Several minutes later, the Tusken spoke. Anakin didn"t understand the snarled words, so he turned to C-3PO. The droid translated, "He wants to know what you are going to do with him, Master Anakin."
Confused, Anakin looked back at the Tusken. "Tell him I"m not going to do anything with him. I"m just trying to help him get well."
The Tusken didn"t reply, but Anakin sensed he was afraid. Because nearly everyone believed Tusken Raiders to be fearless, Anakin was surprised. Why"s he afraid of me? It not afraid of him. Then Anakin thought with some surprise, I"m not afraid of anything.
But as Anakin stared at the Tusken"s masked face, he saw his own reflection in the lenses of the Tusken"s gogeles and shuddered slightly. He had heard that Tuskens never took off their masks or bared their flesh, and the thought of his entire body being so completely enveloped, sealed off so that he"d be unable to feel anything - not even the touch of my mother"s hand - made Anakin suddenly realize a painful truth: Although he was never afraid for himself, he was sometimes very afraid for his mother.
What if I were to lose her? How brave would I be then?
Anakin continued watching the Tusken until he fell asleep.
Anakin Skywalker had many dreams that night. In one dream, he was no longer nine years old. He was a man. And not just any man, but a Jedi Knight with a lightsaber.
He ran through the streets of Mos Espa, looking for the few slavers who"d escaped him. His mission was to liberate all the slaves on Tatooine. For too long, slavers in the Outer Rim had believed themselves immune from the laws of the Galactic Republic. Anakin was going to change all that. He called out, "Release the slaves now and no harm will come to you!"
In the buildings that lined the streets of Mos Espa, some tenants leaned out of their windows and cheered for Anakin. Even though he" d deactivated his lightsaber"s blade, most of the slavers were scared by the sight of him and his weapon, and surrendered when they saw him. Anakin gave them some credit for knowing better than to take on a Jedi.
A shadow snaked across the curved exterior of a nearby building. By the angle of the shadow, Anakin quickly determined that it was cast by a humanoid alien from atop a neighboring building"s roof. From above and behind, Anakin heard the click of a blaster"s safety mechanism being switched off. He thought, Aha! A slaver who doesn "t know better!
Anakin"s lightsaber ignited with a loud hum as he spun to look up at the roof, just in time to see the alien squeeze his blaster"s trigger. Before the fired laserbolt could reach Anakin"s chest, he swung hard with his lightsaber and smashed the bolt back at his attacker. The alien clutched at his shoulder and fell from the roof, landing with a loud thud on the sand-covered street. The dust was still settling when Anakin heard a woman"s voice calling his name.
Anakin turned to see the woman. It was his mother, dressed in her rough work clothes. Anakin deactivated his lightsaber and said, "I came back, Mom! Like I promised! You"re free!"
His mother smiled and opened her arms to Anakin. He ran to embrace her, but before he could reach her, she vanished. He was still clutching at the air where she"d been standing when he was suddenly surrounded by Sand People.
Anakin awoke with a start. Just as they had appeared in his dream, a group of Sand People now encircled him, silhouetted against the predawn sky. They carried blaster rifles and long gaffi sticks, double-edged axlike weapons made from metal scavenged from wrecked or abandoned vehicles. Anakin was completely at their mercy.
As he wondered what the Sand People would do to him, Anakin heard a guttural muttering from nearby. Beyond the group that stood around him, more Sand People were lifting and carrying away the Tusken that he"d rescued. The injured Tusken was the one who"d spoken, and his words caused the other Tuskens to slowly back away from Anakin.
Within seconds, all the Sand People were gone, leaving Anakin unharmed. Maybe they were grateful to me for helping their friend. Maybe the Tuskens aren"t so awful after all.
"Master Anakin, they"ve gone!" C-3PO cried as he stepped away from his position beside the speeder, where he"d been hiding. "Oh, we"re lucky to be alive! Thank goodness they didn"t harm you!"
Anakin stood up and looked around. The speeder and the other droids were where he"d left them, but the injured Tusken"s blaster rifle was gone. The only evidence of his encounter with the Sand People was the depleted contents of the speeder"s medical kit and their footprints in the sand.
It"s almost like the whole thing never happened, As the twin suns began to rise and the stars faded from the brightening sky, Anakin decided it was time to head home.
His return to Mos Espa went as Anakin expected. After he"d snuck C-3PO back to Slave Quarters Row, his worried mother had nearly smothered him in hugs. When he delivered the droids to Watto, the angry Toydarian nearly lost his voice after bellowing reprimands for several minutes. Watto calmed down a bit after seeing the quality of the droids that Anakin had obtained from the Jawas, but by the end of the day, nothing had really changed. Tatooine was still a harsh, lawless world, and Anakin was still a slave.
The following day, however, something remarkable happened. That was the day a Naboo starship landed on Tatooine, and Anakin"s life was forever changed.
CHAPTER 5.
It was midday in Mos Espa, and Anakin was cleaning fan switches in Watto"s junkyard when his master loudly summoned him into the junk shop to watch the store. Inside, Watto was talking with a tall, bearded man who was dressed like a farmer; the man was accompanied by a rubbery-jointed humanoid alien with mottled skin and eyes on the top of his head, a girl dressed in rough peasant clothes, and a dome-headed, blue astro-mech droid.
While the tall man and the astromech followed the hovering Watto to the sc.r.a.p yard to look at engine parts, Anakin hitched himself up onto the counter that snaked through the shop and studied the girl. She had delicate features, her skin too perfect for a peasant. She appeared to be a few years older than him, and Anakin found himself unable to take his eyes off her.
"Are you an angel?" he blurted out.
She smiled - his heart soared - and said, "What?"
"An angel," he responded as she stepped closer to him. "I"ve heard the deep s.p.a.ce pilots talk about them. They are the most beautiful creatures in the universe. They live on the Moons of lego, I think."
"You"re a funny little boy," she said sweetly. "How do you know so much?"
"I listen to all the traders and starpilots who come through here. I"m a pilot, you know, and someday, I"m going to fly away from this place."
"You"re a pilot?" she said, as if she found it hard to believe.
"Mm-hmm. All my life."
"How long have you been here?"
"Since I was very little, three, I think. My mom and I were sold to Gardulla the Hutt, but she lost us, betting on the Podraces."
Sounding surprised and alarmed, the girl said, "You"re a slave?"
Even though the girl had a.s.sumed correctly, Anakin didn"t like being called a slave, and he felt stung by her question. "I"m a person" he said, glaring at her, "and my name is Anakin!"
"I"m sorry. I don"t fully understand," the girl replied, and Anakin sensed she meant it. Unable to hold his gaze, she glanced around the shop"s interior, as if seeking answers from the a.s.sorted sc.r.a.p that lined the walls. "This is a strange place to me."
Anakin remembered his own arrival to Tatooine, and had to admit that he"d found it strange too. He tried to ignore the clumsy, mottled-skinned alien while he continued talking with the girl for a few more minutes, until the tall man and the astromech returned with Watto. The man announced that his group was leaving, and Anakin felt heartsick as the girl walked out the door.
After Watto gave Anakin permission to leave the shop, the boy caught up with the three outlanders and the astromech. When they learned a sandstorm was approaching, Anakin persuaded them to take temporary refuge in his home, where he introduced them to his mother and C-3PO. He discovered that the man was a Jedi Knight named Qui-Gon Jinn, the girl was fourteen-year-old Padme Naberrie, the clumsy alien was a Gungan named Jar Jar Binks, and the astromech was R2-D2. When R2-D2 observed that the protocol droid, devoid of exterior plating, appeared to be naked, C-3PO became quite embarra.s.sed.
Anakin had suspected that Qui-Gon Jinn was a Jedi even before the man admitted it in so many words. He had spotted Qui-Gon"s lightsaber dangling from his belt on their way to Anakin"s home, and he couldn"t help wondering if Qui-Gon had come to Tatooine to free the slaves. Although Qui-Gon revealed few details about himself, Anakin could tell that he was a good and honorable man, the kind that had always been in short supply in Anakin"s upbringing. Anakin admired the way Qui-Gon held himself with quiet confidence. When Jar Jar Binks made the mistake of using his own long tongue to s.n.a.t.c.h up a piece of food from the dining table, Anakin was both amused and amazed to see Qui-Gon"s hand flash out with lightning speed to seize the Gungan"s darting tongue with his thumb and forefinger.
"Don"t do that again," Qui-Gon said with some severity before he released his grip and Jar Jar"s tongue snapped back into his mouth.
Anakin thought, Wizard! Suddenly, he found himself wishing that Qui-Gon would teach him how to be a Jedi. But because Anakin had experienced enough disappointments in his life, it was difficult for him to imagine this could ever happen.
While Anakin and his mother sat with their new friends around the dining table, he told them of his dreams of becoming a Jedi. He learned that Padme was a handmaiden to Queen Amidala of the planet Naboo, and that Qui-Gon had been escorting the queen and her entourage on an important mission to the planet Coruscant when their starship had been damaged, and they were forced to land on Tatooine without funds for the necessary repairs. Hoping to help, Anakin explained that a big Podrace, the Boonta Eve Cla.s.sic, was scheduled for the following day. He volunteered to enter the race, which offered prize money that would more than pay for the parts they needed.
"Anakin!" Shmi protested. "Watto won"t let you."
"Watto doesn"t know I"ve built it." Turning to Qui-Ton he said, "You could make him think it was yours, and get him to let me pilot it for you.
Although Padme liked this idea about as much as Shmi did, Anakin was confident his plan - as well as his secret Podracer - would work.
The Boonta Eve Cla.s.sic was the most dangerous race Anakin had ever flown in. It was a vicious, free-for-all compet.i.tion, and more than one racer became victim to the high-speed turns, rocky obstacles, and dirty tricks of their dastardly adversaries.
The race"s start had been difficult for Anakin. When he"d gunned his Podracer"s engines at the starting signal, his turbines went dead, and he almost felt sick as he peered through his goggles.to see the other pilots blasting off across the Starlite Flats, leaving him gasping in their dust. He"d lost precious seconds as he struggled with his controls, but when he finally managed to make the Radon-Ulzers fire, he threw his vehicle forward and launched out of Mos Espa Arena at top speed.
Soaring through the twisting chasms and over broad fiats, Anakin managed to catch up with the other Podracers during the first lap. As the towering rock formations that dotted Mushroom Mesa whipped past him, he caught the scent of burning fuel a split second before he saw the scattered, smoking remains of the green-engined Pod that had been piloted by a Gran named Mawhonic. Somehow, he knew in his gut that Sebulba was responsible for the crash, and had no illusions that the Gran had survived.
Gripping his controls, Anakin gnashed his teeth and thought, I"m not going to die like that!
Anakin progressed at furious speed, maneuvering past several compet.i.tors as he sent his Podracer faster through the Boonta"s exotic-named perils of Jag Crag Gorge, Laguna Caves, and Bindy Bend. While other pilots slowed slightly to negotiate the notoriously twisty chasm known as the Corkscrew, Anakin maintained a steady high speed until he arrived at Devil"s Doork.n.o.b, a pa.s.sage so narrow that pilots were required to flip their vehicles on their sides to travel through it. With expert skill beyond his years, he flipped his Pod to launch out of Devil"s Doork.n.o.b, then accelerated to even greater speed over the broad expanse of the dead-sea bed known as Hutt Flats. Moments later, Mos Espa Arena came into view, and then he hurtled past the crowds who"d watched his delayed departure only minutes earlier.
There were still two laps to go.
Anakin knew he was rapidly gaining on the leading racers. As his Pod shot out of Beggar"s Canyon, he caught sight of Mars Guo far up ahead, just behind Sebulba. Suddenly, one of Mars Guo"s engines exploded, and a moment later, his Pod was flying in all directions. Anakin plunged his own Pod dangerously close to the around in a desperate effort to evade the fiery, airborne debris, but one large chunk of stray metal struck the steelton control cable that linked his Pod to his starboard engine. The control cable broke free, and Anakin"s pod now linked only to the port engine - began spinning out of control.
Straining against the belts in his c.o.c.kpit, Anakin tightened his neck muscles and clenched his teeth to prevent his head from snapping back. Stay focused! He sensed he was still traveling forward, and knew that the only reason he hadn"t crashed so far was because the energy binder arc between the two engines had not yet failed.
As the surface of Tatooine blurred and spiraled around him, he punched at his c.o.c.kpit controls until he stabilized the Pod, then reached for an emergency tool: his extendible magnetic retriever. He reached out with the tool, aiming its tip at the metal end of the starboard control cable that whipped and flailed alongside his c.o.c.kpit. There was a satisfying clank as the magnetic retriever locked onto the cable"s end. Anakin felt his arm strain as he pulled back on the cable, then he thrust the tool directly into the starboard cable socket. An instant later, he"d regained control of his ship.
Anakin didn"t congratulate himself. His momentary bss of control had allowed the Xexto pilot Gasgano and a couple of other pilots to pa.s.s him, and Sebulba was still in the lead. Anakin did what he had to do: he kept going, only faster.
He swung around Gasgano, but as he attempted to pa.s.s the Veknoid pilot Teemto Pagalies, he felt a sudden bone-jarring jolt as Pagalies swerved to deliberately smack one of his long engines against Anakin"s Pod. Anakin sat tight in his c.o.c.kpit and stayed in control to lead Pagalies out of the Laguna Caves to emerge at the base of the wide, high-walled stretch called Canyon Dune Turn.
KRAK!.
Despite the roar of his engines, Anakin heard the shot from above. A millisecond later, bright sparks flashed in front of him as fired projectiles pinged off his Pod. Sand people! They "re shooting at me! He pushed his throttle levers, which sent him faster across the canyon. Anakin made it. Pagalies wasn"t so fortunate.
Anakin caught up with Sebulba in the Corkscrew, but the cruel Dug flashed his engines directly in front of the young human. Anakin"s Pod fell back, but he was still in second place as he followed Sebulba"s Pod sideways out through Devil"s Doork.n.o.b. Less than a minute later, Anakin followed Sebulba again through Mos Espa Arena.
Only one more lap!
Anakin kept on Sebulba"s tail through the course, and was almost directly behind him when they began werving through the narrow confines of Beggar"s Canyon. Sebulba swung hard to the side, forcing Anakin off the course and onto the steep gradient of a service ramp- A moment later, Anakin"s engines were carrying his Pod up and out of the canyon, launching him skyward.
No! Anakin thought. If he didn"t win the race and the prize money, he wouldn"t be able to help the Jedi buy the starship parts he needed to leave Tatooine. And he wanted very much to help the Jedi and the girl who traveled with him.
I can"t lose!
When his Pod reached its maximum repulsorlift alt.i.tude, Anakin stayed calm as the vehicle arched back toward Tatooine"s surface. Far below, he could see Sebulba"s Pod still traveling through the canyon. Keeping his eyes on Sebulba"s position, Anakin steered into a steep dive. He felt the air tear against his cheeks as he plunged back into the canyon, then angled his Pod and accelerated to position himself in front of the enraged Dug.
The thrill of being in the lead didn"t last long. As Anakin and Sebulba headed through Jett"s Chute on their way to the Corkscrew, Anakin"s left engine overheated and began billowing smoke. The boy"s nimble fingers quickly adjusted the controls to correct the malfunction, but as the two Pods blasted out of Devil"s Doork.n.o.b and over the final stretch of Hutt Flats, Sebulba began ramming Anakin from the side in a last nasty effort to force him out of the race.
Anakin thought, He"s crazy!
The Dug slammed into Anakin again, but instead of knocking Anakin off course, the two Pods" steering rods became tangled and locked onto each other. Anakin glanced at Sebulba and saw the Dug frowning. If they remained locked in this position all the way over the finish line, the race would be a tie, but Anakin knew that would never happen. Sebulba will either kill me or get us both killed before he"d allow a tie.
Anakin jostled his throttle levers back and forth. I have to break free.
There was a loud snap as Anakin"s Pod broke free from Sebulba"s, and then the Dug"s engines exploded. Sebulba shouted as his shattered Pod began crashing through the sand; Anakin swerved to avoid the debris, then accelerated for the finish line.
I did it! I won! I won! The crowd in the arena went wild.
After the race, a jubilant Anakin met with his mother, Padme, Jar Jar, R2-D2, and C-3PO in the main hangar at the arena, where Watto had delivered the starship parts that Qui-Gon had requested. Anakin hadn"t expected a celebration of his victory, but any hope of spending more time with his new friends ended when Qui-Gon showed up a few minutes later, looked to his traveling companions and said, "Let"s go. We"ve got to get these parts back to the ship."
Anakin bit his lower lip. He wished he could leave Tatooine too, but knew it was pointless to say so. As Padme and the others prepared to leave, he looked up at Qui-Gon, who said, "I have a few things to do before I leave. Go back home with your mother, and I"ll meet you there in about an hour."
After returning home with Shmi and C-3PO and getting cleaned up, Anakin could not resist going outside to meet with some enthusiastic youngsters who"d seen him in the Boonta. He enjoyed their attention, and did his best to recount in detail the numerous hazards he"d encountered during the race. Most of the kids were very impressed. They listened attentively until a young Rodian, speaking in Huttese, said, "Too bad you didn"t win fair and square."
Anakin glared at the Rodian and said, "You"re calling me a cheater?"
"Yeah," the Rodian said. "No other way a human could"ve won. I"m guessing you probably..."
Before the Rodian could say another word, Anakin had knocked him to the sandy street. The other kids began shouting as Anakin straddled the Rodian and began punching him. Only a few blows had been exchanged before a long shadow appeared over both boys. Distracted, Anakin glanced up to see Qui-Gon standing beside him. A moment later, the Rodian shoved Anakin off of him.
Gazing down at Anakin, Qui-Gon said flatly, "What"s this all about?"
"He said I cheated," Anakin glowered. Keeping his eyes fixed on Anakin, Qui-Gon raised his eyebrows slightly and said, "Did you?"
Anakin was mildly outraged by the question. After all, Qui-Gon knew he hadn"t cheated. Wondering why Qui-Gon didn"t defend him, Anakin snapped, "No!"
Unruffled, Qui-Gon looked to the Rodian and asked, "Do you still think he cheated?"
In Huttese, the Rodian answered, "Yes, I do." As Anakin pushed himself up from the ground, Qui-Gon said, "Well, Ani. You know the truth. You"ll just have to tolerate his opinion. Fighting won"t change it." Maybe not, Anakin thought as he walked off with Qui-Gon, leaving the Rodian and the other kids behind. Still, he wasn"t sure that tolerance was the best option. If you don"t defend your honor, no one will. He wondered if Jedi ever had to defend their honor, but was reluctant to ask Qui-Gon. Even though the Jedi hadn"t scolded him for fighting the Rodian, Qui-Gon had made it fairly obvious that he hadn"t approved.
As they walked the short distance back to Anakin"s home, Qui-Gon explained that repairs were already underway to Queen Amidala"s starship, and that he"d sold Anakin"s Pod. Handing a small pouch filled with redits to Anakin, Qui-Gon said, "Hey. These are yours."
Feeling the weight of the bag, Anakin exclaimed, "Yes!" Followed by Qui-Gon, he entered his home, where he found his mother sitting at her worktable. "Mom," he cried, "we sold the Pod! Look at all the money we have!"
"My goodness!" Shmi said as Anakin revealed the contents of the pouch he carried. "But that"s so wonderful, Ani!"
Standing in the doorway, Qui-Gon added, "And he has been freed."
Anakin turned away from his mother and looked up at Qui-Gon. Wondering if he"d heard right, Anakin said, "What?"
"You"re no longer a slave," Qui-Gon said.
Still slightly stunned by this unexpected news, Anakin looked back to his mother and said, "Did you hear that?"
"Now you can make your dreams come true, Ani," his mother said. "You are free." Then she sighed and looked down at the dirt floor.
Anakin thought his mother looked sad, and couldn"t understand why she would be. Before he could ask, she turned her gaze to Qui-Gon and said, "Will you take him with you? Is he to become a Jedi?"
"Yes." Qui-Gon said. "Our meeting was not a coincidence. Nothing happens by accident."
Suspecting he really was dreaming, Anakin faced the Jedi and said, "You mean, I get to come with you in your starship?"
Kneeling down so he was almost eye-level with the boy, Qui-Gon said, "Anakin, training to become a Jedi is not an easy challenge, and even if you succeed, it"s a hard life."