Chapter Five: Little Ani Skywalker
Connan growled, scrubbing a particularly rough spot on R2-D2's armor. It wasn't coming off.
"What did you do up there? Fling yourself in the way of the blaster shots?" She asked. R2 beeped his response. "Yeah, well, you'll be lucky if I can get all this off. We may have to give you new armor altogether."
R2 beeped frantically.
"Reassuring statement: Do not worry, little droid, the master knows what she's doing." HK said as he stood by the door.
"You really like this droid, don't you H?" Connan smirked at her machine.
"Answer: Yes, Master. R2-D2 has a better sense of humor than the T3-M4 droid did, and this one is a lot more aggressive."
Padmé walked into the room and started on another pile of dirt.
"This is so hard," She murmured.
"I know what you mean. We should just tear it all off." Connan joked. "Put on some new armor. Make it pink."
"Put a bow at the top." Padmé finished. The two giggled.
"Disgusted addendum: Oh, brother."
"Shut up, HK."
They sat there for a while, getting the dirt off of the front of R2's armor before they began the crevices. During that time, Jar Jar came in.
"Hello." He said. Connan and Padmé looked up at him. Padmé cocked an eyebrow.
"Sorry." Jar Jar shrugged. "Husa are yousa?"
"I'm Padmé." Padmé answered. "This is Connan, if you didn't already know." Connan nodded to the Gungan stingily.
"Mesa Jar Jar Binks." Jar Jar introduced himself. Padmé smiled.
"You're a Gungan, aren't you?"
"Uh-huh." Jar Jar answered, nodding his head and grinning stupidly.
"How'd you end up here with us?" She continued. Connan groaned, setting her head onto R2's blue top. He beeped his complaints, but didn't move his head.
"My no know." Jar Jar shrugged. "Mesa day starten pitty okeyday witda brisky morning munchen. Den boom! Getten berry scared, and grabben dat Jedi, and pow—mesa here."
Connan pulled her head up and looked groggily at HK.
"Translate that."
"Hesitant answer: Master, very well. Translation: I don't know. My day started pretty okay with a brisk morning munch—possibly meaning breakfast. Then boom! Getting very scared, and grabbing that Jedi, and pow—I'm here." HK went through the translation dully, an emotionless tone which told Connan that HK really didn't want to translate for a Gungan.
R2D2 beeped slightly. Connan nodded.
"Huh," Jar Jar went on. "Mesa getten berry, berry scared."
Connan chuckled at him and went back to work.
-----
Connan now sat in the cockpit, trying to will herself into a sleep. She just couldn't do it without Carth there, though. It didn't feel right. She shuddered, opening her eyes as Obi Wan and the pilot started to talk.
"That's it—Tatooine." The pilot explained.
"There's a settlement." Obi Wan observed.
"Land near the outskirts, we don't want to attract attention." Quai Gon ordered. Connan perked her head up.
"In the dune sea? Are you nuts? This place is probably still crawling with Sand People." She warned.
"It would be better than landing in Anchorhead port and having the people of Mos Eisely think we're smuggling someone somewhere." Quai Gon countered. Connan shrugged, stretching.
As they landed, Connan pulled out a dark brown poncho, a similar color to her robes, and pulled it over her head, concealing her sabers. She watched Quai Gon do the same thing with a light gray poncho.
"The hyperdrive generator's gone, Master." Obi Wan said. "We'll need a new one."
Connan growled.
"Do you know how hard it is to find those things on a regular planet?" She whined.
"Be wary," Quai Gon pulled Connan to the ramp. "I sense a disturbance in the Force."
"Ha! Couldn't be ol' red-and-black, could it?" Connan muttered under her breath.
"Who?" Obi Wan asked. Connan shook her head.
"No one."
"Well, I sense a disturbance, too." Obi Wan went on.
"Don't let them send any transmissions." Connan called as she left the ship.
Jar Jar, R2D2, HK-47, Quai Gon and Connan set out from the ship. Connan scowled as the sand shuffled underneath her.
"I hate sand," She griped. "It's horrible to battle on. You slip and slide everywhere."
"Would you rather we be stranded in space and waiting for the Trade Federation to come pick us up?" Quai Gon asked. Connan shrugged.
"Point taken."
"Dis sun doen murder to mesa skin!" Jar Jar whined.
"Correction: Two suns, droid. There are two suns on Tatooine."
"Wait!"
Connan and Quai Gon turned, watching the head guard and Padmé in a regular dress walk toward them.
"Wait."
"Her highness commands you take her handmaiden with her." He said.
"No more commands from Her Highness today, Captain," Quai Gon said.
"Quai Gon!" Connan scolded. "That's not nice."
"This spaceport is not going to be pleasant." Quai Gon argued quietly.
"The queen wishes it." The Captain tried again. Padmé and Connan exchanged glances, smiling at each other in the process. "She's curious about the planet." Quai Gon sighed.
"This is not a good idea." He admitted. "Stay close to Connan."
The Captain nodded and walked away.
"You can take care of yourself, right?" Connan asked Padmé, slinging an arm around her shoulder. "You don't need me to help you. We'll just hang out together."
"Sure." Padmé grinned.
-----
The city was almost like Connan remembered in her time. The buildings were in the same place, same height, same structures. Yet they had different people in them.
"Moisture farms, for the most part." Quai Gon explained. Connan scoffed.
"Yeah, I guess they don't go Dune Sea hunting anymore." She shrugged.
"There are some indigenous tribes and scavengers, though. Like the Jawas." Quai Gon pointed to a few of the small, robed figures to his right. "The few space ports like this one are perfect for those who don't wish to be found."
"Like us." Padmé finished.
"Dissen berry, berry bad…." Jar Jar mumbled as he stumbled along behind Connan. He stepped in something, producing a squish sound. "Oh! Icky, icky goo!"
Quai Gon turned left suddenly. "We'll try one of the smaller dealers."
The bell dinged as Connan took the first few steps into the shop. The Toydarian looked up from his work and called out.
"Good day to you," He said in Huttese. "What do you want?"
"We want parts to a ship." Connan answered in the same dialect.
"We need parts for a J-type 327 Nubian." Quai Gon explained further.
"Ah, yes! Nubian, we have lots of that." He snarled suddenly as he turned to the door behind him. "Boy, get in here now!"
Connan raised an eyebrow and folded her arms.
"My droid has a readout of what I need." Quai Gon continued. The Toydarian nodded.
In ran a little boy, with a light brown shirt and lighter pants. His hair hung to his scalp closely as he stopped in front of the Toydarian.
"What took you so long?" The Toydarian asked. The boy scowled at him.
"I was cleaning the fan switches."
"Watch the store. I've got some selling to do."
Connan bristled. She didn't like how the alien was speaking to the poor boy.
"So, let me take thee out back, huh?" He asked, snaking an arm around Quai Gon. "Ni, you'll find what you need."
"Hey, I'm going to stay here and talk to the little guy." Connan called to Quai Gon. The boy beamed.
Quai Gon snatched a trinket out of Jar Jar's hands. The Gungan yelped in surprise.
"Don't touch anything." He stressed. The Gungan nodded, but as Quai Gon turned to leave he stuck his tongue out at the Jedi.
There was a silence for a moment between the three of them, when the boy spoke up.
"Are you an angel?" He asked Padmé. Connan snorted.
"What?" Padmé glanced from the boy to Connan.
"An angel. I heard the deep space pilots talk about them. They're the most beautiful creatures in the universe." The boy explained. Connan suppressed an "Awww!" from escaping her lips. "They live on the moons of Iego, I think."
"You're a funny little boy." Padmé grinned. "How do you know so much?"
"I listen to all the traders and star pilots that come through here." The boy started. "I'm a pilot, you know. And someday, I'm going to fly away from this place."
"Surprised addendum: I was under the impression that pilots had to be over eighteen, when this young boy is not a day over nine." HK-47 informed Connan. She nodded.
"He's in the making." She corrected her droid. He nodded, standing straight.
"You're a pilot?" Padmé asked.
"Mmm-hmm. All my life."
"How long have you been on his desolate planet?" Connan asked.
"Since I was very little. Three, I think." The boy frowned, as if trying to remember. "My mom and I were sold to Gardulla the Hutt, but she lost us betting on the pod races."
Connan's blood stopped running as she paled.
"You're a slave?" She and Padmé asked simultaneously. The boy became a little angry.
"I'm a person, and my name is Anakin."
"I'm sorry," Padmé went on. "I don't fully understand, this is a strange place to me."
"Hmmm? Hmmm…." Jar Jar poked one of the droids sitting in the corner and it sprang to life, knocking everything over and scaring Jar Jar. He screamed. Connan rolled her eyes.
"HK-47, will you please make that thing stop, and then make sure the Gungan doesn't touch anything else?"
"Answer: Of course, Master. It would be my pleasure."
HK picked up the droid and tapped its nose, watching it fall to the ground. Then he held a blaster to Jar Jar's head.
"Uh, not like that." Connan quickly fixed. "Just make sure he doesn't touch anything. Watch him. Don't shoot him."
The droid sighed.
"Acknowledgement: Very well, Master. I suppose you do know what's best."
HK put down the blaster and kept his eyes on Jar Jar.
"So where did you get your droid?" Anakin asked Connan. She smiled.
"I made HK-47 myself." She said.
"What does HK stand for?" Anakin asked.
"Uh—Hyper Kinetics, actually. Model number forty-seven." Connan rubbed the back of her neck.
"But why the 47?" Anakin clarified. "There's only one of him."
"Ah, it took me forty-seven tries to get it right."
Connan stayed silent until Quai Gon came storming back in. She was satisfied just by listening in on Padmé and Anakin's conversation.
"Wouldn't have lasted long anyways if I wasn't so good at building things." Anakin griped. Jar Jar stuck his tongue out at HK-47, who was snarling inwardly at the Gungan.
"We're leaving." Quai Gon snarled. Connan sighed, heading for the door.
"Bye, little Ani. Hope I see you again." She waved to him and left.
"I'm glad to have met you, Anakin," Padmé called.
"I'm glad to have met you, too!" The boy shouted after Padmé.
"What happened?" Connan asked Quai Gon.
"We need Tatooine currency; he wouldn't take the Republic credits." Quai Gon answered.
"Oh, that's not nice!" Connan snapped. "Let me at him and he'll let us have it for free. Toydarians don't like hostile situations."
"Yes, but that would call to the attention of the Hutts." Quai Gon countered.
"Fine. But my fingers are aching. Do people in this year duel for fun?" Connan asked.
"Yes. I'll show you when we get back to Coruscant."
-----
"And you're sure there's nothing else on board?" Quai Gon asked into the comm. link.
"A few containers of supplies." Obi Wan answered. "The Queen's wardrobe, maybe, but not enough to barter with. Not in the amount you're talking about."
"Well, this is just fine and dandy." Connan snarled.
"I'm sure another solution will present itself." Quai Gon said to both Obi Wan and Connan. "I'll check back later."
Connan started out onto the street again.
"Noah gain! Noah gain!" Jar Jar demanded. Da beings hereabouts, cawazy! Wesa be wobbed un crunched!" Quai Gon and Connan exchanged glances.
"HK, translate."
"Translation: Not again. Not again. The beings here are crazy. We will be robbed and crunched." HK said in his emotionless tone. Connan smirked.
"Not likely. We have nothing of value." Quai Gon started walking again.
"And that's our problem." Connan finished.
Connan fell back into the back, behind everyone to keep watch from the back. She didn't like Jar Jar standing behind her. It as a good thing, too, since he stopped at a shop in the bazaar and saw the chicken hanging from with feet. He grinned and cried out.
"Oh! Mooey, mooey!" He squealed. He flicked out his tongue and tried to nab it off of the string holding it. He failed. It hung from his mouth as he tried to pull it off.
"Hey, hey! Are you going to pay for that?" The shop owner asked in Huttese.
"Huh? Wanga?" Jar Jar repeated, the chicken half-hanging out of his mouth.
"It costs seven wupiupi." The owner clarified. Jar Jar spit it out.
Right into a Dug's food.
The Dug lunged for Jar Jar just as Connan reached into her bag for a flash mine. She attached it to her hand and ran after Jar Jar.
Jar Jar hit the floor with the four-legged spider-looking alien on top of him.
"Is this yours?" The Dug asked, grasping Jar Jar's throat with his feet.
"Who, mesa?" Jar Jar gagged.
"Uh-oh. Quai Gon!" Connan called. She faced the Dug. "Hurt him and I'll blow all three of us to bits, Dug."
"What are you talking about?" Asked the Dug.
"I've got a mine stuck onto the palm of my hand. Choke him, I fall over and lay my hand on the ground. Mine blows up, we blow up."
Actually, the flash mine would only blind the Dug while Jar Jar and Connan could escape.
Before anything could be done about it, Anakin showed up.
"Careful, Sebulba. He's a big-time outlander. I'd hate to see you get diced before we race again." He boasted. The was Sebulba watched Anakin made Connan place a hand on her lightsaber.
"Next time we race, boy, it will be the end of you." Sebulba threatened.
"That's not very nice." Connan rolled her eyes.
"If you weren't a slave, I'd crush you now." The Dug was walking off.
"Yeah," Called Anakin. "It'd be a pity if you had to pay for me."
Connan dislodged the mine from her hand and quickly placed it inside her pack. Quai Gon came up behind her.
"Hi," Anakin said, smiling. Quai gon seemed to be in shock.
"Hi there," He answered.
"Your buddy here was about to be turned into orange goo. And your other friend was threatening to blow them all to pieces." Anakin grinned at Connan, who laughed sheepishly as Quai Gon glared at her.
"I put the mine back in the bag already, okay?" She said to Quai Gon, showing him her hands. "It was a flash mine, anyway. It would have only blinded him and the Gungan."
"Well, they picked a fight with a Dug." Anakin explained further. "An especially dangerous Dug named Sebulba." Quai Gon pulled Jar Jar up.
"Mesa haten crunchen. Das da last ting mesa want." Jar Jar whined.
"Yeah, but he's right." Connan said. "You were heading into trouble. Stop touching things."
"Thanks, my young friend." Quai Gon nodded his head to Anakin.
"But—but—" Jar Jar seemed confused. "But mesa doen nutten!"
-----
Connan stood next to Quai Gon as Anakin bought them something to eat. She glanced around.
"I don't like the look of things," She whispered to him. He nodded.
"Something's happening." He finished.
"Here, you'll like these pallies." Anakin said, handing some to Connan. She took them. "Here." Anakin gave some to Quai Gon.
"Thank you," they both said, putting the pallies in a robe pocket underneath their ponchos.
"Oh, my bones are aching." The woman who sold them the fruit said. "Storm's coming up, Ani. You'd better get home quick."
Anakin turned to Connan and Quai Gon.
"Do you have shelter?"
"We'll head back to our ship." Quai Gon answered.
"Is it far?"
"It's on the outskirts." Padmé answered.
"You'll never reach the outskirts in time! Your droids will be so full of sand they won't be able to walk." Anakin explained.
"Surprised addendum: Oh, dear, Master! Maybe we should listen."
"Sand storms are very, very dangerous." Anakin went on. "Come on, I'll take you to my place."
-----
They entered a quiet home, a small pueblo-looking house with a table in the middle and a small excuse for a kitchen. Anakin shook all the sand out of him and shivered.
"Mom, I'm home!" He called.
"Ahh," Jar Jar absentmindedly murmured. "Dissen cozy."
A woman in a blue dress and blue apron with her black hair tied behind her head came out of another doorway, wiping her hands on the apron.
"These are my friends, Mom." Anakin introduced.
"Hello." Jar Jar bowed his head.
"I'm Quai Gon Jinn, and this is Connan Frai." Quai Gon explained, shaking hands with the woman. Connan followed suit. "Your son was kind enough to offer shelter."
"Hey, I'm building a droid, too!" Anakin said. "Want to see it, Connan?"
"Of course I do!" Connan followed Padmé and Anakin into the boy's small room.
"Come on, I'll show you 3PO." The boy said, a smile in his voice.
Anakin pulled the sheet off of a half-finished droid, who had no armor on, or shell of any kind.
"He's not finished yet. His name is C-3PO." Anakin explained.
"He's wonderful." Padmé marveled.
"Statement: Master, is he able to turn that thing on?" HK asked, coming into the room. Anakin beamed.
"He's a protocol droid, to help Mom. Watch." Anakin pressed a button on the droid's neck and it came to life.
The droid sat up, looking around with one eye lit and the other not.
"Oh—oh my! Where is everybody?"
"Oops!" Anakin found the other eye and attached it to the droid. The droid focused on Padmé.
"Oh, hello. I am C-3PO. Human-cyborg relations. How might I serve you?"
"Hysterical laughter: Bwa ha ha ha ha!" HK laughed wholeheartedly. "Addendum: Master, he's naked!"
R2-D2 beeped his agreement.
"He's perfect." Padmé was astonished.
"Oh, perfect." Repeated the droid.
"When the storm's over, I'll show you my racer. I'm building a Podracer." Anakin said to Padmé. 3PO got up off of the table and began walking on his fragile legs. R2-D2 beeped in amusement.
"Hey!" Connan called to him. "That's not nice!"
"Oh my. I'm not sure this floor is entirely stable." 3PO told himself. Connan snorted. 3PO looked at R2-D2. "Hello, I don't believe we have been introduced." R2-D2 beeped a little more in introduction. "R2-D2. A pleasure to meet you. I am C-3PO, human-cyborg relations."
R2-D2 began harping, beeping, and whistling. Connan slapped a hand to her mouth to keep from laughing.
"Agreement: I agree with the R2 unit, protocol droid. You are indeed naked."
"What do you mean, 'naked'?"
R2-D2 was beeping more and more as he explained what he meant.
"My parts are showing? My goodness! Oh!" Connan now had to laugh. She leaned against the wall and laughed hard.
"Look on the bright side," She told him. "At least the floor is stable."
-----
"Connan," Quai Gon called. "Obi Wan is paging us."
Connan nodded, getting up from the dinner table and heading onto the balcony with Quai Gon.
"They've sent a transmission telling the queen that her people are dying." Obi Wan explained.
"Yeah, it sounds like bait." Connan chided.
"To establish a connection trace." Quai Gon finished.
"But what if it's true, and the people are dying?" Obi Wan asked.
"Either way, we're running out of time." Quai Gon said.
"Check back in the morning unless we contact you first." Connan called before Quai Gon flipped off the transmitter. They sauntered back to the dinner table, sitting and smiling at Anakin, who was playing cards with Padmé.
"Sorry," Connan excused. "Had to take a call."
Connan's Precognition took her by surprise as she slipped off of the table, but Quai Gon dove under her and sat her up. Her eyes glazed over as yet another vision came to her.
The Sith Lord was walking with Darth Maul across Coruscant.
"Tatooine is sparsely populated." Darth Maul stated. Connan was surprised by the velvet in his voice, making all his words smooth and connected.
He sounded like a Zabrak.
"If the trace was correct, I will find them quickly, Master."
"Move against the Jedi, first. Especially that 'Connan Frai'. Once you have her in custody and the other two are out of the way you will have no trouble in taking the Queen to Naboo to sign the treaty." The Sith Lord snarled. Connan gasped. They wanted to capture her.
"At last we will reveal ourselves to the Jedi. At last we will have revenge." Maul stated. Sidious nodded.
"You have been well-trained, my young apprentice. They will be no match for you."
They didn't know Connan very well, did they? Connan crossed her arms and tried to spit at the men. She was thrown back from the vision.
Connan was laying on the floor with her head on Quai Gon's lap and a damp cloth on her forehead. She was sitting on a couch. She tried to sit up.
"Easy, now." Quai Gon set her back down. "That last one hit you harder than the last three. When you went down, you hit the corner of the table."
Connan groaned, feeling the pain in her temple grow into a pulsing ache.
"How long was I out?" She asked.
"A good hour. You've worried poor Anakin to death." Quai Gon chuckled. "He comes into the room every five standard minutes."
"I'm sorry." Connan apologized. "I hate this stupid Precognition."
"Yes, what did you see this time?" Quai Gon asked. Connan blanched. Quai Gon caught it. "It's something big, isn't it?"
"The Trade Federation knows we're here." No need to worry him about a Sith Lord and his apprentice. "We have about three days max until they get here."
Quai Gon sighed, resting his hand on Connan's head.
"Very well." He sighed. "Can you sit up?"
"Let me try." Connan pulled herself up, watching the world swirl around her, and leaned against the couch. After a minute the swirling stopped. "I can see now."
"Can you stand long enough to reach the table and eat something? They're having dinner right now." Quai Gon helped her stand and led her to the table.
"You're up!" Anakin stood. "Thank goodness! I was worried."
"Are you alright?" Padmé asked, pulling the seat out next to her left. On the other side sat Jar Jar, and at the front was the empty chair for Quai Gon.
"I'm fine. Go on with the conversation." She insisted. Shmi Skywalker nodded.
"All slaves have a transmitter placed inside their bodies somewhere." She explained.
"I've been working on a scanner to try and locate mine." Anakin boasted, beaming. Connan smiled weakly at her as she took a few pallies.
"Any attempt to escape—" Shmi started.
"And they blow you up!" Anakin made an exploding noise and banged on the table.
"How wude." Jar Jar insisted.
"I can't believe there's still slavery in the galaxy." Padmé stared at her plate. The Republic's antislavery laws—"
"The Republic doesn't exist out here. We must survive on our own." Shmi interrupted.
Jar Jar stuck his tongue out and snatched one of the pallies in the bowl up quickly. Everyone glanced at him. Connan gave him a nasty look.
"Xcuse me." He gulped.
"Has anybody ever seen a podrace?" Anakin hesitated before speaking.
"Is that the same thing as swoop racing?" Connan asked.
"Swoop racing is the old name for it, since they used swoop bikes." Anakin explained. "But this is racing with pods, which are much bigger than swoop bikes."
"They have podracing on Malastare. Very fast, very dangerous." Quai Gon answered.
"I'm the only human who can do it." Anakin bragged sheepishly.
"You must have Jedi reflexes if you race pods." Connan chided. About that time Jar Jar whipped his tongue out to snatch another pally. Connan and Quai Gon both seized his tongue before he could bring it back and held onto it.
"Don't do that again." They said at the same time. Jar Jar nodded and they let go.
Anakin stared at the table before speaking again.
"You two are Jedi Knights, aren't you?" He asked. Connan chuckled. Padmé glanced worriedly at her.
"Why would you think that?" She asked.
"I saw both of your laser swords." Anakin answered. "Only Jedi carry those kinds of weapons."
"Maybe we killed some Jedi, and took them from them." Quai Gon mused.
"I don't think so." Anakin battled. Connan sighed. "No one can kill a Jedi."
"Oh yeah? Tell that to Malak." Connan laughed.
"I had a dream I was a Jedi." Anakin started. "I came back here and freed all the slaves."
Connan and Quai Gon exchanged glances, knowing the next question.
"Have you come to free us?"
"No, I'm afraid not." Connan stared at her drink.
"I think you have. Why else would you be here?" The kid did have a point. No Jedi in their right mind would come here for anything. Except for a Star Map, possibly.
"I can see there's no fooling you Anakin." Quai Gon said. "We're on our way to Coruscant, the central system of the Republic, on a very important mission."
"How did you end up in the Outer Rim?" Anakin asked.
"A wrong turn and a leaky hyperdrive." Connan snarled, crossing her arms. "Remind me to tell Obi Wan that I'm driving next time."
"She means our ship is damaged, and we're stranded here until we can repair it." Padmé explained.
Anakin brightened. "I can help. I can fix anything!"
"Of course you can!" Connan bragged. "But first we need to get the parts we need."
"Wit no-nutten mula to trade." Jar Jar finished.
"These junk dealers must have a weakness of some kind." Padmé suggested.
"Gambling." Shmi answered. "Everything here revolves around those awful races."
"Podracing." Quai Gon murmured.
"Greed can be a powerful ally." Connan said.
"I built a racer. It's the fastest ever." Anakin pointed out. "There's a big race tomorrow on Boonta Eve. You could enter my pod."
"Anakin!" Shmi scolded. "Watto won't let you."
"Watto doesn't know I've built it!" Anakin countered. He pointed to Connan. "You could make him think it was yours and get him to let me pilot it for you."
"I don't want you to race. It's awful. I die every time Watto makes you do it." Shmi argued.
Connan glanced at Anakin with interest.
"But Mom, I love it." The boy sighed. "The prize money would more than pay for the parts they need."
"Anakin." His mother stressed.
"Your mother's right," Quai Gon insisted. "Is there anyone friendly to the Republic who can help us?"
"No." Shmi answered.
"Mom, you say the biggest problem in this universe is nobody helps each other." Anakin tried again.
"I'm sure Quai Gon doesn't want to put Ani in danger." Padmé explained. "We'll find some other way."
"No." Shmi said again. "There is no other way. I may not like it, but he can help you. He was meant to help you."
"So you're going to let me race?" Anakin asked. His mom nodded. "Alright! Tomorrow we'll go and set up the pod."
-----
Twenty pages folks! I'm on chapter seventeen and I've gone through 44 minutes and 15 seconds. Please review.
To Angela again: I'm sorry, but I can't mess with the plot so much as to not put them together. There'd be no Luke and Leia and Leia's awesome like that so I want to keep her and Padmé has to die and all that. I wish I could change it, but I have to keep it the same in this story. I'm sorry.
Please review!
