were here. Qui-Gon then approached Shmi and began to speak to her gently, obviously giving her an explanation as to why we had invaded her home. Anakin then began to speak hurriedly to Padme and I. "I'm building a droid. Wanna see? And after the storm, I'll show you my Podracer! Come on!" Anakin persisted as he tugged on Padme's hand insistantly. I glanced at Qui-Gon longingly, remembering the rules of a slave, knowing that I must do my master's bidding. But Qui-Gon instead gave me permission to join the others by nodding his head towards me as he continued in conversation with Shmi.

I grinned, nodded my thanks and ran after Anakin and Padme. We walked into Anakin's room, the largest room in the house, covered in mechanical parts and inventions. I was very proud of my friend's abilities and wasn't afraid to show it. His genius was obvious with the sights of these many mechanical creations, many finished and unfinished."Isn't he great?" Anakin questioned us as he pulled a blanket off of a half-finished protocol droid with a flourish. He waited for an approving smile from Padme before continuing. "He's a protocol droid to help Mom. Watch!" Then he pressed the droid's activation button.

The droid sat up and exclaimed, "Oh my! Where is everybody?" I looked at the droid closely, then motioned to Anakin. He gave a small yelp of realization and picked up the droid's other eye, which was lying on the table. After the eye had been placed in the socket, the droid promptly stood up. "Hello. I am C-3PO. Human cyborg relations. How might I serve you?" I smiled and gave a small round of applause. "He's great Anakin! And to think that he was just a pile of bolts when I last saw him!" I said happily. The droid started at that, his small head turning frantically. "He's perfect Anakin!" Padme said, much to Anakin's satisfaction. "Oh, perfect!" The droid murmured happily.


"So Ani, when did you start on him again? I thought Watto had you working too hard to work on him." I said, eyeing the droid. Anakin shrugged and sat back on his work bench. "I got some free time." He said. "Liar. I know you never get free time. Especially not since you crashed the Podracer last time!" I protested. Anakin blushed and shrugged again. "Yeah well." He murmured. "You worked nights didn't you Ani?" I asked suspiciously. Anakin rolled his eyes. "Yes, MOTHER." Anakin admitted pointedly. Before I could protest, Padme interrupted the two of us by laughing loudly, causing us both to forget our arguement and join her.

At dinner we got into a discussion about slave transmitters and slavery. It wasn't a pleasant topic. Anakin was eager to point out the factors of slave transmitters and what happened when a slave tried to escape. "And they blow you up! BOOM!" Anakin yelled, banging his hand on the table and accidentally hitting Jar Jar on the hand. "How wude!" The creature said with an offended tone of voice. I knew it to be true. I had a transmitter of my own, though where it was in my body I had no idea, but I wasn't about to try and escape to find out. I still remembered receiving it. I was only a child, but it was so painful and unusual in my young life that it was another thing etched in my memory. The servants of the Hutts, injected a solution into my system, so my mother said. I didn't watch. All the while my face was hidden in her lap. The needle shot through my arm was so painful, but I couldn't move, couldn't scream. I was almost paralyzed. Most of the time, this procedure is done when slaves are babies. Most likely so they aren't tramatized like I was. But I was merely a toddler. Another memory I wish I could forget. "I can't believe there is still slavery in the galaxy." Padme said, a sad and concerned look spreading across her features. "There are Republic anti-slavery laws," She started. "The Republic doesn't exist out here." Shmi interrupted.

I glanced at Shmi. Her face was pinched and pale. I then remembered the way she felt about being a slave. She hated slavery and hated hearing about how people tried to keep slavery from happening. She hated this because she knew that it was impossible for slavery to be banished everywhere, including Tatooine. Tatooine was a lead planet and promoter for slavery. Only by some miracle would slavery be banished from Tatooine of all places. "Has anyone ever seen a podrace?" Anakin asked. I knew that Anakin was wisely trying to get off that touchy subject by introducing one that he loved. I was glad for this change. I didn't like seeing Padme get put on the spot about things, even though I'd only known her for a short time.

Padme shook her head in the negative, but Qui-Gon nodded. "They have podracing on Malastare. Very fast, very dangerous." He said taking a grape. All of a sudden, everyone jumped as Jar Jar grabbed a piece of fruit with his long tongue and swallowed it whole. The creature gulped as Qui-Gon glared at him. "Scuse me." He muttered. "I'm the only human who can do it." Anakin broke in again. He was boasting I knew, but it was worth boasting about. Out of 20 or so alien racers, Anakin was the only human who could even stay in a race without crashing. He'd even almost won once or twice. But of course, he'd never even finished.

"You must have Jedi reflexes if you race pods." Qui-Gon remarked. As Jar Jar's tongue shot out again, Qui-Gon caught it between two fingers effortlessly. "Don't do that again." He said with a glare. Jar Jar muttered a few words as Qui-Gon released his tongue. Anakin slowly raised his head to look at Qui-Gon. "You're a Jedi Knight aren't you?" Silence reigned in the room as the seconds slowly ticked by. Qui-Gon raised his head to look at Anakin, a small smile on his face. "What makes you think that?" He asked, taking the change of subject with ease. I was surprised. Most people would be angry at having their secret revealed by a mere boy, but then again, Qui-Gon was a Jedi.

"I saw your laser sword. Only Jedi's carry that kind of weapon." Anakin said somewhat incriminatingly. Still with a small smile on his face, Qui-Gon remarked cooly, "Perhaps I killed a Jedi and took it from him." I then began to think of my brother, who had taught me the biggest secret that I have never told any master or friend, save Anakin. I began to finger my weapon that hung from my belt on my waist, the weapon I had taken from my dead brother. "No way! No one can kill a Jedi!" Anakin said firmly. A sad smile flitted across Qui-Gon's lips. "I wish that were so." He said regretfully. I dropped my head, thinking the exact same thing. Strange how Jedi almost always say one's thoughts. But then again, perhaps it was coincidence, for I was not even near becoming a Jedi. The conversation then began to deteriorate, and run along the lines of Anakin racing his pod and winning parts for Qui-Gon's broken ship at the upcoming Bunta race. After much protest from Shmi and insistance from Anakin, she finally consented to let him race for Qui-Gon.


That night we stayed with the Skywalkers, the sandstorm not receding till later in the evening. I rested under the heavy blanket in Shmi's room, tossing and turning. I couldn't sleep. My mind was too restless and nightmares plagued me. Finally I quietly stood from the floor and crept out the back door onto the balcony. I stared about me at the quiet world, at the sand now glistening silver in the moonlight of the twin moons. Their light was cast all over the landscape, bathing even the ugliest spots in a beautiful silver sheen. It was then that I saw it. My first vision. The beginning of a curse, slash, gift. A vision of a man, barely a boy. He sat alone in a secluded place surrounded by dim red light. His eyes were closed, but when they opened they gazed thoughtfully into the depths. He seemed to stare right at me, but he obviously couldn't see me. His hair was cut curiously, a pony-tail and a braid, the signs of a Jedi Padawan.



It ended. My eyes snapped open, gazing, searching about me as if I would see the young Jedi before me. But he did not appear. His intelligent eyes did not stare back at me from the moons, but I knew he was near. I knew he was close and I knew we were connected. I didn't know how, but I did know he was tied to my future. My brother had always said to heed visions, no matter how strange. Therefore I seemed to have no choice but to accept this person as a fragment of my future.

Place: Watto's Shop

The next morning, all of us proceeded to Watto's Junk Shop to attempt to get Watto to let Anakin race. I waited outside with Padme and Jar Jar, while Qui-Gon went inside to talk with Watto. I really didn't see the point. Anakin's master Watto was a stubborn alien, not one easily tempered with. But I let Qui-Gon do as he willed. He seemed to know what he was doing most of the time. I sat in the hot sun, closing my eyes and letting the burning sun flow upon my skin. "Do you like being a slave?" I was startled by Padme's voice and I opened my eyes quickly and gazed at her. "I suppose so. As long as the masters are kind. I really have no choice." I said with a shrug. "Were you a slave from birth?" She asked softly, her brown eyes sympathetic. That was a tender question to me, surrounding things that were my secrets. "No, I wasn't. I was five years old when I became a slave." I said closely, not willing to divulge the real truth.

"Five years old!" Padme exclaimed. I could tell that she was absolutely horrified at the idea. She must have come from a peaceful nation, where there are no slaves, or at least not many. She must have, due to her mentioning the Republic last night at dinner. The Republic was against slavery. She was not a Jedi. I would have sensed it otherwise. Now that Qui-Gon had been revealed as a Jedi, my senses were more awake and more acute than ever. She was intuitive, but not in the Jedi way.

I didn't have time to answer her exclamation for Qui-Gon, R2-D2 and Anakin strode confidently out of the establishment. "Well?" I asked, standing expectantly. "Let's go home and work on the Pod!" Anakin cried out happily, his face all smiles. Qui-Gon then explained, with a smile on his broad face, that he had bargained with Watto that if Anakin won, we kept the winnings save for the cost of the parts we needed. But if we lost, Watto would keep our ship. I thought that it sounded risky, but everyone else was positive things would turn out right. But only Anakin and I knew that he had never won a race.

Place: The Skywalker home, dusk.

We worked hard on the Pod all day. Putting on finishing touches of paint, making sure the engines were working properly and that it's wires were in the right positions. But it worked! It actually worked! I was so happy for Anakin. It seemed as though all of his dreams were coming true. Now if only mine could have the same chances as Ani's were having. After dinner, I looked out on the balcony where Qui-Gon was sitting. He was speaking to someone in a comm-link. Someone he called Obi-Wan. A shudder went through my body and I leaned up against the wall for support as my breath left me. The vision was so clear that it shocked my body. It was clearer than the other I had had, but it was of the same person. The Jedi was sitting in the same place, only now he was speaking into a comm-link. Numerous shocks paralyzed my body as I saw the Jedi speak and heard his voice at the same time. I shut my eyes tightly as I listened and heard Qui-Gon tell him that they were running out of time.

The vision then ended as Qui-Gon closed the connection of the comm-link, my wobbly knees barely holding my body weight. But Qui-Gon caught sight of me leaning against doorway. He smiled and beckoned me to his side. I had to obey, forcing my knees to become strong enough to walk to his side and sit beside him. "It's late. We have a big day tomorrow." He said with a gentle smile. I wasn't sure what I was doing, what I should say. My feelings were so strong. I was so curious about who the other person was, this Jedi. I knew then that I had to obey my feelings this time, no matter how forward I seemed."Is there another Jedi here?" I asked quickly. Qui-Gon merely looked at me, then turned away. "Yes." He said softly. "Is he your apprentice?" I asked again, feeling bold. "Yes." I was quite surprised that he was even answering my questions. Most masters would have slapped me for such impertinent questions.

"Elaina, I saw what you did in the marketplace." A chill ran through me as I realized the meaning of Qui-Gon's words. He had seen me. He had seen what I had done. He gazed at me with his clear blue eyes. "Where did you learn to use the Force?" He asked gently. I was about to give an excuse when something struck my inner self. Something only my inner senses could detect. Evil. I froze, then jumped up, wielding my lightsaber hidden in my cloak. The purple laser struck metal as I wielded it, standing between the evil and my master. When the thing I had hit fell to the ground, I deactivated my brother's lightsaber, panting. I turned to face my master, who stared at me in disbelief.

He stood up and walked slowly to the fallen object, examining it. "It WAS a probe droid." He said softly. I couldn't meet his gaze. I felt as though I had betrayed him by witholding this critical information from him. "How?" He asked quietly. "Master Qui-Gon, I must ask your permission for me not to tell you whom I learned the Jedi arts. For the time being." I added. I expected him to be like the other masters and make me tell him everything. But all he said was, "Very well. I will wait till you are ready. I will not push you Elaina." Then he placed his large hand gently on my face for a moment, then he walked inside the house and said no more. Afterwards, I sat outside contemplating what had just happened.



My knees were still weak from the vision. I didn't think I could take anymore, I really didn't. But as I sat in silence, another vision beseiged my conscience. I didn't fight it, but merely gently closed my eyes and let it wash over me. An older man this time, a scruffy brown beard covering his chin. Another man, evil taking him over. Fighting against each other. Wills clashing. Both fighting for their own cause. The other, the one without evil fighting against the evil, fueled by the Force but also anger and hurt. The other, the evil one, fueled by his hate and his anger, smiling at the other's giving in to his feelings. But things grew darker as the evil one was urged away, farther and farther back into darkness. I slowly opened my eyes, looking up at the stars. What did this mean? Why was I seeing these things? Why? Then I followed the footsteps of my master.



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