The Guardian of the Chosen One (English Version of "La Gardienne de l'Elu")

Chapter 61: Ghosts of the Past

Hi! Here is the continuation with the race, and the strange pilot. Hope you like it! Feel free to vote (if you do) and comment.

Anakin's point of view

I stared at the pilot who had inherited my old racing module. I couldn't help but be curious, especially with our names being so similar.

The young woman stood on the pod, wearing a helmet that looked suspiciously like mine did when I was nine. She stared at the goggles carefully, before putting her hands on the steering and throttle wrists of the device. With a quick glance, I also saw a figure that was unfortunately similar. The one of Sebulba and still seeming faithful to himself. However, when he approached my old module, probably to sabotage it, he remained motionless for a moment, as if he was running out of air. Then he stepped back, staring at the woman looking at him, as if traumatized. This confirmed to me that this pilot was anything but ordinary, seemingly mastering the Force.

After making her adjustments and checks, she moved into position to focus on the start. The wait seemed awfully long, reminding me nostalgically of the nervousness I felt at the start of the race. The light turned red for several long periods of time, before the green light finally arrived.

The competitors all left, in great speeds. With the help of a datapad provided, one could observe the competitor one wanted and zoomed in on this Anika.

The course had not changed in ten years, but the competitors seemed just as fierce. However, the young woman was gifted, slaloming and overtaking with a certain dexterity that impressed me. So, with an acrobatic maneuver, she avoided two competitors trying to sandwich her and passed them.

Leia: She's just as crazy as you are, Han.

Han: Hey, I like to fly, but I'm not crazy enough to race a go-getter.

The young woman continued her ascent, until she reached Sebulba, which dominated the race as it was then. As she arrived in the cave, the latter pushed the unfortunate pilot next to him, with his module just as massive and noisy as the previous one. The explosion illustrated the fate of the latter and Anika had the reflex to pass on the left side slightly, in order to avoid debris, before putting herself straight again to avoid the terrible pillars of earth of the cave. I remembered this step as the most dangerous of the course. And the two sets of explosions confirmed my observation. In spite of Sebulba's efforts, the young woman was sticking well behind her.

And so it was the end of the first lap, the two following each other closely. However, it was necessary to remain wary, with this devious being. But to our surprise, this one was content to wait for any moment, although I did not know which one.

Kyria: What is she waiting for?

Me: The right moment.

I had trouble seeing what she was waiting for. So, much of the second round was like that, before trying to pass it.

Of course, Sebulba would hit her hard, destabilizing her for a moment. But to our surprise, she came back to him with even more strength, sticking to him.

Thus, the two crossing the finish line, side by side, thus beginning the last lap. A quarter of the way through the lap, each trying to throw the other off.

Padme: This woman has a lot of fight in her, and a lot of nerve.

Me: It's also reckless. The module is not made for percussion.

Kyria: There must be a reason for this maneuver.

Me: Unless she underestimates her opponent.

Suddenly, Anika made a hand salutation, as a sign of farewell, before engaging a sudden acceleration, by pushing a lever which had saved me twice, during this race. And one of them was against Sebulba.