Artoo rolled his dome and started to leave and hooted at the other droid.
“Keep up? Will you just slow down, my legs aren’t design for sprints!” Threepio complained.
The two droid purposely crossed the distance from Slave’s Row to the Mos Espa Grand Arena. When they reached the place, Artoo head straight to the Arena Citadel where See Threepio told him the Information Consoles would be located.
Artoo saw in wonder and amazement at the multitude of sentient beings pouring into the Grand Arena to watch and bet on the race. The two saw in the distant Podrace Hangars a dozen Podracers being towed inside for final checks, repairs, upgrades and testing.
A pair of large expensive sail barges were docked on the West Stands and they could make out distant figures coming from the sail barges, five or six of them were unmistakably Hutts, Threepio also thought he spotted a pair of t’landa Tils among those group.
“Excuse me, where are the Information Console?” Threepio asked the droid on the betting window.
“All questions are to be punched into the Information Console for answers.” the betting droid replied flatly.
“And where is it?” Threepio asked patiently.
“Try asking the Information Console.” the other droid responded dryly.
“Oh! Impossible machine!” Threepio left the booth in disgust and saw that Artoo was already rolling inside the Citadel past two scary looking Togorian guards wielding some sort of blaster cannon about his size. “Oh my! Artoo, wait for me!”
Artoo Detoo found the Information Console and inserted his scomp link. He started with downloading the list of rules and regulations for the race and at the same time transmitted it on the datapad See Threepio was carrying. After a few seconds he finally got everything he need to download and has also secured a reservation on one of the observation platform, which were supposed to be reserved to them in the first place because they have a pilot listed in the race.
Threepio checked the signal from the Hutt’s official repulsorlift race cameras. “We have it!” Threepio exclaimed.
Artoo beeped in satisfaction and told him that they should rejoin Qui-Gon now on the Podracer Hangar.
When Artoo Detoo and See Threepio reached the hangar, they easily spotted the Jedi with Watto hovering beside him speaking to a pair of Hutts flanked by their respective bodyguards.
Artoo and Threepio made their way past busy Podracer pilots and tech crews to where Qui-Gon was.
“[Ordinarily we do not allow barters for entry fees, but your Nubian starship is very interesting, Outlander. I believe we could let this pass just for now. But make sure you will have the proper currency if your racer should lose.]” The larger Hutt boomed in Huttese at Qui-Gon Jinn.
“Don’t worry Mighty Jabba. I will make sure that everything will be in order during the pay off.” Qui-Gon nodded.
“[Watto, I should expect you to bet on your boy, why are you listed on Sebulba’s? Do you doubt the human child?]” Another Hutt spoke.
“[I have no doubt of the boy’s abilities Oh Great Gardulla. It’s just that, Sebulba here is better!]” Watto pointed at the Dug being massaged by Twi’lek twins.
Qui-Gon turn to look then asked the Toydarian, “Why is that so?”
“Sebulba always wins! Hehehe!” Watto grinned as the two Hutts started to leave, their repulsor sled smoothly gliding above the sandy floor of the hangar.
“[Perhaps we should bet ownership of the Skywalkers again, Watto. This time I might win them back!]” Gardulla laughed as the Hutts left the hangar.
Bet ownership. That’s it! Qui-Gon grinned and faced the puzzled Toydarian then his eyes grew large when he realized what the Outlander has in mind.
“Oh no you don’t! I am not betting my boy’s freedom to you!” Watto shook his head.
“I’ll wager my Podracer against, say, the boy and his mother.” Qui-Gon said.
“No pod is worth two slaves, not by a long shot! One perhaps, the mother, yes… the mother!” Watto said.
“Only one huh? The boy then.” Qui-Gon said.
Watto was reluctant to risk betting his price pilot, “No, no… we’ll let the fate decide.” He took out a Chance Cube. “Blue for the boy and red… his mother.”
“Fine.” Qui-Gon nodded and casually moved his hand by his waist as Watto threw the Chance Cube on the ground.
The blue paint rested at the top of the cube.
Watto froze and anger rose to his face and growled at Qui-Gon, “You won the toss outlander, but you will never win the race, so it makes no difference!”
“We’ll see.” Qui-Gon smiled as Watto started to leave.
Padmé and Shmi arrived each riding an eopie as the beast knelt down and Anakin dismounted with Padmé and Kitster with Shmi, Watto hovered to glare at his slave, “Better stop your friend’s betting, or I’ll end up owning him too!”
Padmé frowned at the departing Toydarian. Qui-Gon and the droids approached them.
“What did he mean by that?” Anakin asked.
“I’ll tell you later.” Qui-Gon said and looked at Padmé as well.
“This is so wizard! I’m sure you’ll do it this time!” Kitster commented as he looked around the clustered pilots and their various sizes of podracers.
“Do what?” Padmé looked at Kitster.
“Finish the race, of course.” Kitster Banai beamed at her.
“You’ve never won a race before? Not even finish?” Padmé gasped in shock.
“Well, not exactly…” Anakin blushed but grabbed Kitster’s shoulders, “But Kitster’s right, I will this time!” he gave Padmé his most charming smile.
“Of course you will.” Qui-Gon placed his hands on Anakin’s shoulders as Padmé glared at the Jedi.
The group became too busy in the following hour as the start of the race nears. As the Podracers were towed out of the hangar into the starting line, pit crews bustled here and there to make last minute adjustments and instructions. Shmi went to Anakin and embraced him tightly. “Be safe Annie.” Shmi tried not to be too emotional.
“I will mom. I promise.” Anakin assured her and Qui-Gon came in turn and handed him an extra-small helmet personally made for him by the local craftsman Taieb.
“Are you all set Annie?” Qui-Gon asked as he lifted Anakin and into the Podracer’s seat. “Remember, concentrate on the moment. Feel, don’t think. Trust your instincts.”
Anakin nodded as he begins warming up the engines. “May the Force be with you.” Qui-Gon said in parting as he left to join the others.
Padmé came to Anakin and leaned over the Podracer to kiss him on the cheek, “You carry all our hopes, Annie.” she said to him silently.
“I won’t let you down!” Anakin smiled at her.
Up front the flag bearers of each racers marched in displaying their individual crests or symbols, See Threepio proudly marched among them waving the banner of Anakin Skywalker, the only human in the race.
Introductions of the racers were announced by Fodesinbeed Annodue or better known as Fode and Beed, a two-headed Troig who specializes in two main language, the thin red-head Fode uses Basic while the thick green-head Beed handles the Huttese side of commentaries.
Qui-Gon Jinn moved their viewing platform at its highest elevation; with him were Shmi who was holding a hand-held viewscreen while Padmé has a race electrobinoculars with motion-tracking scanner. Qui-Gon preferred the race electrobinoculars with stereo-view double eyepieces.
Down on the other side by the pit hangar went Artoo Detoo, See Threepio, Kitster and Wald who would serves as Anakin’s Pit Crew.
Finally the race started and the Podracers shot out of the race track. Only two Pods were left on the starting line, Ben Quadinaros’ and Anakin Skywalker’s. The crowd hollered, booed and some cheered as the two struggles to get their Podracers started. Pit Droids clambered up to help Quadinaros but the four core fuel tanks shot out in different directions and exploded.
Anakin rerouted the power from one grid p
anel to another until he got a response from his engine. Firing up, Anakin’s Podracer sailed out after the others.
* * *
Up on the West Stands by the plateau two ships descended. One was an Amphibious Interstellar Assault Transport manufactured by the Kuat Drive Yards. Its thirty-one point five meters length dwarfed its companion, a prototype Nantex-class territorial defense starfighter from the shipbuilders of Geonosis.
The larger vessel, Jaster’s Legacy, opened its hatch and extended its ramp as Jango Fett came out.
He moved on the smaller ship Pelt Price and clung to the side of the cockpit.
“Where’s the Handmaiden located?” Cradossk asked.
“They are up on one of the viewing platform on the North Stand, if you see one human male with two human female, that’s them.” Jango explained.
“Let’s get this done.” Cradossk hissed and took off. He sailed past the West Stand, the crowd bellow roared in protest at their ship as their passing caused their viewing signals to be filled with static.
Jango Fett poised himself to jump as they flew closer to the North Stand. Down on the main Citadel, Jabba and Gardulla the Hutt roared in anger at the disturbance caused by the passing ship.
Qui-Gin lowered his electrobinoculars as he felt something coming their way. He turned to his left and saw a fast approaching ship.
“Get down!” Qui-Gon shouted at Padmé and Shmi as he took out and ignited his lightsaber.
The ship didn’t use its lasers instead it fired a pair of proton torpedoes. Qui-Gon grabbed the two women in each of his arms and uses the Force to leap out of the platform.
The women screamed in terror as the torpedoes impacted and exploded on the tower. The platform splintered and started to fall down in flames.
Something detached itself from the passing ship and Qui-Gon was surprised as someone snatched Padmé from his grip. As the startled Jedi landed on the sand below and darted a few meters further away to avoid the falling platform, he looked up to see an armored man in a jetpack sailing up carrying the struggling Handmaiden. Qui-Gon crossed the track towards the Pit Hangar were he could leave Shmi with Kitster and Wald. Sebulba’s Podracer zoomed before the running Jedi and Qui-Gon and Shmi dropped low as the podracer sped past them. The Jedi took Shmi the rest of the way as the other podracer flew past the first lap. The Jedi spotted some astromech assisted starfighters perched nearby and got an idea.
“Kitster, take care of her will you? Artoo come with me, hurry!” Qui-Gon said and without waiting for the astromech droid he darted towards the parked starfighters. Only one was unguarded and Qui-Gon leaped into the cockpit and started its engines. Artoo used his flight booster and landed at the back of the starfighter and went into the droid socket. Angry crew pounded on the starfighter demanding the Jedi to get out.
Qui-Gon ignored them and blasted out of the sand, he went after the man with the jetpack and Artoo tweeted a warning. The Jedi looked ahead and saw the ship flying back to intercept the abductor.
Jango Fett clung back on the side of the Pelt Price as Cradossk flew the ship to the canyon behind the race track, as he made the turn on the cliff, Jango let go and flew away taking Padmé with him.
Qui-Gon chased the Nantex-class starfighter but as it made the turn behind the cliff, he did not see what Jango did. The Jedi and Artoo Detoo continue chasing the starfighter farther away from Mos Espa and into the Dune Sea.
Jango Fett landed on the supporting framework of a wide Podrace Balloon carrying a Spectator Gondola hovering a hundred feet above the Mos Espa Grand Arena.
Padmé crawled away from the bounty hunter and stayed close to the balloon surface. “Who are you? What do you want from me?”
“I don’t want anything from you and you don’t need to know my name.” the bounty hunter hissed though his helmet.
Suddenly a bolt hit Jango on his shoulder armor and the impact threw him staggering back. He looked out to see where the shot came and he was rewarded by another blaster bolt. Jango ducked this time and spotted the source.
A single-person skimmer was climbing up near the hanging spectator gondola below and a Gungan was driving it, one hand raised and firing his blaster at him.
“You should have stayed home.” Jango muttered and aimed at the engine of the skimmer. His shot flew and connected and black smoke billowed out of the skimmer. Jar-jar Binks jumped off the doomed vehicle and desperately clung on one of the spectator gondola’s high tensile-strength cable some fifty feet below the supporting framework where Jango and Padmé are.
Jango took another aim, this time on the head of the Gungan when Padmé lurched at him and wrestled for his blaster.
The skimmer fell on the race track in front of the citadel and hit a passing podracer. Anakin’s podracer veered left as the unfortunate Neva Kee perished from the fallen skimmer. The explosion jarred Anakin’s podracer but he got it in control and went for the second lap and struggled catch up with the others who were way ahead of him.
Qui-Gon admonished himself when he finally had the sense to reach out through the Force only to realize there was only one being left in that fleeing starfighter.
“It’s a decoy!” Qui-Gon pursed his lips. If he turn away, he would have no idea where to look for Padmé, so he decided to pursue the starfighter, he’ll have a better chance of finding out who and what they want and where they took her if he could capture this pilot.
“Artoo, check our armaments, what do we got?” Qui-Gon asked as he closed in the distance.
Artoo reported minimal charged laser cannons and a pair of concussion missiles. He also informed the Jedi that the ship they have commandeered has no shielding.
“I’ll fire the lasers, keep him centered, you make the target lock and launch those missiles. Aim to cripple only, Artoo. Aim to cripple.” Qui-Gon instructed.
Artoo beeped an affirmative and waited for the brackets to lock in on the starfighter. A tone indicated a target lock and Artoo released the concussion missiles.
The pair of projectiles hit the lower fuselage of the starfighter and started to careen down the dunes.
“Great shot Artoo!” Qui-Gon exclaimed and eased their ship down the sands. He got out of the cockpit and ignited his lightsaber and slowly approached the downed ship. A Trandoshan emerged with his arms over his head.
“I surrender Jedi.” Cradossk hissed.
“I can’t take you in my ship, no room. I have to render you unconscious and tie you on the wing.” Qui-Gon said.
“Whatever works with you Jedi.” Cradossk nodded. As Qui-Gon slowly move closer, the Trandoshan moved as fast as he can, from the back of his head he threw a magnetic bomb with all his strength and it connected on the nose of the starfighter of the Jedi.
Qui-Gon dove into the sands and Artoo screamed as the nose ruptured and exploded.
As Qui-Gon got up the Trandoshan fired a stun bolt at him.
“You are fortunate the Lady Crimos wanted your blood on her own hands.” Cradossk snarled and left the unconscious Jedi and the moaning Artoo Detoo.
Chapter 39: Farewell Tatooine
Jango lost his grip on his blasters and the pair fell down to the arena below, he shoved Padmé away and aimed his poisoned dart. Someone pulled him from behind as he fired and the deadly dart bounced off harmlessly on the thick balloon hide.
Jar-jar slipped his left arm under the chin of the bounty hunter while the other went under the right arm of Jango. Forcing his fingers to lock in on each others, the Gungan got a tight hold on the struggling Mandalorian.
Jango’s wrist blades came out and he tried to graze the Gungan with his free hand. Jar-jar tightened his grip, forcing to drain all the oxygen from the stubborn bounty hunter.
“Get hissa grappling hook! Use it to get out of here!” Jar-jar shouted at Padmé.
“Where?” Padmé asked as she slowly approaches the two struggling fighters.
“Right arm!” Jar-jar said and turns to the side to present the pinned arm of Jango Fett to Padm?
?.
Padmé removed the wrist mounted grappling hook of the bounty hunter and put it on hers. “How about you?” she asked the Gungan.
“Messa is a survivor, messa gonna be alright.” Jar-jar said and urged her to hurry because the resilient Mandalorian is beginning to wear off the Gungan’s strength.
Padmé aimed at the other passing Podrace Balloon and fired. The grappling hook shot out from her wrist mount and sailed across the twenty meters and hooked itself on the supporting tethers of the other balloon.
Padmé gave one last look at Jar-jar before she took the tow cables and tied it securely in her hand and arm. She tried not to look down and jumped off the supporting framework.
The Royal Handmaiden descended and seemingly falls down to her death but she kept her grip tight until her momentum took her swinging under the second Podrace Balloon. She saw the rooftop of the Arena Citadel coming in some four meters below her, closing her eyes, Padmé let go of the cable and sailed towards one of the windows in the domed adobe roof.
Padmé closed her eyes as she crashed through the window and landed back first on the broad thick and soft bed. The fall took her breath away.
When she opened her eyes she saw blasters aimed at her by various species. Two massive Hutts slithered towards her and ordered their guards to lower their weapons.
“[That was a very entertaining show, human! Who put you up to that?]” the tattooed Hutt slurred.
“[My son would have had your head for breaking his window and almost ruining this bed he made for his slave dancers.]” the larger one said to her.
“[Father, Uncle, can’t you see our guest is exhausted? Let’s leave her to sleep on that bed, it’s soft and cool to the touch, it would revitalize her.] a third Hutt eased his way.
Padmé understood Huttese and somehow recognized the third Hutt, he was the one she saw leaving the Podracer Hangar earlier when she arrived there.
“[I am Jabba. This is my father Zorba and my uncle Ziro.]” Jabba introduced himself.
“Please to meet you, but I must be on my way.” Padmé stood, bowed and ran off the stairs quickly before any of them could react… or object.
Out in the Dune Sea, Artoo Detoo inspected the crippled Nantex-class starfighter and checked if he could still get to fix it and fly it long enough for them to get back to Mos Espa.