Prologue-
The twin suns of Tatooine beat down on the small group of travelers. Padme, Qui-Gon, and Jar Jar the gungan trudged though the sands of Tatooine, heading for a spaceport of Mos Espa. Padme was starting to think the worse of the sandy durt-ball excuse for a planet. It was so different from Naboo, in so many ways.
As soon as the little group entered the city, Padme had lost most of her annoyance for the planet, and became curious instead. She saw all sorts of species, types of life, and interesting creatures which grunted and groaned as they walked past.
"We'll try one of the smaller dealers." Qui-Gon said, looking around the junk shops and open garages.
"Disa planet es muy muy bad!" Jar Jar said, as he walked along. "Disa sun doin' murder da misa skin!"
Padme ignored him, but still stayed interested in the new environment. She looked at the shops, and open marketplaces as they walked down the road. But her attention was immediately drawn to a little boy about nine or ten who was staring right back at her. He was sitting outside of a closed shop, he had blonde hair and his clothes were ragged.
"What are you looking for?" He asked, his voice clear against the blurred sounds of the city streets.
"Parts for our ship." Padme answered, coming to a halt outside of the closed shop.
"If you come back tomorrow we'll be open." The boy said.
"I don't think I'll be here that long." Padme answered.
Qui-Gon noticed that the young handmaiden was not following and glanced over his shoulder. Wondering what could have distracted the tense girl.
"You're an off-lander aren't you?" The boy asked, his blue eyes flashing.
"Yes." Padme answered haltingly.
Qui-Gon walked up behind Padme. "How about you stay here for a while. I'll come back for you in twenty minutes."
"But-" Padme tried to object.
"No buts, I'll be back soon." Qui-Gon walked away, trailing Jar Jar. R2, however, stayed behind.
Padme stood there for a moment, watching Qui-Gon walk away and then walked over to the boy and sat down next to him on the stone step.
The boy smiled up at her. "I'm Anakin."
"I'm Padme." She said, smiling in return. There was an awkward silence for a minute. "Do you work here?" She asked.
"Yup." Anakin replied, "I'm a mechanic, and a pilot."
"You're a pilot?"
"Yep. All my life." He glanced over at R2, for a brief second, then back at her. "But some day I'm going to fly away from here."
Padme nodded. "That's what I've been trying to do lately."
"What's your home world?"
Padme paused, knowing how that particular information was dangerous. "Alderaan." She replied quietly. Suddenly it was as if the boy could tell she was lying, he only gave her a quiet grin.
*-Chapter One-*
TEN YEARS LATER
The engines roared, and Anakin put them into full throttle. He was in third place, and gaining fast on the other podracers ahead.
He swerved a large bolder, and then entered the long and winding canyon. He knew this canyon like the back of his hand, and could fly it blind folded. But he still kept his senses at the peak of their alert stasis.
He gunned the engines, and flew right under a high flying racer, and then slid around another. Now he was in second place.
Another bolder loomed ahead of him, and he followed the leading racer around it. And in the same moment tried to sling around the racer in front of him. But the pilot was expecting it and veered in front of him. Risking crashing for being the winner of the race. Anakin pulled hard on the controls, turning the podracer on it's side. Luckily, the other pilot hadn't expected that move. Because if he had Anakin wouldn't have been able to stop his racer before a collision. But still, it worked and Anakin was in first place in a flash.
From there, Anakin kicked in the third set of engines, and accelerated to two-hundred miles an hour. Down the path, toward the grandstand. Then he was through the arch, and he cut all the engines, coming to a halt.
Anakin stood up, and glanced around. The crowed was ecstatic, it roared, chanted his name, and flew his light blue colors.
"It's Skywalker!" The announcer boomed, "Well there you have it folks," The two headed alien said, "Anakin Skywalker, the champion of the last three Boonta Eve races has triumphed again. And it is even rumored that this time he might be going all the way to the finals..."
*************Later************
The Skywalker slave quarters were still in a state of celebration late in the afternoon. The twin suns had set hours ago, but still Anakin's friends were there, laughing and joking.
"Anakin, one of these days that old poodoo, Watto will have to let you go to the finals." Kitster said, laughing.
"I don't think so," Anakin answered, shaking his head. "Watto is too cheap for that. He wouldn't put up the money for me to enter it."
Amee rolled her brown eyes. "One of these days he'll learn that if you won that the prize would be more than enough to keep him living happily for years."
Anakin gulped another bit of the blue milk he had bought earlier. Then looked back at Amee. "Even then I don't think he'll trust me to win just right off."
Kitster ran a hand through his short black hair. He had grown up to be much like Anakin in many respects. Which is often the case with best friends. He was wiry, tall, and very keen. Not to mention a definite eye-catcher for the ladies. "You are the best racer in the Outer Rim territories!"
"But the Finals don't just have racers from the Outer Rim," Anakin objected, "Who knows, maybe there's a pilot even better than I am."
Anakin's mother, Shmi, walked in. "Oh Anakin, I'm sure there isn't going to be one who is more humble than you."
"I doubt it." Anakin laughed. "I am the most humble racer in the galaxy."
"Yeah." Amee said sarcastically, "And I'm the richest woman in the galaxy."
"Then I'm the best-looking!" Kitster said.
"Oh I take it back." Anakin replied, "I am the most arrogant, most vain-" He would have gone on except Kitster had gotten out of his chair and had Anakin in a neck hold.
Amee laughed watching Anakin's face turn red, then purple.
"Urg..." Anakin got up and grabbed Kitster around the neck.
Amee laughed even harder as she watched them both see how long they could hold their breath without passing out. She had seen this happen a million times at least. Guys like to rough-house.
Suddenly, there was a nock on the door, and it abruptly slid open. Anakin and Kitster quickly stopped playing around, and watched as Watto flew through the door.
Watto stopped in front of Anakin, his wings flapping furiously- Keeping him hovering at Anakin's eye level. "Congratulations Ani!" The Tyderian said, laughing. "Another race, more money won. But now since we've been having such good luck I think it's time we expand the business."
Shmi Skywalker came up beside Anakin, and watched as a burly droid came through the door. Leading a young woman in by a chain that was attached around her neck.
"Who is she?" Anakin asked, his voice tense as he noted her long brown hair and dark eyes.
"Her name is..." Watto paused a moment, trying to remember. "Oh yes, Padme. I got her on a bet." Watto saw the still worried look on his two slaves. "A little food and washing will fix her up just fine I tink. So..." He paused. "I expect to see her in the shop in da morning." With that, he turned, and flew out the door. The bulky droid following him.
Amee was the first to speak. "Well, I guess we oughta go home."
"Yeah." Kitster said, "I ougta go. See ya later Anakin."
"See ya guys." Anakin replied, as his too friends walked out the door. Waving farewell, he shut the door behind them. Then, he glanced back at the slave who still stood in the center of the room, and wondered, just how she had gotten into this. She didn't stand like a slave, and she held her head like someone who had been born free.
To be continued! (A.N. I will! I promise!)
The twin suns of Tatooine beat down on the small group of travelers. Padme, Qui-Gon, and Jar Jar the gungan trudged though the sands of Tatooine, heading for a spaceport of Mos Espa. Padme was starting to think the worse of the sandy durt-ball excuse for a planet. It was so different from Naboo, in so many ways.
As soon as the little group entered the city, Padme had lost most of her annoyance for the planet, and became curious instead. She saw all sorts of species, types of life, and interesting creatures which grunted and groaned as they walked past.
"We'll try one of the smaller dealers." Qui-Gon said, looking around the junk shops and open garages.
"Disa planet es muy muy bad!" Jar Jar said, as he walked along. "Disa sun doin' murder da misa skin!"
Padme ignored him, but still stayed interested in the new environment. She looked at the shops, and open marketplaces as they walked down the road. But her attention was immediately drawn to a little boy about nine or ten who was staring right back at her. He was sitting outside of a closed shop, he had blonde hair and his clothes were ragged.
"What are you looking for?" He asked, his voice clear against the blurred sounds of the city streets.
"Parts for our ship." Padme answered, coming to a halt outside of the closed shop.
"If you come back tomorrow we'll be open." The boy said.
"I don't think I'll be here that long." Padme answered.
Qui-Gon noticed that the young handmaiden was not following and glanced over his shoulder. Wondering what could have distracted the tense girl.
"You're an off-lander aren't you?" The boy asked, his blue eyes flashing.
"Yes." Padme answered haltingly.
Qui-Gon walked up behind Padme. "How about you stay here for a while. I'll come back for you in twenty minutes."
"But-" Padme tried to object.
"No buts, I'll be back soon." Qui-Gon walked away, trailing Jar Jar. R2, however, stayed behind.
Padme stood there for a moment, watching Qui-Gon walk away and then walked over to the boy and sat down next to him on the stone step.
The boy smiled up at her. "I'm Anakin."
"I'm Padme." She said, smiling in return. There was an awkward silence for a minute. "Do you work here?" She asked.
"Yup." Anakin replied, "I'm a mechanic, and a pilot."
"You're a pilot?"
"Yep. All my life." He glanced over at R2, for a brief second, then back at her. "But some day I'm going to fly away from here."
Padme nodded. "That's what I've been trying to do lately."
"What's your home world?"
Padme paused, knowing how that particular information was dangerous. "Alderaan." She replied quietly. Suddenly it was as if the boy could tell she was lying, he only gave her a quiet grin.
*-Chapter One-*
TEN YEARS LATER
The engines roared, and Anakin put them into full throttle. He was in third place, and gaining fast on the other podracers ahead.
He swerved a large bolder, and then entered the long and winding canyon. He knew this canyon like the back of his hand, and could fly it blind folded. But he still kept his senses at the peak of their alert stasis.
He gunned the engines, and flew right under a high flying racer, and then slid around another. Now he was in second place.
Another bolder loomed ahead of him, and he followed the leading racer around it. And in the same moment tried to sling around the racer in front of him. But the pilot was expecting it and veered in front of him. Risking crashing for being the winner of the race. Anakin pulled hard on the controls, turning the podracer on it's side. Luckily, the other pilot hadn't expected that move. Because if he had Anakin wouldn't have been able to stop his racer before a collision. But still, it worked and Anakin was in first place in a flash.
From there, Anakin kicked in the third set of engines, and accelerated to two-hundred miles an hour. Down the path, toward the grandstand. Then he was through the arch, and he cut all the engines, coming to a halt.
Anakin stood up, and glanced around. The crowed was ecstatic, it roared, chanted his name, and flew his light blue colors.
"It's Skywalker!" The announcer boomed, "Well there you have it folks," The two headed alien said, "Anakin Skywalker, the champion of the last three Boonta Eve races has triumphed again. And it is even rumored that this time he might be going all the way to the finals..."
*************Later************
The Skywalker slave quarters were still in a state of celebration late in the afternoon. The twin suns had set hours ago, but still Anakin's friends were there, laughing and joking.
"Anakin, one of these days that old poodoo, Watto will have to let you go to the finals." Kitster said, laughing.
"I don't think so," Anakin answered, shaking his head. "Watto is too cheap for that. He wouldn't put up the money for me to enter it."
Amee rolled her brown eyes. "One of these days he'll learn that if you won that the prize would be more than enough to keep him living happily for years."
Anakin gulped another bit of the blue milk he had bought earlier. Then looked back at Amee. "Even then I don't think he'll trust me to win just right off."
Kitster ran a hand through his short black hair. He had grown up to be much like Anakin in many respects. Which is often the case with best friends. He was wiry, tall, and very keen. Not to mention a definite eye-catcher for the ladies. "You are the best racer in the Outer Rim territories!"
"But the Finals don't just have racers from the Outer Rim," Anakin objected, "Who knows, maybe there's a pilot even better than I am."
Anakin's mother, Shmi, walked in. "Oh Anakin, I'm sure there isn't going to be one who is more humble than you."
"I doubt it." Anakin laughed. "I am the most humble racer in the galaxy."
"Yeah." Amee said sarcastically, "And I'm the richest woman in the galaxy."
"Then I'm the best-looking!" Kitster said.
"Oh I take it back." Anakin replied, "I am the most arrogant, most vain-" He would have gone on except Kitster had gotten out of his chair and had Anakin in a neck hold.
Amee laughed watching Anakin's face turn red, then purple.
"Urg..." Anakin got up and grabbed Kitster around the neck.
Amee laughed even harder as she watched them both see how long they could hold their breath without passing out. She had seen this happen a million times at least. Guys like to rough-house.
Suddenly, there was a nock on the door, and it abruptly slid open. Anakin and Kitster quickly stopped playing around, and watched as Watto flew through the door.
Watto stopped in front of Anakin, his wings flapping furiously- Keeping him hovering at Anakin's eye level. "Congratulations Ani!" The Tyderian said, laughing. "Another race, more money won. But now since we've been having such good luck I think it's time we expand the business."
Shmi Skywalker came up beside Anakin, and watched as a burly droid came through the door. Leading a young woman in by a chain that was attached around her neck.
"Who is she?" Anakin asked, his voice tense as he noted her long brown hair and dark eyes.
"Her name is..." Watto paused a moment, trying to remember. "Oh yes, Padme. I got her on a bet." Watto saw the still worried look on his two slaves. "A little food and washing will fix her up just fine I tink. So..." He paused. "I expect to see her in the shop in da morning." With that, he turned, and flew out the door. The bulky droid following him.
Amee was the first to speak. "Well, I guess we oughta go home."
"Yeah." Kitster said, "I ougta go. See ya later Anakin."
"See ya guys." Anakin replied, as his too friends walked out the door. Waving farewell, he shut the door behind them. Then, he glanced back at the slave who still stood in the center of the room, and wondered, just how she had gotten into this. She didn't stand like a slave, and she held her head like someone who had been born free.
To be continued! (A.N. I will! I promise!)