Author's note: Hello my friends, here is the next chapter in my new story. Now, I had a guest ask how Anakin was able to hide her gender from the order, and my reasoning is that as she had grown up on Tatooine, she would have learned the dangers of being a female slave, so she took to hiding her gender. As she got older, to help hide it even more, she used chest bindings and hid the fact that her voice never cracked. Keeping her hair short helped as well.

Oh, and as I really don't think I'll be comfortable using Huttsee (not that I have a problem with it as it is good cussing material), I will be using italics for it in these stories while using a slightly different one for the different ones. Oh, and since I don't really know if Qui-Gon knows Huttsee, he'll know it in this story though he won't be able to speak it. This is why Anakin will be called the different gender then what I'm having her as in this story.

Warnings: Mild cursing, fem!Anakin, teenage angst, etc.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Star Wars franchise in any way, shape, or form. Nor do I make any money from this story.

Chapter 1~

First Meeting

A young girl with short, dirty-blonde hair and blue eyes bent over a storage unit, cleaning it. Anakin, for that was her name, bit her lip as she worked on a particularly stubborn spot. It hadn't been her fault that the spacer had said she'd gotten the order wrong. However, Watto had to prove that he was in charge, by taking away their rations for a week.

Anakin was used to this kind of behavior, especially since most of the residents of Mos Eisley thought she was a boy. Only her mother and current owner knew, and they weren't going to tell anyone. Anakin shook her head and began organizing the parts around her.

"Boy, get in her!" she heard Watto yell and she stood, quickly making her way to the front of the shop. As she entered the main part, Anakin saw four figures with the Toydarian, two humans, some type of amphibious creature, and a droid.

"What took you so long?" Watto asked angrily.

"I came as quick as I could," she replied. "I was cleaning out the rubbage bin –" she started but Watto interrupted.

"Never mind that; watch the shop while I'm out back with a customer," he snapped. "Now, what kind of parts were you looking for?" he asked the one adult in the group. Watto motion him to the back as the human male and the droid followed with a last set of instructions.

Anakin sighed as she clambered onto the counter. It was the only spot to sit as Watto never saw the need for chairs since he could fly everywhere. She looked at the remaining two Outlanders in curiosity. Anakin supposed that the girl was pretty, but she wasn't sure what to say, so she ended up speaking the first thing that came to her mind.

"Are you an angel?" Anakin asked then winced.

"What?" the girl asked, turning to Anakin in surprise.

"An angel; they're the most beautiful creatures in the galaxy, at least according to the space pilots. They live on the Moons of Iego, I think," Anakin supplied.

The girl shook her head in answer. "I've never heard of them before. Where do you hear this?" she asked.

Anakin sat up straighter. "I listen to the deep-space pilots that come through. I'll be out there someday too, flying amongst the stars."

"You're a pilot?" the girl asked, surprise coloring her tone. "How long have you lived here?"

"Since I was very little, three I think. My mom and I were sold to Gardulla the Hutt but she lost us betting on the Podraces," Anakin said then turned her head as the alien activated one of the droids. "Hey!" she yelled. "Hit the nose!"

The alien complied as Anakin heard the one question that she'd been dreading. "You're a slave?" the girl asked in surprise.

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Padmé saw that the question made the child tense before he replied.

"I'm a person and my name is Anakin," the young boy, Anakin, said sharply.

"Sorry, it's just that I'm new here and this is all different to me," Padmé apologized. "I'm Padmé by the way."

Just as Anakin was about to reply, Padmé saw Qui-Gon, R2-D2, and the shop owner return. There was a look of frustration on the Jedi's face. "We're leaving," he said and headed out the door.

"Bye Anakin," Padmé said as she collected Jar Jar Binks, a Gungan, and headed out the door as well. "What happened?" she asked as they walked away back towards where they had come from.

"They don't except republic credits here," Qui-Gon said. "We'll have to try and find an alternate way of getting the parts we need."

"And how do you suggest we do that?" Padmé asked. "I doubt that there's someone here that can help us."

Qui-Gon sighed. "I know," he said as they walked away.

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Anakin had left the shop a little while ago, as she had been sent home for the day. She saw that funny looking creature that had been with the two humans and stepped up to save him, bringing him back to the others. Soon after, with the warning of a sandstorm coming, she began to lead the group to the small hut she shared with her mother.

Author's note: well, here's the first one you've all been waiting for. Sorry about the wait, as I was having trouble deciding on what to do as well as being busy with work. Ciao!

~Selene-daughter of the sea