(Jayden's PoV)
With the ship parts delivered, the ship was under repair. The droids were working diligently to repair the ship as soon as possible, while also resolving every issue.
No one wants to have any more issues in mid-travel.
If such a thing happens while in hyperspace, there is no guarantee that they will be able to reach their destination, much less in one piece.
While the ship repair was going on, something else was going on.
The podrace gamble.
It happened originally because ship parts were required. Anakin was added as a bonus.
This was how it was supposed to happen, but with my interference, it should have been different; however, it didn't turn out that way.
It still happened. This time, the situation was reversed, although for all intents and purposes, it appeared similar to the original one.
The gamble was placed for the ship parts, and Anakin was added as a Bonus.
This is done so that Watto wouldn't think that we are here for Anakin. If he feels that Anakin has higher price value, he may sell the boy instead of gambling away.
Though he was nice for someone who buys slaves, he was still someone who wanted to accumulate wealth as quickly as possible. If not, he wouldn't have gambled in the first place.
Master Jinn tried to get Shmi as well, but Watto disagreed. No matter how much of a gambler he was, he was not going to let go of everything in one gamble.
He is not an idiot to bet everything, all at once.
The Podrace happened as it did.
Anakin, unlike last time, where he fumbled a little and, if not for being the Chosen One, would have lost the race.
This time around, the podracer vehicle was in better condition than the original was supposed to be. So, he was able to win the match easily.
Anakin was free to leave the world. He is no longer a slave confined to this desert world.
---
During the Podrace, two important events happened.
Well, one is just for me, but the other one, which could affect all of us and much more, maybe even the entire galaxy.
The first one was Padme, well, the maid. She made contact with me, a proper one, unlike before, where we didn't acknowledge each other much.
---
"I feel like I have seen you before", she spoke as we watched the podrace.
I was surprised when I heard those words. I have never made contact with her before, fearing that it would attract unwanted attention from Palpatine, as he was busy with his planet to cause chaos on his homeworld.
"We have met?" I asked in confusion.
I have seen her, but I'm sure that we have never met before.
"No, I don't think so, but I think that I have seen you at one of the meetings that the Queen held before she was the Queen", she said.
"Oh", I sighed, "I remember. It was not exactly that I attended it, but did so while passing. Naboo is, after all, my homeworld as well. I was born there. My parents still live there", I said.
"Oh, are they alright?" she asked with concern.
"Yeah, they are alright. They were not on the planet when the Federation came to block the world. They were merchants. So they were off-world dealing with some issues, which I have no idea about", I stated.
That is a partial truth, of course.
I knew what my parents were doing. They were engaged in purchasing some assets, specifically old industries that were on the verge of dying out. These industries would be where we would be building droid parts.
Droid Parts are always in demand. It was not just during the war, but all the time.
During the war, demand escalated somewhat, but that was it. The war, the so-called clone wars, didn't spread throughout the galaxy. The core didn't see much action. Most was done in the outer rim and the mid rim.
It was designed to bring down the Jedi and also serve as a training method for Anakin, devised by Palpatine; that's all. Nothing more.
"Oh, that's good", the maid said, and we spoke a few things that we each liked on Naboo.
For a second, I thought Padmé was liking me.
Would she?
I mean, she was supposed to be the wife of the Chosen One and bear the twins that can bring down the Empire and make a path for the Jedi to return.
Well, if the Empire doesn't rise or if the Jedi doesn't fall in the first place, there was no reason for the twins to exist.
Well, no need to think too much about the future.
Whatever should happen, would happen.
The other thing was that I observed the droid probes watching us; they were watching everyone in the stadium, but they were concentrated much more on Master Jinn than on anyone else.
The Sith is here.
Maul would soon show himself to the galaxy.
To the Sith, the only one who stood in their way was Master Jinn. As long as they eliminate Jinn, they can get the Queen. Well, there was Kenobi, but he was still a Padawan, though he was ready to undergo the trials to become a knight. For the Sith, having gone through many deaths, what Kenobi could do wouldn't matter much.
My master and I were the ones that the Jedi sent to find out what happened. So, no one would have thought that we arrived at a place where the queen, along with the crew, landed.
So, we might not be on their radar yet, and I am not keen on adding ourselves to the list this soon.
Sure, Palpatine would hear that we helped, but the chances of him taking an interest in me, while Anakin was present, were less likely.
It was precisely why I pushed Master Jinn towards Anakin, to make sure he wouldn't miss out on Anakin.
For now, I might be safe, at least for a while.