flames and blaster bolts.
This obstacle was similar to an exercise called Art of Movement at the
Temple, introduced to him when he was just a student, even younger than
Anakin. The students were required to keep moving, dodging both lines of
light that zigzagged the room and points that scampered randomly. The
objective was simply to get from the door to the opposite wall. The
exercise required split-second timing and an agile body. Some students were
better than others at compressing their limbs, jumping, and flattening
themselves against the floor. As a human, Obi-Wan was hampered by his solid
skeletal frame, but he had practiced for hours until he could judge the
best way to move with a minimum of effort. He had even had private
tutorials with the Jedi Knight Fy-Tor-Ana, known for her grace.
All of the lessons came back to him in a rush. He had not trained for
this specifically, as Maxo Vista had. He hadn't practiced the Art of
Movement in years. But he could feel his body respond and move even as the
laser points skittered around him. Using the Force, he was able to gauge
where the pinpoints of light would hit.
Maxo Vista had trained for this. He was adept at movement. The crowd
gasped at the flexible grace of the two opponents. Obi-Wan got close enough
to one Gladiator Droid to score a point. Vista scored another. In the dim
light, the shimmering outlines of the Droids melted against the velvet
darkness.
Obi-Wan could feel the Force around him and feel the ripples of
disturbance. Maxo Vista's surprise was near. Even as he dodged the light
and moved in to strike another blow at a Gladiator Droid, he knew what was
coming.
One of the Droids was real.
Obi-Wan had to use the Force. It was too dark to be absolutely sure.
The lights exploding around him could be lethal or not. He noted now that
Maxo Vista was pretending to be slow, keeping Obi-Wan between him and the
fire.
He saw a Gladiator Droid well behind the others, its blasters firing.
That was the one.
He unsheathed his lightsaber. With his lightsaber in one hand and his
event weapon in the other, he leaped. With one hand, he hit each laser
target on each droid, twisting and hanging in midair. With the other, he
deflected the real blaster fire.
He ended with a midair somersault and sank his lightsaber into the
real droid's control panel.
The counter rang furiously. The scoreboard lit up. The crowd was on
its feet now, stamping its approval.
The lights in the stadium came up. Maxo Vista raised his head from his
position crouching on the floor. He blinked, surprised to hear the boos
directed at him.
The crowd screamed for the Jedi. But Obi-Wan had disappeared.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Doby and Deland paced nervously by the Podracer. "Maybe we should
check the intake valves again," Doby said.
"We've checked them three times," Anakin said. "Everything is fine.
We're ready to go."
He was strapped into his seat, his goggles pushed up on his head. The
official starter stood talking to the Podrace organizer. Hekula was
receiving last-minute instructions from Sebulba.
It all felt so familiar. He could be back in the Mos Espa Grand Arena
again. His mother was watching. Qui-Gon and Padm© were there. He wanted to
do his best for them.
Anakin swallowed against the emotion that swelled in him. He was older
now. Things were more complicated. His emotions would never be so simple
again. But here in the cockpit doubt fell away and uncertainty had no
place. Left behind was only one goal: winning. "All right, then," Deland
said. He held his arm carefully against his side, and his face was pale.
"Good luck, Anakin. We won't forget this. Neither will Djulla."
"We shouldn't have let you, but we had to." Doby leaned in to speak to
him earnestly. "Don't worry. You're going to win. Just don't crash."
Anakin grinned. "Right."
"Come on, Doby, you're making him nervous." Deland yanked his brother
away.
Ry-Gaul approached Anakin. He stood by the Pod-racer, his gray eyes
scanning the spectators who had gathered on the stands near the finish
line. "You must use the Force to stay ahead. There is darkness here, but I
cannot locate it."
It was the longest speech Anakin had ever heard Ry-Gaul give. Anakin
nodded. "I feel it, too." But along with the darkness, he felt the
excitement of the race to come.
Tru waved at him from the sidelines. Anakin gave him a thumbs-up, just
as he had to his best friend Kitster so many years ago.
"Start your engines," the race official called.
Anakin engaged his engines. They roared to life. Ry-Gaul's mouth
moved, but he couldn't hear the words. It didn't matter. He knew what Ry-
Gaul had said. May the Force be with you.
The noise of the powerful engines of eight Podracers was deafening. It
bounced off the high cave walls. The floor shook like a groundquake.
Besides himself, Hekula, and Aldar Beedo, Anakin recognized Gasgano, Elan
Mak, and Ody Mandrell. The last two Podracers were Scorch Zanales, a
Daimlo, and Will Neluenf, heir to the first great Tatooine Podracer, Ben
Neluenf.
Anakin felt the power of the engines under his hands. He felt warm and
liquid, alert and calm. His senses were hyperaware. The shimmer of the air,
the dull red of the cave walls, the smell of the fuel - it filled his head
and sharpened his focus. He was ready.
He kept his eye on the starting light. It turned from red to yellow...
Green! Anakin pushed the throttle and the engines roared in response.
He had always believed in a quick start. His old Podracer had been tweaked
to allow for maximum fuel flow. Deland's Podracer surged forward in a pack
with the others, but slightly ahead. He allowed himself one glance over at
Hekula. Sebulba's son bared his teeth at Anakin.
Anakin checked the nav computer. In a glance he saw the route ahead.
Down a long underground canyon, then through a series of dips and rolls.
Then he needed to take a sharp left down a narrow passage. After that he
would receive the next stage of the course.
The cave walls were a blur of dusty red and the screaming engines were
just a backdrop of constant sound as Anakin raced through the canyon.
Hekula pulled ahead, the double engines of Anakin's old pod bobbing on the
air current created by his speed. Anakin stayed close on Hekula's tail,
avoiding the flying engines. The other Podracers were reluctant to get too
close. Anakin knew from experience how the engines would move as Hekula
maneuvered. He dared to race snug against the back of Hekula's Podracer,
knowing he was making Hekula angry and nervous.
The dips were ahead. Anakin pulled back suddenly, and Hekula shot in
front. Anakin dived, timing his movement so that he was able to barely
scoot underneath Hekula's Podracer and then rise up before the dip rose
into a small hill.
He was in the lead. But Hekula had the next part of the course by now.
He was most likely alre
ady planning his strategy for the next round of
challenges. Anakin would have to rely on his instincts to keep him in the
lead
Behind him, Ody Mandrell couldn't make the sharp turn into the
passage. Anakin heard the shriek of metal and the crash. Smoke rolled
toward him and he pushed the engines as hard as he dared, trying to outrun
the smoke before it blinded him.
Hekula was pulling slightly to the left. Anakin didn't know why but
guessed he was preparing to pass him on the next segment... whatever it
was. Just then the nav computer blinked, showing him the next part of the
course. He just had time to register the details, but it was as though he
had already seen the track.
He turned sharply on the first corner, then turned again to the left,
then the right. Hekula kept up with his every move. Anakin could see his
face when he glanced behind, could almost hear Hekula's cackling laugh.
Behind them, Elan and Aldar Beedo collided, after Elan made a move to
cut off Aldar. The others had to scramble to avoid hitting them or the
drivers, who had crawled from the wreckage to accuse each other. The sight
was gone in a moment as Anakin whipped around another corner.
The controls shook in his hand at the constant turns. Hekula was
gaining. He needed all his concentration for the next segment...
His comlink signaled.
Anakin considered not answering it, but he knew he must. It could be
his Master.
He released the control for an instant and pressed the activation key.
He strained to hear his Master over the noise.
"... nav computer... accident... prepare for..."
Anakin kept one hand on the controls and snatched the comlink. He held
it tight against his ear. "Repeat!" he shouted into the comlink.
Now Obi-Wan's voice was clearer, but he still lost some words over the
noise rebounding off the cave walls. "One of the Podracers is booby-
trapped... nav computer will lead... Eusebus... the lead Podracer's
steering mechanism will blow. It will be made to crash into a crowd... hear
me, Anakin?"
"Copy that!" Anakin shouted. He threw the comlink back down.
The lapse in concentration had cost him. As his Podracer burst out of
the maze, Hekula passed him on the inside and took the lead.
His nav computer flashed. The course now would wind through a series
of turns, then open out into a large tunnel. Then the five remaining
Podracers would burst out of the tunnel onto the city streets. So Obi-Wan's
prediction was right.
Anakin quickly turned to the left before the cave wall curved. He was
able to pass Hekula easily. Obviously, Hekula was not as adept a racer as
his father. With advance knowledge of that turn, he should have hugged the
wall to prevent Anakin's maneuver. Hekula tried to bump him from behind,
but Anakin pulled ahead.
He raced through the tunnel, wondering what to do when he reached the
city streets. If he slowed, the others would pass him, and there would be
more danger to the pedestrians. The best he could do was stay ahead to lead
the pack away from pedestrians and hope he could master the Podracer when
its steering blew.
As Anakin zoomed onto the streets, he saw astonished faces and beings
quickly running to get out of the way. He slowed slightly, but not enough
to let Hekula pass him.
Suddenly Hekula pulled up next to him. He tried to use an old trick of
his father's, flashing Anakin's engine with side vents so that he'd
overheat. Anakin pulled ahead slightly to avoid the steam.
The next segment flashed onscreen. Down a boulevard, then up a steep
hill and down the other side. The boulevard would then narrow into an
alley, then open up once again.
The turn onto the boulevard would be tricky, a near180-degree
maneuver. Anakin eased to the right so he would be able to make the turn.
Hekula kept going straight. When the turn appeared, Anakin took it easily,
but Hekula had to struggle to keep his Podracer on course.
Engines screaming, they raced up the hill. Speeders accelerated to get
out of their way, and pedestrians scattered. Anakin's hands began to shake,
and he realized that his controls were vibrating. His warning light
suddenly flashed red.
The steering mechanism was failing.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Obi-Wan had run off the edge of the platform and made a midair leap
into the box of surprised VIP spectators. Then he dashed out into the
stadium hall and was met by Siri.
"Not much excitement at the bowcaster skill event, so I thought I'd
see how you were doing," she said. "I didn't realize you'd be competing."
Obi-Wan made the call to Anakin warning him about the steering
mechanism.
"We have to get down there."
"Where?" Siri pointed out. "We don't know where the Podracers will
emerge from the caves. Nobody knows the track."
"Maxo Vista does."
They raced down to the exiting area, where Maxo Vista was hurrying off
in disgrace. When he saw the Jedi he tried to flee, but Siri took three
strides forward and pinned him to a wall.
"Not so fast," she said. "We have some questions for you."
"I don't have anything to say." Maxo Vista's eyes burned with hatred
for Obi-Wan.
Siri reached into Vista's tunic pocket. "We'll let your datapad do the
talking."
She tossed the datapad to Obi-Wan and he quickly accessed Vista's
files. Obi-Wan felt the urgency as he called up holofile after holofile,
but his hands were steady and his eyes never stopped moving.
"Here," he said. "Here is the route. The steering mechanism will fail
after the hill."
"Does it say which Podracer will be affected?" Siri asked.
"No." Even as he was speaking, he was contacting Anakin. "After the
steep hill," he said quickly into his comlink, "the steering mech - "
"I know!" Anakin shouted. "It's mine! I can't - " Anakin's words were
drowned out by a loud crash and the comlink went dead.
Maxo Vista smiled. "It appears you were too late."
The crash occurred between Gargano and Zanales, who had been closely
tailing Anakin and Hekula. Anakin did not look back to make sure that no
one was hurt. He was too busy trying to bypass the steering mechanism. He
guessed that it had been wired to blow through the nay computer.
He was controlling the Podracer through the engines now, just managing
to keep it on course. Hekula had zoomed ahead.
A crowd of spectators stood on a corner ahead, right after a sharp
curve. Anakin saw clearly that he could not control the Podracer on that
turn. There was only one thing to do.
He shut off the nay computer to send the energy to the engines. He
would have to rely on the Force.
Immediately the steering hummed with power again. He pushed the
engines and in a burst of speed made the turn and cut Hekula off. He was in
the lead again.
Slowing his speed just a fraction, he glanced in his rearview mirror.
Hekula was going to attempt to pass him. Anakin would allow him to do so.
He'd need to follow Hekula now. He had
to let Hekula guide him to the
finish line, then find a way to get ahead. His first objective was to
protect the spectators, but Anakin had not forgotten for a moment that he
meant to win.
Now he did not have to worry about injuring anyone. He had solved the
problem of the steering. He just had to follow the course. His comlink
activated again, but it was on the floor of the Podracer. He could not bend
down to retrieve it. He would lose precious seconds. Now Anakin was focused
on only one thing: the need to win.
"I'm sure he is all right, but you might as well go to the finish
line," Siri said when Anakin didn't answer. "I'll stay with Vista."
"Bring him to the Ruling Power," Obi-Wan said. He knew Anakin was all
right. He had to believe he would feel it if it weren't so. "I'll contact
you after Anakin finishes the race."
Maxo Vista smirked as Siri led him away. "Good luck!" he called
cheerily to Obi-Wan.
Obi-Wan hurried out of the stadium. He would have to get to the finish
line on a swoop or speeder. It would be the fastest way to travel.
Astri was waiting outside, her eyes searching the crowd anxiously. She
waved at Obi-Wan and pointed to a speeder by her side.
"Is everything all right? Is Maxo Vista involved?" she asked.