Watto's Junk Shop
Mos Espa
Tatooine
In the days of the Republic
Padme Naberrie Amidala, Queen of Naboo, gazed curiously around the junk shop. It was a rather dilapidated place with a variety of wares, mostly ship and droid parts, and the floor was dusty. But then, she supposed most of Tatooine was filled with dust and sand given the great deserts which spread in all directions.
She sighed and pulled her cloak slightly closer to her. She was undercover, pretending to be a handmaiden to the queen as opposed to the queen herself. Sabe, her most loyal handmaiden, was back at the ship in full regalia and makeup pretending to the queen. Such machinations were necessary thanks to threats on Amidala's life, and Padme was enormously grateful to Sabe for being willing to act as a decoy.
Padme glanced toward the door into the junk yard proper. Jedi Knight Qui-Gon Jinn was in search of a hyperdrive module for the queen's ship, which had been damaged from an attack while they were fleeing Naboo. She hoped devoutly that Watto, the Toydarian junk dealer, had the necessary part. She needed to leave Tatooine and get back to Coruscant. Her beloved Naboo was in terrible danger from the Trade Federation. The Republic must send aid!
"Are you an angel?"
Padme turned to gaze at the dark blond boy who was seated on the counter, his blue eyes fixed on her. The shop was empty save for the young boy, Jar Jar Binks and two customers off in a corner; both wore desert robes and were murmuring softly as they stared at a silent droid. Jar Jar, of course, was bumbling around in his usual hideously annoying manner.
"What?" she asked the child
"An angel. I've heard the deep space pilots speak of them …"
Luke Skywalker glanced at his sister and spoke to her through the Force, "This one is a weird one. That's our mother, definitely, but she looks really young, doesn't she?"
"Crazy young. A teenager."
"You're a slave?"
The twins glanced at their teenage mother, who was gazing at the boy in distress.
"I'm a person and my name is Anakin!" The boy responded angrily.
Leia choked aloud and both Anakin and Padme glanced at her. The princess of Alderaan coughed unconvincingly and turned back toward the droid, shaking slightly.
"That is Anakin?" she hissed through the Force.
"Apparently so," Luke replied, equally shocked. "He's like, super young!"
Padme and Anakin were chatting again so Leia shot a hasty look at the childhood version of the man who would become Darth Vader.
"He is so adorable," she exclaimed, again through the Force. "I mean, our own kids are pretty cute but he is just ... squishy!"
"Leia, do you realize what is happening?" Luke sent back. "This is the day Padme and Anakin meet!"
A tall robed man walked into the room followed by a flying Toydarian.
"Give me real credits and we can deal," Watto snapped at the man.
The man nodded, his face calm, and gestured to Padme and the Gungan. They left the store, leaving Luke and Leia standing in a corner trying to look inconspicuous.
"You need sumpin?" Watto demanded. "I got lots, lots and lots, but you gotta have something besides Republic credits."
"I am interested in this droid's head," Luke replied, gesturing at a protocol droid, "but I will need to free up some funds."
"Ok, Ok, come back then!" the flying being roared. "Boy, you finish the racks and then you go home!"
"Yippee!" Anakin cried.
Luke and Leia exchanged shocked glances. Yippee?
/
Shmi and Anakin Skywalker's hut
"Can I help you in any way?" Qui-Gon asked courteously.
"Can you pour the water?" Shmi asked, and then added, "Take care not to spill it, sir. Water is life on Tatooine."
"I can do it!" Jar Jar cried out helpfully.
"Not you, Jar Jar – you are as clumsy as an invertebrate in a 3-appendage race," the Jedi ordered, lifting the pitcher and beginning to pour. "I do appreciate your kindness in welcoming us into your home until the sandstorm clears."
"You would not have lasted long," the woman replied, her eyes on the windows against which the sand was beginning to blow. "In the midst of a sandstorm, one loses all sense of time, space and direction."
There was a sudden knock on the door and Shmi looked up with concern while Jinn placed a hand on his lightsaber.
"I will get it," he told Shmi, moving carefully to the door and opening it.
"Hi," the man standing there said, his expression winsome. He was about 30 years of age, not tall, with dark blond hair and blue eyes, dressed in a tan robe which seemed typical for Tatooine. Oddly enough, the man's face was vaguely familiar in some way …
"I hate to bother you, but could my sister and I take shelter for just a while? We are not natives of Mos Espa and this storm took us by surprise."
Jinn hesitated and glanced at Shmi, who nodded and surged forward, "Do come in yes, please. Welcome to my home."
"Thank you. I am Luke and this is Leia."
"I am Shmi Skywalker," the woman answered.
"And I am Qui-Gon Jinn," the Jedi replied.
The twins forced themselves not to twitch at this. So this was the famous Qui-Gon Jinn! They had heard of the man but had never crossed his path in their travels through time and space. Of course, they had never gone back this far in time either.
"So," Luke said rather awkwardly, then stopped as Anakin and Padme walked into the room with R2D2 in tow.
"Anakin, we have more guests," Shmi said gently. "Could you please set 2 more plates?"
"So …," Leia began, glancing at Luke.
"Yes, we never know how much time we have," Luke continued with determination. "I know this will be a huge shock, but ... Master Jinn …"
The twins dropped their Force shielding and the Jedi physically staggered back even as his hand clutched his lightsaber.
"Master Jinn, what is it?" Padme cried out, her eyes on the twins. "Who are they?"
Jinn straightened his tall form and glowered at Luke and Leia, "Indeed who are you? You are obviously highly trained Force sensitives, but I have never seen you!"
Luke adjusted his robe to show his own lightsaber and shook his head, "No, you wouldn't, because Leia and I have traveled back in time 45 years."
Their audience froze in shock except for Jar Jar, who fell over a chair with a splat.
"What nonsense is this?" Shmi Skywalker said in a low tone. "Time travel is impossible."
"We used to think that as well," Leia explained wryly, "but we managed it once and now we periodically get hurled through time and space to fix problems in the timelines. We never know how much time we have, so we need to get moving before we are flung back to our own time. So you need a hyperdrive unit?"
"Wait, I recognize you now! You were at the Toydarian's shop!" Padme gasped. "Did you follow us here?"
"Absolutely," Luke admitted. "Look, I know this is really weird but we can help. What's the problem, exactly? What is the queen of Naboo doing wandering around Mos Espa, anyway?"
There was a collective gasp from Anakin, Shmi, and Jinn, and Padme blushed a little, "You are obviously confused. I am Padme, the queen's handmaiden."
Leia rolled her eyes, "Padme, seriously, just give it up. We've met you before, and we know that you are the queen herself. We also know about the whole handmaiden/decoy thing so yeah, just drop the pretense."
Anakin gasped in amazement, "You are a queen?!"
Padme bit her lip but Jinn was staring at her intensely and she drooped a little, "Yes, I am Amidala the queen. There have been attempts on my life so Sabe, my most loyal handmaiden, is currently acting as my decoy."
"Ok, that's reasonable," Luke said briskly. "But let's get back to the hyperdrive. Where are you trying to get to, anyway? I mean, I understand that Tatooine stinks with all the sand …"
"It is rough and coarse and irritating, and it gets everywhere," Shmi agreed with a shudder.
Luke blinked, "Right. So that's where that particular phrase ... anyway, so where are you going?"
"We have to get back to Coruscant," Padme explained passionately. "Naboo is currently under blockade by the Trade Federation. The Senate must send aid! I fear my people will die if the Republic does not help us soon!"
"That is true," Jinn agreed, his brows furrowed.
"Ok, Trade Federation, I admit I'm shaky on that," Luke admitted. "I mean, it's been a while …"
"I am 90% sure that they were a precursor to the Separatists?" Leia mused. "I think?"
"Separatists?" Jinn demanded.
"Yeah, they were on the other side of the Clone Wars, which won't mean a thing to you because it is like … ten years off."
"In the future," Padme said doubtfully.
"Yes, look I hate to keep you from eating. Please, do sit down and eat and drink. You look a bit dehydrated, your Highness."
Shmi glanced around and shrugged slightly, "Yes, let us sit down."
Jinn fetched two more chairs and Leia and Luke settled at the corners of the table. Everyone began eating and drinking slowly, though the focus remained on the time traveling twins.
"So can you help us?" Padme asked after taking a welcome draught of water. "We must get that hyperdrive component!"
Luke frowned, "And the problem is?"
"We don't have any money that Watto will accept," Jinn explained, slowly peeling a pallie. "He claims, and I believe he is telling the truth, that he has the only module in Mos Espa."
"There are other towns," Luke pointed out. "Mos Eisley is some distance from here but has a thriving junk trade, or at least it did in my day."
"There is no time, do you not see!" Padme exclaimed. "We must inform Chancellor Valorum of the situation and if he will not act, we must take steps to replace him. The Republic needs to come to the aid of those planets under attack by the Trade Federation! If Naboo falls, another planet will be next!"
"Ok," Luke said with a sigh. "I understand you're upset but I assure you that the answer is really very simple. Not easy, perhaps, but simple."
"Yes?" Jinn asked skeptically.
Leia leaned forward, "Do you know a man named Sheev Palpatine?"
"Of course!" Padme said. "He is my mentor in many ways, and is currently the senator of Naboo. Indeed, if Valorum proves too weak to do what must be done, Senator Palpatine may well be the best replacement to bring peace to the Republic."
"So he is on Coruscant?" Leia inquired with her brow raised.
"Yes," Jinn said impatiently. "What of it?"
"You want to end this whole Trade Federation conflict and prevent the Clone Wars, well, this is what you need to do," Luke proclaimed.
"Yes?" Jinn demanded.
"You go back to Coruscant. You find Palpatine and you stick a vibroblade into his neck, right into his carotid artery. Then watch him bleed out. End of the conflict."
Luke helped himself to a pallie and took a careful bite as Shmi and Jinn and Padme gazed at him with horror and Anakin looked excited.
"You are saying that Senator Palpatine is responsible for this conflict in some way?" Jinn finally demanded.
"Totally and completely responsible," Leia said drily. "He's a Sith Lord. He is in fact, the senior Sith Lord, Darth Sidious."
Shmi was shaking her head in confusion, "What is a Sith Lord?"
"Dark Side adept," Leia explained. "The Dark Side of the Force, that is, which will mean almost nothing to you."
"Nonsense, nonsense!" Jinn argued. "The Sith have been gone for many hundreds of years! As for Palpatine, we would know if he were a Force Sensitive!"
"You did not know," Luke explained sadly. "You missed it all, the entire Jedi council from Master Yoda on down. Palpatine sat in the middle of the Galactic government — he did become Chancellor in our timeline, you see — and he manipulated and he moved and in 14 years or so, give or take a few months, 99% of the Jedi Knights will be killed and the Republic will fall, and Sheev Palpatine will crown himself Emperor."
Padme found herself on her feet, staggering back a few feet, "This is insane! You are insane! Senator Palpatine is a good man!"
Luke groaned aloud and rose to his feet, "He is not a good man, Padme Naberrie Amidala. He is, in fact, the most evil man in the entire galaxy."
"Why should we believe you?!" she snarled, her hands shaking. "Two crazy people who claim to be from the future. This is impossible! The Jedi have been the guardians of peace and justice for thousands of years. One man, even a powerful one, could never defeat them all."
"Well, he had help," Luke admitted. "There are lots of people who helped him, some willingly, some unwillingly. And he had his apprentices. Master Jinn, have you run across Darth Maul yet?"
"Darth Maul?"
"Zabrak male, red and black face?"
"No …"
"It'll probably be soon that he crosses your path. Eventually he is defeated and then there is Count Dooku, Darth Tyranus …"
"No!" Jinn cried out.
"Yes, indeed," Luke sighed, "but I am afraid that it got worse. After Dooku was defeated, Darth Sidious's next apprentice, about 15 years from now, is Anakin."
All in the room (except for Jar Jar, who had gotten lost on the way to the refresher) turned their gaze on Anakin Skywalker, whose eyes were wide with confusion.
"I don't understand," the boy murmured, quivering in fear.
"This is a heavy burden for you, Anakin," Luke said gently, reaching over to lay his prosthetic hand on the boy's shoulder, "but you are the most powerful Force Sensitive the galaxy has ever seen. In my timeline, the Jedi take you from Tatooine and train you in the ways of the Jedi, but you turn on them and become … a very bad person."
The youth shook his head rapidly, "I would never be bad!"
"Indeed, he would not!" Shmi protested. "Anakin has a very giving heart!"
"Some extremely difficult things happened, I am afraid," Leia said gently. "And thanks to the idiocy of the Jedi and Palpatine's machinations, you were convinced to trust him instead of your mentors."
"I can't leave Tatooine anyway" the boy protested. "I am a slave. I have a transmitter."
Leia leaned back and shook her head, "I admit we do not know the details of that story, of how you were rescued from slavery, but you were. Master Jinn, check his midichlorian count. You will find they are off the scale, greater even than Master Yoda."
Jinn stroked his long beard, his expression grave, "I have sensed that the boy is strong in the Force, but surely not that strong."
"He is," Luke said grimly. "He is. And I assure you that as a Sith Lord, he carved a path of destruction and violence and agony across the galaxy."
"It is not true!" Shmi said in anguish. "I will not believe it!"
"In our timeline, it happened," Luke said steadily. "In our timeline. We can change this timeline. We have gone back to other timelines and prevented Anakin's fall, and we can do it this time. But the key is Palpatine. Kill him, and all will be well. Vibroblade in the neck. Blood on the floor. It's a pleasing picture."
Leia snorted, "But not a practical one. He will sense ill intent, I assure you, so don't really try to take him on alone, Master Jinn. He is very, very powerful."
"You must admit this is difficult for me to accept, and the Queen as well," the Jedi responded, rising to his feet and pacing a few steps to stare out of the window at the blinding sandstorm which still raged outside the safety of the house.
"Master Jinn, please look at Leia, and then Padme, and then Shmi Skywalker."
He did so, he turned and gazed at all three lovely faces, and his mouth actually dropped open in shock and he began drooling.
"What!" Padme cried out. "What is it?"
"Leia's appearance, I see, I see ... you, your Highness, and … yes, I see Shmi as well. It is as if …"
"As if Shmi is my grandmother, and Padme is my mother, and they are both, yes," Leia said gravely. "Luke and I are the twin children of Anakin Skywalker, who became Darth Vader, and his wife, Padme Amidala Naberrie Skywalker, who died in childbirth when we were born."
Stunned silence fell on them all, except for Jar Jar Binks, who fell into the trash compactor and was mercifully killed by it.
"I get to marry a queen?!" Anakin cried out, showing more understanding than most of the adults.
"Yes, and you loved one another and were very happy together, until everything went to Chaos," Luke said gravely. "It would have been a good marriage except the Jedi were complete morons and think that Jedi shouldn't marry, so when Padme and Anakin fell in love, which is ten years from now or so, they had a secret marriage and then things got super messy. It was bad."
Jinn frowned indignantly, "Attachment is dangerous!"
"Bantha poodoo!" Luke snapped back. "I am married, Leia is married, and our marriages keep us sane, plus we have some great kids who wake us up in the middle of the night and drool copiously and poop everywhere …"
"Luke has 5 week old twins so he is pretty tired."
"Thankfully C-3PO helps out a lot," Luke admitted.
"My C-3PO?" Anakin sputtered. "You have my droid?"
"Um, what?" Leia demanded.
The droid in question, having heard himself mentioned, staggered into the room, "I am C-3PO, human cyborg relations. My facilities are at your service."
Luke and Leia exchanged shocked glances.
"No way!" they said in sync.
"So you are both Jedi?" Jinn demanded.
"Luke is," Leia explained. "I am not officially a Jedi though I am well trained. I'm more of a politician, like my mother before me."
Padme, who was reeling from all this craziness, managed a watery smile while Jinn forged on, "Regardless of the truth of your claims, the fact remains that we must get off Tatooine, and we do not have the money to buy the part from Watto."
Luke took a drink of water and groaned, "Ok, simple answer. Steal it. Just levitate it out of the junk yard."
"Jedi do not steal!" Jinn snapped back.
"Watto is a slaver," Leia snarled. "He is keeping Shmi and Anakin in slavery! He does not deserve your respectful adherence to the normal moral codes. Steal the blasted part, and let's get out of here with Shmi and Anakin in tow!"
"We have transmitters," Shmi said wearily.
Luke tightened his lips, "I have learned how to find them with the Force, and how to remove them safely though the process can be a painful one."
"We will take pain to be free," Shmi said starkly.
"Tomorrow is the Boonta Eve classic," Anakin commented. "Lots of people will be busy, including Watto. The shop will be closed during the race."
"Pod racing, right?" Luke replied, his eyes glistening with fervor. "I'd love to see that though I don't suppose we have time."
"I have a pod myself, that I built, and I was hoping to race," the boy confessed. "But Watto doesn't know I have it. I'm the only human able to pod race."
"I could do it too," Luke replied affectionately, "though I think we'd both be better served to get off Tatooine while everyone is busy with the race."
"If we are going to steal the part, we had best be subtle," Jinn said gloomily. "Even the Republic does not care to anger the Hutts."
Leia's head turned quickly, "Which Hutt?"
"Jabba," Shmi said with a shudder. "He is the master of most of the despicable and vile trade here on Tatooine, slavery, spice …"
"We know," Luke sadly and then shifted his eyes to Leia, who was gazing at him pleadingly.
"Luke, please …"
"Not our job this time, Leia."
"Please, Luke, can I kill him again? Please please please please …"
"Again?" Shmi demanded.
"Leia strangled Jabba to death in our timeline about 6 years ago, but Leia, it's not safe …"
"Please, Luke," she begged, making her eyes as dewy as possible.
Luke groaned and sighed, "All right, Leia. But after we kill Jabba, we need to get off Tatooine."
Padme looked around in sudden confusion, "Where is Jar Jar?"
"I believe, Mistress Padme, that he fell into the trash compactor and died," C-3PO said brightly.
/
Author Note: I hate Jar Jar with a passion.