WARNING: MENTION OF PANIC ATTACKS AND ANXIETY
Alana sped through space, her eyes blurred with tears, willing the ship to go faster. She was completely blinded by her emotions, by her mother's anguish, by her fear that she couldn't think straight. All of this manifested in her physically in the form of a panic attack. She sat in an unknown ship, in a compact and small cockpit meant just for two, and she could not regain control of herself. She closed her eyes in an attempt to calm down when suddenly, she felt a soft and calming presence in the Force, one that she had only felt once before during her trials.
"It ok, momma."
Alana's eyes flew open, the tiny and perfect voice bringing her back to present and immediately calming her down. Alana's breath was back in control, and she was no longer shaking or afraid. She was immensely calm.
"Who are you?" She said out loud, but the presence had already disappeared again. That was the second time the child had called her 'momma.'
The silence around her was deafening, when all of a sudden, Alana heard a beeping sound, telling her that they were jumping out of hyperspace right beside the planet of Tatooine. She decided it was best to land outside the spaceport where she had grown up.
It was late during the nighttime when she arrived, and the town was completely silent. Alana made to get out of the cockpit, but she got dizzy, her body overcome with exhaustion.
"I have to keep going," she whispered to herself when suddenly everything went black.
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Alana woke up to bright daze of the sun above her, the heat nearly suffocating her in the cockpit of the ship. Suddenly, the sound of Jawas outside the plane brought her back. She sprung the cockpit open and jumped out to see Jawas surrounding the plane, and she ignited her lightsaber while jumping to the ground.
"If I come back and my ship isn't in one piece, I will find you and slaughter your whole crew," she said, causing the Jawas to start screaming and running away from her and her ship. Alana laughed as they disappeared out of sight.
Her eyes adjusted to the landscape and she looked in the cockpit, checking the time. It was past noon. She had been asleep for a very long time. Her body had been overly exhausted, having not slept in days, so it shut down herself.
Alana turned to make way into the spaceport to look for her mother when she noticed a ship coming towards her, beginning to land beside hers.
"You've got to be shitting me," Alana said, recognizing the ship immediately. It was a sleek and small Naboo cruiser belonging to none other than Senator Amidala. She put her lightsaber away as the cruiser came to a rest and the walkway opened to reveal three rather upset people looking at her.
Sylvan came marching down the ramp first, heading straight for Alana.
"I told them not to come!" She practically yelled. "I said it was a stupid idea, and we would get caught, and I don't even know why we're here, he won't even tell me!"
Alana frowned when she saw her brother, with Padme right beside him/ They descended the walkway and joining Sylvan and Alana.
"Ani," she said softly. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm here for the same reason you are," he said.
"Why didn't you leave the Senator with Sylvan?" Alana demanded. "You're breaking the Council's order. You're disobeying them by coming here and putting Senator Amidala's life at risk."
"It wasn't him," Padme said. "I insisted that I come with."
Alana sighed. "Senator, I insist that you return to Naboo."
"No," Anakin said. "She stays. We need to find Mom."
Alana looked back and forth between Anakin, Padme, and Sylvan, before sighing.
"Come on," she said. "Let's go."
"Master!" Sylvan exclaimed, shocked that Alana was disobeying the Council.
"If you don't like what we're doing, then you can join Master Kenobi on Kamino," Alana retorted before turning and making her way into the spaceport. The group was altogether very silent the whole way there. Alana could sense the tension between the two Padawans.
As they entered the town where they had lived so long ago, Alana pulled the hood of her robes up to shroud her face. Even though it had been a long time since she had last been there, she was still recognizable from her time as a fighter for Watto.
They were directed to where Watto was, and they arrived to see him sitting outside, working on a droid part angrily.
"Chut-chut, Watto" Anakin spoke. Alana stayed back, away from the Toydarian, her eyes wandering around the town, hidden beneath her robes. R2 beeped beside her, choosing to stay back between Sylvan and Alana.
"Let me help you with that," Anakin said, picking up the parts of the droid and fixing it quickly. Before he could finish, Watto yelled in Huttese.
"Wait! You're a Jedi!" He exclaimed. "Whatever it is, I didn't do it!" He threw his wrench before Anakin finally spoke.
"I'm looking for Shmi Skywalker."
Alana clenched her jaw at the mention of their mother. Watto looked at Anakin for a moment, and then back at the entourage around him.
"Ani? Little Ani?"
Anakin put down the droid, completely repaired before Watto smiled and exclaimed cheerfully, realizing who Anakin was.
"You are Ani! It is you!" He flew up to get a better look at Anakin. "You sure sprouted, huh? A Jedi! Whattaya know! Hey, maybe you could help with some deadbeats who owe me a lot of money."
Alana stepped forward, getting into Watto's face so that he could see who she was.
"My mother," she said darkly.
"Alana?" Watto said, stunned for a moment, before realizing the threatening tone on her voice and noting the lightsaber on her belt. "Oh, yeah, Shmi." He fluttered back away from her for a second. "Uh, she's not mine no more. I sold her."
Alana looked back at Anakin, sensing his confusion and anger.
"You sold her?" Anakin demanded, shifting on his legs.
"Years ago," Watto said. "Sorry, Ani, Alana, but you know business is business, huh?" He chuckled uneasily.
"Who bought her?" Alana demanded.
"I sold her to a moisture farmer named, uh, Lars," he said, scratching his head. "At least, I think it was Lars. Believe it or not, I heard he freed her and married her! Can ya beat that, eh?"
Alana frowned. Her mother had remarried? She was at a loss of words for a moment, and she could feel Anakin shifting behind her.
"Do you know where they are now?" He asked.
"Ooh, long way from here," Watto said. "Someplace over on the other side of Mos Eisley, I think, mmm."
"We'd like to know," Alana said coldly.
"Eh, sure. Absolutely! Let's go look at my records, huh?" Watto said nervously. He turned and beckoned the group inside his trade post. Alana motioned for everyone to follow her, and she looked cautiously around them before stepping inside.
After much searching, they got Watto to find the exact location of the moisture farm, they departed without even giving him a cordial goodbye. Alana couldn't stand thinking of their past, and she wanted out of there a quick as possible.
It was decided that they would take both ships to the moisture farm, with Alana leading the way. It was only a short time before they arrived, all four of them, R2 in tow, heading for the home of Lars.
Alana noticed a droid standing outside, monitoring something as they approached. She looked at the droid, who only noticed them when they came into sight.
"Oh, hello," it said. "How may I be of service? My name is C-"
"3PO?" Anakin said. The droid looked at Anakin for a second before realizing who he was.
"The maker!" He exclaimed. "Oh, Master Ani! I know you would return. I knew it! And Miss Alana and Padme!" He said, noticing the other two. He looked at Sylvan for a moment. "I'm sorry, but I do not know your name."
"Sylvan, Alana is my Master," she said, her temper having much subsided, realizing how much this mission meant to Anakin and her Master.
"Bless my circuits! I am so pleased to see you all!"
"We've come to see our mother," Alana said, taking the hood of her robes off.
"Oh," 3PO said, looking between Alana and Anakin. "Um, I think perhaps we'd better go indoors."
He led them down inside the farm, where they were met by a younger man and a younger woman.
"Master Owen, might I present four very important visitors," C3PO said.
"I'm Alana Skywalker," Alana said. 'This is my brother, Anakin, and our friends, Padme and Sylvan."
"Owen Lars," the young man said cautiously, looking between the four guests. "Uh, this is my girlfriend, Beru," he said, motioning to the woman.
"Hello," Beru said, looking to them.
"I guess I'm your stepbrother," Owen said awkwardly shifting. "I had a feeling you might show up someday."
Alana and Anakin looked to each other before Anakin spoke.
"Is my mother here?"
"No, she's not," a voice said from behind them. Alana turned to see an old man coming towards them in a wheelchair. "Cliegg Lars. Shmi is my wife," he said, reaching his hand out for them to shake. Anakin shook his hand first, Alana shaking it second. He seemed kind but tired and worried.
"We should go inside," he continued. "We have a lot to talk about."
They went inside the house, with Beru going and getting them something to drink. Alana and Anakin sat close to Cliegg, with Sylvan choosing to sit at the far side of the table, keeping an eye on her Master and the ships out of the corner of her eyes.
"It was just before dawn," he started. "They came out of nowhere. A hunting party of Tusken Raiders."
Alana's heart sank at his words.
"Your mother had gone out early, like she always did, to pick mushrooms that grow on the vaporators. From the tracks, it looked like she was about halfway home," he paused for a moment, barely able to meet Alana's eyes, "when they took her."
Alana, felt her brother freeze up, his anger deep-seated in his heart, and he squeezed his fists shut.
"Those Tuskens walk like men, but they're vicious mindless monsters," he said, shaking his head. "Thirty of us went out after her. Four of us came back. I'd be out there with them, but after I lost my leg, I just couldn't ride anymore, until I heal. I don't want to give up on her, but she's been gone a month. There's little hope she's lasted this long."
Alana's heart shattered. She hadn't been able to help her dad, but she had been able to help her mother and she had done nothing. She hadn't even realized. Suddenly, she felt Anakin stand beside her.
"Where are you going?" Owen asked.
"To find my mother," Anakin said.
"Your mother's dead, son," Owen said. "Accept it."
Alana could sense her brother's anger as he walked away from where they were sitting. Cliegg looked over at Alana and sighed.
"And you, child?" He asked gently. "Do you think she is still alive?"
Alana thought for a moment, realizing that they were all looking at her. She pursed her lips, searching her feelings, but there was nothing there. Either her own pain was blocking her from seeing her mother, or her mother was truly gone.
"I'm not sure," Alana said honestly. "But I know Anakin. He will go and find her, dead or alive," she stood and turned to go. She heard Sylvan stand, but with a wave of her hand, Sylvan sat back down and watched as her Master went to join Anakin above ground.
Alana went to him and sighed, seeing the sun beginning to set. He looked to her, his jaw clenched in anger.
"She's alive," he said, not bothering to look at Alana as she pulled alongside him. "I can feel it."
Alana nodded.
"I can't feel anything, Anakin," she said quietly. "I don't know. My mind is clouded with many matters. The things I know that are going on outside of our lives," she trailed off. "I should not have come here. I am more lost here than anywhere else in the galaxy right now."
Her mind wandered to Obi-Wan and to their kiss. She wanted to be there right now, whether he felt the same way for her as she did for him.
"It's Obi-Wan, isn't it?" Anakin said, sensing her thoughts and turning to her. "You care for him."
Alana looked away from him and over the horizon.
"I have to choose," she whispered. "But I can't let Mom go, and I sense that wherever Obi-Wan is now, he's walking into a trap."
Anakin sensed her struggle, and he touched her shoulder gently.
"You don't have to choose. Go. Take Sylvan with you. I can handle things here and get Mom. Padme will be safe here with Lars," Anakin said.
Alana hesitated. "She's in a lot of pain, Ani," she whispered. "I felt her pain in myself. I don't know how, but I felt it."
"I'll get her," Anakin said determinedly. "I swear to you."
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Soon enough, Alana and Sylvan said their goodbyes and made their way back onto the ship from the Kaminoans.
"Master," Sylvan said as Alana slid into the pilot's seat in front of Sylvan. "Are sure it's wise leaving the Senator behind?"
"In order to accomplish both the task of protecting the Senator and finding her killer, yes," Alana said, trying to establish a signal between herself and Obi-Wan.
Suddenly, a signal came through.
"Obi-Wan?" Alana asked.
"Alana?" A voice came crackling through.
"Where are you?" Alana asked quickly, realizing that it was in fact him.
"I'm-" the transmission crackled out. "Geonosis," then the transmission failed. Alana gritted her teeth and frowned. She tried to look at the wiring for the transmitter, but it was not very well put together.
"It's completely useless. They haven't even finished the communications transmitter on this thing," she looked back at Sylvan. "It sounds like he's on Geonosis," she said. "As far as we can tell."
"Then let's go, Master," Sylvan said, setting their course.
"Give me a moment," Alana said.
She looked out over the landscape of Tatooine and took a deep breath, closing her eyes and reaching out into the Force, searching for her mother's presence. She went deep, into a dark place that she had never been before when suddenly she felt it. Faint and in pain, but still there.
"Mom," Alana whispered, hoping Shmi could hear her voice. "Anakin's coming."
Suddenly, she heard Shmi's voice.
"I love you, Alana."
Alana's eyes snapped back open at her mother's voice, and she took a deep breath, knowing now that this was the right thing to do. She prepped the engine and they took off into the sky, jumping into hyperspace.