บท 31: V.1-C.31│Nanosuit III│

Tatooine.

It had been a year since she had seen her child and every day she had missed him. Sure she could call him through a communication device and seen him grow day by day but it wasn't enough at least for her it wasn't.

Shmi had been keeping herself busy as to not feel lonely without Anakin. She did have some company in the kindly old lady that had become a grandmotherly figure to Anakin known as Jira. Jira practically visited her everyday.

She had taken a liking to the woman as she was the only real living presence around her. Sure her sons construct, C-3PO was good at helping her manage things with the business and on occasion kept her company.

But it isn't the same.

The only other people she had regular contact with were her subordinates living with her on Tatooine. The freed slaves that had been offered jobs were quite protective of her own simply because she was Anakin's mother.

She had done things that they appreciated as well, but most of the impact done to slaves on Tatooine was heavily done by her son.

She couldn't be any more proud of the fact that his same acts of kindness and major ones as well had helped shape a better future and lifestyle for those they had saved. Years ago she did not have much hope in being freed from slavery and now that she is and is helping free slaves herself, it felt surreal.

"Hello Shmi, it is a nice day we are having isn't it." A person had walked into the store the her son and herself had started in.

"Welcome, what can we do for you?"

While the business they had built together was still progressing, she still liked doing such a simple task as keeping an eye out on the store. Obviously she wouldn't do this if she were not protected but many types of protection were put in place in case of any danger to her life.

"I am here to pick up a droid commission."

"Ok, name please and I will get it for you right away."

After Anakin left she had become worried especially since she found out he had somehow had a hand in helping the people of Naboo free themselves for the Trade Federation.

News doesn't usually travel to fast from the Republic all the way out to the Outer Rims but she had been making sure to keep up with current events. Even if she didn't she would still be informed of anything important that could affect their business operations.

"Thank you for your patronage." Shmi said while the person had gotten his droid he had ordered promptly leaving the store.

Even more surprised was she that her son had offered to buy up all of the droids left on Naboo from the Trade Federation. She didn't know what she would do with all of those droids as she certainly had no way to stockpile and sell them all within a short period of time.

Her son had it all handled though and simply reassured her that it was for himself. Now while she has grown throughout the years herself in her mentality that doesn't mean she lost her intelligence.

Shmi trusted her son that what he had in mind for the droids was for the right purposes, and even if it wasn't she would only scold him. She couldn't possibly see her son be in trouble and would outright deny that he is even if she knows he is in the wrong.

She is first, a mother before anything else.

"C-3PO can you bring me those parts from over there, that would be much appreciated."

"Sure, madam."

She had to send her time doing something than just reminiscing about her son and worriedly thinking about him and missing him. Much of her life she had sent with him after all and she believed he had a calling that was meant for more than to just stay on Tatooine.

Shmi was currently working on a small project of her won in relation to the many company properties she had brought and distributed across the Outer Rims and Republic. Skywalker Industries at this point had become a big name and was officially apart of the big leagues.

In fact her training and development of her very own products had been selling nicely as well. It wasn't just Anakin that had a knack for technology, he had to get it from somewhere. Anakin got it from her.

She was currently working on an idea she had of her own for a while now. A grand design that would hopefully reshape the moisture farming on the planet of Tatooine because she had seen that water was a big problem here.

If the population continued to grow the more the planets economy would suffer because of an increase in demand for water.

So she had taken it in for herself that she would help out. She was making a special core reactor meant to be used to farm the ambient water within the atmosphere at a more efficient rate.

This would both make her more money to expand and more money to but more slaves to free them whilst expanding the land she owns to increase the housing available to those freed slaves.

'I am nearly done with this thing. Hopefully I will be able to get this thing working.' It was only one of the many components needed for her design to work.

She had some help from some people whom she had helped educate within the company here on Tatooine in the process but everything was mainly done by her. This would be officially her biggest project to truly mark her own stuff done within instead of the things Anakin had designed or remodeled himself.

'Maybe I should start to get out more often. It might help me if I socialize with others, it probably wont fix my missing Anakin but at least I would not feel alone.' If Anakin were to hear her thoughts he would probably tell her he doesn't plan to stay with the Jedi forever.

They are a dying cause after all and they will sink with the Republic.

Shmi would continue throughout the rest of her day continuing with her normal routine with the completion of her final phases and design of her project.

[]

Coruscant.

After the month of non-stop surveillance and monitoring of Grievous, Anakin had everything ready, prepared for the next few days that it would take to go through with his options.

Fortunately he doesn't have to participate within any of the classes anymore due to his very rapid progression but that doesn't mean he would be able to disappear from the order for a few days. Thankfully what he has to go through is different from Grievous as he had a far more severe bodily condition.

Another thing to take into account is that Anakin's physical prowess, and healing capabilities have been influenced by his own training and the advanced healing factor granted to him through the ritual.

What he needs to do now is wait for a day where he is completely free from having to train with either Qui-Gon or Windu.

Walking through the hallways, Anakin had decided to go for a simple walk to unwind so he is not mentally stressed before the surgery.

"Anakin!" Barriss had become a friend of Anakin's despite her childish nature she was a somewhat good companion. "Hey! I know you can hear me."

"Huh? O, its just you, Barriss. I was just out for a stroll before I have my lesson with Windu, maybe I can convince him to finally teach me Form VII."

Barriss had practically been the only person he had properly befriended while he had kept everyone else as acquaintances because they were still children mentally. The only person he had found tolerable enough was Barriss.

There were a few other younglings that Anakin would have liked to befriend as well but most were way younger then him.

'Well, someone is better than no-one I guess.'

"By the way, why are you out of class. You trying to skip it or something?"

Barriss with a little embarrassment on her face answers. "Something like that."

"Well, thats your decision then. What were you originally going to do before you coincidently came across me?" Anakin says before continuing. "Anyway you are welcome to join me as I was just going to a training room thats empty to practice some lightsaber forms."

"Sounds good to me." Barriss replies.

Anakin to help advance himself at a quicker pace decided he need to create another droid, but onw specifically geared towards combat to do with close-ranged saber styles. The programming he put into was simple and he didn't want to create a droid that was alive simply because he thinks it would get a beating from him.

And it is true. It did get beat down more often than not as Anakin adapted very well and very fast to mistakes made in his various forms.

He made sure to update the droids settings as much as he could so he would be challenged and he certainly was but it was not enough to keep up with Anakin's pace.

"Here lets get to it. You can go first." Anakin tells Barriss to fight the droid.

"Ok." Moving towards the droid it activates bringing itself back to droid consciousness and prepares itself to battle Barriss.

Barriss had gone with him a few times to practice and after the very few first lessons Anakin had surpassed her and then had started to help her advance in her lightsaber forms as well.

The practice sabers blare to life from both the droid and Barriss. The droid doesn't wait for Barriss to attack first and goes in for the metaphorical kill.

Clashing sabers against each other, it is clear to see that the droid is obviously overpowering Barriss as she has not enough physical strength to overcome the droid. It is not her forte after all.

Barriss practiced the Soresu fighting style, but where her true talents lied in were the healing arts that are derived from the Force.

Halfway through the battle between the two, Barriss matches to catch the droid off guard and disarms it. "Well done but you took a little longer than I would like." Anakin spoke up.

"I need to get to my training with Master Windu now."

"Do you? I am sorry for taking up your time."

"Its alright but you should really practice a bit more with your form it could become better and would allow you to finish faster. The quicker your opponent is incapacitated the more energy you preserve in future situations."

"Thanks."

"I got to go now, see you later."

"Sure some other time then."

Anakin leaves first heading towards where he would find Windu.

[]

"Hey Master, what are we to learn today?" Anakin asks his now master of one year.

"Today Padawan Skywalker I have only come to prepare you and inform you of some new training you are to take part in."

"New training?"

"Yes. I have decided that you are ready to learn the saber Form VII."

"Really? Wait you said only inform and prepare, so I wont be starting today?"

"No, you will be given some theoretical materials so you would have to study a bit first."

"Study, really? Have I not already proven I can easy breeze through most of everything. No, in fact I can breeze through everything."

"While that may be true, it would be prudent that you tone that your overconfidence, young Padawan." Windu says with his signature raising of his eyebrows.

"Here is everything you will need and your practice will start next week after I make sure you know everything." Windu passes over a few books and even a journal that Windu himself had created to document his experiences with with Form VII.

"The rest of the day is up to you." Windu then without waiting for a reply or goodbye leaves.

'I guess I have finally broken his resolve to not teach me his style? Or has he realized all along I had not been as dangerous as he had at first thought when I was allowed into the Order. Either way this works for me and now I have some free time to go through with the operation.'

'I wont be able to gully heal or recover within a days time but a day should be enough that any scaring from the surgery is healed over. If not i can just simply apply some basic bandaging to cover the scar.'

Sneaking away from the Jedi temple Anakin moves towards the shopfront his company had bought on Coruscant despite the large sum of money he had to pay for it, it is coming in handy right now.

A medical facility was made inside separate from the rest of the shop as Anakin wanted, no needed it for himself.

Unlike Grievous his Nanosuit will not be as complicated to introduce into himself.

'It is time to go under the knife.' And with those closing thoughts, Anakin drifts off into a semi-unconscious state as he works on his surgery through a droid.