caught in his throat, along with his stomach, as Anakin cut hard to the right, then dropped suddenly, punched the throttle, pulled back to the left, and lifted the nose, zipping the speeder up through the traffic lane and back in sight of the bounty hunter—only to see another line of blaster bolts coming at them.
Then the bounty hunter dived to the side suddenly,and both Jedi opened their eyes and their mouths wide, their screams drowned out by a commuter train crossing right in front of them.
Obi-Wan tasted bile again, but somehow, Anakin managed to avoid the train, coming out the other side. Obi-Wan looked over to his Padawan, to see him assuming a casual, in-control posture.
“Master, you know I’ve been flying since before I could walk,” Anakin said with a sly grin. “I’m very good at this.”
“Just slow down,” Obi-Wan instructed, in a voice that suggested the dignified Jedi Knight was about to throw up.
Anakin ignored him, taking the speeder in fast pursuit of the assassin, right into a line of giant trucks. Around and around they went, cutting fast corners through the traffic, over the traffic, under the traffic, and around the buildings, always keeping the assassin’s speeder in sight. Anakin took his craft right up on edge, skimming the side of one building.
“He can’t lose me,” the Padawan boasted. “He’s getting desperate.”
“Great,” Obi-Wan answered dryly.
“Oh wait,” Obi-Wan added when the speeder in front dived into a tram tunnel. “Don’t go in there!”
But Anakin zoomed right in, and then zoomed right back out, a huge rushing train chasing him, Obi-Wan screaming about as loudly as the train was blowing its horn. “You know I don’t like it when you do that!”
“Sorry, Master,” Anakin answered unconvincingly. “Don’t worry. This guy’s gonna kill himself any minute now.”
“Well, let him do that alone!” Obi-Wan insisted.
They watched as the assassin zoomed right into traffic, soaring the wrong way down a congested lane.
Anakin went in right behind.
Both speeders zigged and zagged wildly, frantically, the occasional blaster bolt shooting back from the lead one. And then, suddenly, the assassin cut fast, straight up, a tight loop that brought Zam behind the two Jedi.
“Great move,” Anakin congratulated. “I got one, too.” He slammed on his brakes, reversing thrust, and the assassin’s speeder flashed up right beside them.
And there was the assassin, firing point blank at Obi-Wan.
“What are you doing?” Obi-Wan demanded. “He’s going to blast me!”
“Right,” Anakin agreed, working frantically to maneuver away. “This isn’t working.”
“Nice of you to notice.” Obi-Wan dodged, then lurched as the speeder dropped suddenly, Anakin taking it right under the assassin’s.
“He can’t shoot us down here,” the Padawan congratulated himself, but his smile lasted only the split second it took for their opponent’s new tactic to register. The assassin swerved out of the traffic lane and shot straight for a building, coming in at an angle to just skim the rooftop.
Obi-Wan started to shout out Anakin’s name, but the word came out as “
Ananananana.
” The Padawan was in control, though, and he slowed and lifted his speeder’s nose just up over the edge of the rooftop.
Another obstacle showed itself almost immediately, a large craft coming in low and slow.
“It’s landing!” Obi-Wan shouted, and when Anakin didn’t immediately respond, he added desperately, “On us!”
It came out, “
On uuuuuuuuuuuuus!
” as Anakin brought the speeder up on edge and zipped around acorner, clipping a flagpole and taking its cloth contents free.
“Clear that,” the seemingly unshakable Padawan said, nodding down to the torn flag, which had caught itself on one of the speeder’s front air scoops.
“What?”
“Clear the flag! We’re losing power! Hurry!”
Complaining under his breath with every movement, Obi-Wan crawled out of
Then the bounty hunter dived to the side suddenly,and both Jedi opened their eyes and their mouths wide, their screams drowned out by a commuter train crossing right in front of them.
Obi-Wan tasted bile again, but somehow, Anakin managed to avoid the train, coming out the other side. Obi-Wan looked over to his Padawan, to see him assuming a casual, in-control posture.
“Master, you know I’ve been flying since before I could walk,” Anakin said with a sly grin. “I’m very good at this.”
“Just slow down,” Obi-Wan instructed, in a voice that suggested the dignified Jedi Knight was about to throw up.
Anakin ignored him, taking the speeder in fast pursuit of the assassin, right into a line of giant trucks. Around and around they went, cutting fast corners through the traffic, over the traffic, under the traffic, and around the buildings, always keeping the assassin’s speeder in sight. Anakin took his craft right up on edge, skimming the side of one building.
“He can’t lose me,” the Padawan boasted. “He’s getting desperate.”
“Great,” Obi-Wan answered dryly.
“Oh wait,” Obi-Wan added when the speeder in front dived into a tram tunnel. “Don’t go in there!”
But Anakin zoomed right in, and then zoomed right back out, a huge rushing train chasing him, Obi-Wan screaming about as loudly as the train was blowing its horn. “You know I don’t like it when you do that!”
“Sorry, Master,” Anakin answered unconvincingly. “Don’t worry. This guy’s gonna kill himself any minute now.”
“Well, let him do that alone!” Obi-Wan insisted.
They watched as the assassin zoomed right into traffic, soaring the wrong way down a congested lane.
Anakin went in right behind.
Both speeders zigged and zagged wildly, frantically, the occasional blaster bolt shooting back from the lead one. And then, suddenly, the assassin cut fast, straight up, a tight loop that brought Zam behind the two Jedi.
“Great move,” Anakin congratulated. “I got one, too.” He slammed on his brakes, reversing thrust, and the assassin’s speeder flashed up right beside them.
And there was the assassin, firing point blank at Obi-Wan.
“What are you doing?” Obi-Wan demanded. “He’s going to blast me!”
“Right,” Anakin agreed, working frantically to maneuver away. “This isn’t working.”
“Nice of you to notice.” Obi-Wan dodged, then lurched as the speeder dropped suddenly, Anakin taking it right under the assassin’s.
“He can’t shoot us down here,” the Padawan congratulated himself, but his smile lasted only the split second it took for their opponent’s new tactic to register. The assassin swerved out of the traffic lane and shot straight for a building, coming in at an angle to just skim the rooftop.
Obi-Wan started to shout out Anakin’s name, but the word came out as “
Ananananana.
” The Padawan was in control, though, and he slowed and lifted his speeder’s nose just up over the edge of the rooftop.
Another obstacle showed itself almost immediately, a large craft coming in low and slow.
“It’s landing!” Obi-Wan shouted, and when Anakin didn’t immediately respond, he added desperately, “On us!”
It came out, “
On uuuuuuuuuuuuus!
” as Anakin brought the speeder up on edge and zipped around acorner, clipping a flagpole and taking its cloth contents free.
“Clear that,” the seemingly unshakable Padawan said, nodding down to the torn flag, which had caught itself on one of the speeder’s front air scoops.
“What?”
“Clear the flag! We’re losing power! Hurry!”
Complaining under his breath with every movement, Obi-Wan crawled out of
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