DISCLAIMER: Star Wars and all publicly recognisable characters, names and references, etc are the sole property of George Lucas, Lucasfilm Ltd, Lucasarts Inc and 20th Century Fox. This fan fiction was created solely for entertainment and no money was made from it. Also, no copyright or trademark infringement was intended. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author. Any other characters, the storyline and the actual story are the property of the author.
Anakin was not the only one awake with worry. Callisto lay back staring at the ceiling with a knot in her stomach.
Nothing had going the way it was supposed to. Well, that wasn't entirely true. She had freed Shmi. The transmitter in her was dead and was going to be fully removed surgically. She had no idea if that had been done yet or not. She had no idea how long she had been unconscious. All she knew was that she wished she could go unconscious again. Her head was throbbing and her neck was sore.
Had the rest of the plan gone smoothly or no? Had the building exploded when they left? Although she supposed it didn't really matter. A dead body in the building and evidence of a struggle should be enought to prove to the Hutts that there had been foul play afoot, that both Callisto and Shmi had been taken. At least, that was what she was hoping for. Given the way her luck seemed to be running, the worst case scenario would be that the Hutts thought she had done all that and had robbed them blind. She DID rob them blind, but not that way. She didn't murder in cold blood. No, if Callisto had to kill someone, she did it for a good reason. With luck, she would be believed dead and no bounties would be placed on her.
Not that a bounty would make much of a difference. She was flying right into Republic territory and a hunter would stick out like a sore thumb in some areas. But then, she would do. Callisto was not known for her congeniality and would no doubt be asked to leave as soon as she arrived.
She should have thought this through a little bit more. She hadn't really thought about where she was going to go next.
Callisto sighed and shifted her gaze to the door. She didn't like to ask for help, she preferred to do things are her own, but maybe there was something she could do.
"I'll stay with Shmi," Callisto said to the air.
Given all thjat had happened, Shmi would probably be safer with someone else around. Plus, it would given Anakin some peace of mind. Of course, Callisto would be there to protect her investment while maybe even finding some sort of stability. Some kind of peace in her life.
*Yeah right,* she thought
Speaking of the boy, there he was peeking at her through the doorway. She smiled. "Hey shorty."
Anakin smiled faintly. "When are you going to quit calling me that?"
Callisto tilted her head back, looking like she was thinking. "Never."
"I'm not always going to be a shorty. I bet I'm going to be taller than you!"
She smiled at him. "Tough. I'm calling you shorty, even if you grow to be taller than a building!"
Anakin scowled, the look making Callisto laughed. With a sigh, she turned serious. "You having a tough time sleeping?"
Anakin shook his head. "Well," he said, cocking his head to the side. "I did before, but I'm okay now. It is morning you know.
Callisto swung her legs over the side. "It is? Damn, I guess I did fall asleep."
The boy smiled. "I checked in on you. You were out like a rock."
"It's out like a light."
"Oh. You feeling better?"
"I'm sore, but otherwise fine. Well, now that we're both awake, maybe you could tell me what's going on? Like whose ship are we on. Is it the Jedi's?"
Anakin sat down next to her. "Sort of. We were going to go on a ship of our own, but Queen Amidala wanted to come with."
Callisto looked confused. "Queen who?"
"Queen Amidala of the Naboo. She's my friend." Anakin was smiling widely.
She reached over and mussed the boys hair. "How did you get to know a queen? I leave you alone for a few weeks and I come back to see you as a Jedi who knows royalty. Why can't I have luck like you?"
Anakin shrugged. He looked up as Callisto stood. "I don't think you should be up."
"My legs ain't broke, kid. Just my arm." She twisted it around, feeling the soreness of the muscles. "And might I say her Majesty has a fine medical team. They did impressive work."
"I won the Boonta Eve race," Anakin said suddenly. "It's how I got free."
"Well I'll be damned. You won the race. You won and finished a race? That's great, Ani! I'm so pround of you!" She walked out to see the rest of the ship. Anakin followed.
"Well," he drawled out. "I had a great teacher."
Callisto shook her head. "Naw, I didn't teach you anything." She noticed the Jedi and apparently the Queen were exiting their quarters. She took that as an indication that where ever they were going, they were close to it now.
Anakin punched her playfully in the arm, careful to avoid the wound. "Liar," he said, laughing. "Come on," he said. "I want to show you the cockpit. It's wizard, Cal, trust me." He pulled her with him.
Shmi was with the Jedi ahead and frowned somewhat, hearing their conversation. She was wearing borrowed clothes. Never in her life had she worn anything so fine. When she was a little girl, she remebered going to town with her mother in loevely clothes, befored she was dragged into slavery, but never anything like this! The frown looked bizarre on her almost, given how regal she felt. But she recalled everytime Callisto had taken the boy in and shared what she knew. She supposed she had to be grateful. It was the pod racing that she loathed so much which led to both of them eventually being free. There was a certain irony to that.
Qui-Gon turned to Shmi. "She taught him how to race?" he asked.
Shmi nodded, trying to decide whether or not to be happy about it. "Yes, she taught him how to fly those awful pod racers. She taight him much of what he knows up to this point."
Obi-Wan looked down, thinking. Qui-Gon had a feeling what one of the thoughts were involving Callisto, but he had a feeling they shared a thought on another subject.
"How long has she known him?"
Shmi thought a moment. "She's been on Tatooine since we got there. She was once a slave herself, also owned by Watto. She got out of it though."
Obi-Wan sounded a bit more curious than he would have liked to let on. "How did she get out of it?"
Shmi fell silent. "That's a question I think you should ask her yourself. I.. I..I just wouldn't feel right. I wasn't there and there are just some things about it I don't understand."
"It's not a problem Shmi," Qui-Gon said gently. He could tell the subject had upset her.
"If you'll excuse me," Shmi said. She walked into the cockpit where her son was explaining to Callisto every piece of equipment on the ship. Of course his friend already know every part of a Nubian, but she didn't interrrupt. He wanted to impress her with all he knew and how far he had come. Ric Olie continued to pilot with a large grin, pleased to see how much Anakin remebered fom the last time he had flown them.
Behind them, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan looked at each other, and over to Callisto who was well aware of the eys on her, she just didn't care. Very little bothered her, and she wasn't about to let some Jedi get under her skin. Esecially long haired ones and others with goofy hair cuts.
"This one makes the cargo ramp go down... this one controls the air pressure... this one... Hey, you're not looking, Cal!"
Callisto wasn't looking, she was too busy gaping out the window. She had said she was going to come here with Shmi about a dozen or so times while she planned to bring him to Ani, but she had never thought about WHERE she was going. She had never thougth about the planet itself.
Corsucant!
*Things,* she thought, *are about to get VERY interesting.*
On Corsucant, things were already interesting. Darth Sidious knew that Maul had failed to kill the boy's mother. That did not please him in the least, but it was forgiveable. It had sown a seed of worry in the Jedi and the boy and that could prove very useful in the future.
He stepped outside onto his personal balcony. Now that he had been made Chancellor while playing the part of his alter ego, he had to keep up appearances. That included a more luxiourous home. It wasn't anything to complain about, but it was a small nuisance to change certain small nuances of his routines and plans for the sake of an image. But it was necassary. He had long learned the lesson on patience and was not about to ruin things just because of a few setbacks. He wished Maul could do the same.
Speaking of his apprentice, the young Sith Lord had slipped inside. He knelt down before his master, genuinely ashamed.
"I was not able to carry out the mission, my master, "Maul said humbly.
Sidious, stepped back inside, not wearing the black robes, but the garb of his day job. "Rise, my friend. It is of no consequence. The Jedi are no doubt afraid now. And so is the boy. With luck, that will soon lead to anger."
Maul rose and nodded.
Sidious walked deeper into his chambers, Maul close behind. "Tell me," he said. "What happened on Tatooine. I could feel a ripple in the Force, even from here. Too strong to have been the boy and I do not believe he even knows the Force yet."
"I found the woman at her home, but then a younger woman, somewhere in her twenties came and took her. I trailed them to a residence where they were attepting to steal the mother off planet. I came, slew one of her companions, but the other put up... much resistance."
Sidious nodded, sitting down while Maul remained standing. "I see," he said. "Continue."
"I don't believe she had any sort of training, probably lived on that husk of a planet for her entire lifetime. Yet, she was able to distract me long enough for the mother to escape. She even managed to cause some minor, forgettable damage to me."
"Is she dead, Lord Maul?"
"No, my master. The Jedi came. We battled, but even with injury and head trauma, the woman was able to shoot my lightsaber from my hand, and even shoot my leg."
Sidious stood, pondering all his apprentice had brought to him. "This is very interesting, my apprentice. It is possible she is more than she appears to be."
Maul nodded. He too, had sensed this, but only was realizing it now.
"Perhaps I have been looking in the wrong direction." The Sith master smiled darkly. "We'll find out soon enough."