Saga Let Fate Decide v2.0: AU TPM - Anakin Is Not Freed (18 Sept 2004)

Let Fate Decide, version 2.0


Brief Description: AU version of TPM (and possibly a bit beyond). Anakin is not freed after winning the Boonta Eve podrace. Things change.

This is actually one of two stories that I am attempting to write concurrently. A Different Hope, version 2.0 is an AU Episode 4, and is a significantly retooled version of something I started long, long ago. Consider that story to be the repercussions of this one. Hopefully, by the time I finish both, it will all make sense.


Disclaimers: Of course, I own nothing in the Star Wars universe, and am receiving nothing for anything written here.

In spite of the AU nature of these stories, I really am trying to keep everybody in character (at least where there is appropriate guidance); please let me know if I start drifting.

In instances where we don?t know enough about a character (ie. Sabe) I am just going to wing it. It might stink, but it will stink in new and exciting ways.

I will eventually introduce a few characters that have not been seen before; I hesitate to use the word ?original? and it will become obvious why.

Finally, I have had a very poor record of finishing stories, due to several, ahem, interesting turns in my personal life. My apologies. With luck, things will happen more smoothly this time.


Special Thanks: To Mr. George Lucas, of course. Hopefully, what I?m writing will, in some small way, be worthy of the name Star Wars.


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?I wanna see your spaceship the moment the race is over,? Watto said to Qui-Gon Jinn.

?Patience, my blue friend,? Qui-Gon replied. If the Jedi Master was annoyed at Watto?s arrogance, he did not show it in the slightest. ?You?ll have your winnings before the suns set, and we?ll be far away from here.?

?Not if your ship belongs to me, I think, huh?? Watto countered, almost cheerfully. More seriously, he added, ?I warn you, no funny business.?

?You don?t think Anakin can win?? Qui-Gon asked. Though it seemed to be an offhand remark, there was an undertone of deadly seriousness in his voice.

At least that?s what Jar-Jar Binks, walking a pace behind Qui-Gon, believed he?d heard. This curious human, to whom he owed his life debt, was as deep and subtle as Naboo?s oceans.

?Don?t get me wrong,? Watto explained. ?Oh, I have great faith in the boy. He?s a credit to your race. But, uh, Sebulba there is going to win, I think.? The Toydarian motioned towards a nearby maintenance pit.

?Oh, no!? Jar-Jar gasped. Sitting a short distance away was Sebulba, the powerfully built Dug who, only a day earlier, had been on the verge of (as Anakin had so eloquently remarked) turning poor Jar-Jar into orange goo.

Yes, Jar-Jar was genuinely frightened, though he was in no real danger. Qui-Gon Jinn, an armed Jedi Master, was standing between him and the Dug, and would not allow the Gungan to come to harm. More importantly, Sebulba was being pampered by two lovely Twi?Lek women, and could not have cared any less about Jar-Jar Binks.

?Why do you think that?? Qui-Gon asked Watto. Was the Toydarian working on Sebulba?s behalf, or vice-versa?

?He always wins!? Watto answered, laughing. ?I?m betting heavily on Sebulba!?

?I?ll take that bet,? Qui-Gon said after a second?s pause.

?You?ll WHAT?!?? For the first time, Watto?s confidence faltered.

?I?ll wager my new racing pod against, say? ?the boy and his mother.? Qui-Gon offered.

?No pod is worth two slaves, not by a long shot!? Watto growled.

?The boy, then,? Qui-Gon said. It was not a question.

?Well, uh? We?ll let fate decide, huh?? Watto suggested. ?I just happen to have a chance cube, here. Blue, it?s the boy. Red, his mother.?

Watto reached into his belt pouch, and produced a shoddy-looking six-sided cube. Three surfaces were painted (poorly) red, and the remaining three were painted (equally poorly) blue. Watto tossed it to the ground.

Qui-Gon

 

Again, I really liked this. Interesting take on Episode 1. Great work!

 

Oh great start!! I like this! Poor Qui... his gut was telling him something while the Force another. What a twist! Freeing his mum? Now that's different!

Love the bit at the end Padme being her stubborn high haughtiness self. Even though Leia was not raised by her she still has her mum's 'attitude' hehehehe Great work!

 

Second Post 14 July 2004:

?AAAAAHHHHH!!! POODOO!!!?

Sebulba?s race pod, or rather what was left of Sebulba?s race pod, finally came to a halt. Only a few seconds had passed since the Skywalker boy had outmaneuvered him. Their two pods had been tangled together during home stretch of the final lap. Sebulba had been supremely confident that he would force Skywalker?s much smaller, much lighter machine into the ground, and cruise to yet another victory.

He?d been too confident. The boy?s breakaway maneuver was superb. Not only did Skywalker manage to free himself, but he also caused the Dug?s power coupling to fail. Sebulba?s pod tore itself apart; it?s massive engines crashed into the hard desert surface and disintegrated in two spectacular fireballs.

With what little control he had left, Sebulba managed to coax his pod into a more-or-less soft landing. And now, there was little else to do but watch the slave boy race, unopposed, into the stadium.

Everything would be different now, Sebulba realized. Everything. The boy may be slave scum, but he was slave scum that had just won the year?s biggest race. Worse, he?d won the year?s biggest race by wrecking the defending champion?s mount.

From this day forward, the boy would have sponsors, probably Hutt sponsors. High-rolling gamblers would bet heavily on him. Anakin Skywalker was no longer just a human slave who sometimes raced pods. He was now a PODRACER, and that distinction made a world of difference.

For Sebulba to exact revenge, and there would be revenge, he would have to do it on the track.

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?He did it,? Padme whispered. A whisper was all she could manage.

She was both shocked and confused by the intensity of her emotions. Certainly, the relief she felt was overwhelming. She was relieved that her ship would not be lost on Qui-Gon?s dangerous gamble. She was relieved that the same gamble would now yield a working hyperdrive, and that she would now be able to complete her trip to Coruscant. She was relieved that she would be able to plead her planet?s case before the Republic Senate.

Above all, she was relieved for Anakin?s sake. Though she?d always understood, on some intellectual level, the danger that the boy was facing, it wasn?t until the first fatal crash that she really appreciated what this strange, brave, wonderful little boy was risking for them.

For them? Padme asked herself. Face up to the real question, ?Highness.? Would Ani have been so quick to volunteer for this race if he didn?t have a schoolboy crush on a certain Handmaiden?

If he?d been killed?

But, no, he hadn?t been killed. He?d not only survived the race, he?d won it! That was the most overwhelming emotion of all; shear joy. In spite of the fact that she barely knew them, she now considered both Anakin and Shmi Skywalker to be dear friends, and her dear friends had reason to celebrate.

However much she may hate Anakin?s very dangerous pastime, Shmi was, at the moment, smiling radiantly. Padme didn?t believe that Shmi cared about the race, but it would be impossible to ignore that tens of thousands of fans were cheering for her son.

Her son. Tomorrow, he might be a slave, but today, here, now, he was their hero. Jar-Jar Binks pumped his fists and whooped enthusiastically. Everyone, it seemed was caught up in the excitement of Anakin Skywalker?s triumph.

No, that wasn?t correct. Padme glanced over her shoulder towards Qui-Gon Jinn. The Jedi Master should, by all rights, be the happiest one of them all. His risky plan had succeeded beyond all reasonable expectation. And yet, the Qui-Gon had such a solemn look on his face, it was as if he?d somehow lost everything.

What did you do, Jedi? Did you make yet another plan without consulting us, without consulting me?

?Now, Master Jedi, what?s wrong?? Padme asked Qui-Gon. ?We did win, didn?t we??

?Oh, certainly, Handmaiden,? Qui-Gon replied, almost sadly. ?We?ll be on our way to Coruscant in a matter of hours.?

?And?? Padme asked.

?And, n

 

I'll be lurking this with great interest
And stuuuupid Qui-Gon, you bloody well should have turned the cube!

 

Great work!!! Poor Qui! Yeppers he's feeling guilty alright. But in actuality he shouldn't have wagered for either the boy or his mother! hehehe If you want to think along the lines of 'true' Jedi he'd not have wagered at all; even on the ship. hehehe

Great work! He's got Padme all upset *snrk* that's funny hehehe And your Sabe rocks! hehe

Can't wait for more!! (Also loved the tidbit about Maul saying the Jedi are gonna pay if anything pay for making him come to Tatooine! hehehe LMAO!!)

 

OH, very nice! Love seeing Qui-Gon! I can't wait to see what happens next! Next update soon? Please?

 

The moment that he crossed the finish line was one of the most vivid moments of happiness that he?d ever known. He savored that feeling for nearly an hour, right up until he realized that he?d enabled his newfound friends to leave Tatooine, almost certainly forever.

That revelation was a painful one. Qui-Gon, Jar-Jar, Artoo, Padme, in an impossibly short time, they?d become more important to him than he could have ever imagined. Especially Padme. She was so beautiful, so kind, so? angel-ish. Angel-like? Were those words? That didn?t seem right. What about ?angelic?? That felt better. Was ?angelic? the way to describe the most beautiful creatures in the universe?

The idea of her leaving forever was unthinkable, and yet he had no choice but to think about it. She was gone now, and that was that. Or was it? Anakin had a feeling, one of those special feelings that bothered his mother so much, that they?d be together again somehow, someday.

?Someday?? was too far away.

Another set of peaks and valleys involved his podracer. He?d known that Watto would never let him keep his beautiful podracer. Watto never let him keep anything worth keeping. That was why he had taken so long to build it, one piece at a time. He?d only been able to race it in the first place because Watto thought that Qui-Gon was the owner.

No, there was simply no way that Anakin could keep it. There was nothing that he or Qui-Gon could possibly say that would convince Watto to let him keep it for his own. At best, they could sell it behind the Toydarian?s back, and hide the money. After pouring so much time, effort, sweat, tears, and, on occasion, blood into that racer, Anakin hated seeing it go.

Upon returning from his ship, after delivering the new hyperdrive, Qui-Gon was able to find a solution that, to some degree at least, made things better. The Jedi Master sold the pod to, of all people, SEBULBA. Seeing the much-hated Dug swallow his pride, and pay very handsomely for the best racer available, knowing full well who it?s builder was? That was very sweet.

As Anakin and Qui-Gon entered the Skywalker home, the Jedi handed the boy the large stack of coins that Sebulba so reluctantly parted with.

?Mom, Mom!? Anakin was just so excited. Oddly, Qui-Gon seemed sad. ?Look, Mom, we sold the pod!? Anakin poured the coins out so quickly that Shmi barely had time enough to cup her palms together to catch them.

?That?s wonderful!? Shmi was delighted. She wasn?t a greedy woman in the least, but anything that she could use to make her son?s life more comfortable was treasured.

?There?s something else,? Qui-Gon Jinn began. This was going to be even more difficult than he?d imagined. It would be a sin to, for even an instant, give the boy false hope.

?As you know,? Qui-Gon continued. ?Watto and I had an arrangement. When Anakin won the race, we won a hyperdrive for our ship.? This was ridiculous. Of course they knew all of this. The Skywalkers came up with the plan in the first place. He was waffling.

?Our wager had another term, one which you weren?t aware of,? the Jedi Master said. ?Shmi, you?ve been freed.?

?What?? Anakin and Shmi gasped in unison.

?Because Anakin won the race, you?ve been freed, Shmi,? Qui-Gon repeated.

?Mom, did you hear that? You?re free!? This was absolutely the best moment of Anakin Skywalker?s life. Crossing the finish line was now a distant memory, easily discarded. Without any hesitation, he jumped into his mother?s arms and hugged her furiously.

?What about Ani?? Shmi asked.

?I?m sorry,? Qui-Gon said. ?Watto wouldn?t have it.? He was about to say, ?I did the best I could,? but that would have been a lie.

?But that?s not right,? Shmi said. ?It?s not right! Ani should be freed, not me!?

?But Mom??

?Please, Shmi??

?It?s not right!? Shmi practically screamed. ?It should be Ani, not me! I?ll go to Watto??

?It won?t help,? Qui-Gon said softly.

?No, I?ll offer myself back??

?It won?t help!? For the first time since this entire crisis began, Qui-Gon Jinn lost his composure. ?Don?

 

I hope you are going to continue this; it is very interesting and well written.

 

Oh lovely done! Poor Qui... he should have went with his instincts instead of the 'Code'. But if he had of then this story would have never been done! *snrk*

Great work! I'm truly enjoying this! Shmi is sooooo great! I loved how she blamed Qui then at the end realized it wasn't really his fault.

You are portraying Qui really well here. Keep up the awesome work!! Can't wait for the showdown with Qui & Maul!

 

Alas, has this story been discarded like last month's stormtrooper garbage?

 

Alas, has this story been discarded like last month's stormtrooper garbage?

Not at all. Unfortunately, my schedule is such that there will be long stretches when I won't have time to post. This last one was unusually long, but there will be others.

I really am sorry, but it's just the way things are. I hope this post makes up for it a little.


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Darth Maul flew his speederbike barely a human?s height above Tatooine?s hard desert ground. The Sith Lord intended to strike from Qui-Gon Jinn?s blind side. Qui-Gon?s Force-enhanced instincts, however, warned that danger of some sort was fast approaching. The Jedi Master ignited his lightsaber, braced for an assault, and began scanning the horizon in all directions. He spotted Maul, and went prone just barely in time to avoid being decapitated.

Having missed his chance for an easy kill, Maul circled back, leaped off the speederbike a short distance from Qui-Gon, and charged the Jedi on foot. Lightsaber clashed against lightsaber. Qui-Gon, of course, had no knowledge of Darth Maul?s identity, but he very quickly realized that the grotesque looking humanoid was well schooled as a swordsman. Just as obvious, this freakish assailant was drawing upon the Dark Side of the Force. Qui-Gon attempted a classic reversal, was immediately countered, and, for an instant, he and Maul held one another nearly motionless, pushing against one another?s blades.

Qui-Gon was then abruptly shoved backwards, hard enough to almost take him off his feet. This tattooed monster was STRONG, almost as physically powerful as a Wookiee. Qui-Gon recovered his stance, barely in time to block another lightsaber barrage.

Qui-Gon was in bad trouble, and knew it. Though undeniably powerful, he was, nevertheless, in his late fifties, and had lost a few steps over the years. Against most opponents, his experience and knowledge of the Force would more than compensate. Against this younger, stronger, Dark Side-wielding maniac, he would, eventually, be overwhelmed.

Qui-Gon continued to give ground, though he did not retreat. As Maul pressed his attacks, Qui-Gon repeatedly blocked and sidestepped to his left. This pattern continued; soon, the entire fight seemed to resemble a clockwise dance. It couldn?t last indefinitely; both men were expending a great deal of energy, and Darth Maul had youth on his side.

Qui-Gon sought to find an opening, hopefully ending the fight with a quick strike. Though certainly possible, it was going to be very difficult. Maul was extremely aggressive, and though his fighting style was based on pure power, he was by no means out of control. He kept his body?s target areas well protected, and he held back just enough to avoid overextending or losing his balance.

Qui-Gon needed to find a weakness in Maul, and soon. Either that, or somebody would have to come to his aid.


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As Qui-Gon and Darth Maul fought, Obi-Wan Kenobi could feel a disturbance in the Force. Unfortunately, this was only the latest of many that Obi-Wan had encountered while on this mission. Probably, it was simply due to the general level of danger that existed on this lawless planet. Probably?

?Captain Panaka,? Obi-Wan asked, ?In an emergency, how quickly can this ship lift off??

?Our engines have been pre-warmed ever since landing,? Panaka answered. ?Ric Olie is our best pilot. He can have us off the ground at any time. Why??

?No specific reason,? Obi-Wan answered. ?Let?s just say that our continued presence here makes me uncomfortable.?

?Aren?t you Jedi supposed to be all-seeing and all-knowing?? Panaka asked with veiled sarcasm.

?Often, but not always,? Obi-Wan shrugged, refusing to rise to Captain Panaka?s verbal bait. Such tension within the ranks was unfortunate. Panaka was a fine, conscientious soldier, and he had obviously grown tired of deferring to the two Jedi. Obi-Wan was sympathetic, but only to a point. Panaka?s wounded pride would eventually heal.

Still, Qui-Gon was certainly taking his ti

 

Wow and what an update you provided!

Hehehehehe Silly Maul! He thinks he has the Queen! *Snrk* hehehehe

Poor Qui! and Obi-Wan! Obi wants to go back to help his Master and the girl... but Panaka is correct... they can't risk it.

Hurry Anakin! Qui definitely is going to need serious medical help!


Great work!! Fear not when you can post, I'm juz glad that you are able to do so I'll be around waiting for the next one

 

You hope that that update will do? Of course it did! Awesome update. Silly, silly Maul... Leaving a Jedi Master in a perilous situation (with little to no chance of surviving)instead of killing him flat out was a mistake. Very sloppy Maul...

Plus, I like that Ani knew that Qui was in peril...

Great update... Once again I LOVE this story and where it's going

 

Maybe, before I post any more Sabe dialogue, it would be appropriate to, again, apologize to the United Kingdom. And to Australia? And to New Zealand...


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For one brief, blink-and-you?d-miss-it moment, Darth Maul watched the Naboo Royal Starship blast away from Tatooine with open-mouthed bewilderment. It was the first, last, and only time in his hard life that the Sith Lord had that particular expression on his face.

I've been a fool. He realized. They would never leave their Queen. They might abandon anyone and everyone else, but not their Queen. He was absolutely correct, albeit belatedly. Captain Panaka and Ric Olie would never have left Queen Amidala behind. Queen Amidala?s decoy, however?

When Sabe ran from the starship, it was solely to facilitate Padme?s escape. She?d acted entirely on instinct; there had been little time for anything else. But now that she was alone with this tattooed, horned, super-powered monster, she was, justifiably, terrified. And so, she ran away as fast as her legs would carry her. In her gut, she believed that running would be futile, but, in fact, doing so saved her life.

Maul calculated that there was a very slim possibility that he could run down the Naboo starship. Had Sabe been within arm?s reach, he?d have cleaved her in two, just for spite, but, under the circumstances, he couldn?t waste so much as an instant chasing this insignificant girl. Maul jumped back onto his speederbike, and flew away in the general direction of the escaping Naboo transport. Simultaneously, he operated the remote control device on his gauntlet.

This activated the artificial intelligence of the Scimitar, his Infiltrator-class starship. The ship lifted off, abandoning Maul?s surveillance drones, and flew towards the speederbike along a rendezvous vector. With Force-enhanced skill, Maul flew straight through the Scimitar?s open hanger door. A short time later, the Sith starship was out of Tatooine?s atmosphere.

Maul achieved escape velocity just in time for his scanners to register the Nubian?s jump to hyperspace.


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Inside the open cockpit of an oft-sandblasted landspeeder, an alert light flashed on a scanner. The landspeeder?s driver altered the vehicle?s course, and tuned the scanner to better identify the new contact.

The instrument showed the motion of a humanoid silhouette, well inside the visual horizon. The driver wasn?t the least bit surprised.

I love you dearly, Ani, but sometimes you frighten me. Shmi Skywalker admitted to herself.

Ever since Anakin became a podrace driver, Shmi had found it impossible to view his uncanny abilities as gifts. Had he not been so ?gifted?, he wouldn?t have been forced to repeatedly risk his life to enable Watto?s dangerous hobby. And now that he?d won the Boonta Eve, his racing schedule would surely become more intense. Could even so special a boy as Ani continue to defy such odds? Would his talents lead him to an early grave, or would he somehow find a way to forge a different life, far away from junkyards and death sports?

Would Ani ever escape the curse of slavery?

One thing could not be argued; Anakin?s abilities were genuine and formidable. His intuition had proven, over and over again, to be extremely reliable, even against all apparent logic. When Anakin burst into their quarters, insisting that, somewhere in the desert, Qui-Gon Jinn was in desperate trouble, Shmi believed it instantly. Without the slightest doubt, the Jedi Knight?s life must, indeed, be in jeopardy. When Ani pointed towards the Northeast, Shmi?s knew that Qui-Gon could be found in that general direction.

To actually render assistance, however, was another matter entirely. First of all, anything or anyone that could endanger a Jedi Knight could surely make mincemeat out of one lone slave woman?

No, not a slave anymore, she reminded herself. And that realization, ultimately, prompted her to act. She couldn?t abandon the man

 

This is a very good and well-written AU! It's fascinating. I never thought if it, but Qui-Gon, bless him, was awfully free with the Queen's ship.