Theed Royal Palace, Naboo - Mid Rim
Within the main hangar of Theed's royal palace sits the gleaming starship of Naboo's elected monarch, Queen Amidala. Today, however, the pristine vessel is surrounded by dozens of Trade Federation battle droids, a squad of whom also had the starship's piloting crew held captive nearby.
Quarsh Panaka, the captain of Naboo's security force, takes a few seconds to inspect the hangar from behind the main doors. Seeing the large number of droids scattered across the hangar he pulls his head back to mutter a few curses to himself.
"There are too many of them."
Qui-Gon leans his head out of the doorway to inspect the hangar and quickly pulls back himself.
"That won't be a problem," he replies confidently, turning towards the Queen. "Your Highness, under the circumstances, I suggest you come to Coruscant with us."
The Queen gazes back at the Jedi Master with firm reluctance.
"Thank you, Ambassador, but my place is here with my people," she declines.
"They will kill you if you stay."
"They wouldn't dare!" Governor Bibble exclaims.
"They need her to sign a treaty to make this invasion of theirs legal. They can't afford to kill her," Panaka adds in agreement.
Qui-Gon acknowledges their point but still shakes his head.
"There is something else behind all this, Your Highness," he argues. "There is no logic in the Federation's move here. My feelings tell me they will destroy you."
The Queen's eyes flicker back and forth between them, uncertainty in her gaze. Padmé ponders the differing arguments in her head, finding herself inclined to agree with the Jedi Master.
"Our only hope is for the Senate to side with us," Governor Bibble advises the Queen. "Senator Palpatine will need your help."
"Either choice presents great danger to us all," the Queen says carefully, glancing back to her entourage.
"We are brave, Your Highness," Padmé declares, her voice strong.
The Queen inclines her head in acknowledgement. Qui-Gon notices the subtle exchange but remains focused on the current objective.
"If you are to leave, Your Highness, it must be now," he insists.
"Then, I will plead our case to the Senate," the Queen says, nodding to the governor. "Be careful, Governor."
With the decision now made, Qui-Gon moves through the doors with Obi-Wan at his side and leads the group through the hangar, prepping himself for a potential skirmish. On their way to the ship, Captain Panaka steps forward and points toward the captive crew.
"We'll need to free those pilots," he informs the two Jedi.
He grips his stolen blaster, ready to make a move, but Obi-Wan waves him aside.
"I'll deal with that," he assures him.
Though skeptical, Panaka reluctantly puts his trust in the Padawan and remains by Qui-Gon's side on their way to the starship. Before they can enter the open ramp, however, a squad of droids intercepts them.
"Halt," the commander orders.
"I'm ambassador to the Supreme Chancellor. I'm taking these people to Coruscant," Qui-Gon states.
"Where are you taking them?" the droid demands.
Qui-Gon frowns.
"To Coruscant."
"Coruscant, uh, that doesn't compute," it starts stammering. "Uh, wait, uh, you're under arrest―!"
Though somewhat amused by the droid's apparent confusion, Qui-Gon nevertheless doesn't hesitate to cut it in two when it calls for his arrest. He swiftly moves forward to eliminate the next few droids whilst his apprentice decimates the squad holding the pilots hostage.
'Some arbitration this has been,' Qui-Gon thinks to himself.
Jedi Temple, Coruscant - Core Worlds
Gathered together in one of the Temple's many training rooms, the Akul clan are seated along the wall under the supervision of their instructor. Their focus is on the group of younglings―about five years older than they are―standing in the center of the room. The group of younglings all wore helmets which covered their eyes and wielded training lightsabers, each paired off with a training remote.
"I'll be great at this," Kurhran whispers confidently.
"Says who?" Vifi frowns at him.
"Younglings. Pay attention," Xudi chastises them.
Kurhran and Vifi mumble quiet apologies and continue watching the practice session in front of them, which was overseen by none other than Master Yoda himself. The Grand Master of the Jedi Order stood with his hands resting on his cane as he observes the younglings deflect energy bolts fired by the remotes.
"Feel the Force around you," Yoda instructs the group. "Life creates it. You create it. With you, the Force is, and you are with the Force."
While attempting to deflect a bolt one youngling misses and is hit in the arm. He cries out in pain and drops his training saber, which deactivates the moment it leaves his hand and the remote stops moving.
"Ouch!" he rubs his arm, still feeling the sting of the bolt. "Master, it's too hard!"
"Hard you say? Only in your mind, youngling," Yoda remarks.
The youngling lifts up his helmet to reveal a flustered expression on his face.
"But how am I supposed to do this if I can't see?" he whines.
Yoda smiles and hobbles over to the youngling. He holds his hand out and lifts the training saber into the air using the Force, letting it hover in front of the youngling.
"Seek what is in front of you, and let the Force guide you," he says.
The youngling reluctantly takes the saber and lowers his helmet, and Yoda moves back to his original position while the youngling ignites the saber again, spurring the remote into action. It hovers around the boy for several seconds and then fires two quick shots, but he was already moving his saber to deflect them before the bolts even fired. Even while unable to see his face, the boy's excitement at his success was clearly visible. Meanwhile, the Akul clan watch the display with clear fascination and awe.
"Woah..." Jarik whispers.
"Amazing!" Ahsoka gasps.
"When do we get a turn?" Weron asks Xudi.
"Patience, Weron. In time," she responds.
"Aww!" he groans in dismay.
Jarik stood high on the ball of his left foot with his arms outstretched, his left arm angled upward and his right angled down. His fellow clan mates were doing the same, all six of them lined up while Master Irris slowly paces around them with her arms behind her back and a simple wooden baton held in one hand.
"Concentrate, younglings," she says slowly. "You must be able to keep your balance in any circumstance."
Fast as a viper, she swipes her baton at Ahsoka, stopping just inches from her face. She yelps in fright and flails her arms around, almost toppling backward, but eventually manages to maintain her stance on one foot.
"Don't react. Anticipate," Xudi states, moving on.
Through the doorway at the far end of the room, Master Dooku silently observes the training session.
After a long while of pacing Xudi thrusts her baton out at Jarik next, and though he flinches away the rest of his body gives no more than a momentary tremble. Xudi nods her head in approval.
The Jedi instructor's next target is Kurhran, and much like the previous two times she swipes her baton out at him. However, Kurhran lets out a surprised yelp and jumps back instinctively, incidentally colliding with Vifi in the process and sending them both to the floor.
"Kurhran!" Vifi angrily cries out.
Xudi pauses and regards the scene with a quiet sigh. The two younglings untangle themselves from each other and Vifi doesn't bother to hide her irritation.
"Dummy," she calls him.
"Hey! Take that back!" Kurhran glares at her, embarrassed. "Master! She just―"
"That's enough, both of you," Xudi intervenes quickly, gazing sternly at them both for a moment. "Vifi?"
Vifi winces at her disapproving gaze.
"I'm sorry," she mutters. "For calling you a dummy."
Kurhran frowns at her and mumbles something under his breath, to which Xudi lifts an expectant eyebrow at him.
"Kurhran?"
"Thank you," he murmurs to Vifi.
"Good," Xudi nods in content.
The bickering between the younglings only gave Dooku a brief sliver of amusement, though he was much more curious about Jarik's demonstration so far. He's still far too young to properly judge his talents, but Jarik's ability to resist the natural instinct of shying from attacks is a useful trait for a duelist. He himself should know, after all.
"Master?" Jarik suddenly asks. "What's this practice for?"
"As Jedi, it is our job to keep the peace," Xudi tells him. "If you are to be a protector, you must become a warrior. And to be a warrior, you must know how to fight."
"But, Master, if we're supposed to be peacekeepers then why do we need to be warriors?" Rylla asks, confused.
Xudi stops her pacing and turns to smile at her.
"That is a wonderful question, Rylla. It is true, our purpose is to keep the peace. Being a warrior does not mean we seek to fight, but that we are prepared should a fight come to us," she explains. "There will be times when people choose to use violence. It is then that we must know how to end such fights in order to protect those around us. The Force has granted us the opportunity to do good with our gifts, and we cannot waste them. Can anyone here tell me what Master Yoda has said about how we use it?"
The younglings look around at each other, hoping one of them has the answer. After some thinking, Ahsoka's eyes light up in remembrance.
"Knowledge and defense," she answers.
"Never attack," Vifi adds also.
"Very good," Xudi nods.
"And lightsabers?" Jarik inquires. "Aren't they for attacking?"
"They are as much a shield, as they are a sword. While a blaster can only inflict harm, a saber can protect us from harm," she tells him.
Despite his previous reservations with Qui-Gon, he can't help but feel a bit intrigued by the young boy. Perhaps his former pupil does see something in him after all.
"Now, let's keep going," Xudi continues. "These drills will help you to master your body."
The younglings groan in exhaustion at the promise of further training, and Dooku moves on himself to fulfill other tasks. As much as the Jedi Master wishes he could enjoy the simplicities of life presented by the youth, he cannot ignore the reality.
And that reality lies in determining a way to access the Jedi archives under a name which is not his own.
LATER THAT NIGHT...
Where is he? Lights are flashing as they seem to zoom by through the misty darkness.
He's on solid ground, yet he's so high up.
The air is cold. It's growing even colder. Something's coming closer. Two black clouds of shadow and darkness. He wants to run from them, but he can't.
They seem to be speaking to each other. He shivers frightfully from a cold voice.
"Move against the Jedi first. You will then have no difficulty in taking the Queen to Naboo to sign the treaty."
What does any of that mean? Queen? Who or what is Naboo? Are they after Jedi? Who?
The clouds of darkness stop moving.
Then he can see it: red skin, black tattoos, and a pair of gleaming yellow eyes, bloodshot and malicious, which are full of evil. It's the demon who took his parents away from him.
He tries to scream. He can't.
"At last we will reveal ourselves to the Jedi. At last we will have revenge."
A rotten tooth smile appears beneath those eyes.
"You have been well trained, my young apprentice. They will be no match for you."
He doesn't want to be here anymore. He wants to get away!
The demon is coming... the Shadow will cover them all...
Why can't he get away?!
THE NEXT DAY...
Most of the day to day activities consisted of all sorts of things: academics in the morning―which was combined with multiple clans―where they first started with Force studies under the tutelage of Jedi Masters, before they transition to classes taught by non-Jedi instructors about basic history, languages, sciences. Five mandatory meditation sessions were mixed into the day, along with meal times.
Right now, however, the Akul's were receiving more physical instruction from Master Irris, the current lesson about standard lightsaber forms. They were all excited at first until realizing they would be using small wooden sticks instead of an actual saber. Nevertheless, they moved through a series of motions while Xudi slowly paced around them, observing her pupils closely.
"One. Two. Three. Four."
As she gave instructions the younglings switched to the proper stance, all with varying degrees of success. Xudi regards them in silence for a moment before turning back.
"Again," she says. "One. Two. Three. Four..."
The younglings once again practice their movements. As Xudi watches them, however, she notices Jarik was far more sullen than the rest of his clan mates. His movements were a bit more sluggish and there were faint bags under his eyes.
Concern leaks into her frown as she takes note of this.
As the clan took a short water break in the middle of their lesson, Xudi approaches the exhausted younglings.
"Jarik, can you come here for a moment?" she requests.
Jarik sets his bottle aside with a timid expression and gets up.
"Yes, master," he says.
The other five younglings glance at him with varying levels of confusion and worry, but opt to say nothing as he walks over to Master Irris. Ahsoka's gaze lingers on him the longest, concern visible in her blue eyes. Once they're a reasonable distance from the group Xudi turns toward Jarik.
"You seem distracted," she remarks.
Jarik frowns indignantly.
"No I wasn't," he starts protesting.
"Jarik," she interrupts, her voice calm.
He goes quiet and timidly looks away, unable to meet her eyes. She sighs and crouches down in front of him.
"Was it another nightmare?" she asks him, her voice more gentle.
Jarik does answer why away, but she doesn't fail to notice how he flinched at the question.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"Why won't they go away?" he asks in turn, tears welling up in his eyes.
"They will in time. You experienced a great deal of trauma in your past, young one," she tells him. "I know it frightens you, but remember what Master Jinn told you. You have special permission to visit the Great Tree whenever you need."
Jarik nods in understanding, but still seems apprehensive.
"Master... I saw him again. The Shadow," he reveals.
"The Shadow?" she asks, briefly confused.
He must be referring to the dark being in his nightmares, who supposedly killed his family.
"He was talking with someone," he adds, his voice dropping to a whisper. "He was... cold."
Xudi widens her eyes somewhat at the description.
"Who was it? Did you see their face?" she questions him.
He shakes his head.
"No. But he talked about a Queen. And Jedi."
Xudi furrows her brow as she ponders the information, unsure of what to conclude. She knows Qui-Gon believes Jarik's assailant to be a Sith, or at least related to them in someway, and based on what Jarik just told her that would only give more credence to his theory. Still, there's so much more that they simply don't know. Force visions are a possibility, for sure, but it could just as easily be the simple case of a nightmare adding something to the boy's trauma.
"Is there anything else you remember?" she asks him.
"No," he replies.
Xudi nods her head and gives Jarik a comforting smile.
"Alright. Thank you for telling me," she stands back up. "And remember what I said about the Great Tree, ok?"
"Ok," Jarik nods.
"Run along then. Our lesson isn't over yet, young one," she reminds him.
Jarik scampers back over to the rest of his clan mates, and Xudi's smile falters somewhat.
There's so much about that boy that remains a mystery, and while Qui-Gon seems certain in what happened to him she isn't so sure. But she knows it's real enough that it can't be ignored, that much is clear.
LATER THAT NIGHT...
Ahsoka's eyes open, but there's still very little that she can see. She sits herself up in the bed and blinks a few times to help her eyes grow more accustomed to the dark environment of the room. Even with all the noise Coruscant has to offer, the sleeping quarters are silent save from the faint sound of breathing from her peers.
"Can't sleep?" a voice whispers.
She jumps slightly in place and looks over to see Jarik lying awake in his own bed.
"Just a dream," she tells him.
"Sorry," he apologizes.
"It wasn't a bad one," she shakes her head. "Not like yours are."
Jarik doesn't respond right away and Ahsoka then panics, realizing what she said wasn't very sensitive.
"Sorry, I didn't mean that!" she tries to say.
"It's ok," he mumbles awkwardly. "What... what did you dream about?"
Though still feeling bad, the little togruta girl is thankful for the change in topic.
"I don't know. Just some poor desert kid and a girl," she answers, making a face. "He called her an angel."
Jarik makes a face at her.
"That's weird."
"Weron's dreams are weirder," she retorts.
Ahsoka and Jarik both giggle at that, though a faint groan from one of the sleeping younglings prompts them to be quiet. After a few more seconds Kurhran shifts in his sleep and falls still again, and the two younglings sit in the quiet for a short time.
"What kind of master would you want?" Ahsoka then asks.
"Like, when I'm a Padawan?" he replies, and she nods. "I'd like Qui-Gon. Do we get to choose?"
"I hope so. I'd choose a master who's fun," she says. "We'd go on adventures all the time."
"Master Xudi wouldn't like you saying that," Jarik comments.
"Oops."
She lays back down on her pillow and twiddles her thumbs.
"Ahsoka?"
"Yeah?"
"Have you ever..." Jarik nervously pauses before continuing. "...had nightmares before?"
Ahsoka looks over at him, worried, but he's looking up at the ceiling. She thinks about it for a second.
"I think so. My big sister would tease me about them sometimes."
Jarik frowns.
"That's mean."
"Mama made her say sorry," she says.
Jarik is quiet for another few seconds, feeling anxious but also somewhat hopeful, and he looks over at her.
"How did you make nightmares go away?" he asks.
"Mama would let me sleep with her and Papi," Ahsoka recalls, turning to meet his eyes. "Did your mama do that?"
Jarik looks away glumly.
"I don't remember," he murmurs.
"I'm sorry."
Ahsoka tries to think of a way to cheer him up but can't think of anything to say. After a long while a thought comes into her head. She remembers her own mother's kindness and warmth, and how she always chased the nightmares away. Maybe she can do that for Jarik!
"... Would you... like to sleep with me?" she suggests, then shakes her head. "Sorry, that was stupid."
"No... um..." Jarik says quickly, if a bit timid still. "I'd like that."
Ahsoka thinks about it for a second more and then nods.
"Ok."
Jarik slips out of his bed and quietly tip-toes his way over to Ahsoka's bed, worried about waking up someone else. Ahsoka scoots over to give him space as he climbs into the bed with her and pulls the blanket over them.
After getting settled they stare up at the ceiling, a bit too shy to do much else, though eventually Ahsoka decides to say something.
"Good night," she whispers to him.
"Good night," he whispers back.
She's not quite sure how long it took her to close her eyes and fall asleep, but she was content enough when she did.
There's not much to see here, just some dusty run-down buildings and a strange machine of some kind with a seat and two giant engines. Tools and equipment are scattered all over the place.
Wait, it's that boy again! Working on the machine! He's a mechanic?
The boy climbs into the seat of his machine, probably a vehicle of some kind, and takes something from a man―he moves out of view before she could see him better. Once seated the boy starts checking over the controls, pushing buttons and flicking switches. He grabs the handlebars as the two big engines turn on, blasting out heat and humming with a high velocity. The boy grins, unable to contain his excitement.
"It's working! IT'S WORKING!" he shouts joyfully.
She doesn't know what type of vehicle this is, but the boy's elation is almost contagious. It's as if she's right there with him and experiencing his joy. If he's a real person, then she really wants to me him.
Who is this kid?
Mos Espa, Tatooine - Outer Rim Territories
While far from being well-furnished homes, Slave Quarters Row was about as comfortable a living space that a slave on Tatooine could ever expect to have. Like all towns on Tatooine, Mos Espa was a dangerous place to be a night; however, the surprising benefits of being a slave is that few people would risk an attempt of burglary or conflict for fear of having to pay slave owners for any injury dealt to their property.
One such boy who lived in Slave Quarters Row loved to sit out on the balcony every night to look up at the stars, letting his imagination take him to every single one he could see. This evening, however, he was joined by one of his new friends he made recently.
"Stay still, Ani. Let me clean this cut," Qui-Gon tells the boy.
Anakin only half-payed attention as Qui-Gon cleaned a scrap he received on his arm from building his podracer. His gaze was fixated solely on the universe above him.
"There are so many! Do they all have a system of planets?" Anakin asks the Jedi Master.
"Most of them," he replies.
"Has anyone been to them all?" the boy asks.
Qui-Gon smiles and looks up at the sky.
"Not likely," he remarks.
"I want to be the first person to see them all!" Anakin declares.
Qui-Gon regards the boy in front of him for a moment. The sparkle of youthful curiosity and amazement twinkles bright in his eyes, much like the stars above him did. Such a sense of wonder and joy in children isn't something Qui-Gon has gotten to see often as a Jedi, given he doesn't teach younglings much, so to witness it firsthand is a rare blessing.
He finds himself thinking about little Jarik as well, who when meeting him for the first time looked up at him with the same awe that's currently in Anakin's eyes.
"Ani, bedtime!" Shmi's voice calls from inside the hovel.
A small prick on his scrape pulls Anakin's attention down.
"Ouch!" he yelps.
"There we are, good as new..." Qui-Gon tells him, pulling a small device away.
"Ani! I'm not going to tell you again!" Shmi calls out in warning.
Anakin doesn't fail to notice the device that Qui-Gon used to prick his arm with.
"What are you doing?" he asks suspiciously.
"Checking your blood for infections," Qui-Gon tells him with a smile. "Go on. You have a big day tomorrow. Sleep well, Ani."
Anakin sighs in disappointment and moves inside. Qui-Gon remains seated on the balcony and watches him go for a few moments before lifting his comlink up.
"Obi-Wan," he says quietly.
"Yes, Master," Obi-Wan answers right away.
"I need an analysis of this blood sample I'm sending you," Qui-Gon instructs him.
"Wait a minute…"
"I need a midi-chlorian count," he requests.
He inserts the device into his comlink and waits for Obi-Wan's response. There's silence on Obi-Wan's end for a moment before he replies, sounding unusually baffled.
"The reading's off the chart… over twenty thousand," Obi-Wan murmurs incredulously. "Even Master Yoda doesn't have a midi-chlorian count that high!"
Qui-Gon widens his eyes in astonishment at the information.
"No Jedi has," he remarks.
"What does that mean?"
Questions and possibilities start flooding through Qui-Gon's mind as he ponders everything he's learned so far about Anakin Skywalker. Very observant for his age, and he possesses Jedi reflexes. But the most remarkable of all, even more so than the unprecedented midi-chlorian count, was that Anakin had no birth father. It's not that he died or left the family, but that there simply was no biological father. Therefore, Anakin's birth is a biological impossibility.
If Shmi is telling the truth that is, which Qui-Gon has no reason to believe she isn't.
"I'm not sure," he finally tells Obi-Wan.
Sensing a pair of eyes on him he looks over to see Shmi watching him from the doorway with apprehension in her eyes. She quickly moves away when he notices her, and again Qui-Gon can't help but feel this revelation may be the start of something big. Something that will change the galaxy as they know it, forever.
Untapped potential far beyond what any Jedi has ever dreamed of. No biological father.
The danger of the past is not past, but sleeps in an egg.
The lines of an ancient prophecy come to him just then, and the countless possibilities in his head slowly merge into just one.
When the Force itself sickens, past and future must split and combine.
Qui-Gon can barely breathe, his astonishment rendering him speechless.
Could it really be possible? Could Anakin truly be...?
A Chosen One shall come, born of no father, and through him will ultimate balance in the Force be restored.