Ep I: The Slave Jedi

by jdLevengood

A rebooted version of Episode I. In this version, Anakin Skywalker is a young man, and former slave, who saves the life of Queen Padme Amidala when she flees to Tatooine after the conquest of Naboo. She is accompanied by the newly minted Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi, who recognizes the Force power in Anakin. The three will lead the liberation of Naboo, initiating the Clone Wars.

2. Tatooine Rescue

When Obi-Wan finally came to, he could feel he was laying in the middle of an extremely plush bed. It had a smell indicating it was new. He had to work to remember how he ended up there. All the memories of what happened on Naboo came flooding back to him. He and Qui-Gon had come to the planet to escort Queen Amidala to Coruscant. After a failed attempt by the Neimoidians to kill them, they had to fight their way to the surface and search for the queen. They managed to free her personal pilot and head of security, and those two guided them to the royal palace through a secret passageway, allowing them to rescue the queen and her younger sister. The queen had a panic ship that would allow them to break through the blockade, but when they reached it, they found the forces of the droid army were waiting for them. In trying to hold them off, Qui-Gon ended up dead while Obi-Wan was able to board the ship and attempt an escape. Breaking the blockade was tough, their ship was almost blown out of the sky, but Obi-Wan was able to use the Force to push a warship out of the way, giving them an open spot to race through. The last thing he could remember was lying on the ground of the cockpit, his energy completely spent after using all the power he could in the Force to save them. Channeling all that energy caused him to lose consciousness, but it also attuned him to the Force in a way he never had before. Right before he passed out, he had felt the presence of the dark side. Remembering the feeling of the dark presence before the hyperspace jump, his fight or flight response activated, and he darted up in bed.

"It's okay, I'm here," Princess Soala said as she came running over to the bed.

"Where are we?" he asked.

"The middle of nowhere," Soala replied. "We completed a mini-jump and are now parked in space. My sister wanted me to tell you we will forever owe you a debt of gratitude for the heroism you displayed. When all this is over, she will reward you the Order of. . ."

"Jedi do not accept rewards or medals," Obi-Wan said as he rubbed his forehead. "Where are the others?"

"The others are looking through the ship and making repairs. We really took quite the beating. I was left here to tend to you, in case you required any assistance."

Soala sounded disappointed that she had been given the relatively simple task of just watching him. Obi-Wan noted it but didn't exactly have time to worry about her emotional state. He needed to tell the queen about the dark side presence he had felt, and the possible involvement of the Sith.

"I need to go and find the others." Obi-wan got out of bed without feeling the least bit woozy. When he made it to the door, he wondered if the princess would want to accompany him. "Do you want to come with me?" he asked.

"No, you go ahead. There's nothing I can do. Watching over you was all I can handle."

While Obi-Wan felt heartbroken to hear the girl sound so dejected, it was something he couldn't worry about. He took off, having to search around the ship to find anyone. The first person he came across was Padme, who was just the person he was looking for. She was sitting at a computer terminal in the ship's study.

"I hope you're doing okay," she said the second she saw him. Her voice was soft as she spoke.

"I had to exert myself a lot back there, but I am rested and recuperated now."

Padme smiled uneasily. "That is not quite what I meant. Losing your friend back there must have been traumatic."

"I am a Jedi, we are trained from birth to be ready for such situations, and to be able to overcome them. The mission at hand is always at the forefront of our minds. I do not have time to concern myself with the death of my former master. I have to get you to Coruscant. Now more than ever."

Padme flinched as she had not been aware Qui-Gon was his former master. The knowledge he had lost someone close to him in order to rescue her made her feel bad, and she acted flustered as she explained the situation to him.

"While you were out, Tarsals and Olie talked to me. They explained to me all the reasons they had for believing the Federation has assassins on Coruscant waiting for me. They didn't have to do much to convince me as I have been feeling a sense of dread over traveling there. That is why we need to take a detour first. Head to a planet on the outskirts of the galaxy, one where both the Republic and the Federation are completely unknown to anyone."

"With all due respect, your highness, I believe you are making a grave error. The Jedi can protect you on Coruscant. You need to understand the kind of power we have on the planet. Nothing will happen to you there. I can assure you of that. Going to the capital where we have the entire Jedi Order is much preferable to a sparsely populated planet where we don't know anyone. It is my mission to get you to Coruscant, and I intend to do just that." He paused for a moment as he reconsidered telling her about his revelation, but figured she needed to know everything. "Right before I passed out, I was in tune with the Force in ways I have never been before. I was able to feel the distinct touch of the dark side. I believe that somehow, the Sith are involved in all this. Now, more than ever, it is imperative we get you to Coruscant where you can be placed under the protection of the Jedi Council and all the Knights in the temple. We are the only ones who can keep you safe from the Sith."

Padme's nostrils were flaring as she was furious over the rebuke she received from the Jedi. "With all due respect, Jedi, pardon me if I do not have the faith in your Council and your Order that you believe I should have. You are asking me to have confidence in an Order that was unable to send the proper number of Jedi to my planet. If you were so insightful in the Force, or if you had any sense of what we are up against, you would have realized what would have happened to you. Your council failed by just sending the two of you. We were fortunate the life of your master was the only price to pay."

"The hands of the Council were tied, your highness. You have no idea the work it took just to get the Senate to approve sending the two of us."

"The fact you submit yourself to the control of such a disastrous legislative body is part of your failure."

"Despite that, the Jedi can protect you on Coruscant. You need to understand that."

"And how do I know that when we get to Coruscant your attempts to protect me will not run into the same problems you had on Naboo?"

"I was given an order by the Council-"

"I do not care about your Council. You have no authority here, Jedi. I have made the decision to take refuge on Tatooine. It is a planet controlled by the Hutts. There is no presence of either the Federation or the Republic on the planet. It will be perfect for us to hide out there as we consider our next move. Now, if you want to make yourself useful, find Tarsals and Olie and help them take stock of any damage we received."

As Obi-Wan walked out in a huff, he almost ran right into Artoo, who was bringing a glass of water for the queen. The droid let out a high-pitched squeal of displeasure.

"My apologies, Artoo. I didn't expect to find you on board. I am quite surprised to see you made it through everything. You really are quite the droid."

...

The stars appeared as streaks of light through the window of the cockpit. Captain Olie hardly noticed them as he was concentrating on the counter that showed how long they had until they exited hyperspace.

"Coming out of hyperspace in 3. . .2. . ." he announced. Everyone was assembled in the cockpit. They wanted to be together the moment they arrived on Tatooine.

Upon exiting hyperspace, the first thing they all saw was the light of the system's twin suns reflecting off the surface of the planet. The light was blinding, and they all had to avert their eyes from the window or hold up a hand in front of their face to block the light.

Just as their eyes adjusted to the light, the sound of alarms filled the cockpit. Everyone was stunned, except for Ric Olie, who ran through the information the computer was giving him about what it had detected.

"There's two Federation dreadnoughts right behind us," he yelled to everyone.

"How did they find us?" Princess Soala yelled through tears.

"They must have deduced that instead of going to Coruscant, we were going to try and find an out of the way place to hide," Obi-Wan said.

The ship started shaking as it took hits from the dreadnought's turbolasers. They stopped after scoring a couple hits on the shields. Olie wondered why they stopped. He got his answer when he saw the fleet of robotic fighters flying past the cockpit before circling back around. The dreadnaughts had stopped firing to avoid hitting their own fighters.

"What can we do?" the queen said. She was remarkably calm as she spoke.

"Not much," Olie replied. He punched up a line of commands on the computer, and a holo-image of all the ships appeared. The Naboo blockade runner was being pursued by two rather large dreadnoughts. They were also surrounded by Federation fighters, who were flying in more of an escort position than an attack position.

The holo-image was showing every detail of the ships, including the shields which surrounded each one. The shields for the dreadnoughts were blue, indicating they were both at full strength. The shields of the Naboo cruiser, on the other hand, were yellow, indicating they were weak. They had done their best to repair them when they were stopped, but they hadn't returned them to full strength. Everyone knew they stood little chance of fighting back. It didn't appear there was any hope for outrunning them. They were sitting ducks.

"Can we jump to hyperspace?" Padme asked.

"No, we're already inside the planet's gravity well, and getting deeper into it with every passing second."

"Turn the ship around!" Soala yelled out in panic.

"I'd love to, but the dreadnoughts and the fighters have us surrounded. They're staying back for now, but if we were to make a move to escape, I know they will go into full attack mode to keep us from making it outside the planet's gravity."

When Olie mentioned the fighters were trying to keep them from altering their path, Obi-Wan instantly realized what they were trying to do. "They want us to stay on a straight path, so they can lock onto us."

"You think they're trying to grab us with a tractor beam?" Right after Olie finished asking his question, the ship lurched, causing everyone standing up to almost fall over.

"You were right, Jedi," Olie announced. "They've got us in a tractor beam. I'm shutting the engines down."

"Why don't you try to break free?" Soala yelled, more distraught then ever.

"Because there is no chance for us to break free from a tractor beam. All we can do now is prepare ourselves for when they come aboard. I propose we grab every gun from the arsenal and prepare to fight to the death.

"Jedi, can't you push away the dreadnought holding us?" Soala asked, frantic.

"That won't do anything to free us," Obi-wan explained. "We'll just move with the ship."

"It's clear we only have one hope then," Padme said. "Send out a call for help. See if there is anyone who would be willing to come to our rescue."

Tarsals grabbed the microphone and keyed in the commands to send out a distress message on all signals. "To all ships out there, we are caught in a tractor beam and could use assistance. Please come to our aid."

When Tarsals was done, Olie looked at his partner and shook his head, skeptical of what he was doing. "Expecting any help here is a pretty tall order. The only people around here are smugglers in cargo freighters. I know some of them have powerful weapons on them, but I don't think anyone is going to be anxious to join this futile fight."

With the Naboo cruiser now moving backward, the small, robotic fighters changed their positions. They started circling around the cruiser, making sure not to fly in the path of the tractor beam

"What are they doing?" Soala asked.

"Trying to send a message to anyone who might be thinking of coming to our aid," Olie explained. "They must have heard the message too and want to make sure anyone who tries to help us knows they will have to get past those fighters first."

Padme closed her eyes and made a silent plea. She knew she wasn't Force sensitive, but she was calling on it to send them a savior. They were desperate, and about to die. With her death, all hope for her people would die as well.

Padme opened her eyes just in time to see a fighter explode right in front of them. She was about to ask who did it when she saw the culprit. A small, manned fighter zoomed past the cockpit window. It flew too her fast for her to get a good look at it, but she knew it was the savior she had prayed for. She saw a light flashing on their control panel, indicating the pilot of the fighter was radioing them.

"Answer that!" Padme commanded. Tarsals did as she instructed, keying the message to come through the loudspeaker.

"This is Admiral Skywalker, Supreme commander of the Tatooine Space Force, the best fighting outfit in the Outer Rim. I heard your message and came to help you." Padme's heart leapt into her chest to hear her plea was answered not by a single fighter, but an entire space fleet.

Obi-Wan focused his attention on the holo-image of the battle, which now included an image for Skywalker's fighter. The computer created the best image it could of the bizarre looking fighter. The thing appeared to be built out of parts from various other fighters and freighters. No one was concerned about its structure, as they were only interested in what it was doing. For the moment, it was circling back around to go after the fighters, which were starting to disperse in order to confront this new entrant. "Where's the rest of the force?" Obi-wan screamed, wanting to make sure the microphone picked up his voice.

"I'm all there is," Skywalker replied. "But don't you worry. You are going to see that I am all you need."

While Padme should have been utterly dejected to learn there was no fleet, her hopes did not fade one bit. She couldn't explain why, but she had confidence in this Skywalker. She truly believed he was all they needed.

The others in the cockpit did not exactly share Padme's optimism. "Was I the only one thinking there was a whole fleet that was going to come to our rescue?" Olie asked.

"We may not have a fleet, but we have a farmboy suffering from delusions of grandeur. That is clearly the next best thing." The disdain Obi-Wan was feeling came through in his voice.

With their eyes on the holo-image, everyone was able to watch as Skywalker flew circles around the robot fighters, taking them out one-by-one. "Looks like the farmboy is living up to his delusions," Tarsals exclaimed.

"I don't know, it looks like he lost his shields." Now that Olie pointed it out, no one was able to remember if the fighter had ever been shown to have shields on the holo-image.

Captain Olie went ahead and tried to give the pilot a warning. "Admiral Skywalker, your shields aren't working. I repeat, your shields aren't working. You're a sitting duck without them, in case you didn't know." Obi-Wan had to bite his tongue as he believed they should not be feeding this man's delusions by calling him by the title of admiral.

"Don't worry, I didn't lose my shields. I never had any. I'll be fine, nothing is going to hit me."

Obi-Wan let out a groan, while Padme continued to pray. They were desperate, and because of that Padme was willing to believe this lone farmer piloting a makeshift fighter with no shields was the savior they needed. As the fight unfolded, he proved himself to be just that savior. The pilot destroyed one robotic fighter after another. It was some of the most impressive piloting Obi-Wan had ever seen. He was beginning to realize the pilot had not exactly been full of false bravado when he declared himself the best fighting force around. Obi-wan could feel what he was accomplishing was not due to pure piloting skill, the Force was strong with him, and was likely guiding his actions.

After losing half their fighters, the Federation commanders made the decision to recall them. They headed back to the safety of the dreadnought's cover. Everyone in the cockpit cheered over this minor victory, even though it was negligible. They were still in the grip of the tractor beam, and would not be free until they found a way to destroy the dreadnought reeling them in.

"Tell me which ship has a hold of you," Skywalker commanded. "Also, if you could give me any advice on how to destroy it, I would greatly appreciate it."

Obi-Wan was going to scream for the fighter to just leave, there was nothing it could do against a capital ship. Before he could say that, the queen chimed in with some advice for him.

"It's the ship to your left, and its vulnerable from the rear," she yelled. "All their power is directed at their forward shields; the rear ones are completely inactive."

"Those shields will activate the second you fly near them," Obi-Wan yelled.

"Then that gives me one second to fly under them before they're activated."

Obi-Wan grimaced and growled over the pilot's recklessness. He didn't know anything about the man, he didn't know if he had anyone back on the planet to go home to. If he did, he certainly wasn't doing them any favors by senselessly and futilely getting himself killed up here.

The Tatooine fighter flew straight at the dreadnought. The dreadnought itself paid it no attention, as it didn't see the lone, small fighter as a threat. The robotic fighters circling the dreadnought tried to engage the Tatooine fighter, but it flew in a corkscrew to avoid their lasers as it stayed on course.

Once again, the eyes of everyone in the Naboo cockpit were glued on the holo-image. They watched as the Tatooine fighter sped past the dreadnought. Once it had reached the rear thrusters of the ship, the fighter pulled out an impossible maneuver, spinning around and reversing its direction so it could fly under the shields of the dreadnought. It made it through a mere microsecond before the rear shield activated.

While everyone was in awe of what they had witnessed, Obi-Wan was especially stunned. He had felt a surge in the Force coming from the fighter when it made the tricky maneuver. It was a surge at an intensity he had rarely seen, and it was coming from a non-Jedi. It was unbelievable.

The Tatooine fighter flew over the dreadnought, unimpeded by any blaster shots or robotic fighters. It flew straight toward the control tower, which was capped by the ship's bridge. With a couple well placed shots, it destroyed the bridge. With no one controlling the ship, it started drifting aimlessly. The robotic fighters surrounding it started floating aimlessly as well, as nothing was controlling them either. Most importantly, with the bridge destroyed, the tractor beam was no longer holding the Naboo cruiser. Olie fired up the engines again.

"It looks like you're free," Skywalker radioed to the Naboo ship. The dreadnoughts shields dropped with the destruction of the bridge, allowing Skywalker to fly over to the other dreadnought. Having just witnessed what happened to its sister ship, the dreadnought turned all its attention to the fighter. It was attempting to knock it out with its big guns. The fighter engaged in some fancy flying, avoiding every blast from both the dreadnoughts and its droid escort.

"We need to fly away from the planet now that we can." Obi-Wan rushed to say. "Make it outside of the gravity well, then we can jump somewhere else."

The queen was silent as she considered the Jedi's request. While Obi-Wan was happy she did not immediately challenge him, he would have liked to hear her enthusiastically accept that they had to hurry and get away while they could. He was going to say something to further convince her, but Olie stepped in.

"The Jedi is right. We need to get out of here while we have the opening."

"How long do you think that fighter can hold out?" she asked.

"Probably not long, despite the piloting skills he's shown," Olie explained. "He has no shields. All it will take is one hit by those big guns and he'll be vaporized. I would love to turn this ship around and help him, but I don't know how much help we could give. We would be looking at a situation where both of us would end up destroyed." The weariness in his voice was evident. Obi-Wan was feeling it to. They knew they should be running away, but the queen likely was not going to let them leave the fighter pilot to face death.

Padme thought hard about what she wanted to do. She had an entire planet counting on her survival, but she knew she couldn't just leave that pilot to die. "Turn this ship around, we are going to fight alongside the fighter. He has shown enormous bravery in coming to our aid, and we owe him the same."

To the surprise of the queen, Olie offered no objection. Instead, he smiled as he seemed to be relishing the opportunity to fight instead of fleeing. The queen's decision had served to bring out the nascent fighter in him.

As they neared the fighter, Olie finally had the chance to fire the ship's forward batteries. He took out several of the droid fighters. With the larger Naboo ship back in the fight, the dreadnought turned all its attention to it. Its shields were still holding, but they wouldn't for long.

"We need to figure out a way to take out this ship." Olie spoke loud enough so he would be sure the radio would pick up his voice. "The other dreadnought has its rear deflector shield up," he said to the other pilot. "It doesn't look like you are going to be able to pull the same trick you did with the other one."

Undeterred, the Tatooine fighter flew straight for the dreadnought. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't those shields have to drop in order for the ship to fire."

"Yes, but they're timed to drop for just the exact microsecond needed for the laser blast to make its way through."

"One microsecond is all I need," the pilot replied.

"Don't try it, it's almost impossible," Obi-Wan screamed. "Even if you do make it through the shield, you'll never stop in time to avoiding colliding with the ship."

Given everything he had seen the pilot do, Obi-Wan should have stayed silent, and believed in the man. Almost in defiance of Obi-Wan's words, the pilot directed his ship at the dreadnought at full speed. He made it past the shield during the single microsecond it was down, and with the aid of the Force, stopped his ship dead in its tracks before it collided with the dreadnought. Obi-Wan felt him use the Force and marveled at the power he showed.

Flipping his ship up, he flew straight for the command tower and its vulnerable bridge. He destroyed it the same way he had destroyed the bridge on the other ship. After destroying the bridge, the Tatooine fighter flew past the thrusters, and then circled around to admire his handiwork.

Everyone in the cockpit of the Naboo ship had to admire what they had just seen the fighter accomplish. It had gone up against two capital ships and destroyed them both. If they had not witnessed it themselves, they would have never believed it.

"Now, we must jump to hyperspace," Obi-Wan interjected. "The Neimoidian Federation knows where we are. More ships will be coming."

All eyes were on Padme, waiting for her to tell them to leave. Everyone felt that was the only choice, but Padme felt differently. Going to Coruscant meant surrendering her planet to the Federation. Staying here meant they had time to find an alternative. There was likely no other place for them to flee, as the Federation had likely analyzed every place they could go and would have ships waiting for them.

As she weighed her options, she heavily considered traveling to Coruscant. For the moment, it seemed like the safest option. She couldn't bring herself to make that choice. She wanted to stay where they were and see what they could do to save her planet. The Force had delivered them a fighter to save them from the Federation ships. She thought she could feel it telling them to stay, that more help would be coming their way.

"We're going to the surface of the planet." While everyone seemed stunned by her decision, no one offered any objection to it. "We will be safe down there for the time being."

Reluctantly, Olie flew the ship around to head to the surface. The Tatooine fighter caught up with them quickly, flying right alongside them. With the fighter right beside them, they were able to get a good look at it for the first time. Just as the holo-image showed, it was not a fighter any of them recognized. Instead, it appeared to be built out of parts from several different ships.

"He fought in that thing," Soala commented. "He's braver than I thought."

The pilot in the cockpit was visible to them all now, but they couldn't make out much about him. He appeared to be immense in size, barely fitting in the cockpit. That might have just been an illusion of a small cockpit, though. He was wearing a flight suit and his head was completely covered by a black breathing mask. He was staring right back at them and gave them a salute.

Padme was worried their savior was going to fly away before they got a chance to thank him. "Tatooine pilot, we are new to this planet and could use some friends. Also, as you can see, we have some powerful forces hunting us. Would you be willing to show us an out of the way place to land our ship? We would also appreciate it if you would be willing to stay and offer us some help. I am rich and can offer more than you could imagine." Padme winced after speaking that last part, as she felt it sounded forced, odd, and insincere.

"I don't know about that one," the pilot replied. "I can imagine quite a lot. Still, I will take you up on your offer. Follow me to the surface. I'll circle around the spot I want you to land."

The Tatooine fighter sped in front of them. Olie followed it. As the Naboo ship flew over the surface, they marveled at the fact the only landscape they saw was desert. It was nothing but mounds of sand for as far as the eye could see. While flying, Olie brought up a map of the planet so he knew where they were going. Just as Padme had requested, the fighter seemed to be leading them to a deserted area of the planet. There was a town, Anchorhead, not too far away. The only large city nearby was Mos Eisley, which looked to be quite a distance from them.

When they reached the spot where the fighter wanted them to land, the pilot flew so low to the ground that it kicked up the sand over the area it flew, creating a perfect circle to serve as a landing spot for Olie. He stopped the ship in the direct middle of the circle before letting it descend to the ground.

The Tatooine fighter landed a short distance away from the Naboo ship, but directly in front of it. They could see the pilot working at the controls furiously after he landed.

"What is he doing?" Soala asked.

"I think with his ship being a hybrid of so many others, it takes him forever to shut down everything," Olie said.

"We should go out and greet him," Padme seemed antsy with excitement as she gave her commands.

"Perhaps Olie and I should greet him," Tarsals said. "We could escort him on board the ship for you to thank him."

"No, I should be the first one to thank him. I am the queen, and these kinds of things are my job." The others could tell she was swelling with admiration for their savior. She was anxious and excited to meet the pilot that had shown so much skill in saving them. She led the way, and the others fell in line behind her.

Padme had the small party stop halfway between their ship and the Tatooine fighter. It took a minute, but the engines finally came to a complete stop. Once everything was shut down, he pushed open the cockpit and jumped out to the ground. Everyone was taken aback by how massively tall he was, he had to be at least six and a half feet. His flight suit barely fit him. It clung to his body, with his thick muscles looking like they were trying to bust out and escape the confinement of the tight suit.

As the pilot walked towards them, Obi-Wan could see the queen trembling with excitement. He probed her with the Force and shook his head over what he picked up. The last thing they needed was a giddy, lovestruck woman making all the decisions for them.

Everyone expected him to take off his breathing mask as he approached them, but to their surprise, he kept it on. When he was just a few feet away from them, Padme bowed to him. Obi-Wan didn't know the exact protocols of Naboo, but he knew royals normally did not bow to anyone.

"I am Queen Padme Naberre Amidala of Naboo, and I am pleased to greet you and thank you for saving us." Obi-Wan, along with everyone else, flinched over the fact she gave him her full name. They were trying to stay hidden, and this was not helping in the least. Obi-Wan could feel the sense of trust the queen had in the pilot. Not wanting to rely on her naivete, he connected to the pilot and tried to read him.

Given what had happened during the space fight, Obi-Wan expected to feel the man's power in the Force, but there was nothing. He sensed no more Force sensitivity than anyone else. It was remarkable how much it had just disappeared. Once Obi-Wan overcame that surprise, he was able to read his feelings. The man was swelling with pride, but also riled with nervousness. Obi-Wan felt no hint of ill malice. Instead, there were feelings of lust for the queen coursing through him. The Jedi broke the connection when he realized he had sensed enough.

The pilot felt obligated to reciprocate the queen's formality. He kept his legs perfectly straight as he bowed back to her. When his bow was over, he returned the thanks. "It was my pleasure to be able to come to your rescue."

Everyone was taken aback by his voice. With the breathing mask on, it sounded mechanical, almost inhuman. The deepness was unnatural.

"Do you need that to breathe all the time?" Padme asked.

"Oh, the helmet," the pilot replied. He removed the breathing apparatus to reveal a handsome face that looked like it had been chiseled from stone. His skin looked worn, but not aged. The black color of his hair was hard to make out as he had shaved it incredibly short. In the spots where the sun hit it directly, he appeared bald.

"I wasn't able to put in life support systems for the cockpit, so I can only breath through this," he explained as he held up the helmet. "I've gotten so accustomed to it, I often forget I'm wearing it."

As he looked from his helmet to Padme, his eyes met hers, and the two of them felt an instant connection with each other. The connection was through the Force, something the two of them just barely understood. They were able to feel the other's emotions as well as read the other's thoughts. The connection startled them, and they instinctively looked away from each other. Breaking eye contact broke the connection. When they two of them looked at each other again, they made sure not to look the other in the eye, as they wanted to avoid connecting once again.

"It was very brave of you to come to our rescue like that," Padme said when she regained her composure. "The people of Naboo will forever owe a debt to-" Padme was going to repeat his name, but couldn't remember it. "I'm sorry, but I can't remember what your name was."

"You have nothing to be sorry for," the pilot began. "With all the excitement back there, I'm not sure if I even gave it to you." The man told a little white lie to make the queen feel better. "I am Anakin Skywalker. No one owes me a debt for rescuing you. I spent years constructing that fighter, and I was just happy for it to finally see the kind of action I had built it for. It was quite fortuitous, that the very first time I took it out was the moment you needed someone to come your rescue."

Everyone was stunned by what Anakin had just told them. "That was the first time you flew it? That was the first fight you were ever in?" Olie said, incredulous. "With that kind of flying, I would have assumed you were a hardened veteran of numerous wars. Where did you ever learn to fly like that?"

Anakin seemed embarrassed as he looked at the ground and shook his head. "I get asked that kind of question about a great many things, and I never know how to answer it. From the moment I was a child, I have had abilities that others have always marveled at. Skills that take others years to learn come naturally to me. I have never been able to explain it."

"It's the Force," Obi-Wan said as he looked at Anakin. When Anakin looked over to him their eyes met, and Obi-Wan could feel the piercing stare he was receiving.

"You're a Jedi, aren't you?" Anakin asked Obi-Wan.

"Yes, I am, and I have to say, when you were fighting out there, I could feel the Force aiding you, but I don't feel it now." As Obi-Wan spoke, he walked closer to Anakin, looking up at the hulk of man. "During the battle, I felt you using the Force. Did you realize you were using it?"

"I could feel something coursing through me at the time. It was a sensation I've felt before. I always assumed I was channeling the Force before, but I never had anyone to confirm it for me."

"Well, you do now," Obi-wan said. "Tell me, when you had these sensations before, did you feel under duress, scared, frightened at all?"

"As a matter of fact, I did."

"Just as I suspected." While Obi-Wan was trying to act stolid, he was feeling a decided mix of emotions. He was ecstatic to come across someone who had such innate ability in the Force. He was concerned, though, that it came about from moments of fear. In those moments, he had been calling on the dark side of the Force. It made sense, since that was easier. "You're able to call on the Force, but only reflexively. When you are in danger, you can channel it, but when you're calm, it abandons you."

"What does that mean?" Anakin was thoroughly confused.

"It means you have a natural ability to call on the Force I have never seen or even heard of. The Force is strong with you, and if you could be trained to truly harness it-"

Obi-Wan had to stop and shut himself up as he knew he was getting carried away. It was not his place to decide to train anyone in the use of the Force. The power to train Jedi rested solely in the Jedi Council, who set up rules and protocols for it. The primary rule was that only young children could be trained. Becoming a Jedi was a lifelong commitment, which required being raised in the ways of the order. Anakin was far too old to be trained, which was a real shame.

"I think the two of you can talk about Jedi business later." Padme had walked up between the two to end the conversation. Obi-wan was glad she was saving him from getting carried away. "Anakin, as you can see from the attack we just suffered, we are in great danger and are likely being hunted. My planet, Naboo, was invaded and conquered by the Neimoidian Federation. We managed to escape so we could make our way to Coruscant to seek help from the Republic. We didn't want to head directly there, as we were afraid we would be attacked when we got there."

"Coming here didn't exactly save you from that fate, you know." Anakin smirked as he made his smart-aleck comment.

"Yes, I realize that, but we are safe now at least. And what happened here just shows that having to go to Coruscant and announcing ourselves when we arrive would be even worse. We came here to find a ship that can transport us to Coruscant under the radar. Do you know anyone who could do that?"

From the look on Anakin's face, everyone could tell he thought she was asking the impossible. "The only people here who could do something like that for you are the Hutts."

"That was what we figured," Padme replied.

"They drive a real hard bargain," Anakin said uneasily. "They don't do anything on the cheap."

"I have prepared for all contingencies and have access to numerous off-planet accounts. Money is no problem."

Anakin had to suppress a laugh. "This is a planet full of smugglers. Unofficial businesses don't exactly deal with official currencies."

"But there are local currencies, I take it?"

"Yes, there are, but no one is going to exchange official currency for the local. Now, you could get some if you have things of value to sell, but it is going to take a lot."

Padme looked uneasy, but she knew they had to find a way to get money. "Our ship is full of goods. It was designed to carry everything we might need in the event of an escape and a temporary life in exile. There is more than enough to sell. Would you mind looking around, and seeing if there is anything that would be considered valuable here?"

"I would be delighted to," Anakin replied.

...

Anakin walked up and down Padme's closet several times. With each pass, he stared at the dresses on the racks as well as the luggage resting on the floors. He was doing his best to try and hide his feelings but failing as the queen was able to tell he found something humorous.

"Would you mind telling me what's so funny?" The annoyance in Padme's voice was palpable.

"I just can't believe what these outfits are like." As he talked, he held out one of the larger dresses. "I mean, look at this one. This one outfit probably contains more material then every piece of clothing I own."

"In case you've forgotten, I am the queen of a planet," Padme kept her voice calm and her facial expression pleasant as she responded to Anakin's annoying teasing. "Being a royal comes with certain expectations about how I am supposed to act and how I am supposed to dress. There are situations and functions that require me to dress with the upmost of elegance."

The expression of humor on Anakin's face did not lessen one iota. "I thought this was supposed to be your escape ship; the ship that should have been packed only with items that you need to survive. And yet, what do you pack? A closet full of fancy dresses and royal matched luggage."

Anakin's joke got a laugh out of Soala. Padme, on the other hand, felt nothing but indignation at the man. "For your information, this ship wasn't necessarily stocked only with things I need to survive. It was stocked with items I need to fulfill my role as queen of my people. I knew that even in exile, I might need to dress regal in attendance of government functions and other matters. If I were to speak before the Senate, I would have to dress the part. Protocol demands such things."

"Good to know," Anakin said as he pursed his lips. He went back to looking over the clothes, even though it was apparent he wasn't really taking in anything.

"I believe I brought you in here, so you could tell us if any of these outfits would fetch us any money if we sold them."

"Oh, so now you can sell them. I thought you just said you needed them. How are you going to plead your case in the Senate if you aren't dressed properly?"

"I don't understand why you are making this so difficult." Padme finally lost the ability to keep her emotions in check. There was anger in her voice, and she clenched her fist and gesticulated with it as she talked. "I'm not looking to sell everything, just whatever might be enough to get us the money we need. Can you just tell me how much you think some of these dresses might be worth?"

"On this planet, they're all worth nothing." Initially, Padme was furious that Anakin would be playing around with them and lying like this. As she listened to his explanation, she was forced to accept that her elegant dresses, made by the best fashion designers in the galaxy, were worth nothing outside her narrow, elite world. "We don't have fancy events to dress up for on this planet. The people here, they just work, or hang out in low class bars. No one is going to buy these things expecting to ever wear them."

Padme let out a sigh as she lowered her head. If they couldn't raise any local currency, they were going to have to find something else to offer the Hutts. A thought occurred to her, one that wasn't exactly ideal, but she didn't think they had much choice.

"Do you think the Hutts would make a deal in favors?" she asked Anakin. From the expression she saw on his face, he was initially confused by what she was asking. It didn't take long for the expression to change, as it dawned on him what she was getting at.

"They might, what do you have in mind?"

"Going to the head Hutt here, and revealing who I am. I would them tell him that I have a certain amount of influence with the Republic government, and that I can grease some wheels for him."

"Dealing in favors is certainly a much better currency when dealing with the Hutts," Anakin said. "The problem with your proposal, is smuggling is all about working around government officials. They are already adept at that, and don't need any favors. I know you might be thinking you could help convince some department somewhere to look the other way on something involving their business, but they already have all the government officials they need in their pocket. They are not going to make any deal there."

As Anakin finished talking, Padme noticed he was no longer looking at her, but rather at someone over her shoulder. She turned around to see Obi-Wan standing in the doorway, a stern expression on his face.

"Did I just hear you say you were planning on revealing yourself to the Hutts?" Given what he had just overheard, Obi-Wan knew he was correct in breaking the promise Qui-Gon had made. The queen was out of her depth here, and he knew Tarsals and Olie would never correct her, they would never challenger her authority. It was up to him to make sure her naivety didn't get them all killed.

"Revealing yourself is a horrid idea. Once the Federation arrives, the Hutts will hurry to make a deal with them, if they were to find you."

"It is the only chance we have to obtain that which we seek. If we move quickly, we can make a deal with them before the Federation returns." Padme was doing her best to sound as stern as she could in her reply. She understood the challenge to her authority he was attempting. "According to Anakin, nothing we have here is worth any value on this planet. There is no way to raise the funds we need."

"What about games of chance, or card games?" Obi-wan asked. "Would we be able to raise the money we need from one of them?"

Anakin smirked as he was very skeptical of the Jedi's idea. "You could raise a lot of money through a local card game that's very popular here, but it would take an impressive amount of skill at it. Skill I doubt you have, since you've probably never played it before."

"As a Jedi, I am able to easily pick up skills. It's no different from what you were describing to us earlier about your special abilities. When I am playing the game, I will have my Jedi skills at my disposal. I don't think it will be hard for me to win the money we need. Then we can buy safe passage to Coruscant without anyone learning who we are."

Obi-Wan's words did not appear to convince Anakin of anything. "Even assuming you can learn the game like you say, you are never going to be able to enter a high stakes game without the money for the buy-in. I have not seen anything here you would be able to sell for even that kind of money. That is, unless there are at least a couple items you have failed to show me."

"What are you talking about?" Padme was doing her best to play dumb but failing at it.

"I have just been thinking that this is supposed to be your escape ship. You knew you would be fleeing during a time of great danger, and yet, from what you have shown me, you didn't bring any weapons at all." He looked around as he shrugged. "Now that is one thing that would be worth some money around here. Enough to afford the buy-in for the high stakes game your Jedi is talking about."

From the look on Padme's face, Anakin could tell he had hit upon the truth. Obi-Wan noticed it as well and was disappointed they had hid things from him. It was her idea to bring him aboard to appraise everything, and then she hid the weapons from him. It didn't make sense and was another sign that she couldn't be trusted to make the decisions, he would have to take charge.

"You are right to assume there is an arsenal on board," Padme admitted. "I didn't quite trust you enough to let you know about it. I apologize for that. I also know that Tarsals and Olie are not going to want to part with any of it, but now, it looks like our only choice. I will find Tarsals and tell him what we are going to do."

She walked past Obi-wan, with her sister following her out. She didn't have to travel far as Tarsals had come looking for her. They did their best to talk in low voices, but both Obi-wan and Anakin could hear the two arguing. The argument didn't last long, as Tarsals was obligated to obey his queen.

When Padme walked back in, she looked uneasy. Obi-wan saw it as a sign the entire situation was getting to her, and he wondered how much longer she would be able to hold up. "We are going to sell the arsenal, so the Jedi here can buy his way into the game you suggested. Anakin, would you be willing to teach him how to play it?"

"Of course, I would. I've got a deck of cards for it back at my home. I could run there and come back with it to teach him. It's a game that involves a lot of players, so I might need the rest of you to get involved. It would help, though, if I had another person to help me teach you. I have a brother I could bring along to help out."

Padme made a face that indicated she had other ideas. "Given our situation, I was wondering if we could travel to your home. Since we are trying to lay low, we can't exactly fly this ship into town to sell the weapons. When we stocked it, we forgot about loading a mode of transportation in case we landed anywhere. It would be good for us if you had a way to transport us to your home. We could store the arsenal there until the morning, and you and your brother could teach us to play that game." She paused, as she considered if she should add something. Her sense of obligation compelled her to continue. "I am not sure if you understand the situation, but the Federation will likely return to this planet to look for us. You would potentially be putting yourself in great danger by housing us."

"Think nothing of it," Anakin did not hesitate to reply. Padme was instantly relieved. "You will definitely be much safer staying with us as opposed to the ship they saw you fly in here. I don't think we have much to worry about. They can try all they want, but they are never going to find you down here. This planet is full of people hiding from something. They never manage to be found, and neither will you."

"Thank you. Once again, you are proving yourself our savior. When all this is over, I assure you, you will be rewarded with a medal, and maybe more."

Anakin turned red with embarrassment over the praise. "I can radio Owen, my brother, and have him come out in our speeder. He can carry three passengers. We can load the arsenal on the back." Anakin ran over in his mind just how many people they had to transport. "There's still two people left." He stared hard at Obi-Wan as he thought of something. "If I fly my fighter at a slow enough speed, it won't be too hard for anyone to just simply hang on. The flight to my home is a short one. It shouldn't be hard for two of you to hang on." Anakin stared even harder at Obi-Wan. "With your Jedi abilities, it should be especially simple."

"Yes, it will be. I've fought numerous battles in which I had to hang on to a ship for dear life. You won't have to worry about me. The other passenger, on the other hand, might have a problem."

"Who else is going to have to hang on to my ship? I take it the queen and the princess will ride in the speeder with my brother. That leaves just Tarsals and Captain Olie."

"Tarsals is the head of the royals' security, and will likely want to ride with them, leaving Olie to hang on with me. It is fitting, since he is the pilot of the group."

"Okay, that's everyone then," Anakin said. The loud and angry beeping that came from just outside the room reminded them they had not quite accounted for everyone.

"Don't worry, Artoo," Padme yelled out. "We won't leave you behind."

"There should be room on the back of the landspeeder to load him, as long as he doesn't mind being tied down." Artoo heard everything and gave an affirmative beep to indicate he approved. "I'll go out to my ship and radio my brother, and get it started as well."

With nothing to do inside the ship, Obi-Wan exited a minute after Anakin had walked out. Out in the blinding sun, he watched as Anakin climbed back into his ship and started up the engines. They let out a low sound as they began to warm up. Inside the cockpit, he could see Anakin talking, indicating he had called his brother.

By the time Anakin had finished with his call, the engines were still in the middle of warming up. Obi-Wan shook his head as he marveled at how long the engines needed to start. They had been extremely fortunate that Anakin was out flying his ship just as they were under attack. Most people would see it as a simple coincidence, but Obi-Wan knew there were no such thing as coincidences, especially with someone who was as strong in the Force as Anakin. Obi-Wan knew it was the Force that had maneuvered Anakin to be there to save them.

"So, did Anakin say how long it would take his brother to get here?" Olie asked as he walked up behind Obi-Wan.

"I don't think they live far," he replied. He looked back at the pilot and noticed the man did not look pleased.

"Thanks for volunteering me to travel clasped to the wing of the guy's fighter." The sarcasm in Olie's voice was clear.

"I think it's coming," Soala shouted. Everyone looked in the same direction she was. While no one could see a vehicle, they were able to see a storm of sand being kicked up from the ground.

The speeder became visible as it started to slow down and kicked up less dust and sand. When it was just a short distance away, it made a wide turn that presented its passenger side to them. It slowed to a stop right in front of them.

The driver of the speeder was covered from head to toe. His face was completely wrapped, and his eyes were covered with goggles. He took off both those items quickly, allowing them to see his face. Everyone noticed how scruffy and gruff he appeared. He looked unshaven, but his whiskers were only long enough to count as stubble, it wasn't quite a full beard. His hair was unkempt, but they didn't know if that was due to the covering, or if he always wore it that way. From the look of him, he appeared to be older than Anakin. There also didn't appear to be much family resemblance between the two. It appeared odd, but no one put much thought into it.

"This is my step-brother, Owen Lars," Anakin said in introduction. Several people nodded their heads as they came to understand why there didn't appear to be much resemblance between the two.

Owen said hello to everyone as he stepped out of the speeder. He did so with difficulty and needing to grunt. While he appeared to possess a good deal of strength, it seemed he was worn down. While his face looked young, he carried himself like an old man who had been through hell and been scarred by it.

Since everyone was lined up, Anakin introduced them, one at a time. Owen stepped up to shake the hand of each of them. When he got to Obi-Wan, he finally made a point of the fact he hadn't gotten his name.

"Despite all the things I said to you, I don't think I ever got your name."

"That is because I never gave it. I know living out here, you are probably not familiar with the Jedi in ways someone who lives in the Republic would be. The Jedi Order practices anonymity as much as it can. To the public, we are all just Jedi, each one indistinguishable from another. We do not seek to have our names celebrated or etched in history."

"I thought the members of the Council were known by their names?" Anakin said.

Obi-wan was taken aback by the fact Anakin had some knowledge about them. He ended up stammering as he answered. "Yes, the members of the Jedi Council are an exception to that rule. Since they meet with so many politicians and dignitaries, it is imperative that people know them by their names."

Having talked enough with Obi-Wan, Anakin continued down the line. Padme was last, and when the two brothers got to her, she felt obligated to make sure Owen understood the nature of the situation.

"I am glad to hear that you are willing to house us for at least one night during our stay here. I don't know if Anakin-"

"Yes, he explained everything to me." The weariness seemed to leave Owen for a moment as he smiled broadly at Padme. "You are welcome to stay as long as you need with us. My wife and I are willing to accept any risk in order to help you out."

Initially, Padme had been relieved to hear that Owen knew everything about their situation and was fully on board. When she heard about his wife, though, she was hit with a sense of fear. Anakin hadn't mentioned anything about a wife for Owen, and now Padme was wondering if the two had any children. She didn't want to feel responsible for putting any children in harm's way.

The Naboo group had already taken out of the ship everything they needed, including the arsenal. They got everything on the speeder, including Artoo, who was none too pleased with the way he was tied down. Despite his incessant beeping, no one cared enough to try and situate him to his liking. Owen, Tarsals, and the girls stuffed themselves into the seats of the speeder carrying the luggage they couldn't tie down to the back. They took off first, with Anakin closely on their heels. With the two men clasping to his wings, he had to run the fighter at a much lower speed than Owen's speeder. It wasn't long before he lost sight of his brother.

...

Darth Sidious paced around the stationary holo-image of his master, Darth Plagueis. He had just finished watching the holo-vid of the battle above Tatooine that his master had sent him.

"So, your attempt to capture the queen on that backwater planet has failed, and now you have no idea where she is?" Sidious was gloating as he talked. "After the battle, she could have jumped to hyperspace anywhere in the galaxy."

"The queen of Naboo is stubborn," Plagueis pointed out. "She went to Tatooine with a purpose, and she will not leave until she has fulfilled that purpose. I instructed the Neimoidians to send more dreadnoughts to capture her if she tries to leave."

"I thought you were convinced she was going to find a way to travel to Coruscant undetected."

"I did, but she might chance leaving in the same cruiser."

"So, you aren't going to actively seek her out?"

"No, I am afraid if I do, others might find out where she is. I have put out feelers for finding the Jedi, as going after him won't raise so many red flags. It looks like we will have to assume she will reach Coruscant."

"So, we will just have to go back to our original plan of having her assassinated here." Sidious didn't have to explain the rest of the original plan as they both knew what it was. Plagueis had selected Naboo for invasion solely because of its queen. She was young and beautiful and had a look that conveyed innocence and sweetness. Plagueis believed her assassination during her planet's invasion would galvanize the citizens of the Republic to confront the Neimoidians. He had said Queen Amidala had a face that would launch a thousand ships in vengeance and trigger the galactic war the two Sith wanted.

"Yes, you can still carry it out, can't you."

"Of course. Might I remind you, that we wouldn't be in this predicament if you had just arranged for her to come here in the first place."

"The Neimoidians didn't want that to happen. They realized she wouldn't go to sign any treaty, and I couldn't reveal to them I intended to have her assassinated with them taking the blame for it. That is why I was trying to find assassins on Naboo to kill her."

"This is why you should have had your own Muuns carry out the invasion, not pushed the Neimoidians into doing it."

"The death of Queen Amidala will not be popular, even among the Separatists. I already explained this to you, I needed patsies to take the fall for it. I do not have the time to discuss the plan to you as you should know it all already. You know what part you have to play, just carry it out." The image of Darth Plagueis disappeared, to the great delight of Sidious. With the image of Plagueis gone, he went back to watching the holo of the fight over Tatooine. This time, he paid special attention to the strange fighter that came to the aid of the queen. He marveled at the ability of the pilot, wondering how he was able to do what he did.

...

Anakin's fighter reached his homestead a distant second behind Owen's speeder. When they got there, they found the others had already unloaded everything and gone inside.

They went down to find Owen introducing the other three to Beru. He introduced Obi-Wan and Captain Olie to his wife as well, simply referring to Obi-Wan as Jedi. She appeared enthused to have the guests.

While Owen was introducing the men, Padme nervously looked around the home. Upon first walking inside, she had gotten the sense there were no children living there. She didn't hear any and there were no toys around. That still didn't mean they couldn't be hiding somewhere, or if there was a baby there, they might be sleeping in a back room. She scanned the house nervously, keeping her eyes peeled for any signs of children, but finding none.

"Owen and I discussed the sleeping arrangements," Anakin began. "It would be best for him and Beru to keep their room, but the two girls can have my room, provided you don't mind sharing a bed."

"Not at all." Padme answered. "It will be just like when we were young. We slept together a lot after our parents were killed." From the expression on Anakin's face, he was surprised and saddened to hear her mention their dead parents. She had forgotten that he knew nothing about her. Along with that, she knew little about him. She hadn't thought about where Owen and Anakin's parents might be. She hoped they had their own place and were not dead as well.

"Okay then. I'll just be crashing out here with the rest of the guys." With no one voicing any objections, Anakin went ahead and led the girls to his room. As they walked to the bedroom, she was relieved to see no signs of children.

"This is it," Anakin said as he stepped into his room and turned on the lights. The two royals couldn't help it, but they both had to fight the urge to turn their noses up at the accommodations. The room was dirty and smelly. It obviously needed a good cleaning. Padme looked around to see just how much, and as she did, her eyes fell upon a motionless protocol droid standing in one corner. She stared at it waiting for it to spring to life.

Anakin walked around the room pointing out a couple things, telling them what drawers they could use and what he wanted them to avoid using. He passed by the protocol droid without saying anything about it. Padme was just dying to know if it worked and had to ask.

"What's the deal with that protocol droid? Does he work?"

"That droid has quite the story," Anakin said with a laugh. "I built him as a wedding present for Owen and Beru, something that would help us around the house. I constructed him out of the best parts I could find. I even went through all the trouble of buying a high-end protocol droid program from a trader. I thought it would be just what we needed to bring a little class to this place." Anakin paused, as he had to fight back laughter.

"What went wrong with him?" Soala asked. "It seems that you shut him down permanently. Was there something wrong with the program you bought?"

"Yes, well, no. I guess it all depends on your point of view. The program I bought wasn't quite what I was expecting. It gave the droid a personality that we found prissy, arrogant, and annoying." Padme and Soala started giggling over Anakin's description of the protocol droid. They were extremely familiar with them and recognized what he was talking about. "The entire time he was on, he did nothing other than call us barbarians and tell us how dirty and unkempt we were. We did our best to put up with it, but meals were just too much. He kept telling us we were eating like animals and needed to learn proper table manners. The three of us all agreed to shut him down and never turn him on again."

"You know, Soala and I are quite familiar with protocol droids." Padme got her giggling under enough control to talk. "If you turn him on for us, we might be able to work with him, and explain that his job is just to serve, not to change your behavior."

Anakin considered what Padme said, but appeared skeptical about it. "Okay, I'll turn him on for you, but if he acts too much like he did before, he gets melted down."

"Okay." Padme winced as she was filled with dread over having the life of the droid in her hand.

Anakin walked over to the protocol droid and pressed a few buttons on it to get it started. Once the droid was activated, it stood up straight and stared at Anakin, its maker. It seemed scared at the sight of him as it walked back until it hit the wall. Its head darted around, trying to see if there was anyone else nearby. When it saw the two girls, it finally seemed at ease.

"Hello there," it said. To Padme, its voice and demeanor seemed pleasant. It was nothing like what she was expecting from what Anakin told them. "I am C-3PO, and I specialize in human cyborg relations. I am also programmed to communicate in over six million forms of communication and can perform all your translational needs."

Padme looked over at Anakin and arched her eyebrows. "Six million forms of communication? You really went all out with the program you bought. It must have cost you an awful lot."

"Tell me about it," Anakin said with a hint of disgust.

Padme let out a giggle before she introduced herself. "I am Queen Padme Naberre Amidala, ruler of Naboo. This is my sister, Princess Soala Naberre Amidala."

C-3PO looked between the girls and Anakin. While he didn't have facial expressions, all three humans could tell he was feeling confused. "Royalty? Here?" he exclaimed. "I can't believe this is possible?" He stared at Anakin, as if he was waiting for him to reveal it was all just some kind of cruel prank.

"It's real," Anakin said. "You have royalty to wait on. It's what you're programmed to do, isn't it?"

"Oh, thank the maker you're here." C-3PO bellowed. He rushed at Padme and ran right into her as he tried to embrace her. He didn't have enough freedom of movement with his arms to be able to wrap them around the woman, but Padme still understood what he was trying to do. She put her hands on his shoulders in a weak attempt to embrace him.

"I am so glad you're hear, Your Highness. You have no idea what I have been through." Even though droid couldn't cry, C-3PO's voice was cracking, as if he was close to breaking out in sobs. "The people here are absolute barbarians. They don't have the slightest idea what manners are."

"It's okay," Padme said as she patted the droid's shoulder.

"I'll leave the three of you alone," Anakin said. When he reached the door, he stopped to say something. "We'll be getting everything set up for the game. We could use the players, so please come down and help out."

...

Padme and Soala didn't spend long in Anakin's room. When they came back out, C-3PO led them, as he wanted to announce their arrival, as he believed protocol demanded for royals. They had tried to politely decline, but realized the droid was anxious to live up to its programming. The two of them followed the droid with Soala first, as she would be announced first. Padme would be announced second, after the droid had played the recording he had of trumpets blowing. He had played it for them, as he wanted her to know when her cue would be. As she strolled into the living room, she hoped that something would prevent the protocol droid from announcing their arrival. She knew that level of formality in a place like this would be embarrassing.

Padme's savior would come in the form of the astromech droid, R2-D2. He was rolling out from the kitchen with a tray of drinks attached to his head. With the tray blocking his vision, he almost ran right into C-3PO. He beeped a rude remark, telling the protocol droid to watch where he was going. C-3PO didn't pay any attention to the rudeness of the remark. He was overjoyed to have another droid to talk to and introduced himself.

"Well, hello there. I am C-3PO, human cyborg relations. What is your name?"

Artoo gave C-3PO his name pleasantly enough, as the protocol droid repeated it back to him. After that, the astromech droid beeped a flurry of insults to the protocol droid.

"Well, I never," 3PO squealed as Artoo rolled away. "I never believed a droid could talk like that."

With C-3PO too flummoxed to introduce the royals, the queen and the princess slipped past him and joined the others gathering around the dining table.

"We assumed the two of you would want to play, so we set up for seven," Anakin said to them. Padme scanned the table and saw they had a large deck of cards laid out along with a set of chips.

"Yes, we'll play," she replied as she glanced at her sister. Soala seemed eager to play and took a spot behind one of the chairs.

Anakin and Owen assigned the seats so that they were between the five novices. They set up the game as the two droids started bringing things out from the kitchen. Beru was in their setting up trays of drinks and snacks as she prepared dinner.

The small group played a couple hands in which their cards were laid out on the table for everyone to see. That set-up allowed Own and Anakin to explain to them how they should play the cards they were dealt. While the basics of the game were easy to learn, there were subtleties to it that took a much deeper understanding.

After five hands, the novices came to feel they knew enough to start playing a real game. After all, they were only playing for chips, not money. They all had fun as they played one hand after another. All the first couple hands were won by either Anakin or Owen, but Obi-Wan, as he predicted, came to catch up to them. His use of Jedi powers allowed him to read what the others were doing, and that gave him a clear advantage.

They played the first couple hands in almost complete silence, as all the novice players needed to concentrate one hundred percent on their cards. As they became more comfortable with the game, they were able to concentrate on it less and start talking to one another.

Padme was very appreciative of everything Anakin and Owen were doing for them, and she wanted to make sure she thanked them. "I can't thank the two of you enough for everything you are doing for us," she said as she looked between the brothers. "As I said before Anakin, the people of Naboo will forever owe you a debt for coming to our rescue." She then turned her attention to Owen. "I want to thank you once again, Owen. I know this place is yours, and your wife's, as well. It must have been disconcerting to have Anakin call you and tell you there was a small group of people on the run that you needed to house for the night. And yet, you let us come here, and are helping us out, doing everything you can for us. I think we all really appreciate it."

"I'm glad we could help you out." Owen appeared embarrassed by all the praise the princess was heaping on him. "We don't exactly have too many chances to have guests stay over and show off the place like this. After everything we went through to get it, it's nice to have this opportunity."

"It sounds like there is a story there," Padme pointed out. "I don't want to be too intrusive, but would you mind telling us how you acquired this place. It would be nice to learn something about the people we owe so much to."

Anakin and Owen gave each other a look. To Padme, they appeared to be communicating without words. Anakin nodded to Owen, a signal he could go ahead and give their story.

"Perhaps I should start at the beginning," Owen said. The game had momentarily stopped, and Owen threw his chips in the center to keep it going. "This farm was bought by my parents when my mother was still pregnant with me. They were young and wanted a homestead. They had to get a loan to afford it, of course, but they figured this farm would be something they could build up and own outright. Something they could pass along to me one day."

"Things got off to an okay start; although it never quite produced the money they thought it would. Because of that, they had to take out more loans and acquire more debts, but they always figured one day everything would turn around for the better. They thought this place would start producing money, and all their debts would be paid off."

"Any hope they had of turning things around would be dashed when I was still just a toddler. My mother was out early in the morning, well after sunrise. Normally, the Sand People that populate these regions disappear around here by the time the sun comes up, but for whatever reason, this morning was different. They snatched my mother, taking her back to their village."

"My father put together a posse of nearby farmers to go out and find her. They tracked her down and fought off the Tuskens who had her. It was too late, though, she was dead, and my father was horribly injured in the rescue effort. He lost his leg and could only get around on a lift-chair. The entire ordeal made it almost impossible for him to keep up with his work. Besides the physical ailments, he was emotionally broken. The debts became so great there was no way he was ever going to be able to pay them off."

"I know in other areas of the galaxy, the Republic in particular, the debts would just result in default and the seizure of the farm. Things are different out here, however. We don't take out mortgages from banks, who would just foreclose upon default. We take out loans from individuals, and when we fail to pay, we become slaves of those individuals."

Save Anakin, everyone at the table was stunned by the revelation. Owen paused to glance around the table and gauge what everyone was thinking of his explanation. "I can guess a lot of you are thinking we were treated horribly, that we had to be beaten constantly to be kept in line, but it wasn't like that."

"Our masters had other ways to keep us in line." A few of the people at the table were startled by Anakin speaking up, as they had forgotten he was there. They all understood he was implying he had been a slave as well. "We were all implanted with chips that would blow us up if we ever tried to escape. The knowledge we could be easily killed at our masters' whim did much to keep us in line. While we knew our masters wouldn't quite be so cavalier about losing a slave, we also knew they could send the ultimate message anytime they wanted."

Things grew awkward around the table, as the guests didn't know how to respond to the knowledge their hosts had once been slaves. Anakin sensed what they were feeling and tried to alleviate their feelings. "Being slaves certainly wasn't ideal, but Owen and I would not be brothers if he had not ended up in slavery. Unlike him, I had been born into it. My mother had been kidnapped at a young age by slaver traders, and ended up being bought by Watto, our former master. I had just been born when he acquired Owen and Clieg. When he acquired them, he had them come and live with my mother and I over in Mos Espa, where most of his businesses were located. The four of us quickly formed a bond, as my mother and his father considered themselves married." From the look on Anakin's face, it was clear he was recalling pleasant memories. Despite that, several of the guests, including Padme, knew there had to be a tragedy behind the story.

"I've been wondering where your parents are," Padme spoke in a low voice, and felt guilty as she talked. "Would you mind explaining what happened to them?"

From the look on Anakin's face, Padme realized she had asked the wrong question. She was going to explain that he didn't have to answer, but Owen went ahead and did so before she could tell him not to do it. "Our parents never really did much in the way of work for Watto. My father did some repair work for Watto. My stepmother was simply hired out to others for domestic work. As Anakin and I grew, it was clear we were much more valuable than our parents. The two of us both developed mechanical abilities that Watto took full advantage of with his junk shop. The four of us formed a strong family unit, and I think Watto came to believe because of that we would find a way to win our freedom. In order to prevent that, he sold our parents to space pirates when I was twelve and Anakin was eight." There was disgust in Owen's voice as he described what happened.

"Their time with the space pirates would be short," Anakin said as he picked up the story. "Shortly after they were sold, we received word they had attacked the wrong ship. The tried to rob a warship that was disguised as a freighter. Their ship was destroyed, with no survivors."

Everyone at the table grew quiet over hearing how Anakin and Owen had become orphans. Several of the guests considered saying they were sorry to hear about the death of their parents, but it seemed unnecessary having taken place so long ago. For his part, Anakin wasn't dejected thinking about it, as he had more of a story to tell. "Their death would set in motion events that would lead the two of us to gain our freedom. I was still young, but I made a pledge to find a way to free us one day. I was determined not to suffer the same fate our parents did."

While Anakin talked, he glared at Owen. Several of the guests picked up on tension between the two concerning this part of the story. In glaring at Owen, Anakin stayed silent, as if he was waiting to see if his step-brother would pick up the story from there. When Owen stayed silent, Anakin went ahead and told it.

"Despite the fact the two us were still young, Watto left us to our own devices. The truth is, he worked us so hard that we didn't have much time for anything else. We weren't quite isolated, though. In our work, we got to know many of the other slaves in the city. Owen, in particular, came to grow very close to the girl who cleaned Watto's shop once a week, Beru." As Anakin talked, he had an expression of pure happiness on his face. It said a lot about him that he got so much joy reminiscing about the relationship between his brother and sister-in-law.

In contrast to Anakin, Owen didn't seem so pleased about Anakin talking about this portion of their lives. None of the guests could understand why he was taking this attitude. As Anakin continued with his story, they kept their ears perked up for anything that could be causing Owen's mood.

"Owen and Beru started dating when they were sixteen, and after a year it became apparent they wanted to marry, if only their masters would allow it. As both Watto and Beru's masters had other plans for their slaves, the two of them knew they would never be married if they remained slaves. Because of the chips, running away was not an option. The two of them concluded they were going to have to give up any hope of being together."

Anakin paused to give his brother a piercing glare. There was an anger in his eyes. Padme in particular wondered what the source of that anger was. "Lucky for them, I stepped up and started to formulate a plan on how we might free ourselves so the two of them could be together. I knew attacking Watto wouldn't work, as all the slave masters in the city looked out for each other. The slave masters shared all the information on our chips, so that if one master was killed by his slaves, another one could execute them. It didn't take me long to realize the only way for any of us to earn our freedom was for all the slaves to attack their masters at once. I was still a boy, and I didn't think I would be able to act as the front-man for the insurrection. I took my idea to Owen, and after much convincing, he agreed to recruit the other slaves in Mos Espa for a mass attack against our masters."

There was annoyance in Anakin's voice as he described how he had to convince Owen of his plan. The guests now had an answer to why Owen was feeling so angry over this story. Despite the fact they were now free, how it had taken place was still a sore point between them.

"I let you talk me into something that I never should have agreed to. We ended up free only because of luck." Owen kept his attention on his cards and didn't look at anyone as he talked.

"We earned our freedom because of my abilities." Anakin scowled in anger as he spoke. He caught himself and sounded much calmer as he further explained what happened. "It took almost a year to set up, but we ended up getting every slave to agree to an attack. We picked out a night where we would all attack our masters in their sleep at the exact same time. It took a lot of coordination, but it was a relatively simple plan. The reason Owen doesn't have fond memories of this is because the masters were tipped off to our plans by a slave who was too scared to kill his master and earn his freedom. The masters hired a band of mercenaries to capture us while they hid in an undisclosed location."

Anakin's enthusiasm did seem to decrease as he talked about how their grand plan had almost failed. "The mercenaries were too much, and each group of slaves surrendered quickly to them. Owen and I were no different. We gave ourselves up when we saw Watto was not in his bed."

"The two of us were taken to the place where all the other captured slaves had been taken. The group of slave masters arrived shortly thereafter to gloat over their capture of us. Owen and I were led to the front of the group, as Watto suspected the two of us were behind everything. Watto was the one to tell us we were all going to die. They were going to activate our chips, one-by-one and make us watch each other explode. They were insured against that very thing and looked forward to being able to collect the money for the loss of their slaves. They pledged to kill the two of us first, since we were the most responsible for everything."

Knowing now what Owen had been referring to, the guests were anxious to hear how Anakin's abilities had saved them. "Perhaps I should take it from here, Anakin." Everyone was surprised that Owen had spoken up. His gaze was no longer on his cards, or even Anakin, it was on Obi-Wan. "What Anakin did might best be explained by someone who observed it all."

Owen paused to run his hand through his hair. He did not seem to relish having to tell this story. "As Anakin told you, the two of us were taken to the front of the group. Watto was going to kill us first, since we were the most responsible for the uprising. When Watto pulled out his tablet, I knew he was going to activate our chips and kill us. I closed my eyes, as I couldn't bear to watch. I kept them closed as I waited, but nothing happened. It took me a little while longer to finally summon the courage to open them, and when I did, I saw Watto struggling to breath. He had his own hand around his throat, trying to remove whatever it was that was compressing his windpipe. I then noticed his eyes, which were filled with terror as he was looking directly at Anakin."

"When I looked over at Anakin, I could see he had his hand raised and clenched into a fist. I didn't understand how he was doing it, but he was choking Watto with the power of his mind. When I looked back to Watto, I finally noticed that every slave master was choking as well. The fear and terror they were feeling emanated out and reached us. I stared at the group of slave masters, wondering which one would be the first one to die."

"My attention was diverted by the sounds of a couple commotions coming from the edges of the group of slaves. I looked around to see the mercenaries trying to fight their way through to Anakin. Our fellow slaves had come to his defense and ganged up on the mercenaries to try and stop them. They were doing their best, but it was clear to me they were not going to be able to hold them off forever. The mercenaries were outnumbered, but they were much better trained and much more experienced fighters."

"I was still looking around when I felt something push me to the ground. At first, I thought someone had just pushed me over, but as I gathered myself, I noticed everyone else had been pushed to the ground as well. Anakin was the only one still standing. Just as he was using his mind to suffocate the masters, he had used his mind to push everyone to the ground."

"The mercenaries were the first to recover and stand. I thought for sure they were going to come right at Anakin. The path was clear for them as everyone else was still sprawled out on the ground. Instead of attacking, they turned and ran. They had seen enough and must have been frightened of what they were seeing Anakin do. They wanted no part of it."

"The slave masters were close to death when Anakin finally released them. I wondered what he was doing. I thought for sure they would all immediately try to blow up any slave they could, but Anakin used telepathy to call all their devices to him, and he distributed them around to us. He stepped forward and was firm as he talked to them. He told them they were going to grant all of us our freedom and would have to give up all the codes to deactivate our chips. They readily gave them up, and in a minute, they were all deactivated and we were free."

"A great wave of relief came over the crowd. We were all overjoyed we had won our freedom and were happy merely with that. Anakin, however, was not done. He insisted that all the slave masters give us the codes to everything, as all they owned was to be handed over to us. They looked at each other hesitantly before looking back at Anakin. They knew what he was capable of and they did not want to incur his wrath. They gave up everything, and within a matter of minutes we had taken all they had."

"For the three of us, that meant getting the deed to this place. We moved back here, and Beru and I married. That was four years ago, and we've been successfully running this farm ever since then."

Owen paused to see if anyone had any comments to make. While everyone had a bunch of thoughts going through their minds, they didn't articulate any of them as they didn't know what was proper to ask. The story they had just heard was remarkable, and it was taking them a while to process everything.

Padme was not too badly fazed by the story she was hearing. The only thing running through her mind was what Anakin was feeling at that moment. She was feeling very sympathetic towards him. She hated to think he was reliving all the pain he had experienced growing up a slave and losing his parents.

She stared at Anakin to try and gauge what his emotional state was. He was looking down at his cards. He felt her staring at him and looked up to stare back. When their eyes met, they once again connected through the Force. Padme seized up as she was able to feel everything Anakin was. Just as she had suspected, he was being forced to relive all the pain he had experienced. She felt like she was violating him and started to look away to try and break the connection.

It's okay. Padme froze in place as she was shocked she was able to hear Anakin's thoughts in her head. I don't mind that you know everything I'm feeling. Everything I'm thinking. I hope you don't mind that I can do the same with you.

No. Padme knew instinctively through their connection that Anakin had received the reply she thought. Even though I hardly know you, I trust you, Anakin. I have no fear being this open with you.

Anakin didn't have to smile for Padme to know that he was pleased with her reply. As the two of them stayed connected, Padme could feel Anakin pushing away all the bad thoughts he had from being a slave. Instead, all the pain left him to be replaced by pride. He was proud of what he had done to free himself and all his friends.

"Do any of you have any questions you would like to ask?" Owen said. Padme and Anakin had become so lost in each other that they had forgotten where they were. Owen's voice startled them both, bringing them out from the deep connection they had been experiencing.

"I do have one question about your story," Olie said. "Anakin, how were you able to strangle the slave masters? You obviously used the Force, but I've never heard of a Jedi doing something like that."

"That's because strangling someone is a dark side power." Obi-Wan answered Olie's question for Anakin. "The power comes from fear, and anger. Most Jedi control of the Force is derived from peace, and a desire to protect."

"I apologize for using the dark side and breaking the rules of the Jedi order," Anakin was speaking in a sarcastic tone. "I was just a teen, facing death and looking for any way I could to save myself and the ones I loved."

"I understand that," Obi-Wan was calm as he responded to Anakin's sarcastic tone. "You were never trained in utilizing the Force and because of that you don't know how to use it properly. The fact you can use it at all is remarkable. You have an innate ability to use the Force at a level that I have never seen. I'm not sure if someone with your untrained ability has ever been recorded in the Jedi history. You have an ability that with the right training could be put to great use."

Anakin's head swelled with pride as a smile creased across his lips. Padme looked at him, their eyes met, and they connected once again. She could feel the excitement he was feeling over the Jedi's words. He interpreted them as meaning that the Jedi might want to train him in the ways of his Order. Padme was telepathically telling him she was thinking the same thing, and she was happy for him.

Captain Olie was disgusted over the way he saw the Jedi trying to manipulate Anakin. He offered him a warning. "Don't let this man shame you into following his ways. Don't be one of these people who believes the Jedi are the begin all and end all of everything that happens in the Republic. Let me tell you a little truth about the matter. The Jedi are manipulative tricksters. They use their abilities in the Force to make everyone believe they have unique insight that we all must follow but following them leads to disaster more often than it leads to success. They themselves must work hard just to keep their own Knights in line. What he just told you, about the crime in using the dark side, that is how they do it. Any Jedi who questions his master too much is accused of flirting with the dark side. They hold it up as the epitome of evil, even though they can't seem to explain what it is."

"The light side and the dark side are not hard to explain. I just did it a minute ago." Obi-Wan remained calm as he spoke. He knew Olie would love nothing more than to anger him, and he was determined not to give the man the satisfaction. "The light side is the side of peace and selflessness. Following the light side means putting others before yourself and doing that which benefits the most people. The dark side is the side of fear, anger, and most of all, selfishness."

"And let me guess, following the light side means following the orders of the Jedi leaders?"

"That is a simplistic way to put it," Obi-Wan said. "There is much truth to it, though. Our leaders are wise, and in tune with the Force. They use that power to see the path we must take."

"And there you go, if you don't follow the Jedi leaders, you are following the dark side of the Force."

"I don't know where your ideas are even coming from." Obi-Wan could do nothing more than laugh at Olie's insinuations.

"What point is there for this whole distinction between the light and the dark side other than to force one particular point of view on everyone?" Olie was not giving up with his complaints about the Jedi. "Let's apply some of the principles you just mentioned to Anakin's actions, the ones you said were a sinful use of the dark side. Yes, he was lashing out in fear, and anger, but it was all done in the end to save his family and friends, and free them from slavery. In my opinion, his actions were righteous and selfless."

Before replying to Olie, Obi-Wan looked at Anakin for a moment. He seemed displeased he was going to have to explain how Anakin's actions were wrong. "Since you asked, I will explain Anakin's actions. What he did, he did out of fear of his own death, and anger over being controlled by his slave masters. He lashed out to kill, as he couldn't think of any other way to save himself. Much of that stems from not realizing what power he had. As a Jedi, if I had been in that situation, I would have simply used the Force to call their tablets to me. If you remember the story, Anakin was able to do that once he was calm, and able to utilize the light side instead of the dark side."

"So, the breakdown between light side actions and dark side actions is the motivation behind them?" Olie asked.

"That is a simplistic view, but that is mostly accurate," Obi-Wan replied. "There are a lot of actions that are always dark side powers, proper motivation doesn't make them light side power."

"What about powers like reading minds?" Olie asked. "It would seem to me that violating someone's thoughts like that would be a dark side power. However, all the Jedi read minds, so it must be a light side power, right?"

"I take it you're implying that you believe Jedi are able to read the thoughts of others?"

"I don't know how else you could interpret the term reading minds."

"Well, the truth is, the Jedi don't possess the ability to read thoughts, if that is what you are implying. It's not a Force power we possess." The reaction of Captain Olie indicated he did not believe what the Jedi was saying. Padme and Anakin were both glad all eyes were on Olie, as they both had visible reactions to Obi-wan's statement that no one ended up noticing. They stared at each other, wondering how they had been able to talk telepathically if the Force didn't give people the ability to read minds.

Should we tell them what we can do? Padme asked Anakin in her mind.

No, not yet. The two of them did their best to appear normal as they watched Obi-Wan and Olie spar with each other.

"The Jedi not being able to read thoughts goes against everything I have heard about their power," Olie said.

"Perhaps, instead of believing rumors, you should believe the word of an actual Jedi."

"If you can't read thoughts, then how did everyone come to believe you have that ability? I've heard numerous people claim you can read precisely what they are thinking."

"I would imagine it came from the knowledge that we are able to read the emotions of others. That often gives us enough insight to gauge what someone might be thinking. I can see how it would be easy for others to get confused."

"So, why is doing that not considered a violation of other's that would make it a dark side power."

"Because the Jedi do not consider reading emotions a violation. There are normal people out there who are good at reading people, judging what they are thinking or feeling from their body language or facial expression. What we do is not much different from that."

"Seems like a pretty self-serving rationalization to me," Olie scoffed.

"Well, it appears you just have a lot to learn about the Force and the Jedi way. Despite the fact you are not Force sensitive, I would be willing to instruct you in Jedi teachings, so that you might know what they are and not fear us because of your ignorance."

"If you're willing to teach me something, I would be willing to learn it. Why don't you start by answering a question I have? Going back to what Anakin did, what was the harm in harnessing his anger? It was righteous, was it not?"

"I understand why he had cause for his anger." Obi-Wan looked at Anakin to see if he had anything to say. It appeared he wanted to stay out of the conversation. "One of the reasons Jedi must be trained from birth is that so much of what we learn concerns the control of our emotions. While anger can often be righteous, it still should never be used to utilize the Force. This is what we learn from an early age. Anakin's situation shows why we must exert so much control over our emotions. Anger can easily be given into, especially when it is righteous. The problem is the lesson learned from a situation like that can lead someone to believe that it is always best to let their anger be used to utilize the Force. Do that too many times, and the dark side consumes you. When that happens, a state of anger is sought out, as anger is what is needed to utilize the Force. Any sense of calm, or peace, becomes impossible. The philosophy to swear off the dark side and all its anger and embrace the light side and its sereneness is what separates the Jedi from other groups of Force users."

"I didn't think there were any other groups of Force users?" Owen was thoroughly confused as he asked his question.

"I can understand why you are confused." Olie jumped back into the conversation. "According to the Jedi, there is another group of Force users which fully embrace the dark side and utilize it. They call themselves the Sith, and the Jedi like to tell everyone they are behind everything bad that happens in the galaxy. They are the eternal invisible bogeyman, the unseen evil the Jedi must be called on to root out. Every time there is a crisis, they claim the Sith must be behind it. This causes everyone turn to them for assistance."

"The Jedi are called in to alleviate crises because we have proven ourselves to be trusted peacemakers with the ability to handle any situation." Olie's words had finally succeeded in getting to Obi-wan, and he was speaking with a raised voice. "Fear of the Sith has almost nothing to do with it."

"So, are you trying to deny that the Jedi spread fear of the Sith?"

"The Jedi do not spread fear of the Sith in the manner you are trying to imply. They are a real threat. One that has stayed hidden, but one that is truly out there. We only rarely find the presence of the Sith behind events."

"What about the invasion of our planet. Were the Sith behind that as well?" From the way Olie talked, and the look on his face, everyone could tell he was mocking the Jedi. Obi-Wan glanced at Padme, wondering if she had told the pilot about the conversation they had, where he revealed feeling the presence of the dark side. From the expression on Padme's face, she seemed surprised Olie was bringing up the role of the Sith in the invasion of Naboo. He took that as a sign she had not revealed the information to Olie.

"As a matter of fact, I think the Sith may very well be behind the invasion of your planet." Olie scoffed at him as he shook his head. "I mentioned this to Queen Amidala earlier. Right before I passed out on the ship, I entered into a Force trance. I felt the presence of the dark side. I don't think the presence I was feeling was on Naboo, though. It could have come from someone on Naboo communicating with a Sith. If they are involved, then we all might be in the middle of a massive manipulation."

"Are the Sith really that powerful?" Olie's voice was nothing but one long scowl. "If there were really that many around, shouldn't someone have encountered one by now. You always talk as if the Jedi are equal to the Sith. If so, then how come they not have been seen? The Jedi Order is large, so the Sith must be just as large, right?"

"In numbers, the Sith are not equal to the Jedi. As far as we know, there are only two of them, a master and an apprentice."

"How convenient," Olie said with a smile. "Just two. That explains why they have been so hard to find. Now, to me, it's hard for me to believe the Sith could be responsible for so much evil in the world if there are only two of them. It would seem like the dark side is more powerful, if that were true."

"The dark side is not more powerful, it's just easier. It is much easier to use the Force to get your way instead of calmly calling on the Force for defensive purposes and looking for diplomatic solutions to problems. The difficulty in avoiding the dark side requires an immense amount of self-control, and that comes from a lifetime of commitment to Jedi teachings."

They had reached a point in the conversation where each side was just going to have to agree to disagree. They turned back to the card game. Obi-Wan proved very adept at it, and everyone started to get confident that he would be able to win the money they needed. Anakin, on the other hand, was beginning to have doubts. They weren't about the Jedi's ability to win at the game, they were about something else. He expressed his reservations to the rest of the group.

"I failed to mention this before, because I figured you wouldn't actually be able to win at this game like you thought you would. You've proven me wrong, there, but there is another problem you are going to have. People around here are extremely skeptical of strangers. You might be able to play the game and win at it, but you are not going to be permitted to leave with your money. Any newcomer who wins big is going to be suspected of cheating. You will be no different."

"I appreciate your concern, but I think I will be okay." Obi-Wan spoke with the utmost of confidence.

"What are you going to do, use your powers of persuasion to win everyone over?" Olie spoke up as he couldn't help but work in another dig at the Jedi.

"Something like that," Obi-Wan replied. He didn't feel like going into all the details of the Jedi mind trick.

"You better be able to do what you say." There was more than a hint of anger in Olie's voice. "We are going to be selling almost every weapon we have in order to fund your buy-in for this game. We have one shot at this, and I don't want to see it wasted."

"It won't be wasted, but the final decision ultimately rests with your queen." Obi-Wan gave Padme a hard stare. "If you don't trust me to get the money, just say so."

"I trust you, Jedi," Padme replied. "I am confident you will come through for us."

The small group played one hand after another. They were trying to get Obi-Wan as much practice as they could, as everything was riding on him. They had one shot to win the money they needed, and they couldn't waste it.

Wanting to play as much as possible, they didn't stop to eat. When dinner was brought out, they just placed the plates around their cards. Each person just took in a mouthful of food between making bets. No one seemed to mind, except for 3PO. When he saw the queen and princess eating in the same undignified manner as the men, he absolutely swooned. If droids had possessed the ability to faint, he would have.

After several hours, they were all tired and headed right to bed. The royals took their leave and made their way to Anakin's room, with C-3PO trailing right behind them. Owen and Beru went off to their room. Anakin took the others out to the workshop, where they were able to find makeshift sleeping arrangements. With the three guests all having military backgrounds, they were accustomed to having to sleep anywhere. Once they were all settled, Anakin headed back to the living room. He stretched out on the couch as he tried to sleep. While he found the couch comfortable, his mind was pre-occupied with what Obi-Wan had said to him about the dark side, and how he had used and channeled it. He knew it was bad, and the implications scared him. Knowing it would be a while before he would be able to sleep, he thought it might be best to get up and get some fresh air. He went to the kitchen and grabbed a drink before making his way to the front door.

...