Saga Love Withstands Everything--AU A/P post-TPM--updated 5/22; A/N 5/28

Okay, this is my first attempt at published fanfic, but go ahead and criticize all you want.

Title: Love Withstands Everything

Summary: AU. Queen Amidala's ship was not damaged escaping from Naboo. The company did not land on Tatooine. Padmé, Qui-Gon, and Obi-Wan did not meet Anakin (yet). TPM progresses as usual up until the final battle. Long story short: the Naboo are defeated w/o Anakin to knock out the Droid Control Ship. However, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan defeated Darth Maul together, and Qui-Gon lived. This story begins ten years after all this.

Characters: Padmé, Anakin, Shmi, Watto, Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, Mace Windu, Dooku (in my story, his first name is Fierus, pronounced Feer-us, and he never turned), Ruwee, Jobal, Sola, Darred, Ryoo, Pooja, Luke, Leia and an OC Skywalker, Darth Sidious/Palpatine, other OC's and of course, good ol' Yoda

Disclaimer: I do not own this. Never did, never will (unfortunately). All (except the OC's) belong to the god in flannel from Modesta, CA.--George Lucas. I did not make any $$$ off this. None whatsoever. So don't sue me.

This story was inspired by another fanfic by Pallas_Athena, who unfortunately stopped working on To Stop the Suns From Setting before it was completed.

A/N: <<....>> indicates words spoken in a language other than Basic( Words are typed in English, since the author is not an expert on foreign language in the GFFA, but are still spoken in the foreign language--in this case, Huttese.)

"...." indicates spoken Basic

*....* indicates telepathy between Jedi

italics indicate characters' thoughts

Now, on with the story...
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<<Boy, get in here!>>

Nineteen-year-old Anakin Skywalker jumped when he heard Watto, his master, calling him, bumping his head on the podracer engine he had been working on. Blast, what does he want now? he wondered as he rubbed his head where he'd hit it. Running into his master's junkshop, he found found his Toydarian owner floating at eye level with a short, gruff looking human male with a rather large build.

Though it had been years, Anakin somehow recognized the man. It was the slaver employed by the Hutts.

The man recognized Anakin, too. "So, Watto, you've still got Gardulla's old slaves, eh?" he asked, amused. "I remember when I brought this kid here to yer shop, 'long with his mother. You still got her, too?"

"Yeah, still got her, too," Watto replied. "Could sure use another, though. The boy an' his mother are the only real valuable property I got left since last week."

He's talking about the most recent podrace, Anakin realized as he listened, leaning against the counter. Last week's race, the last of this year's racing season, had lost Watto a lot of money and property.

"The shop isn't worth what it used to be, and the junkyard's 'bout to overflow with parts. Business is pretty slow in the off-season," Watto continued.

The slaver looked at Watto, a curious twinkle in his eyes. Uh-oh, Anakin thought. He knew that look. Watto got that look in his eyes at the prospect of a trade or sale. Fear coursed through Anakin as a horrible thought occured to him. What if he's here to buy me and/or Mom from Watto?

"Well, Watto, maybe I can help you with--" the slaver started, but Watto cut him off.

"I am not about to sell either of my slaves, no matter how much yer offerin'," the Toydarian said fiercely.

The slaver grabbed Watto by the shoulders, holding his gaze. "No. I ain't talkin' 'bout you sellin' your slaves. Jabba an' Gardulla lost big on the races last week, they had one of Jabba's slaves racing. The guy crashed Jabba's best racer. Completely totaled the thing. Jabba doesn't have the parts the guy needs to fix it. He's willing to trade you parts for one of their other slaves. I've got credits, too, since the slave alone ain't gonna be worth all the

 

Nice start! I've always wondered what would've happened if Anakin met Padmé when he was older.

 

Awesome beginning! Can't wait to see more!

JS

 

darthPopa85: You'll see...

Jazz_Skywalker: There will be more sometime this weekend, possibly even tonight. I already have several parts of the story written, but I want to go over them again before I post another chapter, since I don't have a beta.

Maybe after you guys read some more of the story, somebody can come up with a title.

Thanks for the feedback!

 

Very intriguing! I'm looking forward to reading more!

 

Great start! Looking forward to more!

 

Ginaand Dally: Thanks!
Here's more...

The gardens at the Jedi Temple were contained in a room known as the Room of a Thousand Fountains. The place looked incredibly natural, especially on a planet like Coruscant, where one would never find a patch of green. Most Jedi went to the gardens to meditate and relax, and all the Jedi found some joy in the simplicity and beauty of the place.

Save two.

Any green place, on any planet, was a place where Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi were visited by the ghosts of one of their greatest failures: Naboo.

How they wished that mission had ended differently! Though they had defeated the Sith Lord Darth Maul, they had failed to protect the young Queen Amidala. She had been captured by the Trade Federation's viceroy Nute Gunray and had disappeared not long after. Some people thought she was dead, others believed that he was holding her prisoner on one of the many Trade Federation freighters. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, upon learning that she had vanished, had refused to speculate. Instead, they began a never-ending hunt to find her whereabouts. Thus far, their efforts had been in vain.

Now, the two Jedi wandered about the Temple, in search of a purpose. Neither spoke, for their discussions always turned to Naboo, or Amidala, or something else they did not desire to speak of.

Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan noted, was clearly troubled about something, and he had no doubt in his mind that whatever it was that was troubling him, it had something to do with Naboo. Had he found out something that he wasn't telling Obi-Wan? Or was he simply tired of the months of endless, yet fruitless search for any trace of the former Queen? Obi-Wan certainly was. Though Obi-Wan had passed the trials to become a Jedi Knight about a year after the mission to Naboo, their failure had brought himself and his former Master to disgrace, and they felt that the least they could do was to attempt to locate Amidala and ensure that she was well.

A few more minutes of strained silence passed between the Jedi, before Obi-Wan could no longer bear it. "Qui-Gon, you seem troubled about something. May I ask what?"

Qui-Gon looked at him in a way that told Obi-Wan that he should not have to ask that question. "You, of all people, know exactly what it is that troubles me, Obi-Wan," the Jedi Master replied.

"It is about Naboo, then," Obi-Wan said. It was not a question. "Have you found out something? Something that you're not telling me, perhaps?"
"I have found nothing."

"Qui-Gon, it's been ten years. If we were meant to find anything, I think we would have found it by now."

"I have asked the Council to aid us in our search for Padmé." Qui-Gon never used Amidala's name of state, since, technically, she was no longer the Queen.

"Have they found something, then?"

"Not that I'm--"

Before Qui-Gon could finish, his comlink buzzed, and he answered, already knowing who it would be. "Yes, Master Windu?"

"Qui-Gon, I think we may have found something. You and Obi-Wan are to report to the Council chambers immediately."

Qui-Gon looked at Obi-Wan, startled, before replying. "We're on our way."

-----------------------------

I'll have another post every day for the next week or so, then I'll post whenever I have the next part written.

 

Good story! I like it. Very interesting twist.

 

I just found this and I like it already!


Hopefully you can come up with a title soon...
It's a shame for a promising good story not to have a title!

Looking forward to more...

 

Another great post.


Any green place, on any planet, was a place where Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi were visited by the ghosts of one of their greatest failures: Naboo.

Very nice line!

 

This story is fantastic. I love Post-TPM stories. This one has a great twist.

 

Thanks all for the feedback!
As promised, here's the next part...

"Well, it was a pleasure doing business with you again, Watto," the slave trader said, coming back into the shop with a repulsor sled loaded with parts. Watto floated behind him, counting credit chips. From the pleased look on the Toydarian's face, Anakin and Padmé could tell he thought he was getting the better end of the deal. Anakin caught himself wondering if perhaps Watto had given the man some of the faulty parts in the yard.

"Same here," Watto replied.

"I'll just take Padmé here back to Jabba's so she can get her things, an' then I'll bring her back before long," the slaver said, grabbing Padmé's shoulder and steering her towards the door. She gave Anakin a desperate look over her shoulder before stepping out of the shop, the slaver on her heels.

"I want her back here before sunset!" Watto yelled after the man.

After the man and Padmé had left, Watto turned to his other slave, who was now sitting on the counter. <<So, what d'you think, boy? Is she worth the parts I gave the man?>>

<<I think so.>> Anakin replied. She's nice. And so beautiful, he added mentally.

<<I certainly hope she is.>> Watto replied. Glancing at a chronometer, he sighed. <<You can go on home now. You can finish working on the pod tomorrow.>>

<<Thanks,>> Anakin said, hopping down from the counter and heading out the door.

Once he was out the door, he head straight home to the little hovel he shared with his mother, Shmi Skywalker.

Shmi was sitting at her usual workspace when her son got home. "Good afternoon, Ani. Anything interesting happen at the shop today?"

Anakin paused before answering. Eager as he was to tell his mother about Padmé, he wanted to do so without giving away the fact that he liked the girl. "Watto got another slave."

Shmi was truly surprised. She had never really expected Watto to purchase another slave, but the addition to their little "family" was certainly welcome. "A new slave? Did you meet him?"

"Her," Anakin corrected. "A girl. Her name's Padmé. Padmé Naberrie. She's really nice, Mom. And really pretty."

Shmi almost laughed. She could tell just by the way he said it that her son already liked this Padmé. Not that it bothered her. Anakin was old enough to have a relationship with a girl, though he had--up until now, at least--shown little interest in doing so.

"So, how old is she? Your age? Older? Younger?"

"She's a little older. Twenty-three, maybe twenty-four."

"And you like her, don't you"

"I never said..."

"It doesn't matter if you 'said' or not. You like her, I can tell. I'm your mother. But please be careful what you say to her. She's going to need time to adjust. Saying of which, where is she from?"

"I don't know where she's from originally. She doesn't have a Tatooine accent. But the slaver who was with her was the same guy who brought us to Watto after Gardulla lost us."

"Jabba," Shmi said as Anakin nodded in confirmation. Who knows what horrors the poor girl has seen within the walls of Jabba's palace? Shmi thought. "In any case, we must do what we can to make Padmé feel more comfortable here." Standing, she dusted off her hands on her apron. "I know Watto won't be interested in buying a larger hovel for us, so she can sleep on the spare matress in my room. We'll have to pull it out from under my bed."

"I can do it later. The slave trader took her to get her things, and Watto said he wanted her back by sunset, so we have plenty of time. It's barely noon."

"All right, then. Come on, let's have our lunch."

They sat down to their simple meal, talking about different things: their friends, their lives as slaves, their lives in general, and anything in between.

Later that afternoon, Anakin helped his mother and their protocol droid C-3PO--whom Anakin had built himself--drag the spare matress out from under Shmi's bed and put clean sheets o

 

Good story -- please keep going!

 

Loving it!

It will be interesting to see how Anakin and Padme's relationship develops under these different circumstances. Still thinking about a title for you, btw.

 

Dally: Thanks!

Gina: Yay! Anything you readers can come up with would be better than what I can come up with. I suck at titles. Thank you for the FB.

Back to Qui-Gon and Obi...

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"What have you found?" Qui-Gon asked.

He now stood in the main Council chambers facing the Jedi Council. Twelve pairs of eyes gazed steadily upon him and Obi-Wan.

"So impatient, you are," Master Yoda said in an amused tone.

Mace Windu ignored the comment. Leaning forward, he rested his elbows on his knees, steepling his fingers. "Qui-Gon, this may not be easy for you to hear, just to warn you."

"I do not particularly care if it will be easy to hear or not. I would like to know what you have found," Qui-Gon replied firmly.

Mace sighed, having long since resigned to Qui-Gon's stubborn and defiant ways. "Very well. Recently, on a whim, Masters Adi Gallia and Depa Billaba ran a scan on Viceroy Nute Gunray's personal bank account up to and just following the incident on Naboo. What they found was...rather interesting."

Adi Gallia, a close personal friend of Qui-Gon's, nodded. "Interesting is an understatement, Mace. Just after Naboo's defeat, around the time Amidala disappeared, Gunray deposited an unusually large sum of credits into his account. These credits no doubt had a shadowy source, as he deposited them under an assumed name, but was foolish enough to deposit them in person. The bank's security cams caught him and gave us a good look at his face. There was absolutely no question that it was him."

"May I ask what connection this has to Padmé?" Obi-Wan asked.

"We're getting there, relax," Depa Billaba replied. "Around the same time Amidala vanished, Nute Gunray and one of his personal shuttles disappeared from the Trade Federation's headquarters on Naboo. After finding out exactly which shuttle it was, I tapped into the ship's logs. During the time that Nute Gunray was gone, he and that shuttle were in the Outer Rim, beyond the reach of the Republic."

"Given the facts of Nute Gunray's location at the time of Padmé's disappearance and the amount of money deposited into his account just after returning to the Federation, we have managed to come to only one conclusion. The amount of money that was deposited was the biggest clue. And the Force has given no indication that our assumption is wrong."

"How much money was deposited?" Qui-Gon asked.

"Enough money to purchase a young human female," Mace replied, revealing the Council's assumption.

Realization dawned on Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon. "No...no," Qui-Gon desperately tried to deny it, though he knew it was so. "That can't be."

"We thought so, too, at first, Qui-Gon," Mace said, trying futilly to comfort his friends. "But there is no doubt now. After defeating Queen Amidala on Naboo, Nute Gunray took her out of Republic space and sold her into slavery. Padmé Naberrie Amidala is a slave."

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Kinda short, I know. More tommorow!

 

Another great post!

These credits no doubt had a shadowy source, as he deposited them under an assumed name, but was foolish enough to deposit them in person.

LOL! That does sound like something he would do.


Well, they know what happened to her, but finding her will be a whole different matter.

This just gets more and more intriguing with every post. Can't wait for more!!

 

Nice to see that they've finally looked into that little detail after it's been, what, ten years?

Can't wait for tomorrow!

JS

 

I'm glad I found this, Jedi_Jessie_Anne - this is a very interesting twist of fate. (Too bad that title's already taken. ) I look forward to the next post!

Nice to see that they've finally looked into that little detail after it's been, what, ten years?

Story of the Council, I guess.

 

Gina: That does sound like something he would do.
Yeah, Neimoidians aren't very clever, are they?

finding her will be a whole different matter.
No kidding.

Jazz_Skywalker: Nice to see that they've finally looked into that little detail after it's been, what, ten years?
Jedi aren't much better than the Neimoidians when it comes to being clever, apparently.

Fate: Welcome to my little ficcie. Glad you like it.

Okay, really long post today. I'll still post tomorrow, though.

-------------------------------------------------------
"Anakin, would you answer the door, please?" Shmi called to her son.

"Sure, Mom," he replied as he tossed the pillow onto the matress. Heading for the door, he suddenly felt nervous about seeing Padmé again. He liked her, yes, but they'd only just met that day. What if she didn't like him? Or worse, what if, after some time had passed, she turned out to be something that she didn't seem to be at first?

Stop that, he scolded himself. Everything will turn out all right. Just relax. Palming the controls, he let the door slide open, to reveal Padmé waiting on the other side.

"Hello, Anakin," she greeted, a smile forming on her lips.

"Hi," he replied. If Padmé noticed that he sounded a little breathless when he greeted her, she did not say so. Steadying himself, he stepped out of her way. "Come on in."

She moved past him, giving him a soft, "Thank you," as she stepped in. The door closed behind her, and they stepped into the hovel's main room.

Shmi stepped into the room from the kitchen, where she'd been fixing dinner. "Hello. You must be Padmé," she said in a friendly tone. Padmé nodded, and she and Shmi shook hands as Shmi introduced herself. "I'm Shmi, Anakin's mother."

"It's a pleasure, Shmi," Padmé said politely.

"You're just in time for dinner," Shmi told her.

"Wonderful," Padmé replied. Anakin could tell that she was becoming much more comfortable around him and his mother already.

"Come on, Padmé," he said, drawing her attention back to him. "I'll show you where you'll sleep."

"Good idea, Ani," Shmi said. "I'll set the table, and call you when dinner's ready."

Anakin and Padmé nodded as Anakin took Padmé's small suitcase from her. It was light, and he assumed that it contained only her spare clothes and perhaps a few personal possessions. He took her to the room she would share with his mother, and set her suitcase beside the matress. Afterwards, he showed Threepio to her, then gave her a quick tour of the hovel before Shmi called them to dinner.

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"So where is Padmé now?" Qui-Gon asked the Council.

"We don't know," Mace told him. "Obviously, she is beyond Republic jurisdiction, but she could be anywhere in the Outer Rim now. It's been ten years since she was sold."

"Then where was she sold?" Obi-Wan inquired, wanting to contribute as much as he could.

"Not on any particular planet," Mace replied.

"Sold in Outer Rim space, she was," Yoda said.

"We have to find her," Qui-Gon insisted.

Mace sighed. "Qui-Gon, I know you and Obi-Wan feel that you are at fault for what happened on Naboo, but if you wish to go off on some crusade, you do it alone. We can't help you any more than we already have."

"Very well, then," Qui-Gon replied stubbornly. "All we will need is transport."

"Provide transport for you, we will," Yoda conceded. "But nothing more."

"If you two get yourselves into trouble out there, you will have to get yourselves out of it," Mace admonished softly.

"Understood, Masters." With that, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan bowed and left the Council chamber.

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Anakin, Padmé, and Shmi ate their simple dinner

 

It was so sweet, the way Anakin was nervous and kept trying to keep Padme's attention focused on him. I think he really longs for a friend.


Or worse, what if, after some time had passed, she turned out to be something that she didn't seem to be at first?

Ironic, isn't it!


Can't wait to see the Skywalkers reaction to Padme's revelation, so post soon!!

 

Very very very interesting. I really love premise of the story- Anakin and Padme meeting as slaves. To be honest, I wish that i come up with it first. Now I want to write a story with similar premise.

Great story btw.

 

I am glad you post so frequently! Keep up the good work!

 

Wonderful fic! I loved Pallas-Athena's fic too, and I'm so glad to see one like it! Can't wait to see where you take this one!

How long will it take for Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon to find Padme? What will happen with Anakin and Shmi? ACK! So many questions.......

 

"What was her birth name?" Anakin inquired innocently.

Padmé locked her gaze with his as a single tear escaped the corner of her right eye. "Padmé Naberrie."

Wow, I'm really surprised that she would let that out so fast! Great post, by the way!

Up!

JS

 

Yipee! I thought of a title!

Gina: It was so sweet, the way Anakin was nervous and kept trying to keep Padme's attention focused on him.
Funny, I wasn't really thinking about that when I wrote it. Shows how some authors gets wrapped up in their writing and don't really think about it, I guess.

Or worse, what if, after some time had passed, she turned out to be something that she didn't seem to be at first?

Ironic, isn't it!
Didn't think about that either, but yes, definitely ironic.

Can't wait to see the Skywalkers reaction to Padme's revelation, so post soon!!
That's in tomorrow's post.

Vivid_Scripts: Welcome.
Very very very interesting. I really love premise of the story- Anakin and Padme meeting as slaves. To be honest, I wish that i come up with it first. Now I want to write a story with similar premise.
I borrowed the idea from Pallas_Athena Go right ahead and write your ficcie. BUT DON'T FORGET ABOUT Reconstruction-Recollection-Redemption. Loved the latest posts btw.

Great story btw.
Thank you.

Dally: I am glad you post so frequently!
It's not gonna last. I already have a lot of the story written, but it's not completely done yet. Eventually I'm going to run out of chapters for daily posting, so after that, I'll have to post whenever I get the next part written. Don't start worrying yet, though. There's still a lot of pre-written parts left for a while.

Keep up the good work


PhoenixMage: Wonderful fic! I loved Pallas-Athena's fic too, and I'm so glad to see one like it!
Thank you, and welcome!

Can't wait to see where you take this one!
You'll see...

How long will it take for Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon to find Padme? What will happen with Anakin and Shmi? ACK! So many questions.......
I'm not telling...

Jazz_Skywalker: Wow, I'm really surprised that she would let that out so fast!
Well she has kept it to herself for ten years...eventually the stress of keeping it a secret would have to become too much...

Great post, by the way!
Thanks!

Okay, more tomorrow!
Four-day weekends are the best...