Anakin reached up and adjusted his full face mask, only his eyes barely visible through the two tinted windows over his eyes. The mask was supposed to be for filtering out mining or toxic fumes, but many also wore them to protect from disease or even just to avoid the smell when moving around the run down planets of the outer rim.

  Mos Espa was definitely one of the cities where Anakin was grateful for the mask. He could tell by Slarena’s scrunched nose and irritated look that she was regretting not bringing her own mask to wear.

  Anakin had his hood up and covering his head as the two of them walked through the streets.

  The streets were bustling with people as the twin suns from above beat down on them with blistering heat. Slarena walked with purpose with Anakin trailing a few steps behind with his hand in the pocket of his cloak. Gripped around his large knife. His lightsaber was in his other pocket and well hidden, but he wouldn’t use that unless things went horribly wrong.

  They found Watto’s shop without too much trouble, Anakin only having to stop Slarena and subtly leading her the right way when she got lost or off track from the old place.

  They entered the shop and Anakin pressed his lips together tightly in an urge to prevent himself from speaking as he saw who was manning the counter of the store.

  His mother, Shmi, stood there looking tired and worn down. The shop was empty, but as soon as they entered she straightened up and plastered on a smile as she saw the two of them approach.

  “Hello, welcome to Watto’s Junkyard. Is there anything that I can help you with today? We have the best prices and variety of scrap in all of Mos Espa.”

  “Let’s see it then,” Slarena said, sounding bored, “I assume the stuff’s out back?”

  “Certainly. Let me just call the owner out to guide you for all your needs.”

  She reached out and tapped a button installed into the desk in front of her. Anakin’s heart tightened a little at the sight of it. He had installed that button. It had been his idea to put it there, so his mother wouldn’t have to shout to get Watto’s attention and risk upsetting him.

  Watto wasn’t cruel, but when he was in a particularly bad mood he’d used the implants to shock him or his mother at the lowest setting to punish them. It hadn’t really been more than a brief of burst of pain like a quick rap across the knuckles with a stick, but it had made a big impression on Anakin when he had first realized that building that button meant that him and his mom wouldn’t get shocked as often anymore.

  Watto came out of the back room, groaning and grumbling as the Toydarian flew in on the stubby wings attached to his stubby body and grayish blue skin.

  “Ey, you come to Watto’s Junkyard for the best parts, yes?” Watto said as he floated over to them and scratched at his face slightly, “Come, come! Out back, we will find what you need. You have credits? We have anything within any budget a fine woman such as you might have!”

  “Fine woman? What makes you say that?” Slarena asked, “Can’t say I’ve been called that before.”

  “Ahhhhh,” Watto laughed, “Your skin is clean of sand and grit, and you come with a small one. Off worlders. Off worlders who come here are always rich or desperate. I think I know which type I guess you are, ay? What you say little man? Plenty of credits to share with Uncle Watto, huh?”

  “Yes, we have some credits,” Slarena said, diverting Watto’s attention from Anakin who tried to remain as still and calm as he could under the Toydarian’s direct attention, “Excuse my brother Sky, he’s mute. Didn’t want to leave him on my ship alone in a place like this. Now, I have a list here of some parts I need. Let’s see if you’ve got anything worthwhile.”

  “You slander me, miss! Of course we can find whatever you need,” Watto said, “Read your list and we can see then, huh. Little gems, components you wouldn’t find anywhere else end up in Watto’s junkyard when you least expect them.”

  “Hm. Alright. First we need flux carburetors, but size fourteen dash four instead of seventeen dash nine standard.”

  She took out the list and started reading off the components as Watto started rubbing his chin and eyeing the both of them thoughtfully.

  “A lot of parts, ey? What does an offworlder need with such things? Perhaps we have something bigger that work instead of many little parts we have to dig out of the heap?”

  “It’s for a droid. My brother has one on the ship and he wants to look into maybe modifying it a little. Thought I’d pick some cheaper parts for him while we were in the area.”

  “Ahhh, droid mods huh? Very good, very good!” Watto said before clapping his hands before turning to Anakin, “So this list is from you, little man? Sky? Droid work at your age, very good! Why, only a few years ago I had a slave that was such a genius that he built his own custom droid at only six years old! Ah, the profits I made from him and his genius. Did you know that he won the Boonta Eve Classic race? Built the whole podracer himself, with my help of course. I simply had to free him after that, no that boy was meant for things far greater than my humble shop! Why, I’ve even heard that he went off to go and become a Jedi! Can you believe that? You know, we still have some of his materials in the back. They are very precious to me, but for the right price…”

  He rubbed his fingers together and smiled slightly, “You could convince me to let them go.”

  "Let’s see these parts then," Slarena said, clearly not even feigning her interest after a quick glance at Anakin or ‘Sky’. Not very creative, he knew. But it would make sure that he would actually respond when somebody talked to him.

  They went back to the front and stood in the counter by Shmi who stood there stiffly as Watto went in the back and took out all of Anakin’s old things and started pawning them off to Slarena who bought a few things as Anakin pointed at them silently. It made Anakin a little happy to see that his mom cared about saving his old things while a little depressed that Watto had started pawning off his things at so little prompting. He’d practically leapt onto the opportunity and not even spared a single glance to Mom or notice her clenched fist at her sides despite her carefully blank face as she stared at the three of them.

  “I think that’s all for now,” Slarena said after placing the components in her bag and handing over the payment in local Hutt backed credits to Watto.

  Anakin tensed before taking a deep breath and pointing at his mother firmly just as Slarena theatrically turned around and went to leave the shop. She took a few steps before stopping as she realized that Anakin wasn’t following her. At least that’s how she pretended to react.

  “Sky? Why are you pointing at her? Did you want more components?” Slarena asked as she walked back over to him. Anakin jabbed his finger at his mom again, hoping that she’d forgive him for this later.

  “You want something from her?” Slarena said, “Is it… No Sky, we were going to go to the markets. We can’t just buy a random slave from this shopkeep.”

  Anakin pointed again insistently at his mom again, his heart pounding as both Shmi and Watto watched the exchange. Anakin could see his mom’s confusion and slight fear while Watto’s eyes gained a calculating glint as he looked between the two of them.

  “You know, that genius that I spoke of before. Builds his own droids and won the podrace? This is his own mother. I’m sure she knows a bit about droids from her son. Be mighty useful for one just starting out, ey? But then again, she’s so well trained and worked at my shop for years. Hard to replace one as dependable as her.”

  “Are you sure, Sky?” Slarena said again to sell it and Anakin pointed again more insistently.

  “Alright, I’ll see. But if it doesn’t work out then we’re just going to the slave markets and buying somebody there. Probably be cheaper there…”

  “Ah, but value! Nothing but dregs and scum in that place. Nothing like my quality slave here!” Watto said, “Probably too valuable. You seem a wealthy woman for this place, but perhaps not enough to afford her…”

  “We’ll see about that,” Slarena said, “Let’s get concrete. How many credits are we talking here?”

  Watto eyed her and her half empty money pouch at her side.

  “Obviously I’d come back with the money when we agree on a price,” Slarena clarified and Watto relaxed slightly.

  “I’d say… for one as fine as this…” Watto said and gestured to Shmi, who looked a little lost and frightened by the conversation just stood there silently, “No less than forty five thousand credits.”

  “Forty five thousand!” Slarena spluttered, “That’s ridiculous! You can nearly buy a starship for that much! It was her son that was the genius wasn’t it? How do we even know if she knows anything about droids?”

  Watto hesitated before huffing, “Ah, maybe not. But it still adds to her value, to how interesting her history is. You won’t find another slave as interesting as her at the markets regardless of how good at the labor they are. What would you be looking for anyway?”

  “A caretaker and babysitter for our youngest sister,” Slarena lied smoothly, “Any value to my brother is just a nice bonus. Twenty thousand is more than fair. I’ve heard the ones in the markets can go for as low as six thousand, with the most at fourteen thousand. ”

  “I see, I see. But I’d have to buy a new slave and train them to run the shop counter. Shmi here’s been with me for many years, and it’ll be quite the headache to train another to her level again. But I suppose I could be convinced to go as low as thirty five thousand as charity to your little aspiring droid maker here.”

  Slarena paused before shaking her head, “Twenty five thousand. It’s a bit high, but… I can do that. That seems fair in the middle, right?”

  Watto thought about it and rubbed his chin for a moment, “Twenty seven thousand and it’s a deal.”

  “Alright, deal.”

  Watto extended his hand and Slarena shook it. Mom looked devastated and shot Watto a look of betrayal as he smiled widely at the unreasonably large amount of money he’d just made for the sale of one slave.

  Despite knowing that he was the cause of this, Anakin still felt the urge to throttle Watto for his dismissive wave towards his mother as he flew back towards his back off ice as him and Slarena left the junkyard.

  The two of them would be back ‘in a few hours’ to bring the money and finalize everything. Slarena had told Anakin while they were planning everything that they couldn’t look too eager, so they couldn’t come back at least for that long so as to not make Watto suspicious that something was off with the sale.

  His mom would be free soon, and they’d be away from this miserable planet forever.

  — — —

  The two of them returned to their ship, and as soon as they were inside Slarena’s casual expression dropped.

  “Ugh. I hate pretending to be disgusting scum like that,” she said and made a gagging motion, “Now we just wait. Final step here, only a few hours and we’ll be out of here. Only a bit longer now.”

  — — —

  Anakin’s hands were shaking from nerves as Watto closed up shop briefly and floated along the streets in Mos Espa and talking with Slarena casually as they moved. He trailed behind and walked next to his mother who was staring at him with a strange look in her eye. He could see her confusion and furrowed brow as she glanced between him and Slarena as if trying to solve a puzzle. Did she recognize him? He hoped she wouldn’t expose them, not when they were so close to free her.

  They were nearly to the slave market building to transfer ownership of Shmi, when two cloaked figures stepped to block their way.

  Watto went to float around them, but one of the cloaked figures stepped to the side to block his path.

  “Eh?! Get out of the way! What you want?” Watto said as he floated back and the rest of the street turned to watch the drama.

  “Watto, you have obligations,” the man on the right said from within the deep hood, “You can’t sell that woman.”

  “Can’t!” Watto said, puffing up, “Who are you to tell me about my business! She’s mine, I can sell her if I want! I offer you a good price before and you say no! Now I have a better offer, and I take it. Now move, you have no right to block me.”

  “We’ll buy her off of you. Fifty thousand credits,” the man said and picked up the sack, “Orders just came through. How does that sound?”

  Watto wavered for a moment and glanced at Slarena who was frowning at the scene.

  “Show me,” Watto said suspiciously to the man. The man reached inside and drew out a few Republic credits and displayed them to Watto. Watto looked shocked for a moment before he burst out laughing.

  “HAhahahaha! All you Jedi the same. Republic credits worth less than dirt. Unless you have some real credits, then I think we’re done here. I’ve had enough of you freaks lurking around my shop, scaring off customers.”

  “Watto, you’re making a mistake,” the Jedi on the left said as Anakin put his hand in his pocket to grip his own lightsaber just in case something happened. What if there were Republic forces around looking for him, “We’re here for her safety.”

  “Safety? You’re here in case that boy turns up,” Watto denied, “Now get out of my way. Or I’ll file a complaint to Jabba. I’m sure he’ll provide me with a nice reward for telling him about two Jedi sneaking into his territory without permission, huh?”

  The Jedi hesitated before turning to Slarena. “Ma’am, don’t…”

  “Hey!” Watto said, “Get out of here if you know what’s good for you, away from my shop forever! Don’t threaten good business, we have a deal to sell the slave to her. And Watto always keeps his word. I’ll get some credits reporting you to Jabba for interrupting with lawful business.”

  The Jedi reluctantly stood aside but trailed behind them as they went to the slave market and went to the registration building.

  Watto glared at the two Jedi who stood back as everyone went in. Anakin kept his grip firmly on his lightsaber as Watto went in and registered the transfer of ownership from himself to Slarena and accepted the payment that they’d brought in huttese credits.

  “I’d like to free her and remove the implant,” Slarena said only a few seconds after the transfer was completed.

  “Huh? You free her? Why, after you pay so much for her?” Watto shouted in surprise as he looked at Slarena.

  Slarena shook her head, “Caretaker for my sister, remember? You think I want someone resentful of me doing that? And she’s mine now, I can do what I wish and it’s none of your business.”

  “Eh, I suppose…” Watto said skeptically as he stared at Slarena for a moment, “But now she’s no longer my problem. Just treat her right, them Jedi have an interest in her even if they don’t want to buy. They might come knocking soon. Friendly warning from friendly Watto. Remember my good prices if you ever come by our humble planet again. Our business is done, I’m off.”

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  Watto turned and floated away with the wings on his back beating as he left out of the door. Slarena turned to the clerk at the counter of the slave market administration building.

  “So? Freeing her?”

  “Right,” the clerk said, “There’s a med droid in the back. It’ll be a hundred credits for the full implant removal. Are you sure you don’t want to just remotely deactivate the implant? You could always turn it back on again if she ever became unruly.”

  “No, full removal,” Slarena said, “I have the credits.”

  She paid and Shmi was led into a backroom where Anakin and Slarena couldn’t see her. Mom looked a little stunned at the sudden turn of events, although she kept shooting glances at Anakin’s masked form.

  Shmi was gone out of sight, and they both waited by the counter impatiently.

  “It shouldn’t take more than ten minutes,” the clerk assured them, “She won’t be damaged, market’s guarantee.”

  They waited for another few minutes, the tension rising with each passing moment as they stood there silently.

  The door opened behind them and they turned to see the two Jedi standing there with their hoods thrown back and holding their unignited lightsabers in their hands. The Jedi on the left was lowering his communicator from his face and staring at Anakin.

  “Anakin Skywalker,” the Jedi said firmly, “You’re a long way from home. We’re glad we found you before anything terrible happened. Come with us, we have Republic operatives that will help get you out of here.”

  “Who said I want to go back?” Anakin said, seeing that they seemed completely confident that it was him, “You left my mother a slave! Watto even offered to sell her to you, and you said no! What if I had been some horrible person who wanted to hurt her? I’m going my own way now. I’m not going with you, and my mother isn’t either.”

  The clerk looked nervous and started tapping at something under the desk several times and Slarena drew her blaster from her hip and held it at the ready for a fight as Anakin took out his own unignited lightsaber.

  “Padawan Skywalker,” the Jedi said, his voice shifting as he saw Anakin moving into a combat stance, “You have been ordered to appear before the Jedi Council where you will be punished for your childish tantrum that has caused us all some headache. I am a trained Jedi master and my padawan is nearly as skilled. You stand no chance against us.”

  Anakin hesitated for a moment before firming his resolve, “Maybe not. But I’m not going back with you.”

  “If you will not come willingly, then I suppose we will have to arrest you,” the master said as he shook his head regretfully, “Padawan Teraga, make sure to temper your blows. We shouldn’t hurt this wayward padawan any more than necessary.”

  “Understood master,” the padawan said as the two Jedi ignited their blades in green and blue. Anakin quickly followed suit and sweated internally.

  “Slarena, get mom out of here!” he shouted, “I’ll catch up!”

  She nodded and turned and fled into the backrooms just as the two Jedi burst into motion and dashed at Anakin at high speed. Anakin drew on the Force himself and leapt to the side, raising his lightsaber into a defensive stance as they approached.

  They started attacking him, and Anakin was almost instantly overwhelmed. It felt like sparring with Master Druman and the other old masters of the Jedi temple again. Every move he made felt like it had been anticipated by the stern faced master slowly boxing him in as Anakin frantically went through his forms and blocked blows that seemingly came from all sides from the two attacking Jedi.

  “Impressive,” the master said calmly, “Padawan Teraga, after the woman and Shmi. Make sure they don’t escape. I will handle this padawan.”

  “NO!” Anakin shouted as the padawan disengaged and dashed off into the back. Anakin went to chase after him, but had to frantically block an overhead strike from the Jedi master and fall back as things turned up a notch.

  Anakin had slight burns all over his body from barely missed strikes of the lightsaber blade, his mask having fallen off of his face at one point. It seems that his dispersion ability did nothing when the lightsaber came by, the disrupting pulse not causing it to change in the slightest. He could tell the Jedi master was only trying to land surface wounds with his weapon, likely trying to wear down Anakin for something. But what?

  Anakin suddenly felt a wash of heat over his back and he stumbled slightly. The Jedi master’s eyes widened slightly and he paused his assault on Anakin. Anakin risked a glance behind him and saw a man in dusty sandy clothes with a blaster raised at Anakin’s back. He was looking between his blaster and Anakin in confusion. He pulled the trigger again, and another blue blast shot out and washed over Anakin with no effect. It was a stun blaster! Anakin’s dispersion ability was dissolving it into nothing before the blast even hit him, it was so low energy.

  So that was the plan…

  Anakin exploited the Jedi master’s confusion to use the Force to strengthen his limbs and dash to the side to try to get around the man. He nearly slipped through and past him before the Jedi master recovered and stepped in the way and started to box in Anakin again, even more ruthlessly this time. Anakin’s burns grew deeper and more severe and his body grew stiff with pain even as his breathing grew heavy from the fighting and the continuous use of the dispersion ability fruitlessly whenever the lightsaber went near him.

  Another five men poured into the room and fired their stun blasts continuously at Anakin. They seemed rather stumped that none of the blasts appeared to affect him in the slightest as he completely ignored them. But it was tiring him out even as the Jedi master squinted suspiciously at him.

  Finally, Anakin could barely move and the Jedi Master seemed to come to a decision and raised his off hand towards Anakin. In a burst of Force, he was thrown back and slammed against the wall of the building. Before he could recover his wits, his lightsaber was ripped from his grip in a burst of the Force and flew into the Jedi master’s outstretched hand.

  “What a fascinating force technique. You will have to tell me where you learned that,” the Jedi master said as Anakin lay there frozen as he was surrounded by the Jedi master and what must be secret Republic soldiers. He was defeated, and his sore and exhausted body felt like it could barely even move.

  He looked hopefully to the back door, only for his heart to sink as Slarena and Shmi walked out with the Padawan standing behind them. Slarena had been disarmed, her signature blaster holster completely empty. Shmi rubbed her neck absently, only for her to freeze and her eyes to widen as she saw Anakin’s face as he lay looking back at her.

  She looked unsure how to feel for a moment as she saw him injured before settling on smiling as he nodded at her.

  Well, he’d be dragged back to the Jedi temple and who knew might happen. But his mother and Slarena would probably be fine. His mom wasn’t a slave anymore, and Anakin didn’t think the Jedi would enslave her again just to spite him. No, it wasn’t the best but this result was okay…

  “Gentlemen. I believe you’ve caused quite the chaos in this humble establishment,” a smooth aristocratic voice said from the entrance of the building.

  Everyone turned to see an old man with refined air about him and bright white hair and manicured beard and mustache. He was holding a lightsaber at his side and dressed with a brown cape with black clothing underneath.

  “Master Dooku?!” the Jedi master in front of Anakin said in surprise, “I thought that you were missing…?”

  “Indeed. I hoped to keep it that way,” Dooku said, “Unfortunately I was nearby when I heard you so brutally accosting a boy who only seeks to go his own way.”

  “Master Dooku, I have orders from the Council…” the master started, but Dooku held up his hand to stop him.

  “The council is static and corrupt,” he stated blandly, “As is the Republic as a whole. What crime has the boy committed? Why should he not be free to live his life as his own?”

  “Crime? No crime. But he’s a padawan, and it is our responsibility as Jedi masters to guide and…”

  “I disagree, Master Erten. I say you and the Republic should let this boy go and find his own way with his mother and companion.”

  “Master Dooku, please step aside,” Master Erten said in a hardening voice, “Rest assured you will answer for why you have disappeared for all of these years without informing the council as to why. Many thought you dead after so long.”

  “I informed them exactly why I left in as clear terms as you can imagine,” Dooku said, “But it seems they have kept that information to themselves. Now, just as you are above that boy in skill, so am I to you. I suggest you leave now if you want to leave this place unscathed.”

  He ignited his lightsaber, the blue blade buzzing as it trailed and started scorching a small line of blackened ash across the floor.

  “Master Dooku,” Master Erten said as he took a fighting stance with a grim look on his face, “If you interfere from us taking in the boy then we will have no choice but to fight.”

  Dooku nodded as if he had expected the response, “Then fight we must.”

  Both men blurred at the same time and started furiously battling, their bodies flickering and dashing around the room as speeds that Anakin could barely even see as their lightsabers clashed over and over in a continuous wall of sound.

  One of the men from the Republic took a pot shot at Dooku when his back was turned, and with a contemptuous flick of his free hand, a wave of Force blasted out and sent the offending man slamming into the far wall even as Dooku twisted his body to dodge the stunning blast.

  Anakin stumbled to his feet over towards Shmi and Slarena standing by the Padawan who looked unsure of what to do.

  Not noticing Anakin, the Padawan seemed to come to a decision and with a look of resolve dashed forward and joined the fight with his master against this Master Dooku.

  “No, back Padawan!” his master shouted as he clashed with Dooku at high speed.

  “I’ll fight with you, master! We’ll take him down together!”

  “You fight together, and so shall you fall as one,” Dooku said as with a deep breath Anakin felt him drawing deep on the Force and speeding up even farther to fight off both Jedi combating him at once. Anakin thought there was the faintest whiff of something familiar from Dooku as he drew on the Force. But he was probably imagining it, a Jedi master like Dooku probably wouldn’t be somebody who would draw on the dark side of the Force… Especially when he looked to be winning either way.

  “Go young Skywalker!” Dooku said as he glanced over to him as Slarena and his mom ran forward and grabbed him around the shoulders, “I will hold them off.”

  With Shmi on one side and Slarena on the other, they helped Anakin’s exhausted body move as they ran into the backrooms. Dooku shifted his stance so he was blocking the door behind them even as he kept fighting the Jedi and in a few quick blasts of the Force sent the four remaining Republic people flying backwards when they went to chase after Anakin, Shmi and Slarena.

  “It’s this way,” Slarena said and pointed, only to lose her grip on Anakin’s shoulders as the two women practically dragged him as he tried to get his feet moving through the waves of exhaustion washing over him.

  Anakin and Shmi stumbled to the side as Anakin accidentally dragged her as he lost Slarena’s support before she refocused and heaved him up again. The three of them hobbled out of the building and Anakin’s head cleared slightly as the twin suns above beat down on him, shocking him from the haze he’d fallen into.

  As the two women helped him move, he started taking deep breaths and drew on the Force as deeply as he could. Slowly he started bearing more weight as the Force welled within to support him and his mind cleared slightly despite his exhaustion. But he felt like it was a ticking clock, his muscles trembling despite the Force holding them in place and giving him the strength to bear his own weight.

  Slarena loosened her grip and shoved Anakin over to Shmi as she briefly ran forward to flag down an animal drawn cart a little bit aways. The clashes and booms still sounded out inside the building, and the streets were nearly empty with everyone fleeing and scurrying to cover away from the battle.

  “To the spaceport!” Slarena said as she practically threw the whole bag of their remaining money at the driver, “As fast as you can, you can keep the whole thing if you get us there quick enough!”

  The man glanced between them and the building behind them.

  “Get in,” he said and slipped the bag into his pocket, “I hide after, but if anyone thinks to ask then I will tell all.”

  That was all it took and Slarena came back and helped Shmi assist Anakin into the cart alongside them. The driver cracked the reins and the beast drawing the cart let out a trumpeting call before it started trotting forward and pulling the cart in a jittering motion behind it as it ran. The man at the reins cracked them over and over to speed the beast as they moved.

  Time passed in a flash around Anakin as he felt the pain from the burns and severe exhaustion letting him barely even able to move as he lay there with his head lolled onto his mother’s shoulder.

  He only came to when Slarena jumped out and dragged him out of the cart with his mother right behind him.

  Anakin coughed and drew on the force again and saw that they were on the entrance of the spaceport.

  Their ship was docked only a few hundred meters down the line from them. Slarena ran forward and took out her remote key synced with the ship that they’d bought. The boarding ramp lowered as Anakin and Shmi hobbled towards her.

  “Hey, there they are! The both of you, stop in the name of Jabba!”

  Anakin looked behind him with a glance and was a group of a dozen armed men who looked like mercenaries standing there pointing at Anakin and Shmi.

  “That’s it, the ship them Jedi’s after!” the leader from before said as they pointed to their stolen vessel, “Don’t let them leave, Jabba’s ordered their capture.”

  Anakin coughed and shook his head and drew more heavily on the Force to strengthen himself, now being the one pulling his mother along with him as they tried to run to the open ramp of the ship where Slarena stood there waving them on with the ship key clutched in her other hand. The key let them open the exterior doors to the ship quickly from the outside, even if they still needed the separate ship codes to control the ship's systems themselves once they were inside.

  “Stop!”

  Anakin and Shmi froze as a blaster bolt hit the floor just to their side. A warning shot from the boss. They were less than twenty meters from the ramp of the ship, but it was still too far. Slarena slowly raised her hand above her head with a resigned look on her face. Anakin and Shmi turned around and his mother half heartedly raised her hands as he clung to her.

  The mercenaries approached, relaxing slightly as they saw Anakin’s weakness as he struggled to keep standing even with his mother’s support.

  “I’ll take down a Jedi boss!” one of the rough men shouted as he raised his gun, “Think of the legend! Even if he’s just a little one.”

  “No, sto-”

  Before the leader of the mercenaries could do anything, the eager mercenary fired his blaster. But his aim was off, and instead of heading towards Anakin, it was heading towards his mother.

  Anakin tried to throw himself in the way of the shot, but his body betrayed him and he was barely able to let it skim his shoulder. Shmi went down with a heart wrenching scream as a wave of expanding plasma consumed half of her face and shoulder in plasma and she fell to the ground writhing and bringing Anakin down with her. Anakin's dispersion ability had hit the concentrated blaster bolt and spread it out into a searing wave of fire that hit his mother.

  “Mom! Mom!”

  “You kriffing idiot! What if that had actually hit the Jedi youngling instead of the useless one? What gives you the guts to…”

  The mercenary leader started chewing out his subordinate even as Shmi writhed on the ground screaming in pain as Anakin desperately tried to comfort her.

  “Let’s take them. Before the Republic dogs get here.”

  The group of mercenaries approached them, and Anakin felt something ugly and frighteningly familiar well up within him. The Dark side, whispering to him. Telling him of what should be done.

  Anakin reached down to his side and drew out his simple durasteel blade, his lightsaber lost to the Jedi master at the slave markets.

  He had to save her, to protect her and hurt hurt hurt anyone that had done this to her.

  Anakin’s body rose off of the ground and stood to its feet as if lifted by an invisible hand as he let the hate hate hate, rage flow through him. The dark side pulsed within him, excited and vibrating like a drum beating to the sound of his rage.

  All of the mercenaries took a step back with looks of fear on their faces as he lifted his simple knife and slashed at the first man’s throat.

  The Dark side pulsed within him in an ever growing tide as his limbs pulsed with its sickly strength, all exhaustion from before forgotten as his mind began to slip into madness as the first splash of blood splashed across his face.

  They fired their blasters, but they did nothing. His dispersion used the freely available well of Dark side flowing through him to shrug off everything and only leaving small scorch marks on his clothes and light burns on him.

  He kept fighting, and his mind slipped from him for a moment as he fought like a beast. When he woke up, all of the mercenaries were dead.

  He turned around and growled, the Dark side pulsing around him as he saw Slarena dragging away his protesting mother into the ship.

  “Ani! Ani, come back!” Shmi shouted even with her half ruined face. Anakin dashed towards them in a burst of motion and stood in front of Slarena with his bloody knife as they were up the loading ramp and nearly on the ship.

  He resisted the urge to plunge the knife forward into Slarena as the woman shifted to block Anakin’s view of Shmi who was behind her.

  “Let her… Don’t hurt her,” Anakin growled, knowing that Slarena had done something. Slarena was grabbing her, and she was hurt. He should kill… No, Slarena was a friend, helping… hurting… rage, anger… Anakin flexed his mental shield and his mind cleared slightly. But it was too much. The dark side kept welling more and more within him even as he stood there, corrupting him far faster than his little mental shield could hold it at bay.

  “I…” Anakin’s voice cracked slightly as he looked at the two of them, “Take care of her. Promise me, Slarena. Please. Go. Get out of here. I’ll… Find… you later. Hurt… I can’t hold much longer.”

  Even now despite his best efforts he could feel his mind twisting and coming up with reasons to justify why he should kill Slarena. Why she shouldn’t be standing over Mom like that, a look in her eyes that was untrustworthy, a thousand reasons and justifications flashed through his mind as he remained standing there like a taught spring ready to burst into violence at the slightest trigger.

  “I promise,” Slarena said solemnly, “I hope you make it out. First day of the galactic year on Urbaret, The Drunk Kreatul bar. We’ll be there if you make it. I hope you make it.”

  “No, Ani! Come with us,” Shmi groaned from the floor, barely looking aware of her surroundings through her pain, “Don’t leave again! Please!”

  “I’ll… be back again, mom. Stay safe. I’m sorry for all of this,” Anakin promised before Slarena shifted in place and his eyes snapped up and his knife arm twitched towards her.

  He stopped himself and took a step back, feeling the Dark side still rising within him. He took more steps back until he was off the ramp even as his mind shield worked overtime as it held its steadily losing ground of his sanity in his mind.

  Slarena hit a button from within the ship, and the ramp raised itself and shut as Anakin resisted the urge to leap up and back inside even as the ramp fully closed. The ship’s engines fired and it raised off of the ground and blasted off into the sky as Anakin remained standing there unmoving.

  “Padawan Skywalker! P-Put down the knife and surrender!”

  Anakin turned and saw nearly forty soldiers with heavy blaster rifles standing there pointing their weapons at him, shooting uncomfortable looks to the dead bodies in front of him and the bare knife held in his grip. And his blood stained form.

  Anakin’s anger began building again at the order, but he kept himself in check with the use of the mind shield, until his eyes caught on the faces of one of the men standing there. It was one of the ones who had been with the Jedi, the ones that had shot him and made him so tired before. If he’d been a little less exhausted, a little quicker than Shmi wouldn’t have been hurt at all and his body would have taken the blaster shot…

  Anakin roared, his voice shaking the ground around him as the Dark side amplified it to echo across the city. The final thread in his mind keeping his reason together snapped, and like a releasing dam, the Dark side of the force with its thrumming power washed over his mind again in a massive wave.

  The world dissolved into streams of colors and endless violence as the true Anakin faded into the background and only the rampaging beast was left.