, a blank look on her face as she stared at nothing particular. She was absentmindedly playing with a grey sphere about the size of her hand, using the Force to keep the sphere floating in the air.

The sphere was what Master Sola gave the young Hale for her to use whenever she had to practice using the Force, and controlling it, bending the power to her will. She found herself bringing it along with her on the trip, keeping it in a small pouch on her utility belt as she could shrink it or enlarge it with one press of a button.

Layna was not using the sphere as a means to practice using the Force now, but rather, as a distraction. The parts they had acquired from winning the bet with Watto had arrived earlier today, which meant that the time to depart Tatooine was very close and that meant that Layna might not be able to see her friend anymore.

Despite only knowing the boy for a few days, she truly did grow attached to the young boy who would put others before himself, helping them out of his kindness without asking for anything in return. He truly was a force of nature, a boy whose impact was so great on her that she grew a bit sad knowing they had to part with him.

Anakin was nothing but kind to her and her friends, which is why the girl had opened her heart to him immediately. She found a friend in such a planet, that she used to despise so much. Anakin made her like the planet Tatooine - as she knew that whenever someone would mention the planet's name, her thoughts would immediately drift to the young boy whose eyes are as blue as the sky itself.

She still hated the sand and the weather, but due to his impact on her, she guessed that she wouldn't think that this planet was so bad after all.

"Layna? Are you okay?"

Layna was pulled out of her trance by Padmé, who entered the room to find her friend spaced out on the table, a grey sphere floating around her as she presumably used the Force to move it around. She stopped using the power for a brief moment when she was caught off guard, but quickly reached her hand out to stop the falling sphere from hitting the ground.

Placing it back onto the palm of her hand slowly, she pressed the button on the sphere to make it shrink once more and put it inside the small pouch attached to her utility belt. "Yes, Padmé? Did you need something?"

The handmaiden looked towards her friend in concern, her plump lips curling outward into a pout. Layna could sense the worry radiating off of Padmé, who approached the young girl silently. Her light brown eyes flickered to Layna's, and the young girl let out a small sigh. "Why are you feeling this way?"

"You're gonna miss him, aren't you?" Padmé saw the flicker of emotion in her eyes, but the girl immediately swallowed, shaking her head as she tried her best to hide the feelings she was feeling in that moment.

"No, I will not. He's just a little boy we met on a mission--"

"Layna," the handmaiden cut her off, placing her hand on Layna's own as she grasped the younger girl's tiny hand in hers. "You can drop the Jedi act, you can tear down that strong front when you're around me. Just... let go, and be honest with yourself."

Layna breathed out a sigh of relief, and she felt the walls she built crash back down again. She felt her chest loosen immensely, as the choking sensation she had felt was no longer there, all because she decided to break free of the facade. "I'm going to miss him dearly, Padmé. He's such a great friend."

Padmé gave her a knowing smile, placing her arms around the young girl's shoulders as she pulled Layna into a comforting hug. The older girl knew just how much it hurts to leave a friend behind, she understood how her friend felt this very moment. "I'm going to miss him too, Layna."

Layna relaxed and melted into her friend's embrace. Her thoughts then drift to last night's events, and a million questions raced through her mind. Surely Master Qui-Gon will not let a boy with such a high midi-chlorian count slip through his fingers, he'll find a way to free Anakin from Watto and convince the Council to take him in as a Jedi.

But the only question is - how? They were leaving today, as soon as they get the hyperdrive generator installed and time is of the essence around this time. Is there a way to free Anakin and his mother before the end of the day? If there was, she prayed that her Master may have found it and will do anything to make sure that Anakin and his mother are safely aboard this ship when they leave.

+

"Ani?" The young girl could not believe her eyes, for it was the friend that she dreaded to part with right in front of her, carrying a bag full of stuff on his back. She quickly rushed toward the boy, engulfing him in an embrace as soon as she reached him. She didn't think she would get to see Anakin again, but his presence here, in the spacecraft, meant that Master Qui-Gon had managed to free him from Watto. "What are you doing here?"

Anakin pulled away from the girl, his expression frantic as his light blue eyes widen in shock. "There's no time, Master Qui-Gon told me to tell you guys to take off now!"

"What is going on?" Captain Panaka entered the room, his dark eyes landing on the unfamiliar boy in the spacecraft. "Who is this?"

"Ani, is that you?" Padmé's eyes went wide as soon as they caught sight of the slave boy, who was supposed to be with his mother in their home in Mos Espa now.

"There's no time! Master Qui-Gon is fighting someone, and we need to take off now!" Anakin repeated his statement earlier, the words coming out of his mouth even faster than they previously did, as the situation grew more frantic every passing second.

"Come with me," Captain Panaka rushed into the cockpit, followed closely by the three young ones. Layna felt a heavy feeling in her chest, as she could now sense an evil entity right outside, clashing with her Master. It felt familiar, almost as dark as the presence of the other person she sensed in Corellia that day she was found by Master Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan. It was almost the same, but the one she sensed years ago was much darker, much more malicious and much more powerful than this one.

"Qui-Gon's in trouble!" Captain Panaka announced as he entered the cockpit, and Obi-Wan hurriedly sat down on the co-pilot's seat as he instructed the pilot to take off and fly low, pointing towards the two beings fighting one another using red and green lightsabers.

The ship then began to ascend, rocking ever so slightly and Layna had to hold onto the seat occupied by Obi-Wan so as not to fall over or accidentally knock into someone. The ship passed by the two dueling men, and a smile appeared on Layna's smile when she felt her Master hop safely on board the ship.

She glanced toward the window, where she could still see the red lightsaber wielding man, whose skin was as red as his laser sword. She did not know what this person was, but he is certainly not a Jedi, for he is not trained as one. One thing was for sure though, the girl could sense just how dangerous this man is, and just how much power and skill he has stored inside of himself.

"Master..." she whispered, whipping around swiftly to check on her father figure, the man who welcomed her into his world with open arms. "Master!"

Obi-Wan, along with Anakin, followed the girl as they hurried along to the hallway, where Master Qui-Gon was lying with an exhausted look on his face. Layna immediately knelt down next to him, placing her hands on her Master's arm as she looked at him with worry, "Master, are you alright?"

The Jedi Master breathed heavily, his eyes screwing shut as he struggled to catch his breath once more. "I think so," he opened his eyes once more, revealing his electric blue eyes that looked into the concerned eyes of the female Padawan.

"What was it?" Obi-Wan inquired, still not fully sure whatever the hell that man was. At this point, none of them knew exactly what he was and why he's so skilled in the Jedi arts when he clearly wasn't one.

"I'm not sure, but he was well-trained in the Jedi arts. My guess is that he's after the queen," the bearded man concluded, sitting up as he had finally calmed down and regained his composure. Layna then began to worry about Queen Amidala, whose life is in grave danger because of this new enemy that had made an appearance.

"What are we gonna do about it?" Anakin questioned, as Obi-Wan's gray blue eyes trailed over to the unfamiliar boy sitting beside him. Layna's dark brown eyes met the other Padawan's, and he gave her a questioning stare to which she replied to by mouthing, "Master will explain."

A sigh left Qui-Gon's lips, as he knew that the appearance of this formidable foe made this mission even harder than it originally was. "We will be patient," he told the young boy. He gestured towards the kneeling Padawan beside Anakin, who then faced the blonde boy his Master had brought along. "Anakin Skywalker, meet Obi-Wan Kenobi."

Anakin held his hand out for the older Padawan, and flashed the man a huge grin when Obi-Wan grabbed Anakin's hand in his much larger hand. "You're a Jedi too? Pleased to meet you!"

Obi-Wan nodded with a smile that mirrored Anakin's, as he withdrew his hand from the boy's and turned to his Master, who looked incredibly happy to see them getting along from the get-go. The exchange made the young girl smile as well, her heart warming knowing that her friend was now free and is going to be trained to become a Jedi, just like she was.

+

The young girl stepped out of the elevator and into the main room, where she saw Jar Jar sleeping on one of the chairs, his feet resting on the table in front of him. The girl could not sleep, as her mind was still very much awake due to the thoughts running through her head with no rest. She shook her head at the sleeping Gungan before her eyes found Anakin leaning against a wall with a frown etched on his face. "Ani, are you alright?"

Anakin visibly shuddered, wrapping his arms around himself in an attempt to get himself warm. "It's very cold," he told her, pulling his legs close to his body. He tried to make himself as small as possible in order to fight the cold, but it was just not working.

Layna shrugged off the jacket she was wearing, knowing that Anakin needed it more than she did right now. She placed the jacket onto the boy, smiling softly as it acted as a sort of blanket for the small boy. "You come from a warm planet, Ani. It's going to be a lot colder than what you're used to, but I'm very sure you'll adjust quickly when we get to Coruscant."

Anakin shot her a grateful smile, snuggling into the jacket's warmth. It helped the boy a lot, as he wasn't shivering like he was before she arrived. "I'm going to become a Jedi, just like you, and Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, right?"

The young Hale girl nodded her head, a ghost of a smile appearing on her pink lips. "You will be, Ani. I'm positive that you will become a very strong Jedi, maybe even surpassing your own Master."

It was not a lie, as she knew that the Force was incredibly strong in the young Skywalker. His midi-chlorian count was higher than Master Yoda's, and that is saying something. She believed in Anakin, and she also believed that when he is finished with his training, he would become one of the strongest Jedi ever known.

Anakin's smile grew upon hearing those words, and he quickly pulled something out of his pocket. "Here, I made this for you." He handed the small wooden pendant to the Padawan girl, whose dark brown eyes went wide when he gave her the beautiful necklace. "So you'd remember me. I carved it out of a japor snippet. It will bring you good fortune."

The Padawan's eyes twinkled as she turned the wooden carving over, an unconscious smile forming on her face as she stared at the beautiful carved pendant. She put the necklace around her neck, admiring the way it looked on her. "It's absolutely beautiful, thank you Ani." She glanced up at Anakin, her chocolate colored eyes meeting his electric blue ones. "But I don't need this necklace to remember you by. Many things will change when we reach the capital..."

She chuckled, almost forgetting that she was probably going to face Master Sola's rage, along with the rest of the Council's as soon as she gets back. She did worm her way into another Jedi's mission without permission, they will surely have her head, but it definitely was worth it. Meeting this young boy was worth whatever punishment they had in store for her in the capital, for she had gained a friend she's hoping to have until the end of her days.

"But I'll always have you right here, Ani." The young girl pointed to her heart, and Anakin's expression softened when he saw the look on the brunette's face. "I will always care for you, Ani."

Anakin inhaled sharply, keeping his blue eyes on the smiling girl in front of him. "I care for you too, only I--"

Layna sensed the sudden change in Anakin's demeanor, along with his emotions spiraling downwards as he wallowed in sadness and longing. "Miss your mother?" The young girl asked, a sad smile replacing the genuine one she had just moments before. Layna leaned in and embraced the lonely boy, as she too understood what it meant to miss someone who was once your everything. "It's okay Ani. I understand."

Layna could feel the boy begin to calm down, his intense emotions of negativity fading as the storm inside of him passed. She waited a few more moments, before pulling away from the blonde boy. Their eyes met once again, and the Padawan girl shot the boy a sweet smile. "It's alright now, Ani." She turned around, and walked towards the elevator, feeling much lighter and much better than she did when she descended her a few minutes ago. "Sleep well, Ani."

"You too, Layna." She heard Anakin call after her, before she climbed onto the elevator and hoped she could finally fall into a dreamless sleep when she reached her bed later on.

+++