Pain.
Hatred.
Anger.
Fear.
As Anakin, these emotions made him unstable, off balance. Kept him from being the Jedi he should have been. It had alienated other Padawans, as they couldn't understand why he felt so deeply, so completely, that it consumed him from the inside out.
As Darth Vader those emotions that held him back now strengthened him. His self-hatred became a weapon that could be sharpened to a razor sharp edge. With those emotions he became one of the most feared men in the Galaxy.
But turns out just because those emotions were the only things he could feel for twenty years didn't mean the rest disappeared.
Like love.
Love for family, love for his son, the son that reminded him so much of his beautiful, kind wife who always saw the best in him.
And just like that, after twenty three years, Anakin let the rage go, pushed away the Dark side of the Force and embraced the light once more. He killed the man who strengthened and enslaved him in equal measures along with the rest of the Galaxy.
Of course, the price of that act was electrocution, which short-circuited his respiratory system that kept oxygen in his heavily damaged lungs. The slow painful death that he was inching towards ever since that battle on Mustafar with his brother in all but blood had finally come and he was okay with it.
Anakin was at peace.
He was in his beautiful, brave son's arms. He was the man his wife loved, the brother Obi-Wan and Ahsoka saw him as. The son his mother raised and that was everything to him in these final moments.
"Luke..." Anakin called out to his blonde son who looked ready to break down, "I am so very, very proud of you." His voice rasped as he used what little power of the Force he still had and removed his menacing black helmet, revealing pale chalk white, warped, and scarred skin.
"Father please don't go." Luke begged the man who simply smiled, once again Anakin used his powers to raise his mechanical hand to the tan boy's face and wiped away his teary cheek, "I can still save you, you just need to hang on a little longer." The older Skywalker laughed weakly.
"Oh my son, can't you see? You already have." Anakin told the blue eyed man that resembled him so much in his youth, "It's my time but don't worry, I will always be with you." He could see Luke's eyes shut tightly but the young man soon nodded.
"Goodbye father, I love you." Anakin smiled, a horrible sight for anyone other than his son.
"I love you too and tell your sister that you were right." Anakin felt his eyes close and accepted his fate, "You were right."
...
Anakin's eyes snapped open and took a deep breath, filling his undamaged lungs with as much air as they could possibly take. The young preteen fell to the ground and tried to cushion his fall with his hands.
The blonde quickly got to his knees and his bright blue eyes that shined like gems looked at his slightly muscular tan arms in astonishment, he quickly ran his fingers through his head and felt long silky hair that ended at his neck, "What the sith spit?" He muttered to himself and his eyes widened at how smooth, young and pain-free his voice sounded and felt.
"Ani?" The boy quickly twisted his body and looked at the worried filled frown at his long dead mother, Shmi. The short woman walked towards her son, whose eyes widened in horror and quickly moved away from her.
The brunette stopped in surprise and hurt at the action but she quickly hid it away, "Ani, what's wrong." Small tears seemed to gather at the boy's eyes as he looked towards the woman, he slowly got up to his feet only to immediately fall onto his knees. "Ani!" Shmi exclaimed in surprise and quickly walked over to the twelve year old and kneeled down next to him.
"What's wrong, my sweet boy?" The woman questioned as she felt his forehead, trying to see if he had a fever but stopped when a tight hold came over her wrist which then transferred over to her hand.
Shmi looked at her kneeling son who raised his head and saw her sweet, kind boy quietly sobbing.
"Oh Ani what's wrong?" She mumbled while pulling him into a tight hug that he returned.
"I'm sorry," The woman heard his quiet words, "I'm so sorry." He kept repeating those words over and over again.
"There's nothing to apologize for." Shmi tried to comfort her son but those words seemed to be the wrong thing to say as he sobbed harder into her.
"Mama? Big Bro?" A small feminine voice called out, Anakin's head whipped up and his eyes met with a girl with long, matted orange hair that was the color of the sky after the sun touched it.
Her eyes, colored like a clear blue sky so much like his own but he knew they were so much brighter, unweighted by his countless sins, "It's nothing Aurora, your brother just had a nightmare." The little girl's pale, oval face scrunched up and she walked up to her kneeling brother and hugged him tightly.
"It's okay, Ani." Aurora kissed his cheek and hugged him even tighter as he shook in her arms.
...
Anakin couldn't believe what was happening.
He was twelve years old and a slave. He had all his appendages, a full head of bright blonde hair that matched his son's.
But most importantly, his mom was alive and healthy, he had a little sister who was physically three years younger than him but so much brighter.
Anakin could feel the power in her, her connection to the Force was unquestioning, if he was like the sun then she was a supernova', blindingly bright and supremely powerful.
Anakin couldn't even hope to explain how this happened. He wondered, however briefly, that maybe all that had happened, all that he experienced, was just a dream.
A dream of a slave who wanted something, anything more and so he came up with a fantasy that he lost himself in when he slept.
Anakin felt young, truma that had weighed him down for most of his life felt lighter than ever before. His memories as a Jedi Knight and as Darth Vader weren't as powerful as they should be.
He also had bursts of unexplained joy and passion that only a child could have.
Anakin also had memories of this life that dominated in his mind, that felt more real, more concrete than anything else. Of caring and loving his sister, of races he had won and of Cliegg, the father to his step brother in another lifetime and the husband to his mother, that hung around the woman a little too much to be anything less than puppy love.
But the blonde knew too much. Anakin was too mature, his older memories, no matter how distant, too clear and consuming.
The boy could remember faces, names, whole languages that couldn't come from a dream. He could remember the first time he kissed Padmé, how soft her lips were, how smooth her skin felt.
And despite the pain lessening, it was still there, along with the hatred, and rage. These feelings couldn't come from dreams, his connection to the Force couldn't have come from a dream.
Anakin ran his fingers across his slightly tanned, peach colored face and looked at the reflection of his sky blue eyes, 'This isn't my past obviously. I didn't have a sister and I wasn't a slave at this age.' He thought to himself. 'So this isn't time travel. Somehow, someway, I traveled to an alternate timeline.' The boy concluded to himself.
"Ani." Shmi called from behind the bathroom door, "Honey, are you okay?" Anakin could hear the worry lacing her tone.
The blonde hearing the question truly thought about that and found that he kinda was.
Yes he was a slave again, yes he may never meet Obi-Wan, Padmé or Ashoka again and if he ever did then he would just be stranger to them but that was for the best.
He brought so much suffering to them. Darth Vader brought the Galaxy to its knees, he hurt so 'many' people. It was better that he was a slave, it was better that in this life, Qui-Gon Jinn never found him.
He could live a simple life, a life with his mother and cute little sister who loved him so very much, " Yeah mom, I'm fine." The preteen told the woman through the door and in that moment he truly believed those words.
...
Anakin's eyes narrowed slightly as he carefully rewired a droid that his Toydarian master, Watto, a child sized flying creature with dry, lizard-like dark blue skin, a small trunk and large tusks that protruded from his lower jaw, demanded him to do so.
He had slowly gotten accustomed to life as a slave once again. The first time the Toydarian commanded him to do something he felt indignation burn through him and immediately went for a Force Choke only to realize what he was about to do.
Anakin almost killed the alien on pure instinct, and if he actually succeeded then he could've gotten his mother and little sister shipped off to another, less kind master or killed from Slave traders who still had the remotes to their chips hidden somewhere in their bodies.
While Anakin knew where his chip was, he couldn't risk touching the Force for anything more than hiding his Force Presence from Force Sensitives, he couldn't be trusted with it after the countless atrocities he committed and without it, he couldn't turn off his tracer.
He never did find out where his mother's chip was located, never mind his sister, who didn't exist in his past life.
So Anakin gritted his teeth and did as it was commanded of him and slowly he found the, well he wouldn't say joy but slight tranquility of menial labor.
"
!" Anakin rolled his eyes at the Toydarian vulgar language and set down his tools before walking into the junk shop and immediately froze in astonishment, fear, love, guilt, and overwhelming happiness.
There in front of him was his wife. His beautiful wife with soft pale skin, an angular face with the warmest brown eyes he had ever seen. Her messy brown hair tied in a bun, the cutest mole on her left cheek and wearing a dirty blue shirt, several sizes too big but looked beautiful on her anyway.
He stared at the girl, she was a child who looked exactly the same as when he was nine.
She was an angel that he loved deeply and unapologetically.
Padmé was the ruler of a planet who saw maturity differently, who was an adult in Naboo Culture, in the Republic's eyes and he was twelve going on forty five and felt both his ages simultaneously.
She wasn't really his wife, he wasn't really the Anakin in his memories who married that woman and she was so beautiful.
'That means she's probably fourteen.' Anakin thought briefly as her warm brown eyes stared back into his own with confusion and the barest hint of heat coloring her cheeks at how intensely the young man was gazing at her.
"
!" Anakin eyes snapped over to his owner in slight rage as his time with his wife was interrupted.
"
." The creature flinched at the boy's tone and how dark his eyes were.
For the briefest moment Watto felt like he was going to die a horrible painful death but as quickly as it came it disappeared.
"
." Anakin bowed to the creature who looked at the preteen and nodded hesitantly as he guided what Anakin knew was a Jedi, probably Qui-Gon Jinn.
He looked back at his wi- at Padmé and refused to smile, refusing to show any emotion to the Queen pretending to be a servant. The boy looked at the other occupants of the store, Jar-Jar Binks, the clumsy purple Gangan, an aquatic species with fin-like flippers for ears and eye stocking and R2-D2, a white astromech droid with blue highlights.
"Hello Ma'am." Anakin nodded towards the love of his life who nodded back in greeting, "Is there anything I can help you with?" He questioned the Queen in hiding, trying desperately to remain level headed.
"Well..." Padmé began, trying to catch a glimpse of Qui-Gon Jinn before refocusing on the boy, "Just looking for spare parts for our ship." Anakin nodded and resisted the urge to fall into the warm brown eyes of Padmé, who stared at him like she was having the same problem.
"So care to give out your name?" He asked, trying desperately not to make this awkward.
"Padmé." She muttered and Anakin nodded before hearing a slight clash, remembering something similar happening so very long ago.
"Hit the nose." The slave told the Gangam and immediately closed his eyes at what he just did.
"How did-" Padmé asked the boy, which he quickly interrupted.
"Intuition." Anakin told the most beautiful creature in all the Galaxy who hesitantly nodded, not exactly believing the boy but not understanding why.
"Come, our business here is concluded." The long brown haired and bearded Qui-Gon told the group as he walked out of the store.
As the group left Padmé turned around, "I never got your name?" Anakin didn't turn around.
"You don't need it. It's not like we'll ever see each other again." He told the younger and more naive version of his lost love.
After a moment he heard her footsteps leave the junk shop and the young Skywalker sighed, 'It's for the best.' The boy thought to himself.
...
Padmé, walking beside the much taller Jedi Master, gnawing on her lip in thought, the boy who seemed close to her age looked at her with such deep emotion, like she hung the stars in the sky.
She thought she should feel uncomfortable but all she felt was flattered and a need to talk to the blonde again, to look at him one more time.
As the brunette looked back towards the junk shop, hoping to catch a glimpse of her newly founded crush, she only saw Jar-Jar being strangled by a sandy skinned Dug, a small long limbed creature with opposable thumbs on both his hands and feet and a slightly elongated mouth.
She ran towards the fight and threw the Dug from Jar-Jar, "Oh mesa thanks yousa so much!" The gangly humanoid hugged the young woman, who patted the larger alien on the back.
"
!" The dug raised himself on his hands and tried to punch the teenager with his feet, only for the action to be stopped before it could connect.
"Now that's not very nice." Qui-Gon stated with his hand raised using his connection to the Force to stop the violent alien, "Why don't you take a deep breath and walk away." The alien's eyes seem to grow hazy at the suggestion.
"
." The Dug repeated the Jedi's words before taking a deep breath and walking away.
"Come on, we must go back to the ship and come up with a different plan to gather up the parts we need to fix it." Qui-Gon stated calmly, Padmé nodded along with Jar-Jar.
...
Shmi sighed as she carried two large jugs of water and felt the wind start picking up, "Oh not again." She muttered and walked a little faster towards her home before running into a group of travelers with a robot rolling along with them.
"Hey! Wait." The tallest of the group turned to her in confusion, "You know a sand storm is coming right? It's dangerous to walk in the open. You could die." She warned the group of four.
"I think we can handle a little sand." Qui-Gon told the woman with a smile but she shook her head.
"Not if you don't have the proper clothing. Then the sand will scap against you, slowly peeling off your skin and from what I'm seeing none of you have the proper garments." The woman stated and after a moment the disguised Jedi nodded, a second later Padmé spoke up.
"Thank you for your warning but we don't have any shelter. Can you point us to any?" Shmi bit her lip in thought.
"Follow me, you can stay with me and my son until the storm passes." The bearded man nodded in thanks.
"Thank you, " Shmi smiled and she led the group to her home.
"Shmi Skywalker." The woman introduced herself.
"Qui-Gon Jinn."
"Mesa, Jar-Jar Binks."
"Padmé Naberrie and this is R2-D2." The girl lightly patted the astromech droid who beeped in reply.
Shmi nodded at each name, "It's nice to meet all of you." She smiled at the group.
...
Anakin covered his face as tightly as he could as he walked through the sandstorm towards his house. He could feel the small nicks across his hands but ignored them as he forced his way into his home, "Mom! Aurora! I'm home!" He exclaimed loudly.
"Anakin! I've met some people as I was gathering water, come introduce yourself." Anakin raised an eyebrow and for a brief moment considered that somehow, someway fate had happened twice and Padmé was in his home again but he quickly shook that absurd thought off.
From what he remembered they immediately went off to the ship after they couldn't afford those spare parts and they're ship was in the direction opposite of where his mother usually gathered water.
The Sith in retirement entered his kitchen and stared for a moment but soon realized that no, he wasn't dreaming, "So this is the son you've talked so much about." Shmi nodded in confirmation as Aurora waved at her brother with visible excitement, sitting at the opposite side of the table from the Jedi and Queen. "It is nice to meet you, Anakin." Qui-Gon left his seat and walked over to the young man and gave his hand in greeting.
Anakin looked at the taller man for a moment and his mind raced with hundreds of emotions but he gave his hand a firm shake.
"It is nice to meet you too, Master." Anakin coughed a moment later realizing his mistake, "Sir! It is nice to meet you too, sir." Qui-Gon raised an eyebrow at the blonde.
"Habit. I'm a slave." Qui-Gon's eyes widened and then he nodded in understanding.
"You're a slave?!" Padmé asked in horror and how Anakin wished he could sooth her anguish she must be feeling. He knew how much she hated slavery, hated it to her bones.
The boy also knew that she also must be kicking herself for acting the way she just did.
"Yes, all my life." 'in more ways than one.' Anakin thought to himself and tried not to smile at how small Padmé was trying to make herself.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you with my tone, it's just that The Republic outlaw slavery and..." Anakin failed his mission at smiling widely at the girl he loved so very much blabbering and even let out a small chuckle surprising her and everyone else in the room.
"It's fine Padmé, you didn't know." He comforted the girl who blushed at how soft his voice was, "So I'm assuming you had no nearby shelter to defend against the sandstorm and my mother offered you our house." He 'guessed' as he walked over to the woman who blushed at being seen through so easily by her son.
Anakin leaned down and kissed her on her cheek.
"Ani, are you a mind reader?" Aurora asked with awe and suspicion, as she bounced on her seat and the blonde laughed as he walked behind the little girl and kneeled down, attacking her with kisses to the cheek, "ANI! NO!" She tried pushing him away but her efforts were ignored.
The retired Sith Lord stood with a smile, "As long as you're here you may as well have something to drink. Now I'm assuming none of you have ever had Bantha milk?" The boy questioned but already knew the answer and immediately began pouring some blue colored milk, giving everyone a cup.
Padmé looked at the drink and hesitantly took a sip before he eyes widened, "This is delicious." Anakin smiled and looked as everyone else also began drinking the liquid.
"So may I ask, what do you do in that Junk shop?" Qui-Gon asked in curiosity, as he sipped his drink.
"Well I'm good with electronics and mechanics, so I mostly just repair old Droids or equipment that Watto acquires, sometimes I fix up ships for some of Watto's acquaintances." He explained and Padmé's interest increased.
"What kind of ships have you fixed?" The girl asked.
"Podracers, Skyhoppers, A-wings." Anakin listed a few ships off the top of his head.
"Wow, that's amazing but I've never heard of ships called podracers?" Anakin nodded in understanding.
"You wouldn't. Podracing is outlawed in the middle and inner rims, it's extremely dangerous." Shmi nodded at her son's words and then gave the blonde a look only a mother could give.
"Yes, it's extremely dangerous and yet you continue to race with those horrible people." Anakin rolled his eyes before he could stop himself.
"But Mama, big brother is awesome! It looks so fun!" Aurora exclaimed, she looked at her older brother, "You should definitely le-"
"The lessons I give you are enough for now, Aurora." Anakin interrupted his younger sister and the young girl pouted.
"You race." Padmé asked with a tilt of her head.
"Yes for… almost as long as I've been a slave." Anakin told her and the rest of the group, "Watto is a betting man and has forced me to fly in a few races to try and win some extra peggats, turns out I actually like racing, so I usually volunteer even when Watto hasn't said anything. I've actually won a podrace once or twice but those come far and in-between, I've usually only come in second or third place." The boy explained, never straying away from Padmé's eyes, finally giving in to his desires.
"You must have the reflexes of a Jedi." Qui-Gon spoke with a smile, "I know how difficult those races can be, you must be an incredibly gifted flyer." Anakin smiled at the man.
"Thank you Mas- Sir." He nodded his head towards the Jedi, who easily ignored the slip of the tongue.
"You know when Ani was a young boy he had dreams of becoming a Jedi." Shmi stated and the blonde internally froze, "He would dream every night of wielding a laser sword."
" "Lightsaber." " Anakin and the Jedi corrected the woman, who laughed at how their faces twisted at her saying laser sword while Padmé and Aurora giggled slightly.
"Yes, a Lightsaber." The woman nodded with an amused smile, "He used to talk my ear off every morning about these little adventures, it was the cutest thing." Qui-Gon looked at the boy who seemed to be avoiding eye contact with him.
"When did these dreams stop?" He asked with curiosity and intrigue.
"I don't think they have." Shmi stated as she looked at her son who lightly smiled at her.
"No, they have. I haven't dreamed of becoming a Jedi in a long time and even if I could, I would never leave you mom." The older slave sadly smiled at her son, "I would have to be a monster to just go off and leave the two of you behind as slaves." Qui-Gon frowned at those words feeling something off but was unsure of what.
The brunette felt the Force try to tell him something, almost screaming at him to listen to the young boy's words.
...
Padmé was having trouble sleeping, feeling incredibly too hot to even attempt such a task. She looked over to the sleeping Jedi and wondered how he could so easily find rest.
The girl stared silently at the ceiling and thought back to the younger boy. He seemed so cold in the junkyard, yet he was also warm.
It was a contradiction she would love to unravel.
Padmé thought that maybe she could have looked like someone the boy knew and was uncomfortable even gazing at during their initial meeting but then why was he so different when they met again?
She would think he would grow even more cold with the way she made an ass of herself after he revealed his slave status but he just smiled and laughed it away. He was so understanding about it and she knew most people would have hated her on principle with the way her tone sounded.
It could be because he was trying to be professional, it was his place of work after all but all she could think about was how passionate his eyes were.
'His eyes!' Padmé internally screamed with a frown, 'Why are they so bright and, and, beautiful!' She questioned herself. 'A boy's eyes shouldn't be beautiful.' The teen began to hear a whining noise of some kind, after a few minutes of it she decided to see what it was.
She slowly got up and walked towards the noise, passing the dining room and entering a hallway. After a moment she stood in front of a doorway where she saw Anakin sitting over a droid of some kind.
The girl watched the blonde work for what felt like hours, "You can come in." Padmé's eyes widened, a small blush colored her cheeks at being caught spying but she entered the room regardless.
Anakin seemed to make a few more adjustments before sitting down his tools and taking off his goggles before turning around and greeting her, "Hello Padmé." the girl blushed a little harder at the way he said her name but ignored it.
"What are you working on?" She asked and the blonde waved her over to see. After a moment of indecision she stood next to the boy and saw a naked protocol droid.
"His name is C-3PO." Anakin Introduced the robot to the girl with a small smile, "I was making him so he could help my mom around the house. I would turn him on for you but he's a little loud." He told the fair skinned young woman who smiled. "So what are you doing up so late?" Padmé sighed in slight embarrassment.
"I couldn't sleep, it's a little too hot." The slave nodded in understanding but he also knew that wasn't the whole problem.
"That's not all, is it?" He stated and Padmé looked at him for a moment and nodded.
"My planet... it's in trouble and the Jedi are escorting my Queen to Coruscant to try and gain aid from the Senate but our ship is in need of repair, we can't seem to get the parts to fix it." She explained, sitting down and the edge on what she assumed was the boy's bed.
"I'm just... worried. I'm worried what will happen if the Senate denies my Queen and my planet is left to fend for itself, I'm worried what she'll have to do, who she'll have to become to help our people." Padmé's face twisted in worry but Anakin shook his head.
"Padmé... life is hard and no matter how much we wish it wasn't, no matter how much we wish that all we have to do is get that one vote or get that one decision right then all our problems will disappear, they won't." The brunette looked confused at the boy who sighed and ruffled his hair.
"We are the people we chose to be. It doesn't matter the reasons we make our choices, all that matters 'is' the choices. That's what defines us. I know you're a good person, a kind one. Don't sacrifice that for a problem that may just need a little more time, a little more patience in solving because trust me, you'll make a sacrifice, then you make another and another until you can't recognize the person you are anymore. Until you're no longer a good and kind person but an empty shell who regrets every decision they've ever made." Padmé looked at the boy in consideration who seemed to be holding back a wave of emotion.
Anakin took in a shaky breath but spoke again, "Listen Padmé, I know your Queen will make the right decision but just remind her that her people love her for a reason, that they voted for her for a reason, that you follow her for a reason and if she sacrifices a part of herself, even in service to her people then she is no longer the person they voted and put they faith into." The girl thought about his words for a long moment.
"I suppose you're right but what is she to do then if the Senate says no? She can't just abandon her people." She asked in worry and confusion.
"Why would the Senate say no, if she has proof that your planet is in danger then there is no logical reason for them to deny your request for aid." Padmé bit her lip and Anakin narrowed his eyes at the familiar action, remembering how there was no aid the last time.
"You don't have poof?" Anakin spoke with surprise, how had he never known that? He simply assumed that Palpatine had something to do with the Senate abandonment of Naboo, "Well then you would need witness statements from a trusted third party, the Jedi would do well to convince them." Padmé felt hope blossom in her chest before crushing it down.
"It is not that easy Anakin, the Senate can be slow acting, even with all the proof in the world it could take weeks, maybe even months for an investigation and aid." The brunette looked down in sadness.
Anakin paused at the palpable sadness, he might as well offer the solution that saved the planet, if only to relieve the pressure his sweet wife was under, "If that does not work then join forces with Gungans, they share the planet, they are in as much danger as your people are and despite how Jar-Jar acts they are a species of Warriors." Padmé's eyes widened in astonishment and a moment later she rocketed herself onto the boy who froze at the contact.
"Thank you so much Anakin! I can't believe I didn't think of that." The blonde took a moment but slowly wrapped his arms around the petite girl and they stayed like that for a few moments before they separated, each sporting tiny blushes, "I'm feeling much better now Ani, so I'm going to try and sleep. I hope you have a goodnight." The girl lightly waved as she walked out his room.
Anakin closed his eyes and lightly rubbed them, he couldn't believe he actually did that. He wanted Padmé to truly have a chance to help her planet as soon as possible and he knew what happened in his last life wasn't a real guarantee that it could happen here, their chances lowering by every minute.
He also wanted to delay Palpatine's rise to power, he knew he would become Supreme Chancellor because of this incident, he wasn't sure how but if he could somehow slow his rise of power with his advice then this was his moment to try.
Anakin knew if his half baked plan worked it really wouldn't stop him. Palpatine was just too smart, too charismatic, and politically savvy to not rise into more power but he could at least delay it however slightly.
He was also going to help Padmé get off this dirt ball as fast as possible because despite his grievances he knew he couldn't not help her.
She was the love of his past life.
She was the love in this life as well, he knew it.
...
Qui-Gon sat across from the second oldest Skywalker with the 'handmaiden' as Anakin told them his plan to enter his Podracer into the annual Boonta Eve classic. If they bet on him against Watto and he won then they get whatever parts they needed to fix their ship, "It's a good plan but are you sure you can win?" The boy stared at the man with determination he hardly saw in most Jedi.
"Absolutely." Anakin reassured the man and the older Jedi nodded.
"Then let's get to work, I'll go talk to Watto." Qui-Gon told the group and immediately left the Skywalker home.
...
Anakin scowled at his podracer, he already made several improvements to the junker during the few months he had been here but he wasn't at all in a hurry. Now he had a week to get this hunk of junk operational and ready to fly.
'Well if I could do it at nine I'm sure at forty five it won't be a problem.' The slave removed his tunic revealing his bare torso and immediately began working on the turbines, re-wiring both of them not noticing the googly eyes Padmé was giving him as she watched him work.
After Anakin made sure that when he started this thing up at the beginning of the race there would be no delay which had taken him several hours to finish, "Hey Ani, your mom told me that dinner is ready." Padmé called to the boy who sighed, looking over his half finished work but nodded.
He ran over to the girl, grabbing his discarded, dirty tunic off the sand, "Can you tell mom I'm going to take a bath first?" The Queen nodded, trying to ignore his bare chest.
The next day he added another fuel component he 'borrowed' from Watto that he exclusively connected to the boost meter that would give him a major burst in speed for a longer period of time, by the time he entered the final stretch it would practically be impossible for anyone to catch up to him.
"Anakin!" The blonde turned from his work and saw several children running towards him that were this universe version of his old slave friends, "Where have you been? Aurora won't say anything and you haven't played with us in forever!" A dark skinned boy with raven hair told the older blonde.
"Sorry guys, I've been working on my podracer to enter the Boonta eve classic." The six kids' eyes widened in awe, "I told Aurora to keep the news to herself, sorry."
"Really?" The dark skinned boy asked in slight doubt but Anakin simply smiled.
"Yeah, Kitster." The dark eyed boy looked at the podracer and saw Padmé sitting near the ship looking at them. After a moment he realized she wasn't actually looking at all of them, just Anakin.
"Are you doing this to impress your girlfriend~?" He tried teasing the older boy as Padmé herself blushed at the implication but Anakin simply rolled his eyes and tousled the boy's hair.
"She is simply a good friend now get out of here you
. "The older slave whipped his rag at the three children and they ran away laughing.
Anakin quickly went back to work but saw the uncertain look on Padmé's face, "I'm sorry if they made you feel uncomfortable." He apologized to the brunette who quickly shook her head and hesitantly walked over to him.
"No, they didn't." She reassured the blonde who nodded, "You seem really good with kids." The girl muttered before biting her lower lip in thought.
"Thank you. They are slaves like me but they've managed to keep their naivety and kind hearts." Anakin simply said and Padmé in a moment of teenager bravery took his hand.
"Your heart seems incredibly kind to me." The blonde blushed at her words and blushed brighter when he saw the look of want in her eyes but with a fortifying breath, he simply squeezed her hand and pulled away.
"Thank you." Anakin muttered before going back to the podracer, spending the rest of the day reworking both engines to make it run slightly smoother and spent the rest of the week simply making little improvements to the entire racer. Fixing patch work that his twelve year old self did which was simply horrendous and replaced fried wiring he missed and checked the monitor.
During that time, Anakin struggled to maintain any real distance from Padmé, it was obvious, at least to the girl, that he was trying to stop any relationship between them despite how much both seemingly wanted one, keeping an almost zealous focus on making sure the podracer was running at top efficiency.
Anakin, unsurprisingly, failed spectacularly.
By the time the boy was done, Anakin knew, even without the Force, it would be impossible not to win the race.
...
Qui-Gon stood beside Shmi as she looked over her tirelessly working son, "Your son is truly amazing. I've seen the work he's doing and it's art. Pure and simple." Shmi smiled at the bearded man.
"Yes, my little Anakin has always been good with mechanics. I've tried so hard to give him and Aurora a proper education, to nurture their love for learning. They've had some bumps along the road but he truly is a bright young man." The Jedi nodded in agreement, "And my little girl is getting there herself."
"They both are also incredibly kind." The man added, "He gives without asking for anything in return." Qui-Gon let out a sigh. "He even seems to have won the heart of Padmé with very little effort." Shmi smiles seem to fade slightly.
"Aurora has her own kind of light, the days seem a little less dark with her around."
"Yes, you and your friend seem to bring out another side of my Ani. He's always been a good boy but he'd seemed to have lost his spark somewhere along the way but now…" Her face stretched into a grin, "It seems to have doubled! Truefully it's almost blinding." She looked at her companion with tears. "Thank you." Qui-Gon nodded before a complicated look formed on his face.
"I, I can feel something special from Aurora, she can feel things from others, comfort them about their insecurities and Anakin, his dreams, his quick reflexes, he can see things before they can happen, their all Jedi traits." The man began, "It is odd that I don't feel the Force around him as I do his sister but that may be because he is simply not as gifted in that area. If they had been born under the Republic we would have identified them earlier. If I may ask, who was their father?"
Shimi gave a sigh, "I rather not talk about it." The lines of her face were harsh and filled with shame. "Ca- can you help them?" The Jedi looked at the woman with sadness.
"I don't know." The man admitted truefully, "Anakin is… he is too old and The council would never accept him but Aurora, there is a chance for her." Shimi silently cried as Qui-Gon looked on with regret on his face.
...
Anakin and the group entered the hanger room where all the racers waited and made final adjustments to their pods, "Oh, Master Anakin I can't thank you enough for waking me up." C-3PO, the service droid he had been working on spoke, now shelled in dull black metal.
"It's no problem 3PO. I've been meaning to activate you for a while but I thought you appreciate being fully covered before then." The Droid nodded with full agreement.
"I am!" Anakin smiled at the blunt statement and walked with the slightly taller girl towards the lonely standing Qui-Gon.
They walked past several other competitors and Padmé saw the Dug that almost killed Jar-Jar being waited on hand on foot by blue skinned servants.
Anakin, seeing her gaze scowled, "I see you've met Sebulba." Padmé turned her gaze towards the blonde. "He's probably one of the best Podracers on the whole planet. He's won almost every race he's been a part of." The girl swallowed roughly at the fact.
Anakin, seeing her distraught, rubbed her shoulder slightly, "Don't worry, I will win and get the parts we need for your ship." He spoke softly, calming her down.
Padmé gave a soft smile to the boy, "Thank you." Anakin gave his own smile and released her shoulder.
"You're welcome." The hidden Queen wanted to reach out for him as he began walking away but stayed silent.
Anakin took a look around and spotted Qui-Gon talking with Watto, he silently walked over, neither of them noticing him.
"You really are a sucker, Jedi." Watto crossed his arm with a disgusting smirk, "By the time this race is over Sebulba will have won as always and that royal ship will be mine." The man looked unconcerned, a bland smile etched onto his face. "I have bet everything on him!"
"Then how about we make another bet Watto? if Sebulba wins you take the Podracer..." Watto's eyes widened and filled with greed," But if Anakin wins then he, his sister, and his mother are free." Watto scoffed at the ridiculous offer.
"No podracer is worth three slaves." Watto stated firmly and for a moment Qui-Gon's face twisted.
Qui-Gon closed his eyes and came up with an idea, "Then I'll add this to the bet." His hand unclipped his lightsaber from his waist and showed it to the greedy Toydarian, who began drooling.
"Activate it." The junk dealer demanded and Qui-Gon complied, turning on the weapon and revealing an emerald green plasma cylinder blade, " No other shop on this planet, in the entire Outer-Rim, has a Lightsaber..." Watto softly muttered. "Deal!" The Toydarian raised his hand and Qui-Gon deactivated the weapon before shaking hands with the greedy creature.
As he turned around, he saw Anakin looking at him with disbelief, "What did you just do?" The boy asked, his presence barely felt. "A lightsaber is a Jedi's life and you, you, used it as a betting chip." His voice climbed in insidiousness, he looked at the man in wonder.
"Why?" The slave asked.
Qui-Gon licked his lips, "Because you helped us and I've come to care a great deal about you, your sister, and your mother. You three deserve to be free." Anaki stared at the Jedi and perfectly bowed ninety degrees.
"Thank you Master Qui-Gon." The man waved him off.
"You are no Padawan and soon, you will be no slave." Qui-Gon told the boy who looked up at him with bright blue eyes, "There is no need to call me Master." Anakin nodded before adding something.
"My sister, you're going to take her aren't you?" The Jedi's face remained perfectly still, surprised at the boy's intuition, "Train her well please, promise me you won't treat her as you would a normal Padawan, it's too late for that. Train her as a daughter, as a loved one, please." Qui-Gon paused before giving the preteen a small smile and a nod.
With his promise, Anakin felt secure in his sister's future and walked away.
The blonde somehow felt content and heartbroken at the same time.
...
Anakin dragged his podracer towards its designated spot, "
!" Sebulba cackled, walking around the boy with a cruel smirk. "
." Anakin rolled his eyes as the Dug walked away.
"
." The Ex-Sith murmured and closed his eyes, trying to banish old memories.
The boy climbed into the podracer and focused his breathing, 'In, out, in, out.' Anakin thought to himself, focusing on the race and ignoring the energy around him.
As he began floating, he ignored the cheering crowd and the announcers, as the bell rang Anakin shot across the sky, already ahead for half the racers.
"Whoa! Ani looks like a blur!" Aurora exclaimed with excitement.
Padmé's own eyes widened, she always had her doubts about this plan but for some reason she wanted to put her faith in the blonde and it seemed to be paying off.
"GO! ANI!" Her voice was lost in the crowd of roars but it didn't matter to her, she knew her support could be felt.
Anakin with experience beyond his years zigzags between ships, avoiding them all as if he was truly connected to the Force, it wasn't long before he was firmly in first place.
He ignored the shot taken at him from those dirty Tusken Raiders and he soon passed through the starting line and started his second lap, "Skywalker is blowing the competition away! His Podrscer may look like dungshit but it runs like a dream!" The slave rolled his eyes at the backhanded compliment and focused on the goal at hand.
…
Unsurprisingly, Anakin won the race quite easily, with his thirty three years of flying and engineering, it was practically guaranteed he would win.
Shimi burst into tears when Qui-Gon told her that not only her daughter was freed but so was her son and herself. It was a dream come true, the three Skywalkers hugged tightly.
The older woman looked towards the Jedi Master with a large smile who gave a grin of his own, "Thank you." She let her children go and leapt into the bearded man's arms.
Aurora followed her mother's example a moment after.
As the two girls separated from the Jedi, Shimi looked at her children, "Does this mean..?" She left the question hanging.
Qui-Gon nodded and looked towards the auburn haired girl and kneeled, " Aurora, would you like to become a Jedi?" The former slave's face lit up before casting a look at her brother who simply gave her a wink.
"I… Yes! I would like that very much." Qui-Gon nodded, before turning towards the older Skywalkers.
"You two are welcome to come with us to Coruscant, I can help find you some lodging and you can keep in contact with Aurora as she trains." Anakin smiled and looked towards his mother who gave a hestaint shake of her head.
Aurora looked devastated and Shmi quickly kneeled down, hugging her daughter tightly, "Your destiny is not with me little one, you have much greater things ahead of you. This planet, this planet is my home, it has not always been the nicest home but It is mine neither the less, I have friends who I love and Cliegg who loves me with all his heart." Aurora cried deeply on her mother's shoulder, "I love you Aurora and I will come visit, i'll always be your mother no matter the distance."
"I love you too, Mommy." The orange haired girl spoke softly, the girl looked at her brother pleadingly and Anakin simply gave a smile.
"Of course, I'm coming." The youngest Skywalker gave a sigh of relief and rushed into her big brother's arms, who lifted her up easily and hugged her tightly.
…
Anakin sighed as he packed two travel bags full of spare clothes for him and his sister, his thoughts surrounding his past life.
From what he observed, events were going exactly as they had last time, with the notable exception that he was older, he had a sister who would become a Jedi in his stead, along with the fact his mother was freed.
So if the pattern continued, 'Qui-Gon will die, that can not happen. Obi-Wan is not ready to be a Master to a Padawan but most importantly, Qui-Gon deserves a long and happy life.' Anakin thought with a smile on his face, 'If I face Darth Maul I will most likely die but I will take him with me and my sister will have the life I so desperately needed. With Qui-Gon and mother, she will never fall to the Dark Side.'
The Ex-Sith was at peace with his decision, 'I can't face him at the ship, there are too many factors to consider, too many things could go wrong. The best bet is at Naboo when he ambushes Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan.'
...
As soon as Qui-Gon spoke about a dark presence behind them and approaching fast, Anakin picked up Aurora and ran towards the Nubian starship. He considered for a moment to enhance his speed but felt it was too risky and simply pushed his body to its absolute limit.
It wasn't long until the ship came into view, Anakin rushing in, as his pulsing heart slowed down he dropped Aurora and began wheezing, the orange haired girl ran out of his sight and towards the control room.
A moment later the royal ship ascended.
"Aghph!" Anakin hacked, his lungs burning along with his legs, 'Oh Borked! I'm out of shape!' The preteen thought as he dropped on his ass while Qui-Gon jumped into the ship a moment later and forcibly closed the door with a hand gesture.
"Get us out of here!" A moment later the royal starship floated into the air and began flying away from the dirt planet with two suns.
The Jedi looked at Anakin and smiled brightly, "You are a lot faster than you look." The boy smiled and gave a chuckle before freezing at the familiar hand resting on his shoulder.
Looking up, he saw Padmé crouch down with a worried look across her face.
The blonde rested his own hand on top of her's, "I'm fine." The brunette gave a small sigh before blushing as she saw his eyes roam her figure. "Orange looks good on you." Anakin smiled roguishly, Padmé cheeks burned brightly at his comment and removed her hand from his.
"Wait, help me up." The boy said, causing Qui-Gon to chuckle and Padmé to roll her eyes with a breathless laugh of her own.
She offered her hand which he gladly accepted.
As the boy stood up, his arrogant, yet oddly attractive smile returned, "Seriously though, you look like an Angel." The hidden Queen gave the preteen a confused look and Anakin leaned forward and whispered into her ear. "They are the most beautiful creatures in the galaxy." Padmé's whole face turned red and she quickly looked away.
"I hate you." She muttered to herself.
"No, you don't." Anakin easily rebutted, 'Huh, it's a lot easier to express my feelings when I'm going to die.' His smile never wavered from his face.
…
It was at most a day or so until the Nubian starship entered Naboo air space, as he remembered, their presence was detected but that would work to their advantage later.
Anakin carried Aurora in his arms and walked beside Padmé off the starship, Qui-Gon Jinn and his Padawan, Anakin's old Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi, a twenty five year old man with light ginger hair, a smooth face and bluish-green eyes, walked behind them.
Both of the men were wearing the typical Jedi clothing, light beige under-tunics, tunics, tabards, obi, and a brown leather belt that matched their pants, boots and hooded cloaks.
The group landed in a forest area of Naboo, Jar-Jar quickly led the small group towards a lake which the two Jedi recognized.
Surprising everyone but Anakin, the Gungan's were seemingly evacuating dozens of the amphibious species from the body of water.
It took less than a second for the group to be surrounded by what they assumed were soldiers, spears directed at vulnerable parts of their bodies.
"Jar-Jar Binks,what esa meaning of this?" Rugor Nass, a plump, heavily built green skinned Gungan, wearing dark red royal robes and a dark cone crown, spoke with a clear edge in his voice, as he sat on a Kaddu, a two legged repta-vian creature that stood over six foot.
The white face false Queen stood proud, wearing a colorful Naboo royal dress of red and brown with a crown to match, "I am Queen Amidala and I come in peace." Her tone was bare of any emotion, yet still strong.
"Ah," the Rugor eyes lit with recognition before falling in a small sneer, "the Naboo people, yousa bring war to the planet, yousa think you betta than us. Yousa people all born bad." The fake Queen's face never even twitched at the insult.
"We have sear-" Padmé stepped forward in front of the actor who looked surprised for a moment but said nothing, she wore a maroon red dress that, in Anakin's opinion, made her look fierce.
"Your Honor." Anakin winced slightly at how dead his wif- Ex-wif- Padmé's voice was, he always hated how passionless she sounded when talking to others as Senator, "I am Queen Amidala," She turned towards the false Queen with a pound glint in her eyes, ignoring the gasp from the crew men. "This is my decoy, my protection. My loyal bodyguard." She turned back and apologized.
"I am sorry for the deception but it was necessary to protect myself but I can't, in good conscience, stand aside and let my protector talk of peace. That is my job, one I take with the utmost seriousness." The green royal Gungan simply nodded and the true Queen continued, "I know we have not always agreed what was best for the planet but our two great societies have always lived in peace… until the Trade Federation invaded our planet and destroyed all that we have worked so hard to build." Some passion entered Padmé's voice as the impromptu speech continued, "If we do not act with great haste all will be lost, so I ask you to help us…"
The girl dropped to her knees and a second later Anakin bent his own, the rest of the group followed moments later, "No, I beg you to help us. We are your humble servants." The true Queen bowed her head and waited for his judgment.
Rugor Nass hummed in thought, rubbing his chin before he began laughing, "Yousa no tinken yousa greater den da Gungans? Mesa like dis. Maybe wesa… bein' friends." The surrounding Gungans lowered their spears and cheered, it wasn't long before the Naboo cheered along their new allies.
…
It didn't take long for a plan to be made but minutes before it was set into motion Padmé led Anakin away from the group into a more private area, "Ani, I'm so-" The blonde interrupted the Queen with a light kiss, surprising the Naboo ruler who deepened it almost immediately.
"You are forgiven a hundred times over." Anakin muttered as he pulled away, leaning his forehead against her own.
"I'm so, so glad I met you, Anakin Skywalker." The cute as a button brunette spoke softly with what Anakin recognized as love.
'I'm going to break her heart, aren't I?' The former slave almost cried at the thought, she barely knew him but just like last time, she fell as hard for him as he did for her, 'This is for the best, I know it is.' Before she could see his tears, he leaned forward and kissed her again.
"I'm so in love with you," Padmé spoke breathlessly, "I never thought I could love anyone as much as I love you." Their lips almost touched again after her declaration.
"I am desperately, unapologetically, hopelessly In love with you too." The brunette smiled brightly at his words and leaned down to peck his lips before separating.
The two joined back with the rest of the group and the plan began, the human group started their track to the Palace as the Gungan distracted the massive droid army.
Anakin stuck close to Aurora while Padmé and the two Jedi led the group into the Palace's ship hangar where the B1- series battle droids of the Trade Federation were patrolling. As they began shooting, Anakin led Aurora to an abandoned yellow N-1 starfighter and stuck her inside, R2 following behind her.
Anakin knew the Jedi council would never let his little sister in, as they wouldn't with him.
It was a combination of factors that led them to changing their mind, his incredibly high Force Potential, Qui-Gon dying wish, and the amount of clout and support he obtained after destroying the Vuutan Palaa, ending the Trade Federation ground support.
Aurora, who wouldn't have his fear that made him a bad Jedi prospect could get the Council to support her if she gained the clout from destroying the Vuutan, "Aurora, close your eyes." The orange haired girl looking around the battle between her new friends and the droids.
"Close your eyes, Aurora." The young girl bit her lip, she could hear the seriousness in his voice and hesitantly listened, "You're a special little girl, maybe the most special little girl in the Galaxy and I need you to tap into that specialness. I need you to feel it around you, the energy that constantly flutters through your body, that tells you when someone is feeling sad or lonely or in pain, I need you to listen extra carefully today. I need you to listen to everything it says like it's your big brother." Aurora almost opened her eyes in shock but Anakin put a firm hand over them. "If you do that, I promise you will be a Jedi."
The youngest Skywalker gave a shaky nod, "Okay, Ani." The boy smiled and gave a gentle kiss on the crown of her head before dropping to the floor and quickly hiding behind a crate close to where Darth Maul would enter from.
As the minutes passed, the group of fighters destroyed the last bots and began heading towards the closest route towards the throne room, where the masterminds behind this whole invasion should be.
Anakin took several deep breaths, fortifying himself as the group of fighters came closer to the metal double doors.
A couple feet away they suddenly opened, revealing a black clothed Darth Maul, a Dathomirian with red and black skin and a crown of horns.
His eyes were a sickly yellow common in those powerful in the Dark side, "We'll handle this." Qui-Gon stated, Obi-Wan by his side.
"We'll take the long way." The Naboo fighters got out of the Jedi way, fleeing towards a safer alternative to the throne room.
As the three fighters began to remove their robes in preparation to duel, Anakin stepped away from the large crate and for the first time since appearing in this timeline, dropped his Force Stealth gaining the shocked attention of the three Force Sensitives, it soon turned into awe as the blonde immersed himself in the power of the universe.
"Ani?" Qui-Gon looked in awe at the boy, he felt like he was only standing several feet away from a blue star.
With raised hands he pushed the two Jedi towards the Naboo's, gaining their attention while calling Darth Maul's double-bladed lightsaber.
The Sith apprentice, barely catching his wits from being exposed to the most powerful Force signature he ever felt in his life, used his own power to stop the weapon from fully reaching the boy.
During their struggle, Aurora following her brother's advice, listened to the energy that she knew all her life and without knowing it, turned on the starfighter, piloting it as if she had done so all her life.
Padmé and one of her servants helped the two Jedi up as they all watched the Ex-slave fight for dominance over a floating handle, "I… I don't understand what's happening." She muttered in shock.
"Neither do I." Qui-Gon responded back, the two Jedi reached for their Lightsablers and ignited them, ready to stop the boy for what was obviously a suicide attempt but Droidekas, Destroyer Droids with advanced mobility and defense, rolled into the scene before standing up with shield generators active around them.
But before they could start firing they were blasted away by a starfighter, piloted by Aurora, which then flew out of the hangar to who knows where, "What is with these children?" Obi-Wan muttered in shock as he could feel the Force warmly hug her as if she was its child.
At the exact same time, Anakin broke the weapon into two fully functional Lightsabers, he thought for a moment to just try and break the weapon completely but knew how big of an explosion that could cause if he didn't do it right.
As one half of the double-bladed weapon flew into his right hand, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan rushed towards them only to be stopped by a Force Barrier, "What?" The Padawan muttered in shock as his hands laid against the wall of energy, spanning across and separating the two parts of the room.
Padmé looked in dismay as the two Jedi pushed against an invisible force that Anakin seemingly erected.
Turning towards her waiting people who stood ready to receive orders, she did what a Queen would do no matter how much it hurt, "Let's go!" She exclaimed, pointing towards the now empty path, to the liberation of their planet.
Anakin ignoring the two yelling Jedi, ignited his newly acquired weapon, holding in a flinch as the ruby red color slid out.
With shaky palms, the boy lowered his left hand, concentrating on keeping the barrier up and held the Lightsaber with both palms firmly.
Darth Maul looked at the preteen with burning anger and like an animal, attacked with fury.
…
On Coruscant, the Capital of the Galaxy every Force Sensitive, mostly the Jedi as their temple was stationed there, felt a shift in the Force. A feeling of holy reverence filled every Jedi Master, Knight, Padawan, and Learner.
It was hot and uncomfortable and powerful.
"The Force, singing it is." Yoda, a two foot and two inch green gremlin muttered in wonder, his amber eyes staring out into space as if he could see the buzzing energy, "The Chosen one has revealed themselves, they have." The Grandmaster of the Jedi Order muttered to himself.
…
On the same planet, the Senator of Naboo and the Would-be-Emperor of the galaxy, Sheev Palpatine looked outwards towards the city, his baby blue eyes unfocused as he was still reeling from the strongest Force Presence he had ever felt, "I need them. I shall have them." The Senator muttered to himself with steel in his voice.
…
Anakin easily brought his weapon to the side of his face in defense, blocking Maul's horizontal slash. The blonde quickly parried the plasma blade from the much taller, wider, and muscular Sith apprentice and stepped into the Dathomirian's space, trying to take his arm off from the armpit.
Darth Maul quickly twirled his saber down, stopping the attack and violently thrusted, trying and failing to pierce the preteen through the skull.
Anakin ducked before quickly retaliating with an underhand diagonal strike which was stopped cold. As the two lightsabers bounced off each other, the preteen allowed himself to spin and slash across Maul's stomach.
The Sith Apprentice blocked and retaliated with an overhand slash to the boy's head, Anakin raised his own weapon to stop the attack and side stepped before giving his lightsaber a twirl and slashed hashly down at the Dark side user's wrist.
The horned man jerked his body back catching the attack with his plasma blade and wretched it up, exposing Anakin's stomach. With a violent twist of the Sith's wrist, he performed a horizontal slash towards the vulnerable area.
Anakin, aided by the Force, somersaults over Maul and slashes towards his enemy's exposed waist, only for the older man to defend his back by quickly flipping his lightsaber in a reverse grip.
The Sith quickly turns to face the blonde again, their blades still in contact with one another. A second later Maul leapt away, gaining distance between him and Anakin, he then reached behind him and a crate lifted high in the air, flying towards a keypad to a nearby entrance.
Anakin quickly followed and re-engaged Maul into combat but was forcibly led into the room by his enemy's retreating steps, 'The Plasma Refinery Complex?' The Ex-Sith thought as the two entered a ginormous room with twelve evenly placed columns of energy, called acceleration shafts, that seemingly enter an endless abyss.
The horned Sith inched slowly to the edge, blocking and attacking Anakin in equal measures until he leapt away onto an adjacent catwalk, "Never took you for a coward Maul!" Anakin exclaimed and leapt towards the Dark Force user, his knees tucked into his chest and his lightsaber posed over his head before it was hammered down with all his strength.
As their two blades met, Anakin added a Force Push, bringing Palpatine's current apprentice to his knees.
But in that moment Anakin's Force Barrier weakened significantly, allowing the combined powers of Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon to finally break through.
The boy quickly pressed his advantage once his feet touched the ground and almost decapitated the man, only to pause as he felt his Barrier shatter and the two Jedi seemingly getting closer.
The preteen quickly decided to kick Maul in the chest, forcing him off the platform and focused a Force Barrier at the entrance to the Plasma Refinery Complex.
"Blast it!" Obi-Wan exclaimed with a scowl, his fist banging against the advanced Force technique.
"Anakin! Let us help you! You can't defeat him on your own!" Qui-Gon pleaded with the boy only to get a head shake in response.
The messy haired blonde looked towards where he kicked Maul and saw the older man handing off a lower catwalk by his fingers.
Anakin leapt down, ready to end the fight only for the Dathomirian to leap up at the same time, meeting his enemy head on, their sabers pushing against one another.
The two traded several quick blows, neither gaining much of an edge against another, it wasn't long until their duel led them into a long corridor.
With a vicious twist of his wrist, Anakin parried Maul's Lightsaber and was close to slashing him in half at the chest, only for a red energy shield to separate them.
The Ex-slave raised a brow in confusion and tapped his weapon against it only for the plasma sword to bounce off, "You're just catching all the lucky breaks today, aren't you?" The Skywalker insulted with an ugly sneer on his otherwise handsome face.
"What can I say, the Force, it is with me." Darth Maul spoke calmly but Anakin could feel the rage behind the cold demeanor, the blonde gave a smirk at the supposedly composed Sith.
"No, it is not." The preteen simply said, the truth in his words reflected by how Maul could feel the Force hugging the boy warmly, clinging to him like it was a child fearful its parent would abandon it.
The Dathomirian face twisted with fury and as the shield flickered off, their two blades met again.
The death match pace sped up, Maul slamming his weapon with almost all his strength at Anakin's most vulnerable spot, right knee, left elbow, neck, right wrist.
Anakin defended, counter-attacking the best he could as his enemy led them into the Generator Core room where a hole laid in the middle that was seemingly endless, remembering this is where his Master defeated his current enemy the first time he hestaintied for a moment, trying to decide on attacking or defending.
So deep in thought, the blonde almost dodged a second too late, the Sith Apprentice slashing upwards granting Anakin a vertical scar across the edge of his right eye, "Agh!" The muscles around the blue orb painfully twitched, his cornea burned as if he looked directly into the sun for several long minutes and seemingly blinded him for several agony filled seconds.
In those seconds Maul tried to press his advantage but The Ex-Sith Lord Force pushed the Dathomirian away, almost into the hole but the red and black skinned man held himself and flexed his own powers, breaking the boy's hold over his body.
Anakin could feel his Force Barrier break thanks to his split concentration but decided that it was highly unlikely either Jedi would get here before he finished this fight and opted out of creating another Barrier.
With his full attention towards the Dark side user, pouring the Force into his Force Valor; his agility, strength, reflexes, and speed doubled as a result.
Maul could barely keep up with his extreme change of pace, it wasn't long until Anakin removed the man's lightsaber hand from his body, "AGH!" The horned Sith bellowed in pain but was coherent enough to immediately summon his lightsaber to his remaining appendage and defended his neck for the blonde's killing strike.
For a brief moment the yellow-eyed Force user gained an equal footing against Anakin, channeling his pain and embarrassment into Force Rage but several seconds into the new duel, the Chosen One removed Maul's remaining right hand, "AGgH!" The Sith Apprentice fell to his knees, agony clear in his face.
Anakin, ignoring the whimpering Dark side user, summoned the fallen saber to his left hand and ignited it.
With little hestaintion, the boy removed Maul's head, 'I win.' The Ex-Sith thought, 'Qui-Gon shall live and Aurora will have the teacher she deserves.'
The preteen switched off the twin sabers and looked towards the forever silent Darth Maul, 'I truly thought we would kill each other but you are weaker than I ever imagined at this point in time.' Anakin looked towards the corrupted lightsabers and threw them into the abyss before walking out.
…
All things considered, the liberation of Naboo went well. The Trade Federation was done, Padmé couldn't have asked for a better ending.
Well, that's not true.
Standing beside Anakin, who had single handedly defeated the supposed Sith, the enemy of the Jedi who had been absent from the galaxy for a thousand years, Padmé wanted to ask a thousand questions.
She wanted to ask why he didn't tell her he was a Force User, apparently so well trained, that the two extremely competent Jedi were not only unable to penetrate whatever he did in the hangar, but defeated the Sith that Qui-Gon had trouble with on Tatooine unaided.
Of course that would be hypocritical of her since she didn't tell him she was the Queen of Naboo.
She simply held his hand as the Palace doctors checked over his scared eye, "There appears to be no permanent damage, it will be sensitive to light for a few days but besides that, you're in perfect health."
Anakin nodded to the red skinned woman who left the room leaving Padmé and the boy alone, "Where is Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan?" The Queen asked, having arrived in the middle of the medical professional assessment of the blonde.
"Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan are most likely talking to the Jedi Council about the Sith and myself." Anakin answered, squeezing the girl's hand lightly.
"And Aurora?" Padmé questioned, receiving an amused sigh for the younger boy.
"She is talking with mother, telling her all about our little adventure." The brunette gave a small smile at the information.
They sat in silence for several moments, basking in one another's presence, "I'm sorry." Anakin whispered, Padmé looked towards the blonde. "I had so many chances to tell you, I wanted to but I… held back. I was trained in the basics of the Force when I was younger by a traveling Jedi, he offered to take me with him but I… well, I'm sure you can guess?" The young Skywalker said, telling half-truths as Padmé's mind flashed to his mother and sister.
"They left me with materials to study and I practiced to the best of my ability." Padmé squeezed his hand and leaned her head on his shoulder.
"Why did you keep Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan from helping? You could have died, Ani." Her voice filled with terror and Anakin kissed the top of her head.
"I- some Force Users have the ability to see the future, in dreams or in brief visions. If Qui-Gon fought the Sith he would have died and I couldn't have that." Anakin continued to tell the truth, from a certain point of view.
"Are you going to be a Jedi?" The boy blinked at the question.
"No, I'm too old. The Jedi Council would never approve of me becoming one of them." The preteen spoke with complete certainty.
"Anakin…" The blonde turned towards the Queen, "Marry me." Anakin looked unsurprised by the proposal.
Anakin was a romantic at his core but Padmé's belief in love outshined his own by a mile. Even the first time around, it was Padmé that proposed and he was the hestaint one despite constantly spewing his undying love for her.
Anakin wanted to say yes, so he did, "Of course." The boy spoke softly and leaned forward, kissing the teen's soft lips. "Would this make me the King of Naboo?" He questioned with a smirk against her lips.
Padmé hit his arm and held in a giggle, "No, it simply makes you the love of my life." She spoke with a wide smile.
"That's way better!" The Ex-Sith exclaimed loudly and leaned forward for a second time, catching her laugh.
…
Padmé dressed in a white gown with Naboo royalty white makeup, Gungans marched down the streets of Theed, two days after, what is being called, The Battle of Naboo.
Every individual who had participated in the battle stood beside her.
Anakin himself wore a solid black side button closure tunic and tight pants with matching boots, they were reminiscent of his son's clothing when he saved him.
The Gungan's King happily stepped beside Padmé and held the Globe of Peace, a crystal-like ball that glowed a magnificent purple.
The crowd roared with happiness, a moment later Padmé looked towards Anakin and reached out her hand, he smiled brightly and stepped beside her and firmly held it.
The crowd in response, roared louder.