Disclaimer

All characters under copyright in this derivative work are used according to Fair Use as described in Sections 107-118 of the US Copyright Act of 1971. This derivative work is offered as-is for free, no copyright infringement was intended in the making of this derivative work. All copyrighted characters are the property of their respective companies. This derivative work is under Creative Commons Share-Alike Noncommercial Unported License 3.0.

Spelling and Grammar checked using Google Docs.

For Marz1, whose "Village Hidden in Hope" heavily inspired the writing of this story.

Michael "TheZorch" Haney

"Nindo of the Force"

"I had no idea that our arrival on Tatooine would have such a far reaching impact on the galaxy."

Senator Padme Amidala couldn't bring herself to look at her visitor in the eye. Jedi Master Yoda showed no sign that he was disappointed that she and Anakin kept their relationship a secret, but still she had twinges of guilt whenever she looked at him. It was the kind of feeling one gets when they betray a friend and get caught by a parent doing something they shouldn't. That is how it felt for her, like she had betrayed a friend, and Padme considered the ancient Jedi Master a good friend.

Outside her office window the hustle of Coruscant air traffic streamed by as if totally oblivious to the events of the past several years. It was like the Clone Wars had never happened, but inside the Senate it was a different matter. The revelations about Chancellor Palpatine sent the parliamentary body into complete chaos. Bale Organa was Chancellor now, and Padme was happy that someone with his integrity was now in charge.

Now was not the time to point fingers, place blame, or start witch hunts. Sadly, things were heading in that direction. A coalition of senators were calling for a vigorous investigation of certain senators suspected of playing a part in Chancellor Palpatine's plans. Padme and Bale were among a group who urged for calm and a more level headed investigation. When word of Palpatine's death came a few senators mysteriously left, cleaned out their offices, and wiped all of their files. This is what prompted the vigorous investigation, which involved breaking into private files, searching through confidential banking records, and imprisoning people before they had a chance to defend themselves in court.

Yoda nodded, "Difficult to see the future is, even for one strong in the Force."

"Master Yoda," Padme turned from the window to regard him with an expression of profound guilt. "We lied, both of us, to you, to the Jedi Order, to Obi wan. Even to Senator Organa."

She walked behind her desk and put a hand on her chair, "Do I even deserve to still sit in this seat?"

"Senator Amidala, to place blame, come I did not." said Yoda. The diminutive Jedi Master regarded her with eyes that denoted no negative emotions. There was only worry and care in his expression, which made Padme feel even worse for keeping such a secret from him.

She sat down at the desk she felt she no longer deserved to occupy. Again, the look on Yoda's face stung her. How could he be so forgiving? Her love for Anakin lead him astray from the Jedi Order, nearly lead him to the dark side according to the official reports. It was all her fault, she was the one who loved him first. She resisted in the beginning, but his love for her broke her resolve and she allowed their relationship to grow. Her marriage to Anakin could have potentially destroyed the Republic had Palpatine not been stopped by Naruto. Again, she owed that amazing blonde whirlwind so much.

"I love Anakin," she said, still unable to look Yoda in the eye. "But, just knowing that our relationship could have driven him to the dark side, driven him to join Palpatine…"

"Not your fault that was," said Yoda firmly. "With or without you the same it would have been. Seeking a new apprentice Palpatine was. Much fear there is in Anakin, exploited that fear Palpatine did. Gone he is now, hope for Anakin there remains."

Padme wiped tears from her eyes. "Is he to be expelled from the order then?"

She saw the diminutive Jedi Master shake his head, and her heart rose at that. "Discussed this at length the council has," he told her. "Change, a constant of the universe it is, but change the Jedi have not for thousands of years. Vulnerable it has made us. Almost blind to it we were."

"In the natural order of things, something that never evolves eventually dies out." she said from the memory of one of her lessons as a child on Baboo.

The expression on his face told her the ancient Jedi agreed with her. "As you say, indeed it is." he replied. "Change, the Jedi Order must."

She couldn't deny his logic, but for the Jedi to abandon their ancient ways so quickly. "There's another reason for this change." she stated.

"Naruto." she guessed right when he answered. Padme knew the unpredictable blonde whirlwind well. They were friends since the Battle of Naboo. He was the only other person to know about her and Anakin, and kept their secret.

"Like the Witches of Dathomir his people are, yet different." said Yoda. "Remarkable his powers are, yet draw from the darkside he does not." Padme knew the darkside well. She'd seen what a Sith Lord was like up close in the form of Count Dooku, and there was Palpatine. How a man who seemed so kind could have been such a monster was both baffling and terrifying at the same time.

"Knew him you did, many years you have." she nodded.

"Yes, I first met Naruto on Tatooine when we had to land there to repair our ship." she told him.

She looked out to the vast city, to the endless lines of aerial traffic. She watched the ebb and flow as it had the power to draw her back into the past. "Master Obi Wan was still just a padawan then, he and Qui Gon Jinn rescued us, but the Trade Federation damaged our hyperdrive. Our only chance of reaching Coruscant was to land and make repairs. Things didn't work out, none of the dealers in Mos Espa were interested in helping people who only had Republic credits to their name. Our walk around town attracted unsavory attention, but also the attention of someone else. If it weren't for her I don't know what would have happened to us."

Book II - A New Power Rising

Chapter 1

Padme was growing desperate.

None of the shops they went to would help them. She thought the old Toydarian at the first place they visited would be the only one to turn them away. But, after the fourth shop she was beginning to fear they'd find nobody willing to aid them. Qui Gon had called Obi Wan, they had her wardrobe, technically her bodyguard's wardrobe, to trade but that wouldn't get enough money to pay for a whole hyperdrive. Not even the astromech droid, R2D2, that accompanied them would give them even a fraction of what they needed.

To make matters worse, the Gungan got into an altercation with a Dug. Qui Gon resolved the matter without violence, but it drew attention. She was very observant, in her career she had to be. There were eyes on them, and they weren't friendly. Despite his calm demeanor, she could tell Qui Gon also sensed it. He was keeping his hand close to his lightsaber. She also kept her's close to the tiny hand blaster she kept hidden in her belt. Nighttime was coming, and a heavy wind was picking up. A sandstorm was coming. It would be hard to see soon. That would make it the perfect time for an ambush. She didn't know if the sandstorms on Tatooine were dangerous or not until she began to notice how vacant the streets were suddenly getting.

"I think we should seek shelter." she had to raise her voice over the sound of the wind.

Qui Gon agreed, he pointed towards an open alley way. "There, we might find someplace to shield us from the wind in there." she followed, not really keen on going into a dark alley but it was better than being out in the open. The blowing sand was starting to sting, she gave her the final answer to her question about whether sandstorms here were dangerous or not.

"Me'sa can't see nothin." Jar Jar complained. She grabbed his hand to keep him from wandering off. Artwo, probably the only member of their group who could see clearly through the growing clouds of dust, kept up with them.

She heard Qui Gon call out ahead. "Here, this one isn't locked."

He had found a storage room. It wasn't furnished but it should protect them from the blowing sand until morning. Sleeping on the hard plascrete floor was going to be uncomfortable. Padme wasn't looking forward to that, but there was no way around it. Jar Jar plopped into a corner and was already falling fast asleep.

She turned to regard the Jedi Master. "What are we going to do?" she asked him. "We've been to several shops in town, and none of them are willing to help."

"It is a dilemma," replied Qui Gon. "This world is controlled by the Huts. The lust of money dominate the thoughts of these people. Greed can be a powerful weapon, perhaps we can find some way to use it to our advantage."

She thought that was odd coming from a Jedi. "Without any money how would we do that?" she asked.

"I do not know," he replied thoughtfully. "I will trust in the Force to show us the way. An opportunity may present itself, we need only wait for it to come."

"Naboo can't wait long." she stated.

"Rest assured, young handmaiden, I promise you Naboo will not have to wait long for justice." She knew he was trying to reassure her, but she didn't feel reassured.

A sudden warbling from Artwo drew her attention. The astromech droid was bouncing side to side on his legs and bleeping up a storm. She couldn't understand him, but got the sense something wasn't right. Her blaster was in her hand just as the door started to open. Through the narrow opening she could see the silhouettes of several figures. She heard the telltale click of blaster safeties being turned off.

Qui Gon was in motion long before she was. He had his lightsaber in hand, but had not yet ignited it's blade. He was positioning himself, Padme guessed, so he could deflect blaster fire when the shooting started. She moved to the side of the door to flank whoever came through first. The rush she was expecting didn't come. Outside, Padme could hear a sudden commotion. There was a shout in a tongue she wasn't unfamiliar with, following by the sound of bodies hitting the ground. No shots were fired.

When it was over, Padme saw the door only a little more to admit the lithe figure of a takk bald woman. Once inside, the woman closed the door behind her. Qui Gon lowered his weapon, she noticed. The Jedi obviously didn't sense anything threatening from this strange woman, so Padme lowered her blaster but didn't put it away.

"They never watch their backs." the woman commented, shaking her head.

"I take it you are the one responsible for dealing with those men outside." Master Qui Gon said. The woman nodded. Padme was able to get a good look at her now. She had no hair on her head save for a single tail of hair. Her outfit was some kind of leather. Over her right breast was a symbol, perhaps a badge of some kind. The symbol was a cuneiform character of some language she didn't know next to twin stars. Perhaps representing the twins suns of Tatooine. Her skin was grey, Padme wasn't sure what race she was from. Curiously, the woman carried what appeared to be a lightsaber and a blaster. Neither was drawn, however.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"My name is Aurra Sing," the woman replied.

"I am Qui Gon Jinn," the Jedi introduced himself. "My young friend here is Padme, and the one snoring is Jar Jar Binks."

Turning to the Jedi, the woman said, "If it was your intention to keep a low profile, Master Qui Gon, I think you failed. That long eared friend of yours drew a lot of attention. As you may have noticed this town isn't exactly safe."

"I'm not certain what you mean, we are simply travelers." Qui Gon spoke calmly. Padme saw him betray no emotion of concern. The fact this Aurra knew he was a Jedi rose some concern.

"I'm Force sensitive, I know a Jedi when I see one." Aurra smiled. "I also know people who are in need of help when I see them." Padme notice Qui Gon quirk his eyebrow at this declaration.

"Do you make a habit of helping strangers?" she asked with a suspicious tone in her voice. People who offer their help all of a sudden out of the blue usually had an ulterior motive. She had to always be on her guard for such people. Naboo wasn't really that kind of cut throat political environment, but it there were those in the court who we opportunists. The type who would stab you in the back the moment you weren't looking.

Aurra replied, "Helping people is my job. There's more like me, but we're too few. We can only help so many at one time. You're lucky I spotted you when I did." The sad expression on Aurra's face felt genuine, but Padme didn't put her guard down. Not quite yet.

"What can you do to help us?" Master Qui Gon asked.

"You visited several junk dealers," Aurra stated. "Which means you likely need help repairing a ship. You don't have local currency, so you couldn't pay landing fees, which means you landed on the outskirts of the city. Far enough out not to be noticed, but close enough to reach Mos Espa on foot." Padme did have to congratulate this woman for her spot on deductive reasoning. They were dealing with someone who was very smart.

"We were on our way to Coruscant, in the core systems, on an urgent mission for the Republic when our hyperdrive was damaged." Qui Gon explained. Padme was about to say much the same thing. It was enough to explain the urgency of their need without giving up too much sensitive information.

Aurra nodded, "Damaged hyperdrive, that won't be a problem. Our mechanic can fix almost anything. First things first, we need to get you all safely out of town." Artwo warbled something, Padme couldn't understand what the droid said, but the sound almost seemed to have a sarcastic tone.

"Where is this mechanic of yours?" Padme asked her.

"Mos Sukui," Aurra replied. "It's only minutes away by ship. We're a small settlement, but growing. The Hutts have no foothold there, and every person we rescue helps make us stronger. Nearly every citizen of Mos Sukui is either a former slave, someone we helped, or someone who literally had nothing until the founders gave them hope."

Padme looked questioningly at Qui Gon. "Founders?" he asked Aurra.

"Naruto and Jiraiya," Padme detected a bit of reverence in her tone. "Their story is one they'd gladly tell you in person. Let's just say that they've taken it upon themselves to help make Tatooine a better place for everyone."

"I'd imagine that didn't endear them with the gangster very much." Qui Gon stated the obvious. Padme smirk at the sound Artwo made, which almost seemed to be in agreement.

Aurra shook her head. "The Hutts barely notice us," she said. "For now we help as many people as we can. We aren't strong enough to challenge the gangsters, not yet." She then gave a wicked smile that sent chills down Padme's spine.

"The local gangs, they're a different story."

Padme regarded Qui Gon with a questioning look. "Master Qui Gon…"

"I sense no deception," he cut her off. "My heart tells me we should trust her."

Padme protested, "How can you so lightly put our fate in the hands of a woman we only just met?" She look at Aurra who didn't seem offended at all. It was as if she were used to seeing this sort of thing.

"Our meeting was the will of the Force, of that I am certain." he told her. She didn't understand the Force, but she did know the Jedi not only understood it but lived it. Still, even if Master Qui Gon trusted this Aurra Sing, she'd have to earn her trust. For now, she'd defer to the Jedi, but would keep her guard up nonetheless.

Padme nodded, "Fine, so what's the plan?"

Aurra smiled, not the wicked one from before, but a much friendlier and kinder smile that took Padme by surprise. "First, we wait for this sandstorm to let up, then my partner takes you to your ship in her speeder. Then, I'll guide you to Mos Sukui in my ship, I keep it in a private hanger that also serves as our base of operations here in the city."

"What partner?" her question as answered by a complex series of taps on the door. Artwo bleep and warbled, bouncing from leg to leg in agitation.

"Ok, storm's letting up." said Aurra as she opened the door. On other side Padme could see a curvy Twi'lek woman wearing a breather mask, probably used to keep the dust out of her lungs.

After she removed the masked, Padme was surprised to see she was similar to her in age, and the Twi'lek was also very pretty. "Wind's letting up, and I'm seeing shadows moving around out there. I don't think these thugs were working alone, Aurra."

"How many?" Aurra asked.

"Three or four," said the Twi'lek girl.

"Not a problem," said Aurra. "I can deal with them. Mira, these people and their droid need to be taken to their ship in the outskirts. Go to the usual spot so I can pick you up with the Redemption."

Mira looked apprehensively down the alley way. "Aurra, I left the speeder on the main street. If we go out there they're going to see us." Padme hoped they could get out of this without a fight, but she would if she had to.

"Don't worry, I've got this, you get them out of the city."

Padme roused Jar Jar, who was reluctant to wake up, but soon had the gungan on his feet and moving out into the dusty alley. The fierce wind of the sandstorm had let us, but the air was still cloudy with dust. Staying close to Qui Gon and Artwo, she lead Jar Jar out into the street. Sure enough, she picked up on the sudden shouts of several men nearby.

After helping Qui Gon lift Artwo into the speeder, she climbed in next to him. The shouts grew closer, and Padme could see figures approaching at a running pace. "Punch it Mira!" Aurra called. Padme held on as the speeder lurched forward. Behind her she heard Jar Jar give a yelp.

Before going out of sight, Padme watched as Aurra stood her ground. In her hand was a lightsaber. The blade hissed as it came to life, and to her surprise it was white not blue, or green, or even red. Blaster fire rang out and Aurra effortlessly deflected the incoming bolts, then they were around the corner, and soon the sound of battle faded away.

"Don't worry," Mira shouted back to them. "Aurra's been in worse fights, she'll be alright."

Padme watched for any speeders chasing them, but she saw none as they left the edge of town. It was when Mos Espa faded from view behind a few dunes that a speeder came barreling at them from the side. Padme could hear the hiss of the blaster fire pass overhead. She raised her small blaster and fired back. The uneven ground made it hard to aim but she managed to score a direct hit. One of the three armed men toppled over and fell rolling onto the desert sands. She couldn't hear the other two over the sound of the speeder engines, but she imagined they were cursing at her. Their blaster fire intensified after that shot, forcing her duck her head.

"Keep your head down!" She heard Qui Call call and then came the hiss of his lightsaber.

She watched as the Jedi Master deflected blaster fire with effortless risked taking a peek, one of the deflected the shots sailed back and hit the speeder in the port side engine. Spewing black smoke it started dropping behind them rapidly. The armed men tried a few ineffectual shots, but none of them came anywhere close. Minutes later they at the ship.

"We weren't expecting you to return so soon." she was met by Captain Panaka and young Padawan Obi Wan Kenobi at the ramp.

"Master, were you able to secure a replacement hyperdrive?" Obi Wan asked.

"I'll explain once we're in the air," said Qui Gon. Padme saw Panaka look to her, she gave him a signal in the secret hand language they used, and he nodded. They were onboard and in the air within minutes. Padme quietly made her way to bridge to listen and observe. The Master Jedi relayed the situation thus far, and Captain Panaka as usually seemed skeptical. She signaled for him to allow it.

The Redemption signaled them several minutes later. Padme recognized its design as Corellon. The course Aurra had them follow took them deep into the Dune Sea. Minutes passed, then she could see a tall plateau rising up over the horizon. The suns were setting, so a myriad of lights could be seen at the top. Padme made out construction towers and cranes used for moving cargo and lifting construction material.

"An odd place for a settlement, Master." Obi Wan commented. Padme thought so as well but kept that thought to herself.

"I sense we may be in for more surprises once we land." Qui Gon's comment unsettled Padme. Had they made a mistake believing this Sing woman?

"Noobian transport, you're clear to land on pad four," came a voice over the communicator. "Welcome to the free city of Mos Sukui. Please enjoy your stay."

"They sound friendly enough." Captain Panaka murmured, the signal Padme saw him give her said something different. She nodded, they weren't going to take any chances on this being a trap.

As the ship landed she slipped back to the rear of the ship where Sache and other handmaidens were waiting. Captain Panaka appeared soon after and she discussed what they could do from this point forward. She and Panaka proceeded to the ramp once the Jedi were ready to disembark and talk to the locals about repairs to the ship. Her selection to join Master Qui Gon again didn't seem to elicit any suspicion from the Jedi Master. At least she didn't notice any. Jar Jar, was of course, advised to stay behind this time. Padme followed behind the group right next to R2D2.

Meeting them at the bottom of the ramp was a woman in simple leathers. She too had the same insignia on her left breast that Aurra Sing wore, Padme noticed. In fact, all the members of the ground crew who began attaching fuel lines to their ship wore the same insignia. She saw nothing that indicated a military rank, and few of these people looked like mercenary type. There were guards with blasters in what could be called uniforms, but she noticed they were focusing on watching the skies than watching any of the people milling about the small space port.

"Welcome to the free city of Mos Sukui," the woman said cheerfully. "My name is Shmi Skywalker. Aurra mentioned you need repairs done on your ship." Padme carefully looked her over, the woman was rather plain looking, and her smile seemed rather genuine.

"Yes, it's our hyperdrive I'm afraid," said Qui Gon, who then gestured to Artwo. "The technical specifications are inside our R2 unit."

Padme watched her nod. "Alright, let's go down to the workshop and talk to the head engineer." She gestured for them to follow. Padme followed, staying quietly behind the two Jedi doing nothing to draw attention to herself.

The center of the plateau had a huge star shaped canyon carved into it. The walls of the canyon were pretty steep. Padme could see lift shafts built into the cliffsides. Shmi was leading towards one of them. The lift was open air, and spacious likely carry heavy cargo. Padme looked over safety railing and gasped at the sight below. Nestled in the star shaped canyon was a city. The buildings were carved out of the stone cliffsides of the canyon themselves. There were a few buildings, all made from what looked like local stone. The furoughfairs of the city were all illuminated, and they were all abuzz with activity. Padme was no Jedi, but she could feel a definite difference in the vibe of this place. As the lift car reached the bottom she could see the people. They were all clean, well dressed, and above all they all looked very happy. There were few frowns in the small groups she saw. The city wasn't quite as crowded as Mos Espa, but for it's size they had an impressive population.

"Right this way," Shmi beckoned. Padme noticed that people parted to make way for Shmi, and a few even called out to her in friendly greeting. Their walk was short, Shmi lead them through a large stone arch into a massive cavern.

Padme looked around, the cavern was a repair center. A system of gantries on the ceiling held heavy lift cranes and bright lighting panels. There were four large ships in the repair center, and a number of small speeders of different types. Engineers in protective coveralls worked on the various vessels aided by a swarm of small service droids. There were even several R2 and R4 units roaming about. Padme was rather impressed with the sight. Everything seemed clean and well organized for what was essentially a mechanics shop.

"Threepio!" Shmi called out.

Padme winced at the sound of a loud clang. "Oh my, goodness gracious me! Coming Mistress Skywalker!" Stumbling out of a sea of well organized parts shelves came a gold plated protocol droid. Padme nearly laughed, the poor thing seemed better suited for the royal court of Naboo than some machine shop.

"I've got some people here with a repair emergency to see Anakin." Shmi explained.

"Welcome to the Mos Sukui Engineering Workshop," the droid greeted them proudly. "I am C3PO human cyborg relations. Master Anakin is currently at bay six repairing the Calamari ship that came in last night. If you'll follow me, I'll take take you see him."

"Who is Anakin?" Qui Gon Jinn asked the question Padme wanted to ask.

"He's my son, and the chief engineer in charge here." Shmi replied.

"Threepio, take good care of our guests, I have to go up to the Jiyukage Tower to make arrangement in case they need to stay until the repairs are done." Shmi waved and departed.

"Of course, Mistress Skywalker," said Threepio in a tone Padme thought was overly delighted. "Everyone, please come this way."

They followed the droid down several rows of parked ships. He stopped when they reached a small vessel sitting in a large yellow square marked on the floor marked bay six. Padme recognized the ship as a definite Calamari design.

"Master Anakin, I say Master Anakin, are you there?" C3PO called out.

A small head popped up from an access panel on top of the ship. "What is it Threepio?" Padme was taken aback by how high pitched the voice was. Shmi said he was her son. Was he one of the more diminutive alien races, and thus an adopted son? Such practices weren't unheard of.

"You mother brought some people who need emergency repairs." the protocol droid said.

"Ok, I'll be right down." the high pitched voice called again. Padme winced as she heard a series of clanks and other sounds. Someone layden with tools was crawling around on the inside of the ship's workings. Soon, from another panel close to the ground a small figure emerged. When he approached Padme stared in shock. The small figure, clad in engineering coveralls and carrying twin bandoleers of various tools was a little boy of maybe nine years old.

"Hi, I'm Anakin," the little boy shook Qui Gon's hand. "So you need emergency repairs. What sort of repairs are we talking about?" Padme shrugged when Qui Gon looked at her and he then looked to his Padawan who did the same.

"We're having trouble with our hyperdrive," he replied. Artwo moved forward, bleep something unintelligible and displayed a hologram of the ship.

"Oh, a Noobian," Anakin smiled. "Let me guess, it's cracked and started leaking."

Qui Gon shared a look with his Padawan and Padme again. "Yes, exactly." said Obi Wan.

"Noobian hyperdrives are usually pretty sturdy, " Padme smiled at how businesslike the young boy was as he pulled out a datapad. "You either hit something or got shot at. Flying around in the outer rim, you likely got shot at. It happens, pirates are pretty common in these parts." She had to admit, he was also pretty smart for a little kid.

"It was something like that." she spoke up.

"Are you really the chief engineer in charge here?" she then asked. Anakin didn't seem offended by the question at all. She figured he was probably used to the question.

Anakin just shrugged, "That's what they tell me, I was voted in after all." Padme stifled a giggle at how so nonchalantly he handled the question.

"How soon do you think the repairs can begin, and I should also tell you we carry only Republic credits." Qui Gon told him. Padme braced herself, but Anakin's next words surprised her.

"We never charge for emergency repairs," he said. "As for how soon, maybe tomorrow I think. We're a little shorthanded because Nadala dropped a plasma phase converter on her foot the other day." Padme winced, she was no engineer but she knew those things were dense, and that meant they were heavy. Really heavy.

"Thank you," she heard surprise and profound gratitude in Qui Gon's voice, but she also saw something else. He was looking at the young boy with an expression she couldn't quite figure out. It was as if he came to a sudden realization about something, then the expression was gone and the Jedi mask of calm returned.

"Well, master, that was surprisingly easy." Obi Wan commented.

"Coming here was indeed the will of the Force, Obi Wan." Padme was starting to wonder if maybe he was right. It might take one or two days to repair the ship, and then they'd be back on their way to Coruscant. She hoped Naboo could hold out until then. Getting to Coruscant was one thing, but then there was the problem of dealing with the Senate. She was well aware of the current state of the parliament from her experience dealing with the Trade Federation blockade. Which was all the more reason why they needed to get to Coruscant as soon as possible.

"I gotta go to the Jiyukage Tower to requisition parts for your ship," the young boy finally looked up from his data pad. "Why don't you come with me, I'll introduce you to Naruto and Jiraiya. They like meeting new visitors."

Padme very much wanted to finally meet these two. She wanted to know if they were everything Aurra Sing made them out to be. With nothing else better to do than wait, Qui Gon agreed and she followed along behind in anticipation. She had no idea what she was about to get herself into.

Author's Notes

I'd like to thank Marz1 whose story "A Village Hidden in Hope" was the inspiration for this one. Our stories share some similarities, but I'm headed in a very different direction and I've got a long term goal in mind. This is going to be a 7 part saga. This one covers the Battle of Naboo and the 10 year gap between "The Phantom Menace" and "Attack of the Clones". If you'd like to know everything I've got planned for this series I'm going to produce a video on my Youtube channel about it in the near future.