Tatooine, 37 BBY

After our Force-approved adventure, we headed back towards the podracer engine at the entrance to the cave. I kept my senses extra sharp. On the way in I had made the mistake of focusing too hard on the path ahead of us that I failed to notice the danger in the present, and I could learn from my mistakes.

When I got back to the Temple I could meditate on this and internalize the lesson, but for now, my entire focus was on our surroundings.

We weren’t attacked again, but when we reached the entrance, we discovered that the sandstorm hadn’t passed.

“You keep working on the engine, I’ll keep watch,” I said as I settled into a meditative pose. “Tell me if you need help with some heavy lifting.”

He nodded in agreement, but frowned and said: “This sandstorm could last for a while. I’ve seen them last for days.”

“But it will end eventually. We have enough rations to last you a few days, and if that’s not enough, the Force will provide. I think it has proven that it’s with us at this point,” I said, sending him a confident smile. “Just make sure we have the podracer ready to go.”

He gave me a determined nod and went back to work, trusting me to keep him safe.

It was both strange and flattering to feel his unyielding trust in me in his mind. Even if I had proven myself to him, I was still only a child. Even from another child, some amount of doubt would be expected. But no, he trusted me completely.

I wondered idly if the Force was somehow reassuring him as my mind reached for my bond with Komari.

We hadn’t practiced much telepathy, but the concept was simple so I figured it wouldn’t be too hard when we had a Force bond to connect us. Still keeping my mind spread out to keep watch for dangers, I tried sending a thought towards the bond.

‘Komari?’

I could feel her attention on me immediately, but it took her a few seconds before she responded.

‘Anika? What happened? Are you okay?’

‘I’m fine,’ I smiled at the affection I could feel as she worried about me. ‘Just a scratch. It will heal. My body is pretty tough.’

Relief flooded the bond as she replied: ‘Good. That’s good. Sensors rapport that the sandstorm will last until nightfall. Are you safe?’

‘Yeah. We found a cave. Anakin is fixing the engine while I’m keeping watch. If the sandstorm doesn’t last longer than nightfall, we should be heading back in the morning.’

I figured it was best to let Anakin sleep through the night rather than fly a podracer in the dark. He might be talented and have the Force on his side, but he wasn’t experienced enough to use it to stave off sleep yet.

‘I just wanted to let you know I’m fine after that scare,’ I said before finishing up the conversation. ‘Good night.’

I sensed appreciation from her as she replied: ‘Thanks, Anika. Good night.’

When we cut the mental bond, I winced. Sure, I was fine, that was true. My arm would heal and it didn’t even hurt anymore. But I figured Komari wouldn’t consider a lost arm “just a scratch”, and I probably had a sermon waiting for me when we got back.

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Anakin had finished working on the engine long before the suns set, so I had started using telekinesis to bring the rest of the parts into the cave.

It was a tedious and challenging task, but not overly complicated. I would make a barrier to protect me from the sandstorm as I ventured out and brought them inside. Maintaining the barrier while also lifting and moving the parts with telekinesis took some effort, and I could only bring one part at the time, but it was good practice too so I couldn’t complain.

By nightfall, all the parts had been brought inside and Anakin was confident he could put them together in the morning. The power coupling was the only thing that actually needed fixing, which was impressive considering the thing had been through a pretty serious crash. We both found some amusement in the fact that the only thing that needed fixing was the thing that was broken before the crash.

Anakin went to sleep in the speeder while I used meditation as a substitute while making sure nothing snuck up on us.

I was relieved to finally have some time alone. It was great spending time with Anakin, but the trials of the day had taken more out of me than I had let on. While I quickly realized it would heal, losing my arm had been a sock. The only reason I hadn’t panicked was because I had to look calm and brave in front of him.

Our little adventure had obviously been a trial from the Force. From what I knew, Padawans and Initiates that were taken to Ilum for their lightsaber crystal would face a test of character provided by the Force. Was this similar? Had the Force tested me? What was the test? I would discuss it with Komari when we returned. After she had yelled at me for losing an arm, that is.

As the night went on, the sandstorm ended, and finally, the suns started to rise again.

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“How’s it looking?”

Anakin had spent the last hour putting the parts of the podracer together and was currently running tests to make sure everything was working properly.

“The power conversion is at seventy three percent and stable,” He responded, flicking various switches and checking various dials. “We don’t have the parts to fix her completely, but she should hold up as long as we don’t try anything too crazy. If only I had some new dissonance stabilizers I could make her good as new, but I had to reconfigure the thrust offset so we can only go at about half speed in sharp turns.”

I nodded in approval. I didn’t understand most of what he just said, but I understood that it could now bring us back to town without blowing up, and that was all that really mattered.

“The way back to Mos Espa is just flat desert so that should be more than fine,” I said as I walked over to a small rock formation nearby and started digging. It was recognizable enough that I would be able to find it again in the future. Digging with one hand was awkward, but Anakin moved to help me once he noticed. I sent him an appreciative look as I grabbed something out of my robes.

“What are you doing?” He asked, his eyes going wide as I placed one of the larger Krayt pearls into the hole I had just made.

“Just a feeling,” I replied mysteriously, before handing the other large pearl to him, his eyes growing even wider.

“This one is yours,” I said. “As a Jedi, you won’t really need money, but you can give it to your mother. I’m sure she can make good use of it.”

His mood sank a little at that. He had been told he wouldn’t be able to see his mother again after joining the Jedi. While both of them had agreed that it was for the best, the thought of never seeing her again was painful to the still very young boy. I hated that rule.

“You know, the rules of the Jedi aren’t absolute,” I said with a smile as I placed my hand on his shoulder. He looked up at me with questioning eyes so I continued. “More than anything, the Jedi follow the will of the Force. If the Force wants you to see her again, you will see her again.” With a mischievous smile I added: “And I think the Force really likes you.”

“I hope you’re right,” He said with a sad smile that had no business being on the face of a child.

I grabbed him in a one-armed embrace and whispered in his ear: “It may be many years from now, but I think you’ll see her again. Call it Jedi instincts.”

It really was. Considering how much I had messed with the timeline, there was no guarantee of anything, but I did have a feeling that it would be okay. And I trusted my feelings.

“Now,” I broke the embrace and happily noted that his mood had gone up significantly. “Let’s get going. You probably want to rub it in Watto’s face that he should have listened to you about the power couplings.”

His face turned into a grin and we jumped into the pod.