Star Wars: The Phantom Menace

Chapter 10

The following morning, Qui-Gon headed back toward Watto's junk shop. Padme, Alea, and Kirara who is on Alea's shoulder followed closely, and just as they reached the shop, she stopped him. "Are you sure about this?" she asked. "Trusting our fate to a boy we hardly know?" Qui-Gon looked at her without answering. "The Queen will not approve," Padme said, as if that settled the matter. "The Queen does not need to know," Qui-Gon replied simply. Padme stared at him, then dropped onto a barrel just outside the shop doors. "Well, I don't approve," she muttered in a sullen tone. And so the little handmaiden discovers that her influence with the Queen has limits, Qui-Gon thought as he ducked through the doorway into the shop. Still, it was odd that she had been so very sure of herself . . . . He heard the sound of a argument, and put Padme out of his mind. Watto and Anakin looked up as he entered. "The boy tells me you want to sponsor him in the race," Watto said. "How can you do this? Not on Republic credits, I think!"

"My ship will be the entry fee." Qui-Gon pulled a small hologram projector from his belt pack and triggered it. A small, flickering image of the ship appeared above his hand. "Not bad," Watto said, examining the projection closely. "Not bad." Padme was worried that Alea will be very mad but she looked at Alea and the demon was petting Kirara. "It's in good order, except for the parts we need," Qui-Gon said. "But what would the boy ride?" Watto said. "He smashed up my Pod in the last race." Anakin stepped forward quickly. "It wasn't my fault, really! Sebulba flashed me with his port vents. I actually saved the Pod. Mostly."

"That you did," Watto said, laughing. "The boy is good, no doubt there." Alea was happy that they will be getting the parts for the ship and they can go back to Coruscant to meet with the Senate to get permission to help the people of Naboo. "I have . . . acquired a Pod in a game of chance," Qui-Gon said blandly. "The fastest ever built."

"I hope you didn't kill anyone I know to get it." Watto laughed again. "So, you supply the Pod and entry fee; I supply the boy. We split the winnings fifty-fifty, I think." Alea, Pikachu, Entei, Beau, Kirara, and Ah-Un are taking a nap while Qui-Gon speaks to Watto. "Fifty-fifty?" Qui-Gon scoffed. "If it's going to be fifty-fifty, I suggest you front the cash for the entry. No, if we win, you keep all the winnings, minus the parts I need. If we lose, you keep my ship." Watto hesitated, and Qui-Gon added persuasively, "Either way, you win."

"Deal!" Watto said at last. The remaining details were settled quickly. Now that he was committed to the race, Watto was even willing to let Anakin spend the day getting "Qui-Gon's" Podracer ready. Soon they were all back at slave quarters. Alea, Padme, Artoo-Detoo, Pikachu, Beau, Kirara, Entei, Ah-Un and Jar Jar helped Anakin and his friends work on the Podracer, while Qui-Gon called the ship to let Obi-Wan know of the new plan. Obi-Wan was hardly more enthusiastic than Padme and Alea has been, but at least he did not try to threaten Qui-Gon with Queen's displeasure. Of course, he's known me long enough to realize it would be a pointless thing to do, Qui-Gon thought.

As he shut off his comlink, Shmi came out onto the porch that ran along the rear of the slave quarters. She watched the excited group around the Podracer for a moment, her expression grave. Qui-Gon rose and joined her. "You should be proud of your son," he said gently. "He gives without any thought of reward."

"He knows nothing of greed," Shmi said. "He has ----" She stopped short and gave Qui-Gon a sidelong look, as if she was not sure how much to say. "He has special powers," Qui-Gon prompted. "Yes." Shmi's voice was hardly more than a whisper. "He can see things before they happen," Qui-Gon continued. "That's why he appears to have such reflexes. It is a Jedi trait."

"He deserves better than a slave's life." Alea was putting a part of the engine to make sure that it was put in the right way. "The Force is unusually strong with him, that much is clear," Qui-Gon murmured. He could feel that the Force was with this woman, too, though not nearly so strongly as with her son. Where had Anakin gotten such strength? "Who was his father?" Shmi looked away. "There was no father, that I know of," she said in a low voice. "I carried him, I gave birth . . . I can't explain what happened." When Qui-Gon did not reply, she glanced back and said, "He was special from the very beginning. Can you help him?"