The trip to Tatooine was silent for the group, Jason and Anakin piloted while the girls sat patiently in their seats. When they reached the planets atmosphere Jason couldn't help but feel a sense of happiness. It was here he met Anakin and his mother and they helped him and the others, and it is here he was going to save her this time. He and Anakin set the ship down in a landing platform in Mos Espa, there was no need to hide this time. They then went to Cliegg Lars' moister farm for their answers. Anakin said that his mother told him she was sold to him but they married soon after he freed her. When they got there they headed to the hut before being stopped by a familiar protocol droid. "Oh hello I am C-" "3PO?" Anakin said in shock. "Oh yes but, oh the Maker Master Ani I knew you'd return I knew it! Oh and Miss Padme and Mister Jason oh my" 3PO stuttered in surprise. Jason smiled "it's good to see you 3PO, I see you got some coverings this time" he said with a laugh. "Oh yes Master Clieg was very generous to give me these" 3PO said with a smile so to speak. "Is my mother here?" Anakin asked straight to the point. That caused 3PO's mood to shift to uneasiness "uh I think that it is best that go indoors" he said leading the group into the hut. When they did 3PO called out two individuals and a man and woman walked out to greet the group. "Master Owen may I introduce some very important visitors" 3PO told them gesturing to the group. "I'm Anakin Skywalker, this is Padme Amidala and my mentor Jason Pandora along with his sister Melaena" Anakin introduced. "Owen Lars, this is my girlfriend Buru" Owen said. "I guess I'm your step brother, it's good to finally meet you in person" Owen said to Anakin. "Is my mother here?" Anakin asked. "No she's not, Cliegg Lars Shmi is my wife lets come inside we have a lot to talk about" Cliegg said in his wheelchair as the group headed into the kitchen where Buru made them something to eat. "It was just before dawn they came out of nowhere a hunting party of Tusken Raiders, your mother went out early like she always did to make mushrooms from the vaporators and from the tracks she was about half way home when they took her" Cliegg sighed heavily before continuing "those Tuskens walk like men but they're vicious mindless monsters many of us went after her four of us came back, I'd be out there with them but uh after I lost my leg I just couldn't ride anymore until I heal" he said gesturing to his missing right leg "I don't want to give up on her but she's been gone a month, lets hope she's lasted this long". Anakin couldn't listen anymore and stood up "where are you going?" Buru asked. "To find my mother" Anakin said. "Your mother's dead son, accept it" Cliegg told him causing Anakin to walk out. "He won't listen to you, Anakin isn't the kind of person to give up so easily I can only pray he doesn't get hurt" Jason said as Melaena got up "I'll go talk to him" she said which Jason nodded. She walked outside to see Anakin setting up a speeder bike. Noticing her he stopped and stood in front of her "stay here with your brother and the others, these are good people Melaena you'll be safe here" Anakin told her. "Anakin" she murmured gave him a hug. When they parted Anakin mounted the speeder bike and looked at her "please wait for me" he asked. "Always" she whispered as he sped off with a determined look on his face.
Jango's ship The Slave 1 jumped out of hyperspeed with Obi-wan close behind. Hearing an alarm going off on their screen Boba noticed Obi-wan's ship behind them. "Dad I think we've been tracked" he told his father. "He must've put a homing device on our hull, don't worry son we'll lose him and have a couple of surprises for him" Jango said bringing a chuckle out of his son. Pushing some buttons a seismic charge flew out heading towards Obi-wan. "Seismic charges, stand by!" Obi-wan said as he swerved out of the way of the blast. Jango let go of another charge and Obi-wan dodged and swerved once more. "He doesn't seem to take a hint this guy" Jango commented as he flew the ship inside and asteroid with Obi-wan following. Exiting the asteroid Jango flew up as Obi-wan cleared through and was now in front. "Get him dad get him! fire!" Boba said as Jango fired upon Obi-wan's ship. "Oh blast this is why I hate flying!" Obi-wan groaned as he dodged blaster fire. Some of the ships damaged the hull causing R4 to beep in alarm. "We got him" Boba said in excitement "We'll just have to finish him" Jango told him as he shot some missiles at Obi-wan's ship. "R4 be ready to jettison the spare part canisters" Obi-wan instructed as the missiles kept following him. "Fire them now!" Obi-wan said which the back of the ship opened sending the parts at the missiles causing a massive explosion. The indicator on Jango's screen of Obi-wan's ship flickered off. "We'll won't be seeing him again" he said which Boba chuckled as they made their way on the red planet in front of them. Meanwhile on one of the large asteroids Obi-wan's ship could be seen intact and currently sitting on the large space rock. "Alright R4 I think we've waited long enough" Obi-wan said which the droid beeped in response before disconnecting from the asteroid and flying down onto the planet. When they reached the atmosphere Obi-wan noticed a lot of Federation Starships. "There's an unusual concentration of Federation ships down there R4" Obi-wan said causing a whimpered sound out of the little droid. Obi-wan then touched down in an empty spot thinking about investigating more about what was going on.
Lights from the Tusken camp flickered as Anakin stood on a ledge before jumping down. He quietly stalked around before standing behind one of them huts and cutting a hole in it with his lightsaber. Kicking inside he saw his mother tied to a brand unconscious and he removed the bonds and held her in his arms. "Mom? Mom" Anakin murmered causing his mother to stir. "Ani? Is it you?" she rasped. "I'm here mom" Anakin assured lovingly. "Ani? Oh you look so handsome, oh my son my grown up son I'm so proud of you Ani" she said putting a hand on his face. "I missed you" Anakin said kissing her palm. "Now I am complete, I I love-" she tried so hard to rasp the words but could not find the strength to do so. "Stay with me mom, everything-" Anakin tried. "I I love" she tried once more only to rasp a final breath as she lay motionless in Anakin's arms. Tears slowly fell from Anakin's face as he could not believe what had just happened. He forcefully lifted his hand and shut her eyes before holding her body with his head down. When he lifted his head up a look of pure hatred and rage was on the young mans face. As the sun was starting to rise Anakin's lightsaber could be heard causing the Tusken's to look over and see Anakin effortlessly chop off the heads of the two Tusken guards. The other Tuskens sprang up quickly in an attempt to halt the invader. Noticing a Tusken running towards him Anakin swung and started killing any who crossed his path.
Back at the homestead Jason was helping Buru and Melaena with dishes before he dropped them and clutched his head. Melaena and Padme came to him in concern as he started writhing in pain. "What is it? what's wrong?" Melaena asked. "It's Anakin, it in danger" Jason told them as his pain subsided.
On Coruscant Yoda is seen sitting in one of them meditation chambers. "Anakin! Anakin!" Qui-gon's voice is heard. "Nooo" Anakin's voice cried out. The doors opened revealing Windu as he sat down before Yoda opened his eyes, a look of sadness upon it. "What is it?" Windu asked. "Pain, suffering, death I feel something terrible has happened, young Skywalker is in pain terrible pain" Yoda told him. "And what of Jason? He and the boy have a bond" Windu asked. "Feels his student's pain he does, in danger they both are" Yoda said causing Windu to sigh.
While on the red planet Obi-wan stalked quietly in the rocky catacombs. When he ventured further inside he saw something very wrong, a droid factory. Thousands of mechanical arms moved and welded the pieces together on a moving instrument. Seeing nothing more of value he walked off before he heard a noise and hid. "We must persuade the corners guild as well as the cooperate alliance to sign the treaty" an elderly man said. "What about the Senator from Naboo? Is she dead yet? I'm not signing your treaty until I have her head on my desk" Viceroy told him. "I'm a man of my word Viceroy" the man assured. "With these new battle droids we've built for you you will have the finest army in the galaxy" a robotic voice told them. Obi-wan walked out of his hiding place as they walked by and sat down around the table in front of them with Obi-wan watching above. "As I explained earlier I am quite convinced the ten thousand more systems will rally to our cause with your support" The elder man stated. "The Techno Union Army is at your disposal Count" the robot man said. "The Banking Clan will sign your treaty" one of the others told the man. "Good very good, our friends of the Trade Federation have pledged their support and when their battle droids combine with yours we will have an army greater than any in the galaxy, the Jedi will be overwhelmed and the Republic will agree with any demands we make" he said as Obi-wan stalked back to his ship. When he did he immediately tried to contact the council. After multiple failed attempts Obi-wan sighed in frustration "the transmitter is working but we're not getting a return signal, Coruscant is too far R4 can you boost the power?" Obi-wan asked earning a beep in response. "We'll have to try something else, maybe we can contact Anakin and Jason on Naboo it's much closer" he said activating the comlink. "Anakin? Jason? Do you copy this is Obi-wan Kenobi, hello?" Obi-wan said with no response. "They're not on Naboo R4 maybe I can widen the range, I hope nothing's happened to them" he said as he pressed some more buttons. The screen then showed a visual of Anakin's signal and Tatooine. "That's their tracking signal alright but it's coming from Tatooine, what in the blazes are they doing there I told them to stay on Naboo!" Obi-wan groaned. Unbeknownst to him a bug like creature noticed him and ran off to alert the others. "Alright we haven't much time, Anakin, Jason this is Obi-wan Kenobi" he said in hope the two received his message.
On Tatooine R2 was making routine repairs when he received the message. Back at the homestead Anakin returned with Shmi's body wrapped up in cloth. The looks on the others were of concern as he glared at them slightly before going inside the homestead. Later on Jason walked downstairs with a tray of food to see Anakin fixing a device. "I brought you some food" Jason told him as he sat the tray down. Anakin continued working on the device as he spoke "the shifter broke, life seems so simple when you're fixing things, I'm good at fixing things always have but I couldn't" Anakin told him eyes watering "why'd she have to die? why I couldn't save her? I know I could have" he stopped fixing the shifter and paced around the room. "There are those we just cannot save Anakin, you're not all powerful" Jason told him sagely. "But I should be, someday I will be I'll even be able to stop people from dying!" Anakin said upset. "Anakin" his mentor whispered. "It's all Obi-wan's fault! He's jealous he's holding me back!" Anakin yelled throwing the tool across the room. "What's wrong Anakin?" Jason asked. "I killed them, I killed them all they're dead every single one of them! and not just the men but the women and the children too! They're like animals and I slaughtered them like animals! I hate them!" Anakin yelled trying desperately to control his anger. Anakin sunk to his knees in despair "why do I hate them?" he asked helplessly. "Being angry is being human Anakin, it's how we use it is what matters" his mentor told him. Jason moved so he sat in front of Anakin "you are my brother Anakin, I'll always be there for you when you need me to be" he said getting a small smile out of the young Jedi. Anakin looked up and gave his mentor a hug. "Thank you Jason" he said before his face returned hardened "we should give my mother a burial" Jason nodded "I think that's a great idea" he said as they walked outside. After they buried Shmi's body Cliegg and the others shared some final words. "I know wherever you are it's become a better place, you were the most loving partner a man could ever have, goodbye my darling wife and thank you" Cliegg finished as Jason stood for his turn. "When we met you reminded me of my own mother, kind, determined, and loving, I made you a promise ten years ago and I won't go back on my word, thank you for everything you have done.. you will never be forgotten" Jason said as Anakin stood infront of her gravestone and dropped to his knees. "I wasn't strong enough to save you mom, but I promise you I won't fail again, I miss you so much" he said trying to contain the emotion he was feeling. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Melaena looking sympathetically at his and gave him a hug. R2 then beeped out of nowhere announcing his presence "R2? what're you doing here?" Padme asked. R2 beeped again which 3PO translated "he says he's carrying a message from an Obi-wan Kenobi, Master Anakin does that name mean anything to you?". Anakin and Jason looked at each other and said their goodbyes before getting back to the ship. Inside the ship the group listened to Obi-wans message "Anakin? Jason, my long range transmitter has been knocked out retransmit this message to Coruscant" Padme pushed a button and transmitted the message as said. "I have tracked the bounty hunter Jango Fett to the droid foundries of Geonosis, the Trade Federation has placed an order for a droid army here and it is clear that Viceroy Gunray is behind the assassination attempt for Senator Amidala, the Commence Guild and the Corporate Alliance have both pledged their armies to Count Dooku and are forming a- wait, wait!" Obi-wan's message shows him activating his lightsaber and being shot at by a Droideka.
On Coruscant Master Yoda and Master Windu looked at each other. "More happening on Geonosis I fear than has been revealed" Yoda stated. "I agree, Anakin? Jason? we will deal with Count Dooku, the most important thing to do is stay where you are and protect the Senator at all costs that is your first priority" Windu instructed.
"Understood Master Windu" Anakin assured before the hologram shut off. "They'll never get there in time to save him they'll have to travel half across the galaxy, look Geonosis is just a parsec away" Melaena said activating the map. "If he's still alive" Anakin said doubtfully. "Anakin are you just going to sit here and let him die? he's your friend your mentor-" Melaena was cut off by Anakin. "He's like my father, but you heard Master Windu he gave me strict orders to stay here" he said defiantly. Padme then cut into the conversation "he gave you and Jason strict orders to protect me and we're going to help Obi-wan, if you plan on protecting me you'll just have to come along" she said with a smirk getting in the pilots seat. Anakin looked at Jason who just shrugged with a knowing smirk before they sat down and buckled up. 3PO struggled to sit down as R2 beeped "oh not to worry R2 it's just I've never flown before" he said as the ship took off.
On Coruscant in the Chancellor's office Senator Organa spoke his concerns. "The Commence Guild are preparing for war there is no doubt about that" he said pacing around the room. "Count Dooku must have made a treaty with them" Chancellor Palpatine said. "The debate is over we need that clone army!" one of the Senators said. Senator Organa looked at him in denial "unfortunately the debate is not over, the Senate will never approve the use of clones before the Separatists attack" he stated. "This is a crisis! the Senate must vote the Chancellor emergency powers he can then approve the creation of an army" Palpatines assistant suggested. "But what senator will have the courage to propose such a radical amendment?" Palpatine asked. "If only Senator Amidala were here" Palpatines assistant said as the group looked at Jar Jar who looked deep in thought of what to do.
Back on Geonosis Count Dooku walked inside of the catacombs to see a restrained Obi-wan in front of him. "Traitor" Obi-wan stated to the older man. "Oh no my friend this is a mistake a terrible mistake, they've gone too far this is madness" the count denied stalking around the Jedi. "I thought you were the leader here Dooku" Obi-wan questioned. "This has nothing to do with me I can assure you, I will immediately petition you to be set free" Count Dooku assured. "Well I hope it doesn't take too long, I have work to do" Obi-wan told him. "May I ask why a Jedi Knight is all the way out here on Geonosis?" Dooku asked. "I'm tracking a bounty hunter called Jango Fett do you know him?" Obi-wan demanded. "There are no bounty huntes that I'm aware of the Geonosians don't trust them" Dooku said. "Well who can blame them but he is here I can assure you" Obi-wan said as Dooku faced him. "It is a pity that our paths never crossed before Obi-wan Qui-gon always spoke highly of you and of young Jason, I wish he were still alive I could use his help right now" Dooku said almost sadly. "Qui-gon Jinn would never join you" Obi-wan sneered. "Don't be too sure my young Jedi, you forget that he was once my apprentice just as you and Jason were once his, he knew all about the corruption in the Senate but he would have never gone along with it if he learned the truth as I have" Dooku explained. "The truth?" Obi-wan questioned. "The truth, what if I told you that the Republic was under the control of the Dark Lord of the Sith" Dooku began stalking around the Jedi once more. "No that's not possible the Jedi would be aware of it" Obi-wan shook his head in denial. "The dark side of the Force has clouded their vision my friend, hundreds of Senators are now under the influence of a Sith Lord called Darth Sidious" Dooku revealed. Obi-wan shook his head once more refusing to believe him "I don't believe you" Obi-wan told him. "The Viceroy of the Trade Federation was once in league with this Darth Sidious but he was betrayed ten years ago by the Dark Lord, he came to me for help and told me everything" Dooku then stood in front of Obi-wan face to face "you must join me Obi-wan, together with Jason we can destroy the Sith" Dooku said determinedly. "I will never join you Dooku and by the Force neither would Jason he is more powerful than anyone I have ever known, he would never join you" Obi-wan warned as Dooku sighed before heading for the door. "It will be difficult to honor your release" he told Obi-wan before walking outside, the door closing after him.