A/N: If you are confused about the second time Anakin spoke to Qui Gon that was from my other story-There's always hope. Please enjoy!

Chapter 10

Main Hanger- Theed Royal Palace, Naboo.

Main Hanger of Theed, Naboo. It was a place of great importance. Not just because it was the main hanger for diplomats, politicians, and even for the Queen to come and go from Naboo but also it's historical significance. During the Trade Federation Blockade, Queen Amidala had staged an insurgency to retake control of the planet. It was a pivotal point in Naboo's history. Anakin's destiny was also decided within these walls. A duel of fate that would determine his future as well as the future of Naboo. The first Sith to appear in a thousand years battled against Qui Gon Jinn and Obi Wan Kenobi. Master Qui Gon had promised to train Anakin prior to the battle, but fate had decided against that. Struck down by Darth Maul, his dying words to Obi Wan Kenobi was to promise to train Anakin. And so he did.

Every time Anakin walked the floor there was a twinge of sadness inside. For the Master he never had. He was able to communicate with Qui Gon once on Mortis and again at a pivotal point in his life. Seeing Qui Gon in his meditations branched off his future and allowed him to see who Darth Sidious was and save the Republic, saving his wife's life. Obi Wan was a brother to Anakin whom he dearly loved. Qui Gon Jinn would have been the father he never had and needed. Their reunions were too brief and Anakin wished for more time with his true Master. Wondering, as his powers seemed to be strengthening in this new state of the Force, he hoped to converse with Qui Gon again. There's so much he could still learn. So many questions no one had answers for.

The main hanger was also the location of the Captain of the Naboo Royal Security Force's personal ship. That's right. Anakin gets his very own ship. It was a more compact version of the J-type diplomatic barge, it didn't have as many amenities for comfort. It was designed to have more armory and agility but still possess that sleek, beautiful chrome finish. Even then, it still needed many necessary modifications, of course. It wasn't fast enough. Anakin put in a request to upgrade certain features including an update to the hyperdrive manifold. When asked why they were necessary, he simply responded that having a slow ship isn't a good excuse for why the head of the NRSF isn't where he needed to be. The head of security required the best, fastest ship to effectively protect Naboo. It worked. They approved his requests much to his delight.

Anakin had made some other requests for the fleet's upgrades. There was so much he wanted to do and not enough time to do everything. There are modifications to almost every level of NRSF he thought about. The N-1 starfighter hadn't been modified in years and he had ideas to improve the blast cannons and upgrade the shields. Always in the back of his mind was this creeping fear that he'll fail at his job. He would brush it away. He didn't have time to think about that. He had a planetary system to protect and people under him to keep alive. Clones didn't have families, but these people did and like hell, if Anakin was going to make it a habit of apologizing to their families for their deaths. He would prevent any death he could. It was a noble notion but challenging to put into practice but this was always Anakin's problem. He took responsibility for things out of his control. He felt every clone's death under his command as a personal failure.

Retep Ageelil stood in front of Captain Skywalker's cruiser. At the age of 18 and at the height of 5'10" he was still very stalky. Despite a ravenous appetite and eating everything in sight, like his comrades his age, he couldn't seem to put on weight. That would mostly change as he gets older noting how his older comrades had filled out. For now, he had the flexibility of a youthful body and enough strength to fight and defend as his duty commands him. The glory of this age was that nothing hurt in the morning. There's no random aches and pains or stiff joints. He can take a beating and keep on going as if nothing happened. Though what he lacked in control of his body he gained in resilience and a keen mind. He observed everything. Taking nothing for granted. Intense would probably be the best word his colleagues would describe him. He took his lessons to heart and the pearls of wisdom gleaned from his superiors while his colleagues would brush them off as grumblings of the elders. This allowed him to move up the ranks quickly although his eagerness sometimes clashed with his superiors. He had an internal drive, competing against no one but himself. He wanted to prove himself. For what reason, he didn't know.

Retep saluted as Captain Skywalker approaches, "Your ship is ready, sir! Artoo is already onboard."

Anakin acknowledged him and grinned looking up at his beautiful ship, "Excellent, ready to go to Rori, Retep?"

"Sure, it'll be my first time," Retep confessed.

"Really?" Anakin turned his attention again to his commander and was genuinely surprised.

"Well, honestly, no one really goes to Rori. We just leave them alone and use holotransmissions to communicate." Commander Ageelil shrugged.

"Is that so? Well, we're going to change that. I like to see things with my own two eyes." Anakin stated.

"Yes, sir! Thank you for letting me come along. I honestly didn't think you would want me to accompany you after…what I did." He confessed.

Anakin crossed his arms, "Your concerns about the discrepancy between the ship's manifest and the mining logs are valid and worth investigating." He sighed, "So, I'm going to show you how to properly conduct an investigation." He motioned with his hand for Retep to follow him up the ramp, "I like to see things for myself to get a better idea of what's going on."

Retep followed behind, "And use the Force? Is that how the Force works?" He asked excitedly.

Anakin chuckled, "Not exactly. You don't need the Force to talk to someone. It does help. There are things you can learn by observing people's body language. What they don't tell you is as important as what they do."

Anakin sat in the pilot seat and started the ignition cycle. He loved the powerful purr the engine made. This ship was a definite perk to the job. He'll have to find excuses to take it out for a test run more often. R2D2 beeped excitedly behind him, where he was locked in place.

"Hey, buddy! Ready for another adventure?" Anakin smiling at his long time companion.

R2 beeped with enthusiasm.

"No, I don't think it's going to be that exciting. Just checking things out. It could end up being very boring." Anakin admitted.

R2D2 beeped cautiously knowing very well that boring missions and Anakin Skywalker do not run in the same sentence.

Anakin shook his head at the spunky droid. Retep caught Anakin's attention, as he watched the young man hesitantly and tentatively sit in the copilot seat. He found the action most curious.

"Have you been in one of these ships before?"

"Um, no sir. Actually, I've never even been off Naboo before." Retep admitted shyly.

Anakin stared at him wide eyed, "Never? This is your first time off the planet? First time flying?"

Retep fiddled with his seat buckle nervously and gave his Captain a barely noticeable nod. He's flown speeders and ships around Naboo but never off Naboo. He entered NRSF at a young age and since then had dedicated his life to it. There was no need for him to leave.

Anakin took in a deep breath, "Well. Ok, then." He thought for a second before grinning broadly, "You know, my first time flying was from this exact hanger."

Retep perked up. "On Naboo? You first flew here?"

Anakin chuckled as he reminisced, "Yeah. I was 9 years old at the time. I wasn't supposed to be flying. It just sorta…happened."

Retep pieced things together, "Wait a minute. You mean the Trade Federation Blockade? Where you blew up the Droid Control Ship? You did that the first time you flew?!" Retep admired his Captain with such awe.

Anakin was not one to shy away from being complimented, but he couldn't help feeling a bit embarrassed as he ran his hand threw his hair, "It took a bit of luck…"

R2D2 butted in with a defiant beep!

"…and Artoo was there to help me." He turned around and pointed at the droid, "Hey, I did a lot of the flying and that spinning trick was all me!" Anakin protested.

R2D2 relented and Retep's admiration for his Captain only grew. He heard stories about the great Anakin Skywalker but he never thought he would be working for him much less be on the same ship as him!

"Wow..sir." Retep unable to express his profound feelings.

Anakin's eyes softened and he flashed him a half smirk, "We better get going, kid. If you're lucky maybe we can fit in a flying lesson for you."

"I would greatly appreciate that, sir!"

Anakin just smiled as he let the communication control station know he was taking off.

"Artoo, let's get airborne."

Artoo set their destination and they took off out of the main hanger.

Retep observed Anakin carefully. What buttons he pushed and how he moved the steering apparatus. He was determined to learn how to fly quickly and, hopefully, as well as his Captain. His mind drifted as he watched Anakin curiously. He wondered about his Captain's former life as a Jedi. His Captain opted not to wear the Royal uniform and still wore his Jedi robes. He had a blaster clipped to one side of his belt and on the side nearest Retep was his lightsaber-a Jedi's weapon.

Anakin noted Retep's curiosity about his lightsaber and raised an eyebrow, "Something on your mind?"

Retep quickly looked away bashfully, "Sorry, Captain Skywalker…"

"Anakin. When it's just the two of us you can call me Anakin." He stated as he kept his eyes in front of him, flying out of Naboo's atmosphere.

Retep mouthed cautiously, "Anakin." He continued, "What exactly is the Force?"

"The Force?" Anakin responded as he set the autopilot then leaned back onto his chair, debating how to answer the frequently asked question. "It's the essence of life. It surrounds us and flows through us. A constant presence."

"Like it's in the air we breath?" Retep winched at the thought of the Force as some toxin inhaled.

Anakin laughed, "Not exactly. It's more of a sensation. You can't really see it, more like you feel it."

Retep nodded, not sure what he thinks of it. "Only Jedi can feel this?"

"Not..exactly," He didn't want to scare the kid about the Sith. Although, it was widely known that Chancellor Palpatine was the Sith Lord Darth Sidious. Many couldn't grasp the deeps of that beyond the Sith being an ancient enemy of the Jedi. "Force sensitive individuals can sense the flow of the Force."

"How do you know if you are Force sensitive? Could you be taught to be Force sensitive?" Retep inquired further.

Anakin always thought that Padmé was Force sensitive. She displayed some traits but she never really bothered too much with it. Plus, with the war and Anakin being away so often, he didn't really have much time with her to tease that out. Naboo was known for its child prodigies. The humans that inhabited Naboo were different from other human planets. They matured at a much younger age, which is why young, preteen women could be elected Queen. He wondered how many of these child prodigies were actual Force sensitive and never noticed.

"I'll teach you some basic meditation techniques and we'll see what you can do," Anakin concluded.

Retep nodded his enthusiasm.

Rori, One of Three Moons of Naboo

Three moons lay in orbit around Naboo, Rori, Tasia, and Ohma D'un. Of the three moons, Rori was known for its spice mining colony. Mostly self reliant, the settlement did get some supplies and food imported from Naboo. Other than that, there wasn't much transportation between the two. Yet, Rori's significance to Naboo couldn't be overstated. Though a much smaller mining colony than other worlds, it brought in significant revenue for the Nubian system.

The moon itself lacked the aesthetics of Naboo. There were no trees, grasslands, or plants of any kind except for the agriculture the settlement managed. The landscape was covered with hills of deep reddish brown rock and dirt. There were some underground rivers but on the surface nothing grew naturally. All the riches on the moon seemed to be hidden deep under its bedrock.

The colonists were scattered across the moon connected by train tracks that shuffled the workers between the different mining locations. Anakin headed for the central manufacturing port where all the spice were taken and processed before being shipped off the moon. After safely touching down at the spaceport, they found themselves welcomed by an elderly gentleman. The man stood tall and proud with his chin up. He had salt and pepper short hair and a long, thick white beard. His well weathered face and creases around his brown eyes were evident even from afar. The man was portly but possessed a substantial statue with a barrel chest. His clothes were worn but well maintained. No wrinkles noted in his uniform.

Anakin and Retep stepped down the ramp. R2D2 in tow. Retep decided to keep his lips sealed this time and watch his Captain's lead.

The mining supervisor stepped forward to greet them. "Captain Skywalker. Commander Ageelil. A surprise to be sure, but a welcome one. We normally don't get people from Naboo visiting us. What brings you here?" His face was composed and calm. His fingers, by his side, betrayed him as he picked at his index finger with his thumb.

Through the Force, Anakin could feel a slight nervousness radiating from the mining supervisor, Wehttam. "We're here to discuss the tainted spice reported."

"Yes," Wehttam sighed with dissatisfaction. "It is very rare for us to be experiencing less than optimal spice quality. I've worked here for 50 years and this is the first time we've had so much we had to discard." He added, "Pardon me if I'm being rude, but I've sent a detailed report of this already."

"Yes, I've read the report. That's why I'm here." Anakin stated casually.

Wehttam uneasiness grew. "Oh, It doesn't seem like an issue to be concerning the Naboo Royal Security Force."

Anakin crossed his arms, "I like to take a more hands on approach." He kept a steady gaze on the older gentleman.

Wehttam looked away and cleared his throat, "Of course, Captain Skywalker. We have nothing to hide. Help yourself to whatever you need."

Anakin felt the growing nervousness from the mining supervisor, in the Force, but that didn't mean he was guilty of smuggling spice. The man didn't have any traces of darkness in his intentions, that Anakin noted. However, there was something he was hiding. Anakin decided he might learn more if he spoke to the supervisor alone.

Turning to Retep, "Commander Ageelil, can you take Artoo and check the mainframe in the central control room? I'll be right behind you."

Retep frowned. He didn't like this Wehttam fellow and wasn't too happy to be sent away. He had intercepted the supervisor's private communication and knew the guy was hiding something. He was having some sort of delivery arranged and the only thing Retep could think of was the tainted spice.

Retep shot Wehttam a knowing look as he turned, "Yes, Captain."

After Retep left with one of Wehttam's people, Anakin returned his attention to Wehttam, "Sorry about my commander. He's still a little green around the corners." He stated apologetically.

The supervisor waved off the look, "It's quite alright. I remember being high spirited at that age." His demeanor softened slightly. "Uh…would you like to sit down? Care for a drink? My office is close to here."

Anakin gave him a warm smile, "I would care for a drink. Please lead the way."

Anakin wasn't sure what he would find here on Rori. He trusted R2D2 to find any aberrations within their systems and, as impetuous as Retep can be, he did have a sharp eye. It just needed to be honed. He smiled to himself at his own impatience that he's slowly learned to reign in. Ok, so he was still working on it.

Having two years of experience as a father definitely helped. He recalled one time when he found his twin children crying in the yard. Leia was on the ground with a scrapped knee, holding a stuffed wookiee doll, both children loved, crying her eyes out as Luke looked on bewildered. Immediately, he went over to scold Luke for pushing his sister, thinking he was trying to steal the wookiee doll from her. The look of betrayal in his son's eyes confused him as Luke ran away, screaming.

Later, Padmé who was watching the children, told him that the wookiee doll was actually Luke's favorite doll to nap with. Leia had stolen his doll, as she was prone to do, while he napped. In her escape, she scrapped her knee and started crying once she knew her father had heard them. He was bamboozled! He thought Leia was the victim and felt awful about the wrongly placed blame. He brought the wookiee doll over to a slumped over Luke sniffling on the couch. Even at this age, Luke gave forgiveness freely. He joyfully reclaimed his beloved toy and gave his father a giant hug. All was forgiven.

Anakin pondered how fatherhood had changed him. All those long years Obi Wan had chastised him for his impatience and impetuousness. Little did he know, Anakin just needed to have children. Nothing compares to the heartbreak of children terrified by their father's angry, thunderous voice. It amplified how angry Anakin could get, and even though he would never physically harm his children, the sound of his anger frightened his innocent toddlers. Through their eyes, he finally realized the deeps of his temper and how he needed to control it. Children. They straighten a person out real quick. Of course, Anakin wasn't perfect. No one was. At least now, he's learned to pause, even if it's just for a second longer, before taking action-growing patience born out of his love for his children.

So he'll use that hard earned patience he's learning in this situation. He'll sit down with this man, have a civil conversation, and see where it leads.

Wehttam swiped his keycard in front of the datapad and the door slid open. He ushered Captain Skywalker to come in. The office was homey, there was a desk by the window, a couple cushioned seats around a coffee table, and several pictures hanging on the walls.

"Could I interest you in some Corellian wine? brandy? Karlini Tea?" He offered.

Anakin crossed the room over to the pictures of the supervisor's family, "Karlini tea would be fine. Thank you." As he prepped the tea, Anakin took note of an image of what appeared to be a younger looking Wehttam smiling as he held onto the waist of a young woman who shared an equally joyful grin.

"That's my wife." He answered the unspoken question from Anakin's observations. "Married for 40 years coming up in a week." He had a broad grin on his face. "You married, Captain?"

"Yes, I am," Anakin stated as he thanked him for the tea and moved to sit in one of the chairs. It was still an odd experience of being able to openly talk about his marriage. On the one hand, he reveled being able to openly proclaim his love for Padmé, and on the other hand, the years of secrecy still screamed in his instincts to be cautious. It was a good problem to have.

"Married for five years now." Anakin proudly proclaimed taking a moment to pleasantly reminisce.

Wehttam took a seat across from him and sipped his brandy. Anakin eyed him as he noticed a slight tremor in the man's hand, "There's nothing like a good woman in your life, huh?" He mused.

Anakin didn't say anything as he sipped his tea. He watched as this man's nervousness seem to exponentially increase by Anakin just sitting here and watching him. He didn't have to do anything. Is this what Obi Wan was trying to teach him?

Wehttam took the rest of the brandy in one shot and slammed it down on the coffee table, "Ok, I know why you're here. I have a confession to make."

Anakin tried to keep a straight face. That was easy. Maybe he should try this technique more often. He flashed a facade of a confused look and just sipped his tea.

"I know it's frowned upon but it was for a good reason. You're a married man. You would understand." He pleaded.

Anakin scowled, deciding to finally speak up, "What does illegally smuggling spice have to do with being married?" He asked in a measured tone.

"Smuggling spice?!" Wehttam looked honestly shocked. "Is that what you think….oh no. No, sir! I've worked here for so long. I would never jeopardize my job with doing something like that." He ran his sweaty hands down his shirt, "I thought you were here because of my shipment from Buac"

Anakin put his cup down. Buac was a system outside of the Republic. They had joined with the Separatists and refused to align with the Republic after the war was over. They wanted to remain neutral but given their history, the Republic was wary of them. As a punishment, heavy trade sanctions were placed on them, making it illegal to own crafts produced on the planet.

"Which is still an illegal shipment the last time I recalled." Anakin's tone was deep with a warning.

"I know, but hear me out. Please." He put his hand out in front of him. "When my wife was a teenager, she would visit the planet with her parents. She has such fond memories of the place. They're known for beautiful statues made of the shells that wash up from their oceans. She had one growing up but it broke a long time ago. We've been married for 40 years and I wanted to get her something special. You know. She's put up with me for so long I just wanted her to know how much she means to me."

Anakin relaxed his shoulders and was touched by the man's confession. He felt no dishonesty coming from the man and understood why he was being mysterious. If he was in the man's shoes, he probably would do the same thing for Padmé.

"I understand," Anakin relented.

The supervisor let out a heavy sigh of relief, "You do? So…you're not going to arrest me?"

"No, although you should be more careful in the future," Anakin warned.

"Absolutely! Thank you, sir!" All the tension seemed to leave him, "So, you really think someone here is smuggling out the tainted spice?"

"Are you sure that the spice was tainted? You said so yourself that this is an odd occurrence." Anakin surmised.

Wehttam scratched his beard, "I thought so too. I checked everything very meticulously. We run an honest business here on Rori. We still consider ourselves Nubian even if we rarely visit Naboo. Our honor is important to us and most people have worked here for a very long time. We're like family out here." He pondered, "There are some newer people here. Their background checked out, but if you are concerned I would recommend talking to them. I can have you talk with our head of distribution?"

Anakin smiled and stood up, "I would appreciate that."