EXT. GEONOSIS – CONDAWN CITY – DAY

Located atop a plateau surrounded on all sides by open, barren, cold desert is Condawn City, capital of Geonosis’ Condawn Province. Though there are veritable metropolises built deep underground in immense subterranean caverns, at 122.19 km2 in area, Condawn City is the largest settlement located atop the surface of the planet.

EXT. CONDAWN CITY – STREET – DAY

SIX KIDS – the olive-skinned boy KITSTER; the fat Rodian boy WALD; the red-haired boy SEEK; the “twin” Zeltron girls AMEE and MELEE; and the ringleader, dark-haired, dark-eyed DARTH – have gathered together out on the streets of Condawn City. They stand outside a crumbling, old duracrete building, huddled in close together at a public comm station.

As Darth dials a number, the others start to giggle. Once he shushes them, they quickly fall silent.

INT. KALSYZ’S CANTINA – DAY

The Gran bartender AKS MOE is working the bar when his comm rings.

AKS MOE: (answers the comm) Kalsyz’s Cantina.

EXT. CONDAWN CITY – STREET – DAY

DARTH: (grins) Hi. Could I speak to Blo, please? Blo Zedong?

INT. KALSYZ’S CANTINA

AKS MOE: Wait, I’ll ask. (to his patrons) Blo Zedong? Blo Zedong! C’mon, step forward! I wanna Blo Zedong here!

The barflies spontaneously erupt in uproarious laughter.

BARFLY: Are you sure you wanna Blo Maidong?

EXT. CONDAWN CITY – STREET – DAY

The kids guffaw right along with the barflies.

INT. KALSYZ’S CANTINA – DAY

As everyone continues to laugh at his expense, Aks’ orange face deepens to scarlet.

AKS MOE: (into the comm; enraged) If I ever get my hands on you, I’ll ream you out with a hydrospanner! (hangs up)

EXT. CONDAWN CITY – STREET – DAY

The kids continue to chuckle.

KISTER: That was so wizard, Darth!

WALD: (claps Darth on the back) Yeah!

DARTH: (checks his chrono) Oh, man! We gotta fly! C’mon!

Leaving the comm, Darth brings out his skimboard. Dropping it to the ground, he hops onto the hovering board and then takes off. Following his lead, the five other children hop on their own skimboards and take off after him.

EXT. CONDAWN CITY – STREET – CONTINUOUS

The kids race through the streets of Condawn City, zooming along the sidewalks, over obstacles, and between pedestrians. They are, quite frankly, making nuisances of themselves.

MELEE: Where are we going, Darth?

DARTH: The Kwisatzhader Mart is having a 2-for-1 sale on sludgies today – one day only! – and the place closes in nine minutes!

As the kids get ready to cross a street, a landspeeder comes passing through the road. Instead of halting to let the vehicle pass, Darth makes a jump, skimming along the roof of the speeder before continuing on over to the other side.

Unfortunately for the ne’er-do-well, a PAIR OF POLICE ‘DROIDS seated in a clear-top speeder spot his dangerous, foolhardy stunt.

KR-L: Let’s roll, LO-U.

Engaging the engines, turning on the siren, the ‘droids take off after Darth.

CONDAWN CITY – ALLEY – DAY

Noticing the cops on his tail, Darth makes a sharp turn to the left and ducks into an alley, counting on the narrowness of the alleyway to cut the ‘droids off and make good his escape. LO-U simply realigns the vehicle vertically, allowing them admittance into the alleyway, continuing the pursuit.

As Darth barrels down ahead, he sights what lies at the end of the alley: a solid, stone wall. The only way out is back the way he came.

KR-L: You’ve reached the end of the line, son! Time to submit yourself before the law!

Gritting his teeth, Darth only coaxes more power from his skimboard. Reaching the end of the alley, he throws his legs up, allowing him to ride up the wall. Even the maneuverable speeder can’t make that climb in the space available.

Not designed for vertical ascents, the skimboard can’t take Darth all the way up the wall and onto the roof. As he succumbs to the power of gravity, Darth repositions the board horizontally, then urging some more juice from the repulsors, he passes right over the police speeder.

EXT. CONDAWN CITY – STREET – CONTINUOUS

Emerging from the alleyway, Darth continues down the street. The police speeder, still hot on his heels, emerges from the alley after him.

DARTH: (looks behind him) What does it take to shake off these guys?

The chase continues. Eventually, Darth comes to a body of water: an artificial pond, very spacious, with much distance between this end and the other.

DARTH: (grins) Water. They can’t follow me across water.

EXT. CONDAWN CITY – POND – DAY

Reaching the edge of the pond, Darth leaps over the levee. Continuing on across the liquid surface, he looks around behind him. The cops have parked their speeder and climbed out of the cab; they now just stand there at the edge, watching him.

DARTH: (laughs) Eat my slacks, sucke --!

The skimboard loses velocity, and Darth falls silent before he completes his insult. He forgot that if the ‘droids’ speeder can’t make the crossing over water, then neither can his mere skimboard.

Darth falls into the water with a large SPLASH.

INT. WARKA HUT/KITCHEN – DAY

A slender, middle-aged woman is busy in the kitchen preparing dinner. Her pleasant face marked by laugh lines and crow’s feet, her brunette hair long and braided, she is SHMI WARKA, Darth’s mother.

A KNOCK at the front door rouses her attention.

INT. WARKA HUT/MAIN ROOM – DAY

Coming to the front door, Shmi opens it. Standing outside are the two police ‘droids KR-L and LO-U.

SHMI: (frowns) May I help you?

KR-L: Are you Shmi Warka, Darth Warka’s mother?

SHMI: Yes.

KR-L: Madam, your son is no more …

LO-U brings Darth out from behind itself, strong metal hands clamped around the nine-year-old’s shoulders to keep him from getting away.

KR-L: (cont’d) … than an ill-bred troublemaker.

Shmi looks upon her son. Darth keeps his eyes averted to the ground.

CUT TO

Sometime later.

The police ‘droids have departed. Shmi now paces about the room, harshly rebuking her son.

SHMI: (cont’d; irate) I keep getting reports from your teachers about you skipping school, about you getting into fights with the other children! Your grades are terrible and you’re this far from expulsion, so what do you do?! You go out into town with that pack of hooligans to cause more trouble, to leave more messes for me to clean up! (beat) I’ve tried talking with you, helping you, but nothing I do seems good enough. Nothing works. (sighs) I’m at my wit’s end with you, Darth.

DARTH: (sullen) Can I go to my room now?

SHMI: Go to your room so you can do what? Bury yourself in some stupid game so you can avoid everything I’ve been telling you?! (angry) No! You can’t go to your room! We’re staying right here in this room together until we’ve worked out what to do with you!

DARTH: (angry) Work it out yourself!

Turning away from his mother, Darth crosses over to the front door.

SHMI: Where do you think you’re going?!

DARTH: Out!

SHMI: The hell you are!

Shmi strides up to Darth and pulls him away from the door.

DARTH: Let me go!

Darth begins wrestling with his mother, struggling to pull free. When that doesn’t work, he bites her on the wrist – hard.

SHMI: OW!

Shocked and enraged, Shmi smacks Darth against the face. He goes down. Putting his hand to his red cheek, the boy looks more startled than hurt.

SHMI: (horrified) Oh, Darth!

Crouching down, Shmi sweeps Darth up in her arms.

SHMI: (crying) Darth … Darth ….

There on the floor, cradling her troubled son, Shmi Warka weeps, at the end of her rope.

INT. CORUSCANT – JEDI TEMPLE/COUNCIL CHAMBERS – EVENING

Siri, now attired in the uniform of a knight of the Coruscanti Order, stands within the chamber doorway, her gaze focused on the twelve Jedi masters seated at the centre of the room. Having assembled to discuss hot topics revolving around acolytes of their order hours before, their meeting is now drawing to a close.

MACE WINDU: (cont’d) So it is agreed – we will dispatch a party led by Mistress D’kana to deal with the apostates on Christophsis. I will issue the order myself. (beat) Meeting adjourned.

The meeting at an end, the Jedi masters and mistresses rise from their seats and begin to file out. Stepping out of the doorway, Siri allows the masters exit, deferentially bowing her head to each and every one of them as they pass through. Only ten of the twelve leave the room, however; MACE WINDU and ADI GALLIA remain positioned by their seats.

MACE WINDU: Knight Tachi. Please, come forward.

Obeying his command, Siri steps on over to join the two masters, her hands clasped behind her back and her back ramrod straight.

ADI GALLIA: (smiles) At ease, Siri. Save the rigid formality for the Imperial commanders.

Siri allows herself to loosen up.

MACE WINDU: How was your vacation, Siri?

SIRI: It was … good, Master Windu, very relaxing. Getting away from the capital for a while was just what I needed. I’m back now, though, ready to resume my duties to the Order.

MACE WINDU: Good, because we have a special assignment lined up for you.

SIRI: Will I be going to the front?

ADI GALLIA: No, not that. Something closer to home.

MACE WINDU: As of late, our duties on the Council have kept us completely occupied, forcing us to stay on-duty late into the night. Because of this, we haven’t been able to give our son, Uzochi, as much attention as we’d like.

ADI GALLIA: The nanny 'droid has been taking excellent care of him, but he’s a four year old boy; he needs the constant care and attention only another person can provide.

SIRI: So you’d like me to be his caretaker.

ADI GALLIA: Only during the afternoon. Your mornings and evenings would be completely free.

MACE WINDU: The 'droid can handle 'Chi the rest of the day.

The masters give Siri a moment of silence to think things over.

SIRI: Master Windu, Mistress Gallia, I’d be honoured to care for your son. When shall I start?

In response, the two Jedi spouses smile.