A/N: Hey everyone! I just realized something as I started to upload this chapter. I never put a disclaimer on this story so, oviously I don't own any of this. That's all George Lucas. (And apparently Disney). Annyway, last chapter we left off with Anakin being reunited with his mother after finding out she was alive, Owen running off, Ahsoka feeling a little frustrated and neglected (Just a reminder, Ahsoka is human in this story, all for my own purposes), and then Anakin's Jedi senses start tingling causing him to leap to his feet in defense of his family. Tell me what you think so far! Another interesting twist is going to be revealed at the end of this chapter, so look out! Enjoy! Oh, and this chapter jumps around a bit so watch for the dividing lines.
~Riah
P.S. Does anyone else watch the clone wars? Because I totally was not expecting what happened in the season finale. What did you all think?
GM Chapter 8:
Mos Eisley cantina was easily the seediest of any on the dusty planet of Tatooine, filled to the brim with beings pulled from the deepest dredges of society. It was there, Owen knew, that he could find the particular type of mercenary he needed.
Mid-afternoon drinks were fully underway when Owen stepped through the door and attracted the attention of the bar's occupants. Though almost every eye turned to appraise him, an obvious outsider, when he walked in, his angry glare was menacing enough to force most back to their drinks with a shudder.
Owen tilted his head back, jutting out his chin and casting his stormy gaze about the room. On his third sweep, Owen's eyes locked on a shadowy figure sitting in the furthest corner of the room. Steeling his nerves and swallowing any rising guilt, he stepped in the direction of the figure's table and moved to sit in the chair across from him.
"Can I help you with something?" the man, or teenage boy rather, sneered as Owen slid his chair in and leveled the boy with a glare.
"I need someone to do a job for me."
The corner of the boy's mouth turned up into a crude grin. "Yeah? Well there's a heavy price to pay for my line of work."
"I don't have any money, but I think if you know the target you'll want to do it all on your own," Owen said, leaning forward, fists clenched on the tabletop.
The boy scoffed loudly, leaning back in his chair and folding his arms across his chest. "Enlighten me," he requested, his curiosity getting the best of him.
Owen grinned broadly and all too delightfully proceeded to relay the harrowing tale of betrayal and deceit that had been cast against him. He seemed oblivious to the fact that he painted himself as a pathetic, jealous brat in the eyes of the bounty hunter across from him.
The boy simply listened to Owen's trifles with a lazy, amused smile on his face, but Owen was right, his ears did perk up at the name of the target. And to hear that said target was so close by, the boy hunter decided that the opportunity wasn't worth passing up.
Standing, after having shook Owen's hand, the hunter glanced around the room in search of his small companion. Spotting him chatting up a few Twi'leks in the corner, he called out for him. "Hey kid?" he beckoned, "You coming or what?"
The hunter chuckled quietly as the kid scrambled towards him, afraid of being left behind. Not that he would ever do such a thing. It was a lonely life he led, and he had actually grown quite fond of the kid that attached to him like a leech in the swamps of Dagobah.
"Meet me here at dawn tomorrow to discuss the results. I should be through by then," the hunter said, slinging his assault rifle over his back and holstering his blasters at his hips.
Owen watched nervously as the bounty hunter he had just hired slid an odd looking helmet, adorned with a single black slit for the eyes and forming a 'T' down the center, over his head, and disappeared out the door, his companion in tow.
All the while Owen thought to himself, what have I done?
Something is amiss here, thought Anakin as he stood, lightsaber blazing bright, facing what his senses had warned him was an apparent danger. Perhaps the dust was tampering with the clarity of his senses, or maybe he was just more on edge than usual.
Whichever was closest to the real issue was irrelevant however, as what stood in front of Anakin, and the rest of his family behind him, was clearly not the danger.
A scrawny little boy, dark haired and eyed, wearing black breeches, boots that were too big for him, and a thin tan tunic stood before him. The boy couldn't have been more than five, but it wasn't the obvious starvation that permeated his form that disturbed Anakin most, it was the misery and stories of pain that were reflected from his eyes.
Anakin thought it to be strange that such a small boy was wandering around the desert so late in the evening, with no heavy tunic nonetheless. The boy was obviously alone, or possibly had been separated from his parents during the day, wandering off and getting lost. That thought made Anakin's gut internally seize, imagining what it would be like if his own child wandered off and got lost some day. It was unthinkable.
Feeling a sudden sympathy for the boy, Anakin deactivated his weapon and knelt down, looking into the boy's eyes. "Hey, are you alright, kid? Did you get lost?" he asked, reaching out for the boy's shoulders.
The boy just shook his head no in answer. Concerned, noticing the boy was shaking from the cold, Anakin lifted him up and brought him into the living quarters, setting him on the couch.
Padme, being so connected to her husband that she also had sensed the looming danger, stepped into the open doorway and warily cast her gaze across the darkened landscape. A shiver went down her spine as she was suddenly overcome with the eerie feeling she was being watched.
A cold, desert breeze wafted over her, rustling the long over tunic she was wearing.
As Anakin knelt in front of the boy, the same warning from the force nudged his senses. He quickly turned his head back to the door and saw his wife standing out in the open.
Another, stronger nudge came through the force, shoving him to his feet and propelling him towards the doorway where Padme stood. Gathering the force beneath his feet, Anakin leaped towards her. He wrapped his arms around her torso as gently as he could, twisting and falling to the ground so Padme's back landed against his chest, him lying on his back underneath her.
His awareness was always focused on Padme and the life she grew within her.
At the same time that Anakin's back hit the hard ground with a thud, a bullet flew over them and lodged itself in the far wall, shattering sand and plaster in a violent explosion.
"Get down!" he shouted as he slid out from beneath his wife and ignited his lightsaber, rolling to his feet in a defensive crouch.
Every person in the room dove for the ground at his command, Shmi grabbing the strange boy and thrusting him to the floor beneath her. She covered his body with her own in a protective shield as the bullet lodged in the wall started to beep and suddenly exploded.
Wood shards and more plaster rained down heavily as the deafening sound, as loud as an assault rifle, cracked the air.
Padme had rolled to her side, shielding her eyes, face, and womb from the explosion. When she opened her eyes she let a hoarse cry in panic. "Anakin!" she shouted, frantically searching for him, but he was no longer in the room.
Having caught side of an armored figure in the distance with force enhanced vision, Anakin had burst from the hovel and ran after the culprit. The shooter was clearly equipped with a high grade sniper rifle and had a gift for long distance shooting, for he was stashed on a rock outcropping at least four-hundred meters away.
"Krife," Anakin muttered as he called on the force to propel him faster, watching the shooter ignite a jetpack and rise into the blackened sky.
Knowing that pursuit was useless if the shooter had flying as a means of escape, he dug his heels in and slid to a halt. The whoosh of his lightsaber deactivating brought the desert to silence as he focused his attention on the shooter's jetpack.
It was almost too easy for him to manipulate the control panel of the jetpack, like child's play, even from so great a distance. Once the wires were pulled from the panel, the flame disappeared, and the would-be assassin spiraled to the ground with a thud.
"Master!" Anakin heard Ahsoka shout out to him from somewhere behind. "What's going on?" she cried.
"Get back on the ship Ahsoka," Anakin yelled back, ignoring the light tapping of Ahsoka's boots racing towards him. Instead of waiting for her, Anakin sunk back into the force and ran after the fleeing assassin; however, Ahsoka was small, lithe, and quick on her feet.
Catching up to her wayward master was hardly a problem. "Master?" she panted as she matched his pace. "Wouldn't this be the perfect time to teach me something?" she asked in a tone laced with sarcasm.
Anakin grumbled under his breath before replying. "I am teaching you something right now," he said, exasperated. "Obedience. Disobeying orders on the battlefield is the easiest way to get yourself killed. Now get back on the ship," he huffed.
"But master…"
"But nothing, Ahsoka. I have never seen you wield a lightsaber. I have no idea if you are readily able to defend yourself yet, and until then, you will stay on the ship! This guy could have a vibrosword, and I don't want you getting sliced into a million tiny pieces."
Anakin slid to a stop and glared at Ahsoka. She glared right back in utter defiance.
"I need…"Ahsoka started, but was interrupted by an irate Anakin.
"You need to get back on the ship," he commanded, his eyes darkening in anger. "Don't get snippy with me. Go!" he shouted, pointing back in the right direction.
Anakin fumed as he watched Ahsoka stomp her heel like a petulant child before jogging away. When he was sure she was listening to his command, he shook his head in disbelief, turning back to his pursuit.
I am going to have my work cut out for me with this kid, he thought, sprinting off again.
After making sure that the strange boy was alright and settled back on the couch, Shmi had run to Padme, fussing over her wellbeing first, before following Padme's frantic gaze and noticing her son was gone.
Shmi was surprised to see Padme falling apart at the seams, wrought with panic, for she had immediately pegged Padme as a wall of strength when they had met all those years ago. Her emotions were slightly extreme for a connection between simple friends.
As intuitive as ever, Shmi was the only one who noticed the way Padme's hands automatically moved to cover her stomach, and she instantly knew more than Anakin and Padme could possibly realize. It's so obvious now, Shmi thought to herself as she gazed at whom she had a strong hunch was her daughter-in-law. The girl practically radiated warmth, glowing like the twin suns, even amidst this chaos.
"Come, dear," Shmi said, helping Padme to her feet in a concerned manner. She led the young woman over to the couch as well, and offered to make some tea while they waited.
There was nothing they could do with the destruction of living area for the moment, at least until Anakin returned, as she knew he would.
Shmi focused on her task in the kitchen, reaching for items that were surprisingly still in the same places. She kept a wary eye on her patched together family sitting in silence in the living area. They all looked away in different directions, meticulously ignoring one another and the obvious bantha in the room.
Her family was in tatters she realized, and it was only her needle and thread that would be the ones to stitch it back together.
Both Padme and Shmi shot to their feet the instant they heard a strange scraping sound heading towards the door.
Nothing had been said while they waited, except for a few prodding words from Padme, trying to distract herself with learning the little boy's identity, however, he remained stoically silent with his arms crossed over his chest.
The door slid open to reveal Anakin shoving an armored and helmeted bounty hunter through the opening, finally releasing the strong grip he had around the hunter's neck. The hunter grunted in pain as his knees hit the floor, then cracked his back as he tried to straighten up. Anakin had held him bent at the waist at a ninety degree angle the entire way back.
"Anakin, what happened?" Padme questioned, running to him and slyly appraising his form, checking for injury. To her great relief, her husband appeared to be unharmed, although the disgruntled look on his face was a cross between a furious glare and a grimace.
Truth be told, Anakin's muscles were aching from simply being tired and worked to their max. Sweat dripped down his forehead in large rivulets, despite the cool temperature of the air.
"I'm fine, I'm fine," he reassured her, placing his hand on her shoulder in what he hoped was a friendly manner. He tried to smile, but it twisted and broke before it could fully form, still strongly disturbed by the evening's, rather the whole week's turn of events.
"I'm fairly sure this is our would-be assassin, given the position I found him in and the high grade rifle he was carrying. He's a bounty hunter," Anakin said, stepping forward to tower over and glare at the small, but dangerous hunter.
"A bounty hunter? But you're a Jedi. Who would be stupid enough to put a bounty on a Jedi?" asked Cliegg, utterly overwhelmed with the events that had transpired over the past few days.
"No one, I think. I am not sure I was the target," Anakin answered, glancing back at his wife. "I haven't interrogated him yet."
He then turned his gaze to the hunter, taking in the sight of his armor. It had been difficult to make out any details under the darkness of night, but now in the illuminated room, Anakin could clearly see the fine craftsmanship of the fairly new looking armor. It strongly resembled the prized armor of the Mandalorian race and had been painted green and bolted to a steel grey, leather jerkin.
Anakin hadn't taken the time do anything but remove the hunter's jetpack and rifle on the walk back. He had been anxious to make it back so he could get some answers, making sure to stop at the cruiser to grab a pair of vibro-cuffs.
Ahsoka had tried to ask him questions when she saw Anakin's prisoner, but she forced herself to be silent when her master shot her a look and held up a finger in a watchful expression.
Now Anakin pulled those vibro-cuffs from his belt and lifted the hunter to his feet, dragging him to a chair in the corner and locking his gloved hands behind his back.
"Padme," he said, kneeling down, his back turned to his family. "Why don't you take the kid out of here? In fact, I think all of you should leave the room for a while," he continued, still not taking his eyes off the hunter. "I'll let you know when I am through."
His tone left no room for discussion. All three adults, plus the boy, filed out of the room silently except for the boy who suddenly found his voice. "No wait! Please! He's all I have left," he struggled as Padme and Shmi tugged him out of the room.
Anakin's shoulders slumped in sorrow. This wasn't the kid's fault, but this hunter almost killed his wife. There was no room for mercy in that.
"Don't fight them, bud. Just go. I'll be alright," the hunter interjected. They were the first words he'd spoken since Anakin found him, and Anakin was surprised by the gruff, almost mechanical tone. There was clearly a voice modulator installed in the helmet.
He waited until they all had gone before finally addressing the hunter. "I'm going to take off your helmet, and you're going to answer my questions. I may be a Jedi, but I am not known for following the code." His voice was deep, low, and menacing, the anger rolling off his tongue in waves.
"You can rot in the seventh krifing Sith hell, Jedi scum," the hunter spat.
"Maybe I will. But if I go down, you're going down with me," Anakin said, reaching forward and violently ripping the helmet off.
A shocked breath escaped him when he looked into a very familiar face, a face he had looked into almost every day for the past two years. He staggered back onto his haunches, comparing this younger version with the older one that was the face of every soldier in his legion.
"You're a, a…"
"A clone?" he sneered. "A clone but better."
The pieces clicked into place almost automatically for Anakin. "You're Jango Fett's son. The unaltered clone," he stated.
"I was Jango Fett's son, but one of you killed him. My own father was decapitated right in front of me." He was furious, spit flying from his clenched teeth as he yelled angrily.
Anakin cringed. "I'm sorry that you had to see that, but that's not an excuse for killing. You've turned into a bounty hunter, correct? Boba Fett?" he asked, the name suddenly coming to him from somewhere deep in the archives of his memory.
"It's the only thing I'm good at," he replied, dejected for moment, as if he wished for more. "But I'm not sorry for what I've done," Fett continued, his anger rising again, struggling to get free from his shackles.
"What have you done? Who were you trying to kill tonight?"
"What? Do you think you'll have to pry it out of me? I am here for the senator. If it wasn't for her my father would still be here! I hate her, almost as much as I hate the Jedi."
Anakin wrinkled his brow in confusion. No one but himself, Ahsoka, and the Lars' knew that Padme was here.
Owen, he thought to himself.
"Who told you she was here?" he asked.
Fett shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know," he said. "It was just some outlander. He didn't tell me his name, but he sure was an angry son of a sith."
Anakin sighed and ran his hand down his face in frustration, his suspicions immediately confirmed. "Well what about the kid? What's his part in this?"
"He was just the distraction," Fett said, shaking his head. "The guy who told me Amidala was here didn't mention any Jedi. My plan was perfect, and it would've worked if you hadn't have been here."
"Well I'm sorry that it didn't work out for you," Anakin said, clenching his jaw. "You're in a world of trouble now, kid."
"Are you going to turn me in?"
Anakin scoffed. "That would be too easy. You're not going to a Republic prison, but what I have in mind is going to be a hell of lot worse." His scoff turned to a menacing grin that had Fett cringing back into his cuffs.
As tough as Fett tried to convince everyone he was, he was just a fourteen year old boy who had seen many atrocities and was simply forced to grow up too fast.
"I am taking you to the brig back on my ship," Anakin said, suddenly standing. He had noticed the way the teenager cringed back at his threat of punishment and immediately felt guilty for scaring the troubled teen. Anakin knew all about wanting vengeance, and he suddenly felt a sort of camaraderie with the young Fett.
Perhaps punishment won't be necessary, he thought. Maybe I can help him instead.
It had taken all of their strength for Padme and Shmi to wrestle the boy without a name into the dining area. Beru was lost in her own head and incapable of being any help, while Cliegg couldn't stand from his chair without toppling over, leaving Padme and Shmi to fend for themselves.
Now that Anakin had returned in one piece, Padme was able to refocus her attention on the little boy in front of her, whom was frantically crying and shoving, trying to flee back to the bounty hunter.
"It's okay," she pleaded. "He won't be hurt," she said, although she couldn't be sure. She knew when it came to her wellbeing that Anakin left no room for mercy, and she had the strangest feeling that the bounty hunter had been after her, not Anakin.
The boy continued sob and fight, even when they forced him onto the couch in the other room. Padme's heart ached for him. She hated to see any child upset, especially one as small as him.
Eventually the boy's sobs turned to whimpers as Padme held him against her, and his tear-stained cheeks slackened as his head fell against her in sleep. She caressed the soft, brown hair on his head in comfort as his worn out little body finally gave in to tiredness.
It surprisingly wasn't long after the boy tuckered out that Anakin came to find the rest of his family. Anakin was normally rather cool with his emotions, unless it was his anger or frustration that someone had incurred, then he turned into a hothead, but with Padme, the ice around his heart that was formed as protection against hurt slowly chipped away every time he was with her. Seeing her now, holding a young boy in a motherly way, melted the walls around his heart instantly.
"Ani, how did it go?" Shmi asked, when she saw her son.
"Yes, Anakin. Did you find out what he was after?" Padme inquired.
Anakin broke himself out of his trance at the sound of voices and shook his head. Sighing he answered, "Yes. He was surprisingly forthcoming with information. I'm afraid none of you will like it though."
He moved to the couch and took seat on the opposite side of the boy. "Padme, you've actually heard of this bounty hunter. His name is Boba Fett."
Padme gasped beside him. "Boba Fett? As in Jango Fett's son? He's just a kid,"
Anakin nodded, looking at his wife with worried eyes.
"Then he was after me wasn't he? But how did he know we were here? No one knows," she continued.
"Unfortunately, I am almost certain that it was Owen that told Fett of our whereabouts and hired him for the job," Anakin stated, warily glancing around the room. He cringed as Beru broke down into sobs, realizing that the man she loved might truly be lost to their family. "I'm sorry," he added feeling the need to apologize. He believed staunchly that he was to blame.
Cliegg, however, disagreed wholeheartedly. "It's not your fault, son. Owen has been angry and lost for quite some time. This thing with your mother only acted as a catalyst to something that had been building for a long while."
Anakin sighed, shaking his head. "You don't understand. This is all my fault. How could I not realize that my mother wasn't really dead? All this time, I've been blind."
"It hasn't just been you, Anakin. None of us saw anything," Cliegg replied.
"I'm the chosen one. Everyone says that I am supposed to be this prized savior, the champion of the Force, but how can I save the galaxy when I can't even save my own family?"
Padme reached over the boy's back and placed a hand on Anakin's shoulder. "You're not all-powerful, Ani," she said.
"She's right, you know," Shmi added, her eyes zeroing in on Padme's hand resting against Anakin's back. "You're only human. I should know." She watched as Padme's fingers trailed up her son's neck and tangled in the hair at the nape of his neck. Shmi was sure Padme did not even realize what she was doing, so natural and instinctive were her movements.
Clearing his throat from across the room, Cliegg opted find out more about the bounty hunter. "So are you going to turn him in? This Fett kid," he asked.
"I don't think so," Anakin answered. "Once these things reach the republic, they tend to get lost in the system, especially now. At a time of war, battles take precedence over trials. And I feel like I can help, rather than condemn him."
Anakin stared down at the boy next to him as he spoke. Fett cared for the boy tremendously, that much was obvious, and Anakin felt it was duty as a Jedi to try and understand the connection between the two. Perhaps through that, he would find answers to his own connection he felt with Fett.
He reached out to brush the hair back from the boy's face, causing him to stir. The boy's eyes widened when he came to and saw Anakin sitting so close, and he unconsciously moved away from him, burrowing into Padme.
"It's okay, kid. I'm not going to hurt you," he consoled, nudging him through the Force with a calming touch. "Do you think you could tell us who you are? I promise I'm not going to hurt you. Or Boba," he added as an afterthought.
The boy sniffed slightly, fighting back tears at the mention of the only person he had left in the galaxy. He knew he should be cautious and careful, just like Boba always told him he should be, but something about this fierce man in front of him compelled him to talk. "You promise?" he whispered, needing more reassurance.
Anakin nodded and gave the boy a small smile. "I promise, you're safe with us. My name is Anakin, and this is Padme," he said, nodding towards his wife.
The boy craned his head back to look at the pretty lady holding him close, the way his mom used to hold him when he was small. He was sure that his mother had been that pretty too. He missed her and wanted her back, but took comfort in the warm embrace anyway.
Taking strength from the memories of his mother and Boba's resolute words, the boy turned his head up and looked into Anakin's eyes, steeling himself. "What do you want to know?" he asked, speaking stronger than before.
"Why don't we start with your name? And how you came to be hanging out with Boba Fett. Did you run away from home or get lost? Are you an orphan?" Anakin couldn't hold in his questions, and he immediately regretted bombarding the boy when an angry look came over the boy's face, and he received an annoyed glare from Padme.
He looked sheepishly at the boy, still waiting for answer.
The boy's face turned red and he forced hostile glare at Anakin before speaking. "I'm a person, and my name is Solo. Han Solo."
A/N: How about that, huh? Not were you were expecting? Yes? No? Let me know!