Hope Skywalker: Star Wars Trilogy Fanfic

Pod Race

(Arena: Hanger) Third Persons POV

Qui-gon went to the arena early with Jar-jar, so that he could speak to Watto about Anakin & Hope. "I want to see your spaceship the moment the race is over" Watto tells him.

"Patience, my blue friend. You'll have your winnings before the suns set, and we'll be far away from here" Qui-gon assures him.

"Not if your ship belongs to me, I think" Watto says cockily. "I warn you, no funny business" he tells Qui-gon.

"You don't think Anakin will win?" Qui-gon asks him. They stop in front of Sebulba and his pod. Sebulba is getting a massage.

"Don't get me wrongo. I have great faith in the boy. He's a credit to your race, but Sebulba there is going to win, I think" Watto tells him.

"Why?" Qui-gon asks.

"He always wins" Watto states. "I'm betting everything on Sebulba" he adds.

"I'll take that bet" Qui-gon tells him.

"You what?" Watto asks.

"I'll wager my new racing pod against...say...the boy and his family" Qui-gon tells him.

"No pod is worth more then one slave, besides the girl is free to go whenever she wishes. Besides I promised her mother if the boy ever won a race, I'd send her daughter to Corusacnt" Watto tells him. This was news to Qui-gon, but he kept his face neutral.

"The boy then" he tells Watto. Who becomes thoughtful and flatters back & forth. Before taking out a red blue die.

"We'll let fate decide. Blue it's the boy, red his mother" Watto tells Qui-gon. Watto tosses the die down. Qui-gon lifts his hand slightly; it makes the die land on blue. Without Watto noticing. "You won the small toss, outlander, bou you won't win the race, so it makes little difference" he states before leaving Qui-gon.

Hope's POV

As I arrive with the others. We see Watto flying away from Qui-gon. He stops in front of us and looks up at Anakin. "Bonapa keesa pateeso, o wanna meetee chobodd" he states with a chuckle. (Translation: Better stop your friends betting, or I'll end up owning him, too) Before flying off as Qui-gon joins us.

"What did he mean by that?" Ani and I ask him.

"I'll tell you later" Qui-gon assures us. He helps me down from my Eopie, then helps Ani off of his. The others hop down and I go check on the pod with the droids. R2 telling 3PO about space travel. It sounds dangerous, but exciting.

Mum soon appears with Ani as he is announced. He waves to the crowd as they cheer. Mum has him face her, kneeling down to his height. "Be safe" she tells him.

"I will mum, I promise" he assures her.

"You had better, otherwise I'll kick your butt" I tell him. He smiles and I give him hug. "Please be careful, I can't lose you Ani" I whisper.

"You won't lose me" he assures me as he returns the hug. We pull away as Qui-gon appears. Mum leads me over to the others and we head for our platform. Qui-gon speaks to Ani and helps him into the pod before joining us. We get onto the platform and it raises into the air. As mum takes out a screen, that would allow us to watch the race.

"Start your engines!" one of the announcers tells the races and they do so. On a bridge over the track, a great green light at the center flashes. Jabba the Hutt bites off the head of a frog and spits it at a gong, signaling the start of the race. The Pod-racers shoot forward with a high-pitches scream. Ani's engine floods and coughs, then dies. All the other Pod-racers except one swerve around him and dissapear down the track.

I curse inside my head. Wishing I was down there to help him fix the problem. It obviously stalled for some reason. But there was nothing I could do. "Little Skywalker has stalled" the first announcer says.

"Come on Ani" I whisper. Suddenly his engine ignites and his off. "And there goes Skywalker. Hw'll be hard pressed to catch up with the leaders today" he says. Padme and Jar-jar look worried.

"Don't worry, if anyone can pull this off. Ani can" I assure them. Before we all focus on the screen. Soon Ani catches up with the stragglers and passes them. As they neared a cliff one of the pods is shot by something. The screen shows Tuskens.

"Looks like a few Tusken Riaders have campe out on the canyon dune turn" one of the Annoucers states. Yeah, way to state the obvious. I hope Ani remembers to trust his instincts.

Anakin continues to pass the other racers with ease. Sebulba is in the lead though. Only because he knocks other racers off course or sabotaged the pods before the race. He probably did that to Ani's. I notice Qui-gon meditating and go sit beside him.

"What are you doing?" I ask curious.

"Meditating, sending Anakin strength. Do you want to help?" he asks me.

"Yes, what do I do?" I ask him.

"Clear your mind, focus on Anakin. Send him strength, trust your instincts" he tells me. I nod my head and cross my legs closing my eyes. I clear my mind focusing on Ani. I soon sense him through the force.

'I am with you Ani' I think. I feel his happiness and new determination as he powers on. He completes his first lap. I hear the others cheer for him, but I don't lose focus. Soon Ani is in sixth place. 'Left' I think and he dodges a shot from the tuskens.

Soon it only him and Sebulba fighting for first place. As the others are to far behind or their pods were destroyed. It's now the final lap and Ani is gaining on Sebulba. "Get him Ani, get him Ani" I hear Jar-jar chant. I wish Ani luck and focus back on the present.

I go stand by mum. She wraps an arm around my shoulders as we watch the screen. As Sebulba crashes in Ani over and over. Trying to knock him off course. Ani manages to avoid having his engine disabled but is forced off course.

"Skywalker is forced onto the service ramp" the announcer says.

"Oh noah" the other says. But Ani dives back onto the track on the inside and takes lead.

"Amazing... a controlled thrust and he's back on course! What a move!" the first announcer says. The other says 'incredible'. The race continues. Ani struggles to maintain control as the steering rods as one of his pods hooked up to Sebulba's.

They're on the final stretch. Ani fights to unlock the steering rods by trying to pull away from Sebulba. Suddenly, his steering arm breaks, and his Pos starts spinning. The release of tension sends Sebulb into an ancient statue. One engine explodes, then the other. Sebulba skids through the fire-balls, blackened, but unhurt.

While Ani flies through the explosion as the crowd stands and cheers. He passes the finish line. Winning the race. I cheer with everyone. Padme, Jar-jar and I jumping up & down in our excitement. While Kirster whistles with R2. While mum and Qui-gon just smile.

"It's Skywalker! The crowd are going nuts! Oh Ah Oh Ah" the announcers say together. As soon as our platform is lowered, we raced over to Ani. Who was already being surrounded by a crowd of people. They lift him onto their shoulders and he spots us.

"Mum, Hope I did it!" he shouts. "Yeah!" he screams.

"Lift me up" I tell the crowd and they do so. I'm soon beside Ani and hug. "I'm so very proud of you" I tell him.

"I couldn't of done it without you" he tells me.

"Of course you could of" I tell him. We're taken to the hanger and set down. Padme hugs him. Then mum does kissing his cheeks.

"Ah, gee...enough of this" he whines but didn't stop smiling.

"It's so wonderful, Annie. You have brought hope to those who have none. I'm so very proud of you" mum tells him.

"We both are, little brother" I say.

"We owe you everything" Padme adds.

"Just feeling this good was worth it" he tells us. Qui-gon soon returns with a pair of eopies along with the parts he & the others needed. They left to take it to their shipped. But he vowed to return the eopies by midday, before they left.

A/N

Picture above of the pods and picture on the external link of the screen.