Recording of Private sergeant Johnathan Mar: callsign Jonah.
Documentary of the Naboo war, 2380.
Anakin, Skywalker, that was kid's name. For a kid, at his age, he was smart, a quick learner, and a helluva racer on Tatooine but sad to say he and his mother were slaves to an overweight flying rodent. If we had our way then, we would've turned that damn sandbox into a glass frame but that wasn't why we were there. we were there to get parts however we had to win the parts first, in something called a pod race.
Unlike the races we see on Tv, Pod racing is on an all-new level.
The day started pretty fine as the city was awake bustling early, the shop keepers and merchants shoveling or sweeping away drifts of sand. Resembling stalls and awnings and riding carts and damaged fences, while wagons were already hauling fresh supplies to merchandise from warehouses and storage bins, including the receiving bays of the spaceports, were back to welcoming ships from off-planet.
Qui-Gon let Anakin go on ahead to the shop as they drew near since Watto is basically the Skywalkers owner and also to give the boy a chance to approach the fat flying bastard on the subject of the pod races first, but at one time Jonah suggested he just throttle thing to get both the parts and free the Skywalkers however he was immediately shot down when Qui-Gon talked him out of it.
He persuaded a vendor to part with a handful of Dweezil's, invited this time, moving to a food stall across the way. After they consumed the Dweezils, the group moved across the Plaza to the front of Watto's shop, Jar-Jar already unsettled by all the activity took up a position on the creator near the shop entrance his back to the wall.
Jonah on the other hand took notice that Jar-Jar is acting differently other than his clumsy self, turning around he could see nothing out of the ordinary except for a floating pitch-black drone flying around while hearing Padme doubting Qui-Gon plan as the Jedi master entered the shop but it was a risky move in his opinion.
Because he's betting their queen's ship, something he was beginning to question the Jedi master's sanity. It took about thirty minutes of talking to the fly alien before they left to the slave quarter boneyards. The pod racer was shaped like an arrow half-cylinder with a rubber skid attached to its flat bottom, a cockpit carved into its curved top, and steering arms attached at its sides was, sleek older fighter engines with scoop air stabilizers toward the pod at the end of the steel ton cables.
"This thing is a pod racer? It looks like a guy decided to strap two thrusters to a go cart!." Jonah said, his eyes scanning the racer in shock.
"Well, I tried to find good parts to repair it since Sebulba hit it with his vents," Anakin spoke up.
"Wait for a second," he exclaimed, "are you saying that made this thing?"
"Yep," the boy replied with pride, nodding his head.
This caused Jonah to stare at him in disbelief as the company activate the antigravity lifts and began guiding the pod and its enormous engines into the courtyard and back of Anakin's Home with Padme, Jar-Jar, Jonah, and R2D2 lending assistance and encouragement.
The boy immediately went to work prepping the pod for the upcoming race while Anakin and his helpers were engaged in fixing the Pod racer Jonah's eyes caught sight of Lance and he wasn't alone. Walking beside him was a red-pinkish girl the same age as Lance with two tails coming out of her head including wearing some revealing clothing in the form of a stainless white cloth over her chest that was bound around her neck and under her arms showing her full navel, silver rings covered her arms and a long loincloth hung from her front and back with both of her legs and wrapped in cross leather wraps around her feet.
Luckily she was at least wearing a cloth braw and thin panties, but that doesn't make Jonah feel any better, not. one. bit.
"Lance? who is she?" Jonah asked with a raised eyebrow.
His friend scratches the back of his head in embarrassment before answering, "Lance meet...Kasel the girl I was talking about."
Jonah eyed the Twi'lek young women before signing," Lance? Tell me why is she dressed like some prostitute?"
Lance gave Jonah an awkward expression while the alien girl looked quite a bit ashamed while at the same time her cheeks darken a bit as Lance answered, "Well, you see she's not like a prostitute but uhhhh, remember those guys I beat up."
Jonah nodded his head, "Yes."
"Well, after that I decided to go to another bar since the owner wasn't too happy because half his establishment was damaged." Lance exclaimed, " luckily the bouncer thought I was some bounty hunter and let me in however what I didn't know is that the place is owned by a certain slug called Jabba the Hutt."
Jonah was starting to have a bad feeling about what he just described as Lance continued.
"It was not bad at first, good drinks, girls and uh...dancers-"
"Get to the point, Lance," he demanded.
"Okay, Okay, Long story short I met/ saved Kasel from getting electrocuted to death as punishment for attempting to kill her owner," Lance said, feeling a bit ashamed of himself, "It was quite tense but we were able to come to some agreement."
"And that agreement is?" Jonah questioned, raising a single eyebrow.
"Well, if Anakin wins then the owner will give her to me "Lance paused for a moment before looking down to his feet," however if a racer like Sabulba wins then I'll be in his debt and Kasel will be repeatedly raped until she loses her mind before being fed to Rancor."
Shaking his head he gave Lance a hard stare, "Lance, you are really pushing our luck here."
"I screwed up big time, alright!" Lance almost shouted out," I couldn't watch her die."
Jonah was half tempted to throw a right hook at his friend but resisted since they have enough on their plate as it is. "Okay, man listen up and listen close. Get her inside the house before helping with Pod racer, and if we're extremely lucky then she may come with us got it?"
Lance nodded as Jonah turned to face the red-pinkish-skinned Twi'lek and asked "So miss, did you really try to kill the slug?"
Kasel stared at him with fear before quickly shaking her head replying in perfect English, "No! I didn't even know there was poison in Jabba's drink."
"So you're telling me you were framed." Jonah guessed.
"Yes," Kasel breathed out, "But they didn't believe me so they sentence me to death."
"So your really serious about this, with the race I mean," he asked in which Jonah nodded his head.
"Sadly, yes." Jonah replied, having a grim look on his face, "If there was another way I would take it but the blue bastard is the only one with the parts we need."
"Yeah, but letting a kid enter a race that could potentially kill'm is not a good idea?" Lance asked, questioning the sanity of Qui-Gon's plan.
Jonah couldn't help but agree with Lance on that one, on what he heard about these Pod races from the old Jedi master it's not like the racing worlds he always watched on TV. So letting a kid so young that he could be his son participate in a death race while at the same time betting everything on a single race through the godforsaken desert.
It sounded like another race he was familiar with back on earth in history books, originated in the middle east, the river of fire the Arabs called it, a hundred thousand mile race across the Sahara desert.
Jonah could see Qui-Gon talking to Anakin's mother but since they were too far he couldn't hear them, then all of a sudden a group of children appeared running past them as they headed towards the Pod racer that is parked in the courtyard.
Deciding to leave his friend alone for a moment as he walked into the courtyard.
"Wow! a real astrodroid," one of the kids exclaimed, "how did you get so lucky?"
Anakin shrugged.
"That isn't the half of it," he declared, puffing up a bit "I'm entering the boonta tomorrow."
The kids made a face and pushed back his mop of dark hair. "What! With this!?"
"It's never going to run." the girl said in disapproval.
"Ho, it will run kids," John said, making himself known to the kids.
"My employer has seen to it that this kids pod will be fixed in no time." Jonah gestured to Qui-Gon who is walking towards them, "So I suggest that you leave your friend here to continue working."
The kids quickly hurried off to play ball while one of them stayed for a few moments before running while Anakin gave him a grin of appreciation, then he noticed Jar-Jar fiddling with the left engine's energy, binder plate. The power source locked the engine together and kept them in sync and the silent grin disappeared.
"Hey! Jar-Jar!" he shouted in warning, "Stay away from those energy binders."
The Gungan bent close to the protruding plates looked up guiltily, "Who? Mesa?"
Anakin put up his hands on his hips, "If your hand gets caught in the bean it will go numb for hours."
Jar-Jar screwed up his face, then put up his hands behind his back and stuck his built face back down by the plate. Almost instantly an electric current arced from the plate to his mouth causing him to yelp and jump back in shocked surprise.
Seeing this Jonah couldn't help but shake his head at Jar-Jar's clumsiness as the Gungan's mumbled his tongue hanging loosely from his mouth. Jonah decided to ignore the living breathing headache for almost a full hour even when the walking amphibian's hand got stuck in the afterburner.
Not wanting to feel guilty he reluctantly walked over to the leaping fool who was in terror, his mouth still numb from the shock he had received from the energy binders.
" Don't worry you big baby I got you," John grunted as he yanked him free an instant before the engine ignited.
Flames exploded from the afterburners surprising the Earth human a bit followed by a huge roar rose from the twin engines, rising steadily in a pitch until Anakin ease off on the thrusters, then settling back into a throaty rumble.
"It's working! It's working!" Anakin shouted in pure joy.
This caused Jonah to put a large smile on his face, realizing that they might have a chance to get out of this mess after all.
Jonah, Lance, and Qui-Gon Jin stroll through the main hanger of the Mos Espa podracer arena while the Jedi master is glancing at the activity around them with seemingly casual interest, the earthborn humans stared in shock and disbelief at the size of the racers engines.
The hanger was a cavernous building that housed pod racers and equipment year-round and served as a staging area for vehicles and crews on race days. A handful of racers were already in place on the service pads, dozens of aliens who had found their way to Tatooine from every corner of the galaxy, crawling all over the pods and engines as pit bosses and pilots shouted instructions.
The class and shriek of metal on metal echoed in an ear-splitting din through the hangar vast chamber forcing conversations to be held at something approaching a shout. Jar-Jar hugged one shoulder of the Jedi master while waster buzzed close by the other, the former was his normal fretful nervous self, eyes rolling on their stalks, head twisting this way in that with such frantic concern it seemed certain and must soon twist-off altogether
And it's getting kind of annoying for Jonah tying focus on Watto who flew with blatant disregard for everything but his own conversation which rambled on and on, covering the same point endlessly.
"So it must be understood clearly that a bargain is sealed outlander," he repeated for at least the third time in the last ten minutes.
His blue snout and head bobbed with emphasis, "I want to see your spaceship the moment the race is over."
He made no bones about the fact that he believed that gaining lawful possession of the Naboo transport was only a matter of time. He had not once since Qui-Gon had found him at the betting booths suggested things might work out otherwise. Jonah turned his head slightly at Lance who was agitated that Kasel had to return to Jabba's side as insurance.
The Jedi master demurred with a shrug, "Patience my blue friend. You'll have your winnings before the sunset and my companions and I will be far away from here."
"Not if your ship belongs to me, I think huh!" Watto snorted and gave satisfied laugh.
Just as quickly his sharp eyes fixed on the Jedi, "I warn you, no funny business."
Qui-Gon kept walking his gaze directed elsewhere, carefully baiting the hook he had set for the Toydarian, "You don't think Anakin will win?"
Watto flew around in front of him and brought them all to a stop, wings beating furiously he motioned to a bright orange racer parked close at hand. Its engines modified so that when the energy binders were activated and the engines joined they form a distinctive X shape sitting to one side of the racer was the Doug who had attacked Jar-Jar two days earlier.
"You got to be fucking kidding me," Jonah sneered out loud, seeing non-other than Sebulba himself.
His wicked eyes fixed on the slender limbs drawn but in a vaguely menacing gesture, a pair of life summed Twi'leks worked diligently massaging Sebulba's neck and shoulders.
"Don't get me wrong." Watto announced," I have great faith in the boy, he's a credit to your species."
His snaggletooth in his mouth tightened, "But Sebulba there was going to win, I think uh."
Qui-Gon pretended to study the Doug carefully, "Why?"
"Because he always wins!" the Toydarian broke into a fit of laughter, consumed by his own cleverness, "I'm betting everything on Sebulba!"
"I take that bet," Qui-Gon said at once.
Watto stopped laughing, jerking away like a scalded by hot oil, "Eeh what?"
He shook his head in astonishment, "What do you mean?"
Qui-Gon advanced a step back in the Toydarian away, "I'll wager my new racing pod against..."
He trailed off thoughtfully letting Watto hand,"...Against …Say...the boy and his mother."
Watto was aghast, "No pod is worth two slaves, not by a long shot."
Qui-Gon folded his arms over his chest "The boy then."
The blue wings were a blur as he flitted this way in that, head cocked, "Well...perhaps...just one...the Mother maybe...We'll let fate decided heh."
Then abruptly he reached inside his pocket and produced a small cube, "I just happen to have a chance cube here. Blue is the boy, red. His mother."
As the Toydarian caste the cube to the hunger floor, John could see out of the corner of his eye, seeing the Jedi master make the same gesture stopping the cube on the blue side facing up. This caused Jar-Jar to smile along with Jonah but it only made Watto upset as he narrowed angrily at Qui-Gon.
"You won this small toss outlander," he sneered in dismissal," but you won't win the race sort makes little difference, I think."
When Watto was out of earshot Lance spoke, "Cranking little guy isn't he?"
Qui-Gon didn't respond as he caught sight of Anakin appearing through the crowds riding an EOP with Padme up behind him towing one of the massive engines, which one of his friends followed on a second EOP towing the other engine.
The EOPs are gangly long-snouted pack animals with tough leathery skin and short fur particularly well-suited to resisting the Tatooine desert heat, Like the camels back on Earth.
Anakin and the other reached them entering the hanger with the pod and engines, Watto wheeled away from Qui-gon in a huff pausing long enough to snap irritably at the boy.
" Better stop your friend betting," he declared with an angry snort. "Or I'll be ending up owning him too."
Watto gave Qui-Gon a withering glance and flew off into the hanger shadows.
"What did he mean by that?" Anakin asked as he slowed the EOP beside Qui-Gon glancing after the retreating Toydaryian.
"It nothing to worry about kid," Jonah answered helping Shmi's mother down.
Anakin's friend, Kiskster pulled to a stop beside Anakin, his face alight with excitement as he looked around, "This is so wizard, I'm sure you'll do it this time Annie."
Padme's gaze shifted from one to the other.
"Do what she asked?" she asked suspiciously.
Kickster beamed, "Finish the race of course." The girl paled, her eyes burned into Anakin.
"He had never even finished a race." She demanded incredulously, the boy blushed.
"Well not exactly," his mouth tightened with determination," But Kidster's right, I will this time."
"Well at least you got, first-hand experience in driving this thing," Lance said, eyeing the pod with skeptical eyes, "I doubt any one of us could fit in it. What you think Jonah?"
He shrugged, "Truthfully, I think he'll win."
"Of course he'll win." Qui-Gon agreed, From atop of the EOP Padme Nebari just stared at them wordlessly.
In the center of mass Espa, the crowds were beginning to thin as the population gravitated in increasing numbers toward the Podracer arena at the edge of the spaceport, most of the spaceports most of the shops and stalls were already closed and the rest were in the process of doing so. Owners and vendors were completing sales and glancing anxiously in the direction of the traffic steady flow.
Amid the confusion and bustle, a pitch-black probe droid floated along, mechanical eye traveling shop to shop, from face to face searching.
Unknown to the probe that in the clear blue skies high above, a cloaked UNE reconnaissance drone from the UNE Odysseus spotted it and immediately began tracing where it came from.
Jonah gave out a long whistle as he lied his eyes on over a hundred thousand beings from a hundred different species who had filled the grandstand seats crowding onto the broad viewing platforms, filling the available space.
What he saw is a vast sea of color and movement and sound in the emptiness of the surrounding desert, flags, and banners bearing the insignia of the racers, and their sponsored waved over the assemblage signifying favorites and creating impromptu cheering sections. Bands played in support of some racers and isolated horns and drums beat in wild appreciation for all while vendors walked the aisles carrying food and drink from canopies stands below to sell to the crowd.
Everywhere excitement and anticipation were building then a roar erupted as the racers began to emerge from the main hanger on the far side of the start line. One by one the pode racers hoven into view, some towed by EOPs some by hand, some by repulsor sled, all part of a long procession of pilots, pit crews, and hangers-on.
All the while the announcer called out the names of pilots witch was followed by a roar of applause with the second one giving out some commentaries as for Jonah, he was starting to have second thoughts about their chances of winning this thing, to avoid these thoughts he started to do help the kid out more.
So when Anakin's name was called out he waved in response, eyes traveling over the thousands gathered his mind already out in the flats.
Standard bearers each carrying a flag that identified the pilot and sponsor marched along forming a colorful line of the assembly of Podracers, overhead the twin sons of Tatooine shined down with a bright hungry glare.
As Kit stir attaches the engines, Shimi comes over and knelt to Anakin's level hugging him.
"Be safe," she warns worriedly.
"I will mom." Anakin promise.
Jonah could see the fear within Shmi's eye however he noticed a certain four-armed Doug slowly walking up to one of the engines, standing back up he walked up to Sebulba just when a sound of something metal being torn off.
"You know if you broke it, you buy it," Jonah said menacingly, surprising the Douge.
Then Sebulba said something in Huttinse in which he didn't understand one bit of it and it was starting to grind his gears very much.
"I don't speak slug, you four-legged son of bitch." Jonah exclaimed.
Sebulba snarled at the earth human as if daring him to throw the first punch and seeing that they're in a public area, that was what he wanted him to do. Not wanting to cause a scene of epic proportions he decided to play it safe and let this thing off the hook for now at least.
So after Sebulba's rant, he spoke, "Once again I do not. Speak. Slug. So if you're finished dicking around get the hell out of my sight."
Sebulba just grunted before walking back to his pod racer with the overgrown engines, speaking of engines Jonah took a quick look at the engines in which he hissed in disdain. One of the parts looked torn off leaving it almost hanging by thread.
"Lance, I need your help for a minute," Jonah urgently said.
"What is it?" Lance asked.
"That fucker Sabulba sabotaged one of the engines of the racer, get me something for a quick fix okay."
Lance hastily brought his tool kit to Jonah who grabbed a torch and started wielding the thing on as quickly and as thoroughly possibly keeping the heat to the minimum so it won't burn any of the wires, just in time too.
As a flurry of movement in the Royal box signaled the arrival of Jabba the Hutt and Gardullla his female friend, slithering into the cooled interior of the box, the Hutts oose their way along the floor into designated places amid the bright silks that draped the rough stone.
"What the fuck is that thing?" Jonah whispered in disgust to which Lance answered.
"That's what a Hutt looks like, my friend."
"And you actually made a deal with that fat bastard," he whispered in disbelief in which Lance nodded.
Jabba came foremost proceeding directly to the arched overlook where he could be seen by the people of Moss Espa, lifting his buying arm in greeting he basked in the crowd's appreciative roar. Guardiola muttered her approval, nodding her neckless head on the end of a thick shapeless body, silted eyes glittering. Then a line of slave girls of varying species came out, chained together and wearing the most revealing clothing making them all of them almost nude for the amusement of those who had chosen freely to attend.
Jonah could see Lance's hands turned into clenching fists, following his trail of sight he saw the reason for his friend's anger. One of the slaves was Kasel who looks too humiliated, avoiding the crowd's gaze, it was only when she finally noticed Lance and Jonah's green medium armor did Kasel's eyes filled with hope.
"Don't worry, brother" Jonah said patting his friend's shoulder, "We'll get her back, I'm sure of it."
Walking back to pod racer to continue the final maintenance check's but while he doing that Jonah couldn't help but overhear Shmi talk to Anakin.
"Be safe," Shmi said looking at her son right in his eyes, then gave him a big hug and kiss.
"I will mom. I promise," he said with a reassuring smile.
The crowd soon let out a loud cheer as Qui-gon moved to help Anakin into his pod. Strapping himself into the tiny racer and putting on his battery racing helmet over his head and bringing down his goggles.
"Are all set Ani, " The Jedi master inquires, earning a nod from Anakin, "Remember, concentrate on the moment. Feel. Don't think. Trust your instincts."
He nods again, "I will."
Qui-Gon smiles, straightening," May the force be with you."
Jonah glanced back at the kid he silently wished the kid good luck again before the two followed Qui-Gon who moved quickly through the crowd to the viewing platform where Shimi, Padme, and Jar-Jar waited. Qui-Gon glanced back only once at Anakin and found the boy calmly fitting his goggles in place, in which the Jedi master nodded to himself.
Mounting the viewing with Jar-Jar and the women just as it began to lift into position for the race, Shimi gave him a worried questioning look.
"He is fine" Qui-Gon assured her, touching her shoulder.
Padme shook her head doubtfully
"You Jedi are far too reckless," she said quietly," The Queen-"
"The Queen trusts my judgment," Qui-gon interrupted smoothly directing his words only to her, "Perhaps you should too."
She glared at him, "You assume too much."
"Lady You should be more grateful because the kid is risking his life right now, I don't see you in that death trap, " Jonah said, as the young lady's doubts were starting to get on his nerves a bit.
The viewing platform locked into place and all eyes turned toward the racers as energy binders were engaged. Powerful electromagnetic currents arcing between coaxial plates, locking the twin engines of each pod racers together as a single unit.
"Start your engines!" the second head of the announcer commands.
Now the engines themselves began to turn over, their booming coughs and rumbles mingling with and then overwhelming the roar of the crowd. Flag barriers and pit crews moved hastily aside clearing the start line beneath the arch that marched the bringing and end of the race.
Overhead a red light held the racers in place, anticipating the green as the pilots gunned their engines, the massive casing shaking with the force of the power they generated, the cables that bound them to the pods, and their drivers straining to break free.
Standing next to Qui-Gon, Jar-Jar binks covered his eyes in dismay. "Dissen gonna be messy, Messa no watch,"
Though he cannot bring himself to say so Jonah was inclined to agree, even though he saw dozens of races on the holovids even went to one of the racing worlds when he was just a kid but this was different. Right at this moment, he and his partner are going to be the first UNE humans to watch the alien version of auto racing although it's not as dangerous as the devil's roundabout it's close enough in the region of loss of life.
Then the light over the starting line flashed bright green and the race was underway.
When the starting light turned green Anakin Skywalker jammed the twin thrusters bars to the extreme-forward position sending maximum power to the redon ulzers as the big rocket engines buk roared like a caged beast and promptly died.
The boy froze all around him racers shot from the start in colophony of sound and flashing of bright metal. In the wake of their passing, Sand fountain clouded the air in a whirlwind of grit in seconds the boy was alone save for Ben Quadranaros's Quadro pod which sat stalled at the starting line and mirror image of his one.
Anakin's mind raced desperately, he'd fed in too much fuel from a dead start the reworked engines couldn't handle all that power at once if the racer wasn't already moving. He hangs back on the thruster bars returning them to the natural position, ratcheting back the switches to the feeder dump, he cleared the lines then sealed them anew taking a deep breath he pressed the ignition buttons.
The start cranked over and coughed and the big radon ulzers roared to life with a booming cough, he fed more fuel cautiously this time, impatience flooding through him. Then slid the thruster bars forward smoothly, causing the engines to shoot out ahead dragging the pod and the boy after exploding out of the starting line.
Anakin gave chase with single-minded determination not bothering with anything but the dots in the distance that marked the location of the other racers. He tore across the flats, the whine of the pod's engines growing steadily sharper as the land beneath fading to a wash of heat and light. The course was flat and open in the beginning and he pushed the thruster bars forward some more, he was accelerating so quickly that everything about him turns swiftly to a sudden to a sun-bleached blur.
Ahead the first set of rock formations rose against the horizon, Anakin could see the other pod racers now bright metal shapes whipping across the flats, engines throwing off fire and smoke as he closed on them quickly, the radon ulzer screaming in an open stretch he knew there were no other engines that could match them.
A flush of white-hot excitement burned through him as he caught the trailing pod racers he hauled back on the thruster bars as he came upon them, giving himself space to maneuver, He went by two as if they were standing still angling his way left then right, threading a needle of space they had left between them when he was clear, he fed power to the engines anew and the G-force slammed him back against his padded seat.
He caught multi-limbed Gas Cano next easing up to the troika snub-nosed pod racer, he got ready to pass.
Arch canyon loomed ahead and he wanted to be clear of the others when he navigated through the ravine, maneuvering cautiously he prepares to overtake on the right but Gas Gon Saw him and quickly moved to cut him off.
Anakin waited then angled left for another try, again Gas Gano cut him off, as back and forth they slid above the desert floor like a creat dragon chasing a womp rate. A cliff drop in a low Mesa appeared as a ragged line on the horizon. Anakin slowed giving Gas Gano the impression he was preparing for a dropship.
The wiry pilot glancing behind back quickly to make certain where the boy has held his position until he reached the Mesa edge, then took the drop first, the moment he did so Anakin jammed the thruster bars all the way forward and his racer accelerated with such speed that it rocketed right over the top of Gas Ghana before the other could do anything to prevent it.
The dark crease of the canyon loomed ahead and Anakin threaded the eye of its single opening with its seamstress skill. Racing into the cool shadows beyond the Raven's all Xor's hummed anxiously, the energy binders keeping them in sync the seal sing cables drawing on the racing pod with just the right amount to give through the wicked turns.
Anakin worked the thruster bars with small precise movements envisioning the course in his mind, each twist, each deviation, each rise, and drop. Everything was clear and certain to him, everything was revealed, he shot through Canyon and back out onto the open flats ahead beyond a dozen others.
Mahana and Selbulba fought over the lead, the Dougs distinctive X-shaped engines lifted and rose to maneuver for the position but Mahana Kenda racer was slowly gliding away then Selbulba accelerated and swung violently left careening toward the other pilots. Mahana reacted instinctively swinging left as well and directly into a massive rock formation.
Mahana disappeared in a huge ball of flame and black smoke next it was Zell Bree challenging trying to sneak past Sebulba from above much as Anakin had done with Gas Ghana but the Douges sensed his presence and rose to block his passage. Zell Bree slide left drawing alongside, holding fast so what seemed to lose ground to give way slightly but when Zell Bree was next to him.
The Doug triggered a side vent in his left exhaust, fires spewed laterally into Zell Brees engine cutting apart the metal housing as if it were made of flimsy blasts. Zell Bree tried frantically to move away but he was too slow, fuel coats and ignited as the damaged engine exploded and the remaining engines and its pod flew off into a cliff face and shattered.
Without slowing, Sebulba sped away from the wreckage alone at the head of the pack in the arena stands and viewing platforms throughout, the course.
The crowd watched the progress of the race on handheld view screens as pictures of the racers were transmitted from droid observation hollow cams from a monitoring tower a two-headed announcer who bantered incessantly with himself reported on the leaders.
Qui-Gon studied the screen with Padme and Shmi but neither mentioned nor sight of Anakin. As Jonah and Lance waited patiently silently muttering to each other about what to say to Barns when they get back while ignoring the announcer's twin voices rose and fell and measured cadence filling the air with their inflection building in pitch to stir the already frenzied crowd.
Qui-Gon stared out into the flats searching for movement on his right. Jar-Jar bigger with a skinny sour-faced alien Fanta trying to peer over his shoulder besieging him with questions trying to make friends in the mistaken belief that because they looked vaguely alike, the Pope would reciprocate his overtures, it wasn't working out.
Fanta wanted nothing to do with Jar-Jar and kept his back turned to the Gungan deliberately hiding the screen from view Jar-Jar was growing impatient bargain shifted his gaze in the crew pits R2D2, C-3po, and kits Sir waited in solitary isolation.
In a private box somewhat in the back of and lower than Jabba's, Watto laughed and joked with his friends.
The Toydarian flitted this way in that catching glimpses of the race on the various view screen, rubbing his hands together anxiously, he fought sight of Qui-Gon and gestured rudely his meaning clear. Below at the start line, Ben quadranearo still struggled to ignite, the engines of a quadpod Qui-Gon closed his eyes and blocked everything away.
John saw this wondering what the old Jedi master is doing until the roar of the crowd lifted anew and the sound of rockets engines rose out of the distance at the edge of the horizon a clump of dark specks came into view on the starting Ben Quadranearos finally started the engines of his racers, all four bulbous monsters roaring to life, vibrating wildly within their casings, engines, and Pod lurched as Quadranearos locked in the thrusters but in the next instant, the energy binders collapsed under the strain.
The connecting cables snapped and the engines shot off in four separate directions exploding against stone walls, rock formations, and lone doomed banks. The crowd gasps in shock, shielding eyes and covering ears even the two marines almost dived for cover when pods engines went flying in different directions.
"HOLY SHIT!" Lance almost shouted out.
Jonah couldn't but agree with him as he watched Quadraneros's pod collapsed to the racetrack in a useless heap, almost simultaneously Sebulba's racer screamed past the arena shooting under the finish line arch and rocketing off on the start of the second lap, two other racers followed their engines roaring as they whipped past. Their colorful metal bodies gleam in the midday suns, but there was still no sign of Anakin.
"Come on kid, where the hell are you?" Jonah said to himself, scanning the horizon, while Shmi and Padme shared worried glances.
Jar-Jar still hung on to Fonta pounding him on the back now in excitement as the other grimaced and tried to move away. Three more racers tore past the sound of their engines dying into silence as they faded from view. A fourth Ody Mandrell turned into the pits, the engines of his pod shaking and smoking as he screeched to a stop.
Pit droids rushed to service the racer swarming over the engines, Odie stood up in the cockpit a big squat reptilian herkit arms gestured but when the engines ignited anew a pit droid was standing at the left intake, and the engine sucked it inside chewed it up and spit it out the exhaust in the mangles heap.
The crowd went back to their view screens intent on the race then R2D2 standing with Kister and C-3PO at the edge of their station gave an exciting beat.
"Here he comes!" Padme exclaimed quickly.
Jonah watched as Anakin Skywalker's pod racer exploded out of the midday glare, the big Radon ulizers howling in fury, amid the cheers and shouts of his companions in the crowd, he could see Qui-Gon Jinn smiling.
Anakin had begun to overtake the pack, at the time beginning of the second lap, Anakin was in sixth place as the race progressed, he was slowly disappearing into the workings of his racer becoming one with its engines, feeling the strain and tug on each rivet and screw. Wing whipped by him in a screaming rush, walking him away in its white noise, there was only himself and the machine.
All speed and response, it was the way racing affected him, melding his body with the pod and engines until he was part of both. Moment by moment, the symbiosis depended on joining them giving him insights and understandings that transcended his sense and knowledge projecting him past the present and into a place others could not reach.
Approaching catch canyon, he bore down on the leaders, young face intense skimming the flats he whipped past all Darby Doe and side slept, Clegg Holdfast to one side a fast closing Ody Mandrell banked too hard over a sandy rock rise and caught his engine in the sand.
Ody's racer cartwheeled in a spectacular twisting of engines and pod and exploded apart. Anakin was only four racers back from Sebulba and could see the Dougs craft clearly in the distance, everything happened quickly after that. The racers whipped through arch canyon and out the other side and a ragged line with Anakin narrowing the gap between himself and the others.
Tusken Raiders hiding in the rocks of the cliffs that form the corner of Tusken turn got lucky and hit Teemto Pagalies.
Teemto racer's simply exploded and was gone, Anakin flew through the vaporized wreckage in pursuit of the others, he passed Ellen Matt and Haba Ki in a rush ahead Mars Kou was closing on Sebulba. Wary of the doug, keeping down in a way, trying to sneak past while Anakin drew near to both leapfrogging sand dunes and long depression, easing up slowly on Mars Kuo. Suddenly Sebulba reached out of his pod's cockpit and released a ragged bit of metal directly into Mars Kou's engine intake.
Metal clashed violently against metal and the damaged engine began to spew smoke and fire, Marsh tried to hold the machine steady but the failing engine bucked and lost power causing the pod to bear sharply into Anakin. The racers collided in a shriek of metal and a leading edge of Mars Glows vertical stabilizers snagged the steels in line to Anakin's left engine and released the binding.
Instantly Anakin's pod began to swing violently at the end of its single remaining line, whipsawing back and forth, the raid on alders continued to act in concert walk together by the energy binders but the racer was out of control. Anakin worked the stabilizer pedals with his feet, fighting to hold the pod steady as it swung like a pendulum.
The unhooked line snapped viciously in the wake of the engine's exhaust threatening to tangle or snag on an outcropping and drag the racer down. Anakin groped along the floor of its cockpit, searching for the magnetic retriever when he found it he flicked on the power button and extended the retriever out to the left side, trying to make contact with the loose line.
The effort forced him to pull back on the thruster bar to cut power and he fell behind Sebulba once more. Elan Mak, Hava kee, and Ebe Endocott as well swept by him giving chase to the Doug.
Anakin glanced frantically over his shoulder, the bulk of the pack was closing on him once more, after a dozen tries he finally focused his concentration sufficiently to snag the loose engine line with the retriever and maneuver it back to its hub. Sweat and grit coated his face and jacket sleeve was ripped casting down the retriever, he jammed the thruster bars forward once more; stabilized at the ends of the Steelton lines, the pod held steady now as the raid on alders bucked and the racer accelerated after the leaders.
Anakin caught Elan Mak first and slid around him easily, he was closing on Neva Key when Obi Toki tried to pass Sebulba, the doug waited until his rival had pulled alongside then used the same tactic, he had employed against Zell Bree.
Opening a small side vent in the left exhaust, he sent a gush of fire into the housing of Obi Toki's right engine, fuel in the lines caught fire and exploded and Obi Toiki's racer dived nose-first into the desert sending a wide spray of grit everywhere.
Haba Kee flew into it just ahead of Anakin low and tight to the ground, momentarily blinded, he swerved the wrong way and caught a piece of one of Obi Toki's engines where it jetted from the sand. Engines and pod tangled and crashed in a wild explosion.
Anakin followed Hava Key into the smoke and grit blinded as well, a piece of steaming metal flew at him out of the haze, careening off his right engine housing and barely missing his head but the boy was seen with more than his eyes sensing with his mind, calm and steady within himself, he could feel the danger waiting and he worked the thruster bars smoothly sliding past the wreckage.
Then he was in the clear again and bearing down on Selbulba, he caught the Doug as they screamed past the arena and under the finish arch for the start of the third and final lap. In his mind, Anakin could see Qui-Gon, Jonah, and, Jar-Jar, watching him.
Kid stir, standing in the crew pits, his friend cheering wildly and R2D2 and C3PO, the former beeping, the latter nattering in human response. Padme, her beautiful face framed with worry and his mother, her eye filled with terror. He could see them all as if he were standing among them, standing outside himself. Watching the race. He blocked their faces away, banished the images from his thoughts, and focus everything on Sebulba.
They were speeding out of the arch canyon and Sebulba decided to put an end to Anakin once and for all. The Dug knew where all the droid observation cams were situated, he knew the angles and placements and how to avoid giving himself.
Swinging his racer close to Anakin's, he opened the side vent on his exhaust and tried to scorch the boy's engine housing as he had done with Zell Bree and Obito Key but Anakin had fallen victim to that particular trick once before and was looking for it this time he shifted just above the cutting flame and out of reach.
When Selbulba tried to follow Anakin dropped down again but too far, momentarily losing control his racer veered from the course right into a line of warning signs sending them flying in all directions. Desperate to recover, he lifted the nose of his craft skyward jammed his thruster bars forward, and accelerated, the radon ulzers boomed his racer gave a frightening lurch, and he leapfrog right over Sebulba to take the lead.
Down through the first set of caves and past Tuskan turn, the racers tore, Anakin leading Sebulba right on his tail at speeds too great for maintaining proper control. The antagonists banked and angled as safety was of no importance at all and finally burst into the clear once more.
Again Sebulba tried to regain the lead pushing for an opening. Anakin held him off but then one of the horizontal stabilizers on the left engine began to shudder violently a momentary vision of Sebulba hammering on the stabilizer just before the start of the race flashed through Anakin's mind. He eased off on the thruster bars, jettisoned the stabilizer, and switched to an auxiliary mount in the process he was forced to give way.
Sebulba raced past him to take command of the lead once more. Time and space were running out on Anakin's Skywalker, he shoved the thruster bars forward and went after the dug, Sebulba saw him coming and fishtail his pod back and forth in front of the boy to keep him from passing.
Over the course way they sped jockeying for position, Anakin tried everything he knew but Sebulba was a seasoned veteran and was able to counter each attempt. Meta dropped flew past as the racers roared out of the dune hills and onto the final stretch of flats. Finally Anakin shifted left, then right, but this time when Sebulba moved to blocked him and Anakin faked a third shift drawing the dug left again.
The instant Sebulba began his blocking move Anakin jerked his racer hard to the right and nosed in beside the dug. Down the flats opened the final stretch of the course, the pod racers tore, side by side.
The arena stands and boarding statuary beginning to take shape ahead as Sebulba screamed in frustration and deliberately swerved his pods into Anakin's. Infuriated by the boys dogged persistence, he slammed into him, once, twice, but on the third strike their steering rods caught locking them together.
Anakin fought with his controls trying to break free but the pods were hooked fast. Sebulba laughed, jamming his racer against the boys in an effort to force him into the ground. The boy whip the thruster bars forward and back trying to disengage from the tangle. The radon ulzers are strained with the effort and the steering rods groaned and bent.
Finally, Anakin's rod broke completely snapping off both the armature and the main horizontal-stabilizer, as the boys pod jerked and spun at the stilton cables. Shimming with such force that Anakin would have been thrown from the pod, if he had not been strapped down but it was much worse for Sebulba when Anakin's steering arm snapped. The dugs pod shot forward as it catapulted, collapsing the tow lines sending the engines screaming out of control.
One engine slammed into a piece of the ancient statuary and disintegrated in flames and the second went ramming into the sand and exploding in a massive fireball. The towing cables broke free and the Dugs pod was sent skating through the flaming wreckage of the engines, twisting and thumping violently along the desert floor to a smoking stop.
Sebulba extracted himself in a shrieking fit throwing pieces of his ruined pod in all directions, only to discover that his pants were on fire.
Anakin Skywalker flew overhead, the exhausts from the big Radon ulzers, sending sand and grit into the Dugs face in a stinging spray, hanging on to maintain the finish line.
He became at nine years of age, the youngest winner ever of the Booty Eve race.
Okay next chapter will be Coruscant and the UNE's full mobilization for the war to free Naboo.
And also sorry for the long wait, life and all.