Chapter 5 - Everybody Ready, Raining Down Confetti (TPM)
Author's Note: The pod race! :D
~ Amina Gila
Shmi turns to Anakin, giving him a quick hug and crouching in front of him so they can be at eye level. "Be safe," she cautions her son.
"I will, Mom. I promise," Anakin attempts to reassure his mother. She moves away from him then, glancing over the attachments of the Pod again.
Jabba's voice in the background catches my attention again as I hear him mention my best friend's name. The crowd instantly starts cheering, and Anakin turns to wave to them. From the number of times he's raced, he does have an awfully large number of fans. Given he's the only podracer from the human species, it's not very surprising. His age is probably also a factor.
Jar Jar turns to Anakin next. "Dis berry loony, Ani. May da guds be kind, mesa palo." I have no idea what any of that means, but as long as Anakin does, I guess, that's what matters. Then it's Padme's turn. I can't help the brief flicker of annoyance and look away, only for my eyes to land on something else. Sebulba is standing next to Anakin's pod, and he seems to be – is he seriously pulling some wires lose?!
"Hey!" I exclaim, ducking around the side of Anakin's Pod and hurrying towards where the Dug is standing by the engines. "Leave!" I glower at him. If the Pod stops running, it's going to be his fault, and Anakin will never even have a chance to win his freedom.
"You carry all our hopes," I hear Padme saying in the background, completely oblivious.
"I won't let you down," Anakin promises.
Sebulba cackles at my anger, calling me some not-so-pleasant sounding words in Huttese and shoving past me to go over to Anakin before launching into some sort of rant at him. He sounds quite confident, which probably means he's fairly certain he succeeded in wrecking Anakin's Pod. Which is not at all a good sign. I hurry over to the engine, carefully looking at the area he pulled a few wires apart. I don't know much about electronics, honestly, but I understand some of Anakin's ramblings. The damage would be series, but Anakin built both engines so they should be able to run multiple ways in case one of the systems was damaged. I don't really know, but the engine might have been ruined.
"Ani!" I hiss the moment the Dug returns to his Pod. "Come here. Sebulba mess up engine."
Anakin frowns, hurrying over to the engine and glancing over the damage. "It'll still run," he informs me, though his irritation is clear. "Don't worry." I hope he's right. He's still trying to be encouraging, even now when it's his own life in danger.
I throw my arms around my best friend, hugging him tightly, suddenly scared. So many people die or get injured in the races. "Careful."
He returns the hug. "I'll will. Promise."
I see Qui-Gon approaching us as Jabba calls out the words signaling the beginning of the race. The crowd starts cheering widely. I pull away from Anakin, giving him my best reassuring look. He can do this. I know he can. I move aside, allowing the Jedi to help Anakin into the Pod. He settles himself down inside the blue racer.
"Are you all set, Ani?" the Jedi inquires, to which my best friend nods. "Remember, concentrate on the moment. Feel. Don't think. Trust your instincts. May the Force be with you." I don't fully understand the last phrase, but given the 'Force' part of it, I suspect it's a Jedi phrase.
"Come, Ashla," Qui-Gon says to me as the purple-pink energy beams start flaring between the engines of all the pods with a deafening roar. We work our way between the pods, him walking slow enough for me to keep up without too much difficulty. I probably should have left earlier, but I needed to give Anakin my support after all he's done for me. It's not until we're almost out of the lines of pods that I realize we're heading towards a white platform which rises off the ground to get a good view of the area. Shmi, Padme, and Jar Jar are already inside, waiting for us. It'll just be able to hold us.
Jar Jar covers his eyes as the creatures carrying large flags of all colors which blow in the wind finally move off the track to clear the area. The announcer is saying something about the power couplings, then, "Hey, it looks like they're clearing the grid." That they are. I'm nervous and excited at once. Anakin, you have to do this. For yourself. For me. For our friends. For all of us.
Shmi, not surprisingly, looks extremely nervous. She always is. I am too, but I somehow know he's going to make it this time. The Pod was built well, and besides, if a Jedi believes he can do it, he can. "Is he nervous?" she asks.
A flash of his expression when we left him flickers through my mind, and I shake my head. He seemed confident.
"He's fine," confirms Qui-Gon as the platform starts to rise. We start moving towards the front of the platform, but Padme moves over to him.
"You Jedi are far too reckless," she grumbles. I frown again. Why must she be like this? I've done my best to reassure her over and over again. And given that Anakin's been paying far more attention to her than me these past few days, it's even more frustrating. She clearly does not share his feelings, which means it's all pointless. I should be glad, but I find myself feeling defensive for my best friend's sake. "The Queen..."
"The Queen trusts my judgment, young handmaiden. You should, too," he replies, looking her in the eye. Oh, so that's who she is. The queen's handmaid? It's almost a strange thought, but I guess it doesn't really seem wrong.
"You assume too much," Padme grumbles quietly as he turns away.
"Start your engines," commands the announcer, taking up their position of commanding the race. Another roar vibrates the air, and a dozen engines turn on simultaneously, making me jump. Ugh. The main thing I hate about Pod races is the number of people who die, and the second worst thing is the noise. They're epic otherwise. The sound of a gong radiates through the area from Jabba's balcony, signaling the start of the race. The light on the announcer's stand turns on, radiating a brilliant green.
All the Pods surge forwards, blowing up a massive cloud of sand in their wake. Anakin's suddenly stops for a moment, making my heart skip a beat, as does another. "Sebulba's fault," I interject before Padme can start thinking otherwise. Her and Shmi are already looking concerned, though. "He damage engine. It still run." Right on cue, Anakin's pod zooms forwards, even though he's the last one off. Sure enough, just as we predicted, it's already moving faster than all the others. It is truly the fastest Pod ever built. The other pod left in the area, which has four engines, doesn't move at all. The person inside furiously hits button after button to no avail. It doesn't seem like it'll be going anywhere at all.
"And there goes Skywalker. He'll be hard pressed to catch up with the leaders today," the second head of the announcer remarks.
Shmi holds up a screen for us to watch Anakin's progress on. I take my place next to Qui-Gon, trying to see the screen from where I am many feet below it. Shmi is standing on my other side, Padme standing next to her. Padme spots me having a hard time watching and moves around us to pick me up so I can get a better view. Oh. Oh. So that's why Anakin instantly took a liking to her. She's far more caring and compassionate than I even thought possible from anyone other than the Skywalkers. "Thanks," I whisper, positioning myself so I can see the screen.
Anakin's little racer is zipping across the racetrack. At first, it's completely clear of all the many obstacles I know will be coming up momentarily. Finally, a few other Pods start coming into view. He moves left to zip past one, then right to move past two more. Sure enough, he's way faster than they are. The fourth pod he approaches is one I recognize as Gasgano, or something equally ridiculous sounding.
Anakin tries to move right, only for the other Pod to swing in front. When he tries to serve left, the Pod cuts him off again. Finally, they arrive at the first cliff. Anakin lets himself fall back, only to zoom forwards full force, sailing gracefully over the other Pod and moving onwards in front of him. I can't help but grin. I totally understand why he loves doing things like this so much. It's really all a matter of who can outsmart everyone else.
For some reason, as the Pod continues, I get the feeling something is off. My eyes suddenly fall on the figures of four Tusken Raiders along the racecourse, firing down at the Pods with rifles. I sharply suck in a breath as one of the bullets ricochets off Anakin's Pod. Please be alright.
"Looks like a few Tusken Raiders have camped out on the canyon dune turn," observes the second head of the announcer. Nice of him to notice. Not like he's the one who has to worry about his best friend being killed by those... monsters. I can see Anakin's pod working his way around the various obstacles in the racetrack, swerving between openings in the rocks rising out of the ground and onwards.
Slowly, one pod after the next is going down. The second to go is also unfortunate enough to get up to where Sebulba is. The Dug uses his exhaust vent to cut into one of the other's engines until it finally explodes, debris flying everywhere. He calmly moves aside to avoid being struck, continuing on his way. Anakin really needs to hurry and catch up. He needs to get to the end, and judging from the racetrack, he's approaching the end of the first round.
Anakin is continuing to weave his way between Pod after Pod, trying to outsmart each of them. So far, he's been having good success. I hope he makes it all the way to the end soon. Sebulba will not be easy to defeat, and Anakin will probably end up taking a while to get past him. Nearby, one of the other pods catches its engine in the sand, and the entire thing explodes.
The crowd is cheering like crazy, and I spot Watto and my master amidst the bunch, along with a group of their friends. They seem quite confident in Anakin's defeat. Their confidence is quite misplaced, and I'm looking forwards to being able to laugh at them for it later. Hopefully. Anakin has to get to the end. We need the money for our friends, and he'll be free. He'll be free. I still can't quite comprehend the implications of it.
Just as I spot a cloud of dust approaching us in the distance, the four engine Pod finally fires up. It's almost pointless to even try and start now, given that the entire first round is nearing its end. Suddenly, all four engines fly in all directions and the pod falls uselessly to the ground as Sebulba rounds the corner in the lead. Several other racers are almost right behind. "There goes Quadinaro's power couplings," the announcer reports with altogether too much cheer while the other says something about Sebulba having passed in record timing.
The glowing one above the announcer switches to a two. I squirm in Padme's grip as I lean forwards, straining to see Anakin's Pod. Come through, come through, I beg silently. One hand moves to grip Padme's sleeve tightly as my heart pounds in my chest. He should be here already...
"He musta crash-ud," Jar Jar frets.
"He fine!" I shout, begging it to be true.
"Here he comes!" Padme exclaims, eyes riveted on the corner. Sure enough, a familiar little blue pod racer zips by, quickly gaining on the others.
"Go, Ani!" I yell, not caring he probably can't hear me. I had to say it anyway.
Much of the crowd breaks into wild cheers. I'm honestly surprised they care so much. I would have thought they'd be cheering if he crashed. After all, why would they want someone they consider a slave to win the race? "It looks like Skywalker is moving up through the field. He's in..." comes the announcement, then adding something in Huttese. I catch the word 'six,' though. Sixth place? That's good. He's halfway past everyone, then.
One of the pods stops in the pits for some repairs. A small droid hurries over to work on one of the engines, only to be sucked right in and spit out the back end, very bent up. The engine explodes almost instantaneously. Well, one more Pod out of the picture, I guess.
My attention turns back to the screen as I see Anakin has reached third place. There's only one pod between him and Sebulba now. The Dug picks up something, tossing it over his shoulder into the engine of the pod directly behind him. It swings, hitting hard into Anakin's and ripping the main strap of the engine which I had so painstaking attached earlier. "Ani," I breathe, nearly panicking as my best friend struggles to retain control of his Pod while it whips around widely, moving solely from one engine.
Anakin holds a magnet out of the pod towards the unhooked engine, managing to catch onto the strap and hastily reattaches it as he continues moving forwards. Up ahead, there is another explosion as Sebulba destroys the pod that moves forwards to take Anakin's place. Another pod crashes right into it, and they both explode. Having completed reattaching the engine to the Pod, Anakin zooms forwards again through the cloud of smoke to regain the space he'd lost. Just like I thought, the Pod was built strong enough to hold together. Any other one would have fallen apart and likely killed the pilot already by this point.
"At the start of the third and final lap, Sebulba is in the lead, closely followed by Skywalker," comes the announcement. I lean forwards, eyes landing on the familiar pods zipping towards us. The glowing green two changes to a three, indicating the last round.
Come on, Ani, you can do this, I think silently, hoping the message somehow reaches him. He's almost to the very end now. Sebulba attempts to use his exhaust port to cut through Anakin's engine, just like he's been doing to most of the other Pods. It seems to be his favorite trick, but it fails. He's done it enough times for Anakin to see it coming. He moves out of the way, sailing upwards out of the crevice in the rock they're traveling through right now. My stomach plummets to the bottom of my boots and I curl closer to Padme, trying to draw comfort from her presence.
"Skywalker is forced onto the service ramp!" cries the announcer. "Oh noah!"
There's a moment I'm afraid Anakin's not going to make it, but when he shoves the thruster bars forwards and lands gracefully in front of Sebulba, I can't help but wonder if he didn't allow it to happen just for this. Of course. Only Anakin would do something so risky and smart.
"Amazing. A controlled thrust and he's back on course! What a move!"
As the race continues, the obviously furious Sebulba starts pushing the back of Anakin's pod, making him have a hard time keeping control. Finally, part of one of the engines starts to come loose, smoke and flames licking out. If he keeps going like this, the engine will explode. I squeeze my eyes shut, looking away. I understand now why Shmi always feels like this. He has to be alright.
When I dare to open my eyes, Anakin is behind Sebulba again, trying to flip on the auxiliary system. It takes far longer than I'd like, but he zips forwards the moment he's done. Sebulba is in the front, and from the looks of it, the race is between the two of them now. Anakin tries to move past on either side several times, but the Dug blocks his moves. Finally, he feigns right, but instead goes left when the Dug starts moving over. As Anakin zooms forwards, Sebulba tries to knock him off course, only for their steering rods to lock together. He starts cackling madly at Anakin as the later struggles to maintain control without moving off the track.
"That little human boy is out of his mind," concludes the announcer. Is it him, or is it the deranged cheat of a Dug trying to throw him off course?
My apprehension mounts, as does my excitement, as they continue moving down the track together. If Anakin could just get his Pod to pull free and stay together until he crosses the finish line... he'll win his freedom. Come on, come on, come on –
Finally, Anakin shoves the thruster farther forwards, and the steering arm snaps of his pod altogether, and it zips on forwards although it's spinning and clearly difficult to control. Sebulba howls as one of his engines explodes, and then, he and his Pod skid forwards through the thick smoke, finally coming to a stop. There's a moment I almost hope he got killed, but he lands on the ground seeming uninjured.
I almost don't dare to breathe as Anakin flies onwards, at last sailing gracefully through the finish line. The winner, for the first time. And probably the last, also. He's free. He's free. The crowd breaks into wild cheers. The excitement bursting through me escapes in an excited squeal, and I'm taking off running even before I register Padme setting me down or being able to get off the viewing platform. Shmi and Qui-Gon are visibly relieved, as is Padme.
I bolt across the area, vaguely registering the shout of, "It's Skywalker! The crowd is going nuts!" from the background, as if everyone didn't already know. Finally, I make it to the Pod. I grip the edge, pulling myself up the side awkwardly to pull my best friend into a tight hug after he removes his helmet and sets it down next to him.
"You did it, you did it!" is all I manage to get out, arms wrapped around him tightly.
"I made it," he replies exuberantly, almost breathlessly, hugging me back. He's free. The thought is almost too much for me to comprehend, and I barely register myself crying. Finally, after years of waiting and dreaming, he's free.
I let go of him once Qui-Gon arrives next to the pod, jumping lightly to the ground. The Jedi lifts up Anakin, and he waves to the cheering crowd.
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