- I -

66 3 5
                                    

wordcount: 2.857

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mos Espa Grand Arena, Tatooine

Boonta Eve

Nerves strike Shmi, when they arrive at the arena. Anakin on the other hand is filled with adrenaline. "This is so wizard, Ani. I'm sure you'll do it this time." Kitster says, the boys walk over to Anakin's podracers together. Followed by Padmé, who joins the conversation. "Do what?" She asks, confused about what he means. "Finish the race of course." Kitster replies, in an obvious tone. "You've never won a race?" Padmé gets a little aggitated. "Well... not exactly..." Anakin states, suspiciously. "Not even finished?" The disguised Queen of Naboo is taken aback by this statement. "Kitster's right. I will this time." Anakin remains confident. That's when Qui-gon appears behind Anakin, placing his hands on the boys shoulders. "Of course you will." Padmé gives Qui-Gon a doubtful look, before they all head off the starting positions. All the pilots await Jabba's arrival. "Chowbaso! Tam ka chee Boonta rulee ya, kee madda hodrudda du wundee." Jabba kicks off the event. The crowd goes wild and the anouncer starts introducing the racers one by one. Meanwhile Shmi is kneeling down in front of Anakin, giving him a big hug. "Be safe." She says to him, looking right into his eyes. "I will, mom. I promise." Anakin knows she's serious and he feels her anxiety rise ever so slightly, whenever she thinks about Anakin racing and the dangers that come with it.

"..Kaa bazza kundee hodrudda!" Jabba gives the start signal. And with that the pilots strap into their racing pods. Quin-Gon lifts Anakin into his pod. "Are you all set, Ani?" Qui-Gon asks, to which Anakin nods. "Remember, concentrate on the moment. Feel. Don't think. Trust your instincts." Anakin shows him a small smile. "May the Force be with you." Qui-Gon steps away, as Anakin puts on his goggles. Anakin flips a switch, and his engine starts. The other Pilots start their engines aswell. Powerful energy binders shoot between the engines, as the incredible roar of high-powered engines igniting echoes throughout the Arena. On a bridge over the track, a green light at the center flashes. With that the pods shoot forward with a high-pitched scream. Anakin's engine floods and coughs, then dies. All the other pods swerve around him and disappear down the track, while Anakin struggles to get his racer restarted. After a bit of trial and error, Anakin's pod finally ignites and he zooms off.

The pods fly across the desert. Sebulba is running neck and neck with racer Mawhonic. They round the first turn in the track, side by side. Sebubla drives his pod into his rival, forcing him into the wall of a large rock formation. On the other side of the track, is Anakin much faster than the back-end stragglers and passes them easily. One of the pilots, Gasgano, won't let him by. Anakin tries to pass him on one side and is cut off. He then tries to pass him on the other side and is cut off. As they come up on a cliff dropoff, Anakin back off, then guns it as Gasgano goes over the cliff. Anakin accelerates so fast, he sails right over top of Gasgano's pod and speeds away.

Meanwhile in the Arena Jar Jar, Shmi, Padmé and Qui-Gon all watch the race on a small hand-held view screen. Worried when they don't see any sign of Anakin anywhere.

On the race track Anakin is powering around corners and over hills and cliffs, passing other racers right and left. Sebulba is still in the lead. As he is being challenged by another racer, Xelbree, he slows down a little. Xelbree pulls alongside him, Sebulba opens a side vent on the racer's engine and the exhaust starts to cut through the alien's engine. The blast cuts along the engine until finally it explodes. Meanwhile Anakin is working his way through a dense mass of racers as they zoom over a dune sea, kicking up dust. His pod shakes violently as he goes over a jump. One of the podracers, Ody, catches one of his engines in the sand and the whoel thing explodes.

ENSLAVED *on hold*Where stories live. Discover now