A small nudge in her mind - in the Force - a soft look away - a muted presence slipping through the prison hallways -

It's hard to notice, to look closely at. A pretty subtle nudge, but strong, at a very careful angle - the Hutts are very resistant to Force suggestion and the like, but this just might be targeted precisely enough to slip past them if they aren't paying attention -

The presence is coming her way,  probably. 

Interesting. Not quite the typical technique for a Shadow, and the... flavor is wrong. Elesse has not met this person before.

Perhaps they are coming to see her.

Seems likely. 

The technique wavers a little as the person steps into Elesse's line of sight - a tiny slip - and then it pulls back some. There's no guards or cameras here, and no patrols or checks for a while.

And there's a human girl, young, maybe between seven and ten - she could be older, though, she's skinny and lean. She's clean, free of obvious wounds or scars, but her dark grey clothing covers all of her skin except her face, which is shadowed by a deep hood. The fabric's nice, though not hideously expensive - but not the sort of thing a prisoner would wear. 

Her Force signature is also very, very dark, and she's very clearly immensely powerful in the Force - before her shroud wavers again, muffling just her Force signature. 

She's watching Elesse, staying silent for the moment. 

Elesse opens her eyes and looks at the girl.

"Hello there."

"Hello."

She fidgets a little, frowning, then blurts out: "You're a Jedi."

"I am. My name is Elesse Vendar. Who are you?"

"I'm Anakin."

"It is nice to meet you, Anakin." She tilts her head. "What brings you here?"

She pauses, squinting at Elesse. Then: "What's a Jedi doing in Hutt space?"

"Experiencing imprisonment, as you can see."

"Why were you where they could imprison you? And why're you still here?"

"I'm... waiting for someone, I think."

There's a flare of anger in her. "So you're just sitting there?"

"I dislike moving forward before I am sure of my path. Contemplation lights the way."

"Then you'll miss the opportunities that actually matter. People who need help can't wait for you to sit there and think about it."

"And yet by acting rashly, I may endanger more than I save, either directly or through unintended and unmitigated consequences."

"Thinking about it's an action. Not getting involved is an action. And if you've got one action you do for everything, then you're always acting rashly."

"A valid point. Yet some actions are in general more recoverable than others- that is, they close off fewer paths into the future. I may choose active intervention after thought, but to think after I have intervened helps little."

"Just backtrack. Some stuff you can't undo, but a lot you can. And there's a lot that's big but also small - most lives only matter to the people who're living them, and it's like, also really easy to unsave a life. And there's a lot you can do just 'cause you know the area, and you don't gotta keep thinking, and then - staying where you know how to help isn't bad, I guess, so long as you're actually helping. And there's a lot of people everywhere who've already done all the thinking and all the learning and just need you to ask them what to do, 'cause they don't have resources to act with, and finding them isn't hard, and other people's plans are always really obvious when they're dumb."

"Well, Anakin. What should I do here on Nar Hekka, as I do not know the area?"

"I've got a ship ready. I'm freeing as many of Tagta's slaves as I can get without causing a war or major retaliation. I came to get you because I can free a lot more with your help, and it'll be less risky, and getting dumped somewhere without resources would be only a little better for most, so you can get them to the Republic and get them help. I know the Republic's got programs for escaped slaves, and even if they suck sometimes they're better than nothing."

"I'm going after Tagta 'cause he doesn't use the explosive embeds 'cause of the domes here, and it's easier to deactivate what he uses instead, and I've got tricks for that, so he's better to hit than the others visiting, since they're all using the explosives - Tagta commanded them to deactivate those, but not all of them listened for all their slaves, and a couple of the more paranoid ones have their collars on a dead man's switch for reactivating anyways."

"And... I'm trying not to get caught, to get everyone I'm freeing into hyperspace before they're really noticed, but - if there's chaos, some of the other slaves will be able to make their own breaks for it, and I can get anyone with a normal explosive chip into smaller ships so they're not a risk to the main ship. That's unlikely to cause too much extra harm - slaves who've survived long enough to accompany a Hutt to a business summit aren't idiots, and they can triage themselves - and the chaos could be bad but it's something I'm hedging against happening and setting up to mitigate."

"Also - if I have you, there's a more conservative and sneakier option I can go for than grabbing people who can get out on their own. There's a bad hunger and sickness in the slave quarters right now, and if we mostly take kids and anyone weakened or who'd die without medical care, it'll be really easy to pretend they're just among the dead, and I've already got a plan in place to do that. But I'll need someone who can pilot, since slaves who are capable pilots are watched more closely, and there's smugglers on the moon and a couple imprisoned but I don't think they're very trustworthy. And if we're sending off the sick, there'll need to be medical care on the other end, and a direct line to the Republic's the best bet for that - I'd be sending them to die in space otherwise."

"There's still a chance we'll get caught with that, but - it's lower, and I'd either have to free a lot fewer people or run a higher risk if I didn't have your help. And even if the escape gets noticed... You're the perfect scapegoat. Tagta's just gonna get laughed at if he says he imprisoned a Jedi and then she and a bunch of his slaves vanished. And even if he doesn't blame you - there's too many possible culprits for him to narrow it down much."

"That sounds like a thoughtful plan." More thoughtful than she would have expected from a child with that much dark swirling inside of them.

She squints like a child with a very accurate radar for when adults are underestimating her.

"Will you help?"

"Will you tell me which Hutt you work for, if I do?"

"...Yeah. It's - important to doing this smoothly."

"Hm. Very well."

Elesse has questions about the details of the plan, of course. The palace layout beyond what she's seen of it, the escape ship's location and model, number of slaves she expects to be able to free, the workaround for the implants... and Anakin's own exit strategy.

Anakin has either an existing plan or a very in depth intuition that amounts to a plan - and it seems like her already laid plans are mostly intuition she's articulated to other people or already acted on. They'll be able to free a lot - some might die in transit if they're sick, but they would've died anyways, and Anakin's been able to accumulate enough food they can definitely get to the nearest bit of inhabited Republic space, probably farther. She has a handheld thing she can use to briefly trick the trackers, and then they can be more thoroughly disabled on the ship - but that's another reason to grab kids. It's really unusual to tag them young. They'll want a mix of ages, but a four year old can watch a two year old and a six year old can watch a baby, so they'll just... Mostly grab the under-tens. Easier logistics. 

Anakin's exit strategy is 'don't.' Even if they get caught or something, she's returning to Gardulla.

Elesse is satisfied with those answers.

"Gardulla... claims the desert world, Tatooine, as her base, is that correct?"

"Yeah. So does Jabba, but Gardulla's hold's a bit better right now."

"I see."

She unfolds her legs and stands smoothly, the water splashing around her ankles. A two-fingered wave of her hand opens the door. "Let us begin."

Anakin's already confirmed how well Elesse can hide herself in the Force, so - 

Let them begin indeed. 

Anakin's competent at this, in a way that pretty clearly shows she does stuff like this a lot. Elesse's working separately from her some, but... They're close by often enough.

She's uneasy with people being upset at her, but she's good at getting the littlest kids to calm down and follow her and not cry. She's good at adjusting on the fly when small details she hadn't accounted for go wrong - good at triage, at keeping from melting down over anyone they have to leave or can't save (though she's upset, and she's burning with her anger and grief, feeding it into the protective shroud she has hiding them).

She gets everyone to the ship, makes sure they're all accounted for - they get out with more than they'd hoped, she was right about the slaves knowing what they're doing - makes sure injuries are triaged and Elesse can finish deactivating the chips - 

And then she steps back and off the ship, watching them with a complicated expression, and that same angry grief joined by a nearly desperate yearning in her chest. 

Elesse pulses warmth, comfort, reassurance.

"I will not forget you, Anakin."

Her expression softens, almost into a smile. 

"Thank you."

"Until next we meet. Farewell."

"Farewell."

She keeps watch until they're in hyperspace. 

And three months later, a cloaked figure arrives at the gates of Gardulla's palace.

She's stopped at the entrance by a guard stepping out of one of the gatehouses.

"Who are you, and what is your business with Mighty Gardulla?" he demands.

"I wish an audience," she says, nudging at the guard's mind. "You will let me through without trouble."

His expression goes briefly dazed, then - "I don't need to cause you any trouble..."

And he sets to getting the gate open and an audience arranged.

It's so nice when people cooperate. And that the guard is distracted enough that she can levitate the dataspike into the access port to take over the security cams. No one watching will be able to tell anything is amiss.

Her audience isn't going to be immediate, of course, unless she pulls some other strings or otherwise pushes through - the expectation seems to be she'll cool her heels in the foyer until Gardulla deigns to see her.

Gardulla can have ten minutes, and then Elesse will be entering the throne room, by permission or no.

Yeah she's not getting that permission by then. She does get two guards trying to stop her, though.

Have the two guards considered that instead of stopping her, they should escort her in? Elesse is very sure they should consider that.

- These guards appear to be a species that's pretty resistant to the Force, but she can probably get through that if she pushes enough.

If Elesse were less a student of the subtle flows of the Force, perhaps this would give her trouble. But all things exist within the Force, even those who are called resistant. It's simply a matter of finding the right twist, to snake her intentions around and into their psyche- so long as they aren't otherwise exceptionally willful.

One of them is - but not past her ability to overcome.

Then it seems she has an appointment with a Hutt.

She strides confidently into the room.

The Hutt seems to be meeting with Anakin, actually, who's standing in the supplicant's space with her arms crossed and a mullish expression on her face. But she glances over when Elesse enters, and her eyes go wide. She doesn't say anything, though. 

"Who dares interrupt my court?" Gardulla demands, cutting off whatever she'd been saying earlier.

(And - there's a lot of guards throughout the room, four around Gardulla and several in little alcoves around the edges of the room. Force-resistant species are represented heavily among them, and all four of Gardulla's closest guards feel like they're the kind of weakly Force sensitive where they might get unusually lucky, might have good gut feelings, might be additionally resistant to Force influence, but have never met anyone's thresholds for actual training. The guards on the edges of the room already have their blasters out and ready, while the guards around Gardulla have electro-staffs and smaller blasters at their hips.)

"My name is Elesse Vendar, Master of the Jedi Order."

"Pah. There's no business for you here, Jedi."

"On the contrary, Gardulla Besadii, there is every business for me here. A Jedi is pledged to uphold the freedoms of sentients everywhere, not only in Republic space."

"Your silly philosophy holds no sway here, and the Hutts are sovereign. What I say is legal is what the law upholds."

"I am not here to discuss legalities, only facts. And the fact that concerns me at the moment is that you are the largest single slaveholder on this planet."

"Then keep your concern to your own little corner."

"But you are here and not there, so out of my corner I have come with light to shine upon this den of rats."

"It remains no business of yours, Jedi, and the patience of the Mighty Gardulla is not without limit."

Elesse steps forward, a hint of a predator's graceful sway in her stance. A quiet nudge to Anakin hints this would be a good time for her to fade into the background as Elesse swirls a coil of her Force presence around the room, almost the inverse of the hiding technique: a focusing of attention and a natural funnel to shape the reactions of those she cannot affect directly.

"My business, Mighty," she imbues the word with considerable scorn, "Gardulla, is whatever I say it is. Do you think you are the only sort of being who will see what they want and take it without compunction or regard for the desires of others? That yours is the only strength to apply here, that you or your rabblesome and scabrous followers could sway my course or give me even an instant of pause once I have begun? I tell you this, and mark my words for truth: by the time I leave this place, there will be not a single slave remaining within these walls."

Anakin fades back...

...But not fast enough, and Gardulla isn't inclined to forget she's there.

She scowls at Elesse, and then her gaze snaps to Anakin and she gestures. "Slave, to me."

Then, turning back to Elesse: "You have no power over me, girl."

Her guards are more obviously readying their blasters now, and Elesse has a sense a silent alarm is being raised.

Anakin's expression twists, rage washing through her - breaking her hiding technique -

And she walks stiffly to Gardulla's side, kneeling off to her left - in sight and reach of the two guards with their electrostaffs, and some of the more resistant guards are apparently very thoroughly trained to point their blasters at Anakin and not Elesse - but their focus is split, wavering, and it's clear they believe Elesse is the greater threat. 

"You think so?" Elesse tilts her head. Then turns her gaze at Anakin. "Tell me child, have you ever been offered the opportunity to make a pilgrimage to one of the Jedi temples? As part of the Ruusan Reformations, the right of pilgrimage for Force-sensitives was codified as one of the foundational rights in the Republic's constitution and is referenced in every treaty of alliance or neutrality, including that with the Hutt Cartel."

"The abrogation of that right is one of the few that still carries penalties up to and including intervention by a Jedi-led militia."

She's not supposed to answer questions. In front of Gardulla, in this type of situation... It'll get Anakin's friends hurt. Gardulla's angry enough to kill one of them, and seriously harm the others. 

She looks at Elesse, thinks about that rush of power, her promise -

"No. I haven't."

And she makes her leap of faith. 

She nods. "Thank you."

Then flicks back to Gardulla. "A Mantellian Self-Defense Force admiral owes me a favor." (Not a lie.) "I can have three light cruisers in orbit in less than six hours." (Lie.) "I wonder how much longer the palace shields will hold. Your generator is a CoMar model, is it not? I can't imagine the desert air is kind to it. I heard a bit of a whine as I entered." (Not a lie.)

She's tense. "So you want a war, little girl? The Mighty Gardulla is not without allies, and you will not much outlast me."

"You think you are worth a war, o Mighty," the scorn again, "Gardulla? After your quick and ignominious defeat prompted by a mistake you might have averted by paying a bare minimum of attention to the formalities of existing within a galactic context? What profit is there in that? Jabba stands poised not a thousand kilometers away to seize your criminal enterprises. He and the rest of the Hutts will make a brief show of presenting any Force-sensitives among their stock they might have been hording and toast your demise. One less competitor and saboteur to worry about. Any outside allies you may have will assist at picking your carcass for whatever value escapes the ruin and make a note to next time select more carefully for intelligence."

"As for my own person... As a Jedi, I heed the will of the Force. If nothing else, I rest easy knowing that the evil you personally perpetuate will have been wiped from the stars."

Gardulla gestures -

And a trapdoor opens under Elesse's feet.

Almost before it finishes doing so, she's in midair flipping backwards- the electrostaffs in the hands of the guards nearest Anakin come to life and jerk backwards into their wielders' faces- her lightsaber snaps into her hands and ignites, a pillar of shining gold- her heels hit the edge of the opening and she's pushing off again into a cluster of the more dangerous guards.

There is very promptly a lot of chaos! 

Including Anakin throwing herself at the two guards nearest her - drawing a knife and cutting one's throat as he collapses from Elesse's own attack - grabbing his blaster and shooting the other guard - then shooting a few of the guards who're trying unsuccessfully to turn their eyes from Elesse long enough to shoot her - 

She's aiming to kill, of course, and she hits what she aims for. 

She vaults over Gardulla then - weaves past the activated electro-staff of one of the guards on the other side, which is easy, they're reluctant to hit Gardulla - she yanks one's staff into Gardulla, hard enough to hurt even if not disable, slams the other's staff into his face - 

Those two aren't long for this world, either. 

Gardulla roars in anger - hits a panic button - and then reaches for the controls for Anakin and her loved ones' explosive chips -

She doesn't get far.

A storm of energy, roiling with anger deeper than anything Elesse has ever felt pour off someone, bursts around Anakin. She reaches out to Gardulla with one hand - and clenches it into a fist. Gardulla chokes and rises from her pedestal, writhing and trying in vain to scramble at her collapsing throat.

That will have to be addressed at some point, Elesse thinks, absently dipping to let a bolt of blasterfire hit one of the guards behind her and raising her saber to swat the next back at the attacker. The girl has strong potential, it ought not to be wasted, regardless of what the Council thinks.

The explosive anger will certainly be a problem for them, on top of her age... Maybe Elesse won't return to Coruscant immediately. Take a leaf from Master Jinn's book, much as they're doing here, and turn in the report after what is needful has been done.

Since Gardulla isn't using her pedestal anymore, Elesse makes a beckoning gesture and sweeps it through the air, crushing the left wall of guards.

Of course, plenty of the guards are now trying to shoot Anakin - terrifying Jedi is terrifying, but not currently killing their temperamental employer, and they're expecting backup - which seems imminent, especially as the blast doors open.

But they reveal only a single human woman in plain clothes, a sturdy pipe repurposed as a staff in her hands, a cold expression on her face.

Well, it reveals her and the armored bodies at her feet. 

She throws herself very specifically into slaughtering anyone aiming their weapons at Anakin. Her Force sensitivity is much less obvious within the Force than Anakin's - but, well, she's very accurate, and she fights like she has eyes on the back of her head, like she knows her opponent's moves before they do, and she's not being subtle about enhancing her body, especially her strength. She likely doesn't have training - she moves like a very dedicated and talented amateur, though she's successfully keeping her cool throughout the fight. 

They'll finish off the guards pretty fast between the three of them, likely even before Anakin finishes killing Gardulla.

Well, that's helpful. Unexpected, but helpful.

When all the guards are down, Elesse deactivates her lightsaber and tucks it away.

Anakin is still strangling Gardulla - Hutts don't die quickly - but she isn't drawing it out. She'll be done, soon enough. 

The newcomer comes to stand behind Anakin - protectively, but also offering a silent support - and eyes Elesse a bit warily.

"Hello."

"Hello."

"You're working with that other Jedi, then."

"I am, yes. I trust things were proceeding acceptably?"

"More or less, but he wouldn't tell me the plan for getting Gardulla out of the way."

"There were, shall we say, unpredictably moving parts. This was not precisely what I had intended but... It serves."

(And Gardulla dies.)

Anakin starts shaking.

The woman tenses - seems suddenly uncertain what to do with Anakin's upset.

Elesse crosses the room, crouches to eye-level with her, projecting calm and reassurance. "Anakin," she says softly.

"Elesse," she says, voice tight. "You - "

"You came."

"I did," she agrees. "I had to sit and think about it for a while. Not the question of whether I should, but how. But I found my opportunity, and I took my action."

She starts crying. 

Elesse reaches out slowly, telegraphing very clearly, to hug her.

She meets Elesse halfway, burying her face in her shoulder as she sobs.

Pat pat. Gentle acceptance through the Force, a mirror of the physical embrace.

"It's all right. Let it all out."

Anger and grief, joy, vicious freedom, fear and uncertainty - a dramatic crash from her high, the after effects of her adrenaline and rage - a trembling, disbelieving it's over, is it over? - a feeling of unreality, shock -

"Everyone's - okay?" she asks, voice breaking a little. 

"Everyone's okay. We're all leaving this planet."

Tight hug. "Thank you."

"You are quite welcome, Anakin."

Cling. "What's - after that? After leaving."

"After that... you'll have choices." Sidelong glance at the other woman. "You all will."

"What are the choices for the two of us?"

"Let's save that discussion for more... congenial circumstances, shall we? For now, I think it best we ensure you and everyone else makes it out of the palace safely. Do you know the way to the guards' command center?"

"Yeah. Want me to lead?"

"If you would be so kind. Anakin, I can carry you, or you can walk. Which would you prefer?"

...She's a big girl who's old enough to operate on her own in foreign, hostile territory, she tells herself. 

"Could you still fight if you were carrying me?"

"Yes, though not as well I would be able to otherwise."

"...I can walk..."

"I think the worst of the foes are behind us, now. I would not offer if I thought it was an unwise idea."

She nods. "If you think it's safe... Then - I wouldn't mind being carried..."

"All right." Elesse stands, scooping Anakin up with her, shifting her grip from the hug to carry her with one arm.

Extra cling! This is also a much better angle to bury her face in Elesse's shoulder from. She's not burning with so much emotion anymore - she feels wrung out - but that means she can instead just be happy Elesse came for her. 

The woman looks at them, something sad and tired in her eyes - 

And: "This way," she says, and leads Elesse to the guard room. 

They don't meet a lot of resistance. Most everyone's either figured out to flee or already died. The command room itself is lying empty, clearly abandoned in a rush. 

Good.

Elesse begins slicing into the network, bringing down defenses, opening doors, foiling coordinated responses.

Anakin can help! (She's had escape plans, if she ever got the explosive chips turned off, and she's in general very talented with machines and slicing.)

She also finds the PA system, flicks it on, and announces very cheerfully, "Gardulla is dead, as are her lieutenants. If you stand with her, then you will join her."

She thumbs it off, then turns to look at Elesse. "I can make it announce things only in some locations, too, if there's stuff you want just the slave quarters to hear or something."

"They should be well in hand. Thank you, though."

Bright grin! "You're welcome!"

It doesn't take her too much longer to wrap up, with Anakin's help.

"Is there anything left here you want to take with you?"

"We're not allowed much." She pauses, then: "Weren't allowed much."

"...But I hid some small things."

"Let's go find them."

"Okay!"

Her small things are: some cool rocks, a tiny metal charm shaped like a snake, a small droid-toy she made from scraps, and a woven twine bracelet, the dyes in the twine mostly faded.

She doesn't want to keep anything else, though she's reluctantly willing to take some clothes to change into later. (Her current ones are a bit bloody, and she's not certain when she'll get a chance to get more...)

Not until the next planet, at least, so a change is a good idea.

What about the other woman?

Just changes of clothes. 

Fair enough.

"I didn't catch your name," she says. "I'm Elesse Vendar."

"Shmi Skywalker."

Pause, then: "Anakin's mentioned you."

"Has she? I'm flattered."

"Not a lot of people help her, even in small ways."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

She nods and finishes packing - not that it takes long. "Where to?"

"Out the service entrance, with the others."

She nods and leads the way again. 

Then they can link up with Qui-Gon Jinn and his padawan, and assist with finishing the evacuation, loading the former slaves into speeder buses.

It goes without issue.

Shmi makes sure to stay near Anakin. 

Which means staying near Elesse; Anakin hasn't gotten tired of being carried yet. 

Conveniently enough for her purposes.

There's enough space in the driver's cabin of the bus Elesse will be driving to the nearest port town for all three of them. "This seems an appropriate juncture to discuss the choices you have going forward," she says once they're underway.

(Anakin detangles if Elesse needs to to drive.)

"What are they?"

"You can, of course, always follow the other refugees. But the both of you are Force-sensitive and talented, despite your lack of formal training."

"The Jedi Order can offer that, if you would join us."

Anakin bites her lip.

"What would joining you mean?"

"The Jedi are a monastic order, forsaking worldly ties to devote ourselves to the Force. Possessions, titles, and inheritances are left behind or donated upon entrance. For initiates in their first period of training, contact with outsiders is limited, as it is considered a distraction. You would live and work at one of the temples, and receive training in philosophy, meditation techniques, and martial arts to help you understand, manage, and deepen your connection to the Force, as well as a broad-based elementary galactic education in areas you lack knowledge in. Once that is complete, you would have the option to leave the Order with a recommendation of employment in one of our charitable organizations such as the AgriCorps, or continue training as an apprentice to a more experienced Jedi as a padawan learner, on the path to knighthood."

Anakin clutches her tiny bag of things tighter to her chest, but she seems to be hesitating about it some. 

"-The possessions I refer to are more typically things like a wardrobe full of fine clothing, or a large chest of toys. We wish to keep our initiates focused, not entirely severed from their pasts."

"...Oh. So just rich people stuff."

"That is a fair gloss, yes."

She nods.

"Will Anakin and I be able to stay fully in contact, even if I turn down your offer?"

"Only if she does so as well. At least for that basic training."

"I'm her mother," she says. "Anakin wouldn't be permitted to even reach out?"

"In letters, perhaps. But there are reasons for our traditions, in this matter especially."

"...I'd like to talk to you in private."

"Anakin, do you mind moving to the rear compartment for a while?"

"...I can." She's grouchy about this, but she steps into the rear without any actual complaint. 

"Thank you."

Elesse gestures for Shmi to say her piece.

"Anakin will accept your offer," she says, bluntly. "So I'm not having this discussion in front of her, because I don't want to poison her impression of the Jedi - existence and everything in it will harm us no matter what, but conceptualizing those harms as necessary or normal or not really harmful makes them easier to endure without breaking."

"At the same time, I don't want my daughter harmed."

"No parent would wish harm for their child and I do not wish to harm Anakin. But not training her would be doing her a grievous wrong. Jedi use the Force from a place of calm, serenity, an understanding of our place in the universe. The way she taps it, from your emotions in the moment, is what we call the dark side. Prolonged use leads nigh-invariably to the ruin of the practitioner and those around them. Anakin, to be frank, is naturally much stronger with the Force than you are. Stronger even than I, perhaps. If she is not taught to manage that strength, provided a framework she can use to control herself- I fear it will consume her."

"I know."

"And cutting her off from her loved ones - "

"You will give her a framework. It will be unstable, and when it breaks, it will plunge her farther into the abyss than she has ever imagined is possible." She doesn't sound like she's guessing, there. 

"I've raised Anakin for nine years. I've seen the hells of this galaxy, and I've seen the ruins people make of themselves."

"You seem - kind. Considerate. Caring, and someone who will go out of her way for a child she met once. You'll harm Anakin less than I will, especially in the short term - I don't oppose her joining the Jedi. She wants to, and I'll never trap her, and... There are no good solutions to life, but - you have a chance I don't."

"You also seem sheltered."

"There are things I think you haven't realized about Anakin. That would be hard to see from such a short encounter, of course, but - that I suspect you won't realize before it's too late."

"Anakin treats the concept of rules like it was invented by psychologically bizarre aliens. She only follows rules if she's trying to please someone, and she finds it stressful to do with any accuracy. She's kind, and I have no idea where she learned that because it wasn't from me - but she cares about people, and she won't cause problems for them unnecessarily, but she has a very, very odd concept of necessity, even for a child."

"She only remained in slavery for love of her friends - if I'd been Gardulla's only hostage, I would've killed myself so Anakin wouldn't be bound, and then Anakin would've killed Gardulla or died trying. Gardulla knew that. Anakin - she loves people with an ease that terrifies me. She's scarred by the hostage situation, and - she won't protest being separated from those she loves, from being cut off from forming new loves, because if she cares for no one, then no one can be used to threaten her. And all of the morality she's ever managed is rooted in that love - you can't cut her off from attachments without cutting her off from any reason for restraint."

"But she won't succeed at avoiding forming new loves - she adores you already, and - there is a serious risk of her just replacing her personality with whatever she thinks will make you happy with her. If she's cut off from the outside world - you'll become her framework for controlling herself. Any appearance that she's actually managing her emotions out of any kind of endogenous urge will be mere illusion papering over that, and her fall into the abyss won't take long after your framework is inevitably removed."

"The way she relates to her love isn't - healthy, right now. It's actually just immensely fucked up. But concentrating that on fewer people will just undermine her foundation."

She's repeated herself, she thinks, but - this is important, and it's not the sort of thing she rehearses explaining. 

"Thank you for sharing with me. You have a perspective on Anakin that I lack. I still think that Anakin needs proper training."

"But the life of a Jedi is not for everyone, I know, especially those who were not born into it or came to it with a less than entirely free choice. It is certainly not my intent to avert the danger the dark side poses to her only to have her be torn apart from within by the attendant philosophy."

"What she's doing hasn't been - good for her. She told me her anger feels like tar poured into her chest once, and - she's been getting angrier, lately."

"I want her to have your training. I don't know how flexible your rules can be made, though."

"Formally, not very."

"However. In the past, when the galaxy was more fragmented, it was not uncommon for a Jedi Master to take an extended sabbatical, traveling the galaxy to commune with the Force on their own terms. Often they would return with one or more apprentices, padawans who bypassed the normal induction process."

"Would you be willing to do that for Anakin?"

"I would. And for you as well, if you would like."

"...Maybe."

"Give it some thought."

"I'd like to stay - where Anakin can contact me, at least."

"But she might not - want to actually travel with me."

"We can discuss that with her."

She nods. 

"I hadn't had anything else to bring up, right now, if you don't have more questions..."

"Not at the moment," she says.

"Alright."

She goes to call Anakin back in. 

Who bee-lines back to Elesse's side. "...Was the talk okay?"

"It went fine."

She nods, slowly.

Then: "Am I gonna see my mom and friends again?"

"Do you want to?" Elesse holds up a hand to forestall an immediate response. "Please take a moment to think carefully about what it would mean to you, if you couldn't."

She bites her lip and glances uncertainly at her mother. 

Who stands. "I'll check on the others," she says - squuezes Anakin's shoulder - and then steps out. 

That reduces some of Anakin's tension. 

"Dunno," she says once Shmi leaves. "I used to not see them for long stretches anyways? Gardulla only let me talk to them if I was being good, and most of them were on Tatooine all the time so I couldn't see them anyways if Gardulla had me traveling, and she wouldn't let me talk to anyone she decided to take along in case I acted up when I was going with her on trips."

"Long stretches on the order of weeks? Months?"

"Either I guess? And some people I couldn't see for longer - Gardulla did make sure I was around them enough to still like them though, so it never got to like an entire year..."

"Joining the Jedi Order would keep you away for two years at the very minimum. One does not become a padawan until they are at least twelve years old, and thirteen to fourteen is a more typical age."

"I'm nine. But I don't have a birth record, so we could just say I'm older, and I'll be very good and learn really fast anyways."

"I appreciate the enthusiasm, but skirting the rules like that will eliminate the benefits of the training."

"...Why?"

"Because the pacing is deliberately designed. A Jedi requires a certain mindset, and to foster that in a temple environment requires time."

"What's the mindset?"

"Calmness, peace, focus. A unification with the Force."

"...How are you supposed to do that if you don't have friends, though?"

"It can be very effective, for a certain sort of person."

She looks very skeptical. 

"You look like you disagree."

"That's just... Not how it works for me."

"How does it work for you?"

"...If I'm alone my head goes - really nuts. My thoughts get faster and then they get mean to me. And people who don't like me are... Dunno. Lots of times they don't count for not being alone. I think if they dislike me my head gets bad faster? But most people who don't like me dislike me instead."

She seems to be struggling. 

"I - think I'm really only at peace when someone's touching me? Doesn't matter if I know them, though if someone touches me a lot I feel better whenever they're around? And lots of my older friends will let me snuggle up to them so long as I stay really quiet and don't otherwise bother them, which is really nice, and most of my older friends don't like me so I think someone not liking me doesn't actually matter there. - And it's like, calm touching that's best I think, 'cause if my little kid friends are climbing over me, that'll help sometimes and not other times? But if someone's touching me I never really feel alone."

"There is another option, besides joining the Order immediately. I could take some time off and train you informally. We'd stay in the Outer Rim, most likely, and you would be able to see your friends."

"...I dunno they'd even want to keep seeing me."

"You can make new ones."

"I'm bad at making friends who like me, though, unless they're really little and don't know better..."

"Many things have changed for you. Perhaps that will prove to be another one."

"...Maybe."

"But you like me?"

"I do."

Bright grin! "Then I might not need other friends."

"I'm only one person, Anakin. I can't be everything for you."

"Why not?"

"I'm not perfect. I have limits and I have flaws. There will be days I make mistakes, days I annoy you, days I won't have enough attention to spare for you. Needs of your I simply won't be able to meet."

"I can meet lots of my own needs. And I don't always need attention, just - someone who doesn't mind me being close."

"I don't want you to have a single point of failure, Anakin."

"If I was your student informally at first, would I be able to keep being your student?"

"How do you mean?"

"You said I wouldn't join the Jedi immediately, and earlier you said there was a basic training part that I guess was separate from most training - would I keep being your student even after the basic stuff? If I joined the Jedi?"

"Ah, I believe I may have been unclear. If you were to join the Order immediately, I would not be in charge of your basic training, though I would like to take you as a padawan learner."

"Then I don't wanna join immediately."

"If that's what you want."

"Yeah."

"Would I have to join the Jedi to keep being your student after the basic stuff?"

"That's... a little bit of a gray area. The simplest answer is yes, as I do intend to return to the Order."

"But I'll be yours, still."

"If you join the Jedi, I will take you as my padawan," she agrees.

Nod! "...Thank you."

Smile. "You're welcome."

Land speeders tragically aren't designed for cuddling while driving, but Anakin can lean happily against Elesse all the same. "You're good. I like you," she announces. 

"Why thank you."

Giggle!

"When's my first lesson?"

"Have you ever meditated before?"

"No..."

"Learning how will be your first lesson, then."

"Okay. What's the meditating for?"

"Calming your mind, ordering your emotions, and connecting with the Force."

She nods. "Why practice that stuff first?"

"Because it is what everything else builds from. Your mind is your center, and if you cannot control it, you can control nothing."

"Oh." She thinks a bit. "I don't like it when my mind's doing - lots of the out of control stuff..."

"Meditation can help with that."

"The first step is to find a comfortable position, something you don't mind holding for an extended time without moving."

"Like snuggling!"

"As long as the other person can also stay still."

"You seem the still kind."

"While I'm driving, certainly."

"You're not normally?"

"Not always."

"Well, you're still at least sometimes."

"True."

"So it'll work sometimes, at least."

"Such as the present moment."

"Yeah." Snugs.

"What do I do next?"

"Close your eyes and start counting your breaths. Breathe in three, hold three, breathe out four, hold two."

She does so - and successfully manages the breathing pattern, too.

Good.

Elesse talks her through continuing, focusing only on her breathing, emptying her mind, for as long as Anakin's willing to keep still.

She seems better able to sit still than keep her mind quiet. She asks a lot of questions. 

Elesse is willing to answer. They can work on the rest as they go.

Good. 

They'll probably finish driving before Anakin gets tired of this. 

Entirely possible. Inquisitive is a good quality.

Anakin's full of those! 

Clearly.

Giggle.

She can be quiet at least while Elesse's handling the stuff around arriving at their destination, too.

Very considerate of her.

There's quite a bit of logistics to do, getting everyone onto the right ships, making sure everyone who needs to get their implant removed has a timeslot with the medscanner...

Anakin and Shmi will both need that.

Shmi's, it turns out, will be pretty easy to remove once they have her in any kind of surgical facility. Anakin's... Not so much. 

They'll need better equipment to be sure, and a surgeon to say what can be done, but it looks like the implant was put into her cervical spine when she was much too young for the procedure. The bone's grown around it. 

Anakin - hasn't had a melt down about this yet, but she's clearly deeply unhappy about it. 

Elesse is not super thrilled either.

...She thinks she wants to not be around the other ex-slaves right now. 

Entirely reasonable of her.

Where's Elesse gonna be? 

Elesse needs to finish helping the others with their scans.

...Kay. 

Is there somewhere on the ship Anakin can wait for her? 

The forward compartment, perhaps.

She nods, hesitating a bit.

"Remember what I said about a single point of failure, Anakin?"

"...I know."

"But I - don't wanna be alone, either..."

"Could you try finding one of your friends? Or Shmi?"

"They're all ex-slaves too, though, and even the little kids will be talking about it..."

"...Though maybe I could see if anyone wants me to watch their baby? Babies don't talk."

"Usually not," Elesse agrees. "And that would be otherwise helpful."

"Okay."

She gives Elesse a hug, then heads off to do that. 

And Elesse continues helping to process ex-slaves.

She stops by the forward compartment before takeoff.

Anakin has acquired four babies of varying ages. She's gotten them all to go to sleep at some point, and is humming a quiet lullaby. 

She looks up when Elesse enters and grins, though she doesn't stop humming. She seems a lot calmer than she had been when she left.

Elesse smiles.

"I'll be just ahead," she says softly, "until we break orbit and jump into hyperspace."

"'Kay," she whispers, then goes back to giving the baby currently grabbing her finger a silly grin.

Cute.

Elesse goes to prepare for takeoff, coordinating with Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan in the other two ships. The rendezvous is Odessa, a Mid-Rim world with the medical facilities and refugee programs to see to the necessary surgeries and placements. It'll be about two days travel.

Anakin seems determined to spend the two days glued to Elesse's side, though she'll let herself be nudged into spending time in the ad hoc nursery. Spending time with her mom is - she'll do it, but only if her mom is otherwise near Elesse, unless Elesse insists otherwise. She doesn't actively avoid Shmi like she does most of the other ex-slaves, at least.

(For friends... Her prediction that most of her older 'friends' wouldn't want to keep talking to her without Gardulla threatening them more or less bears out, at least in the short term. It's increasingly apparent she has a very weird definition of friendship, since at least one of those 'friends' deeply and openly loathes her, verbally attacking Anakin the one time Anakin approaches her, and otherwise seems determined to create and spread as much nasty gossip about the girl as possible. One older 'friend' does at least express a willingness to let Anakin hang out around him so long as she doesn't remind him she exists very often. Her younger friends are effectively rolled into 'helping with childcare,' and it seems she entirely lacks anyone she likes who's within about five years of age of her.)

(The adults are mostly more neutral on her, those with children sometimes a tired sort of pitying, but they're not exactly intervening with her social life, and they don't reach out to her.)

(Some of the problem becomes clear. Perhaps it may be fixed by the upcoming context shift, but something to keep an eye on, still.)

When they arrive, Elesse makes sure she's available to sit in on Anakin's appointment with the doctor.

Anakin is only a little clingy. 

The tentative verdict: they can remove or at least neutralize the explosive itself, and they can wipe the current data on the chip proper, both without likely problems. The chip itself, though - 

They'd have to remove a good bit of bone to get it out, and the collateral damage risk isn't insignificant, from the surgery itself or later inflammation. There's a high chance they'd need to fuse at least two vertebrae together, and anything that replaces the bone won't grow as Anakin does.

The chip's currently not in a location where it'd threaten her, though, and its casing appears fully intact. It might migrate as she grows, or the casing might become damaged, but - they can monitor that with routine checks.

Given all that - the doctor's purely medical recommendation is to remove the explosive now, but leave the chip in place until Anakin has stopped growing, at which point they'll be able to reevaluate and there'll be fewer overall risks.

Anakin is very, very quiet about this. 

Elesse puts a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"You should get the explosive off now," she says quietly. "For the rest... We can seek a second opinion on a Core world. Jedi healers, perhaps."

Jerky nod.

"You'll be all right."

Lean. "How do you know?"

"Because I'm here to help you make it so."

Mrrr. (More lean.)

Pat pat.

Sigh. "Wanna - think. About the chip. But I want the explosive out."

"You have as much time as you need."

Hug. 

She - wants to schedule getting the chip out, then go somewhere without any strangers to have feelings.

Entirely doable

Does she want company for the latter?

...Yeah.

Elesse will stay with her, then.

She climbs into Elesse's lap to bury her face in her shoulder again. 

Hugs.

She doesn't seem to be sobbing this time, though it's a while before she says - "I don't want the chip in me."

"I know. You shouldn't have had this done to you."

"I want it out. I - I don't want to wait - "

"But something hurting my neck feels - scary."

"It's a risky surgery. I- don't think you should get it out here. We can look for better doctors, like I said, but..."

"...But they might say the same stuff?"

"I'm not an expert. But I think that's likely."

"...I'll have time to think on the way, though, and - if I decide the risk's worth it, they'll do a better job?"

"I think a Core surgeon would have better odds if it can be done at all, yes."

Small nod.

"...If we go to the Jedi healers, will they tell you not to teach me on your own?"

"I suspect they would. But they can't force you to join the Order, and I would ignore them if me teaching you was still what you wanted."

"I want it. Would you get in trouble, though?"

"Some trouble, I think. Nothing irrevocable."

"You shouldn't get in trouble for helping me."

"In a perfect world I would not, but this is not a perfect world. The rules, sadly, don't account for your specific existence."

Sigh. 

Then: "...If they probably won't be able to remove it safely, and I decide I don't want to take the risk, then ‐ maybe we shouldn't go to them? So you don't get in trouble."

"That would be... cleaner, but I don't want to close off your options."

"But if I changed my mind back, we could still go to them?"

"We could."

"...Then - I don't want to go right now."

"All right." Pat pat.

Snugs!

"...I think I feel better with it being a - real decision and not a fake decision where sure I could technically do the thing but it'd suck."

"You feel like you have some control."

"And like it's - like there's a benefit."

"What do you mean?"

"There's - a reason to go to the Jedi, and a reason not, and..." She seems to be struggling some. "I want - I think I want to be - the sort of person who - doesn't do something that probably won't work but is - very tempting because I'm scared and sad - but the thing would get you in trouble. I... Like that - there's something I can do that helps you, or - at least doesn't hurt you..."

"That's very kind of you, Anakin."

Bright grin! And firmer hug. "I like you lots, so."

"Thank you."

Giggle. "I wanna do things for you more."

"I'll see what I can come up with."

"Maybe I'll think up some stuff, too."

"Please feel free to check with me before assigning yourself tasks."

Giggle. "You don't like surprises?"

"I prefer to be able to plan around the events in my life."

"Okay. I'll let you know before I do big stuff."

"That sounds like an acceptable compromise."

She giggles, hugging Elesse a bit tighter. "Good."

Hug.

"Ready to make the appointment?"

She nods, sharply.

Up, then.

And back to the doctor's.

They can get the appointment in soon, at least. They seem to be prioritizing treating kids. 

As they should.

In the meantime... Maybe Anakin would like to do a little more work on meditation?

Yeah, she would. 

Then find a comfortable spot, and start focusing on her breathing...

She relaxes fairly quickly - though starts fidgeting after a little bit. 

"Do you find it hard to sit still, Anakin?" Elesse asks after a while.

"Yeah." She flexes her feet a little. "Just sometimes though?"

"Some people meditate better while exercising," Elesse says. "Do you want to try that?"

"Sure!" She bounces to her feet. 

Elesse stands as well, and begins demonstrating and coaching Anakin through some stretches.

She's incredibly flexible already, and takes to the stretches with enthusiasm. Elesse might have to watch her for injury some, though - Anakin's stretching well past the point where it's causing her pain, though she doesn't seem bothered by that.

Elesse will try to explain the difference between pain you should push past and pain you should listen to.

She seems to have a bit of trouble with the concept.

Does she... notice when she gets hurt?

Well, yeah, injuries make her feel stuff and all. But most of it's not bad? Except she guesses sometimes like if she's got a really bad cold and her head hurts, that's pretty bad, and getting sand places is the worst...

Ah.

Well, some of the signals she's getting mean that her body is being damaged. A certain level of damage is acceptable in exercise, rebuilding is how one becomes stronger. But if the damage is too severe, then you won't be able to recover effectively.

...She's really not sure where the threshold is. She's guessing it's before 'the limb becomes unusable' though?

Significantly before, actually.

If she doesn't mind Elesse taking a look into her thoughts, she can help Anakin stretch and demonstrate where the thresholds are.

"Jedi can do that? Read thoughts?"

"Surface ones, sometimes. Feelings are easier to pick up."

Nod. "I don't mind."

"All right." Elesse stretches out to reach Anakin's mind. If she's paying close attention, she might feel a slight sense of not-really-pressure.

Small wiggle! (Her feelings about Elesse reading her mind: she's very much noticing the not-really-pressure. It's odd, and like the taste of a new food - she doesn't know yet if she likes it or not.)

Elesse takes hold of her arm to gently demonstrate what actually acceptable ranges of stretching are.

This might be even more interfering with her ability to parse the pain as aversive - she's decided she likes the sensation of Elesse reading her mind, likes the comfort of Elesse seeing things in her head that Anakin can't - of someone seeing the mess of her feelings and not turning away, likes Elesse's soft touch redirecting her in response to Anakin's thoughts.

She pays very close attention to Elesse's corrections, and holds each position Elesse eases her into long enough to memorize it. "Will I get more flexible over time?" she asks, then.

"You're already quite bendy," Elesse says. "I think your tendons may tighten up as you grow, if anything, as long as you stop overstressing them."

"Aww... I like being stretchy, though. It's fun."

"I'm sure it is. But it will be better in the long run if you moderate yourself now, so you can continue to bend for longer."

"That makes sense, I guess..."

"I think you'll find the things I say often do."

Giggle! "I already am!"

"The first step on the path of wisdom."

"Knowing that you're right?"

"Recognizing rightness when you hear it."

Hum. "Another way you're right, then."

Elesse laughs.

She laughs, too.

"Now, let's try these exercises again..."

"Okay!"

She keeps pretty well to the limits Elesse sets, and even starts paying attention to the feeling in her brain, not just the position of her limbs.

Good work.

Wiggle! (Tiny wiggle, given she's currently stretching.)

Now, let's settle into a pattern of stretches and start bringing the breathing exercises into the mix.

Easy enough so far. (It doesn't get out all her jitters, though, even if it's entertaining for a while.)

Elesse increases the tempo and challenge level of the movements to try to keep Anakin engaged.