A/N: Hey friends! A couple of folks have asked me questions about chapter 9, so I added a brief note to the end of that chapter. Thanks for reaching out! I am always happy to chat and answer questions about my stories. :)


"As soon as we land, the Federation will arrest you and force you to sign the treaty."

"I agree," Qui-Gon said. "I'm not sure what you wish to accomplish by this."

"I will take back what's ours," Padmé stated. Her resolve had not waned in the slightest since standing in the senate building a few hours ago. In fact, with every passing hour it only grew, plans forming in her mind. She didn't need the Force to sense Qui-Gon's disapproval of her actions, nor to detect the hint of condescension that he hid behind his mask of professionalism. That side of him had reared its head a number of times in Handmaiden Padmé's presence. He thought her foolish. But he did not have all the information that she did, and in this moment she secretly took pleasure in holding that above him.

She had not been elected Queen because she was stupid.

"There are too few of us, Your Highness," Captain Panaka said. "We have no army."

"And I can only protect you," Qui-Gon said. "I can't fight a war for you."

Padmé met his gaze with her own cool one.

Time to pull out her card.

"Jar Jar Binks," she commanded.

"Who, meesa, Your Highness?" Jar Jar asked, stalk eyes blinking in surprise.

Qui-Gon looked surprised as well, and he turned to glance at the Gungan.

"Yes," Padmé said. "I need your help."

That earned incredulous looks from everyone in the room.

"Meesa would be glad to be a helpin' yousa," Jar Jar said.

"Good. You said the Gungans have an army, correct?"

"Oh yes. Muy muy grand army." Jar Jar bobbed his head, his ears to flapping comically.

"How hard would it be to convince your people to join us?"

"Uh," Jar Jar blinked, tilting his head. "The bosses no be likin' the Naboo. Theysa be verrrrry stubborn."

"But if we could convince them, would your army be enough to fight the invasion?"

"You can't be serious," Captain Panaka said. "Your Highness, the Gungans have been in opposition to the Naboo for decades."

"I am serious, Captain," Padmé said coolly. "And I would not call it opposition so much as a mutual ignoring of one another."

"Mutual ignorings can be difficult to change," Qui-Gon commented.

Padmé turned her look to him. "I thought Jedi were supposed to be expert negotiators."

"Yes, but we are not magicians."

"Perhaps that is why you failed in your initial mission to negotiate with the Trade Federation."

Captain Panaka sucked in a breath. The guard near the door openly stared in shock.

Padmé kept her gaze trained on Qui-Gon. The man blinked and his lips thinned, but those were the only outward signs that he recognized the weight of her insult. For a moment, she thought he might argue with her. But then he seemed to change tactic, and he bowed.

"And I am sorry to have failed in that mission," he said, tone sincere.

Whether he was actually sorry or just apologizing to appease her, Padmé couldn't tell. But she gave the slightest of nods in acknowledgement. She could be petty and still be proper.

"We will seek out the Gungan rulers," Padmé stated. "Jar Jar will lead us to them, and I will negotiate for their assistance."

"And we will come with you, to ensure your safety," Qui-Gon said.

Captain Panaka nodded. "I will inform the men."

"Very well," Padmé said. "And where is your partner, Master Jedi? Will he be joining us?"

"Obi-Wan will meet us on Naboo."

Captain Panaka frowned. "Two ships will draw more attention than one. We'll be cutting our chances of success almost in half."

"I am confident in my Padawan's ability to arrive undetected."

"I do not wish to take any unnecessary risks," Padmé said.

"It would be far riskier to not have him join us," Qui-Gon said. "Your attacker is far more powerful than we initially thought. Having two Jedi will be both a deterrent for him and a greater protection for you. And with all due respect, going back to Naboo in the first place is quite a risk in and of itself. The risk involved in Obi-Wan's arrival is negligible."

Captain Panaka had an expression caught between agreeing with some of the Jedi's points and disagreeing with others.

"We have gone in a circle," Padmé said dismissively. "We will reclaim our planet. Let us reconvene tomorrow to discuss more of the details of how we will go about doing so."

"Of course, Your Highness."


"Are we there yet?"

Sienna groaned. "Anakin, if you ask me that one more time I will find a way to fill your boots with sand despite being in space."

"But I'm bored," he whined.

"Why don't you draw some more ships?"

"I don't want to draw more ships."

"Then play a card game."

"I don't want to play a card game."

"Then meditate."

"I don't want to meditate."

"Then go bother Obi-Wan."

"No thanks," an accented voice floated in from the other room. "I'm all set."

Sienna glared in the direction of the hall.

Anakin huffed and crossed his arms. "I'm bored," he insisted again.

"Anakin, I don't know what to tell you. I don't have anything else for you to do. You can draw, or play with cards, or practice the stretches I taught you. We'll be in open space tomorrow, and we'll be on Naboo two days after that, but until then you're just gonna have to find a way to keep yourself occupied."

"What about your lightsaber?" Anakin asked. "Can I play with that?"

"Absolutely not. We do not practice with lightsabers in a small ship."

"Why not?"

"Because there isn't enough space. You could damage the ship."

"Then can I take it apart and see how it works?"

"No."

"Why not?"

Sienna released a frustrated sigh. She was trying to brush up on the current events of the galaxy so that she could avoid any more slips of the tongue. There were only so many times she could make comments like 'this ship is nice for an antique' before people started thinking she was insane, or before she gave away something that would alter the timeline. "You know what, why don't you go take apart the dejarik table? That'll be more interesting than my lightsaber."

Anakin's eyes lit up. "Really?

"Sure, knock yourself out. Here, you can even use my multitool." She reached into a pouch on her belt and tossed the little item to him. "Just make sure you give it back when you're done."

"I will! Thanks Sienna!" Anakin turned and dashed out of the room, his Force-signature aglow with mischief.

It was probably a bad idea to encourage Anakin to take things apart on a ship that the Jedi Order was only borrowing. But Sienna decided that was not her problem.


"Sienna."

The woman sighed. "Anakin, I'm trying to meditate."

"I'm bored again."

"Hi bored again, I'm Sienna."

Anakin huffed. "Can we play cards?"

"Not right now. I'm meditating."

"Hi meditating, I'm Anakin."

Sienna cracked open an eye. Anakin stood a few feet away, shifting restlessly.

An idea popped into her mind, and she gestured with the Force to activate the ship's internal comm system. "Obi-Wan Kenobi, your presence is requested in the cockpit. Obi-Wan Kenobi, to the cockpit please."

The door whooshed open not even a minute later. "Did you need som- oof!"

Obi-Wan's words were cut off by Sienna Force-pushing Anakin into him. The Padawan instinctively caught him, arms wrapping around Anakin's shoulders.

"Awww, look at that, Anakin and Obi-Wan bonding time. Have fun!"

"Wait, wha-"

But Sienna Force-pushed them both out into the hall and shut the door with a smirk.

Obi-Wan stared at the closed door, then looked down at the boy still in his arms. Anakin craned his neck back to look up at Obi-Wan.

"Can we play cards?"

The Padawan sighed.


The fourth day after turning around found Anakin lying on his stomach, nibbling on a ration bar and tinkering with the dejarik table again, when Sienna's voice came over the intercom.

"Gooooood morning boys. It's shaping up to be one surprising day. If all passengers would kindly make their way to the cockpit, that would be much appreciated."

Anakin leapt to his feet, letting the multitool fall abandoned to the ground, and raced to the cockpit.

"What's the surprise?" He demanded, skidding to a halt beside Sienna's seat.

Obi-Wan wandered in a moment later, brows lifted in a slightly curious expression.

"The surprise..." Sienna began, punching some buttons and pulling the ship out of hyperspace. The stars snapped into place, and the ship coasted along in a vast, empty area. "..is that you're gonna learn how to really fly a ship."

Anakin's face lit up, eyes wide and mouth open. "Really?!"

"Really." Sienna grinned at him. She stood from the pilot's seat and swept a hand towards it in invitation.

The boy wasted no time scrambling up into it. His hands hovered over the control panel, excitement radiating from every cell in his body. "Wizard!"

Obi-Wan discretely fastened his seatbelt.

Sienna noticed anyway and smirked at him before turning her full attention to Anakin. "Alright, I've taught you a lot of the logistics, but practice is what really makes a good pilot. And flying out here in space is a lot different than on a planet, where you've got gravity and air resistance and all that. I want you to start off slow- just nudge the ship forward a little bit."

Anakin pushed the stick forward. The ship shot through space, almost sending Sienna falling backwards, but she caught herself on the backrest of the seat.

"Woah, too much, too much. Easy on the controls kiddo."

Anakin pulled the stick back, and Obi-Wan was flung against his seatbelt.

"Oops. Sorry." The boy glanced at both of the Padawans sheepishly.

"It's ok, that's why we're practicing out here where there's nothing to crash into. Try again. A little less pressure. This isn't a pod race, this is flying. You don't need to take off running."

Anakin nodded, and pushed the stick forward again, much more gently.

"That's it. Remember, out in space there's no resistance, a little bit goes a long way. Stop pushing, and see what happens."

Anakin let go of the stick. The ship kept coasting forward. "Wizard."

"Mm. If you want to stop completely, you'll have to reverse the thrusters just a bit in order to counteract your forward motion. Like you did the first time, but less aggressively. Try it."

They spent a few minutes like that, Anakin practicing going forwards and stopping at different speeds. When Sienna was satisfied with his amateaur skills, she moved on to the next lesson.

"Alright, let's practice turning. A ship doesn't turn level like a speeder or pod, it tilts. If you tilt too much, your passengers are gonna fall over and slide all over the place, and they'll probably be very grumpy about it. But if you were to take the time to have a perfect, level turn, it would take forever. You have to find a balance depending on your situation."

Anakin practiced turning for a bit. The motions were jerky at first, but he gradually got better at gauging how much to tilt. He flew in wide figure eights, dipping around the loops. "This is sooo cool."

Sienna grinned. "Yup. Flying's the best. Think you've got the hang of the basics?"

Anakin nodded.

"Alright then, hop up for a minute. I have another spot to take us."

The boy obliged, hopping out of the seat so that Sienna could take his place and make the jump to hyperspace. Twenty minutes later found them leaping out into an asteroid field.

Obi-Wan shot Sienna a look of alarm. She ignored it.

"Am I gonna fly here?" Anakin asked, eyes wide.

"You bet. We drove circles 'round the parking lot, time to get out on the street. This is a tame field, the rocks are spread out. I even coulda gotten you started here and you would've been fine, but I wanted you to get a feel for the controls first. Now" -she leaned forward, one arm around the back of the seat and the other pointing out the viewscreen- "I'm gonna direct you around the rocks, and I want you to follow the path I tell you. Got it?"

"Got it!"

Two hours of dodging and weaving went by in a blink. Sienna called for a lunch break, then brought everyone back for lesson three: shooting.

She familiarized Anakin with the different controls and showed him how to read the targeting computer. She demonstrated what it looked like to use them, shooting a couple of smaller asteroids herself before having Anakin give it a try. "Pick which rock you want to try and shoot. Alright, now look at the targeting computer, wait till it turns green.. Now!"

Anakin jammed his thumbs into the buttons and two streaks of light leapt forth from the ship's guns. The asteroid exploded with a plume of grit.

"YES!" Anakin punched the air. "I did it! Did you see that? I exploded the asteroid!"

"Nice job!" Sienna ruffled his hair. "We're gonna practice that for a bit. Find another."

And so they continued. When Anakin had turned quite a few asteroids to dust, Sienna leaned over and turned off the targeting computer.

"Hey! Why'd you do that?"

"Sometimes your targeting computer will malfunction, or break, or not be fast enough. Luckily, you've got one built into your head." She tapped his temple gently. "The Force."

Anakin frowned, looking out at the asteroids. He tried to shoot a couple, but the shots went wide and completely missed.

"You're thinking too hard. Feel, Ani. Like in a podrace, do you think about avoiding things falling off of other pods, or do you just feel and react?"

"I feel them coming."

"Right. I want you to try to feel for the asteroid. Feel when your guns are lined up with it. Then shoot."

Anakin tried, again and again, but he couldn't seem to hit the asteroids. As the minutes ticked by, his frustration grew.

"I can't do it!" Anakin shouted, slamming his fists down on the edge of the console. "It doesn't work, the stupid Force isn't working."

Sienna took a deep breath through her nose, trying to release her own frustration for her inability to help Anakin understand.

"May I offer a suggestion?" Obi-Wan asked, speaking up for the first time.

Sienna nodded. "Be my guest."

"Anakin," Obi-Wan called.

The boy glared over at him.

"I'm going to try to teach you another way. Are you willing to try it?"

A nod.

"Alright. I want you to close your eyes. Take a few deep breaths, in through your nose and out through your mouth. Feel the chair beneath you. What does it feel like?"

"Isn't this meditating?" The boy asked, cracking open a suspicious eye.

Obi-Wan's lip quirked up in amusement. "Yes, but I'm going to show you how to use it to hit the asteroid."

"Hm."

"Close your eyes."

Anakin cast him one more suspicious look, then did as instructed.

"Alright. Feel your chair. How does it feel?"

"Cold. Hard."

"Good. What about the air? How does the air feel?"

"Ummm it doesn't feel like anything."

"Really focus on the skin of your hands and your face. They'll show you how it feels."

Anakin took a moment, face scrunching slightly. "Cold-ish."

Obi-Wan nodded. "Good. Now, I want you to imagine yourself stretching out your senses to feel other things. Your limbs are like tendrils that can reach any part of the room."

"Like a sarlaac?"

"Sure, like a sarlaac. Reach out those tendrils and feel them brushing over the controls, over the floor and the walls, and then through the walls. You can feel every part of the ship, see everything in the rooms and the cupboards. Can you see them?"

"I see my room!"

"Excellent. Now feel around and find the guns. Feel them, and feel where they are in relation to you. Are they exactly below your chair?"

"No. They're a little to the side."

"Good. Now stretch out across space, out of the ship. Feel everything around the ship, all the asteroids. Feel how big they are, and how far away they are. Feel if they're solid or hollow. Feel what angle they are positioned at in relation to you."

Anakin's face had relaxed by now, and he nodded slightly. "I feel them."

"Now find one you want to target. Imagine a laser beam pointing from your guns across space. You want that beam to line up with the asteroid. Nudge the ship around until the laser is perfectly focused on the asteroid."

Anakin wrapped a hand around the stick, eyes still closed, and moved the ship slightly.

"You may shoot whenever you're ready."

Another second passed, and then the ship rumbled as it released two charges.

The asteroid exploded.

Anakin's eyes flew open. "I did it! And I could feel the asteroid explode."

Obi-Wan smiled at him. "You did well. With time you will be able to do that in less than a second, but that was a very good shot."

Anakin beamed, soaking up the praise.

"I think that's good for today," Sienna said. "Let's end on a high note."

The boy's face instantly fell. "Aww. But I'm just getting good at it."

"Don't you want dinner?"

"Dinner?" Anakin echoed, brightening.

Sienna laughed. "Scoot, brat. I gotta bring us back to open space. How about you go get some food out?"

"Ok!"

She shooed Anakin out of the chair and he skipped off to the galley.

"Thanks for helping there," Sienna said to Obi-Wan while she input the coordinates.

Obi-Wan offered a smile. "It was my pleasure. You're a good teacher, you know."

"I try. It helps that he's a fast learner." The ship leapt forward into hyperspace. "But.." she sighed, and her lips twisting in a frown. "I wish I was better. He should have a Knight training him. I'm only 5 years into my own training, you can't count the year I've been on Tatooine. There's a lot I don't know, and a lot that I just kinda learned by trial and error and instinct. I don't have all the foundational technical skills. Like what you did, walking him through stretching out his senses? I wouldn't be able to phrase it that way. I've been sensing the world around me for as long as I can remember, and I'm good enough at it that I guess Calian never thought to walk me through an exercise like that."

Obi-Wan hummed thoughtfully. "If Qui-Gon has his way, Anakin will be trained by someone in the Order."

Sienna cast him a sideways glance. "What're the odds of Qui-Gon getting his way?"

Obi-Wan snorted. "If he's set his mind to it, I doubt he will take no for an answer."

Sienna nodded. Not a guarantee then, but a pretty good shot, if Jinn was as stubborn as he looked.

The older Padawan's comm beeped, and he glanced down at it with a smirk. "Speaking of Qui-Gon."

"Hah. Better answer that. You can stay in here, I'll go make sure Anakin hasn't made a mess of our dinner."

Obi-Wan laughed. "Alright then. I'll see you in a few minutes, hopefully."

"Have fun!" She called over her shoulder.

The door slid shut behind her, and Obi-Wan held out his palm.

"Padawan."

"Hello, Master."

"You will be happy to hear that I have a plan to share with you." Qui-Gon smirked, eyes twinkling mischievously.

"Oh? And here I had just begun to get attached to the idea of improvising the entire thing."

"Attachments are forbidden, Padawan."

Obi-Wan snorted. "Indeed. So what is this plan of yours?"

"Queen Amidala is going to attempt to negotiate with the Gungans for the support of their army. We will be landing our ship somewhere in the swamps, and I suggest you do the same. The droid gunships have already plowed a number of clearings large enough for a small ship. You are to meet up with us, and then Jar Jar will lead us back to the Gungan city. If all goes well, the Gungan army will draw the attention of the droid army and thus bring them out of the city and away from the Nubian people. You and I, along with the Queen and her guard, will work to infiltrate the capital and capture Newt Gunray. "

Obi-Wan rested a knuckle against his lips, considering this plan. "How large is the Gungan army?"

Qui-Gon smirked. "According to Jar Jar, it is of 'grand' size."

"So we have absolutely no idea what their numbers are."

"An astute observation, my young Padawan."

Obi-Wan gave a wry smile. "So in sum, we have very little manpower and the entire operation is riding on the Gungan bosses having a sudden change of heart in their attitudes towards the Naboo."

"Indeed."

"Well then, this should be easy."

Qui-Gon chuckled. "Be prepared to improvise."

"I always am," Obi-Wan responded. "Someone's got to get us out of the messes we always seem to find ourselves in."

"You do seem to be a magnet for trouble," Qui-Gon agreed cheerfully.

"Me? You're the one who insists on being an old maverick."

"I follow the will of the Living Force."

Obi-Wan snorted. "You'd follow it into a sarlaac pit and say getting eaten was part of the plan."

"And you would wander out into a swamp and nearly get eaten without the Force's prompting."

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes, but there was a smile on his face. "It's been a few days and already you're using that one against me?"

"Of course. I would be remiss as a Master if I didn't poke a little fun about that."

"Hm. Anything else?"

"One more thing," Qui-Gon said, a true smile tugging his own lips. "I have recommended you for the Trials."

Obi-Wan's eyebrows shot up into his hairline. "You.. I…" He stumbled over his words, not sure what to say.

Qui-Gon's smile grew. "You are ready, Obi-Wan. You have been a good apprentice. You are skilled and smart, and more than capable of handling yourself. Of course, you are also stubborn and hard-headed" -Obi-Wan glared at him, only furthering Qui-Gon's amusement- "and you have much to learn of the Living Force, but you have earned the right to complete the Trials. There is little more you will learn from me."

"I.. don't know what to say. Thank you, Master."

"Thank you, Obi-Wan. You have challenged me and taught me in more ways than you know. It will be my honor to serve beside Knight Kenobi."

Obi-Wan bowed deeply to the little hologram. "And it will be my honor to serve beside you as a Knight."

"I will see you soon, Obi-Wan. May the Force be with you."

"And with you, Master."

The image flickered and disappeared as Qui-Gon cut the connection. Obi-Wan stared at the disk for another minute or two, processing what had just happened.

He'd been recommended for the Trials.

He was going to be a Knight.

He was going to be a Knight!

It was all he had ever wanted, from the time he was a tiny youngling. And now his dreams were coming true.

He broke into a huge grin and practically skipped to the galley.

"What's got you glowing like that?" Sienna asked, looking up as he entered.

"I'm going to be a Knight," Obi-Wan said, voice filled with awe. "Qui-Gon's recommended me for the Trials."

"That's awesome, Bee! Congrats!"

"Wow, you're gonna be a real Jedi Knight?" Anakin asked.

Obi-Wan laughed. "Well, I still have to actually pass the Trials."

"'Course you'll pass," Sienna said. "You're amazing."

Anakin nodded in enthusiastic agreement, and Obi-Wan laughed again, a sound of wonder and joy wrapped into one.

He was going to be a Knight.