Star Wars: Not Quite A Shadow (WIP)

Chapter 3

"Mom! Mom, we're home!" Anakin exclaimed as they all came through the door of the hovel. Each of them (except R2D2) shook the sand off of their clothes as they entered the Skywalker home. Shmi, who had clearly been in the kitchen judging by the towel she was carrying, seemed surprised but pleased to see four strangers in her home. "Oh my, Ani, what's this?"

"Just for the record, Mom, Anakin was the one who invited them, not me," Petra said with a trace of annoyance as she made her way to the room she shared with her mother.

Qui-Gon chuckled slightly as she brushed past him. "I'm Qui-Gon Jinn. Your son was kind enough to offer us shelter."

Shmi nodded. "He was right to do so; sandstorms are very dangerous here. You're of course all welcome to stay the night with us."

"Thank you, but as soon as the storm passes we should return to our ship," Qui-Gon replied. How long do you think it will last?"

With a small smile, Shmi answered, "Likely all night. And even if the storm doesn't last as long as they usually do, the desert is too dangerous to travel at night. Please, stay."

He nodded and introduced the rest of those with him, though Anakin had already taken Padme to his room to show off his new protocol droid that he was building. "If you'll excuse me, I'll return to preparing dinner," Shmi said, turning back to the cooking area.

"Please, allow me to help you," Qui-Gon offered. "It's only fair since you are giving us a place for the night."

Petra, meanwhile, tried in vain to sleep. Not only was there a buzz of activity in the hovel that kept her from sleeping, but the events of the day continued to roll over and over again in her mind. She supposed she should be less begrudging about their guests staying, especially considering what the man named Qui-Gon had done for her. But she hated to feel indebted to anyone, and beyond that, hated to feel helpless. She rose and sat on the edge of the bed, staring at her reflection in a mirror hanging on the wall across from her. Feeling helpless was an all-too familiar feeling for many people on Tatooine, she was no exception. She felt helpless every single day to do anything to help her family or herself. The promises made and broken by the bounty hunter she fell in love with seemed utterly laughable now. She refused to allow anyone to give her hope like that again, or to allow anyone to crack the walls of her heart.

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Obi-Wan was meditating, seeking to calm his mind of the irritation that came whenever he thought of Qui-Gon's insistence at coming to this barren planet. Obi-Wan had far less experience than Qui-Gon, but surely even the Council would see the folly in landing on Tatooine. He concentrated on using the techniques Qui-Gon had taught him through years of patient instruction...to little avail. He could not calm his own restless spirit, certain that whatever came of this planet would bring only bad things to all of them. The source of this feeling, however, eluded him. During the past few weeks and nights, Obi-Wan had experienced a recurring dream like never before; instead of clear images, all he saw were blurs and flashes of light. He opened his eyes and stared at the wall opposite his small bunk. Perhaps it was this recurring dream that was the source of discomfort in his spirit, a feeling he had not shared with anyone, not even Master Qui-Gon. "Obi-Wan, there is an incoming message for Queen Amidala", said one of Captain Panaka's men standing in the open doorway of the Jedi's quarters. Obi-Wan nodded his acknowledgement and uncrossed his legs, sitting on the edge of the bed before standing and pulling on his robe. His meditation would need to wait until he heard the message and reported to Qui-Gon. Even though Qui-Gon had promised to report in again, Obi-Wan knew his master would want to know of the message's contents.

As he moved into the area of the ship that housed the Queen's makeshift throne, he bowed low to her and proceeded to sit on a bench that jutted out from the hull of the ship. It was not long before they heard the distorted message from Senator Sio Bibble on Naboo: "Your Majesty, the situation on Naboo is now very dire. The Trade Federation has cut off all food supplies until you return. The death toll is catastrophic, we must bow to their wishes! Please, tell us what to do! You must contact me..." and at this, the message broke up. Obi-Wan jumped to his feet and said, "It's a trick. Send no reply. Send no transmissions of any kind." And with that warning, he quickly returned to his quarters and turned on his comlink. "Master Qui-Gon, it's Obi-Wan."

A quiet beep was an indication of Qui-Gon's receiving the message and responding. "Yes, Obi-Wan?"

"We have received a message from Naboo. It seems that the Federation is tightening the noose, so to speak. They have asked Queen Amidala to send a response."

"Did you instruct them to do no such thing?" Qui-Gon asked.

"Of course I did, Master" Obi-Wan replied. "It must be a trick."

"I agree" Qui-Gon said. "It sounds like bait to establish a connection trace."

Obi-Wan hesitated before speaking again. "But what if it is true, and the people are dying?"

Qui-Gon paused. "Either way, we're running out of time." And with that, Qui-Gon closed the communication line. Obi-Wan leaned back against the wall. His master had said nothing of why he had to abruptly get off his comlink earlier that day. Obi-Wan's innate curiosity was now bubbling to the surface, wondering what had been so important for his master to cut him off with little explanation. He supposed he would have to wait and find out when his master returned, and hopefully with the parts they needed to be on their way. He only hoped that would be within the next few days. Obi-Wan's thin patience was wearing even thinner.

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Petra combed her hair and brushed off her clothes once more, still finding bits of sand in the material. Because the sandstorm was raging outside, there would be no reason to go back to the shop today. There was too much danger in simply walking from the hovel to the shop; a person could easily become lost or even buried alive under the sand. Petra breathed a sigh of relief that the sandstorm intervened for her, if only for one night. She straightened and prepared herself to face their guests once more. She wasn't typically standoffish, but something about these people unnerved her, and she couldn't place why. She only knew that Qui-Gon, whoever he was, was incredibly perceptive. She almost felt intruded upon when he looked at her, as if he was reading her very thoughts and knew what she was thinking of him. She shook her head. Were ordinary humans able to be mind readers? Surely not. Yet, she had heard rumors of the Jedi able to move objects and even creatures with their minds, but there was no way that this man was a Jedi. They were too far removed from the Republic, no one from the Republic would bother to come this far out of the Core. Then, a flicker of memory: the incident in the alley. Did he use a Jedi mind trick? The two men backed down much too easily for that to have been a coincidence. She had never seen one done, but the entire event seemed to fall in line with what she knew regarding Jedi. This caused even more anxiety. If he was a Jedi, what in the world was he doing on a planet like Tatooine? And what was the story of those who were with him? Padme, to begin with. Petra keenly noted that while she was dressed as a servant, the girl walked and moved with an air of authority. There was nothing submissive about her. She didn't know what to make of Jar Jar, but judging by the observations she'd made regarding his race she wagered he was more of an aquatic species that did not solely live on land; certainly not native to a planet such as Coruscant.

A soft knock on the door followed by, "Petra, it's time to eat," from her mother. She glanced at her reflection again. Her wondering would have to wait until after dinner.