Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, the Characters, or any Game, Movie, or TV Show content that are mentioned in this FanFiction story. They belong to their respective owners and I honor respect their great works.
(Tatooine)
In Anakin's home, Devon, Qui-Gon, Jar Jar, Padmé, Anakin, and Shmi were all eating fruit and soup around a table as the sandstorm continued to rage on outside. Anakin and Shmi explained to Devon and the others about their life as a slave on Tatooine.
"All slaves have a transmitter placed somewhere inside their body." Shmi says
"I've been working on a scanner to try and locate mine." Anakin says
"Any attempt to escape..." Shmi says
"And they blow you up! Boom!" Anakin says slamming his right-hand onto the table
"How wude!" Jar Jar says
"I can't believe there's still slavery in the galaxy. The Republic's anti-slavery laws..." Padmé says
"The Republic doesn't exist out here. We must survive on our own." Shmi says
Jar Jar opens his mouth and shot out his long tongue, snatching a fruit from the bowl like a frog. Everyone looks at him in silence.
"'Scuse me." Jar Jar says sheepishly smiling
"Has anybody ever seen a Podrace?" Anakin asks
Devon looks over at Anakin confused.
"Is it some kind of sport?" Devon asks
"They have Podracing on Malastare. Very fast, very dangerous." Qui-Gon says
"I'm the only human who can do it." Anakin says
"You must have Jedi reflexes if you can race pods." Qui-Gon says
Jar Jar goes to grab another fruit with his tongue, but Qui-Gon caught it with his left-hand.
"Don't do that again." Qui-Gon says
Jar Jar yelped, but Qui-Gon soon lets go of his tongue, causing it to slap the Gungan in the face. Anakin looks over at Devon and Qui-Gon, curious to know if they were actually Jedi.
"You and Devon are both Jedi Knights, aren't you?" Anakin asks
Devon and Qui-Gon shared glances with each other, then look back over at Anakin.
"What makes you think that?" Qui-gon asks
"Devon hardly leaves your side, and I saw your laser sword. Only Jedis carry that kind of weapon." Anakin says
"Perhaps I killed a Jedi and took it from him." Qui-Gon says
"I don't think so. No one can kill a Jedi." Anakin says
"I wish that were so." Qui-Gon murmurs sadly
"What about you, Devon? Are you a Jedi?" Anakin asks
Devon shakes his head no.
"You could say I'm someone who's somewhat similar to a Jedi. I'm a Keyblade Wielder. A Guardian of Light." Devon says
Anakin stared at Devon in surprise and amazement. All this time he thought Devon was a Jedi just like Qui-Gon. But to hear that he was actually a Keyblade Wielder, a powerful warrior as mighty as Jedi was very exciting.
"You're a Keyblade Wielder!? I've heard so much about them! They're just as old as the Jedi themselves!" Anakin exclaims surprised
"That's what I've been hearing from so many people." Devon says smiling
"But there aren't many Keyblade Wielders in the galaxy anymore. I heard they all just disappeared." Anakin says
"Then, you could say I'm the most recent Keyblade Wielder to visit your planet." Devon says
"Is it true what people say about them? Can Keyblade Wielders use the Force like the Jedi?" Anakin asks
Devon shrugs his shoulders. He wasn't entirely sure himself, but he believed it was possible.
"I guess. Ever since I was chosen by my Keyblade, I've been given many abilities and powers that are similar to what Jedi can do with the Force. And Qui-Gon says the Force is strong within me. I'm sure it must be a real honor to know that the Force is strong within your heart." Devon says
"I had a dream I was a Jedi. I came back here and freed all the slaves. Have you come to free us?" Anakin says
"No. I'm afraid not." Qui-Gon says
"I think you have. Why else would you be here?" Anakin asks
Devon, Qui-Gon, and Padmé shared glances with each other, realizing that Anakin was a very smart boy.
"I can see there's no fooling you, Anakin. We're on our way to Coruscant, the central city of the Republic, on a very important mission." Qui-Gon says
"How did you end up out here in the Outer Rim?" Anakin asks
"Our ship was damaged, and we are stranded here until we can repair it." Padmé says
"I can help. I can fix anything." Anakin says
Shmi smiled at her son's willingness to help. Qui-Gon smiled as well.
"I believe you can. But first we must acquire the parts we need." Qui-Gon says amused
"Wit nutten no mula to trade." Jar Jar says
"These gamblers must have a weakness of some kind." Padmé says
"Gambling. Everything around here involves betting on those awful races." Shmi says
"Podracing. Greed can be a powerful ally." Qui-Gon says
"I built a racer. It's the fastest one ever. There's a big race tomorrow on Boonta's Eve. You could enter my pod." Anakin says
"Anakin, Watto won't let you." Shmi says
"Watto doesn't know I built it." Anakin says
Anakin looks over at Qui-Gon.
"You can make him think it was yours, and get him to let me pilot it for you." Anakin says
"I don't want you to race. It's awful. I die everytime Watto makes you do it." Shmi says
"But mom, I love it. The prize money would more than be enough to pay for the parts they need." Anakin says
"Anakin..." Shmi sighs
"Your mother's right. Is there anyone friendly to the Republic who can help us?" Qui-Gon asks
Shmi shakes her head no.
"No." Shmi says quietly
Everyone sat silently upon hearing that. What Shmi said was true. There weren't many friendly people on Tatooine like Shmi or Anakin.
"Mom, you said the biggest problem in the Universe is that no one helps each other." Anakin says
"I'm sure Qui-Gon doesn't want to put your son in danger." Padmé says
"Yeah. Maybe we'll find some other way." Devon says
Shmi shakes her head again.
"No. There is no other way. I may not like it, but he can help you. He was meant to help you." Shmi says
Once the Sandstorm had cleared, Devon, Qui-Gon, Padmé, R2-D2, and Jar Jar return to Watto's shop. They stopped at the entrance as Padmé was still unsure about Anakin's help.
"You sure about this? Trusting our fate to a boy we hardly know? The queen will not approve." Padmé says
"The queen doesn't need to know." Qui-Gon says
"Well, I don't approve." Padmé mutters
Qui-Gon, Devon and R2-D2 enter Watto's shop while Padmé and Jar Jar wait outside.
"The boy tells me you want to sponsor him in the race. How can you do this? Not on the Republic credits, I think, huh?" Watto says
"Our ship shall be the entry fee." Qui-Gon says
Qui-Gon takes out a small device in his right-hand and presents the Nubian ship on a hologram.
"Oh. Not bad! Not bad, huh? A Nubian, huh?" Watto says impressed
"It's in good order, except the parts we need." Qui-Gon says
Qui-Gon deactivates the device and puts it away in his robe.
"What would the boy ride? He smashed up my pod in the last race. It will take some long time to fix it." Watto says
"It wasn't my fault, really. Sebulba flashed me with his vents. I actually saved the pod, mostly." Anakin says
"That you did, huh? Heh heh heh heh. The boy's good. No doubts there, huh?" Watto says
"Well, we've acquired a pod in a game of chance." Qui-Gon says
"The fastest ever built." Devon says crossing his arms with a grin on his face
"I hope you didn't kill anybody I know for it, huh?" Watto says
Qui-Gon and Devon smile and share glances with each other, then look back at Watto. The Toydarian chuckles.
"Heh heh heh. So, you supply the pod and the entry fee. I supply the boy. We split the winnings, um, 50-50, I think, huh?" Watto says
"If it's going to be 50-50, I suggest you front the cash for the entry fee. If we win, you keep all the winnings, minus the cost of the parts we need. And if we lose, you keep our ship." Qui-Gon says
"Either way, you win." Devon says gesturing to Watto with his right-hand
Watto grumbles as he thought to himself for a moment, but he soon agreed upon the deal.
"Deal!" Watto says
Watto shakes Devon and Qui-Gon's hands. With the deal arranged, Devon and Qui-Gon head out of the shop while Anakin and Watto watch them leave.
"Yo bana pee ho-tah meendee ya, huh? (Your friend is a foolish one, methinks.)" Watto says in Huttese
Qui-Gon told Obi-Wan the plan to win the parts in the race through his comlink while the Jedi Master stood outside on the upper balcony of Anakin's home.
"What if this plan fails, Master? We could be stuck here a very long time." Obi-Wan says
"Well, it's too dangerous to call for help, and a ship without a power supply isn't going to get us anywhere. And... there's something about this boy and Devon." Qui-Gon says
Qui-Gon puts away his comlink and looks out at the group, watching them as they helped Anakin with his podracer. Devon helped Anakin with the cockpit of the pod while Jar Jar and R2-D2 worked on the engines. C-3PO and Padmé stood nearby and watched. Qui-Gon was soon joined by Shmi as they watch the group.
Anakin's podracer was a custom-built podracer. The vehicle was constructed from a pair of Radon-Ulzer 620c turbines. One engine was put together from spare parts in Watto's junkyard. These parts included the burned-out turbines from Watto's own podracer, which Anakin had eventually crashed in his earlier conversation. The other engine was acquired when Anakin bartered with Jawas. He modified the engines heavily by improving the fuel injection system in order to increase thrust. Three yellow air scoops were attached to the engines to give the vehicle optimal maneuverability, especially while turning. The cockpit was attached to the massive motors by steelton control cables. The racer could reach breakneck speeds in the area of 947 kilometers an hour (588 mph), earning its title of the fastest podracer in the galaxy. It could only fit one person: the pilot. Similar to the other podracers, Anakin's pod possessed purple energy binders for keeping the vehicle together during the race. The energy binders, if crossed by a biological being, also had a side-effect of causing the affected body part to go numb for several hours.
"You should be very proud of your son. He gives without any thought of reward." Qui-Gon says
"He knows nothing of greed. He has..." Shmi says
"Special powers." Qui-Gon says
"Yes." Shmi says with a nod
"He can see things before they happen. That's why he appears to have such quick reflexes. It's a Jedi trait." Qui-Gon says
"He deserves a better life than this." Shmi says
"Had he been born in the Republic, we would've identified him early. The Force is unusually strong with him and Devon. That much is clear. Who was his father?" Qui-Gon says
"There was no father. I carried him. I gave birth. I raised him. I can't explain what happened. Can you help him?" Shmi says
"I don't know. I didn't actually come here to free slaves." Qui-Gon says
As they were constructing Anakin's Podracer, Anakin's childhood friends: Kitzter, Seek, Amee, Melee, and Wald arrived. When they did, they saw Devon and R2-D2 with him working on the podracer. Devon gave the kids a two-fingered salute and kept working on the vehicle.
Kitster Banai was a human slave boy and Anakin's best friend. He had black hair and dark brown eyes.
Wald was a young male Rodian and a friend of Anakin. Wald spoke in Huttese. As a Rodian, Wald had green skin, large, round, multifaceted eyes, tapir-like snouts, long, dexterous, sucker-tipped fingers, and a pair of saucer-shaped antennae on his head.
Amee was a six year old girl and one of Anakin's friends. She had blonde hair and wore braces on her teeth.
Melee was a young human girl and one of Anakin's friends.
Seek was a red-headed boy who was known as a local bully in the slave quarters. Seek would often tease those children who dared to dream of a better life beyond Mos Espa. But nevertheless, he was still Anakin's friend.
The group of children, specifically Kitster, noticed R2-D2 nearby.
"Wow! A real astro droid! How did you get so lucky?" Kitster says
"That isn't the half of it. I'm entering the Boonta Race tomorrow." Anakin says
"What? With this?" Kitster says surprised
"Un ni joka, Ani. Ho ho ho! (You're such a joker, Ani.)" Wald laughs speaking in Huttese
"You've been working on that thing for years." Amee says
"It's never gonna run." Melee says
"C'mon. Let's go and play ball. Keep racing, Annie. You're gonna be bug squash." Seek says
Wald, Seek, Amee, and Melee walk away while Kitster stays behind and helps Anakin with his podracer. As he was working in the cockpit with Devon, Anakin noticed that Jar Jar was dangerously close to the energy binders.
"Hey, Jar Jar." Anakin calls
Jar Jar jumps startled and drops the hydrospanner on the ground.
"Keep away from those energy binders. If your hand gets caught in the beam, it'll go numb for hours." Anakin warns
Jar Jar bends down to pick up the hydrospanner. But when he rises back up, his mouth gets caught in the beam and his tongue goes numb.
"My tongue is fat. My tongue." Jar Jar says in a muffled voice
Jar Jar began looking for the hydrospanner.
"Wrench. Where's the wrench?" Jar Jar says
Jar Jar saw the tool wedged in the pod's right-engine. He sticks his left-hand in to try and grab it, only for the wrench to fall out and his fingers to get caught.
"Hey. Uh oh. Uh, Ani, I'm-I'm stuck. Ani-" Jar Jar says
Jar Jar tries to move, but he couldn't. C-3PO and R2 stared at Jar Jar, then turned to each other.
"You know I find that Jar Jar creature to be a little odd." C-3PO says turning to the astromech droid
R2-D2 couldn't help but gurgle in agreement.
"You don't even know if it's gonna run." Kitster says
"It will." Anakin says assuring his best friend
"I think it's time we found out." Devon says
"Here, use this power charge." Qui-Gon says handing Anakin a small device
"Yes, sir!" Anakin says
"C'mon, Kitster. Let's move away." Qui-Gon says as he, Devon and Kitster move away
Anakin climbs into the pilot seat while everyone moves away. Everyone, except for Jar Jar, who was still stuck with his hand in the engine.
"My-my mouth. Ani, I'm stuck. I'm stuck, Ani." Jar Jar says
Padmé notices that Jar Jar was having problems. She walks over and tries to help Jar Jar free his hand.
"Uh, hey. My tongue is fat, Ani!" Jar Jar says
"You're quite right. He is very odd indeed." C-3PO says
Padmé soon manages to free Jar Jar's hand from the engine.
"Oh. Th-thank you." Jar Jar says
Jar Jar gave Anakin a thumbs up and moves away. Anakin turns on the ignition and the pod starts up with the engines roaring to life. The podracer was fully functional.
"It's working! It's working!" Anakin shouts happily over the pod's engines
Shmi watched her son happily from the house. She believed he had a chance to win his freedom.
Later that night, Qui-Gon, Devon, and Anakin were sitting outside on the sand wall of Anakin's home underneath the stars of the calm night. Qui-Gon was cleaning a scrape on Anakin's left-arm he had sustained earlier.
"Stay still, Ani. Let me clean this cut." Qui-Gon says
"There are so many. Do they all have a system of planets?" Anakin says looking out toward the stars
"Most of them." Qui-Gon says
"Has anyone ever been to 'em all?" Anakin asks
"Hmm. Not likely." Qui-Gon says glancing up at the stars
"I'm gonna be the first one to see 'em all." Anakin says
Once Devon heard Anakin said that, he remembers his best friend Sora saying almost the exact same thing.
"I'd like to see it, too. Along with any the other worlds out there. I want to see 'em all." Sora's voice echoes in Devon's mind
"Ani. Bedtime." Shmi calls
"There we go. Good as new." Qui-Gon says finishing up with Anakin's bandage
"Ani, I'm not gonna tell you again." Shmi says walking past the doorway
Qui-Gon takes out his comlink, which catches Anakin's curiosity.
"What are you doing?" Anakin asks
"Checking your blood for infections. Go on. You have a big day tomorrow." Qui-Gon says
"Sleep well, Ani." Devon says
Anakin jumps off the sand wall and heads inside off to bed.
"Devon, you mind if I check a sample of your blood?" Qui-Gon asks
"Sure." Devon says
Devon holds out his right-arm while Qui-Gon takes a sample of his blood. Devon wanted to ask why, but he shrugged it off.
"You should get some rest too, Devon. We all have a big day tomorrow." Qui-Gon says
"You're right about that." Devon says
Devon jumps off and heads inside.
"Night." Devon says waving back to the Jedi Master with his right-hand
Once Anakin and Devon were inside, Qui-Gon contacts Obi-wan through the comlink.
"Obi-Wan." Qui-gon says
"Yes, Master?" Obi-Wan says
"I need an analysis of these two blood samples I'm sending you." Qui-Gon says
"One moment." Obi-Wan says
"I need a Midi-chlorian count." Qui-Gon says
Qui-Gon sends the blood sample through an integrated Midi-chlorian sampler in his comlink and sends the readings over to Obi-Wan in the ship.
"The readings are off the chart. Over 20,000. And Devon's count is way higher than that. His is topping over 100,000, and he's not even a Jedi. Even Master Yoda doesn't have a Midi-chlorian count as high as Devon's." Obi-Wan says
"No Jedi has." Qui-Gon says
"What does that mean?" Obi-Wan asks
"I'm not sure." Qui-Gon says
Qui-Gon looks over at the doorway and saw Shmi staring at him, but she soon walked away into another room while the Jedi Master remained outside.
While the group was resting for the race, Darth Maul and Lord Drazor arrive on Tatooine aboard Darth Maul's ship, the Scimitar.
The Scimitar or Sith Infiltrator was a prototype stealth-ship used as the personal starship of Darth Maul. The Scimitar had a pair of folding wings on both sides of a round cockpit.
The ship landed outside on the outskirts, far away from Mos Espa. The two villains step out from the rear of the ship and walk down the ramp. They stop at the edge of a tall cliff and began scanning the area. Darth Maul took out his electrobinoculars and scans the area. He looks over at Mos Zeta and Mos Eisley on his right, then soon sets his sights on Mos Espa on his left. He presses a button on a device around his wrist and three DRK-1 Dark Eye probe droids fly out of the ship, making whirring sounds.
DRK-1 Dark Eye probe droids was a small, spherical automaton equipped with sophisticated sensor and communications packages. The DRK-1 version featured a trio of imaging sensors: a central photoreceptor, a magnetic imaging device, and a thermal imager. An antenna atop the DRK-1's dome allowed its master to relay commands to the robot, programming it to seek out individuals or information. Data was then sent back to headquarters via the transmission antennae.
The droids were deployed and headed out toward the three spaceport cities to begin their search for Queen Amidala, the Jedi, and the Keyblade Wielder.
The day of the Boonta Eve Pod Race had arrived and Qui-Gon, Jar Jar, and Watto went through the Podracer Hangar, discussing the race.
"I wanna see your spaceship the moment the race is over." Watto says
"Patience, my blue friend. You'll have your winnings before the sun sets. And we'll be far away." Qui-Gon says
"Not if your ship belongs to me, I think, huh? Heh heh heh. I warn you, no funny business." Watto says
"You don't think Anakin can win?" Qui-Gon asks
"Don't get me wrong. I have great faith in the boy. He's a credit to your race, but uh, Sebulba there is going to win, I think, huh?" Watto says
The trio look over and saw Sebulba being massaged by two blue Twi'lek women. One of them was rubbing his back while the other was massaging his right-foot.
"Oh no!" Jar Jar exclaims
"Una cheechee toowa." Sebulba says in Huttese to one of the women
"What makes you so sure?" Qui-Gon asks
"He always wins! Heh heh heh. I am betting heavily on Sebulba." Watto says
"I'll take that bet." Qui-gon says
"You what?" Watto says surprised
"I'll wager my new racing pod against, say... the boy and his mother." Qui-Gon says
"No pod is not worth two slaves, not by a long shot." Watto argues
"The boy, then." Qui-Gon says
"Hmm. Well... We'll let fate decide. I just happen to have a chance cube here." Watto says
Watto takes out a white cube that had blue and red colors on it's sides. Four were red and two were blue.
"Blue, it's the boy. Red, uh... his mother." Watto says
Watto tosses down the cube. Qui-Gon subtlety waves his right-hand, using the Force to have the cube land on a blue side. This meant Anakin would be free if they won the race. Jar Jar smiles while Watto stares down at the cube in disbelief, then looks up at Qui-Gon, grumbling. There was no way he'd win the race if Sebulba came in first.
"You won this small toss, outlander, but you won't win the race! So it makes little difference!" Watto grumbles
Watto flies over to Devon, Padmé, Anakin, Shmi and Kitster, who were all riding Eopies. Anakin and Padmé were riding one Eopie. Shmi and Kitster rode another Eopie. And Devon rode the third Eopie by himself. The creatures groaned as they lowered down on their legs for their riders to dismount.
"Bonapa keesa. Hm hm hm hm hm hm. Tolpa da bunky na booty cha naga o wanna meete chobodda, huh? (Better stop your friend's betting or I'll end up owning him, too.)" Watto says speaking Huttese
Watto laughs and flies away. Qui-Gon and Jar Jar walk up to the group.
"What did he mean by that?" Anakin asks
"I'll tell you that later." Qui-Gon says
The group dismount their Eopies while C-3PO and R2 talk with each other.
"Oh, my. Space travel sounds rather perilous." C-3PO says
R2-D2 beeps.
"I can assure you, they will never get me onto one of those dreadful starships." C-3PO says
"This is so wizard, Ani. I'm sure you'll do it this time." Kitster says
"Do what?" Padmé asks
"Finish the race, of course." Kitster says
"You've never won a race?" Padmé asks
"Well... not exactly." Anakin says
"Not even finished?" Padmé asks
"Kitster's right. I will this time." Anakin says
"Of course you will." Qui-Gon says
Padmé couldn't help but stare at Anakin in disbelief. She then looked toward Devon who shrugged.
Elsewhere in Mos Espa, one of the DRK-1 Dark Eye probe droids was scouring through Mos Espa, searching for any sign of Queen Amidala or perhaps the Jedi and Keyblade Wielder.
At the Mos Espa Grand Arena, thousands of spectators had gathered to watch the race. Most of the racers were already on the track ready for the race.
Boonta Eve Race was the largest annual Podrace in the galaxy. Held on the planet of Tatooine, it was hosted by the Hutts to commemorate the Boonta's Eve holiday. Located just outside Mos Espa, the Boonta race course started in the Mos Espa Grand Arena. There, thousands of spectators would arrive, hoping to see their favored racer win, to catch a glimpse of a spectacular collision, or to win a fortune gambling on the race's outcome.
The circuit was mostly turned around Ben's Mesa. It blazed out of the arena onto the Starlite Flats, an easy stretch of desert where aggressive Podracers jockeyed for strong starting positions. The racers had to line up in single file to enter the curving canyon that cuts through the Waldo Flats. This opened up into Mushroom Mesa, a rocky expanse dominated by immense bulbous rock formations. Then, there's Metta Drop, a sudden escarpment, dropped the racers onto Ebe Crater Valley, where they again had to navigate a narrow opening to enter Beggar's Canyon. The race then continued onto a length of desert plains abutting the Dune Sea. One of the most hazardous areas, Arch Canyon, forced racers to maneuver through stone wickets before entering another series of canyons, including The Whip, Jag Crag Gorge, and the subterranean Laguna Cave. Emerging from the caves, the racers careened through the tight Canyon Dune Turn. After that, they had to dodge the rocky obstacles in Bindy Bend before entering the last stretch of canyon, which included the Coil, Jett's Chute, and the Corkscrew. Exiting the Corkscrew via the Devil's Doorknob, the racers emerged onto the Hutt Flats, a broad featureless expanse that led back to the arena.
Up in the stands was the commemorator of the race, Fodesinbeed Annodue.
Fodesinbeed Annodue, was a two-headed Troig able to commentate in two languages simultaneously: Fode, the thinner, red colored head, spoke English, and Beed, the larger, green head, spoke in Huttese. They announced the race for the spectators.
"Toogi! Toogi! Toong mee cha kulkah du Boonta magi Podraces..." (Greetings! We have perfect weather today for the Boonta Classic Podraces...)." Beed says speaking in Huttese
"That's absolutely right. And a big turnout here from all corners of the Outer Rim Territories. I can see the contestants are making their way out onto the starting grid." Fode says
Anakin walks out of the hangar with his Podracer, followed by R2-D2, Kitster, and Wald, passing by other racers as the Fode and Beed announce their names. Wald was a bit skeptical of Anakin's chances at winning the race at first, but he eventually came around and decided to cheer his friend on with Kitster in the race.
"Eena stokda new Ord Pedrovia du Boonta da watta, Teemto Pangalies." Beed says speaking in Huttese
Teemto Pagalies was a male Veknoid Podracer pilot. As a Veknoid, he had pointed teeth. His Podracer was a IPG-X1131 LongTail Podracer.
"I see Ben Quadinaros from the Tund System." Fode says
Ben Quadinarous was a male Toong from the planet of Tund. As a Toong, he had long gangly legs, no neck, and bulbous bodies. Their eyes were high on their pointed forehead, and their cheeks were jowled. His Podracer was a BT310 quadra-Podracer.
"Two-time winner Boles Roor." Fode says
Boles Roor was a male Sneevel Podracer pilot. As a Sneevel, he had an oversized, portly heads, monochromatic eyes, four long limbs that ended in five digits with nails, and a pig-like nose. His Podracer was a Quadrijet 4-Barrel 904E Podracer.
"Da granee champio du Pixelito, Sebulba!" (The grand champion from Pixelito, Sebulba!) Beed says speaking in Huttese
Sebulba jumps up on his Podracer and waves to the crowd. Sebulba's Podracer was a Plug-F Mammoth Split-X engine orange-hued Podracer.
"And in the front row, nearside pole position, Mawhonic!" Fode says
Mawhonic was a male Gran Podracer pilot. As a Gran, he was short, had three eyes, and a goat-like snout. His Podracer was a GPE-3130 Podracer.
"A hearty hello to Clegg Holdfast and his Voltec KT9 Wasp!" Fode says
Clegg Holdfast was a male Nosaurian Podracer pilot. As a Nosaurain, he had row of long horns, a covering of tough scales, and a beak full of sharp teeth. The only downside was his species was colorblind, but few of this found this bothersome. His Podracer was a KV9T9-B Wasp Podracer.
"And back again, it's the mighty Dud Bolt with that incredible racing machine, the Vulptereen 327." Fode says
Dud Bolt was a male Vulptereen Podracer pilot. As a Vulptereen, he had a shovel-like mouth with six tusks protruding outward, yellowish-green eyes, a feeler on his snout, and two pointed ears on top. His Podracer was a Vulptereen 327 engine Podracer.
"And hoping for a big win today, Ody Mandrell with his record-setting pit droid team." Fode says
Ody Mandrell was a male Er'Kit Podracer Pilot. As a Er'Kit, he had pale bluish-gray skin and long legs. His Podracer was a XL 5115 engine Podracer.
"And a late entry, young Anakin Skywalker, a local boy." Fode says
Anakin waves to the crowd.
Other racers in the Boonta Eve race included Wan Sadage, Ebe E. Endocott, Ratts Tyerell, Neva Kee, Aldar Beedo, Mars Guo, Ark Roose, Elan Mak, and Gasgano.
Wan Sadage was a male Devlikk Podracer pilot. As a Devlikk, he had a long neck, his shoulders were covered in green feathers, and an oddly-shaped head. His Podracer was a TurboDyne 99-U engine Podracer.
Ebe E. Endocott, Esquire was a male Triffian Podracer pilot. As a Triffian, he had a furry body, three-fingered hands, webbed feet, claws and large, triangle-shaped appendages His podracer was a J930 Dash-8 engine Podracer.
Ratts Tyerell was a male Aleena Podracer pilot. As an Aleena, he had large eyes and wide mouths full of small, sharp teeth. His body was long compared to his short arms and stubby legs His Podracer was a Titan 2150 rocket engine Podracer.
Neva Kee was a male Xamster Podracer pilot. As a Xamster, he had large ears, green eyes, bicuspid beaks, green scaly skin, several spiky crests, and short legs with splay-toed feet. His Podracer was a FG 8T8-Twin Block2 Special Podracer.
Aldar Beedo was a Glymphid male Podracer pilot. As a Glymphid, he had tan skin, long snouts, frills on his neck, rounded nodules on his torso, and suction cup-tipped fingers. His Podracer was a MARK IV Flat-Twin Turbojet Podracer.
Mars Guo was a male Phuii Podracer pilot. As a Phuii, he had sagging, wrinkled skin, a long, swooping neck, lanky arms, and stubby legs. His Podracer was a Plug-2 Behemoth engine Podracer.
Ark Roose was a particularly dim-witted Podracer pilot. His As a Nuknog, he had a bulbous head, short, stocky legs, and a long stretched neck. Podracer was a Plug-8G 927 engine Podracer.
Elan Mak was a Fluggrian male Podracer pilot. As a Fluggrian, he had green dotted skin, a high forehead which jutted forward over his face, three fingers on each hand ending in a large talon, purple spikes, and spindly limbs. His podracer was a Kurtob KRT 410-C.
Gasgano was a male Xexto Podracer pilot. As a Xexto, he had a long neck, 24 fingers and 6 arms (two were used as legs). His eyes were a dark black color. And he had a pale skin color. His Podracer was a custom-built Podracer named Ord Pedrovia.
"I see now the flags are moving out onto the track." Fode says
The formal race ceremony started with a parade of flag-bearers; each carried a racer's distinctive emblem, and lined up before the starting grid. Shmi walked up to Anakin and kneeled down to him.
"Stay safe." Shmi says
"I will, Mom. I promise." Anakin says
Before the race started, Sebulba sabotaged Anakin's stabilizer before anyone could notice.
"Uh-oh." Sebulba says
He chuckles in a sinister tone and walked over to Anakin.
"Bazda wahota shag. Dobellia nok. (You won't walk away from this one, slave scum.)" Sebulba says in Huttese
"Cho skrunee dopat, sleemo. (Don't count on it, slime ball.)" Anakin says in Huttese
"Yo can ta bantha poodoo. (You're bantha fodder.)" Sebulba says in Huttese
After saying that, Sebulba laughs and walks away. Qui-Gon and Devon soon walk up to Anakin.
"You all set, Ani?" Qui-Gon asks
"Yep." Anakin says
"Alright." Qui-Gon says
Qui-Gon lifts Anakin up and sets him down into the cockpit of his pod.
"Remember, concentrate on the moment. Feel, don't think. Use your instincts." Qui-Gon says
"I will." Anakin says
"May the Force be with you." Qui-Gon says handing Anakin his helmet
"Good luck, Anakin. We'll be cheering for you." Devon says
Having said that, Devon and Qui-Gon walks away.
"O granio lust com into tah pareena. Jabba du Hutt. (Our grand host comes into the arena, Jabba the Hutt.)" Beed says in Huttese
The crowd cheered loudly as Jabba the Hutt slithered out onto his private balcony from the grandstands with his Twi'lek slave girl, his Twi'lek majordomo, Bib Fortuna, and Gardulla the Hutt.
Jabba the Hutt was a male Hutt. He was a notorious crime lord and leader of the largest criminal organization on Tatooine. He was a large slug-like alien with green-tan skin and orange-yellow-red eyes.
Gardulla the Hutt was a female Hutt who was one of many powerful and greedy Hutt crime lords who controlled Tatooine alongside Jabba the Hutt.
"Spasteelya du oonta Boonta. Ya kun boska bolia!" (Welcome. Begin the race!)" Jabba says in Huttese
In that moment, all the Podracers' massive engines roared to life and the purple energy binders were activated. The flag bearers and crew members of the racers cleared out from the starting line.
"Ya pawa culka doe rundee! (The power couplings are being activated.)" Beed says
"Hey, it looks likes they're clearing the grid!" Fode says
Devon and Qui-Gon head over to Jar Jar, Padmé and Shmi who were waiting for them on an ascension tower.
"Is he nervous?" Shmi asks
"He's fine." Qui-Gon says
"He's doing alright. Though, honestly, I'd be nervous, too, with such a big race like this." Devon says
"You Jedi are far too reckless. The queen does not-" Padmé says
"The queen trusts my judgment as well as Devon, young handmaiden. You should too." Qui-Gon says turning to Padmé
"You assume too much." Padmé mutters
"Try to have a little faith, Padmé. If Qui-Gon believes in Anakin, then I do, too." Devon says
The platform that they stood on rises high up above the arena so that they could get a good view of the race.
"Start your engines!" Fode says
All the Podracer pilots began starting up their vehicles. Kitster, Wald, C-3PO and R2-D2 watched Anakin from the sidelines. Kitster and Wald were bursting with excitement. Jar Jar on the other hand was nervous.
"Oh, dissen gonna be messy. Me no watch'n!" Jar Jar says covering his eyes
All of the racers were revving their engines, ready to start the race. The moment the starting light turned green, all of the racers hit their thrusters and zoomed out of the arena and the Boonta Eve race began.
"An dar ovv! (And they're off!)" Beed says in Huttese
Anakin's pod started to take off, but it sputtered and stalled immediately, leaving him stuck at the starting line while the other racers left the arena.
"Oh, no! No!" Anakin says
Anakin tried to restart his engines while the other racers sped out of the arena onto the Starlite Flats.
"Oh ho. Wait. Little Skywalker has stalled." Fode says
Kitster and Wald frowned at Anakin's predicament.
"Chuba!" Wald curses in Huttese
The crowd and even Watto laughed at Anakin's humiliation. While the other racers took off into the mesa, the young boy constantly tried to restart his engines. But he wasn't the only one with engine trouble. Ben Quadrinaros Podracer was also having trouble.
"Well, it looks like Ben Quadrinaros is having engine trouble also." Fode says
"Ees da wocka!" Ben curses in Huttese pounding against the controls of his pod
"Come on, Annie!" Jar Jar says
As he tried to restart his pod, Anakin realized that he had fed the engines too much fuel. Acting quickly, Anakin rapidly flipped switches on the controls and adjusted settings to reset the engines and succeeded in starting the engines, flying out of the arena and chasing after the other racers.
"And there goes Skywalker." Fode says
"Go, Ani! Go!" Jar Jar cheers
"He'll be hard-pressed to catch up with the leaders." Fode says
Devon, Qui-Gon, Jar Jar, Padmé and Shmi were all watching Anakin through a PDA which was in the tower.
Anakin soon caught up to the other racers who were in the Mushroom Mesa, passing two racers before they even noticed him.
Up ahead, Sebulba rams his pod into the racer, Mawhonic.
"Wata, sleemo! (See ya, slimeball!)" Sebulba curses
Sebulba rams into Mawhonic two times, causing him to crash into a rock formation.
Anakin manages to catch up with the racers as they soon reached Ebe Crater Valley and were coming up to Beggar's Canyon. The racers lined up single file and entered Beggar's Canyon. They made sharp turns and curves inside the canyon. Eventually, they made it out of the canyon and continued onto a length of desert plains abutting the Dune Sea. The racers soon entered Laguna Cave.
Inside the cave, Ratts Tyerell was looking behind him. He then turned and screamed as he was on a collision course with a stalactite. He crashes into a stalactite and his pod explodes, filling the cave with a massive explosion. Anakin manages to make it out of the cave and escape the explosion safely.
Now the racers were on the Canyon Dune Turn where a couple of Tusken Raiders were camped. They took their rifles and began shooting at the racers.
The encounter with the Tusken Raiders was picked up by the Fode and Beed, who relayed the action to the spectators.
"Looks like a few Tusken Raiders have camped out on the Canyon Dune Turn." Fode says
Tusken Raiders, also known as Sand People, were a culture of nomadic, primitive sentients indigenous to Tatooine, where they were often hostile to local settlers. They had grayish skin tones, dark eyes and wore goggles or visors to shield their eyes from the sunlight.
Tusken Raiders usually use Banthas as mounts and used long-barreled Tusken Cycler rifles and Gaffi sticks, a pole with a spike or blade as weapons.
The racers were now on the Hutt Flats stretching their way toward the second lap.
Ben Quadrinaro was still stuck at the starting grid still trying to get his pod to start.
"Doowat macroon!" Ben curses
Suddenly, Ben Quadrinaro's energy binders flicker out. In that moment, his pod shoots up into the air and his engines were sent flying all over the place. Luckily, none of the engines flew toward the crowd of spectators.
"Ooh, there goes Quadrinaros' power coupling." Fode announces
Ben Quadrinaro's cockpit was still intact and softly lands on the ground.
"Ees da wocka." Ben says
The other racers soon sped past Ben Quadrinaros.
"Chubba ni chees, Sebulba!" Beed says in Huttese
"Paketa!" Watto cheers
"Kulkah meeka." Sebulba says waving to the crowd in Huttese
The first lap was now complete as the light changed in the readout.
"Ody Mandrell coona wa wunda dungo!" Beed says in Huttese
Ody Mandrell stops near some pit droids on the side of the finish line.
"Cooly Cooly! Que passa, que passa, que passa! Soy mama!" Ody Mandrell says to some pit droids in Huttese
One of the pit droids walks infront of the pod and gets sucked into it's turbine engines. Fortunately, the pit droid manages to stay intact and falls out from the other side of the engine.
"Oh noah! (Oh no!)" Ody Mandrell exclaims in Huttese
And with that, Ody Mandrell was out of the race.
"Where is master Anakin?" C-3PO asks
The group turned and looked out into the desert, searching for Anakin until Padmé spots him.
"Look here he comes." Padmé says
Anakin was in eighth place as they shot through the arena, completing the first lap of three, but he soon became seventh since Ody Mandrell's pod was damaged thanks to the clumsy pit droid.
"Looks like Skywalker is moving up on the field." Fode announces
Kitster and Wald both cheer for Anakin as he speeds past them. R2-D2 gives out beeps about the race.
"He has to complete two more circuits? Oh dear." C-3PO says
As they started the second lap, Anakin prepared to pass Gasgano as they approached Beggar's Canyon. Gasgano blocked his first few attempts, but Anakin overtook him as they dropped over a short mesa and proceeded to slip into Beggar's Canyon quickly and without any trouble.
Anakin passed Aldar Beedo and Clegg Holdfast just before Beggar's Canyon, unknowingly drawing on the Force to strengthen his perceptions and virtually become one with his pod. After that, Teemto tries to ram Anakin with his pod. Anakin does a barrel roll, flipping over to the other side of Teemto's pod, and moving further up ahead of Teemto.
Now Anakin was behind Sebulba and Mars Guo. Anakin began to creep up on Mars Guo and Sebulba on Ebe Crater Valley, but Sebulba takes a wrench and sends it flying. The wrench gets caught in Guo's engine, damaging it. Guo's cockpit flies over Anakin as he ducks his head down. Suddenly, a piece of Guo's pod rips one of Anakin's engines lines free, sending Anakin's pod spinning out of control.
"Skywalker is spinning out of control!" Fode exclaims
Up on the spectator tower, Jar Jar gasps in shock as he saw what was happening on the PDA screen.
Anakin flipped a switch in his controls and the pod stabilizes. Mak, Kee, and Obitoki pass Anakin as he was losing speed. The young boy looked over at his right and saw the steeltron cable whipping around in the air. Anakin used a magnetic retriever to catch the engine line and reattach it to his pod, bringing the vehicle back online.
Recovering, Skywalker shot after the four racers and passed Elan Mak again, only to see Obitoki put of commission thanks to Sebulba. Obitoki's damaged racer collided with Habba Kee's and caused both to explode, but Anakin used the Force to guide himself through the smoke and debris cloud, evading the dangerous wreckage and shooting off after Sebulba.
The remaining racers, Anakin, Sebulba and Teemto entered Langua Cave. When the racers exited Laguna Cave, the group of Tusken Raiders began to potshot the racers from the nearby cliffs of Canyon Dune Turn. One of them manages to take out Teemto Pagalies' pod, causing him to crash.
Fode and Beed saw the crash on their screens and they winced.
"Oh, I don't care what part of the Universe you're from. That's gotta hurt." Fode says
Now only Anakin and Sebulba were the only remaining racers. Anakin caught up with Sebulba just as they shot across the Hutt Flats and through the arena beginning the third and final lap.
"Here he comes! Ah-woo!" Jar Jar cheers
"The start of the third and final lap. Sebulba's in the lead followed closely by Skywalker." Fode says
"Nucha! Na bota!" Sebulba curses in Huttese
Anakin and Sebulba went through and cut across the Mushroom Mesa. They were soon in Beggar's Canyon. Anakin was next to Sebulba. Sebulba tried to eliminate Anakin, ramming his pod into him, but Anakin began swerving upward and out of reach.
The spectators gasped as they saw what was happening from the arena monitors.
"Skywalker's been forced onto the service ramp!" Fode exclaims
Anakin was forced onto a stone ramp covered in warning signs, sending his pod skyward. To recover, he accelerated forward and came down just infront of Sebulba taking the lead.
"It's Skywalker!" Fode says
The crowd cheers.
"Amazing! A quick control thrust, and he's back on course!" Fode says
"Did he crash-ed?" Jar Jar asks
Anakin and Sebulba drop down onto the Arch Canyon, where two Jawas watched them go.
"Wah hota!" Sebulba says
Anakin maintained the lead until they finally reached open plains again, where Sebulba tried to capture the lead as one of Anakin's horizontal stabilizers on his engines began to shudder violently. Anakin jettisoned the stabilizer and in that moment, Anakin's turbine engine overheated and caught fire. He was forced to lose ground to Sebulba. Sebulba laughed at Anakin's predicament and moved out of the way, heading back in the lead.
The events unfolding reaches the commentators' box and Fode announces Anakin's predicament.
"Skywalker's in trouble! Sebulba takes the lead!" Fode announces
As Sebulba took off, Anakin made on-the-fly repairs to the malfunctioning engine to fix Sebulba's sabotage on his vehicle. He shut off the engines and began turning them back on. Soon, the engines came back on and his systems were green. Anakin soon manages to catch up with Sebulba.
"He's catching Sebulba!" Fode exclaims
"Careful, Ani. Careful, Ani." Jar Jar says
Anakin and Sebulba were soon in the final stretch on the Hutt Flats.
"Wha-? Chuba da noya!" Sebulba curses
As they approached the arena, Sebulba blocked every attempt of Anakin's to pass, and he finally swerved his larger racer into Anakin's in anger at the boy's repeated attempts, only for the two racers' steering rods to be hooked and caught together.
"That little human being is out of his mind!" Fode says
"Punda tah punda. (They're neck a neck.)" Beed says speaking in Huttese
"They're side by side!" Fode says
"Nangu nangu!" Beed says speaking in Huttese
Anakin and Sebulba tried to pull away from each other. When Anakin's rod finally snapped completely, his pod began to shudder violently, but broke free of Sebulba's pod.
"Wa-waaahhh!" Sebulba screams
Sebulba's pod began to come apart. His engines shot forward, flying all over the field and went flying out of control. One of his engines smashed into a large rock while the other engine crashed into the sand, rolling across the field. Anakin continued onward toward the finish line alone. Only Sebulba's cockpit remained intact.
"Aaah!" Sebulba screams
Sebulba's cockpit pod soon skidded to a halt.
"Poodoo!" Sebulba curses pounding his right-fist onto his pod
The entire crowd cheered for Anakin as he passed the finish line. R2-D2 whistled and beeped.
"I can't believe it." C-3PO says
"The crowds are going nuts!" Fode says
As he came to a halt, the crowd swarmed Anakin's pod, and Kitster was the first to his pod and began hugging his friend tightly. Anakin's face was covered in soot and dirt, but he was perfectly fine. The rest of Anakin's friends made their way through the crowd to him. Qui-Gon lifted the small boy up from the pod and carried him on his shoulders.
"Mom, I did it! Yeah!" Anakin says
Watto could not believe what he saw. Anakin, his slave, had won the race and now he had officially lost his bet to him. Jabba was asleep until his right-hand man woke him up. The Boonta Eve Race was over. Anakin won the race!
Devon, Jar Jar, Padmé, R2-D2, C-3PO and Shmi were all celebrating Anakin's victory in the Boonta Eve Pod Race inside the Grand Arena Hangar.
"Good job, Ani." Jar Jar says
Padmé hugs Anakin.
"We owe you everything, Annie." Padmé says
Devon kneels down to Anakin and places his right-hand on his left-shoulder.
"You have done us all very proud, Anakin. That was some fine racing!" Devon says
Anakin turns his attention toward Shmi who kisses him on his cheek
"It's so wonderful, Ani. You have brought hope to those who have none. I am so proud of you." Shmi says
Watto was up in the spectator stand on a balcony, giving away his money to those he betted against. He then saw Qui-Gon approach him.
"You. You swindled me! Somehow, you knew the boy was going to win. Somehow, you knew it. I lost everything." Watto says
"Whenever you gamble, my friend, eventually you lose." Qui-Gon says
Qui-Gon walks to the end of the balcony and gazes out at the track.
"Bring the parts to the main hangar. I will come by your shop later so you can release the boy." Qui-Gon says
"You can't have him. It wasn't a fair bet." Watto says
Qui-Gon turns around and looks back at Watto.
"Would you like to discuss it with the Hutts? I'm sure they can settle this." Qui-Gon says
Watto remained silent and thought for a moment. He wouldn't dare want to go up against the Hutts, so he made his decision.
"Take him." Watto says
Qui-Gon bows and takes his leave while Watto grumbles in losing his bet.
Author's Note: And there you have it. The greatest Pod Race of the Star Wars Galaxy. Lots of tension and epicness in this race. Now they have enough money to acquire new parts for the Queen Amidala's ship and continue their journey to Coruscant. The Boonta Eve Pod Race really had my blood pumping with epicness and having to post it here on FanFiction for all to see now really gets me going! I love it! Unfortunately, Darth Maul and Lord Drazor arrive on Tatooine and their probe droids are now searching for them. How will Qui-Gon and Devon handle them? We'll soon find out in the next chapter. And wow! Devon has a Midi-Chlorian count of 100,000! Twice than that of Anakin and Master Yoda combined! And he's not even a Jedi! Who would've thought it?! Let me know what you guys think. No flames please. Hope you guys like and don't forget to review!