Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars. I just created my own little AU sandbox to play in.
AN: Here's chapter 23! Thanks for all the great reviews. Sorry for the delay on this. Life gets busy. Here are notes to those who reviewed. Many thanks, as always:
MyNoseAgreesWithMe: I'm not familiar with the technique you mentioned. Force Jumper and the powers is more based off the movie and book "Jumper". Thanks for reading.
FateOfChaos: Thanks, I'm glad you're enjoying the story! Yes, Han will be back, but later on in the story. Luke and Leia will make their appearance. We are at the beginning of the Clone Wars right now and they will be born at the same time here as they were in the canon. Enjoy this installment.
Love Chocolate Writing; Thanks, so glad you like it!
sexystarwarslover: Thanks, so glad you're enjoying the story and all its aspects. Here's the next installment!
TheNabooQueen: Don't worry, she is returning to the Senate very soon. Though it seems like it has been a long time, it still has only been a few days since the fiasco on Geonosis.
Dolphingirls: Glad you're enjoying the story, but don't count Scout out yet. ;)
Dolphingirls: Thanks, glad you're enjoying the story. They are a cute family. Glad like you like the dynamic.
Annabel Willow: Thanks, glad you liked it. Yep, Cox got demoted. He's not happy. As for Scout, only time will tell. :)
Chewbrok: Thanks, glad you're enjoying it.
Harry2: Glad you're enjoying the story, though the Jedi and Force Jumpers won't really be working together. The Jedi don't necessarily approve of the way they use their powers. They just don't go the extremes like Mace does. Enjoy this installment.
Force Jumper
Chapter 23: New People and New Places
The four of them appeared in the main Temple they called home on Yavin IV. Anakin had briefly contacted Master Quinlan the previous evening and told him about the boys so they were expecting them.
"Good morning. Quinlan is on his morning run, but he should be back soon," Sifo-Dyas said, as he used his walking cane and limped toward them on his new prosthetic leg. Count Dooku taking his leg on Geonosis had changed his life, but he remained positive and knew his role now would be overseeing the rest of Anakin's training as well as the new young man that he had brought with him.
"How are you feeling, Master?" Anakin asked. Sifo-Dyas smiled at his concern.
"This prosthetic is taking some getting used to, but much of the pain has decreased. I'll be fine, padawan," Sifo assured. Anakin nodded, as they saw Quinlan come in, breathing heavily from his morning run.
"About time you got here. No more skipping out on our morning run," Quinlan teased.
"Morning Master Quin," Anakin greeted, as put his hand on Hunter's shoulder.
"This is Hunter and his little brother Blake. Boys, this is Master Sifo-Dyas and Master Quinlan," he introduced and looked at Hunter.
"They took me in when I was about your age and trained me," Anakin explained.
"It's nice to meet you Sirs," Hunter said politely. Blake was being shy and hid behind Padme's skirt.
"It's okay sweetie, they're very nice," Padme promised. The little boy looked up at her and then at them, as he slowly came out of hiding.
"Hi," he said shyly.
"Hello little one," Sifo-Dyas greeted.
"Nice to meet you both and we appreciate the good manners, but you don't have to call either of us Sir. I'm not old enough for that yet," Quinlan joked. Anakin rolled his eyes.
"Yes you are," Anakin retorted.
"Very funny," Quinlan said sarcastically, as she changed the subject.
"So Cox is now going after children? I mean, I knew he was the lowest form of pond scum, but a four-year-old and a ten-year-old?" Quinlan asked. Anakin nodded.
"He doesn't care who he hurts, as long as he's killing Force Jumpers and anyone associated with them. But he wasn't expecting Hunter's exceptional abilities," Anakin replied.
"I don't even know how I did that blue stuff. It never happened before," Hunter said, clearly still confused by his extraordinary powers.
"That's all right. With training and time, you'll learn to understand and control your powers," Sifo-Dyas said.
"It will be hard work, but I don't think you'll regret it," Anakin added. Hunter looked at him.
"We really get to stay with you and Miss Padme?" he asked, still a little unsure as to why anyone would want to put up with him. Anakin and Padme smiled.
"Yeah, as long as you don't mind moving around a bit. Sometimes we live here, sometimes we visit Naboo, and much of the time we'll be living on Coruscant. But Yavin IV will always be a safe place where the Xal'Kaar can't reach us," Anakin explained.
"You live on the capital world too?" Hunter asked. Anakin nodded.
"Padme is a Senator, but we'll still be well protected there," Anakin promised.
"And…I'll learn to help others like me?" Hunter asked. Anakin smiled.
"Yes," Anakin replied.
"What will Blake do?" he asked. Padme smiled and lifted the little boy into her arms.
"He'll be a little boy. I have some very nice handmaidens that I know will love to help watch him for me when I'm working and when he's old enough, he'll start tutoring and learning all kinds of things," Padme explained. Blake smiled. He didn't really know what any of that meant, but he didn't care as long as he got to stay with these nice people. Hunter nodded.
"I want to learn how to use my powers," he decided. Anakin patted him on the shoulder.
"Well, meditation will be a good place to start and fortunately this planet is a very good place for it," Sifo-Dyas said.
"Blake and I will bring you lunch later," Padme said, as they headed outside.
Ruwee set his travel case beside his speeder and looked back sadly at the homestead where he and Jobal had raised their family. Silver graced his dark brown hair and the lines around his eyes gave away that he was older than he looked, but as was the Naberrie family trait, he looked younger than his fifty eight years would suggest.
"Daddy…you can't leave," Sola called, as she hurried out to him with her daughters following her. He hugged her tightly.
"It's not something I want, sweetheart, but you mother and I have tried for twenty-five years to save this rocky marriage. I think we both gave up a long time ago and I wasn't really surprised when she finally asked me to leave," Ruwee stated sadly. Sola nodded, the sadness clear on her face as well. She wasn't a little girl anymore, but it still broke her heart that her parents weren't happy together. She was mature enough to realize that maybe apart they finally could be happy though.
"Where will you go?" Sola asked.
"I think I'm going to surprise Padme and spend a few days with her on Coruscant. But don't worry, I'll be back and I'll get a place close by, so you and the girls can come visit all the time," Ruwee promised, as he knelt down to hug Ryoo and Pooja. He stood up and hugged Sola too, as Jobal came out of the house.
"I'll send for the rest of my things soon," Ruwee said simply to his wife of twenty-six years. Jobal nodded. It was a sad day truthfully, but she and Ruwee had not been on the same page in their relationship for many years and hadn't even shared a bedroom in the last four years. While she had always tried to keep up the appearances of a sound, perfect marriage between them to their friends in the village when they hosted frequent dinner parties, it had come to the point that she was tired of deception. Ruwee had never been okay with it and she always had to fight him to attend her socials, arm in arm, lying through their teeth at how blissfully happy they were. She was the wife of a revered former Senator and the once envy of most her female friends. But in such a moderate sized community, even rumors of their not-so-amorous coupling surfaced. Padme's recent scandalous activities with a known vigilante was also an explosive point between them. Jobal was embarrassed by the town's whispers, while Ruwee bravely voiced at how proud he was of his little pixie and that her personal life was none of anyone else's business. But Jobal felt very differently and it was just another point of contention between them.
"Comm me when you get to Coruscant," Sola requested. Ruwee nodded and kissed her cheek, before climbing into his speeder and slowly driving off.
"Feel, don't think," Anakin instructed, as they sat before a pile of small to moderate sized rocks.
"Clear your mind and focus on the Force. I know that it's very new to you, but I also know that you feel it very strongly, even if you don't realize it," Quinlan added. Hunter sighed, closed his eyes, and did as they instructed. Soon, he became amazed at what he was feeling around him.
"It's…everywhere!" he said. Quinlan smirked.
"The Force exists in all living things so a place like Yavin IV, it feels very strong," Quinlan explained.
"Let the Force fill you up and then project that to lift the rocks," Anakin instructed.
As Hunter concentrated, they noticed that the rocks started to tremble with movement. The rocks started to float unsteadily off the ground, as Hunter opened his eyes and smiled.
"I'm doing it!" he said in amazement. Anakin grinned.
"You're a quick learner. At this rate, we'll have you learning with a practice saber in no time," Anakin complimented. The boy lost concentration and breathed deeply from the strain.
"Using the Force will soon become effortless and second nature with time and training," Quinlan assured him.
"What…about that blue lightning stuff that I did in the alleyway?" Hunter asked.
"That was something that we, and by we, I mean most Force users, call Force lightning," Sifo-Dyas chimed in, as he approached, hobbling on his prosthetic leg.
"Is it bad?" Hunter asked.
"It can be, for it is manifested of negative emotions, particularly anger and hate. But you didn't do anything wrong," Sifo-Dyas assured him.
"Master is right. You're always going to have emotions and some would say that we must suppress those emotions," Anakin stated.
"But as you can imagine, that can be very difficult, especially for humans. Our emotions are often a part of who we are, so we will teach you to control your emotions and your powers," Quinlan added.
"It's all about what you do with your powers. The power you used in the alleyway saved yours and Blake's lives so that certainly wasn't bad," Anakin reasoned. Hunter nodded, soaking up all the information. Anakin patted his shoulder.
"Okay…let's try again. I think you'll find it will only keep getting easier," he said. Hunter nodded and they returned to training.
Padme smiled, as she glanced back at Blake. His glass of blue milk was empty and he colored intently on the electronic coloring pad she had given him.
"He is a cutie. I can see how one look from those sweet brown eyes and you'd be putty," Sabe said. Padme was usually quite predictable, but this time she had completely surprised Sabe.
"They're both sweet. Hunter reminds me so much of…well, you know," Padme said, catching herself. She knew she could trust Sabe with Anakin's true identity, but they had decided they would finally tell her in person when they returned to Coruscant in the morning.
"So…you really want adoption papers drawn up?" Sabe asked. Padme nodded.
"I know it seems fast, but it feels right. You'll get it when you meet them. I can't really explain it, but I've felt connected to them since An…Knightblade rescued them and brought them home," Padme replied, catching herself again.
"I'll get the process moving," Sabe replied.
"So…can you tell me what I'm returning to when the session resumes tomorrow?" Padme asked. Sabe sighed.
"A mess. The bill to fund the war of course is at the top of the agenda and you won't believe the price tag," Sabe replied.
"I'll bet. The Republic is going to go bankrupt while the Separatists are funded by the seemingly endless deep pockets of one Count Dooku," Padme huffed.
"You've got it, though I'm not convinced that it's completely safe for you to return to Coruscant. Nute Gunray is still out there and he still wants you dead," Sabe said. Padme nodded.
"I know, but Knightblade isn't going to let anything happen to me. I'm not going to allow that pint sized you-know-what to control my life," Padme replied, careful not to swear with Blake's ears in range. Sabe chuckled.
"Fair enough. I'll see you in the morning then and I look forward to meeting the boys," Sabe said. Padme smiled and nodded.
"Good night Sabe," she said, as the comm went dark.
"Who was that?" Blake asked curiously. Padme smiled and sat down at the table beside him.
"That was a very good friend of mine. You'll meet her tomorrow," Padme replied.
"What are you drawing?" Padme asked.
"The castle," Blake replied, as she peered at the page. It was Varykino in the backdrop with what looked like the four of them in front. Padme was amazed at how good it was. While it had a childlike quality, it was far more advanced than anything she had ever seen a four-year-old create. The colors were contained mostly within the lines and he had captured distinct likenesses in not only the people, but the scenery as well.
"Sweetie…that's wonderful," Padme praised.
"I like to draw," Blake replied.
"Have you ever painted?" she asked. He shook his head.
"No, but I saw someone do it on the Holonet one time. It looked fun," Blake replied.
"How would you like to try it?" Padme asked. He looked at her with wide eyes.
"Really?" he asked. She nodded, as she took his hand and they went upstairs.
Ahsoka sighed, as she watched the planet of Tatooine disappear behind them, as the ship made the jump to hyperspace. She and Master Obi-Wan had returned Jabba the Hutt's son and with the help of Senator Bail Organa, they convinced the Hutt Lord that the Jedi were not behind his son's abduction.
"Hey…heard about your excitement down on the sand ball," Whie said, as she entered the cafeteria.
"Yeah, I'll definitely be adding that place to my list of places I never want to go again," she said, as she plopped down at a table.
"Hungry?" he asked, pushing a plate of food toward her. She smiled.
"Famished, thanks," she replied, as she starting eating.
"I got a data letter from Scout today," he mentioned.
"Let me guess, she's bored and envying us out here fighting this blasted war?" Ahsoka guessed.
"Not anymore. She got chosen to become a padawan," he announced. The Togrutan's head shot up.
"By which Master?" Ahsoka asked, happy for her friend, since she had feared she would soon be sent to Agri-Corps.
"Master Windu," Whie replied.
"What?" Ahsoka asked in disbelief.
"I know, I was surprised too, not that Scout was chosen, because she has way more potential than most give her credit for, but Master Windu was the last one I thought would ever give her the time of day," Whie replied.
"That doesn't make any sense," Ahsoka stated.
"What? You don't think Scout can handle it?" he asked, a little defensively.
"It's not that Whie, I believe in her as much as you do, but we both also know the types of padawans that Master Windu usually favors. He's always been critical of her, because of her lower midichlorian count," Ahsoka reasoned. Whie shrugged.
"True, but he also likes hard workers and we both know what Scout is like when she wants something. She never gives up," Whie replied. Ahsoka nodded in agreement, but something was tugging in the back of her mind. Something was off and she remembered looking into Master Windu's cold eyes the last time she had seen him. He was the Temple's greatest prodigy, the Jedi that they all strived to be more like, but the look in his eyes that day had made her shiver involuntarily and gave her a sick feeling in her gut.
"Be careful my friend," she found herself thinking silently.
On a Republic post, somewhere in the outer rim
Clone Troopers milled about on the small supply outpost, going about their day and performing their duties. Many were loading supply ships that would be soon going to the bases near the frontlines.
An alarm disrupted the normal routine and the base, now on high alert, buzzed with heightened activity.
"Report!" the commanding Clone officer demanded.
"Sir, a Separatists ship is preparing to land on this moon," one of his Clone brethren answered.
"Point the canons and shoot that ship down!" the Clone commander ordered. Clone Troopers rushed out of the base and began firing their blaster rifles at the ship, while the external canon fired off rounds as well. But the ship dodged everything and a lone figure jumped from his craft, disappeared and then reappeared, landing on the ground before them.
"It's just a droid…fire!" the Commander called. They did so, but two light sabers blazed to life in the figure's metal hands, blood red in color.
"What the…" the Clone commander uttered, as the droid-like figure leapt at them, cutting his troops down with ease. As the Commander stared into the bleeding yellow eyes behind the droid visage, he felt fear ripple down his spine. This was like no droid he had ever seen or heard of.
"What…are you?" he stammered.
"I am General Grievous…and you're dead," the droid being answered, as he cut him down. The ground was littered with Clone bodies, as Grievous Force jumped inside the compound. Blaster fire rang out in vain, as the occupants inside the base were slaughtered mercilessly at the blades of the new Sith assassin. Once he was finished with his massacre, Grievous planted several thermal detonators around the compound and on the supply ships, destroying everything, before returning to his ship and leaving the atmosphere of the small moon. Soon, the Republic would hear of the destruction of their outpost and learn of him. He had been careful not to destroy the cameras so they could witness his demonstration and know that he had dealt the devastating blow to these Clones. And he was positive that the Jedi would get his message too…that he was coming for them next…
Padme kissed a sleeping Blake on the forehead and then Hunter. She had told them another story, but Hunter had been first to fall asleep, as he was exhausted from training. Blake soon followed his brother and she tiptoed out of the room with Anakin, who was waiting for her by the door. They strolled hand in hand down to their bedroom and the door slid closed behind them. Padme sat down at her vanity and started brushing out her hair for bed.
"Wow…did you draw this?" Anakin asked, as he looked at the holo drawing on her dresser. It was a very good likeness of Varykino
"I could never hope to draw that good. Blake drew it," Padme replied.
"Blake drew this?" Anakin asked in amazement. Padme nodded with a smile.
"It seems that he's a very talented artist. At his age, it's prodigious, so I decided to give him a creative outlet and we painted on some parchment that Master Dyas gave. Let's just say his paintings were much better than mine," Padme replied.
"That's amazing," Anakin replied, as he kissed her cheek.
"So did you prepare Sabe?" he asked. She nodded.
"She's having Dorme get rooms ready for the boys and she's eager to meet them, though I think I've surprised her, which isn't easy to do," she replied, as she stood up and turned to him.
"Are you sure Coruscant is safe for you?" she asked. He smiled and kissed her tenderly.
"It's like being in the eye of the storm. He can't come after me without raising a lot of questions from not only the Jedi, but the public. And he's going to leery of sending his puppets after me too. He knows that most of them are no match for me and that anything that happens on Coruscant will be discussed to death by the Holonet," he said, as he kissed her again.
"Trust me, Mace Windu doesn't want any more attention drawn to my kind, any more than it already has been," Anakin added.
"Okay…just as long as you're sure. I couldn't bare it if anything happened to you or the boys," she replied.
"We'll be fine," he said, as he surprised her and swept her into his arms.
"What are you doing?" she asked playfully.
"I'm carrying you to bed," he replied.
"But I'm not sure I'm tired yet," she said coyly. He smirked.
"I didn't say we're going to sleep," he replied slyly, as he dimmed the lights with the Force and she became lost in the man she loved.
Jedi Master Plo Koon touched down on the supply outpost in the outer rim and exited his star fighter. He surveyed the damage around him, as a few Clones accompanied him.
"I find it hard to believe that ordinary droids did all this," Commander Rex spoke.
"So do I Commander and from these wounds, it is clear that this was not done by ordinary Separatist battle droids," Plo agreed.
"Sir?" Rex asked.
"Light saber wounds killed these Clones," Koon stated, as they explored the rubble that remained of the command outpost. All the supplies and weapons, millions worth were utterly destroyed.
"Sir…I believe the camera recordings weren't damaged," Rex said, as he began recalling the holo footage from the one undamaged console.
"With this kind of destruction, it is not by chance that this console is undamaged. Whoever did this wants us to see," Plo deduced, as the footage played. Plo Koon had seen many things in his days as a Jedi, but nothing prepared him for this. Not only did this being resemble a droid, he fought with a light saber, with skill only learned by training in the Jedi arts. And if that wasn't enough, this thing could somehow disappear and reappear anywhere at will.
"Commander, copy that footage to a holodisc. I must contact the Council from my star fighter immediately. They must know of his new adversary," Plo demanded.
"Yes sir," Rex complied. A few moments later, with the holodisc in hand, Plo Koon returned to his star fighter.
"Arseven, patch me through on a secure comm channel to the Jedi Temple, code it as "Care of the Old Folks Home"," Plo Koon said, as he prepared to deliver the startling footage to the Council.
Anakin, disguised as Knightblade, Padme, and they boys appeared in her penthouse apartment on Coruscant that morning. Sabe and Captain Typho were waiting and Padme greeted her best friend with a hug.
"It's good to see you. These must be the boys you told me about," Sabe said, motioning to them. Padme nodded.
"This is Hunter and his little brother Blake. They're a part of our family now," Padme announced.
"Hello boys, I'm Sabe and it's very nice to meet you," she said to them.
"Are you sisters?" Hunter asked, looking between them. The two women smiled.
"Not by blood, but like you and Blake, we are sisters as if we really were connected by blood," Sabe replied.
"We are going to live here too?" Blake asked. Padme knelt beside him.
"When I'm working, we'll live here most of the time. Sometimes we'll be on Yavin IV and sometimes Naboo. But don't worry, we're always going to be together," she explained.
"But what will I do when you're working?" Blake asked.
"Well, while Hunter trains with Knightblade and I work, you'll be with Sabe and my other friend Dorme. You'll have fun and when you're old enough, you'll go to school during the day. Maybe even a very nice art school, but we'll talk about that more when that time comes," Padme assured him. Blake seemed to accept that, but seemed scared of Typho.
"You don't have to be scared of him, sweetheart. This is Captain Typho and he's my bodyguard when Knightblade is not here," Padme explained.
"My protection will extend to you as well now, young ones," Typho spoke, trying to ease the boy's fears.
"He's telling the truth, B. I don't sense anything bad from him," Hunter assured his baby brother.
"Come on, let's get you boys settled in," Padme said, as she led them through the apartment. Anakin hung back and faced Sabe and Typho, who looked at him, Sabe with anxiousness and Typho with a healthy amount of distrust.
"You still seem uncomfortable with my presence, Captain," Anakin voiced.
"I still don't trust you," Typho said honestly.
"Oh please Captain, he has saved Padme's life numerous times," Sabe argued.
"And he's also sleeping in her bed," Typho snapped. Sabe gasped.
"Careful or I might just take out your other eye," Sabe threatened. Anakin chuckled.
"It's all right Sabe, I appreciate his loyalty to Padme and yours as well. You are both trustworthy, you've proven that," Anakin stated.
"Then you're going to reveal your identity to us?" Sabe asked hopefully. Anakin smiled.
"Yes, but I must know that you understand that this goes no further, for it could endanger Padme and the boys," Anakin replied.
"I would never do anything to jeopardize Senator Amidala's life," Typho said in vehement.
"Nor would I. She is like my own baby sister," Sabe echoed. Anakin nodded and slowly removed the eye mask, letting him see his full face exposed.
"My real name is Anakin Skywalker," he announced, causing them both to gasp in surprise.
"Anakin Skywalker! You mean little Ani Skywalker? The little boy that we met on that dreadful sand ball?" Sabe exclaimed. He nodded.
"You're the same boy that destroyed the droid control ship and saved Naboo?" Typho asked. He nodded again.
"After the Jedi refused to train me, I returned to Tatooine to be with my mother, though I was torn, because I didn't want to leave Padme. I knew my mother needed me though and for a year after I returned, I found work where I could as a mechanic and started saving money to free her," Anakin said, as he gazed out at the Coruscant cityscape from the veranda.
"But I had to commute to Anchorhead every day for work, for that is the only place where they do not employ slave labor. As you can imagine, owning slaves to do your work is far more profitable than hiring a free person that you have to pay real wages to. Work was hard to find and the pay was dismal, not that it would matter," Anakin said bitterly.
"What do you mean?" Sabe asked in concern.
"One night, almost a year later to the date of my return, I came home one evening to Watto's shop to pick up my mother, but I felt that something was wrong the moment I walked into the shop," Anakin replied.
"What happened?" Typho asked.
"I found Watto and my mother dead. They beat Watto to death and strangled my mother after they raped her. You'll never find a cesspool of crueler creatures than on Tatooine. Unfortunately, they were waiting for me too," Anakin said, recalling that horrible night.
"Well, it's about time you got here, boy. We've been waiting for you," a gruff male voice spat. Anakin's head shot up, as two big, burly men loomed above him. He scarcely had time to cry out, as one grabbed him by the hair and yanked him into the air.
"NO!" Anakin screamed, as he kicked and punched, as hard as he could. But this only earned him a knee to his gut, which knocked the air out of him. The man dropped his sobbing form to the ground, as he held his stomach in pain.
"Sebulba seems to have it in for you pretty bad," he heard one say. Anakin clenched his teeth in anger. Sebulba had done this. He had hired these men to take his mother away.
"Here's the stun cuffs. I told Zar we would be there in an hour. He wants to meet his new…slave…" the other hissed. White hot fear filled him. Not again…he would not be sold back into slavery.
"Sebulba, the Dug that I had beaten in the podrace that won my freedom had hired these men to murder my mother, capture me, and sell me back into slavery. He wanted revenge so he could think of nothing crueler to do than take my mother away and sell me into the worst possible slavery imaginable," Anakin said, looking Sabe in the eyes. He didn't have to tell her what he meant by that, as she could see it in his eyes.
"That's when it happened for the first time. I Force jumped across the room from them. I had no idea what the hell had happened, but I knew I had to do it again to get away or I would never see Padme again," Anakin explained, recalling his very first planet jump.
"What the hell?!" he heard one of them cry. The two slavers looked on in astonishment, as the boy on the ground suddenly disappeared into thin air and appeared again, just a few yards away.
"This kid is a freak!" he heard one cry. Anakin looked around as best he could. His vision was blurry and everything was spinning, making him sick to his stomach.
"Get him before he gets away!" the other cried, as he saw their feet coming toward him.
"No…stay away from me!" he cried, as he felt his vision start to go dark and tears fill his eyes again. He was going to be a slave again…a slave of the worst kind. He would never see Padme again and even though his fate would be a bleak one, he hoped she lived a good, happy life. He just wished he could be there to see it.
"I love you Padme…" he whispered, as everything went black and he disappeared right before the two men's eyes. The slavers looked around, dumbfounded.
"Where the hell did he go?" one cried.
"What the hell is he?" the other hissed, as they looked all around the shop. But they would never find him…
"You ended up back on Naboo?" Sabe asked. He nodded.
"Quinlan Vos found me unceremoniously losing my lunch all over the ground. He saved me from the Xal'Kaar before they could get me and took me with him to a safe place to train me," Anakin explained.
"Xal'Kaar?" Typho asked, unfamiliar with the term.
"A secret underground network of people that hunt Force Jumpers simply because they don't think we should be allowed to exist with such power. They have managed to keep themselves and their work secret for over a millennia," Anakin explained. Sabe sighed.
"So that's why Padme could be in danger?" she asked. He nodded.
"And I'm sorry, but now you could be too. Just knowing me makes you a target," Anakin warned.
"I'm not backing away from my best friend," Sabe assured him.
"And I will still do whatever I have to in order to protect the Senator," Typho assured him. Anakin nodded.
"Thank you," he said to them, as Padme and the boys returned.
"I told you so!" Sabe exclaimed to her best friend.
"What are you talking about?" Padme asked.
"I told you that when Ani grew up that he would be a total hunk and that five measly years between you wouldn't mean anything," Sabe said with an air superiority. Padme rolled her eyes. She loved to be right.
"When she's right, she's right," Anakin said with a grin, as he put his arms around her.
"So now you know," Padme stated.
"And the secret is safe with us," Typho assured her. Padme nodded gratefully.
"I should get ready for session," Padme said.
"Hunter and I should get back to training," Anakin said.
"I'll take Blake and we'll have fun playing with some new toys," Sabe said.
"Toys?" Blake asked, his interest peaked. Sabe smiled and offered her hand. The little boy took it and waved to Hunter, as he and Anakin disappeared, while Padme kissed his forehead and went to get ready for the Senate session.