Anakin handed Qui-Gon a piece of fruit. "Here, you'll like these pallies... here," he offered with a smile.

"Thank you," Qui-Gon replied, accepting the fruit with a nod.

The woman running the stand leaned over, her voice concerned. "Oh, my bones are aching. Storm's coming up, Ani. You'd better get home quickly."

Anakin nodded, then turned back to the group. "Do you have shelter?"

"We'll head back to our ship," Qui-Gon replied.

"Is it far?" the boy asked.

Dahlia answered, "It's just on the outskirts."

Anakin shook his head, concerned. "You'll never make it in time—sandstorms are very dangerous here. Come on! I'll take you to my place."

Anakin led the way through the swirling dust, Dahlia staying close to Rosaline as they navigated the harsh desert wind. She squinted against the grit, relieved when they finally reached a modest hovel where Anakin hurried inside. The group paused just beyond the doorway, glancing around the humble space.

"Mom! I'm home!" Anakin called eagerly. Jar Jar looked around and relaxed a bit, remarking, "Dissen cozy."

Anakin's mother emerged, surprised to see so many new faces. "These are my friends, Mom," Anakin explained proudly.

R2 beeped cheerfully, drawing a small smile from Dahlia. "I'm Dahlia," she introduced herself warmly.

Anakin's eyes lit up as he turned to her. "I'm building a droid! You want to see?"

Dahlia gave a gentle nod. "Of course."

With a smile, Anakin took her hand, leading her to his room with R2 following close behind.

Dahlia's eyes lit up with curiosity as she spotted a one-eyed droid with exposed wires and parts. "His name is C-3PO," Anakin introduced proudly.

Dahlia smiled with genuine admiration. "It's truly impressive, Ani. I've never seen anything quite like him."

Anakin's face beamed at her praise. "You really like him? He's a protocol droid—to help my mom. Watch this!" He pressed a button, and the droid came to life, sitting up.

"Oh, oh, where is everybody?" the droid asked, looking around in confusion. Anakin chuckled and quickly grabbed the droid's other eye, clicking it into place.

"Hello! I am C-3PO, Human-Cyborg Relations. How might I serve you?" the droid said, bowing slightly. Dahlia laughed softly at his formal tone.

"He's wonderful, Ani," she said sincerely. "I could never create something this perfect."

"Oh, perfect?" C-3PO said, sounding flattered.

"When the storm is over, I'll show you my podracer!" Anakin added eagerly. C-3PO stood up, wobbling a little, as Anakin and Dahlia continued talking.

"You're very talented, Ani. Your gifts will take you far." Dahlia said softly

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

Dahlia sat at the table with the others, offering Shmi a grateful smile as she poured her a drink.

"All slaves have transmitters placed inside their bodies somewhere," Shmi explained, settling down beside them.

Anakin added, "I've been working on a scanner to try and find mine." He took a sip from his cup, then looked down, clenching his fist. "Any attempt to escape..." he paused, then muttered, "And they blow you up. Boom."

"How wude," Jar Jar mumbled, glancing nervously at Anakin.

Padmé shook her head, looking disturbed. "I can't believe there's still slavery in the galaxy. The Republic's anti-slavery laws—"

"The Republic doesn't exist out here," Rosaline interrupted.

Shmi nodded. "We have to survive on our own."

Jar Jar quickly snatched a piece of fruit from the bowl with his tongue, muttering, "'Scuse me."

Anakin leaned forward eagerly. "Has anyone here ever seen a podrace?" Dahlia and Padmé shook their heads, while Qui-Gon responded, "They have podracing on Malastare. Very fast, very dangerous."

A proud grin spread across Anakin's face. "I'm the only human who can do it."

Dahlia looked at him, genuinely impressed. "Is there anything you can't do, Ani?"

Qui-Gon nodded, clearly intrigued. "You must have Jedi reflexes if you're racing pods."

Just then, Dahlia noticed Jar Jar about to snatch another piece of fruit with his tongue, but before he could, Qui-Gon's hand shot out, catching his tongue mid-air.

"Don't do that again," he warned, giving Jar Jar a stern look.

Jar Jar mumbled something incomprehensible before Qui-Gon released his tongue. Anakin looked between Qui-Gon and Rosaline, his eyes lighting up with curiosity. "You're a Jedi Knight, aren't you?"

Rosaline raised an eyebrow, glancing over at Qui-Gon with an amused expression as she waited for his response.

"What makes you think that?" Qui-Gon replied with a slight smile.

"I saw your laser sword. Only Jedi carry that kind of weapon," Anakin explained confidently.

"Or perhaps I killed a Jedi and took it from him," Qui-Gon teased.

Anakin shook his head, undeterred. "I don't think so. No one can kill a Jedi."

Qui-Gon's expression softened, a hint of sadness in his eyes. "I wish that were true."

Rosaline looked away, her face falling as if trying to ignore the weight of his words.

"I had a dream I was a Jedi," Anakin said earnestly. "I came back here to free all the slaves. Have you come to free us?" His hopeful gaze moved between the two Jedi.

Rosaline watched him closely, unable to ignore the spark of determination in his young face.

"I think you have. Why else would you be here?" Anakin pressed, his curious gaze moving between Dahlia, Rosaline, and Qui-Gon. Dahlia glanced at Rosaline, noticing the pause in her friend's expression.

Qui-Gon leaned forward with a small smile. "I can see there's no fooling you, Anakin. We're on our way to Coruscant, the central system in the Republic, on a very important mission."

Anakin's brows knit in confusion. "Then how did you end up here in the Outer Rim?"

"Our ship was damaged, and we're stranded until we can repair it," Dahlia answered softly.

Anakin's face brightened. "I can help! I can fix anything."

Qui-Gon leaned back, studying the boy with an approving nod. "I believe you can, Anakin. But first, we must find a way to acquire the parts we need."

"With no-nutten mula to trade," Jar Jar added with a sigh.

"These junk dealers must have some kind of weakness," Padmé noted, glancing around the room.

Anakin's mother, Shmi, nodded. "Gambling. Everything here revolves around betting on those awful races."

"Podracing..." Qui-Gon murmured thoughtfully. "Greed can be a powerful ally."

Anakin's face lit up. "I've built a racer! It's the fastest ever. There's a big race tomorrow on Boonta Eve—you could enter my pod!"

"Anakin!" Shmi warned, her expression tense. "Watto won't let you."

"Watto doesn't know I've built it," Anakin replied quickly. He looked at Qui-Gon, his eyes pleading. "You could make him think it's yours and get him to let me pilot for you."

Qui-Gon's gaze shifted to Shmi, whose worry was clear. "I don't want you to race," she said firmly, holding her son's gaze. "It's awful. I die everytime Watto makes you do it."

"But Mom," Anakin insisted softly, "I love it. The prize money would be enough to pay for all the parts they need."

Shmi's expression softened, though her concern remained. "Anakin..." she began, but before she could continue, Qui-Gon spoke up.

"Your mother's right. It is dangerous," Qui-Gon agreed, then turned to Shmi. "Is there anyone friendly to the Republic who might help us?"

Shmi shook her head. "No."

Anakin looked back at her with determination. "Mom, you always said the biggest problem in the universe is that nobody helps each other."

Rosaline stepped forward, trying to reassure Shmi. "We wouldn't want to put your son in harm's way. We'll find another way."

But Shmi sighed, a resolve settling over her. "No... there is no other way. I may not like it, but... he's meant to help you."

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

Dahlia watched as Rosaline knelt to help Anakin tighten some bolts on his racer, having politely passed on the task herself—she wasn't one for getting her hands dirty.

"Are you a Jedi like Qui-Gon?" Anakin asked, glancing up at Rosaline with a spark of curiosity.

"I am," she replied, adjusting the bolt with practiced ease.

"That's so cool! Do you have one of those laser swords too?" Anakin's eyes lit up with excitement.

Rosaline chuckled, nodding. "I do."

Anakin sighed wistfully. "I wish I was a Jedi."

Rosaline offered him a gentle smile, resting a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "You have a gift, Anakin. Not everyone can build things the way you do. That's a rare talent."

Before Anakin could respond, a group of children his age rushed into the backyard. One boy slowed, eyes widening as he noticed R2-D2. "Wow, a real astro droid! How'd you get so lucky?"

Anakin grinned. "That's not even the half of it. I'm entered in the Boonta Race tomorrow."

The boy's eyes darted to the pod Anakin was working on. "With this?" he scoffed.

A smaller boy snickered. "Ona joka, Ani."

"You've been working onthat thing for years," another kid teased. A girl chimed in, "It's never gonna run."

"Come on, let's go play ball," one of the boys called as they turned to leave. "Keep dreaming, Ani. You're gonna be bug squash."

Rosaline watched them walk away, frowning. Kids could be so mean.

Padmé and Dahlia watched as Jar Jar started fiddling with one of the energy binders. Anakin noticed and quickly called out, "Hey! Jar Jar, keep away from those energy binders! If your hand gets caught in that beam, it'll go numb for hours."

Jar Jar immediately dropped the tool he was holding but, in bending down to retrieve it, accidentally placed his face between the energy binders. A quick zap sent a jolt through him, and he stumbled back, clutching his mouth. "Ouch! Muy tongue is fat. Muy... tongue," he mumbled, trying to speak but barely managing to form the words.

Determined to be helpful, Jar Jar spotted another tool lodged in the engine. He reached out, but his arm got wedged in the machinery. C-3PO tilted his head, observing him. "You know, I find that Jar Jar creature rather... peculiar," he commented.

R2 beeped in agreement, the two droids sharing an unspoken understanding.

Rosaline dusted off her hands and stepped back. "Ready to start her up?" she asked.

Anakin jumped into the small cockpit behind the two engines. "Yup!" he replied enthusiastically.

Qui-Gon appeared with a small power pack and handed it to him. "I suppose it's time to find out. Here, use this power charge."

As Dahlia and Padmé rushed to help Jar Jar free his hand from the engine, he finally managed to get unstuck and gave Anakin a thumbs-up before sheepishly walking away.

Anakin took a deep breath, then flipped the switch. The engines roared to life, and Dahlia clapped excitedly at the success. Anakin let out a breathless laugh, grinning over at Dahlia and Rosaline. "It's working!"

The podracer was ready.