Hey guys
Do I really have to keep doing this? I do not own Star Wars
Short time later in a sitting room outside a guest bedroom
Anakin is laying on the floor and compared to some of the places he's been, it's very comfortable. Given the rooms in the penthouse, they merely switched to another room given the last one Padme was using, still has the broken window. Something Palpatine said not to worry about since he was thinking of doing remodeling in there anyway.
Letting his thoughts drift Anakin begins thinking about Obi-Wan and how he considers the man to be his older brother. Not including his family on Tatooine, Obi-Wan is the only person he has.
Which despite the code, he's told Obi-Wan that once, only to be gently reminded of the code to not have attachments and he needed to get his focus back onto being a Jedi. He was upset over that for a while, despite hiding it but quit once he could feel Obi-Wan through the Force of his own emotions were conflicted.
Still can at times frequently pick up on Obi-Wan's conflict inside himself between the Jedi code and his feeling of friendship for him. Just wishes that Obi-Wan would tell him, it would be a secret they could keep between them.
But given that has no chance of ever happening, Anakin knows he will have to settle with the unspoken bond of being brothers between them. And that is something he knows is true without a doubt and can feel it in the Force as well.
Pushing those thoughts aside, Anakin does his best to get some sleep as his mind drifts off.
Flashback: begins
Near a stone structure young eight-year-old Anakin is chained to it, with his bare back exposed. Only a few feet away is a member a green slob like creature, holding a stick with bringing it down onto Anakin's back causing him to scream out.
"You shall learn the price of failure slave" the alien said.
The creature hits Anakin in the back with the stick again, eliciting another scream.
Flashback: ends
Screaming and in a cold sweat, Anakin sits up straight gasping for breath with trying to get the images out of his mind. Calling on the Force, Anakin manages to calm his emotions then sees the door to the bedroom opening, as Padme in a nightgown steps out.
"You ok? You look like you had a nightmare" Padme said worriedly.
"I'm fine, go get some sleep. You need it more than me" Anakin said, not wanting to be bothered right now.
"You were screaming in pain for a good six minutes. You Jedi Skywalker are not fine" Padme said.
"Please, Jedi is too formal. Call me Anakin, Senator Amidala" Anakin replied.
"Only if you call me Padme instead" Padme said, with a smile.
"I think I will, Padme. Your name sounds nice" Anakin said a light grin.
"So, if you want to talk to me about what is troubling you I'm a good listener" Padme said walking over and sitting down in front of him, a couple of feet away.
After a few minutes of debate with glancing out into the distance "Ok but this isn't going to be pleasant" Anakin said.
"I can handle it" Padme replied.
"I was born on Tatooine years ago. I don't remember ever having a father, other than his name Craig Skywalker. It's all my mother Shmi ever really told me, and she was sold into slavery to keep my older brother, Owen, from being killed" Anakin said bleakly.
"So, you were born into slavery?" Padme asked, doing her best to keep her horror concealed.
"Yes, and I had a few different owners before my mom and I ended up getting sold to the Tusken Raiders. They are savage tribal groups who are scattered around Tatooine's deserts" Anakin replied not bothering to conceal the hate "then that's when everything changed."
"What happened?" Padme asked.
Anakin takes a calming breath before beginning his story again, as he tells about one of his worst memories.
Flashback begins
An older, fourteen-year-old teenage Anakin is garbed in clothes resembling rags while held to a wall inside a small hut with his mouth tied shut.
Watching through rage-filled eyes and tears of pain pour down his face upon seeing the site some feet away. The sight being three Tusken Raiders are brutally kicking his mother in various parts of her body, breaking multiple bones and giving serious internal damage.
Feeling an energy flow through him, a feeling of life and death, the feeling of the universe itself Anakin manages to mentally command it to remove the chains around his wrists. Ripping the rag off from around his mouth with his hands Anakin rushes forward tackling one of the sand people to the ground.
Removing the knife from the Tusken's own belt, Anakin shoves it into the man's head before pulling the blood-covered blade out. Feeling the other two approaching with their gaffi sticks raised in the air, Anakin swiftly turns around with thrusting his hands outwards. Using this newly discovered Force, Anakin sends the Tusken's backwards onto the ground.
Swiftly moving on top of one Anakin rips it's mask off to reveal a female woman underneath, which he doesn't even hesitate in slicing her throat with the knife spraying blood outwards. Getting to his feet Anakin sees the other Tusken has done the same and before Anakin can move, the slave gets his knife knocked out of his hand by the Tusken's stick.
Going to move in but unfortunately not enough time Anakin gets hit in the stomach by the ball end of the gaffi stick causing him to stagger backwards gasping for breath. Ducking a swing, Anakin grabs ahold of the weapon and pulls it free of the Tusken's grasp before kicking the man to the ground.
Full of rage Anakin feels the man's throat through the Force then reaching out with his hand in a pinching motion uses it to strangle the Tusken to death. Eventually, the Tusken's life is no more as Anakin drops the stick, with coming out of his haze looks around at the dead bodies of all the Tusken's in shock.
Quickly brushing that off Anakin kneels down beside his mother. Removing his mother's restraints with his hands Anakin holds her bruised, bloody and broken body in his arms.
"Mom, hang on I'll" Anakin said emotionally only to be stopped.
Cupping his face "No. I love you my Ani. Be strong" Shmi said before dying due to her injuries.
Anakin's tears fall down his face in grief and pain as his mother's hand slides down his face, before ending up on the sandy ground.
End of flashback
Padme listens as Anakin finishes telling his story, as a couple of tears from listening to the horrifying events, fall down her face. Padme wipes them away with gathering her composure the best she can. Her life is so sheltered, and innocent compared to Anakin's, compared to a lot of people who suffer the same as his mother and him.
"Shortly after that Owen managed to find me and I finally got my freedom back. I had nowhere else to go so I lived with his wife Beru and Owen. I helped around the moisture farm by putting my mechanic skills I learned over the years to use and flew in local pod races for credits" Anakin said.
"How did you meet Obi-Wan and join the Jedi?" Padme asked.
"Eventually after some months, I ran across Obi-Wan in town. He was trying and failing to communicate with some junkyard collector for getting parts to fix his ship" Anakin said.
"What happened to it?" Padme asked, and silently noticing how Anakin has become lighter so obviously he's discussing some happier memories.
"Oh, ran into some pirates which in the outer rim is very common. I helped translate between the collector and Obi-Wan, so eventually, we got those parts. We ended up running into the same pirates and he beat them. During the process of all this, Obi-Wan noticed how I was strong in the Force" Anakin said.
"So, he ended up convincing you to go become a Jedi? How hard was that?" Padme asked.
"Not really all that hard" Anakin said.
"How did your family take it?" Padme asked.
"Beru was sad but she understood, Owen however" Anakin said trailing off.
Flashback begins
Inside of an underground dome for a living area at the Lars homestead.
Sitting at a table is the teenage Anakin and across from him is Obi-Wan, as they talk.
"If I go with you I can learn how to better protect others and myself? Plus, I get to leave to go see the galaxy?" Anakin asked, excitement in his voice.
"Yes, you can. Though it might take some convincing on the part of the council" Obi-Wan said while stroking his beard.
"You said I was the strongest Force presence you've sensed or something like that?" Anakin asked, curious.
"Yes, the strongest I've sensed in a long time and I've felt that only once before around Master Yoda" Obi-Wan replied.
"Cool. Given your ship is repaired and you beat those pirates, let's get going. Although I want to say goodbye to Owen and Beru first. I will get to see them again, right?" Anakin asked.
"No, actually you won't. You might if we ever come back to this planet but most likely Anakin we will not. That's a sacrifice you're going to have to make, can you live with that?" Obi-Wan asked with concern.
"Yes, I believe I can" Anakin replied grimly, after a few minutes of internal debate.
"No, you won't have to because you're not going anywhere" Owen said stepping into the room and followed by Beru.
"That's not your choice to make, it is the boy's" Obi-Wan said.
"Yeah, I've heard that before from the Hutt's, you can forget it Kenobi. Nothing is more important to me then family and I won't let you take my brother to go get involved. We are all he's got, not you" Owen said angrily.
Placing a hand on his arm "Calm down and it's ultimately Anakin's choice" Beru said.
Glancing at them both "Beru is right, it's my choice and I want to go with him" Anakin said.
"He's dragging you off to some foolish crusade to go be a wizard. I don't think this is going to end the way you hope" Owen said unhappily.
"Perhaps, but it's my choice. If this doesn't work out I always have a place, here right? You're not going to angrily kick me into Krayt dragon or something?" Anakin asked with worry. After all, despite being family, well his past experiences being a slave still affect him.
"No never, despite Owen's current issues your always welcome here" Beru said.
"She's right Anakin, your family. I will always forgive you no matter what, no matter how much many mistakes you will always have a home here" Owen said his voice filled with warmth and compassion.
Hopping down from his chair Anakin rushes over to them as they wrap their arms around the young Skywalker tight, as all three of them become emotional for this sudden and new loss they are all about to face.
"Thank you" Anakin whispers to them quietly.
Owen and Beru's response is to only hug him tighter, as their eyes become wet.
End of flashback
"Have you ever seen your family again?" Padme asked.
"No. Since I'm a Jedi I've supposed to have cut off all previous contact with my former life and family" Anakin said.
"They make all the Jedi do that?" Padme asked, in slight surprise.
"Yes. I was too old to even be trained and got rejected initially. Since the Jedi normally doesn't recruit any older than six years of age. They only accepted me because they didn't get a new Force-sensitive in a decade" Anakin said.
"If they cut you off from your old family, are you allowed to start your own?" Padme asked.
"No, the Jedi are not allowed to have attachments besides anything other than the Force and remaining selfless to protect everyone. So, no family, wife or even a physical relationship with another person" Anakin replied.
"Forgive me but that sounds wrong for not allowing the Jedi to be more human-like" Padme said, with concern.
"Yeah, I don't exactly agree with everything myself" Anakin replied.
"Why are you sleeping out here on the floor?" Padme asked.
"Old injuries from my time being a slave" Anakin replied flatly.
"Right sorry, I should have guessed that" Padme said, which she felt like facepalming now.
"No, it's fine, don't beat yourself up over a simple mistake" Anakin replied kindly.
"The bed I'm using has enough room for you, if you want to use it" Padme said.
"I appreciate the offer, but I'll have to pass. It wouldn't look good for either of us if somebody walks in" Anakin replied.
"True, but you sleeping out here on this floor isn't exactly good either" Padme said.
"I'll be fine" Anakin replied.
"Ok, the offer is still open if you want a better place to lay your back" Padme said.
Nodding "Thank you for listening" Anakin replied warmly.
"Your welcome" Padme said.
Padme gets up with reaching the doorway when Anakin's voice stops her.
"I wonder senator Amidala do you make that kind of offer to anyone or is it just me?" Anakin asked.
A moment passes "Just you. Good night Anakin" Padme said before entering the room.
Couple of minutes pass before Anakin lays back down and returns to sleep, although for the rest of the night the Jedi Knight has no more nightmares.
Hope you all enjoyed this. Let me know what you think
First in this Anakin does have a father so no Anakin being a space messiah since he was born of the Force in canon or the Chosen One prophecy.
Second, on Anakin being a slave, I wanted to show that he had a much harder life than in the films where being a slave was basically hell that he lived through since being born.
Compared to having him be a slave in the Star Wars canon, where it wasn't all that bad, so you don't upset the kids or the media critics.
For Anakin using the dark side to the Force choke one of the Tusken Raiders who tortured his mother to death is setting him up for already having used the dark side before even getting to the Jedi temple.
Now for the massive differences between this of where Owen is Anakin's actual brother by blood and took care of him for some months before Obi-Wan takes Anakin to be a Jedi is to actually set up the events of New Hope.
Something the prequel films especially failed at setting up the relationship between Owen Lars and Obi-Wan for why Owen dislikes Kenobi.
Because in the prequel films it is Owen meets Anakin his stepbrother who shows up out of nowhere then goes off to recuse his mother, comes back with his dead mother then leaves. Some years later Obi-Wan shows up who you have also never met before with a baby belonging to your stepbrother.
*sighs* Yeah that sounds like it was thrown together at the last second.
I wanted to fix that mess in this story with giving a better explanation regarding Owen, Anakin, and Obi-Wan.
Now yes, I know in the various tie-in materials like the comics for both Legends and Disney's new canon there is stuff that further fills out the prequels involving Owen for how he sees Obi-Wan and Anakin.
But really that is something that should have been in the prequel films and not something a person would have to go track down in some other material due to lazy writing on the part of George Lucas.
Moving on to why I stuck Anakin on Tatooine for his birthplace when as a result that doesn't make much sense to hide Luke there if Anakin was also born in the same place?
Well for one this time around the Skywalkers is more of an actual family bloodline so nobody would think twice if one day a new relative showed up.
And because Tatooine being where Anakin's from is referenced in New Hope when Obi-Wan said: "Thought he should have stayed here and not gotten involved".
The here is very clearly referring to Tatooine since that's the planet Luke and Obi-Wan are on.
Despite having seen New Hope more than once I never really caught that until putting this story together.
Until next time