Chapter 11: Their Power Levels Are Over 20,000!
The readings on the display caused Qui-Gon's eyes to widen with astonishment, and for a moment, even the storm outside seemed to hold its breath. "Your midichlorian count is off the charts," Qui-Gon murmured, his voice filled with wonder. "The Force is strong with you, indeed." The words hung in the air, charged with the promise of a future that was both awe-inspiring and overwhelming.
Arna, her grip on her lightsaber relaxing, stepped forward, her eyes reflecting the flickering light of the device. "What does this mean?" she asked, her voice steady despite the tremor that had entered her heart. Qui-Gon turned to her, his expression solemn. "It means," he said, "that your brother might be the one we've been searching for."
The storm outside grew louder, the sands pummeling the walls of the hut as if in agreement with the Jedi's revelation. Within the sanctuary of their humble home, the fates of two worlds, two destinies, and two siblings entwined, ready to be unraveled by the relentless sands of Force's prophecy.
The Jedi Master looked from Anakin to Arna, sensing the bond between the siblings, and knowing that the prophecy of the Star-Born Chieftain did not end with just one. "May I also test you, Arna?" he asked, extending the device.
She nodded solemnly, placing her hand next to Anakin's on the makeshift lightsaber. Her eyes searched Qui-Gon's, seeking the truth of her own destiny. The device whirred again, its light flickering against their skin as it measured the presence of the Force within her.
Qui-Gon's eyes grew thoughtful as the readings appeared, and for a moment, the room was as still as the eye of the storm that raged outside. When he finally spoke, his words were measured and grave. "Your count is also high, Arna," he said, "it's as extraordinary as your brother's. The Force is strong in your line, a lineage that could hold great significance for the future of the Jedi Order."
The siblings exchanged a look, the bond between them growing stronger in the face of this newfound revelation. The storm outside raged with renewed intensity, as if reflecting the tumult of emotions within the small hut. Padme watched the exchange with a growing sense of unease. She had heard the whispers of prophecy before, and knew that such destinies often came at a great cost.
Shmi, her eyes reflecting a mix of pride and sorrow, stepped forward to embrace her children, her touch grounding them in the warmth of the present even as their futures stretched out before them, vast and uncharted. "What must we do?" she asked the Jedi, her voice trembling slightly. Qui-Gon regarded her with compassion, his gaze then moving to the twins.
Qui-Gon Jinn, the stoic Jedi Master, took a deep breath, feeling the weight of his words before speaking. "The path before you is fraught with peril and choice," he began, his eyes flickering between Anakin and Arna. "The prophecy speaks of one who will destroy the sith. Yet, the Force has revealed to me that both of you bear a unique gift that extends beyond the sands of Tatooine. Your destinies are intertwined, not just with the fate of your people, but with the very balance of the galaxy itself."
He paused, allowing the gravity of his revelation to sink in. "You have the potential to become Jedi, to learn the ways of the Force and wield its power for good. But this path is not an easy one, and it will take you far from home, far from the lives you have known." The siblings looked at each other, the storm outside mirroring the tumult within their hearts.
Anakin felt the thrill of possibility, the allure of a destiny that could see him standing among the legendary heroes he had heard whispered about around the campfires. Arna's gaze was more solemn, the weight of the prophecy and their people's plight etched deeply into her expression.
The Queen, Padme Amidala, watched with a growing sense of understanding, recognizing in the twins the same fierce determination that had driven her to fight for her own planet's freedom.
The Jedi Master's eyes grew distant, as if peering into the swirling sands of time itself. "The prophecy speaks of a leader born of the stars," he said, "Sometimes, the greatest service one can provide is to rise above the sands and bring change from the outside in."
The siblings exchanged a solemn look, the whispers of destiny echoing through their hearts as the storm outside grew ever more fierce. They knew that the decision they made here, in this modest desert hut, would shape not only their futures but the fate of countless lives across the galaxy.
And as the sands of Tatooine continued to dance in the fury of the storm, they made their choice, stepping forward into the embrace of the Jedi, ready to face the trials and tribulations that awaited them in the stars beyond.
"And what of your father?" Qui-Gon asked Shmi gently and quietly, his gaze lingering on the siblings. Shmi looked down, her expression tightening. "There was no father," she said, her voice barely audible over the howling wind. "Anakin and Arna were born out of nowhere, I don't know how it happened."
The revelation hung in the air, confirming the Jedi's suspicions. Qui-Gon felt the Force swell around him, a sense of awe and foreboding melding together. The prophecy spoke of a leader born not of sand, but of the stars themselves. Could it be that the twins were the embodiment of this ancient foretelling?
The implications were staggering, and the responsibility that now lay upon them was immense. He looked back at Anakin and Arna, their faces a mirror of the storm outside—full of unbridled power and unanswered questions. The path ahead was uncertain, but one thing was clear: the fate of the Tusken, and perhaps the galaxy, now rested in their sand-stained hands.
Qui-Gon Jinn pondered the revelation, his mind racing with the implications of Shmi's words. The prophecy had spoken of a singular leader born of the Force, but here before him stood twins, both with an undeniable connection to the cosmic energy that bound the galaxy. The ancient texts were silent on the possibility of two such beings born at once, and the Jedi Council would no doubt have much to say on the matter.
Yet, as the storm's fury grew, so too did his sense that these siblings were crucial to the unfolding of destiny. He turned to Padme, her expression a mix of wonder and concern. "The prophecy speaks of one," he murmured, "but the Force is seldom so straightforward in its dealings."
Her eyes searched his, understanding the gravity of the situation. "Perhaps," she offered, her voice rising above the din of the storm, "the prophecy speaks of unity, not singularity. Perhaps they are meant to rule together, as two halves of the same whole."
Anakin and Arna exchanged a glance, the bond between them unmistakable. The Star-Born Chieftain had freed and united their people, but could these siblings, born of the very fabric of the Force, do the same for the galaxy at large? The winds outside grew to a crescendo, the sands pummeling the hut with the insistence of fate itself, and Qui-Gon knew that time was of the essence.
"We must bring them before the Council," he said decisively, "for their destiny is greater than the sands of Tatooine." With the storm as their herald, the Jedi, the Queen, and the twins of prophecy set forth into the night, leaving behind the only world they had ever known and stepping into the embrace of the stars that had called to them since birth. The sands whispered their names as they disappeared into the tempest, the desert's fiercest children now poised to shape the future of the galaxy.
Anakin took a deep breath, the weight of his decision palpable in the air. He looked to Arna, whose eyes reflected the tempest of emotions that raged within her. "We will leave," he said firmly, his voice carrying over the storm's crescendo. "We will become Jedi, and we will do all we can to help our people from the stars."
Arna nodded, her grip tightening around the blade she had crafted from the very sands of Tatooine, the blade pulsing with the power of the desert she had learned to manipulate. Their mother, Shmi, watched them with a mix of pride and sorrow, her own destiny forever changed by the birth of her Force-sensitive children.
The siblings knew that their choice would mean leaving the only life they had ever known, but the prophecy called to them, a siren song that promised a greater destiny. They agreed to wait for the sandstorm to abate, for the desert was a fickle beast, and to challenge it now would be to invite death. Secretly Anakin was relieved to leave, not having to feel guilty for not considering Shmi his mother, a very kind woman, nothing more
As the winds howled their displeasure, the four of them hunkered down in the hut, the walls groaning with the fury of the elements. Yet amidst the chaos, a quiet resolve grew within them, a bond forged by blood, prophecy, and the unyielding will of the Force.
When the storm finally passed and the sands of Tatooine lay still once more, Anakin and Arna would emerge into a new world, their hearts filled with hope and their spirits ready to face the trials that awaited them among the stars.