V.1-C.18│Phantom Menace IV│

Anakin starts to think to himself just after the group had left the store and soon after he had sent his mother after them to return home while he stays back for a bit.

'I did sense Qui-Gon try to use the same Jedi Mind Trick on my mother. Too bad for him I have found a way to protect her from outside psychic influences through the use of copying Watto's natural mental shields.'

'Technically the natural shields a Toydarian possess are apart of their biological makeup but not only this it is also the way their midi-chlorians react to the presence of outside influence.'

'It creates a shield like ability even for someone with a limited amount of midi-chlorians this ability is strong enough to resist such Force abilities or even psychic ones. There are other protections in place to protect her physically but the mind is what I consider more important if only by a fraction of importance because of sensitive information.'

'Her mind does not have defenses or enough capabilities in on herself to shield her but manipulating her midi-chlorians to recreate the effect was simple enough.'

'It was hard trying to find a way to naturally make her own midi-chlorians create this limited defense but it was worth it so now she wouldn't be used against me at least through mind-control. I do recognize though there are many ways around this.'

'My very own mental abilities can cloak my presence within the Force, meaning the midi-chlorians within another will not be able to actively sense it giving me the ability to read someone's surface thoughts and emotions.'

'I did experience a spike of anger knowing he had tried the same trick despite my mother being much more polite then what Watto would have been. But it is par for the course a Jedi would use that ability and he would at least of tried to compensate her with a lot of credits.'

'It was quite funny to me though, to overhear my mother reprimand the old man. He is after all older then her and if this were a Chinese cultivation novel it would be seen as heresy.'

Anakin prepares to leave the shop while getting C-3PO to continue where he had left off so he could casually catch up with the group that had left.

'Got to keep making an appearance to reinforce the idea I am somehow connected or destined to meet Qui-Gon and Padme in some way. Makes it all the easier for me.'

[]

"Here you will like these pallies." Anakin has directed the group to one of the people he has come to have a warm relationship with since his rebirth that the original also had as well. He gives Qui-Gon who seems distracted one of the offered fruit, giving another to Jar-Jar while Padme politely refuses.

At the hip of Qui-Gon Anakin spots a lightsaber hanging at his waist as Qui-Gon puts the fruit into a pocket. 'Cool looking enough. Cant wait to have one, if not multiple of my very own.'

The old kindly woman at the stall the group had stopped at was Jira, a human female from Tatooine. The elderly Jira sold fruits, such as pallies, in the Mos Espa marketplace and had become a friend of Anakin's because she became sort of a grandmotherly figure.

She likes to refer to Anakin as 'the kindest boy in the galaxy.' Which is not too much different from what she said of the original, but Anakin is very much different. Anakin had tried to convince her to move in with his mother and himself but the stubborn old woman had refused.

Anakin thinks to himself. 'I would not call myself the kindest boy in the galaxy but I believe I have done my fair share of kindness. Helping free some slaves providing them with the necessary skills or employing them to work in my company if only as basic manual labor.'

'It is better then being a slave.' Anakin continuously thinks to himself.

At least she wasn't some slave and could make a decent living for herself. She had been selling fruits in this marketplace for quite a while.

"Oh, my girds raking. Storms coming up Ani, you better get home quick." Jira forewarns Anakin.

"Thank you Jira. You should too." Anakin replies before turning to the group and directing a question towards. "Do you have shelter?"

"We will head back to our ship." Qui-Gon replies.

"Is it far, perhaps in the outskirts?" Anakin asks in return.

Padme interjects. "It IS on the outskirts."

"I suggest you guys do not go into the outskirts at this time. Sandstorms are very dangerous especially on a planet like Tatooine and you guys would never make it back before it reaches that point." Anakin warns then continues. "I can offer you guys some shelter for now. My mother is kind enough to at least allow you guys some shelter from the storm."

Walking through the streets of Mos Espa the group follows Anakin as the storm continuously gets worse and worse with the group and other people still out in the streets a hard time not getting sand in their eyes.

The group can not see it but the housing complex they have come across use to house slaves, but since those slaves have now become free Anakin decided to buy up the surrounding lands here and decided to redecorate.

What once was a bland and rather sparse and basic living quarters have now become decent enough for an entire community to develop and one has. The slaves now have come to live here and are protected under Anakin as his employees, but of course not everyone decided to stay on this planet.

The ones that have stayed though have taken up residence in the various building throughout the distract.

Anakin leads the group towards a door larger then any standard door because Anakin has taken into account his potential height when considering the measurements.

Upon opening the door within the group is greeted with a simple home that is quite spacious compared to how it was last seem with two extra stories above and a basement below.

The house has signature Tatooine architecture but other then this there are a few extra guest rooms throughout and various other rooms that Anakin wanted for his workout regimens.

Anakin enters first followed by Jar-Jar, Qui-Gon, Padme and R2-D2. "Mother. Mother! I have arrived." Anakin projects his voice into the house so his mother could here him.

Shmi hearing her son has come home promptly walks downstairs to greet her son but is instead surprised to him not only her son but the very same customers that had come to their store earlier.

She knew she had taught her son to be kind but what she didn't expect was for her son to welcome in the very same people, specifically the man she had talked too and scolded. Shmi holds her surprise well though while Qui-Gon gets over the shock of seeing the very same woman that had told him off.

Qui-Gon looks away for a moment before deciding to properly introduce himself. "I am Qui-Gon Jinn."

Anakin decides to drag off Padme with him into the basement saying something along the lines of. "I am quite excited I have some friends over. I guess it is time to show you to some interesting stuff, do you mind?" R2-D2 decides to follow them both.

While that is happening in the background Qui-Gon explains to Shmi. "I'm guessing he is your son. Your son was kind enough to offer us shelter."

While Anakin goes off to entertain Padme for a while the message sent from the people of Naboo is being played and projected for the Queen to see.

The councilor that had been left behind was shown through a holographic view explaining what has currently been happening in a desperate voice. "The death toll has been catastrophic. I must bow to their wishes and you MUST contact me."

Just before the holographic recorded message dissipates, Obi-Wan stands up at the same time directing towards the Queen. "It's a trick. Send no reply. Send no transmissions of any kind." Obi-Wan walks off to inform his master of the message.

Qui-Gon speaking into the handheld communication device says. "It sounds like bait to establish a connection trace."

"What if it is true and the people are dying." Obi-Wan says in an asking tone.

"Either way we are running out of time." Qui-Gon replies.

[]

Night cycle, Coruscant.

"Tatooine is sparsely populated. If the trace was correct I will find them quickly Master." The hooded figure of Darth Maul says his master, Sith Lord Sidious whilst walking a step behind the him.

"Move against the Jedi first. You will then have no difficulty in takin the Queen to Naboo to sign the treaty."

"At last we will reveal ourselves to the Jedi. At last we will have revenge." Darth Maul with his hood on directs to his master.

"You have well trained my young apprentice. They will be no match for you." Darth Sidious praises his apprentice Darth Maul encouraging him in his endeavor to come.

[]

Back on Tatooine, the sandstorm has not settled down and is still continuously going on with no end in site.

Back inside the dining room with Qui-Gon, Jar-Jar, Padme, Shmi, Anakin and R2-D2 off to the side a conversation is taking place where Shmi is directing it towards the group. The group was currently having a lovely dinner.

"We used to be slaves once, my son and I but a mysterious benefactor had helped us out of our bleak situation which led to the both of us becoming free." Shmi states.

"All slaves have a transmitter placed inside their body somewhere. Ani and myself had it extracted from ourselves once we had gained freedom." Shmi continued.

"I have built a scanner to locate where the transmitter is placed. Usually they implant it into the back of ones skull or head. It is a location that is hard to detect the transmitter and other spots I have found is the transmitter being placed next to some of the slaves hearts." Anakin spoke up.

"Usually any attempt to escape-" Shmi says before getting cut off by Anakin. "They detonate the device inside a person instantaneously explodes ending a person right then, right there."

Anakin decides to draw out the conversation to not listen to Jar-Jar open his mouth to say his infamous line-

"How rude." But of course it failures and Jar-Jar still thinks up to comment about what Shmi and Anakin were explaining.

Padme in a disbelieving tone says. "I cant believe there is still slavery in the galaxy. The Republics anti slavery laws are-"

"The Republic doesn't exist out here. We must survive on our own." Shmi stops Padme before she goes on a rant.

"What I want to know to get us out of this depressing conversation is has anyone seen a Podrace before?" Anakin questions.

"There is Podracing on Malastare. Very fast, very dangerous."

"Technically from what I know from current history there has been no other Human that could pilot and participate in a podrace. I have raced before so I believe myself to be the only Human that could do it." Anakin says further implanting the idea that he is different from the average Human child.

Qui-Gon is still trying to get over that the teen-no boy is 9 years of age. Qui-Gon tells Anakin. "You must have Jedi reflexes if you race pods." There are no fruit for Jar-Jar to swing his tongue around at so no comment is made about his annoyingness.

"I would like to ask a question." Anakin directs to Qui-Gon.

"Sure ask away."

"You are a Jedi Knight, aren't you?" Anakin uses the same line as the original.

"What makes you think that?" Qui-Gon asks.

"I may have happened to catch a glance at the lightsaber clipped to the belt around your waist and only the Jedi carry that kind of weapon."

"Perhaps I have killed a Jedi and took it from him." Qui-Gon says in a playful tone.

"I doubt that, there have been no recent Jedi deaths within the last few decades at least by the hands of another that I know of." Anakin states while thinking at the same time. 'But I do know of a recent Jedi death just not at the hands of a random ordinary person. A Jedi died to a Sith, or more specifically a Jedi was slain by Darth Maul which was his first kill so to speak.'

"That is true but I wish there would be no death within the Jedi." Qui-Gon says with subtle sadness.

"I once had dreamed about being a Jedi, going and training then coming back to free all of the slaves of Tatooine. Possibly even further beyond." Anakin states. "Have the Jedi finally come here to help free the slaves of this planet?" Anakin further questions.

"No I am afraid not." Qui-Gon states.

"Then why else would the Jedi be here? Another mission of sorts?"

"I can see that I cannot fool you Anakin. We are on our way to Coruscant, the central system of the Republic on a very important mission." Qui-Gon decides to spill the beans.

Anakin decides to ask the important question. "Well then how did you guys end up here. In the Outer Rim."

"Our ship was damaged and we are stranded here until we can repair it." Padme answers Anakin.

"Ani, they had come to our shop to get the replacement parts to repair their ship, unfortunately I did not help them here because they did not have any proper currency." Shmi interjects.

"Well mother, why dont we help our friends here they seem to have a very important reason to hurry and go." Anakin pleads with some genuine concern but not for the reasons the others might suspect.

'How else am I to become a Jedi?'

"I can not do that. That would just have to come up with another method to pay."