the cockpit and gingerly onto the front engine. He bent low and tugged the flag free, and the speeder lurched forward, nearly dislodging him.
“Don’t do that!” he screamed. “I don’t like it when you do that!”
“So sorry, Master.”
“He’s heading for the power refinery,” Obi-Wan said. “But take it easy. It’s dangerous near those power couplings.”
Anakin zoomed right past one of the couplings, and a huge electrical bolt had the air crackling all about them.
“Slow down!” Obi-Wan ordered. “Slow down! Don’t go through there!”
But Anakin did just that, banking left, right, left.
“What are you doing?”
“Sorry, Master!”
More bolts crackled all about them. Right, left, right again, up and over, down and around, and somehow, incredibly, out the other side.
“Oh, that was good,” Obi-Wan admitted.
“That was crazy,” the rattled Anakin corrected. The older Jedi snapped a glare at him, recognized the greenish color that had suddenly come to the Padawan’s face, and then just put his head in his hands and groaned.
“Got him now!” Anakin announced. The assassin wassliding his speeder sidelong around a corner between two buildings up ahead.
Anakin went right around behind, only to find the lead speeder stopped and blocking the alleyway, the assassin leaning out the door, blaster pistol leveled.
“Ah, blast,” the Padawan remarked.
“Stop!” Obi-Wan told him, and both ducked as a line of bolts came at them.
“No, we can make it!” Anakin insisted, punching the throttle.
He dived his speeder under the assassin’s, barely missing it, then went up on edge, slipping through a small gap in the building. But there were pipes there, and no level of flying could put the speeder safely through them. They bounced sidelong, then flipped end over end, narrowly missing a giant crane and clipping some struts. The damage brought forth a giant fiery gas ball, nearly immolating them, and in the uncontrolled spin that followed, they bounced off yet another building and the speeder stalled out.
Anakin winced, expected a line of curses to come at him, but when he finally looked at Obi-Wan, he saw the Jedi staring straight ahead, eyes wide and unblinking, and saying, “I’m crazy, I’m crazy, I’m crazy …” over and over again.
“But it worked,” Anakin dared to say. “We made it.”
“It didn’t work!” Obi-Wan yelled at him. “We’ve stalled! And you almost got us killed!”
Anakin looked down at his hands and body, and waggled his fingers. “I think we’re still alive!” He grinned, trying to disarm his fuming Master, but Obi-Wan seemed as if he was about to explode.
“It was stupid!” Obi-Wan roared.
Anakin worked wildly, trying to restart the speeder. “Icould have made it,” he protested sheepishly. His confident expression strengthened as the speeder roared back to life.
“But you didn’t! And now we’ve lost him!”
Even as Obi-Wan finished, a barrage of laser bolts rained down around them, setting off explosions that rocked them back and forth. The pair looked up, to see the assassin zooming away.
“No, we didn’t,” a smiling Anakin said. He took the speeder up, the sudden thrust violently throwing them both back in their seats. They came through the area of smoke and carnage with several small fires burning on their speeder. Obi-Wan slapped at flames on the control panel.
Again they chased the assassin into the main travel lanes, dodging and turning fast about incoming traffic. Up ahead, the assassin cut fast to the left, between two buildings, and Anakin responded, going right and up.
“Where are you going?” a perplexed Obi-Wan asked. “He went down there, the other way.”
“This is a shortcut. I think.”
“What do you mean,
you think
? What kind of shortcut? He went completely the other way! You’ve lost him!”
“Master, if we keep this chase going, that creep’s gonna end up deep-fried,” Anakin tried to explain.
“Don’t do that!” he screamed. “I don’t like it when you do that!”
“So sorry, Master.”
“He’s heading for the power refinery,” Obi-Wan said. “But take it easy. It’s dangerous near those power couplings.”
Anakin zoomed right past one of the couplings, and a huge electrical bolt had the air crackling all about them.
“Slow down!” Obi-Wan ordered. “Slow down! Don’t go through there!”
But Anakin did just that, banking left, right, left.
“What are you doing?”
“Sorry, Master!”
More bolts crackled all about them. Right, left, right again, up and over, down and around, and somehow, incredibly, out the other side.
“Oh, that was good,” Obi-Wan admitted.
“That was crazy,” the rattled Anakin corrected. The older Jedi snapped a glare at him, recognized the greenish color that had suddenly come to the Padawan’s face, and then just put his head in his hands and groaned.
“Got him now!” Anakin announced. The assassin wassliding his speeder sidelong around a corner between two buildings up ahead.
Anakin went right around behind, only to find the lead speeder stopped and blocking the alleyway, the assassin leaning out the door, blaster pistol leveled.
“Ah, blast,” the Padawan remarked.
“Stop!” Obi-Wan told him, and both ducked as a line of bolts came at them.
“No, we can make it!” Anakin insisted, punching the throttle.
He dived his speeder under the assassin’s, barely missing it, then went up on edge, slipping through a small gap in the building. But there were pipes there, and no level of flying could put the speeder safely through them. They bounced sidelong, then flipped end over end, narrowly missing a giant crane and clipping some struts. The damage brought forth a giant fiery gas ball, nearly immolating them, and in the uncontrolled spin that followed, they bounced off yet another building and the speeder stalled out.
Anakin winced, expected a line of curses to come at him, but when he finally looked at Obi-Wan, he saw the Jedi staring straight ahead, eyes wide and unblinking, and saying, “I’m crazy, I’m crazy, I’m crazy …” over and over again.
“But it worked,” Anakin dared to say. “We made it.”
“It didn’t work!” Obi-Wan yelled at him. “We’ve stalled! And you almost got us killed!”
Anakin looked down at his hands and body, and waggled his fingers. “I think we’re still alive!” He grinned, trying to disarm his fuming Master, but Obi-Wan seemed as if he was about to explode.
“It was stupid!” Obi-Wan roared.
Anakin worked wildly, trying to restart the speeder. “Icould have made it,” he protested sheepishly. His confident expression strengthened as the speeder roared back to life.
“But you didn’t! And now we’ve lost him!”
Even as Obi-Wan finished, a barrage of laser bolts rained down around them, setting off explosions that rocked them back and forth. The pair looked up, to see the assassin zooming away.
“No, we didn’t,” a smiling Anakin said. He took the speeder up, the sudden thrust violently throwing them both back in their seats. They came through the area of smoke and carnage with several small fires burning on their speeder. Obi-Wan slapped at flames on the control panel.
Again they chased the assassin into the main travel lanes, dodging and turning fast about incoming traffic. Up ahead, the assassin cut fast to the left, between two buildings, and Anakin responded, going right and up.
“Where are you going?” a perplexed Obi-Wan asked. “He went down there, the other way.”
“This is a shortcut. I think.”
“What do you mean,
you think
? What kind of shortcut? He went completely the other way! You’ve lost him!”
“Master, if we keep this chase going, that creep’s gonna end up deep-fried,” Anakin tried to explain.
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