They were all on the viewing platform, rising up into position so that they could watch the race. Seeing Shmi's worried look, Qui-Gon touched her shoulder. "He will be fine." He assured her.
Padmé was chewing at the fingernail of her thumb, sharing the worried feeling of the mother, and glanced at Kol, who stood directly to her right. He was only focused on his brother, his visor zoomed on Anakin's form.
The viewing platform secured itself with a resolute click, capturing the attention of everyone present. In unison, every gaze shifted toward the racers, anticipation hanging thick in the air.
High above, a solitary red light bathed the racers in an eerie glow, holding them in a suspended moment of anticipation. The air crackled with tension as the pilots, keenly anticipating the imminent green signal, unleashed a symphony of roaring engines. The massive casings trembled under the immense power they generated, the cables that bound them to the Pods and their drivers strained as if yearning to break free.
Standing alongside Qui-Gon, Jar Jar Binks, unable to bear the impending spectacle, covered his eyes in dismay. "Me no watch. Dis gonna be messy!" he exclaimed, his words hanging in the charged atmosphere, echoing the collective apprehension of those witnessing the impending chaos about to unfold on the racetrack.
In a burst of brilliance, the light above the starting line transformed into a vivid shade of green, signaling the commencement of the race. And with that electrifying cue, the Podrace roared to life, hurtling forward.
Anakin pursued with unwavering determination, his focus solely on the distant dots that pinpointed the locations of the other racers. Across the vast flats, he tore through the terrain, the whine of the Pod's engines escalating into a sharp crescendo, the landscape beneath him melding into a blur of searing heat and blinding light.
Kol and the rest watched the race through handheld viewscreens, watching the race unfold, and Anakin's progress became increasingly mesmerizing as he surged ahead, overtaking pods with remarkable ease. One by one, competitors were left in the wake of his accelerating Pod, the anticipation building as he closed in on the coveted first place.
Suddenly Kol gave his viewscreen over to Qui-Gon and pressed his hand to the side of his helmet.
"What do you see?" the teen spoke into his comm.
'Was he speaking with someone?' Padmé and the others wondered as he leaned over the edge.
"If she does anything, take her down, otherwise leave her be. We don't need that kind of heat right now." Kol murmured into his helmet's comlink, his voice barely audible to those around him.
"Kol." His mother called; concern etched on her face. "Who are you talking to?"
Turning back to the group, the Mandalorian reassured. "Don't worry Mother, all is well." His tone was surprisingly cheerful. A subtle exchange of hand signs between Kol and Chewbacca passed unnoticed.
Shmi frowned. "I hope you don't intend on having that helmet on every time you talk to me now, I won't have it."
Kol would never admit it aloud, but in those moments, his mother's stern gaze was the most formidable force he knew—a glance that could rival any weapon of mass destruction. Reluctantly, he complied with her request, removing his helmet and holding it against his side.
A collective gasp came from the crowd, and Kol hurried to the nearest person with a viewscreen, which was Padmé.
"Oh, no." the girl gasped. There, in the canyon that the racers were traversing, were Tusken Raiders raining down blaster fire on the pods. Some hit Anakin's pod, and Padmé heard Kol say something in a language she could not understand.
They managed to take down one of the pods, but before they could do any more damage, the view screen showed an armored figure flying down upon them. It took little time for the screen to focus on the figure, revealing it to be the same Mandalorian that Kol had seen before.
"Backup has arrived." Kol announced with a grin.
The female Mandalorian extended her wrist toward the raiders. With a swift motion, a roar of flames erupted from her vambraces, engulfing the Tusken Raiders in a fiery inferno and forcing them to retreat with panicked cries.
"Who is that?" Qui-Gon asked.
"That's a friend, I called for backup as soon as we made the plan." mischief dancing in his eyes. "Fortunately, she was in the system, and managed to get here in time."
Overwhelmed with relief, Shmi seized her son's face, peppering his cheek with kisses. Laughter echoed between Kol and Chewbacca. The others sighed in relief, and Padmé couldn't help but find the familial interaction both revealing and endearing.
Qui-Gon couldn't help but be impressed by the timely intervention. "Your friend certainly knows how to make an entrance," he remarked, with a hint of amusement in his voice.
Kol, his mischievous grin widening, responded, "Well I guess sometimes it's good to keep the helmet on. Just in case, right, mom?" His answer was met with a playful huff, much to his amusement.
The podrace continued, and Kol watched with pride as his brother managed to get head-to-head with Sebulba on the last lap.
Sebulba's frustration erupted into a scream as he intentionally veered his Pod into Anakin's. Enraged by the boy's unwavering tenacity, he collided with him, once, twice. On the third impact, their steering rods entangled, locking them in a perilous embrace.
Anakin wrestled with his controls, desperately attempting to break free, but the Pods remained firmly hooked together. Sebulba, reveling in his perceived triumph, rammed his racer against Anakin's, aiming to force him into the unforgiving ground.
Anakin, undeterred, manipulated the thruster bars frantically, trying to disengage from the maddening entanglement. The engines strained, and the steering rods groaned and contorted under the intense pressure.
Finally, with a deafening snap, Anakin's rod broke completely, shattering both the armature and the main horizontal stabilizer. His Pod convulsed and spun at the ends of the Steelton cables, the violent motion threatening to eject Anakin if not for the secure straps holding him in place.
Sebulba, caught in the messy aftermath, faced an even harsher fate. When Anakin's steering arm gave way, the Dug's Pod shot forward like a projectile, collapsing the towlines and sending the engines into a frenzied, uncontrollable spin. One engine collided with a fragment of ancient statuary, erupting into flames, followed by the second engine, crashing into the sand and igniting a colossal fireball.
The towing cables broke free, and Sebulba's Pod careened through the blazing wreckage of the engines, twisting and jolting violently across the desert floor until it came to a smoking stop. Sebulba, in a fit of shrieking fury, extricated himself, hurling pieces of his ruined Pod in all directions, only to realize that his pants were now ablaze.
"Yes!" Kol cheered, throwing his hands around Padmé and spinning her around in celebration. The girl's shriek was muffled by Chewie's roar of victory as Anakin Skywalker soared above Sebulba, the powerful engines trailing a cascade of sand and grit that assaulted the Dug's face in a stinging spray.
Gripping the controls with determination, he maneuvered skillfully, crossing the finish line with an impressive feat at the tender age of nine. In this triumphant moment, Anakin etched his name into history as the youngest winner ever of the Boonta Eve race.
As soon as the platform finished lowering, Kol sprinted toward Anakin's pod. Bringing the Pod to a dramatic skidding halt, the boy positioned himself at the center of the raceway, a moment frozen in the aftermath of his historic victory.
However, the tranquility of the moment was abruptly shattered as the racetrack was inundated by a surge of spectators, their cheers and cries melding into a deafening roar. Pressing through the jubilant crowd, Kol found himself face-to-face with his younger brother.
"I'm so proud of you, Ani!" Kol exclaimed, helping the nine-year-old off the pod and hoisting him onto his shoulders. The crowd, caught in a fervor of celebration, chanted the youngest brother's name, and for Anakin, it was undeniably the best day ever.
While the others joined in, Qui-Gon pivoted back towards the stands. Swiftly ascending the stairways, he reached Watto's exclusive box within mere minutes. A cluster of diverse aliens cleared the path just ahead, engaged in animated conversations across various languages, their hands filled with currency and credits. Watto gazed out at the exuberant crowd, hovering near the viewport's edge, his weathered blue visage displaying a miserable expression.
The instant his eyes met Qui-Gon's, Watto's dejection morphed into undisguised fury. He lunged at the Jedi Master with unbridled anger.
"You! You swindled me!" Watto bounced in the air, a tempest of rage shaking through him. "You knew the boy was going to win! Somehow you knew it! I lost everything!"
Qui-Gon maintained a benign smile. "Whenever you gamble, my friend, eventually you'll lose. Today wasn't your day." The smile vanished, and he was about to say something else, but a modulated voice interrupted him.
"You lost, Toydarian, now finish your part." They turned to look at the same Mandalorian warrior that had scared the raiders away. She was leaning on her right leg, cocking her hip and she gripped her holstered blaster. "Free Anakin Skywalker, now."
Watto hurried to obey, the threatening form of the Mandalorian serving as a reminder of what could be, and what he did not want to become. "There! Take the boy! Be gone!"
They watched the shopkeeper scurry away, and Qui-Gon felt good. They had done it, Kol's plan had worked, Anakin was free, and the Skywalker family was free.
"Finally." He turned to the woman, watching her take her helmet off, and was greeted with the face of a young woman, probably in her mid-twenties, with red hair and light green eyes. "So, you ate the Jetii Kol was talking about."
"It's a pleasure, I'm Qui-Gon Jin, Jedi Master." Without offering any introduction, the woman only gave Qui-Gon a brief once-over before turning around. Sighing patiently, Qui-Gon followed her as she made her way toward his companions.
Meanwhile, the arena cleared out the racers were stowed away or carted off for repairs, leaving the main hangar nearly deserted. A handful of pit droids remained, diligently scavenging wreckage from the race, coming and going in a seamless pursuit of their tasks.
Chewbacca looked from his family to the approaching two, and roared in greeting, grabbing the woman's arm in a warrior greeting. "It's good to see you too, burc'ya."
"Mother, Anakin, everyone, I'd like you to meet Bo-Katan of Clan Kryze." Kol introduced, walking to her. "A friend, mentor, and apparently, a fellow Mandalorian."
The woman looked him up and down with an approving grin, a grin that made Padmé feel a ping of jealousy. "So, you finally found out."
"You knew?"
"Of course, I knew your father, you know? It didn't take much to realize you are his son you look very alike." Bo-Katan replied with a nonchalant shrug.
"That's why you taught me how to fight and how to speak—"
"Yep."
Shmi, her vulnerability surfacing in her tone, asked, "You knew Jango?" Kol and Chewbacca exchanged shocked glances as they witnessed Bo-Katan, the formidable warrior, stumble in her response.
"I—ah—yes—I mean, yes, we have met," she admitted, her uncharacteristic stutter leaving both Chewbacca and Kol dumbfounded.
"Chewie, what am I seeing?" Kol whispered to his Wookiee companion, who could only respond with a confused growl.
Bo-Katan, regaining her composure, met Shmi's gaze. "Yes, I knew Jango Fett. He isn't exactly unknown among other Mandalorians, the Fett Caln is pretty well known."
"Who was this Jango, if you don't mind me asking?" Qui-Gon asked.
Bo looked at Shmi who nodded.
"Jango was a skilled warrior, a bounty hunter, and the former leader of a group that called itself the True Mandalorians. His reputation in our circles was that of a formidable and capable leader, as well as a fighter. I knew him through various encounters, but our paths didn't cross too often."
The words hung in the air, but the silence was quickly broken.
"Are you going to teach me how to fight too?" Anakin asked Bo-Katan with wide-eyed enthusiasm.
Bo-Katan, her demeanor shifting back to confidence, grinned. "If your mom and Kol are okay with it, sure, kid. I'll teach you a thing or two about handling yourself in a fight."
Anakin beamed with excitement, and Shmi couldn't help but smile.