Chapter 6
Back on Coruscant Anakin and Farra resumed their regular life at the temple. Both felt their powers had increased in recent months and Obi Wan was inclined to agree. He was fully recovered from the effects of the gas on Ohma-D'un. Farra and Anakin would train by sparring with each other while Obi Wan looked on when practicing with their lightsabers. One afternoon Anakin and Farra were walking by the lake in the temple grounds when Farra suddenly found herself floating above the ground. Then she was carried out over the lake and suddenly was falling into the lake, hitting the water with a splash. She came to the surface coughing and spluttering and looked around for Anakin. She knew he had given her a ducking and it was the payback plan he'd come up with. He had made himself scarce but she found him not far away doubled over with laughter.
"Very funny Skywalker" she said through her own laughter.
She made her way back to her room and after getting dry robes headed to the shower. When she came out of the shower she found Anakin sitting on the bed in her room.
"I guess we are even now Sti," he said.
"I guess we are, Ani" Farra said.
Anakin smiled at her and she suddenly felt a lump in her throat as she looked into his blue eyes.
"At any rate you are even more gorgeous when you are angry" Anakin said.
"You know I can't stay angry with you for long" Farra said.
"And I can't stay angry with you for long either" Anakin said.
A few minutes later another Padawan named Ferus Bowen walked into Farra's room wanting to talk to her. He was another close friend who she'd grown up with. Ferus stopped when he saw what was happening in the room. Farra and Anakin were kissing intently their arms wrapped around each other and hadn't noticed Ferus enter.
"Oh I'm sorry" Ferus said.
Farra and Anakin sprang apart.
"Knock next time will you" Farra said.
"I said I was sorry," Ferus said.
"What do you want Ferus?" Anakin asked.
Farra knew that Anakin and Ferus didn't like each other but they had to be civil as they were in the same class. Farra also knew that Ferus had made it clear he disapproved of the council's decisions about Anakin and Farra.
"I came to tell you Farra that there is an illegal podrace being held on Tatooine"
"Thanks for that Ferus. Sorry about Ani here. He's always touchy about us being interrupted when we are having some alone time together," Farra said.
Ferus nodded and bowed then left.
"We HAVE to go to Tatooine!!" Anakin burst out when Ferus had gone.
"Do you really think we would be allowed to go?" Farra asked.
"If Obi Wan is asked to investigate we will. I'm going to tell him about the race when we have our next training session" Anakin said.
"I hope you aren't thinking of entering the race," Farra said.
"Nah I'm too big now. But I'd sure like to see who would be racing. I bet Sebulba will be involved in some way" Anakin said.
"Who is Sebulba?" Farra asked.
He is of the Dug species and I used to race against him all the time until I came here. He is a horrific cheat too. However I got wise to his little tricks and was prepared for them. He tried one trick too many in the Boonta Eve race and he crashed out so I won.
Farra could see that Anakin was excited about the prospect of being around podracing again and wondered if Obi Wan would be asked to investigate. True to his word Anakin told Obi Wan about the illegal podrace on Tatooine at their next training session. Obi Wan reported it to the council at their next meeting. As Anakin hoped Obi Wan was asked to investigate it and if possible stop it. The three Jedi were en route to Tatooine not much later.
"Now I don't want you getting involved in the race Anakin" Obi Wan said.
"I'm not intending to be involved. I'm too big to race, my master" Anakin said.
"I'll see to it that he doesn't get involved, my master," Farra said.
A few hours later they landed on Tatooine. While Obi Wan investigated the podrace Anakin took Farra to meet his family. They rented a land speeder and traveled out to where Beru, Owen and Clegg Lars lived. The trip was uneventful and soon they were pulling up outside the Lars homestead. Seeing the homestead again bought back memories of Shmi's death but Anakin pushed these aside. After switching off the speeder the two Jedi alighted. Anakin headed over to the entrance of the homestead and poked his head in the doorway and called out a hello.
"Who is it?" Beru called out.
"Its me Anakin and I've got a friend with me. Obi Wan and I are on a mission here so I thought I'd visit you" Anakin explained.
Beru invited them in and Farra followed Anakin inside. Beru and Owen were sitting at a table and Clegg was in his hover chair. When the three saw Farra's Jedi robes they nodded to her.
"This is Farra. She is in my class at the temple. Like me she is a Padawan" Anakin said.
"Greetings Farra" Beru said.
"There is more," Anakin said, "Farra is my girlfriend and we are both training under Obi Wan. The Jedi Council has permitted the relationship, as we are two parts of one whole. I am so much more focused when Farra and I are working together and she has helped me to control my anger"
"I wish you both all the happiness in the world," Beru said.
Owen and Clegg echoed Beru's words.
Anakin explained to Farra that Owen was his stepbrother and that Clegg was his stepfather.
"Clegg bought Mum off Watto and married her then freed her," Anakin said.
"I see" Farra said.
After Anakin and Farra had had some refreshments, Anakin offered to help Clegg and Owen with some malfunctioning droids. Farra knew that Anakin would be able to fix them. Farra stayed behind with Beru while the men went to work on the droids. Half an hour later Farra suddenly sensed danger through the Force. She told Beru that she had to go and that the men were in danger. She knew Anakin would have sensed the danger as well. When she reached the men she found Anakin battling with a group of Tuskans. Owen and Clegg had managed to hide. Farra's lightsaber was in her hand as soon as she reached Anakin. Together the two fought the Tuskans off. After the two Jedi had killed three of the Tuskans the rest fled. Farra could sense hatred coming from Anakin and she turned to him.
"Ani let it go. You know you need to. They weren't the ones who killed your Mum you know that. You killed those who killed her. Please stop the hatred," Farra said.
It pained her that Anakin still harbored such strong feelings towards the Tuskans.
Anakin slowly looked at Farra and she could see his features relax. The two looked around and saw the dead bodies. They buried them and then Farra saw something move. Upon investigation she saw that it was a Tuskan child.
"Anakin it's a child and it's alive. We should return it to its parents" Farra said.
She expected Anakin to want to leave it to die but he nodded and the two returned to the homestead. Anakin and Farra got in their rented land speeder and traveled back to where the battle had been then headed in the direction the Tuskans had fled in. It didn't take them long to find the Tuskan encampment and they stopped some distance away. Anakin carried the Tuskan child as they walked into the camp. The Tuskans prepared to attack them but when they saw the child in Anakin's arms they allowed him to talk to them. They took the child from him and told him that his thanks was his life and that the child would be taken care of. Anakin and Farra nodded then left.
On the way back, Farra asked Anakin if he still hated the Tuskans.
"No I don't I've made my peace with them. When I saved that child it made me realize what it means to be a Jedi. I was wrong to hate them. Yes they killed Mum but what could I have done to save her. Could I have gotten there any sooner? I don't know that I could. It must be the will of the Force that she is dead and I have accepted that" Anakin said.
The two Jedi returned to the homestead and bade Anakin's family farewell then traveled back to Mos Eisley to report to Obi Wan. He had discovered that the pod race was to take place the next day. Anakin insisted on going down to the garages to see who was racing in the race and Farra went with him. Anakin also hoped to see his old friends. Of course they'd be grown up as he was so he knew that they would look different. He also wondered how many of them would have children of their own. He anticipated it would be children of his former competitors racing in the race.
When they reached the garages Anakin recognized several of his friends and took Farra over to them to meet them. They didn't recognize Anakin at first until he greeted them in his childhood language. Then they did recognize Anakin and they just stared unable to believe he was now a Jedi.
"This is Farra. She and I grew up and trained together. Now she is my girlfriend" Anakin said.
"Well congratulations. She's a fine looking girl" Anakin's friends told him.
"So what's the low down on the race?" Anakin asked.
Anakin's friends took a minute to confer.
"They aren't sure if they can trust you" Farra told Anakin.
"I know. And I'm going to do something about that" Anakin said.
"You can trust me," Anakin said waving his hand.
Anakin's friends told him they could trust him then told him about the race. It seemed that it was the idea of Sebulba's son and that he intended to cheat to win.
"Well he sounds just like his dirt bag of a father," Anakin said.
Anakin's friends told him that several of their children were racing in the race. Farra sensed that he was concerned about this and wondered what he was going to do.
"Can I look over their pods? I might be able to tweak them and make them even better" Anakin said.
Farra couldn't suppress her grin.
"I knew you'd find some way to be involved," she said as they made their way to the first of the pods that Anakin was going to inspect.
"Just don't tell Obi Wan, he'd not be happy," Anakin said.
"Not be happy about what?" came Obi Wan's voice. Farra turned to find him standing behind them.
"Err nothing, Master" Anakin said quickly.
"This is my son's pod, Anakin," one of Anakin's friends said, unaware that Obi Wan was there.
"Master I'd like to help my friends out. The race is on because of Sebulba's son" Anakin said.
Farra was proud of Anakin for being forthcoming with that information. His friends weren't too happy with him but Anakin told them that Obi Wan would help them.
Over the next few hours Anakin worked on his friends pods. He and Farra used the time as an opportunity to meditate. Obi Wan went to investigate Sebulba and find out how his son intended to cheat. The three Jedi had realized they couldn't stop the race but they could take Sebulba and his son back to Coruscant to face appropriate justice at the hands of the senate. When the time came for the race to start Anakin, Obi Wan and Farra watched it from a viewing platform. Anakin was telling Farra about his podracing days.
"You mean the race you won was the only one you actually finished?" Farra asked incredulously.
"Yeah" Anakin said, looking down.
It was obvious to Farra that Anakin was embarrassed.
"Don't be embarrassed love, you won the race that mattered" Farra said.
"You mean it?" Anakin asked.
"Yes" Farra said.
She drew Anakin close and tipped his head down meeting his lips with hers. He wrapped his arms around her deepening the kiss. Obi Wan telling them the race was about to start bought them back to reality.
"Next time save the tonsil hockey for when you are alone. I didn't need to see it" Obi Wan said lightly.
Both Anakin and Farra burst out laughing then turned their attention on the race.
At the conclusion of the race, which was won by Sebulba's son Anakin, Farra and Obi Wan moved to capture Sebulba and his son. When the two saw the Jedi approaching them they turned to run. Anakin leapt ahead and grabbed Sebulba by the collar of the tunic he was wearing.
"Get your hands off me Jedi scum" Sebulba said.
Then he realized who held him.
"Anakin Skywalker. Well Well. So you joined the Jedi. If you let me go I'll repay you for the times I caused you to crash in the racing"
"Save it Sebulba I'm not interested," Anakin said.
Farra was walking alongside Anakin.
"Who's this pretty little Jedi" Sebulba sneered.
"Her name is Farra and I don't want you looking at her like that. She's mine" Anakin said.
Finally they reached the ship they'd arrived on Tatooine in. Obi Wan had captured Sebulba's son and was following them close behind. Sebulba and his son were put in the brig and then the three Jedi returned to Coruscant with them where they met their punishment at the hands of the senate.
Chapter 7