Tatooine
Mos Espa
In a galaxy far, far away, there lived a boy with special circumstances.
"Boy! Come with me. I found salvage in the desert," his owner, a grubby Toydarian named Watto, screamed.
Anakin followed wordlessly, wiping the lubricant on his hands onto a rag. His special circumstance was the slave tracking device implanted below his collarbone. Should he disobey or try to escape, one press of a button would kill him.
He got on the cargo landspeeder. The patched-together vehicle, something he had worked on for many years as far as he could remember, lumbered out of the junkyard. Whatever salvage Watto found in the sands must be valuable enough for the Toydarian to risk leaving Mos Espa's safety.
He crouched inside the cargo pod, safe from the sand and the twin suns to a degree.
He hated all of this. The sand, the heat, but most of all, being a slave.
He was broken out of his thoughts when the speeder stopped. "We are here. Be quick." He held on to the ledge, letting his feet touch the ground. He walked to Watto, inspecting the salvage. It was a freighter, Corellian by the looks of it, and in far better condition than most ships on Tatooine.
Half sticking out of the sands with the boarding ramp buried beneath, it must have come to the surface by sheer luck.
"See what we can take," Watto grumbled, activating the droids he had rented. The boy was too young to carry anything heavy. A prized mechanic like him was worth far more in good health than otherwise.
Anakin nodded, walking inside. The hyperspace driver, the engines, any weapons, and the shield generators—they were the most important parts. If any were in working or reparable condition, Watto would earn good.
He trudged through the sand to the bridge to see if the ship was in working condition. If it could be flown to the junkyard, even better.
A mound of sand was in his way. He couldn't go around it and had no choice but to clear it. Pushing the sand aside with his hands, he cleared it enough to walk over.
It proved to be a mistake.
His right foot touched the surface without a problem. When he raised his left to move forward, the pressure caused the sand beneath to give away. He sank halfway to his chest. He tried to pull himself out, but the only thing his short arms could reach was sand. He yelled Watto's name, asking for help.
"Boy, what is happening there?!" Watto came in, his wings allowing him to fly over the sand. He saw Anakin get swallowed by the sands, his large eyes widening. He rushed to save his slave, catching the boy's hands. He tried to pull him up, grunting, but he was not strong enough.
Then, his hands slipped.
The sweat gathered in the boy's calloused hands made Watto lose his grip. He flew back, out of control, and hit his head on the ceiling. His vision went dark for a couple of seconds. He shook his head, flying forward to catch the boy's arms again, which were the only parts visible. Just as he closed his fingers around Anakin's wrists, the sand sucked him in.
"No!" Watto slammed a fist on the sand. He tried to dig the mound, to hopefully save the boy, but it was of no use.
—
Anakin screamed.
He was sliding down with the sand through a hole. Sand flew into his mouth, cutting his screams. He gagged, trying to spit it out. He covered his face with his hands, shouting for his mom.
He did not see the open window in front of him.
He flew through the opening, hitting feet-first into a mound of sand. He blinked, screams stopping for a moment. He started again when more sand flew through the hole, burying the upper half of his body.
He pushed through, spluttering and blinking rapidly as sand got everywhere. He rubbed his eyes, stumbled around, and hit his head on a wall. He opened his bleary eyes, seeing a pair of legs in front of him.
Raising his head, he screamed at what he saw, turning around to run.
Only to hit his head again and pass out.
—
When he came to his senses, it was on soft ground. Softer than his bed, anyway. He quickly checked his body for any wounds. There was a cloth wrapped around his head, and trying to pull it hurt. His dress was gone, replaced with a black material, loose and just as soft as the bed.
The grime and dirt stuck on him were gone as well.
He looked around, trying to understand where he was. The walls of the room were wooden with a warm brown color. The furniture was of the same material, confusing him further.
Were these brought from another planet? Did that freighter have all this inside it?
He went for the door, waiting for it to slide open. When it did not, he pushed on it, trying to see if it was stuck. He reached for the large, oval button, pressing to see if it would open the door.
Once again, nothing happened.
Anakin scowled, wrapping his little fingers around the button, accidentally turning it to the side while pulling. The door clicked open, moving slightly inside the room. He scratched his head, wondering who used these kinds of doors.
He checked the outside. The corridor was built with more of that material. The lights were not electric, burning with something he could not see.
He had to find his way back to his mom.
Deciding to brave this unknown place, he left the room, walking through the hallways, seeking an exit.
"Hello there," a voice came, saying words he had never heard before. It wasn't basic or Huttese, an entirely foreign language. He turned around, stumbling back, and screamed again. The alien before him had multiple cracks going through his face and body, leaking a thick, dark liquid.
Anakin ran.
He found another room and dove in, hiding beneath covers on the bed. That person looked sick, like he was dead and had a third eye on his forehead.
He was hiding, thinking what his mother would do. When the door creaked open, he moved back to the edge of the bed, his back touching the wall. Only a hand came out of the door, laying a metal tray on the ground. He closed the door again and left.
He peeked his head out of the blanket, glancing at the tray. It was hot and steaming, with a small, red and golden mound in one part; thick, white-green slices of something in another; a mix of reds and greens in the last; and a packet with round orange objects painted on it.
His stomach grumbled.
Stuck between thinking whether this was one of the traps his mother mentioned and his hunger, Anakin waited. Ultimately, his stomach won. He left his hiding spot, tiptoeing to the tray in case the alien was waiting behind the door. Eyes on the door, he snatched the tray and walked back to his bed.
He took the fork, poking what looked like pale worms strung together. He brought the utensil on a single strand, cutting it to reveal non-fleshy bits. Deciding it was safe, he stabbed the mound with the fork. However, the strands were too thin.
Instead, he gently pushed the fork in and twirled it. The strands wrapped around the fork, and he took it to his mouth. When the taste exploded in his mouth, he groaned, eyes almost rolling to the back of his head.
This was the tastiest food he had ever eaten.
He dove into the dish, eating as if it would disappear any second. He was careless, however, and had a hard time swallowing the morsel. He slowed down, deciding to taste the other foods on the tray. The thick slices were crunchy and sweet, while the mix of red and greens was his least favorite. They were still better than most food he had eaten, though.
He took the packet into his hand, noticing a white, metallic spot and a see-through tube. He took the tube, which was just the size to fit the metallic circle. He pushed through, and it went in easily.
He took a sip.
An orange, really sweet liquid hit his tongue, burning it slightly. The taste was, once again, nothing like he ever ate before. He kept drinking, feeling the cold drink wash down his throat.
When the tray was empty and he felt his stomach fuller than any time before, he fell asleep.
—
He woke up to a strange feeling. The sound of Watto screaming at him to get to work wasn't here. Neither was his gentle nudging. He didn't feel hungry or tired.
He did not know how to describe it.
He looked at the door, seeing another tray laid out. This one had two white circles with orange parts in the middle, bright orange slices, what looked to be bread, and a red, thick paste and a large cup of water.
He didn't feel too hungry, but free food was free food.
—
Done with his breakfast, he set out to find the alien who had given him all that food. Certainly, no one who could hand out delicious food like that without asking something in return couldn't be bad.
He walked through the hallways once again. The owner seemed to be the only person in this house. He hung his head down, knowing a lot of families could be housed here.
The door at the end of the hallway opened. He got a clear look at the alien. He was surprisingly like a human, dressed in black clothing. He wore a robe over a tunic, kept together by sashes; black pants and boots; and an equally black cloak behind that seemed to be floating as if it were in zero gravity.
He had a mustache, a beard, and clean, short hair.
"Hello," the alien said, waving a hand.
Anakin waved back, but the words made no sense to him once more. "I don't understand," he said, hoping the alien might speak basic or Huttese. Instead, he tilted his head to the side.
The alien spoke again, this time in a clearly different language, before switching to others. He picked up at least seven or eight different languages, all of them sounding foreign to him. He watched the alien with a blank face. His host laid a hand on his short, neat beard, putting his fingers over his chest.
"Stephen Strange," he said, repeating it several times. He quickly caught on that the alien was introducing himself.
"Anakin Skywalker," he replied, pointing at himself.
The alien nodded, turning around and waving his hand. He followed, keeping a distance regardless. The alien took him to a place with shelves filled to the brim with paper books. He had seen several before, but never this many in one place.
His host walked to a certain shelf, searching for a book. He opened one in the middle, turning to him while reading through another language.
"He must be smart to know so much," he thought, tilting his head at what the alien was doing.
His eyes widened and he considered escaping when a golden circle appeared on the man's left hand while he continued to read. When the golden circle appeared over him, he tried to bat it away. His hands harmlessly passed through. Then, it suddenly flew at him.
He jumped on the ground, covering his head.
"Sorry for the scare, kid," the alien replied. Anakin raised his head, looking at the alien finally speaking a language he could understand.
"What did you do?" he asked, patting his body for any wounds.
"A simple translation spell."
"Spell? Like magic?" Was he a Jedi?! Did he somehow manage to get stuck beneath the sands?! Did the freighter belong to him?!
He was positively jumping on his place. He had always wanted to meet a Jedi. Maybe they had finally come to free the slaves.
"The correct term is sorcery, but yes. Have you seen any before?"
"No. I only heard the Jedi could do things like this."
Strange's brows creased. "The Jedi?"
Anakin's face fell. "They are heroes who carry laser swords. They can do magic too."
"I am afraid I never heard of them. Which country are they from?" Strange asked, stroking his beard.
"Country? Do you mean planet? They are from Coruscant."
"Wait, wait, back up." Strange raised a hand. "These Jedi are from another planet?"
"Yes?" How could he not know Coruscant? Everyone knew the capital of the Galactic Republic.
"How is that possible?" he asked after a moment.
"With hyperdrives. Everyone with enough credits can buy a ship and travel."
Strange knelt, putting both hands on his shoulders. "Anakin, which planet are we on right now?"
"In Tatooine, a desert world with two suns."
"Oh."
Doctor Strange's eyes became unfocused, and he fell silent.
—
Anakin's head hurt. Not from the pain of slamming it hard enough to knock himself out, but from everything Doctor Strange just told him.
He was from Earth, the planet where humans evolved. He did not know Tatooine or any of the planets and races he encountered. His explanation was confusing. Apparently, Doctor Strange was from another dimension. He had arrived on Tatooine by accident while trying to save his world.
He still believed he was under the sands of one of the deserts in his world.
He understood the different dimensions a bit from studying hyperdrives. What he did not understand was the idea of different universes. Strange was kind enough to take the time to explain.
It still was confusing.
"This explains so many things. I thought I would have been found by now. I had begun to lose hope. Only to know it was all for nothing," he said, rubbing his eyes. Anakin saw the same black liquid seeping from his wounds come out of his eyes too.
He realized the man was crying.
Whenever Anakin cried, his mother always made him feel better with a hug. Deciding to do as she did, he hugged Doctor Strange. The man froze for a second, feeling the short arms wrap halfway around him.
He gently patted the boy's back, letting his tears fall freely.
—
In Mos Espa, a slave owner had just broken the news to his last remaining slave. The woman's son was dead, swallowed by the sands. His slave tracking device had gone offline, which only happened if it was detonated or the wearer died.
He could not stand her cries and left her quarters to seek a new slave. The boy was a gifted mechanic, an expensive commodity. He was lucky enough to earn him and his mother from Gardulla in a bet.
The Hutt was sure enough to bet them, but not many would be. He would have to spend a lot of peggats to buy a new one.
At least he had managed to get the freighter working with the droids.
—
Notes: Here is the first chapter of Anakin Skywalker: Sorcerer Supreme.
I know him eating food from another universe would present gut issues, probably. To avoid having to write our first couple of chapters as a health emergency, I decided to skip that. For those who enjoy these details, you can think of it as a force intervening if you want.
As for the slave tracking device, Sanctum has defenses against technology, which stop the device from going off or letting Watto know Anakin is alive.