Star Wars Episode I:
The Phantom's Menace
Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from either Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Star Wars. Those creations belong to the respective creative minds of Joss Wheedon and George Lucas. This is being written strictly for fun, and no money is being made. So please George, don't sue me!
Certain pieces of dialogue were taken from (or adapted from) the Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace novelization from Terry Brooks, as well as from the movie, based off of a screenplay by George Lucas.
A/N: Much like Winterd, I found this to be the hardest chapter to write, due to the Podrace. As it is, I decided to write the race from Buffy's POV exclusively. So it won't be long, or as exciting, but then again, we really didn't go see Star Wars to see Podracing, now did we?
Thanks again to all of my reviewers. You continue to blow me away with the amount of feedback this story is getting. And for those wondering when the new chapter of 'Light Brigade' will be up on Fanfiction, here's the sitch- I'm not going to officially update it until I get it caught up on TTH. Part of the reason is that I developed a case of writers block on that story. The other part is that I read HBP- and now I'm not entirely sure of what I want to do with Snape. Since it's still early in the story I could go anyway, and I want to make up my mind on that before I continue it. Now, I'll be posting a chapter from it there every time I post a chapter of this story, so it shouldn't be too long.
Anyways, Review Response at the bottom, otherwise on with the show!
Chapter 3
Race Day
The next day dawned as any other day would on Tatooine- bright, clear, and hot; with the twin suns of the planet shining down on its inhabitants. Anakin, eager to tell Watto about his plans for the upcoming Podrace, practically had to be restrained by Buffy until their guests were up and ready to go. Buffy agreed with Qui-Gon's approach- stay calm, don't let it seem like Anakin's idea, and let Watto's greed work to their advantage. So it was still a little early in the day when Qui-Gon, Anakin and Buffy, followed by Padmè, Jar Jar, and R2-D2 closely behind them.
The city was awake and bustling by the time they reached Watto's shop, with various shop owners sweeping away the mounds of sand that had been deposited at their doors the night before. While Qui-Gon and his group stayed outside, Buffy and Anakin went into the shop to approach Watto about the Podrace. After a while, Qui-Gon entered the shop, after leaving Padmè to look after the Gungan.
"Are you sure about this?" she asked the Jedi, doubt showing in her brown eyes. "Trusting our fate to a boy we hardly know? The Queen would not approve." The handmaiden finished. Qui Gon met her gaze head on.
"The Queen does not need to know."
Padmè's eyes blazed. "Well, I don't approve."
The Jedi looked at her quizzically, then turned and headed back into the shop wordlessly. He entered the shop to observe Anakin and Watto, who was fluttering about, engaged in a heated conversation in Huttese. Buffy stood off to the side, observing the argument with a frustrated look on her face. A look from Qui-Gon, and she offered an explanation.
"A year here and I STILL can't understand what the heck they're saying."
Qui-Gon moved into the center of the shot, where Watto could see him clearly. Once the Toydarian did, he flew right up to his face.
"The boy tells me you want to sponsor him in the race tomorrow!" he shouted. "You can't afford parts! How can you afford to enter him into the race? Not on Republic credits, I think!"
"My ship will be the entry fee." The Jedi advised, pulling a tiny holo-projector out from beneath his poncho. He clicked it on, and a tiny image of the Queen's ship appeared in the air. Watto hovered closer, studying the image.
"Not bad. Not bad. A Nubian."
"It's in good order, except for the parts we need." Qui-Gon let him study the image for another moment before turning it off and slipping the projector back into his poncho.
"But what would the boy ride?" Watto demanded. "He smashed up my pod in the last race. It will take too long to fix it for the Boonta."
Qui-Gon glanced over to a clearly embarrassed Anakin and raised an eyebrow.
"Aw, it wasn't my fault, really. Sebulba flashed me with his port vents. I actually saved the Podracer…mostly."
"It was a miracle you weren't killed." Buffy muttered under her breath, her clear dislike of the plan showing through. Watto merely laughed.
"That he did! The boy is good, no doubts there. But still…"
"I have acquired a Pod in a game of chance," Qui-Gon interrupted smoothly, then added with a small wink to Anakin, "The fastest ever built."
"I hope you didn't kill anyone I know for it!" Watto snapped, and then looked over to Buffy with narrowed eyes. "And I hope you didn't kill anyone I know for it."
Buffy rolled her eyes. "Do you think I WANT him to race?" she shot back indignantly, and then added "And for the last time, he put his hands where they didn't belong, so he lost them. And if I was trying to kill him, he would have been dead! Sheesh."
Watto glared at Buffy, and then burst into laughter. "That's true, that's true!" he remarked to the Slayer, then turned back to Qui-Gon. "So, you supply the Podracer and the entry fee; I supply the boy. We split the winnings fifty-fifty, I think."
"Fifty-fifty?" Qui-Gon replied, and then shook his head. "If it's going to be fifty-fifty, I suggest you front the cost of the entry. If we win, you keep all the winnings, minus the cost of the parts I need. If we lose, you keep my ship. Either way, you win."
Watto spent a minute thinking about it, trying to figure out all of the angles. A wise man once told him that if it seems too good to be true, it usually is. But thinking about it, he didn't see a way he could loose. After all, while Anakin might be good, there was no way he could win…
Watto pounded his fist into his open palm. "Deal!" He then turned to face Anakin. "Your friend makes a foolish bargain, boy! Better teach him what you know about how to deal for goods!" The Toydarian's laughs resounded as Qui-Gon left the shop.
Later that day, Qui-Gon, with the aid of R2-D2 and C-3PO, maneuvered the racing pod and its two large engines into the courtyard behind Anakin's home. Anakin and Buffy arrived shortly thereafter, having been let go early by Watto. When Qui-Gon questioned Buffy, she just shrugged.
"He said that Anakin should get the pod into tip-top shape. That way, even when he looses, at least he'll loose in a decent-looking pod, and not some piece of garbage." Qui-Gon couldn't help but chuckle at that.
While Anakin and his friends were busy working on the pod, Qui-Gon took a moment to contact his Padawan and appraise him of the situation.
"If all goes well, we will have our hyperdrive generator by tomorrow afternoon and be on our way." He finished. There was a telling silence on the other end for a few moments before Obi-Wan finally spoke.
"What if this plan fails, Master? We could be stuck here for a very long time."
"A ship without a power supply will not get us anywhere." Qui-Gon replied. "We have no choice. And….there is something about this boy…" he finished quietly, turning off the comlink and slipping it back under his poncho.
Shmi Skywalker appeared then, and stood next to the Jedi Master as they watched the children work on the Podracer in the courtyard below.
"You should be proud of your son," Qui-Gon said, "He gives without any though of reward."
Shmi nodded, a small smile passing over her worn face. "He knows nothing of greed. Only of dreams. He has…"
"Special powers." Qui-Gon supplied.
"Yes." Shmi said warily, nodding.
"He can see things before they happen. That's why he appears to have such quick reflexes. It is a Jedi trait."
Shmi looked at the Jedi, hope shining in her eyes. "He deserves better than a slave's life."
Qui-Gon said nothing, instead looking out into the courtyard. "The Force is unusually strong with him, that much is clear. Who was his father?"
"There was no father." Shmi replied after a long moment of silence. "I carried him, I gave birth to him. I raised him. I can't tell you anymore than that."
Qui-Gon did his best to hide his surprise to that revelation, though some did show through.
"And what of the girl?"
Shmi looked over to the Jedi. "I know nothing of her parents, or her past. She does not like to speak of it."
"Then she is not yours?"
"Make no mistake, Master Jedi." Shmi warned. "In every way other than blood, she is my daughter. When Watto bought her, she was-scared, both mentally and physically. She was constantly terrified- for weeks, she would not sleep indoors- she couldn't abide enclosed spaces. She was in constant terror of her collar being activated…in short, she was broken. It has taken some time, but I believe that we helped her become the young woman she once was, before she was enslaved. And during that time, she has become a part of this family." The older woman smiled. "Anakin practically worships her. And she tempers him a bit, I think."
"And you know nothing of where she came from originally?" Qui-Gon pressed. Shmi shook her head.
"She does not speak of the time before she came to us." She replied. "I think she is ashamed of her enslavement. More than most, at any rate. And speaking of her past only makes it worse for her." She looked the Jedi dead in the eyes, and in a pleading voice she asked "Can you help them?"
Qui-Gon considered her question. Can you help them? Truthfully, he didn't know. In the Core systems, Jedi were identified very early in life- usually within the first six months after birth. Then they were brought to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant and trained in the Jedi arts. Children Anakin's age were already assigned to a Jedi Knight or Master as their Padawan. And children Buffy's age usually had already reached the rank of Jedi Knight. There was little hope, even if he got the children released, that they would be trained to be Jedi.
"I don't know." He finally said in a firm, yet gentle voice. "I didn't come here to free slaves. Had they been born in the Republic, we would have identified them early, and they might have become a Jedi. They both seem to have the way. I'm not sure what I can do for them."
Shmi nodded in acceptance, but Qui-Gon couldn't help but notice the glimmer of hope that remained in her eyes.
Meanwhile, Anakin was busy wiring the inside of the pod when a group of his friends came around. They stopped in their tracks when they saw R2-D2 working on the pods left engine.
"Wow, a real Astromech droid!" the boy called Kitster exclaimed. "How'd you get so lucky?"
"That isn't the half of it." He exclaimed proudly. "I'm entered in the Boonta tomorrow."
Kitster made a face and raised an eyebrow. "What? With this?"
"That piece of junk has never been off the ground," the boy called Wald said, nudging his friend Amee. "This is such a joke, Annie."
"You've been working on that thing for years," Amee said in a disapproving tone. "It's never going to run."
Anakin started to say something, but Buffy chose that moment to step in.
"Oh, ye of little faith." She said in a slightly mocking tone. "You'll be singing a different tune when he wins."
Seek, a Rodian, laughed derisively. "Come on, lets go play ball." He turned back to Anakin once more. "Keep it up, Annie, and you're going to be bug squash."
Seek, Wald, and Amee hurried off to play ball, but Kitster stayed behind. He alone knew what Annie could do when he put his mind to it, and he had no doubt (well, maybe a small doubt) that he would pull it off.
"What do they know?" he said quietly, but loud enough for Anakin to hear. The other boy sent his best friend a grateful smile, before Jar Jar's antics caught his attention.
"Hey! Jar Jar!" he shouted, getting the Gungan's attention, "Stay away from those energy binders! If your hand gets caught in the beam, it will go numb for hours."
Jar Jar nodded and put his arms behind his back. In doing this, he dropped the spanner he was using on the engine. As he bent down to pick it up, his bill got caught in the beam, causing him to jump back and yelp in surprise.
"Ist numm! Ist numm!" Jar Jar exclaimed, his long tongue flopping out of his mouth. "My tongue os fat. Dats my bigo oucho."
Buffy, still snickering, leaned in close to Annie and Kitster. "Now the big question is this: if he stuck his head in the beam, would it make any difference?"
The two boys snickered, and then Kitster turned back to Annie.
"You don't even know if this thing will run, Annie." he noted with a frown. Buffy sighed wistfully.
"We could always hope…"
"Buffy!"
"What!" she replied edgily. "Is it a bad thing that I worry about you? People die in these races, Anakin! People older than you! You're still a kid, for cryin' out loud!" she finished sadly.
"And how old should I be before I can race, Buffy?" Anakin replied hotly.
Buffy frowned at him, thinking for a moment. "At least thirty." She replied. After a moment, she sighed and gave him a small smile "You can't blame us for worrying, Annie. It's my right as a sister. Kitster is right, though. We don't know if this will work."
"It will." Anakin said simply.
Qui-Gon appeared behind Anakin at that moment. "I think it's about time we found out." He said, handing the boy a small cylinder. "Use this power pack. I picked it up earlier in the day. Watto has less need for it than you." He finished amusement and embarrassment showing on his face. Buffy had to give him credit- it took skill to lift something out of the Toydarian's shop without him noticing; especially something as valuable as a new powerpack. Anakin knew its value as well, and decided that the fewer questions asked the better.
"Yes, sir!" he exclaimed, plugging the powerpack into the racer and turning it on. Jar Jar, who had managed to get his hand caught in the engine, managed to pull it out before Anakin turned them on.
Flames exploded from the afterburners as the roar from the two huge engines built up steadily until Anakin eased off of the thrusters, bringing the engines back down to a loud, steady rumble. Cheers erupted from the crowd of spectators, the loudest coming from Anakin.
On the porch of their home, Shmi watched with sad eyes. And on the ground, Buffy watched as well, a feeling of foreboding filling her.
Later that night, Anakin sat on the balcony rail of the porch as Qui-Gon cleaned a wound on his arm that Annie hadn't even realized he had gotten. Annie was lying back looking at the stars as Qui-Gon cleaned the wound.
"There are so many! Do they all have a system of planets?"
"Most of them." The Jedi replied.
Anakin was silent for a moment. "Buffy likes to spend her nights out here, you know. She likes looking at the stars, trying to find one that looks familiar. She hasn't been able to, yet." He paused again. "Someday, I'm going to find her planet for her, and take her home- ouch!"
Qui-Gon cleaned up the blood and applied some antiseptic. Placing a small bandage over the cut, he patted Anakin on the back.
"There, good as new." He said.
"Annie! Bedtime!" Shmi called from inside. Anakin yawned and got up. He then noticed that Qui-Gon was smearing his blood onto a small collection plate. He frowned.
"What are you doing?" he asked curiously. Qui-Gon smiled.
"Checking your blood for infections." He replied easily.
"I've never seen-" Anakin started, but was cut off when his mother called for him to come to bed again. Qui-Gon smiled.
"Go on," he urged. "You have a big day tomorrow." He placed the collection chip back into his tunic and smiled. "Goodnight."
Anakin hesitated for a moment, curiosity nearly getting the better of him. Then he decided he could always find out tomorrow, so he turned and ran back inside. Qui-Gon waited for a moment to make sure he was alone, then slipped the chip back out and slipped it into his comlink and called Obi-Wan.
"Yes, Master?" his Padawan responded.
"I'm transmitting a blood sample. I need a midi-chlorian count." He advised, glancing around. His heart was pounding with excitement. If he was right…
"Master," Obi-Wan replied, interrupting his thoughts, "there must be something wrong with the sample."
"What does it say?" Qui-Gon asked, trying to contain his excitement.
"They say the midi-chlorian count is twenty thousand. No one has a count that high. Not even Master Yoda."
"And what exactly does that mean?"
Qui-Gon spun to face the owner of the voice, and found himself staring back at Buffy, whose eyes were narrowed in suspicion. Qui-Gon considered lying to her for a moment, then realized there would be little gained from betraying her trust.
"Midi-chlorians are the reason the Jedi can feel the Force." He explained. "They are a life-form that lives inside our bodies, and in return they allow us to feel and use the Force."
"Like a…symbolic relationship?" Buffy supplied unsurely. Qui-Gon chuckled.
"Symbiotic." He corrected. "The sample I took from your brother shows an unusually high count."
"So that means he's a Jedi?"
Qui-Gon frowned. "It means he has the potential to become a Jedi." He replied. "But it would be up to the Council if he was to be trained." He regarded the girl in front of him for a moment, the wheels in his head turning. "If you would permit me, I would like to run a blood scan on you."
Buffy raised an eyebrow. "You didn't ask Anakin for permission." She pointed out. Qui-Gon tilted his head in acknowledgement.
"I did not want to get his hopes up."
"So why ask me?"
Qui-Gon considered the question for a moment before answering. "Because I don't believe I am getting your hopes up."
Buffy stood silently for a moment, considering. On one hand, she was worried about what his scan would turn up. But on the other hand, she had blood tests run before on Earth, and nobody ever found anything different in her blood that would indicate she was the Slayer.
What the hell, she thought. If he thinks I'm normal, maybe he'll get off of my back for a while… Silently, she offered her arm to him, and he quickly and efficiently took a sample. Before he could run it, thought, Buffy turned and walked back inside.
"Let me know how it turns out." She called back to him. "I'm going to tuck my brother in."
Qui-Gon once again activated the comlink. "Obi-Wan, are you still there?"
"Yes, Master. What happened?"
"Just a minor interruption." Qui-Gon replied, inserting Buffy's sample into the reader. "Please take a reading on this sample."
"Just a moment," Obi-Wan replied. A moment later he was back. "This is odd…"
"What is it?" the Jedi Master asked.
"Whose blood is this?"
"It belongs to a girl named Buffy Skywalker."
"Well, according to the sample, her midi-chlorian count is eight thousand- and climbing."
There was a moment of silence before Qui-Gon spoke. "That's not possible. Midi-chlorians stop multiplying after birth. The only reason the count would change is if a person were to loose a part of their body- an arm or a leg. But there are no circumstances where the count would increase. It's never been heard of."
"Well, I daresay we've heard of it now." Obi-Wan supplied. "Is there anything else?"
"No. I will contact you tomorrow. Qui-Gon out."
The day of the race dawned, and Anakin stepped outside of his home to find Artoo and Threepio finished painting the Podracer. Its sleek lines looked even sleeker with the silver paint job with the blue racing stripes. Looking over, he saw Buffy standing quietly, sipping a mug of hot choca juice. Anakin saw the worry in her eyes and moved to stand next to her.
"Don't worry, Buffy." He said, grasping her hand in his. "I'll be alright. And I'll win"
Buffy smiled down on her brother. "I know, Annie. I know."
Qui-Gon entered the main hanger of the Mos Espa Podrace arena, glancing around at the activity in mild interest. The cavernous building held the dozens of Podracers, each on their own pad being tended to by their drivers and crew. He noticed the Dug from yesterday lounging by his pod, being tended to by two Twi'leks while his crew serviced the massive engines that, when activated, formed a giant X.
The Jedi master made his way down the hanger until he spotted Watto. When the Toydarian noticed him, he made a be-line for the Jedi while Qui-Gon stood passively.
"So it must be understood clearly that our bargain is sealed, outlander. I'll want to see your spaceship the moment the race is over."
"Patience, my blue friend. You'll have your winnings before the sun sets, and my companions and I will be far away from here." Qui-Gon replied demurely.
Watto snorted. "Not if your ship belongs to me, I think!" his sharp eyes then fixed onto the Jedi's. "I warn you, no funny business!"
Qui-Gon continued to walk down the aisle in the hander, with the Toydarian hovering closely beside him. Casually he said, "You don't think Anakin will win?"
Watto snorted once again, and then looked over to Sebulba. "Don't get me wrong. I have great faith in the boy. He's a credit to your species. But Sebulba there is going to win, I think."
Qui-Gon looked over at the Dug once more, pretending to look him over. "Why?"
"Because he always wins!" Watto replied, laughing. "I'm betting everything on Sebulba!"
"I'll take that bet." Qui-Gon replied immediately, causing the Toydarian to suddenly stop laughing.
"What?" he asked; astonished. "What do you mean?"
Qui-Gon moved to stand in front of the Toydarian, causing it to back off a step. "I'll wager my new racing Pod against, say… the boy and his family."
Watto scoffed. "A Pod for slaves? I don't think so! No Pod is worth three slaves."
"The boy is small, and so is the girl. I'd say it wagers out to two slaves…for the fastest pod ever built."
Watto seemed to consider this for a moment. Then he shook his head. "No. No Pod is worth three slaves. And the boy is not for sale."
Qui-Gon saw the children in question making their way into the hanger, followed by the two droids, Padmè, Jar Jar, and their mother. Watto noticed his gaze and turned to watch the group come into he hanger. The Jedi's offer resounded in his mind, and the wheels of greed started turning. Suddenly, Qui-Gon spoke.
"The boy and his sister, then."
Watto seemed torn, and then a sly grin formed on his face. Abruptly he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small colored cube. "We'll let fate decide. Red, it's the Girl and the Mother. Blue, it's the Boy and the Girl."
Watto tossed the cube onto the floor. As he did, Qui-Gon made a small gesture with his hand, calling on the Force, and the cube stopped- on blue. Watto's eyes shot up to the Jedi's and narrowed.
"You won the toss, outlander! But you won't win the race, so it will make little difference!"
"We'll see." Qui-Gon replied as Watto huffed off. As the Toydarian flew past Anakin, he shot out, "Better stop your friends betting, or I'll end up owning him, too!"
Anakin looked quizzically at Watto as he flew past, and then turned back to Qui-Gon.
"What did he mean by that?"
"I'll tell you later." Qui-Gon replied with a smile.
Kitster, who had been helping to drive the anti-grav sled that was pulling the Pod, pulled up next to his friend.
"This is so wizard, Annie! I'm sure you'll do it this time!" he exclaimed. Padmè looked over to the boy.
"Do what?" she asked suspiciously.
"Finish the race, of course!" Kitster beamed innocently. The handmaiden paled, and she spun to face Anakin.
"You've never even finished a race?"
Anakin blushed. "Well…not exactly. But Kitster's right. I will this time."
"Darn tootin'." Buffy said as the group headed out to the track. Padmè could only follow, both terrified that their fate was in the hands of a boy whom had never won a race, and baffled by a girl whose language so eerily matched her own sisters…
The stadium was packed, with thousands of beings crammed into the stands cheering for their favorite racer. Anakin and his group brought his pod into position, and he got to work hooking up the power cables to the pod. He paused for a moment when they announced him to wave to the crowd, then finished hooking the two massive engines up. As the racers started to get into their pods, the group said their good-byes.
"Be safe, Annie." His mother said, worry clearly evident on her face. Anakin smiled warmly.
"I will, Mom. I promise."
Buffy squeezed his shoulder lightly. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do." Anakin rolled his eyes.
"Geeze, Buffy. I just told Mom I'd be safe."
Buffy laughed and ruffled up his hair, much to his annoyance.
Unseen to any of them, Sebulba wandered over and started looking over Anakin's Pod. He glanced around and, when he was sure no one was looking, he banged hard on a stabilizer, almost breaking it off. He laughed evilly to himself.
Meanwhile, Padmè bent down and kissed Anakin on the cheek.
"You carry all our hopes," she said quietly and intensely, her eyes boring into the young boys. He swallowed his nervousness and stared back.
"I won't let you down." He replied, and Buffy had to hide a smile behind her hand. After a moment, they moved apart- her towards the observation platform, him towards his Pod. As he did, though, Sebulba sidled up to him and sneered.
"You won't walk away from this one, slave scum." He grinned. "You're bantha poodoo."
Anakin glared stonily back at the Dug. "Don't count on it, you two-faced eopie lover."
Buffy glanced at the Dug, and sniffed in disdain. "Now, now, Annie. He may be dumb, mean, and arrogant, but he's definitely not two-faced." She paused, and a wicked grin came onto her face. "Because if he was, he'd sure as heck be wearing the other one now."
Qui-Gon approached, causing the Dug to back off before he could say anything. As Jabba the Hutt opened the race, Qui-Gon helped the young boy into his Pod.
"Are you all set, Annie?" The boy nodded, causing the large helmet he had put on to bob on his head. The Jedi Master smiled. "Remember, concentrate on the moment. Feel, don't think. Trust your instincts. He put a hand on the boy's shoulder and smiled. "May the Force be with you, Annie."
"Good luck, little brother. And may the Schwartz be with you." She added, winking.
And then he walked away, with Buffy right behind him, and Anakin was alone.
Qui-Gon moved towards the observation platform where everyone else was already waiting. He noticed that Buffy was standing outside the platform and frowned.
"Aren't you joining us, Buffy?" he asked the young woman, who shook her head, almost violently, in response.
"No! I think I'll just stay down here, incase Annie makes a pit stop, or something." She finished lamely. Qui-Gon's frown deepened, but he nodded at the girl and got on the platform and smiled at Shmi. "He's fine." He assured her.
Padmè shook her head disdainfully. "You Jedi are far too reckless," she said privately to him. "The Queen-"
"The Queen trusts my judgment, young handmaiden." He interrupted, giving her a slightly condescending smile. "Perhaps you should, too."
Padmè scoffed. "You assume too much."
The platform started to rise, and Qui-Gon turned to Shmi. "Why didn't Buffy want to join us?"
Shmi smiled sadly. "Buffy has a fear of heights." She explained. "While her number of fears is few, the few that she has are great."
Qui-Gon nodded in understanding, then turned back to track to watch the race as it got underway.
Buffy stood at the base of the tower that held the observation platform, her eyes focused solely on Anakin. In the background, she heard the ding of the countdown, and out of the corner of her eye she saw the light turn green. All of the pods took off-
Except for two; one of which was Anakin's.
Must have flooded the engine. She thought to herself as she watched Anakin scrambled to get his engines re-started. Buffy didn't know a lot about the technology here, but one didn't stay ignorant for long with a brother like Anakin. While she doubted she would ever be as talented with machines as he was, she now knew enough to fix and pilot a landspeeder, though Anakin seldom let her drive. Like it was her fault those people got knocked down by her driving. Okay, maybe it was her fault, seeing as how she was driving through their patio at the time…
Calm down, Annie, she thought, take your time, take your time…Maybe it was a trick of the light, but she could have sworn Anakin slowed down a bit, concentrated a bit harder-
And he was off.
While Shmi and the rest had a dedicated vidscreen up in the booth, that followed Anakin's pod specifically, Buffy had to rely on the big screen. This meant that she got the highlights of the race, instead of just following her brother.
Of course, if you had just gone up there with them, a little voice in her head told her, you'd be able to see how he was doing all of the time.
Not a chance in hell, she shot back at the voice. No more high places. E-ver!
Really? And what kind of Slayer does that make you?
I'm not a Slayer. Not anymore…
Pushing that line of thought out of her mind, she watched on the big screen as Sebulba took out another racer. And the crowd cheered.
Ain't civilization grand? She thought to herself. Welcome to Thunderdome…
Buffy watched as Anakin started moving up in the ranks, then winced as Tusken Raiders started taking potshots at him was he raced though a canyon. The action switched back to Sebulba as he systematically either caused his opponent's to veer into rock formations and crash, or did something to take them out. By the time the first lap was over, Sebulba was in the lead, and Anakin was trailing behind.
The second lap, however, saw her brother start to move up in the race, even as more racers were taken out by a combination of stupidity, bad luck, and Sebulba. Buffy saw him flash one of the racers with his port vent, incinerating the other racers starboard engine and causing it to explode. She covered her eyes as Anakin raced straight through the debris, which knocked one of the long power cables off the side of his Pod. Looking through her fingers which had moved to cover her eyes, she saw Anakin somehow stop his pod from spinning, then saw him stretch out with his magnetic grappler, snagging the cable and re-attaching it back to the side of the Pod.
Buffy saw them coming in for the third and final lap and, tired of Sebulba's cheating tactics decided to take action. Reaching down, she grabbed a rock off of the ground. She tossed it in her hand, testing the weight, and nodded to herself when it felt right. Closing her eyes, she concentrated, waiting for the right moment-
And just as Sebulba passed, Buffy lobbed the rock, which struck the Dug square on the side of the head.
The impact rattled Sebulba, and nearly got him to crash, but the Dug managed to recover in time to continue on. The slip up, however, caused him to slow down long enough for Anakin to nearly catch up to him, and the two raced on down the track.
"That's what you get for picking on my kid brother!" she yelled, laughing. She watched as they weaved in and out of rock formations, through the caves which one is the stalagmites? Soon, they were shooting through the canyons (and the Tusken's were still shooting at them), and that was when disaster struck.
Buffy hollered at the screen in rage as Sebulba forced Anakin's Pod onto a service ramp, causing him to shoot nearly straight up into the air. While Buffy's mind was screaming at her that, when he came back down, the crash would kill him; an inner part of her seemed to know that he could pull out of it.
And he did, taking the lead in the process.
The joy she felt didn't last long, however, as Sebulba quickly pulled up right behind him, the energy binders from the large engines coming dangerously close to Anakin. Things quickly got worse as Anakin's port engine started to smolder, and flames started pouring out of the open vents. Sebulba took the opportunity to pull ahead of Anakin, leaving the boy and his flaming engine behind. Buffy held her breath, dreading an explosion, and didn't let the air out until she saw Anakin accelerated once more, having put the fire out.
Anakin pulled along side Sebulba once more, and this time the Dug tried to side swipe him. In the process, he managed to hook his engines onto Anakin's, and for a moment they were stuck together. Then suddenly Anakin hit the throttle and pulled ahead, severing several wires on the side of Sebulba's pod. Unfortunately for the Dug, those wires controlled the energy binders- which promptly shut off. His engines then flew apart and exploded in a tremendous ball of fire, sending Sebulba's Pod skidding across the desert floor.
Buffy cheered louder than anyone in the stands as Anakin crossed the finished line, and became the youngest person ever to win the Boonta Eve race.
TBC…
I'm not completely happy with this chapter, but I couldn't find a way to write the race without directly copying the book, or 'Phantoms' and I didn't want to do either. Sorry if you were expecting more…
R/R
Allen Pitt: The (non)mystery of Rose will be resolved next chapter. As for the future of Willow- no, she won't be a Jedi. I agree with everybody that her witch powers are enough, and she doesn't need the Force.
Palpatine- oh, I have plans for him. Oh yes, I do…
As for Buffy-I like to think that I laid the groundwork in this chapter for what is going to happen to her throughout this story. I wont give it away now, but I will say that, while there are no vamps or demons here, she will be working with the Jedi on taking down a different kind of demon…
Saint Maverick: I'm so glad I rocked your little cotton socks- I think. And I'm going to try and speed update this story, especially since it seems so well received. Glad you are enjoying it!
Elysium: I'm glad you're liking this story. And having read the latest chapter of 'Phantom's and Slayers', I can safely say that I am taking this in a very different direction. Thanks for the review!
StorytellerSJK: Glad you liked Rose, as she will start to play a bigger role in the coming chapters. As for Beta-ing, I may take you up on that offer. I sent this chapter out to someone else, but another Beta could never hurt…
JUst Me: I'm glad you've like the story so far. I've been told in the past that I don't put enough detail in, so I'm really trying to in this story. As for Buffy, as I've said her future (and powers) will be made clearer in the coming chapters. And I agree with you on Xander- I like his character, but I don't like stories that revolve around him.
Jedi-Princess/nascar girl: Just one more chapter to go! And remember, Ms. "Earnhardt", that Willow Season 5 was still good, so now she will be good. Thanks for the review!
w1cked angel: Obi-Wan and Willow? Well, sorry to dash your hopes, but there will be no pairings in this story for the Jedi (other than Anakin, that is.) Ben won't have any pairing (as it wouldn't fit his character in my story), and as for Willow… she still belongs to Tara. Remember- season 5, she was still alive!
buffyhaldirpair: Thank you for the praise, and the review. Hope you liked this chapter as well!
Cycloneozgirl: I guess I answered your request this chapter (or next chapter, as it is…)Hope you enjoyed it!
witchlight2037: I'm glad you've enjoyed the story so far! And I just want to point this out- in 'Phantoms and Slayers', Buffy is the Season 2 Buffy, technically. She still acted very much like a teenage girl. Sure, she had grief and loss- she had just killed Angel and run away from home when her Mom had kicked her out, but even with all of that, she still acted like the teen ditz we saw when she first came to Sunnydale. In my story, she's Season 5- Angel left her, Riley left her, her Mom had just died, her sister had been hunted, kidnapped, and bled in a ceremony to pretty much end the world. She was battle-hardened before I sent her down the rabbit hole, and it should have been made somewhat clear what happened to her (and Willow) when they arrived. That's why she has more of a head on her shoulders, and why she will evolve the way she will in the story.
Thanks to everyone for the reviews! I'll try to have the next chapter up sometime in the next two weeks (work permitting), and I promise to update 'Light Brigade' at least one more time before putting it on hold for a short while.
Coming in Chapter 4: Reunions-
Qui-Gon races to get to Coruscant while a Dark Lord of the Sith races to destroy them; meanwhile Obi-Wan uncovers the mystery of Rose as the Handmaiden encounters a ghost from her past…