"Moisture farms for the most parts. Some indigenous tribes and scavengers. The few spaceports like this one are havens for those who don't wish to be found." Qui-Gon said walking in the streets of Mos Espa.
"Like us." Padmé replied looking around.
The group found the shopping market part of the spaceport.
"We'll try one of the smallest dealers." the Jedi Master stated before heading towards a shop.
"I need parts for a J-type 327 Nubian." Qui-Gon said walking away with Watto while Padmé noticed two kids, a blond boy and a brunette girl.
"Are you an angel?" said the boy.
"What?" Padmé asked confused.
"An angel. I heard the deep space pilots talk about them. They are the most beautiful creature in the universe." continued the little boy "I listen to all the traders and star pilots who come by here. We are pilots and someday we're gonna fly away from this place."
"Forgive my brother, miss." replied the little girl "When he starts talking, he never ends."
"It's ok. Don't worry. Are you pilots?" asked Padmé intrigued.
"All our lives." he answered.
"How long have you been here?"
"Since we were three, I think, our mom and us were sold to Gardulla the Hutt but she lost us betting on the Podraces." affirmed the brunette.
"You're a slave." said Padmé sadly.
"We are people and our names are Anakin and Mary." Anakin replied sternly.
"I'm sorry. My name is Padmé." said desolated.
"Don't worry Padmé." Mary said with a little smile "We are used to being called so."
Suddenly they heard a noise and saw Jar Jar touching a small droid that started running around.
"Hit the nose." said Anakin to the Gungan.
Jar Jar finally turned off the droid. Qui-Gon suddenly returned to the shop "We're leaving."
"I have to go... it was nice to meet you, Anakin and Mary." said Padmé before leaving.
"We were glad to have met you too." said the blond.
☾☼
Padmé walked behind the Jedi and heard him contact Obi-Wan Kenobi and suddenly saw Jar Jar on the ground and Anakin and his sister helped him.
"Hi." greeted the twins.
"Hi there." Qui-Gon approached them.
"Your buddy here was about to be turned into orange goo." Anakin stated "He picked a fight with a Dug called Sebulba." continued Mary.
"The kids are right...you were heading for troubles. Thank you, my young friends." declared the Jedi Master.
"Here you'll like these pallies... here." Mary said as she bought from an old lady.
"Thank you." Qui-Gon gave the girl a smile. He took the fruit placing it in his pocket, revealing his lightsaber.
"Oh, my bones are aching... storm's coming up, kids. You'd better get home quick." said the old lady.
"Do you have a shelter?" Anakin asked Qui-Gon. "We'll head to our ship." the Jedi answered, "Is it far?" continued the little girl. "It's on the outskirts." Padmé replied.
"You'll never reach the outskirts in time... sandstorms are very dangerous. Come on! We'll take you to our place." responded the blond as the twins led the group to their home.
"Mom, we're home." Anakin called out. "These are our friends." Mary said introducing the group to their mother.
"We're building a droid, you wanna see?" Mary asked Padmé. "Come on, we'll show you." Anakin led her into the room where the droid was.
"Isn't he great, he's not finished yet. He's a protocol droid to help mom. Watch!" Anakin added turning on the droid.
"Hello, my name is C-3PO, Human-Cyborg relations." the droid introduced himself.
"He's amazing!" said Padmé.
"When the sandstorm is over, we'll show you our racer, we're building a Podracer." Anakin said excited.
"I would love that." said Padmé with a smile.
The group sat in the dining room and the twins' mother began to speak, "All slaves have a transmitter somewhere inside their body."
"I've been working on a scanner to try and locate our." Anakin said before eating.
"Any attempt to escape..." continued the mother, "And they blow up...Boom!" added Mary.
"How wude!" Jar Jar exclaimed.
"I can't believe there is still slavery in the galaxy. The Republic's anti-slavery laws..." Padmé said upset.
"The Republic doesn't exist in these parts. We survive on our own." Shmi added.
"Has anybody ever seen a Podracer?" said little Skywalker, breaking the silence.
"They have Podracing on Malastare, very fast and very dangerous." Qui-Gon said getting the twins' attention.
"Anakin's the only human who can do it." Mary said proudly.
"You have Jedi reflexes if you race Pods." said impressed the Jedi.
"You're a Jedi Knight, aren't you?" asked the blond Skywalker.
"What makes you think that?" the Master replied.
"I saw your laser sword. Only a Jedi carry that kind of weapon." Anakin stated.
"Perhaps I killed a Jedi and took it from him." Qui-Gon spoke again.
"I don't think so" said Anakin, "No one can kill a Jedi." replied his sister.
"I wish that were so." answered the Master.
"I had a dream that Mary and I were Jedi, we came back and freed all the slaves...have you come to free us?"
"No, I'm afraid not."
"I think you have...why else would you be here?" the Skywalker girl declared.
"I can't see there's no fooling you. We're on our way to Coruscant, the central system in the Republic, on a very important mission." Qui-Gon said.
"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.
☾☼
"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.