Star Wars - Episode I Journal - Anakin Skywalker Read Free

Tatooine was a forgotten wasteland on the Outer Rim. Coruscant was the center of the galaxy. Tatooine was a near-empty desert. Coruscant was covered by an unending multileveled city. It was the capital of the Galactic Republic, and the home of the Jedi.
    Qui-Gon explained that they were on a secret mission. But their ship was damaged and they’d had to land on Tatooine while they searched for parts. They would stay only as long as it took to repair the ship.
    The problem was they didn’t have the money to get the parts. Qui-Gon had plenty of Republic credits. But those were useless to Watto.
    All of a sudden I had a great idea. The Boonta Eve Classic Podrace was in two days, and I knew I could win it. If Qui-Gon would enter me in the race, the prize money would pay for the parts they needed—and more!
    Mom got upset because she hated when I raced Pods. And Padmé and Qui-Gon both agreed that they would try to find another way to get the money—one that didn’t involve me having to risk my life.
    But I wouldn’t give up that easily. I reminded Mom of what she’d said so many times: that of all the problems in the universe, the biggest one was that people didn’t help each other.
    Mom started to shake her head, but then stopped. Our eyes locked. Without words, just using thoughts, I tried to tell her how important this was to me. That somehow, deep inside, I knew I had to race.
    And then the most amazing thing happened. Mom turned to Padmé and Qui-Gon and said I was right. There was no other way to get the kind of money they needed. The only way was to let me race. She said she didn’t like it, but that this was what I was meant to do.

Fourth Entry
We Prepare for the Race

    There was still a lot to be done before I could race. First we had to scrape together the entry fee to get into the Boonta Classic. We waited until the next morning and then returned to the junk shop where Qui-Gon tried to make a deal with Watto.
    That’s when I knew how serious Qui-Gon’s problems really were. To get the entry fee, he offered his ship.
    Even Watto was smart enough to see what a great bargain Qui-Gon was offering him. If I won the race, Watto would get to keep everything except the parts Qui-Gon needed. If I lost the race, Watto got himself a Nubian starship.
    Watto agreed, and we hurried back to my house to get my Pod ready for the race. Padmé, Jar Jar, and Artoo-Detoo all pitched in. As we worked, I noticed Qui-Gon speaking quietly with my mom. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but from the looks on their faces and the way they kept glancing at me, I could tell it was serious.
    Then the Jedi shook his head and Mom turned away with a sad look on her face. What was going on?
    We kept working on the Podracer. It was so wizard! Two huge Radon-Ulzer turbines connected to a small trailing Pod by steelton control cables. You sit in the racer behind these monster engines and try to steer at speeds that can tear the hair right off your head. But for all its power and speed, the Podracer is an amazingly delicate machine. One nasty scrape against a rock formation or another racer, and you could disappear in a flaming bath of rocket fuel.
    Some of my friends came over, including my best friend, Kitster. When I told them I was going to enter my Podracer in the Boonta Classic, everyone except Kitster laughed. They knew I’d been working on it for a long time. They also knew I’d never even gotten the engines running.
    The others went off to play ball, but Kitster stayed behind, curious to see if I could actually get the Podracer to work.
    In my heart I knew today was the day. I could feel it. And when Qui-Gon gave me the power charge I needed, I got into the Podracer and inserted it.
    I held my breath… and hit the ignition switch.
    VARROOOOMMMM! The turbines roared to life. Red and pink energy binders flashed between the engine casings, and orange flames burst from the afterburners.
    Kitster smiled. Padmé and the others cheered.