Sebulba had already called to Djulla to break out the food and drink for the celebration. He leaned over, watching his viewscreen avidly.
"That's my boy!" he cackled. "Smash them all!"
Ry-Gaul, Tru, and Ferus approached Obi-Wan. "We can do nothing now,"
Ry-Gaul said.
Obi-Wan scanned the crowd. Each being was staring intently at a viewscreen. Some crowded around one small screen, others shared with one or two friends. He had to be right. There had to be someone who would activate the backup system by hand.
One being sat alone. A plain brown robe swept down to the floor. A hood hid a face bent intently over a viewscreen. Then a hand moved to reach inside the robe toward a pocket. A datapad appeared. In that brief movement Obi-Wan glimpsed a robe underneath the plain brown cloak. The color was brilliant scarlet and the thick veda cloth was embroidered with orange septsilk thread.
Obi-Wan took off. He hurdled over some Pit Droids coiling a lubrication hose and avoided a disabled Pod-racer being wheeled into a transport. Startled gazes followed him as he rushed toward the seats.
The noise of the Podracers suddenly echoed through the caves. They were close. The spectators stood.
He knew, even as he ran, that he was too late. His throat constricted with pain.
Liviani Sarno touched the screen on her datapad, then slipped it back into a pocket. She quickly rose and jumped to the floor, hurrying away from the stands. She kept the viewscreen in front of her so she could keep her eye on the Podracers.
Obi-Wan took a quick look at his own viewscreen. They were close, racing now down a straightaway. There was one sharp turn right before the spectator stands, and then a short distance to the finish line.
He strode forward and put his hand on Sarno's arm. She looked up at him, surprised and, for a moment, frightened.
"I'll take that datapad," he said.
"What are you doing?" Liviani hissed. "I am here undercover. I am observing. Go away."
"What did you just do?"
"Nothing," she said, her eyes on the screen as the Podracers raced down the last straightaway. She struggled to get away. "Let me go!"
"If you did nothing, why are you so afraid?" Obi-Wan asked. The Podracers approached the last curve. He kept his hand on her wrist.
"Let me go!" Liviani screamed, her eyes wide with fear.
It is up to you now, Anakin. I failed to stop her. I cannot help you.
There is only the Living Force.
Anakin was on a straightaway, but he knew his steering had failed completely as soon as it happened. He knew his braking system had shorted as well. The warning lights stayed green. No red lights flashed. The Podracer did not wobble or shift. But the Force had gathered like a sudden storm cloud and filled his vision. He could see clearly and yet he knew the cloud was there.
This time the problem would not be easy to fix. It had not happened through the nav computer. He flipped switch after switch, but some kind of override had been programmed into his Podracer.
The turn was ahead. He was still hugging Hekula's tail. He had been preparing to make his move and pass him just before the turn. Now he knew he'd never make it. Instead, the Podracer would not turn. It would go out of control and crash into the stands.
He felt the Force around him and in him. In moments like this, Anakin felt capable of anything. The Force was like a gifted companion, a far- seeing guide, a power that gave his muscles strength and his mind and heart vision and will. He felt at the center of the moving Force. Ready.
There was only one thing to do, and he knew it. He saw the steps ahead that he needed to take. He saw the difficulties and the odds. He even saw the possibility of his own death. It did not matter.
He made his move. He slammed himself against the side of the Podracer and pushed the engine so that he maneuvered close to the left side of the tunnel wall.
Then he accelerated and came up neck and neck with Hekula on his right. Engines screaming, he was less than a centimeter from being smashed against the cave wall.
Hekula shot him an incredulous glance. It was as though Anakin was inside his mind. Hekula could take the opportunity to make one quick swipe, forcing him against the cave wall, and Anakin would be a fireball in seconds. But if Hekula did that, Neluenf, who was close behind them, would swing out to the right and no doubt win the race.
Revenge or victory? Anakin had bet on the answer.
Hekula did not turn his Podracer to sideswipe Ana-kin. Instead, he began the turn. Victory was too close for him to take the chance. Anakin's Podracer was so snug against Hekula's that it was forced to turn left as well. Sparks flew as his Podracer scraped along the wall.
The shell of the Podracer began to smoke. Anakin tasted smoke and fire in his mouth. He did not let up on his speed. If he did, he would be dead.
The spectators gasped as the two Podracers rounded the left curve, seemingly one connected beast. The flat straightaway was ahead, the finish line crowded with the Podracer teams and spectators who had risked the anger of Podracer security and jumped out of the stands.
And there was his Master, looking straight at him. The Podracer was barreling toward him at 600 kilometers an hour. And he had no brakes.
Anakin pushed the speed, passing Hekula. Then he cut the power and slammed all his weight to one side.
His Podracer began to spin. He crossed the finish line, spinning so wildly that neither Hekula or Neluenf could pass him.
The Podracer came to a slow stop. At first Anakin could not hear the cheers over the ringing in his ears. He had won. And no one was dead.
Suddenly, he felt very tired. He saw the faces as a blur. Liviani Sarno, looking strangely pale. His Master, looking grave but relieved. And Sebulba, snarling at him, waving his arms and crying "Foul!"
Hot anger spilled through Anakin. He threw off his goggles and vaulted out of the Podracer.
"You!" he thundered at Hekula and Sebulba. "You're the cheats!"
Because of them, countless innocent beings might have been killed.
Anakin had no doubt that Sebulba had been the one behind the sabotage of Deland's Pod-racer. They could not completely rely on getting the track information first. They had to destroy their closest rival. It was just like Sebulba to go that one, cruel step further.
The red mist he had come to recognize as rage filled his vision, driving out the memory of the clarity of the Force. He could see nothing but his rage against Sebulba, at anyone who would risk so many lives just to win.
"Slave boy! You have to cheat to win! There's no mother watching this time to disapprove!"
The taunting words filled his head and the red mist grew dense and hot.
He reached down for his lightsaber, but a strong hand closed over his.
"No, Padawan."
Obi-Wan's voice reached him as if from a long distance.
"He did it." Anakin struggled to keep the rage away. He pictured the red mist leaving him, floating over a distant hill. "He deserves to be punished."
"No." Obi-Wan's voice was stronger still. He drew Anakin away. "Listen to me, Padawan. Sebulba did not cheat. It was Doby and Deland."