Anakin had done a lot of research on his homeplanet. He knew its major towns and its climatic conditions, its traditions and history. Nothing had prepared him for the feeling when he caught the first glimpse on the vast deserts. From space, Tatooine was nothing but deserts. Everything was very strange. Anakin thought he should feel nostalgic or remember something but there was nothing familiar about this place. The place he called home was the Jedi Temple, not this inhospitable place. They searched several days for Shmi Skywalker. The only indication they had was Gaddula the Hutt, who had once owned Anakin and probably also his mother. Anakin thought the Hutts were the most disgusting beings he had ever seen. Qui-Gon took that as an opportunity to lecture him about respecting alien races. Anakin, however, did not respect a being that had lost his mother in a bet on a pod race. He was getting angry again. This planet and its cruel customs fuelled his anger. He tried to control himself. He did not want to disappoint Qui-Gon again.

Some days later they were in a junk-shop owned by a little racketeer called Watto. He was the rightful owner of Anakin's mother. It hurt Anakin to think about his mother like that: a possession which belonged to someone. Watto sent them to the slaves' quarters, a ghetto with similar looking little houses. An old, helpful woman (she was a slave too) showed them the way. When they stood in front of the door, all bravery left Anakin. Never before in his life had he been so nervous. What would his mother be like? What could he say to her? She certainly would not recognise him anymore.

Qui-Gon put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Do you want me to come with you or would you rather speak to her alone?"

"I...I...I don't know." Anakin shrugged helplessly.

"What does your heart tell you?" Qui-Gon asked gently.

Anakin laughed nervously. "My heart just beats like crazy. But... I think reason tells me I have to do it alone."

Qui-Gon laughed too. "Well, then you'll make it. I'm going to wait here for you. May the Force be with you."

"Thanks, Master," Anakin replied. He needed some more moments to gather the strength to raise his hand and knock on the door. Anxiously, he took a step backwards. The door opened and a woman looked down at him. She had dark hair and dark eyes, her face was sunburnt and haggard and her clothes were in rags. To Anakin, she looked beautiful.

"Hello. What can I do for you?" She did not recognise him.

"Um, hello. Are you... Shmi Skywalker?" Anakin asked hesitantly.

"Yes." She looked him up and down again, taking in account his Jedi clothes, his height, his eyes. Suddenly something flickered in her eyes. Was it hope? "Are you...," she whispered.

"I...I am your son," Anakin said stiffly. It sounded so stupid to say something like that!

"Ani? Anakin?"

"Yes, I'm Anakin," Anakin said softly, his voice cracked and his cheeks reddened.

But his mother did not act any better. She gave an odd noise, something between a laugh and a sob. "I-I can't believe it. When the Jedi took you with her, she told me I'd never see you again. Anakin." She pronounced the name with such affection that Anakin got a big lump in his throat. "How are you? Are you alright? What brought you here?"

"I'm alright. I came here to see you. I wanted to meet my mother."

She gave him a big smile. "Do you want to come in? You have to tell me about your life as a Jedi. You are a Jedi now, aren't you? Do you have time?"

"Yes, I have time and yes, I'm a Jedi now and yes, I'd very much like to come in and talk to you," Anakin replied, smiling too.

She laughed. Anakin liked her laugh very much. She stood aside to let him in. Curiously, Anakin took a look around. It was a tiny, meagrely furnished but clean house.

"Sit down," she told him and indicated a rusty chair. "Would you like something to drink?"

"Yes, thank you. It's so hot here on Tatooine."

"Yes, I believe you are used to other climate in the Core," she said and handed him a glass of cold blue milk.

"Thank you," Anakin said politely and self-consciously drank the milk.

"Does it rain often where you live?"

"Yes. On Coruscant, they can control the weather. They make it rain at night, so it doesn't disturb the traffic too much. It rains twice a week."

"That's fascinating," his mother commented.

Anakin felt thoroughly uneasy. They were talking about the weather... He had so many other questions but he did not know how to ask them. He wanted to know of his father but he was too afraid to hurt her by such a question.

"How is your life as a Jedi?" his mother saved him from his awkwardness. "Have you seen many foreign planets?"

"Not so many yet," Anakin answered. "I've lived in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant for many years but now that I'm a Padawan I've just started to go on missions. This is the third planet I've visited so far."

"You're a Padawan? What does it mean? Is it a kind of profession?"

"No, it means I have a Master."

"A Master?" she repeated suspiciously. "What does a Master do?"

"Well, he teaches me everything there is to learn and I assist him when he goes on missions," Anakin explained.

"Alright. So, is your Master nice?"

"Yes!" Anakin said enthusiastically. "His name's Qui-Gon Jinn and he's the nicest Master ever. He's not on the Council and not very famous but he's like a father to me and I guess I have an attachment to him."

"Attachment?"

"Jedi language. Sounds a bit odd, doesn't it? Well, I just meant to say that I like him very much. I've done bad things lately and he still stands by me. And, normally, a Jedi is not allowed to visit their parents but Qui-Gon is a very unusual Jedi Master."

She smiled happily at him. "I'm glad to hear that. And do you have friends in the Jedi Temple?"

"Um, yes, I think so. Most of the Jedi are really nice and I'm friends with some of the other students my age. We were together in the Bear Clan, the group which Master Yoda taught. Master Yoda's the wisest Jedi Master in the galaxy. He looks like a little green troll and he's more than 800 years old but he's really mighty. You should see him when he draws his lightsaber."

His mother laughed again. Anakin liked that: making her laugh. She looked younger then. "It sounds like you have a good time with the Jedi."

"Yes, I have," Anakin said but he could not help but feel a bit guilty when he looked around and saw the life his mother had.

It seemed she had noticed his glance. "I always hoped you would someday have a better life than this," she said gently. "I always knew you were very special. I knew, the day when I realised I was pregnant."

Here it was. But Anakin still could not bring himself to ask the question. His heart pounding loudly, he stared at his almost empty glass of blue milk.

"You probably want to know who your father was," she said softly. Anakin only shrugged. "It may sound odd to you but there was no father," she continued. "The Jedi who discovered you here said it could have been the Force. I don't know so much about the Force, maybe you can understand it better. I don't know what happened. Suddenly, you were there. When you were born, it was the happiest day of my life."

Anakin looked up and looked her in the eyes. She looked unsure. He believed her. "You called me Ani earlier this day," he said. "Was that my nickname?"

She nodded, tears glistening in her eyes. "Yes, I used to call you that. Anakin seemed a too long name for a baby. I have a holograph of you when you were a baby. Do you want to see it?"

"Yes, please," Anakin said excitedly.

His mother went into the next room and came back with a little holograph. It showed his mother when she looked much younger cradling a little baby in her arms. Both of them looked happy.

"I look... small," Anakin finally said.

His mother laughed again. "Most babies look small."

"Yeah..." Anakin grinned too. "I've never before seen a picture of me as a baby. Do you have more holographs?"

"Unfortunately not. Taking holographs used to be very expensive at that time. A good friend of mine had borrowed a holo-recorder and so we could at least take one holograph of you."

Anakin got a bad conscience again. She sounded like she had missed him. He could picture her staring sadly at her only son's holograph when she could not sleep at night. "Was I born here?" he asked quickly in order to say anything.

"No, when you were born I used to work for Gaddula the Hutt. When she lost me to Watto, I had to move houses."

"You work for Watto now. Um, is he okay?" Anakin asked anxiously.

"He's a rather friendly slaveholder. He owns a junk-shop and working there is really okay. I mostly do some clerical work, I enlist all the junk he buys and sells and what he still needs... I have my own house here – not every slave can afford that."

"If there's anything I can do for you..."

"I'm fine, Anakin," she said gently.

"I'm glad you're fine, mother," Anakin said softly. "I was worried... Well, life doesn't seem very comfortable here on Tatooine. But that's probably just me because I can't stand such heat."

"I've never been to another planet," she assured him. "I bet I'd freeze to death anywhere else."

"Stars End!" Anakin suddenly exclaimed. "I almost forgot Master Qui-Gon! He's still waiting outside. The poor guy, I hope he hasn't got a sunstroke yet. He can come in too, can't he?"

"Yes, of course."

Qui-Gon and his mother got along very well and it was a nice day. Anakin had so many questions and his mother had just as many questions too. In the evening, Anakin got a bit dizzy from all the talking and the heat. His mother offered them to stay for the night and they agreed. She offered Anakin the only bed in the house. She wanted to sleep on the floor. Anakin started to protest but Qui-Gon indicated him to stop. Later, when they had a minute to talk in private, he explained to Anakin that his mother wanted to do that for her son and that he should not refuse her that. So Anakin took the bed.

He fell asleep very quickly. At night, he was woken by something very strange and yet familiar. He did not know what it was at first. But it certainly felt good. He pleasurably nested in his blanket, enjoying its warmth and its smell. It somehow made him feel peaceful and safe. There was a singing in his ears. He did not understand the words but the melody touched his heartstrings. He turned around in his bed and saw his mother sitting at his side, singing in a very quiet voice. The words were almost a whisper. Not wanting to interrupt the beautiful song, Anakin closed his eyes again and rejoiced in the simple music. He tried to memorise the melody, so he would be able to call it back into his mind in hard or lonely times. To his regret, his mother stopped after some time and he heard the soft rustle of clothes when she got up.

Anakin sat up in bed. "You sang that to me when I was a baby, didn't you?" he whispered.

Surprised, she turned around. "Yes," she answered uncertainly. "I didn't know you were awake."

Anakin could tell she felt a bit ashamed for her behaviour. "It is such a beautiful song," he reassured her.

"You remember it?"

"I don't exactly remember it. It was just a feeling."

"I used to sing it when you woke up at night and didn't want to fall asleep again. I already sang it when I was pregnant with you."

"Thank you for that," Anakin said, smiling into the dark room.

"There's nothing to thank me for. Every mother would have done that to her child."

"And every child should say thank you for it."

"You have become so mature. I'm so proud of you. I'm so glad and grateful that the Jedi have given you the chance to live such a life."

"Didn't you miss me?"

"Of course, Ani. Every day. But I knew you had a good life and that comforted me."

"Did Master Yaddle force you to give me to the Jedi?"

"No! No one could have taken you away from me against my will."

"I'm glad I've met you again," Anakin said stiffly, tears welling up in his eyes. "Could you...um, sing that song again?"

"Yes. Of course."

Anakin closed his eyes again and listened to the floating music which seemed to fill his very heart. It was like a wonderful dream. Soon he drifted off to sleep.

ooooooo

The next morning, it was saying goodbye. Anakin's mother wanted to give him the holograph of him as a baby.

"No, I can't take that," Anakin protested. "You said it's your only holograph."

"I've looked at it so often, I have a copy of it in my mind."

"No. I just can't take it." Seeking help, Anakin looked at Qui-Gon.

"I got an idea," Qui-Gon said. "I could take a new holograph of you with my datapad. It's not high-resolution of course, but then you can take the holo of you as a baby and your mother can have an up-to-date version of you."

"That's great!" Anakin beamed at Qui-Gon and his mother, and then he beamed into the datapad to make it a happy holograph.

"I'm glad you're with Anakin, Master Jinn," Anakin's mother told Qui-Gon when he handed her a little disc with the new holograph.

"Well, I'm glad too I have him with me," Qui-Gon stated good-naturedly.

"I'm glad too!" Anakin said firmly. Then he turned to his mother. It made him sad to leave her but he did not have another choice. "I would like to stay with you," he told her, "but I'm a Jedi and it doesn't work with my Jedi duties. Maybe we'll see each other again. I hope we will."

"Yes. I hope that too, Anakin." She smiled both sadly and proudly at him. Anakin knew she wanted to hug him but did not have the courage to do it – so he did it. He boldly put his arms around her and she tightly hugged him back. "I never expected to see you again, Ani," she told him. "It was the best thing of my life."

"You will not miss me now, will you?" Anakin tried to be strong.

She laughed a little bit. "How could I not miss you?"

"I won't forget you either," Anakin promised her.

ooooooo

When Anakin and Qui-Gon sat in the spaceship again that took them back to Coruscant, Anakin thought that it did not matter at all whether his mother was a queen or a slave. She was his mother and she loved him like any parents loved their child. Naturally, he would rather see her free and not belonging to someone.

"Master?" he addressed Qui-Gon, who sat next to him in the co-pilot's seat. "Shouldn't the Jedi do something against slavery on Tatooine? I mean, slavery is not allowed, it's against the Republic's constitution."

"Yes, Padawan, but there are more systems where slavery still exists and there are other illegal actions elsewhere, where the Jedi's help is needed," Qui-Gon reminded him sternly.

"Yes, I know that." Anakin sighed deeply. "I think the Jedi should stop slavery on every planet where it sill exists. I mean, it's not legal and it's inhuman."

"That is right, of course. We will point it out to the Council. But you must accept if they place other things first. Your compassion as a Jedi must be to all beings alike, not only to those you feel attached to."

"Yes, Master. You mean my concentration must be on the Here and Now, right?"

"Oh. Yes, I meant that." Qui-Gon thoughtfully stroked his beard. "Have I already said that so often?"

"At least three times a day, Master," Anakin said, grinning broadly.

"You're exaggerating. You know a Jedi should stick to the facts," Qui-Gon grumbled.

Anakin thought it did not matter either that he had lost the rock Qui-Gon had given to him. Going to Tatooine had been the best birthday present his Master could have given to him.

Ooooooo

Master Windu was very worried. Qui-Gon had again violated every Jedi rule. Without informing the Council, the Jedi Knight had brought his Padawan to his homeplanet to visit his mother. That was something which was normally out of question. No Jedi must know their family. It was too dangerous. They could form attachments to their family. As it seemed, that had already happened. Qui-Gon had asked the Council to do something about the situation on Tatooine where slavery was still a normal business. Mace had been in a bit of a dilemma. Of course, he had wanted to send a Jedi team there to stop such illegal business. But had he voted for that option, it would have looked as if he had only done it because he wanted to do his friend a favour. Anyway, he would have been outvoted. The majority of the Council voted for the option to submit the case to the Senate and let the politicians decide. Mace did not think that a good idea. Letting the Senators debate on it meant that slavery on Tatooine would probably exist for another ten years until the Senate reached a decision. Recently, the Senate had proven to be incapable of action. In addition to that, there were accusations of corruption against Supreme Chancellor Valorum. Mace was very worried indeed.