Hey everyone! So, after reviewing everybody's preferences, I decided to go right into the Phantom Menace, however, there is one thing that I have to share! I was a bit mistaken in referring to the Ryloth arc as just an interlude, as it is 100% necessary for future story arcs. The only catch is, it won't be necessary for a little while. So essentially, I've decided include the Ryloth arc as a flashback after I have finished the Phantom Menace and will probably take a very small break anyway. I work in retail, so now that we are out of the Christmas season I should be able to speed up the amount of updates as I have more time off. So I'm going to finish the Phantom Menace arc, then, before it becomes relevant, I will eventually cover the Ryloth arc in a flashback, or maybe break it up into a few flashbacks. Whatever I need to do to make it palatable. For me, I thought this was a start of a new arc, and that it would be a good place for an interlude, but I realize now that I already had started the PM arc in chapter 7, so leaving things how I did was a major cliffhanger, and for that I am sorry.

For some parts of this chapter, I referenced the script of tPM. I dont want to make a habit of this, so hopefully I won't have to again in the future. I don't own Star Wars.

So without further ado, Let's get into it!

Previously on COR:

"Hello, I'm Padme. How are you?"

"Uh, Um, I'm Anakin" I responded, and promptly realized that that wasn't what she fucking asked me. "I'm doing fine! Quite uh, fine indeed." What the fuck am I saying? qUiTe FiNe InDeEd?! What am I, some moron at a tea party? I needed to salvage this! Girls like honesty right? "N-now that uh, you're here I mean" I finished.

FUCK!

Not expecting the flattery, she laughed, which sounded wonderful, "Why thank you, Its a pleasure to meet you too Anakin."

Oh.

Oh man.

A few seconds go by, and I quickly speak up before it gets to awkward. "So! Uh… Padme! You guys are here for some parts, a J- type Nubian right? The hyperdrive is busted?"

She blinked in surprise, "Yes. We are… but how do you know that?"

Looking around, I realized that Qui Gon and Watto had already gone out back to look at parts. There's no way I could have overheard them. Thinking quickly and in a slight panic, I said the first thing that came to mind. "I listen to all the traders and star pilots that come through here. You guys landed a J type Nubian on the edge of the dune sea. Real shiny, a mirror finish. And if you're here, that means someone let you know we have a hyperdrive for it, which means that you are in need of a hyperdrive. News travels fast around here, if you are in the right circles. Circles that I happen to be in."

Her eyebrows raised, Impressed. "You're quite smart for a little boy, how do you know so much about ships?" She looked around the shop, and then at me and my grease stained hands and face, "Do you… work here?" She finished.

I nodded. "My mother and I are currently owned by Watto. We are slaves, so we work."

Her eyes widened in shock, "I'm sorry, I didn't realize—"

"It's alright, you didn't know—" we interrupted each other.

I laughed. "It's alright Padme, I've got a good feeling my Mom and I will be free pretty soon. The Boonta eve classic, a pod race, just a few days from now. A lot of goods and currencies change hands based on bets, including slaves and perhaps a J type Nubian hyperdrive." I paused. I hesitated to reveal a secret to someone I didn't truly know, but I was pretty much guaranteed to be able to trust her. "It's a good time for change especially if you've got…" making sure Watto was still outside talking to Qui Gon, I levitated the droid elbow I was cleaning a few inches above my hand, causing her eyes to once again widen in shock. "Luck on your side."

"You're a Jedi?" She whispered, catching on that I didn't want Watto to know.

"Not really." I responded, pausing to stop jar jar and a little pit droid from wrecking the shop, 'hit the nose!' and continued our conversation. "I picked up some tricks here and there from people passing through, but I've always been a slave. I've never even been off planet, but like I said, that's about to change. The forcehelps my reflexes keep up with the other pod racers. I'm gonna smoke em all this year."

"Wait. Hold on." She said incredulously, her hand raised in a gentle 'stop' gesture. "You're actually going to race?! Aren't racing pods extremely dangerous? Aren't they just 2 overpowered engines with a glorified chair hanging off them?"

I snickered. "Basically. Yeah."

A bloom of anger shined from her force presence. "This… this isn't right! A kid like you shouldn't have to—"

"Shouldn't?" I interrupted. I probably shouldn't have, but It was a bit irritating to be treated like a kid, even though I technically was one. "There is no 'shouldn't' out here when it comes to danger and freedom. 'There is no want. There is no need. There is only what must be.' This is my path forward. My path towards freedom. And that is a path I will not give up on no matter what."

Padme stared at me, shocked. Several emotions flickered through her. Finally she settled on resolve. "How can I help?" She said, a fire in her eyes.

Now it was my turn to be shocked. "What? Why? Don't you have your own things going on?"

She deflated slightly for a moment, but quickly regained her fire. "Yes… I do. But right now we are stranded on this planet until further notice. I'll do what I can for however long I am on this planet, and if they take our republic credits for the parts, I can easily arrange to pay for your freedom."

I quirked my eyebrow at the casual mention of wealth, but continued. "Thank you, but I don't see that happening. Republic law and credits are worthless out here. Plus, I'm not just going to free myself, but my mother too. I'm going to have to race. But maybe we can help each other out?"

She paused, then nodded, and I smiled.

Watto and Qui Gon walked back in soon after that, and Qui Gon declared that they were leaving. My heart leaped in nervousness as I realized my time was limited. I needed to prove that my visions were reliable as early as possible, so that Qui Gon might actually trust my advice. I quickly did the simplest thing I could think of to prove my foresight. "Good bye Padme! Jar jar! Goodbye Mr. Qui Gon Jinn sir!" I called after them. Qui Gon startled quite noticeably, presumably at my use of his full name, looking back at me, then glanced at Padme, sighed with exasperation, and continued out the door.

Padme looked shocked. She had never told me Jar Jar or Qui Gon's name.

As the door closed behind them, Watto fluttered up to me, irritated at Qui Gon's attempt at negotiation. "Ootmians! Chasa hopoe ma booti na nolia!" (Outlanders! They think we know nothing!)

I shrugged, and forced myself to appear nonchalant. I couldn't let Watto know I was up to something. "La lova num botaffa." (They seemed nice to me.)

Watto scratched his chin, and I could tell he hadn't really cared to hear what I said. He was thinking about something else. He looked around, and saw some of the mess Jar Jar made on the droid racks. "Fweepa niaga. Tolpa da bunky dunko." (Clean the racks, then you can go home.) he decided.

I smiled, hopping off the counter where I had been sitting. "Yes!" I shouted, pumping my fist in the air, then ran over to straighten Jar jar's mess.

Watto snorted in derision and rolled his eyes at the emotional display, turning away.

Qui Gon had led his group out into the streets, where they took shelter from the sun in a small alleyway. He had called Obi Wan, seeing if they had anything of value to sell, but they didn't have anything near approaching the value of the parts they needed. Sighing, Qui Gon hung up. He turned to Padme. "I'm aware that I didn't ask you to keep our names a secret, but I did communicate that we shouldn't draw attention to ourselves. Why did you tell the boy our names?"

Padme was already shaking her head no. "I didn't. The only name I gave was my own. In fact, 'the boy' and I had quite the interesting conversation." she then preceded to go over what she and Anakin talked about.

Qui Gon's eyes widened minutely as a few pieces fell into place. Earlier he had felt a gentle touch of curiosity on his mind earlier, he had assumed it was perhaps another jedi under deep cover, and his next option after regrouping was to track this jedi down and see if they could gain assistance. Conversely, When he had walked into the droid shop, he had assumed the boy had been force null, because of his complete lack of presence in the force. This was incredibly uncommon, but not unheard of, so he dismissed it.

Only now did he put two and two together. The boy hadn't been a force null, he had been shielding. And not just any shielding, but the kind of advanced shielding that was able to leave him undetectable to a master of the Living Force, the kind of subtle shields that took jedi shadows years of training and field experience to achieve. Who had trained this boy? A Lost jedi? Or someone more sinister?

Either way, Qui Gon sensed vaguely that this boy was connected to their ability to escape this planet, either by helping them directly, or leading them to his master.

After I finished cleaning up Jar jar's mess I forced myself not to sprint out of the shop. Letting the force guide me, I made my way over to the orange amphibian himself, in the middle of getting threatened by Sebulba. Taking a running start, and enhancing myself with the force, I launched myself straight at Sebulba feet first, luchador style. With his ultra quick reflexes, Sebulba caught my foot and redirected my momentum up and over him, forcing him to let go of Jar Jar in the process.

Now careening toward the awning of the food stand they were by, I reoriented myself mid air, kicked off the awning pole, flipped once mid air, and landed on the dirt between Sebulba and Jar Jar. "Careful Sebulba," I said in huttese, "Mess with the wrong people, you might get hurt. I don't want you to use anything as an excuse when I smoke you on Boonta eve."

Sebulba growled aggressively, though he smirked at the challenge. "You're lucky you're a slave brat, or I'd skin you alive right here right now! You may be quick for a human, but that doesn't mean poodoo compared to a real pod racer! As soon as that race starts, I'll roast you crispy with my flame vents!"

I smiled, "Whatever helps you sleep at night sleemo. See you then."

He growled and went back to his table.

I turned back to Jar Jar. "You know, if you wanted to steal food, you should probably make sure it isn't tied down first."

Jar Jar scratched the back of his head, and inhaled to speak, but was interrupted by Qui Gon Jinn. "You should not steal food at all. Especially when we are trying not to draw attention to ourselves. Jar jar nodded sheepishly.

Qui Gon turned to me. "Thank you for helping our friend," he gave a slight bow at the waist, which I returned. "You have been trained in the ways of the force." He said directly.

I nodded. "I was taught combat by a Matukai who passed through a while ago, and my mom taught me her shielding technique." I'm not sure why I had been prompted by the force to mention my shielding, but it paid off.

Qui Gon nodded. "I would very much like to meet this Mother of yours, if you would be willing to introduce us?"

I nodded. "A storm is coming, and soon. You might as well stay at our place until it lets up."

He gave another shallow bow. "We would be honored."

I rushed into the house, and made a beeline for Amu. "Mom! Mom!" I stage whispered. She turned to me frantically, a twinge of fear pulsing through our force connection.

"What?! What happened?!" She whispered back.

I laid her fears to rest. "It's happening! They are here!"

"The Jedi?!" Her eyes widened, then a light entered her eyes when I nodded in confirmation. It was a mixture of anxiety and excitement and fear and hope.

We walked back over to the main entrance, and I introduced her to everyone.

Amu spoke up. "You are here at last. How much has my son told you of his visions?"

Qui Gon and Padme exchanged glances, then Qui Gon spoke for the both of them. "Nothing, other than the fact that he knew my name without being told."

Amu nodded, and led us over to the table where we all sat. I was surprised she took charge at all in the face of Qui Gon Jinn, who was an exceptionally tall man and solidly built, but with all the preparation that went into these next few days, she was able to get into the mode she channeled during missions we did for the Path. This was just another flight of Ekkreth. Except now, we would be the ones taking flight. Now, it would finally be our turn.

She nodded at me to go ahead. I inhaled to speak, but Qui Gon preempted my explanation. "Before you begin, would you let down your shields? It would be expedient if I could feel the truth of your words."

"You can't sense us? But aren't you a Jedi Master?" I said, surprised.

"No." He responded. "Your shields are quite seamless."

I looked at Amu. She nodded. Slowly, carefully, we both let our protective shields loosen from around us, unfurling until they let our inner selves shine through. Qui Gon's breath hitched, and he noticeably relaxed quite a bit.

"Fascinating. For how completely they erase your presences, your shields are remarkably delicate. You made this technique yourself?" Amu Nodded. Qui Gon continued, "Your presences in the force are remarkably light." He complemented, "Im ready to listen to your journey."

I started with an apology. "Padme. Remember earlier when I said I heard about your ship by listening to speeders? That was a lie. I saw this whole thing happening in the force. Through a vision." She nodded her acceptance of my apology, but a hint of distrust entered her gaze, which felt awful. i pushed it down and continued. "Two years ago, I got into an accident, A bad one. I was basically between life and death, and in that state, something… happened to me. I saw so much, I became… more than I was before. I gained knowledge of many things. And since then, I've been able to access these visions through meditation. In the visions, I saw a specific future in extreme detail."

"How detailed?" Padme asked.

I turned to her. "Enough to accurately know you were coming. The specific future I saw was one in which I hadn't seen the vision, so the 'me' I saw didn't prepare for your arrival. But even if I've changed a few things since then, there shouldn't be much that is different."

Qui Gon stroked his beard. "I have to admit… I haven't ever heard of a vision so far reaching and specific before. But being in a near death state has temporarily deepened a Jedi's connection to the force before."

"Here! Let me prove it. Umm…" I wracked my brain. "You and Obi Wan fly in a transport onto the trade federation ship over Naboo. Obi wan has a bad feeling, somewhere else, elusive, you remind him to not center on his anxieties but to—"

"Keep your focus on the here and now where it belongs." Qui Gon finished, astonished.

I continue. "Trade federation blows up your ship and everyone on it. Gasses your chamber but you escape and outrun some rolling destroyer droids. Obi wan says 'you were right about one thing master, the negotiations were short'. You descend onto Naboo's surface, meet Jar jar, you say 'the ability to speak does not make you intelligent' shall I go on?"

Qui Gon says nothing, simply stoking his beard in wonder, trying to wrap his head around all this.

Padme isn't so trusting.

"I am assuming there were battle droids present for all those lines?" She said with a quirked eyebrow.

"How about this?" I counter, pointing to R2, "'what is the droid's designation? 'R2-D2 your highness.' 'He is to be commended'. the... queen commands you to clean the droid, you and Jar Jar talk about Naboo. Captain Panaka doesn't want to land here. 'The huts are vile gangsters' he says. 'The difference is that the hunts aren't looking for her, and that gives us the advantage, says Qui Gon."

Her eyes widen. The royal escape ship had been scanned for tracking devices and was not connected to the holonet, furthermore the ship was currently guarded by the rest of the group, so the information couldn't have been retrieved in person. There was no way I could have known that, those conversations.

I turned back to Qui Gon. "These last two years we've been collecting money behind our master's back, preparing for the time when you would come. We have enough to free both of us from slavery, but not enough to also get the parts that you need. So here is the deal. We can't spend the money because anything we earn by Tatooine law is technically owned by Watto, not us. You take the money, bet it on me winning the pod race, and once it's multiplied you buy your parts, purchase our freedom and take us off this rock. We'll be free. You'll be on Coruscant, the queen will get back to her people, and everyone here will get what they want, and you can continue dealing with the trade federation sleemos blocking your planet."

"Betting on the pod race seems like an unnecessary risk." Padme says. "If you trust us to use the money to purchase your freedom, than let us use it to buy the parts we need and I swear on my honor we will return with resources and free you."

Amu shakes her head. "No. We can only trust so much. We will be free by the end of this Boonta eve, and not a moment later. It is our money, so we say where it goes. Unless you plan to extort us? You should know that the money is not here. It is hidden in a different location, somewhere safe."

Padme is quick to respond, "that's not what I meant! The only reason I am uncomfortable, is if your son looses, then you won't be free, your money will be gone, and we won't have our parts! We will all lose!"

I stared at her straight in the eye. "I will win. I have seen it. I know the skill level necessary and have exceeded it. My pod is better, my skills are better, my connection to the force is deeper. I will win." I declare.

She stared at me, and for a second it felt like we were staring into each other's souls. She wanted the most absolutely risk free, direct and efficient method to help her people. I respected that. I understood that. My irritation at her lack of faith in my ability drained out of me like water in a sink, left with respect for her priorities and admiration for her strength.

Conversely, she seemed to also see something in my eyes, because she murmured, "I believe you."

I nodded. "Thank you. I know how much this means to you. I won't let you or your people down."

She smiled. "I'll hold you to that little Jedi."

"I'm no Jedi. Though I'd like to be if possible." I said, my eyes unintentionally flashing to Qui Gon. Shit! Did I overplay my hand?

To both my relief and irritation, Qui Gon only hummed, which I took to mean 'we shall see'.

For the next few minutes, we discussed our plan in detail, including the individual roles we would all play. The pod was done, but there were a few things I wanted to tune up and a few checks I wanted to make. It was the day before Boonta eve, so Watto would be out making bets and schmoozing hutts, so I would have the day off. We basically settled on a similar game plan as what I remember from the phantom menace.

Once all the plans were finalized, and all that was left was spending the night waiting out the storm, we dispersed through the dwelling.

While Qui Gon was having a conversation with Amu, the rest of us (Padme, R2, Jar Jar and I) were swapping stories. They had told me about Naboo and what was going on with the trade federation, as well as other stories about their childhoods on Naboo. Interestingly enough, Padme and JarJar knew surprisingly little about each others cultures, and asked each other just as many questions as I asked them or they asked me. I told them about the 'flight' we did with the Whitesuns, and they were surprisingly shocked at the tale.

"Wait. Hold on!" Padme interrupted. "Alask? An old, sandy colored, male Twilek, freed from slavery? Certainly you don't mean Alask Syndulla?"

"Uh, yeah, I do. Do you know him or something?" I asked.

"Well I don't know him personally, but he was recently inaugurated as Ryloth's new senator after Orn Free Taa was convicted for corruption and human trafficking! Ryloth's whole economy and ruling body got flipped on its head, and it lead to a serious inquiry into many senators personal lives!"

"Indeed it did." I jumped at Qui Gon's voice from behind me, as I had been too focused on our conversation to keep my guard up. He continued, "My padawan and I were present for the conflict on Ryloth, and are close personal friends with Alask Syndulla, As well as the person who wrote this." Qui Gon pulled a familiar datapad from his sleeve, and I realized it was the one that Nyra had given me with all the Matukai learning materials on it.

"What?! You know Nyra?!" I asked, wondering how they had met.

He didn't explain, only nodding. "You've been studying these?" He questioned.

"Yes, I have." I said, irritated at the subject change. "How do you know Nyra?" I asked once again.

"Enough to have heard of you, though she didn't tell me your name. She did mention you as 'far more gifted than her current student.' The rest, however, is a story for a different time."

I sighed, grumbling. How the hell did he know Nyra? They must have met recently, after she had left the planet. What the hell was going on?! I looked at Qui Gon, who was the picture of serenity, but also seemed to radiate a cryptic smugness. It seemed like he would tell me about his connection to my old teacher when he was good and ready, and not a moment sooner.

"Would you be willing to show me what she taught you?" He asked.

I sighed again, then nodded, and got out the staff I used to practice the Matukai pole-arm forms. I had made the staff myself, it was a long metal pole with high powered electro stun sticks built into each end. It wasn't as powerful or as durable as the electro staff of a magma guard, but it was strong enough to put someone on their ass.

I moved into the main living area, which was the only room in the house big enough for practice, and gently used telekinesis to lift the table and move it to the wall to make room, which earned an "Oooooo! Bombad the force!" From Jar Jar, and a small golf clap from Padme. For a second I thought she may be mocking me, but when I looked and sensed her I found she had a smile on her face and genuine curiosity and wonder in her eyes, which brought heat to my cheeks. I guess Telekinesis was pretty cool. I forgot that was the case sometimes with how often Amu and I use it in private.

Still, I got into the correct beginning stance, and began to fluidly work through the combat staff katas that Amu and I had been practicing for the better part of 2 years now. When I first started Matukai training, enhancing my body with the force felt like breathing through a coffee straw, but now? Now it was like the force flowed through me as if it was my own blood, thrumming through my body and energizing my movements. Slowly I ramped up my speed, surpassing what was humanly possible as the staff and my body felt lighter and more precise. I worked my way around in a circle, ramping up until I was at the very limit of my force ability, then kept up the pace, focusing on form and footwork even as I exerted my maximum.

Amu and I used to spar with each other at full tilt, but that stopped happening about 6 months in when my power in the force surpassed the strength and reach advantage she had as an adult, and I started winning every spar with relative ease. We still sparred of course, but it was at her speed, not mine.

So when Qui Gon joined the spar using Amu's slightly too short for him staff, and matching my maximum speed no less, it initially took me off guard. I was quick to adapt however, pushing myself to the maximum against him, and found myself grinning from ear to ear as I pushed myself to the limits against someone for the first time in a while! The spar went on for what seemed to me in my accelerated state like hours, but was probably only a few minutes of real time. Eventually however, all good things must come to an end, and Qui Gon was able to catch my staff on his in a position where he had superior leverage, disarming me. He casually caught my staff with the force before it could smack into the wall, and I fell to my knees in exhaustion.

"Very good!" He commented emphatically, making me smile bashfully, especially when I realized Padme and Jar Jar were clapping at the spectacle.

"That was amazing!" Padme commented, which made my face burn even more, and she continued. "There were times when I couldn't even make out individual movements! You both looked like a storm of weapons and stun shocks! You even looked like your limbs multiplied some times!"

"Oh uhh…um…" I responded articulately. Amu shot me a knowing look, quirking one of her eyebrows and smiling smugly at my reaction, which only made me more embarrassed.

Qui Gon took this opportunity to speak. "You have been trained well. The kind of footwork you showed cannot be mastered with self study. How long did Nyra train you for? A year?"

Amu answered his question. "Nyra was only here for a month. To master the footwork, we worked together, one of us would perform the stances, while the other would compare them to the holos Nyra left us. Only by cooperating like this did we master the movements."

Qui Gon looked back at her, shocked at the truth ringing through the force at her words. "And what you said earlier about… his father, is it really true?"

Amu nodded, "Yes." The force once again pulsed in recognition of truth.

Qui Gon ran his hand through his beard. "Anakin…" he began, "May I run a quick blood test? It won't take long or be painful, just to check your health and aptitude."

I my heart nearly beat out of my chest in excitement, but I kept my shields up and my face calm, and nodded. "Sure. But only if you run it on Amu as well. I wanna know if she's healthy too."

He nodded his acceptance.

Amu's M count ended up being around 14,000 per cell, far above the minimum level to be accepted into the Jedi, if she had been found early enough.

My count had been the same as the movies of course, but there was something about it that I had misunderstood.

Apparently, according to Qui Gon, Midichlorians were almost infinitesimally tiny, nearly invisible even under microscopes that showed mitochondria and their DNA in detail. Midichlorians were actually closer to particles than cellular organisms, the only reason they were considered alive by some was their behavior, and even then it was up for debate.

The important part of all this was that the blood scanner didn't actually 'see' the Midichlorians themselves in each cell, but just measured the amount of energy the cells gave off and extrapolated the M count from there. After a certain point however, a high enough density of Midichlorians didn't give off a measurably consistent increase in energy, giving fluctuating readings the higher the count was, and as such, the absolute maximum the scanner was calibrated to detect was 20,000. No one had bothered programming or manufacturing anything sensitive enough to measure past that accurately, because since the discovery of Midichlorians about 700 years ago no one on record had ever surpassed 18,600, which was master Yoda's count.

Essentially, my M count wasn't actually the exact value of 20,000 per cell. My M count was apparently so high it literally couldn't be measured accurately with the tools we had on hand. My potential in the force made a fucking overflow error.

Which was… both exhilarating and terrifying. On one hand I hungered for that kind of power, but on the other, wasn't it bad to be exited by that? I didn't actually know, but I did know I didn't want to go to the dark side. What use was power if it turned you into a monster to get it? But still, I didn't have to turn to the dark in order to get power. If I went with the Jedi, I could achieve my potential without going crazy. But hadn't Canon Anakin done the same? And we all saw how that worked out for everyone involved.

It was these thoughts that accompanied me as I slowly drifted off on the blanket on the floor I was using as my bed tonight (because there was no fucking way in a billion years that I would take my bed while a literal Queen of an entire fucking planet slept on the floor, so I had insisted she take it) when just as I was drifting off in the dark, I could feel Amu kneel beside me. "Amu? What's up?" I questioned groggily.

"You are going to join the Jedi."

It wasn't a question, nor was it a command, but a realization of fact. We had talked about it before, but I guess it was just now becoming real for her. I looked at her, and realized that it would be goodbye, Likely for a long time. Something inside me clenched painfully. Suddenly… I realized something. I didn't want her to go. I had spent my whole life with her, or at least my Anakin life, and when I pictured myself off having adventures with the Jedi I had always subconsciously pictured that she would be there too, no matter how impossible that actually was. "I… I don't know now." I spoke truthfully, "I've wanted to be a Jedi for as long as I've known about them, but now? If it means leaving you behind…"

She sighed, running her fingers through my hair. "Anakin." She stated. "Don't you dare give up on this path just because of me. If you try it out, and decide it genuinely doesn't work for you, then, and only then, can you leave. But if you gave up this opportunity now, before you have even started, I have no doubt you would regret and wonder about it for the rest of your life. And I would never want that for you."

Tears welled up in my eyes, and I sniffed to try and fend them off. "I'll comm you. Even if I'm not allowed. Connection isn't the same as attachment. And I'll always need you. You'll always be my Amu."

Her voice was choked with emotion, and though she did not let the water of her tears fall, I could tell it was a close thing. "And you'll always be my Vikki-ka" (small male child/baby) "I'll look forward to your comm calls." She kissed me on the forehead, and retreated to her own bed.

Amu may have been able to keep her tears from falling, but that night? In that darkness? I wasn't nearly so controlled.

Tomorrow would be the start of the plan that would lead to our freedom. The beginning of my journey as a Jedi, as a free being, and as someone with the whole Galaxy in front of me. There would be plenty of time for exhilaration and happiness.

Right now, I let the tears fall.

A/N: Can I just say… writing Qui Gon Jinn well while also juggling an altered version of a pre-existing script is SOOOOOOO HHHAAAAAARRRDDD!

I don't want to make him boring! I want him to be wise and kind but also stubborn, a little prideful, and a bit of a troll/maverick. But I realized halfway through writing this chapter that most of those qualities are mainly on display in the original Phantom Menace when he makes the plan to rescue Anakin all in the middle of everything else, taking major risks that eventually pay off, because it's the 'will of the force.'

But in this story, Anakin has already been planning on all of this happening, has clearly communicated this plan, and everyone has fully agreed with it! So in doing this I inadvertently took all those moments away from Qui Gon, leaving him mostly a passive observer! Which while that makes sense for a Jedi, it comes across as him being boring and bland! AAAAHHHH I HATE SCRIPT COPY SECTIONS!

Fortunately I was able to write a few original scenes at the end there, so I -hope- his character shone through, at least a little bit. I'll make sure to do more with him in the next few chapters, as I quite like him as a character.

I should have alot more free time going forward so expect updates to be more common than they were around Christmas.

Anyways, happy new year everybody!

Ciao!