Blue Moon

Chapter 1

"How did you end up in the outer rim?" asked Anakin.

"Our ship was damaged and we need the parts to repair it." Padmé said.

"We can help, we can fix anything!" Mary exclaimed.

"I believe you can, but first we must acquire the parts we need." Qui-Gon said.

"These junk dealers must have a weakness of some kind." Padmé said looking at Shmi.

"Gambling, everything here revolves around betting on those awful races." the twins' mother exclaimed.

"Podracing... greed can be a powerful ally." Qui-Gon added.

"We've built a racer, it's the faster ever" stated Anakin, "There's a big race tomorrow, on Boonta Eve. You could enter Anakin's pod." continued his sister.

"Mary! Watto won't let you." exclaimed the mother.

"Watto doesn't know we've built it." Mary replied. "You can make him think it's yours and get him to let me pilot it for you." continued the brother.

"I don't want you to race. It's awful, I die every time Watto makes you do it." Shmi said to her son.

"But mom, I love it. The prize money would be more than enough to pay for the parts they need."

"Anakin!" Shmi said sternly.

"Your mother's right. Is there anyone friendly to the Republic who can help us?" the Jedi asked Shmi.

"No." replied the mother sadly.

"Mom, you said the biggest problem in the universe is nobody helps each other." the blond said.

"I'm sure Qui-Gon doesn't want to put your son in danger. We'll find another way." Padmé added.

"No, there is no other way. I may not like it...he can help you and he was meant to help you." said the mother before letting out a heavy sigh.

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"You should be proud of your children. They give without any thought of reward" Qui-Gon said to Shim.

"They know nothing of greed. They have..."

"They have special powers." added Qui-Gon.

"Yes..."

"They can see things before they happen. That's why they appear to have such quick reflexes. They're Jedi traits." stated the Jedi.

"They deserve better than to be slaves." added the mother.

"Had they been born in the Republic...we would have identified them early. The Force is strong with them. Who is their father?" asked the Master.

"There was no father. I carried them, I gave birth, I raised them... I can't explain what happened." said Shmi.

"Can you help them?" she asked.

"I don't know. I didn't actually come here to free slaves." answered Qui-Gon.

The twins sat on the balcony rail of their hovel as Qui-Gon tended to Anakin's cut. The boy leaned back to look at the vast blanket of stars in the sky.

"Stay still, Ani. Let me clean this cut." said Qui-Gon.

"There are so many! Do they all have a system of planets?" asked the boy.

"Most of them." replied the Jedi.

"Has anyone been to them all?" asked Mary.

"Not likely." said Qui-Gon laughing.

Shmi yelled from inside the hovel. "Ani and Mary, bedtime!"

"Ouch!" exclaimed Anakin.

Qui-Gon wiped a patch of blood off Anakin's arm.

"What are you doing?" asked the Skywalker girl.

Qui-Gon scraped Anakin's blood onto a comlink chip.

"Checking your brother's blood for infections." answered her.

"You have a big day tomorrow. Goodnight kids." said the Master.

"Goodnight." the twins said at the same time.

Qui-Gon took the bloodstained chip and inserted it into the comlink, then called Obi-Wan.

"Obi-Wan..."

"Yes, Master." answered the Padawan.

"I need an analysis of this blood sample I'm sending you."

"Wait a minute..."

"I need a midi-chlorian count."

"The reading's off the chart... over twenty thousand. Even Master Yoda doesn't have a midi-chlorian count that high!" said surprised the Padawan.

"No Jedi has."

"What does that mean?" asked Obi-Wan.

"I'm not sure." replied the Master.

The Jedi looked up and saw Shmi on the door looking at him. Embarrassed, she returned to the kitchen while Qui-Gon reflected on the situation, but he didn't notice that the little Skywalker girl had also listened to the whole conversation.