Victory!

Sebulba was seriously ticked.
He had some more tricks to inflict.
He got back in front
By pulling a stunt
But Ani was hard to predict.

The final stretch was neck and neck.
Sebulba tried one last cheap peck.
But it didn’t work out
He went spinning about
And Sebulba was the one who did wreck.

Ani crossed the finish line alone.
The crowd cheered a deafening tone.
They hoisted him high
This teeny little guy
Was amazing, the race that he’d flown

Watto was not near as pleased.
“I think that you cheated,” he wheezed.
But he’d have to be nuts
To take it up with the Hutts
So he freed the boy, his servitude ceased.

Back in the shadows undiscovered
A Sith probe droid watched while it hovered
The nasty machine
Recorded the scene
Then flew back to the Sith to be recovered.

Next time: Ani Leaves Home

Ani Catches Up

A few tries and finally ignition.
Full throttle with youthful ambition!
Then using the Force,
He sped through the course,
Dodging a Tusken Raider firing munition.

Moving up from the back of the pack
Sometime flying through debris and flak
But lessening the meters
Between him and the leaders
He was mounting a spectacular comeback.

As the pods passed the stands for lap one,
Shmi searched the track for her son.
Hearing familiar hums,
Padme yelled, “Here he comes!”
Two more laps to go til it’s done.

He was now sixth after starting out last
More than half of the racers he’d passed.
Flashing vents, bumping fenders
He caught up to the contenders
The ones whom Sebulba harassed.

After two laps we had a good race
Though Sebulba was still in first place.
But hot on his heels,
Anakin steals
The momentum and keeps up the chase.

Sebulba bumped Ani off track
With an underhanded cheater attack.
The boy flew through the sky
It was almost too high,
Then he swooped past Sebulba...”I’m ba-ack!”

Next time: Victory!

Race Day

Out in the desert that night
Arrived a most frightening sight.
Some hovering balls,
Probe droids of Darth Maul’s,
Made their way through the silver moonlight.


The next day’s excitement was major
Qui Gon and Watto made a wager.
The Jedi rigged the bet
So the prize he would get
Was freedom for the pre-teenager.

Meanwhile, Padme’s hopes were diminished
The odds were further worse than she wished
Despite his reputation,
Ani had never won
And even worse, he’d never finished!

The two-headed announcer got started
With opening banter, light hearted.
The crowd all hurrayed
At the opening parade,
Pods to the starting line were carted.

Sebulba was a pilot quite brash,
to Anakin he started talking trash.
You don’t think you’ll win do you?
Because you’re bantha poodoo,
You won’t walk away from this when you crash.”

“Drivers, start your engines now please”
Said the two headed announcer in Huttese.
They didn’t wait long
For the sound of the gong
The pods took off, all except for Ani’s!

Next time: Ani Catches Up

Anakin Can Help

Seated at the table for dinner
Jar Jar was a slurper and grinner
He snatched with his tongue
Qui Gon caught him and clung,
“Don’t do that again or I’ll skin’yer.”

They talked about attempts at tracing
Chips placed in the slaves' outer casing.
If a slave tries to run,
They’re pretty much done
That’s the fate the Skywalkers were facing.

Anakin had an unlikely skill
For which most other humans would kill
For most people lacked
The ability to react
Quick enough to aim a podracer’s grill.

Qui Gon asked, “it takes skills, am I right?”
“To keep a podracer in flight?”
Said Shmi’s little son,
“I’m the only one,
Who can do it and come out all right.”

“But now, I’ve a question for you,
Tell me what you came here to do?
You’ve got a laser sword
and you’re not a Sith lord
...You’ve come for a slave boy rescue!”

Qui Gon said, “Answer’s no, I’m afraid.”
But the boy still would not be dismayed.
“I think I see clear,
Why else would you be here?
I’ll come with and grow a padawan braid.”

“I can help you win the parts from Watto.
He’s addicted to gambling and lotto.
I could race with the pods
Giving favorable odds
Letting greed be the downfall of Watto.”

Shmi said, “It’s a horrible sport.”
Watching Ani made her whole face contort.
“He’s my precious whelp
But I guess he can help
Win the parts to help fix your transport.”

Next time: Watto Takes the Bait