People fill the streets as a Bantha and a few landscapers go by, cleaning up the mess and rebuilding their food stalls. Qui-Gon, Eva, and Jar-Jar are walking toward Watto's shop. Artoo is rolling behind them.
Eva stops Qui-Gon as he is about to enter the shop.
"Are you sure about this? Trusting our fate to a boy we hardly know. The Queen will not approve." Eva scolds disapprovingly.
"The Queen does not need to know." Qui-Gon alludes, walking away from her.
"Well, I don't approve," Eva whispers, reluctantly following after him.
Inside the shop, Watto flies closer to Qui-Gon as he enters the building. He immediately starts to address the Jedi. "The boy tells me you wanta sponsor him in race. How can you do this? Not on Republic credits, I think, huh."
"My ship will be the entry fee." Qui-Gon answers. He pulls a small object that looks like a watch out of his pocket, and a hologram of the Naboo spacecraft appears about a foot long in front of Watto.
"Oh, not bad... not bad... a Nabuian, ah." Watto hums. Watto studies it not long before greed seems to overpower him.
"It's in good order, except for the parts I need."
"...what would the boy ride? He smashed up my Pod in the last race. It will take some time to fix it." Watto questions.
Anakin is embarrassed and steps forward.
"Ahhh... it wasn't my fault really... Sebulba flashed me with his vents. I actually saved the Pod... mostly." Anakin tries to defend himself.
Watto laughs, "That you did huh? The boy is good, no doubts there huh."
"Well, I have acquired a Pod in a game of chance. 'The fastest ever built'." Qui-Gon offers; he looks down at Anakin with a sly wink.
"I hope you didn't kill anyone for it," Watto jokes with a laugh, "So, you supply the Pod and the entry fee; I supply the boy. We split the winnings fifty-fifty, I think."
"If it's going to be fifty-fifty, I suggest you front the cash for the entry. If we win, you keep all the winnings, minus the costs of the parts I need... If we lose, you keep my ship." Qui-Gon persuades.
Watto thinks about this. Anakin tries not to be nervous.
"Either way, you win." Qui-Gon continues.
"Deal!" Watto shrieks greedily.
Qui-Gon nods and leaves the shop, Eva follows behind. As they leave, they hear...
"Yo bana pee ho-tah, meedee ya. (Your friend is a foolish one, methinks.)" Watto speaks to Anakin as the Jedi leaves the establishment. Greed reflects from his eyes as he practically envisions all the credits he could get if the boy wins the race. If being the keyword. Hopefully, this time he'll be able to finish the race, much less, win.
...
In the Naboo spacecraft, Obi-Wan stands in the lounge, speaking into his comlink. Qui-Gon is seen on the back porch of Anakin's home.
YOU ARE READING
Celestial Bonds - ANAKIN SKYWALKER - WTM
Fanfiction* previously removed * In a galaxy far far away, a man in agony resides in the shackles of slavery. The very shackles he assumed broke the second he was freed from the hellish sandscape planet of Tatooine. But he assumed wrong, giving up one Master...
