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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟓
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐊𝐘𝐖𝐀𝐋𝐊𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐀𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐘

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After traveling through the dust-filled spaceport of Mos Espa for what felt like an eternity, the very odd-looking group finally reached their destination. Aurora and Padmé huddled close together as they watched Anakin press a button on the wall. It wasn't long after that when a door opened and the young boy walked inside, followed by the group he picked up back in town. While Anakin called out for his mother and Jar Jar complimented the boy's home, Aurora looked around at the small space.

If it weren't for the furniture and numerous pieces of technology, Aurora would've thought she was standing in a cave due to the stone walls. It was nice and felt homey, but it also made the brunette girl feel a tad claustrophobic after growing up surrounded by trees and residing in Naboo's palace for the past year. But the Tinsley girl did her best to push her feelings aside as the door closed behind them, keeping them safe from the storm.

It wasn't long before the sound of footsteps cut through the air. That instantly caused Aurora to turn her attention in the direction of the noise to find a woman with hair the same color as her walking toward them. The woman, who Aurora assumed to be Anakin's mother, hesitated at the sight of the strangers in her home before her attention fell on her son standing next to them.

"These are my friends, Mom," Anakin explained before turning his attention to R2-D2 when he began making a beeping sound.

"I'm Qui-Gon Jinn," the long-haired man greeted the brunette woman as her son whisked Padmé and R2-D2 away to look at the droid he was building, "your son was kind enough to offer us shelter."

Just as their conversation was about to continue, Qui-Gon's communicator began to go off. The Jedi Master instantly excused himself to answer the call, leaving Aurora alone with Anakin's mother and Jar Jar. The Tinsley girl just stared at the Gungan for a moment before her attention turned back to the woman standing in front of him.

"I'm Aurora Barlowe," the girl introduced herself while holding her hand out toward the woman, who instantly returned the gesture with a smile.

"Shmi Skywalker," she responded as the two of them ended their greeting before the brunette woman gestured toward the kitchen, "I was just about to make dinner. Would you like to join me?"

A sense of nostalgia washed over Aurora before she could stop it as she thought back to the times she made meals with her mother. "I would love to. Thank you."

About an hour had passed of the two women preparing the night's meal before they were finally finished. It wasn't long after that when they gathered everyone to sit around the table to enjoy their dinner. Aurora sat beside Qui-Gon as she watched Shmi pour drinks for everyone around the table with an unreadable look on her face. As soon as she began pouring a drink for the Jedi Master, the brunette woman decided it was time to break the silence that began to surround them.

"All slaves have a transmitter placed inside their bodies somewhere," Shmi explained while everyone at the table watched her intently.

"I've been working on a scanner to try and locate mine," Anakin announced, drawing all attention to him as he looked around at those around him with a proud smile on his face.

"Any attempt to escape-"

"And they blow you up! Boom!" the Skywalker boy finished his mother's sentence while slamming his hand against the table for dramatic effect, causing Jar Jar to slightly jump.

"How wude!"

"I can't believe there's still slavery in the galaxy," Padmé said as Shmi walked around the table and sat down in the empty chair on the other side of Aurora, "the Republic's anti-slavery laws are-"

"The Republic doesn't exist out here. We must survive on our own," Shmi told the girl in blue while Jar Jar used his tongue to grab a piece of fruit from the bowl in the middle of the table.

Everyone instantly turned their attention toward the Gungan as he loudly swallowed his apple. As soon as he realized everyone was staring at him, a sheepish grin appeared on his face. "Xcuse me."

"Has anybody ever seen a Podrace?" Anakin asked, drawing everyone's attention away from Jar Jar and back to him.

"They have Podracing on Malastare. Very fast, very dangerous," Qui-Gon announced before taking a bite of food.

"I'm the only human who can do it," the blonde boy declared with a proud smile on his face.

"You must have Jedi reflexes if you race pods," the long-haired man responded just as Jar Jar attempted to use his tongue to grab another piece of fruit, only for Qui-Gon to grab it in mid-air and look over at the Gungan, "don't do that again."

"You're a Jedi Knight, aren't you?" Anakin questioned, causing Padmé and Aurora to exchange a knowing look before they turned their attention back to Qui-Gon, who was staring at the boy with a hint of interest in his eyes.

"What makes you think that?"

"I saw your laser sword. Only Jedi carry that kind of weapon."

"Perhaps I killed a Jedi and took it from him," the Jedi Master responded as he leaned back in his chair and continued to study the boy sitting at the other side of the table.

"I don't think so," Anakin said matter-of-factly before hitting his hand against the table once again, "no one can kill a Jedi."

Qui-Gon's immediate response to the boy's statement was a small smile before it disappeared as quickly as it came. "I wish that were so."

"I had a dream I was a Jedi. I came back here and freed all the slaves," the young boy said while looking down at his plate until he found the courage to look back up at the Jedi Master, "have you come to free us?"

"No, I'm afraid not."

"I think you have. Why else would you be here?" Anakin challenged while looking between Aurora and Padmé, only for the two girls to look away before the Skywalker boy's attention fell back on the Jedi Master.

After looking between his allies, Qui-Gon leaned forward on the table to get closer to Anakin before opening his mouth to speak once again. "I can see there's no fooling you, Anakin. We're on our way to Coruscant, the central system in the Republic, on a very important mission."

"How did you end up here in the outer rim?"

"Our ship was damaged, and we're stranded here until we can repair it," Aurora answered the young boy, drawing his attention to her.

Anakin studied the brunette girl sitting across from him for a long moment before he finally gave a response to her words. "I can help. I can fix anything."

"I believe you can," Qui-Gon said after Aurora noticed a proud smile appearing on Shmi's face, "but first we must acquire the parts we need."

"Wit no-nutten mula to trade," Jar Jar added with a hint of sadness.

"These junk dealers must have a weakness of some kind," Padmé muttered under her breath while looking over at the brunette woman sitting next to her.

"Gambling. Everything here revolves around betting on those awful races," Shmi responded without even attempting to hide the annoyance in her voice.

"Podracing," Qui-Gon repeated while looking across the table at the young handmaiden, "greed can be a powerful ally."

"I built a racer. It's the fastest ever," Anakin announced with a hint of pride in his tone as a small smile appeared on his face, "there's a big race tomorrow on Boonta Eve. You can enter my pod."

"Anakin!" Shmi exclaimed, drawing her son's attention to her, "Watto won't let you."

"Watto doesn't know I've built it," her son argued before he turned his gaze back towards the Jedi Master, "you could make him think it was yours and get him to let me pilot it for you."

"I don't want you to race. It's awful. I die every time Watto makes you do it," the Skywalker woman announced while keeping her eyes glued to her son.

"But, Mom, I love it," Anakin responded, completely ignoring all the stares he was receiving from those that surrounded him, "the prize money would more than pay for the parts they need."

"Anakin."

"Your mother's right," Qui-Gon announced, drawing both mother and son's attention to him before he looked over at Shmi with a hint of hope in his eyes, "is there anyone friendly to the Republic who can help us?"

The brunette woman just stared at the Jedi Master for a long moment then let out a long sigh. "No."

"Mom," Anakin called out, making the woman turn her attention back to her son as he continued speaking, "you say the biggest problem in this universe is nobody helps each other."

After staring at the sad face of the boy across from her and hearing another sigh escape his mother's lips, Aurora turned to look at Shmi before forcing a small smile on her face. "I'm sure Qui-Gon doesn't want to put your son in danger. We'll find some other way."

"No. There is no other way," the Skywalker woman announced after looking away from the plate in front of her to meet the Tinsley woman's gaze, "I may not like it, but he can help you. He was meant to help you."

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After Qui-Gon returned with Anakin and Padmé from making a deal with Watto, Aurora began helping the young boy restore his Podracer. Anakin didn't believe the Tinsley girl at first when she told him that knew how to fix a ship. That was until he stood back and watched her work for a few minutes. Aurora didn't know much about Podracers but she did know a thing or two about Gungan ships thanks to her father and Captain Tarpals, which was enough to help her aid the young boy.

As the two of them put the pieces in their correct places, they were completely unaware of Qui-Gon watching them from a distance with interest in his eyes. While he communicated with Obi-Wan about their progress and the boy they encountered, the Jedi Master still couldn't shake the familiar feeling he received when he was around Aurora. He knew that the young girl couldn't be the woman he knew when he was younger, but he also couldn't deny the resemblance Aurora shared with her.

The comfortable silence that surrounded them was soon interrupted by laughter, causing Aurora to look up to find five kids racing toward them. The Tinsley girl didn't even try to fight the smile that appeared on her face as the children greeted Anakin as they looked over the Podracer. It wasn't long before one of the boy's attention landed on something behind the Tinsley girl, making his eyes widen.

"Wow, a real astro droid!" the raven-haired boy exclaimed, causing R2-D2 to let out a few happy beeps, "how do you get so lucky?!"

"That isn't the half of it," Anakin announced, drawing his friends' attention back to him as a large smile appeared on his face, "I'm in the Boonta race tomorrow."

"What? With this?" the boy questioned as he scanned over the Podracer before looking back up at the Skywalker boy.

"You've been working on that thing for years," a blonde girl said without taking her eyes off the machine in front of her, "it's never gonna run."

"Come on. Let's go and play ball," a redheaded boy said while Aurora watched all of them with a hint of annoyance in her eyes before the boy looked back at Anakin, "keep racing, Ani. You're gonna be bug squash."

The Tinsley girl watched the children until they were out of sight before she looked down at the Skywalker boy. To her surprise, he went back to working as if his friends never said a word. After warning Jar Jar about the energy binders, Anakin jumped up into the seat of the Podracer just as Qui-Gon walked through the archway to join them.

"You don't even know if this thing's gonna run," Kitster, Anakin's last remaining friend, said as he watched the Skywalker boy get settled in the driver's seat.

"I think it's time we found out," the Jedi Master announced before handing an object over to the blonde boy, "here, use this power charge."

"Yes, sir!" Anakin exclaimed as he put the piece where it belonged in the Podracer.

"Come on, Kitster. Let's move away before we get fried," Aurora said as she guided the boy to stand next to Qui-Gon at a safe distance away.

After watching Padmé free Jar Jar from one of the Podracer's engines, Anakin hit a few switches to start up the vehicle. A few very loud and chilling sounds were heard before the machine started up like it was supposed to. Everyone cheered and smiled at their accomplishment as Anakin continued to announce that the Podracer was working. Due to their celebration, they were all completely unaware of Shmi watching them from the roof of her house with sadness in her eyes.

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