A/N: I'm sorry I didn't update in the past few days. Work has been hell and I came home with a couple of MONSTER headaches. I didn't have the energy to sit at a computer and type a Star Wars script while replacing the Characters with those from the Nintendo universe. Anyway, I felt pretty good today, and had time to do this. One thing, the reason I gave Shmi Skywalker her Nintendo character is because this character was the one who raised Link in Ocarina of Time, so I figured it made sense.
CHAPTER 6: THE CHOSEN ONE?
After several hours of visiting with Link and his mother, who was introduced as Saria Timehero, Roy, Mikau, and sheik were invited to stay with them until they had what they needed to leave. That evening, quite an interesting conversation took place during the evening meal.
"All slaves have transmitters placed inside their bodies, somewhere." Saria told them.
"I've been working on a scanner to try and locate mine." Link said.
"Any attempt to escape-" Saria began.
"And they blow you up!" Link finished. "Boom!"
"How rude." Mikau commented.
"I can't believe there's still slavery in the galaxy." Sheik said. "The republic's antislavery laws-"
"The republic doesn't exist out here." Saria interrupted. "We must survive on our own." At that instant, Mikau shot his tongue out and grabbed an apple with it, catching everyone's attention. As he gulped, he let out an "excuse me."
"Has anyone ever seen an F-Zero race?" Link asked.
"They have F-Zero racing on Red Canyon." Roy said. "Very fast, very dangerous."
"I'm the only human here who can do it." Link said.
"You must have Jedi reflexes if you race F-Zero machines." Roy said. Mikau shot his tongue out again, but the Jedi master reached out and caught it before the Zora could bring it back. "Don't do that again." As Mikau blubbered, Roy let go of his tongue.
"You're a Jedi knight, aren't you?" Link said, changing the subject again.
"What makes you think that?" Roy asked.
"I saw your laser sword." Link confessed. "Only Jedis carry that kind of weapon."
"Perhaps I killed a Jedi and took it from him." Roy said, playing a game with Link.
"I don't think so." Link denied. "No one can kill a Jedi."
"I wish that were so." Roy said sincerely.
"I had a dream I was a Jedi." Link said. "I came back here and freed all the slaves. Have you come to free us?"
"No, I'm afraid not." Roy confessed.
"I think you have." Link said. "Why else would you be here?" After a pause, Roy spoke up again.
"I can see there's no fooling you, Link." The Jedi told him. "We're on our way to Mute City, the central system in the republic, on a very important mission."
"How did you end up here in the outer rim?" Link wondered. This didn't make sense to him.
"Our ship was damaged," Sheik said, "and we're stranded here until we can repair it."
"I can help." Link said. "I can fix anything."
"I believe you can." Roy said. "But first we must acquire the parts we need."
"With nothing to trade." Mikau added.
"These junk dealers must have a weakness of some kind." Sheik said.
"Gambling." Saria told her. "Everything here revolves around betting on those awful races."
"F-Zero racing." Roy said. "Greed can be a powerful ally."
"I built a racer." Link said. "It's the fastest ever. There's a big race tomorrow on summer's eve. You could enter my pod."
"Link, Scizor won't let you." Saria said.
"Scizor doesn't know I've built it." Link corrected, turning back to Roy. "You could make him think it was yours, and get him to let me pilot it for you."
"I don't want you to race." Saria pleaded. "It's awful. I die every time Scizor makes you do it."
"But Mom, I love it." Link complained. "The prize money would more than pay for the parts they need."
"Link." Saria continued.
"Your mother's right." Roy said. "Is there anyone friendly to the Republic who can help us?"
"No." Saria told him with regret. A long pause took over before Link spoke up again.
"Mom, you say the biggest problem in this universe is nobody helps each other." Link said, getting a sigh out of his mother.
"I'm sure Roy doesn't want to put your son in danger." Sheik said. "We'll find some other way."
"No." Saria said, giving up. "There is no other way. I may not like it, but he can help you. He was meant to help you." Link looked over at Roy, and saw a possible solution in his eyes.
The next morning, Roy and his crew made a beeline to Scizors shop. Business was as slow as usual there, giving Scizor some time to chat.
"Are you sure about this?" Sheik asked. "Trusting our fate to a boy we hardly know? The princess will not approve."
"The princess doesn't need to know." Roy replied as he went inside.
"Well, I don't approve." Sheik said, as if she were hiding something. Inside, Roy found Scizor and Link approaching him.
"The boy tells me you want to sponsor him in the race." Scizor said. "How can you do this? Not on the Republic credits, I hope."
"My ship will be the entry fee." Roy said, showing a hologram of not his ship, but Princess Zelda's.
"Oh, not bad, not bad." Scizor admitted. "A Hylian, eh?"
"It's in good order, except for the parts I need." Roy said.
"What would the boy ride?" Scizor asked. "He smashed up my racer in the last race. It will take a long time to fix it."
"It wasn't my fault, really." Link interjected. "Pico flashed me with his vents. I actually saved the racer, mostly."
"That you did." Scizor chuckled. "The boy's good, no doubts there."
"I have acquired a racer in a game of chance, the fastest ever built." Roy said.
"I hope you didn't kill anyone I know for it." Scizor said. "So, you supply the racer and the entry fee, and I supply the boy. We split the winnings fifty-fifty."
"If it's going to be fifty-fifty, I suggest you front the cash for the entry." Roy suggested. "If we win, you keep all the winnings, minus the cost of the parts I need. And if we lose, you keep my ship. Either way, you win."
"Hmm." Scizor said as he began to think about it. Roy looked at Link, as if they both knew what Scizor's answer would be.
"Deal." Scizor said as he shook Roy's hand. With that, the Jedi left Scizor's shop. Scizor then spoke to Link in his own language.
"Your friend is a foolish one, I think."
Back at Zelda's ship, Marth was, once again, in communication with Roy.
"What if this plan fails, Master?" Marth asked. "We could be stuck here a very long time."
"Well, it's too dangerous to call for help." Roy said. "And a ship without a power supply isn't going to get us anywhere. And…" Marth waited for his master to finish, Roy sensed something different about Link, but not in a bad way. "There's something about this boy." With that, the communication ended. Roy put his communicator away as Saria emerged from the doorway.
"You should be very proud of your son." Roy said to her. "He gives without any thought of reward."
"Well, he knows nothing of greed." Saria said. "He has a-"
"He has special powers." Roy finished for her.
"Yes." Saria admitted.
"He can see things before they happen." Roy said. "That's why he appears to have quick reflexes. It's a Jedi trait."
"He deserves better than a slave's life." Saria lamented.
"Had he been born in the Republic, we would have identified him early." Roy said. "The Force is unusually strong with him, that much is clear. Who was his father?"
"There was no father." Saria said. "I carried him, I gave birth, I raised him. I can't explain what happened." Roy nodded as if he understood. "Can you help him?
"I don't know." Roy admitted. "I didn't actually come here to free slaves." They looked on as some other kids ran up to Link, who was putting the finishing touches on his F-Zero racer with help from Sheik, Mikau, Mr. Game and Watch, and ROB64. They all greeted him as Link turned around.
"Wow, a real Game and Watch droid!" One kid said as he noticed Mr. Game and Watch. "How do you get so lucky?"
"That isn't even the half of it." Link said excitedly. "I'm in the summer's eve race tomorrow."
"What?" he asked in disbelief. "With this?"
"You're such a joker, Link." Another kid said.
"You've been working on that thing for years." A girl said.
"It's never gonna run." Another girl agreed.
"Come on, let's go and play ball." The last kid there said. "Keep racing, Link. You're gonna be bug squash." With that, the kids left, except for the one who noticed Mr. Game and Watch. Mikau worked with a ratchet near the engines, tightening one last bolt.
"Hey, Mikau." Link said. "Keep away from the energy binders. If your hand gets caught in the beam, it's gonna go numb for hours."
"Okay," Mikau said as he carefully reached for the ratchet he dropped. He picked it up, and started to rise, getting his head caught in the beam! His whole head went numb, as his tongue fell out of his mouth.
"Ugh!" Mikau blubbered. "Mah pung ith fat. Mah pung—wrempth. Where ith da wempth? Oh, there it ith." Mikau stuck his hand in the engine, trying to get his tool out, but got his hand stuck inside. "Hey, uh-oh!" The tool fell out of the engine, but Mikau was still stuck.
"Uh, Link, I'm thtuck! Link." Mikau said.
"You know, I find that Mikau character to be a little odd." ROB said to Mr. Game and Watch, who responded with a few beeps.
"You don't even know it this thing's gonna run." Link's friend said to him as Link climbed into the cockpit.
"It will." Link said, feeling sure of himself.
"I think it's time we found out." Roy said as he emerged. "Here, use this power charge."
"Yes, sir!" Link said as he plugged in into a console.
"Come on, Mido. Let's move away." Roy said as he took Links friend to the side.
"Mah mouf!" Mikau complained as his hand was still stuck in the engine. "Link, I'm thtuck!" At that moment, Sheik pulled Mikau's hand from the engine, as he gave a thumbs up, and moved out of the way.
"You're quite right." ROB said to his new droid friend. "He's very odd indeed."
"Fank you." Mikau said to Sheik. Link then turned on the ignition to his racer, and with a few tries, it started up!
"It's working!" Link yelled triumphantly. "It's working!"
That night, Roy was tending to a cut Link got while working on his racer as the young boy looked at the stars.
"Stay still, Link." Roy said. "Let me clean this cut."
"There's so many." Link said, referring to the stars. "Do they all have a system of planets?"
"Most of them." The Jedi said.
"Has anyone been to them all?" Link asked.
"Not likely." Roy chuckled.
"I wanna be the first one to see them all!" Link said. Roy noticed that this boy was quite a dreamer.
"Link, bedtime!" Saria called from inside the house.
"Ow!" Link yipped as Roy continued hi aid to the boy's wound.
"There we are." Roy said as he finished up. "Good as new."
"Link, I'm not going to tell you again." Saria said.
"What are you doing?" Link asked as he noticed Roy put his blood in a vial.
"Checking your blood for infections." Roy lied. He had another plan, but it was better Link not know of it yet. "Go on, you have a big day tomorrow. Sleep well, Link." Once the boy was out of earshot, Roy pulled out his communicator in an attempt to reach his padawan.
"Marth?" Roy asked.
"Yes, Master." Marth responded.
"I need an analysis of this blood sample I'm sending you." Roy said as he inserted the vial into his communicator.
"Wait a minute." Marth said as he prepared.
"I need a midi-chlorian count." Roy said. Midi-chlorians were what allowed Jedi knights to use the force.
"The reading is off the chart!" Marth said as he got the reading. "Over 20,000. Even Master Yoshi doesn't have a midi-chlorian count that high."
"No Jedi has." Roy said.
"What does that mean?" Marth asked.
"I'm not sure." Roy confessed. He noticed Saria at the doorway. Apparently, she had heard the conversation between the two Jedi, or at least part of it.
High above the Planet Zebes approached a small one-man vessel. Just as Zelda's ship had done the day before, it landed on the surface of the planet, on the outskirts of the town of Crateria. Luckily for Zelda and her court, this ship landed on the other side, for on board was the apprentice Sith Lord, Darth Bowser. The Sith took out a viewing scope and saw Crateria far in the distance. On his arm was a sort of control panel, which he used to summon three probe droids from his ship, and they made their way to the city.
Morning had come, and Roy had accompanied Link to the hangar where Pilots stored their ships until the moment of truth. People had already begun to show up, and among them was Scizor.
"I wanna see your spaceship the moment the race is over." Scizor demanded.
"Patience, my red friend." Roy told him. "You'll have your winnings before the suns set. And we'll be far away from here."
"Not if your ship belongs to me." Scizor laughed. "I warn you, no funny business."
"You don't think Link can win?" Roy asked.
"Don't get me wrong," Scizor said, "I have great faith in the boy. He's a credit to your race. But I think Pico there is going to win." The crew looked over, and saw Pico warming up for the race.
"Oh no!" Mikau panicked, remembering his last confrontation with the F-Zero racer.
"Why do you think that?" Roy asked.
"He always wins!" Scizor said matter-of-factly. "I'm betting heavily on Pico." Roy thought about it, then responded.
"I'll take that bet." Roy said.
"You what?" Scizor asked, unbelievingly.
"I'll wager my new racer against, say…" Roy said, "…the boy and his mother."
"No racer is worth two slaves." Scizor said. "Not by a long shot."
"The boy, then." Roy said. Link was the more important one. Saria was a grown woman; she could take care of herself.
"Hmm. Well…" Scizor thought. "We'll let fate decide! I just happen to have a chance cube here." Scizor pulled out a six-sided die from his pouch. Three sides were Red, the other three were blue. "Blue, it's the boy. Red, his mother." Scizor threw the die to the ground, but Roy couldn't take any chances. He needed Link. He used the force on the die, and ensured that the result would be blue. Scizor grew angry at his misfortune.
"You won the small toss, outlander, but you won't win the race!" Scizor half-shouted. "So it makes little difference!" With that, Scizor flew off to take his seat in the stands. At that moment. Link, Sheik, Saria, Mido, and the droids arrived, towing Link's racer with thim. Scizor took the opportunity to approach him and gain his smug demeanor back.
"Better stop your friends betting," Scizor warned in his own language, "or I'll end up owning him too."
"What'd he mean by that?" Link asked.
"I'll tell you later." Roy replied. "Good morning."
"Oh, my." ROB said to Mr. Game and Watch. "Space travel sounds rather perilous." Mr. Game and Watch beeped a few more times.
"I can assure you," ROB said, "They will never get me onto one of those dreaded starships."
"This is so wizard, Link." Mido said. "I'm sure you'll do it this time."
"Do what?" Sheik asked.
"Finish the race, of course." Mido said.
"You've never won a race?" Sheik asked.
"Well, not exactly." Link said.
"Not even finished?" Sheik continued?
"Mido's right. I will this time." Link said with optimism.
"Of course you will." Roy said as he placed his hands on Link's shoulders. None of them were aware of Darth Bowser's probe droids wandering the city, looking for them. Much less aware that Darth Bowser was on the planet himself.