Chapter 2

Events play out the same way as in canon, Anakin and Padme recieve Obi-Wan's message, decide to rescue him and end up being captured before confessing their mutual love. Dooku still pretty much whips Obi-Wan and Anakin before Yoda forces him to retreat. After the Clone army rescues the surviving Jedi from Geonosis, Anakin is fitted with a prosthetic hand and assigned to escort Padme back to Naboo. But they took a detour to Tatooine. They arrived at the Lars homestead where they would have a quiet wedding ceremony with the Lars family. Shmi was overjoyed to finally see Anakin get married. After the ceremony, the family sat down to a monstrous feast, all cooked by Shmi, Anakin felt a bit overwhelmed, so he stepped outside into the cool night air of Tatooine. Lost in his thoughts, a voice said "It's been a long time Anakin". He spun around and saw the ghost of Qui-Gon Jinn. "Master Qui-Gon, how is this possible? You died on Naboo." Qui-Gon with a serene smile said "I am part of the Living Force, through the Force, anything is possible." Anakin, feeling overjoyed, asked "Why are you here?" Qui-Gon answered "Well, first, congratulations on your marriage, Padme is a fine woman. But I also wish to put you on the right path, I cannot tell you directly, but I can point you in the right direction. Your answers will not be found in the Jedi Order, they have lost their way, they are blind to the true threat." Anakin, stunned at what Qui-Gon said asked "What should I do?" Qui-Gon simply smilled and said "Be Anakin Skywalker, be the boy who built a podracer out of scrap parts. To save the Galaxy, you need to go beyond the teachings of the Jedi, and Tatooine is a fine place for you to start." Anakin making up his mind "I will send a message to the Council, informing them that I am leaving the Order, I am just sorry that I am letting Obi-Wan down" Qui-Gon said, cryptically "Obi-Wan will find his way" before fading away

Anakin returned to the feast and took his new wife to the side. "Padme, I am going to send a message to the Council, I'm leaving the Order" Padme, shocked at Anakins words asks "Why Anakin? Being a Jedi means so much to you" Anakin answered "I had a vision Padme, of Master Qui-Gon, based on that vision, I think I need to explore my potential without the restraints of the Jedi code" Padme smiled and said "Do what you need to do Anakin, I am with you no matter what"

A week later, Anakin stood in front of a large, empty shop that Padme had just purchased for him. Right in the heart of Mos Espa, it was the perfect place for Anakin to start his new business venture, modifying landspeeders into lightning fast hotrods. Anakin began by hoisting a large, custom made sign into place over the entrance. The sign, written in Galactic Standard said "Skywalker's Custom Speeders" Below, in smaller letters, it said "Proprieter: Anakin Skywalker, only human to ever win a podrace" That part was Shmi's idea, mentioning that people in the city still talked about Anakin's miraculous win at the Boonta Eve Classic a decade previously. Next, Anakin went inside to the computer terminal and entered the credit code that Padme had given him, he ordered all the equipment that he would need to get his workshop running, as well as ordering several secondhand speeders to soup up before selling them. Anakin sat back thinking to himself "This feels right" before chuckling to himself and thinking about the massive hole he had just made in Padme's bank accounts. Anakin seeing that the suns were setting, left the shop and caught a sub-orbital flight, returning to the Lars homestead, where Shmi and Cliegg insisted he stay until he got on his feet. Padme had returned to Coruscant to resume her duties as the senator of the Chommell sector, Anakin made a mental note to call her before turning in for the night. Anakin, walked into the dining area of the homestead and got the shock of lifetime. Obi-Wan Kenobi was waiting for him.

Obi-Wan got up from his seat, where he had been talking to Shmi. He walked up to Anakin and brought him in for a hug. Anakin, genuinely pleased to see Obi-Wan asked "Master, what are you doing here?" Obi-Wan answered "I recieved a visit from Qui-Gon, he told me that our paths would continue beyond the Jedi Order, beyond our relationship as master and padawan. Truth be told, I was not surprised when the Council informed me that you had left the Order. By the way, congratulations on your marriage, your mother was kind enough to inform me." Obi-Wan with a sly smirk continued "I believe I know where you should start as well Anakin, I have reason to believe that its not the Dark Side that blinds the Jedi, they are blinded by the light, so I would suggest that you meditate on the Dark Side of the Force. The ancient precursor of the Jedi, the Je'daii order used the Force in its entirety, light and dark. Their understanding of the Force was beyond what we have now, thousands of years later. But don't make the mistake of detaching yourself from the people around you, the Force is life. And to understand it, you need to understand the lives of the people around you, share their joys, such as they are." Anakin, taking in his former masters words, asked "What about you? What will you be doing" Obi-Wan answered "I am going to travel around Tatooine, I am going to learn, help people where I can. But I am going to do it as an ordinary man, not as a Jedi. That reminds me" Obi-Wan reached under his cloak and pulled out a pouch of credits "I will be your first customer Anakin, I will need transportation and at least I know I can trust you, I got a good look at some of those used speeder salesmen in Mos Eisley on my way here, they don't look very trustworthy" Anakin, chuckling said "Give me a week, I've just ordered some speeders to get me started, including a very nimble Seraph class flash speeder, it should arrive tomorrow, along with the tools and parts I need. In the meantime, how about we go have a drink? Theres a nice cantina in Anchorhead we can visit." Shmi piped up and said "How about we all go? I want to hear some stories about my son's teenage years, plus I think Cliegg, Owen & Beru could do with a night out"