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THE SET-UP: The Malastare Open is probably the most civilised pod race there is- fatalities are not uncommon, but deliberate murder on the track is more or less unheard of. As one of the few Republican worlds that permits gambling, Malastare has even greater distinction in allowing this most dangerous of sports. A sport which, right now, is wide open, as many of the best pod racers were killed or injured four months ago at the Boonta Eve pod race on Tatooine.

It is an Open event, anyone with a pod may join. And at the last moment, two new racers unheard of before join the line up, both of them from the planet Mogar. Mogarians cannot breathe or touch oxygen, and so both racers are clad tightly inside body suits that obscure their appearance. Neither are actually Mogarian; the suits are disguises.

From the Jedi, Knight Mah Ar'cor is racing. He is not happy to be doing so; the Jedi find the situation displeasing. But they have little choice- the only chance they have of pursuing their Dark Sided opponents is to retrieve the Sith Navigation device- the Astrolabe that the title of the story refers to- that Kuylen and the others plan to use to find their next target, in conjunction with the maps they got from Avalar. The man who owns the Astrolabe is rich businessman, and one time archaelogist, Kir Ascar. Ascar wants the Jedi to ruin the betting for the event by posing as an outsider and winning the race- Ascar stands to make a fortune by this. Only if the Jedi win will he lend them the Astrolabe. No other option remains open to the Jedi in the time they have.

Ironically, the Jedi are unaware that Kuylen's men have not used the Astrolabe yet after all. The two he have sent to do it- violent warrior Galder (Rex) and powerful but ill-trained Takuan (Dexx)- have run into great difficulties, and found themselves making an identical deal with Ascar. Ascar, of course, finds the whole thing rather hilarious...

Mah and Galder are racing for the same prize, neither entirely sure who the fellow 'Mogarian' racer is and why he is there.

Ok, so now the pod race starts! (Play the music here...)

It is a warm and bright day (for Malastare, anyway). Conditions are good. There's a good buzz for the audience of tens of thousands at the track for the Malastare open. The arena is at the edge of the city, and the track itself winds somewhat to the outside of the city limits before winding back to the main arena. The whole area is observed by many cameras, and there is no chance of Tusken Raiders and the like taking potshots at people!

RULES: It is pretty simple. There are three laps of four sections each. Each section, the racer describes the means he plans to drive through that section. The other racers will be controlled by me. Rather like duelling, a point score will then be determined- a combination of the skill of the driver, the quality and appropriateness of the post, and a small random factor.

The scores accumulate over each section and lap. Whoever has the highest score is in the lead! The second highest is second, and so on! Whoever has the highest score at the end of the final section of the final lap has won!

However... there is a complication. After each bit of scoring, it may look like people have moved up or down places. But anyone trying to move pass someone else may have to fight to do it! Before the next section begins, little fights and tussles will break out as we see if someone's potential to move up a place actually translates into reality! If an attempt to overtake is successfully blocked, your points total becomes limited to that of the person who stopped you. So, if a person trying to move from 20 points to 30 is stopped by a man on 25, that person is also stuck on 25.

The two of you are currently walking onto the track to get into your pods- Mah's wide brown one, and Galder's long and narrow brown one. They look like they were built by the same company... this is very odd!

In a moment, I shall describe your rival's pods, and how the course looks. SOon after the race will start.

Galder hops into the brown podracer that Ascar has assigned him. He spots the other Mogarian-suited racer and the large brown podracer he has. "Odd..." Galder says to himself, as he takes note of the other other Mogarian and his podracer.

btw, Ush. I've registered under the name Unad Bejeem.

Of course, it is a little difficult for the two of you to see in these things. Obviously Mogarians are not into peripheral vision (don't worry, your Jedi senses will compensate).

They are also very tight and somewhat restricting. Your own breathing is very loud and when you talk, the sound simply echoes around the suit; to be heard you must press the button on your chest mounted synthisier, and when you speak, a rather flat tone emerges from the unit; your words but not your voice.

Inevitably, the grass is always greener and the other Mogarian looks far more comfortable than yourself, for both of you...

This will be interesting... thinks Galder. He wishes that the Mogarians had better visors.

So, who are the opposing racers?

(Just waiting for Mah to check in)

(Okily-dokily. )

I'm here!

Mah jumps into the big podracer, and gets ready for the race.

Okidokey then...

There are nine pods in the race.

#1 is Mah's, a wide brown thing. It is manoeuvrable

#2 is Galder's, a long and narrow brown thing. it is fast.

#3 is driven by some small blue thing, and looks like a small blue thing. It is VERY fast indeed, but hard to steer. It also looks very fragile.

#4 is large and nasty, driven by some hard-scaled alien. It is slow, but the sides are built to better ram and jostle other pods; you want to be careful near that one.

#5, a very orthodox job driven by a Dug, is fast like Galder's

#6 is driven by something with six tentacle-like arms. it is the largest pod in the race, done in a rather sickly yellow. It is manoeuvrable and has good traction, but isn't very fast.

#7 is a four-engined pod, making it fast, but a ***** on the traction; it slides all over the place. It is also driven by a Dug

#8, looks like it is held together with sticky-back plastic and spare parts. Driven by some greasy ape-like being, who wears a big smile, it is fast and manoeuvrable, but looks like it will fall apart at any moment.

#9 is another tiny pod with a tiny green alien. It seems to have no distinction whatsoever...

And then the course.

The first section is the Straight, starting at the wide line-up at the starting line and shooting out of the city limits. It is fun, easy and wide. Pods with good speed will do best here.

The second section is the Narrows. The straight curves slightly and splits into four seperate routes, walled off from each other. Each of the four routes is the same length, and each is pretty straight, so fast pods will do well here as well. However, the routes are very narrow. It is IMPOSSIBLE to overtake in the second section!

The third section is the Twists, a nightmare section of tough turns and hairpins as the track starts to curve back around on itself. There are several wide points to overtake but only a brave racer would go fast enough to try. Manoeuvrable pods do well here

The fourth section is the lake, a section going over one of Malastare's green lakes, that also give off green fog. The fog makes it hard to see. There are several turns here, nowhere near as bad as the twists but the pods slip and slide on the surface, and only pods with good traction can peform well here.

The final corner of the Lake takes you back to the Straight.

Please note:

1. Manoeuvrable pods are better in a tussle or fight
2. Pods with good traction are more likely to recover if you go out of control
3. Pods with good speed have no extra bonus but have TWO sections of the race they are better at.

Also note that one each lap you may activate your boost for ONE section. This will improve performance for that section- but also your risk!

Everyone is now being directed into their pods; the pit crews are clearing the track and the engines are starting!

Mah is concentrated and ready to blast off the starting line

Bit nervous there, Mah- youe engine didn't start until you you hammered the control panel a little... the energy binders for you all are powering up now!

(Race starts when Rex signals ready...)

Galder starts the engine. The energy binders delay for a second, and then spark to life, the purple energy flowing to and from the engines. The engines start, with yellow flames and smoke bursting from the rear.

"This is gonna be fun..." Galder says to himself under the suit.

(btw, I could plug a few names to the species of the drivers. There are some that are similar to ones that I have names for...)

I nickname them myself... speedy, rammy, boring, and so on...

Ok, guys, the final countdown to the off is starting... this is the big moment!

Slight difference as this is the first round. There is no 'jostling' for position after the first section- you just establish your places- no fights!. The jostling will start after the second section. And as you cannot overtake in the second section, how you do here dictates your position for the whole first half of the first lap!

What are you planning to do? Will you shoot forwards and try and be first into the narrows? Or will you hang back, let someone else be the target and try and get places in the Twists?

Don't ask me what is better, I have no idea- this is all experimental to me!

3...

2...

1...

GO! GO! GO!

What's your plan, guys?

(Here's the species that your descriptions best fit...)

1. Mogarian
2. Mogarian
3. Aleena
4. Trandoshan
5. Dug
6. Neugarian
7. Dug
8. Triffian
9. Fluggrian

#6 is the only one that's not an official Star Wars species. I made it for my Star Wars story, about a bounty hunter and so on...

Galder slams forward on the accelerator throttles, and his podracer goes rocketing ahead of the others.

(Is that a boost use?)

(Um...I guess...)

Mah is sure to get quickly off the start-line, positioning himself not in the lead of the field but slightly behind, planning to use his manouvreable pod to gain places in the Twists.

And boom! You guys are off! As you have never done this before, yout first round is a little slower than normal as you try to get to grips with the way these things handle at top speed. They are VERY scary! Your guts try to force their way through your stomach as your pods shoot up to top speed without the grav compensators you are used to in spacecraft. It is all a blur as you speed down the Straight, and it takes you a few moments before you note the Narrows are approaching and the playing field is developing.

Galder, you boost yourself hugely forwards with a perfectly times surging start. But the small guy in the very speedy pod has the same idea, and the sheer power of his pod starts to outdo yours. As you enter the Narrows, he has just pipped you to the pole.

Mah, you soon find yourself mid-field as the faster pods (qudrto four engined guy and the dodgy pod) slip in front of you, boosts unused this lap so far. But now you are getting the hang of this...

Orthodox and Boring (the dull pods with the Dug and small alien, respectively) slip in just behind Mah. Twisty manoeuvrable pod and the big basher stall on start-up, and bring up the rear.

Now, everyone splits up as they enter the Narrows...

Your plans please!

POSITIONS AND SCORES

1st: Speedy (10)
2nd: Galder (9)
3rd: Quadro (6)
4th: Dodgy (6)
5th: Mah (4)
6th: Boring (4)
7th: Orthodox (3)
8th: Twisty (1)
9th: Bashy (1)

NOW ENTERING: The Narrows, lap 1

Mah decides to try and stay out of trouble for this section, and works to keep some distance to the two pods behind, while not attempting anything with the Dodgy bloke ahead.

Mah, you are getting a message from Gundark as you enter the Narrows...

"mah, if you could speed it up a bit...we don't have 20 laps to jockey position with. I know you can do this. Use the Force. Trust your instincts."

Mah replied. "But Master, speeding up in the Narrows, where it's impossible to pass anyone, is that a good idea?"

Galder trades paint with Speedy for a few seconds, and then slows down a bit. He begins rounding the turns in the Narrows to avoid crashing.

(It bends more than turns)

Ok, you guys race through the Narrows! You lose sight of a lot of other racers for a while until you come out of them...

Galder, Speedy was a little TOO fast going into the Narrows and had to break a bit, Yet he is still faster than you, and comes out ahead by the same margin.

Mah, Dodgy comes through your part much faster than you, and is getting out of sight! But he has to pull back before he hits quadro. You pull ahead of Boring.

Bashy gets his early problems sorted, but twisty guy is still slow and blocks his path! He gestures angrily, and will do something about it soon...

POSITIONS AND SCORES

1st: Speedy (15)
2nd: Galder (14)
3rd: Quadro (11)
4th: Dodgy (11)
5th: Mah (8)
6th: Boring (7)
7th: Orthodox (7)
8th: Twisty (2)
9th: Bashy (2)

NOW ENTERING: The Twists, lap 1.

Your plans please! And remember, now things turn nasty!

(I have a feeling Twisty will be meeting his end shortly...)

Galder growls to himself and quickly presses the synthesizer button on the Mogarian suit. "Outta my way slimeball!!!" he shouts to the Aleena in the speedy blue podracer. He goes as fast as possible to pull up alongside Speedy and pushes sideways a little to force Speedy away.

Mah uses all his skills and the advantage of the manouvrable pod to take the best paths in the turns. When he comes to an open area he uses the boost to try to gain places. He gives full throttle out of the turn into the open area, but breaks all down right before he gets to the turny part again.

Ok, EVERYTHING slows down as people enter the twists.

Galder, you speed at Speedy to try and bring him down. He is fast, but you are gaining, and gaining, and..

CRAP! WALL! WALL!

The two of you have to SLAM on the brakes to avoid a premature end, and virtually have to power up from scratch again! Both of you can only watch as Dodgy and Quadro go past!

Mah, the second sodding turn foxes you. You mis-judge the boost cut out and almost come a cropper, slowing drastically. However, youstill make good, efficient ground through the section.

Bashy and Twisty do much better this section, Bashy tail-gates Twisty all the way, before catching the corner of his pod nastily. Twisty starts to wobble all over the shop but recovers- but Bashy slips by!

POSITIONS AND SCORES

1st: Dodgy (20)
2nd: Quadro (16)
3rd: Speedy (15)
4th: Galder (15)
5th: Mah (14)
6th: Boring (13)
7th: Orthodox (13)
8th: Bashy (10)
9th: Twisty (9)

All jostling already resolved! Bashy is through; Galder and Speedy lost their chance to block!

NOW ENTERING: The Lake, lap 1.

Your plans please! And a LOT of nastiness is approaching!

Galder glares at Speedy and is tempted to bring out his blaster pistol, but thought better of it. He began to pick up speed again, and used his podracer's muscle to push past Speedy. He relied on the Force to guide his turns through the green mist and keep the pod from sliding on the slippery surface of the Lakes.

With the opposition in front closer, Mah drives aggresively until he comes up to the side of the other Mogarian, slows a bit down, positioning himself at the side of him. and with the bigger pod he has he tries to maybe bumb a little on the mogarian to get past.

Ah, geez, this stuff is a nightmare! Both of you slip badly at the first corner. You keep control, but in the mist you both completely lose sights of your targets for a few moments! You can hear the roars nearby as you push on...

In fact, many pods are slipping badly. There is a huge roar as many competitors boost on this final stretch but for many it is badly timed. Bashy has only just gotten past twisty, when he is completely outdriven and now Twisty is trying to force his way past him! Quadro's slippery pod is all over the shop and he nearly crashes, and even Dodgy is taking things easy.

It looks like the much overlooked Boring and Orthodox are the ones coming up fast... and they are both going to try and force their way past you guys!

POSITIONS AND SCORES- TEMPORARY!

1st: Dodgy (22)
2nd: Speedy (20)- +1
3rd: Quadro (17)- -1
4th: Boring (17)- +2
5th: Orthodox (17)- +2
6th: Galder (16)- -2
7th: Mah (16)- -2
8th: Twisty (16) +1
9th: Bashy (12) -1

FIGHT TIME!

Speedy is trying to beat a rather wobbly Quadro. Bashy is trying to fend off Twisty.

You guys get one each trying to pass you. As you try to pick the pace back up and race through the misty corners you both find yourselves side to side with these people who seem to be turning better! They have no intention of fighting and want to slmply slip by. You can try to block them or bash them (or even let them pass if you have cunning plans!)

Mah, you have the Dug (Orthodox) coming past you. He cackles evilly and gestures with his feet at you as he drives past.

Galder, the small alien in the small pod is shooting by. The pilot pays yoy no attention at all, eyes firmly fixed on the route...

Once these fights are resolved I will give the final placings for this section.

Mah decides to block the Dug; he don't want to do anything wild bashing cause of the slippery track, but he can't loose many more places now. He sneaks infront of the Dug, blocking its path and trying to stay ahead.

Galder pulls up alongside the small alien and delivers a powerful slam to his side, and quickly pulls out to maintain speed. "Stupid creatures...I'll blow them all up after the race!"

Galder, your shunt is well-timed. Although your opponent NEARLY gets by you, you manage to catch him with your shove, and he quickly backs off before he gets worse.

Mah, your pod is well-suited for this sort of thing. You completely block the angry Dug, who is soon shouting obscenities at you!

Meanwhile, Bashy gives Twisty another nasty shunt as he tries to overtake, while Galder's old friend 'Speedy' easily bypasses Quadro as he wobbles all over the place!

Soon the mists thin and you are approaching the straight again. You both now know the course. This time, however, the straight is being approached at speed rather than from a standing start, and there will be tussling this time!

The four pods in the middle, including you two, cross the line almost simultaneously. It's going to be quite a fight!

POSITIONS AND SCORES

1st: Dodgy (22)
2nd: Speedy (20)
3rd: Quadro (17)
4th: Galder (16)
5th: Mah (16)
6th: Orthodox (16)
7th: Boring (16)
8th: Bashy (14)
9th: Twisty (14)

NOW ENTERING: The Straight, Lap 2.

(BTW, Rex, don't be fazed by anything Dexx tells you at this point...)

Mah, not being blocked by any of the opponents near him, uses his boost on the wide open area it is.

(oooh, popped in to move things on, but no Galder yet! Be back later!)

A small accounting error has just been corrected; Bashy and Twisty have a couple more points than I said at first.

(Sorry, I went to Arizona for Thanksgiving)

Galder sees the other Mogarian racer use a boost, and quickly uses one of his. I don't know who this guy is, but I'm not going to let him win...

As you zoom past the starting line for the straight, the light goes on for the second round. Quadro takes the final corner of the last lap far too wide! As he comes in, he clips the edge of the structure built over the starting line, which puts him completely out of stride! By the he is recovered, the centre pack is upon him!

There is huge roar as all four middle racers put on every bit of speed they can to race forwards. Galder is JUST edging out ahead in his faster pod...

But all of you will have to pass Quadro to do so.

POSITIONS AND SCORES- TEMPORARY

1st: Dodgy (28)
2nd: Speedy (27)
3rd: Galder (23) +1
4th: Mah (22) +1
5th: Orthodox (22) +1
6th: Boring (22) +1
7th: Quadro (20) -4
8th: Bashy (17)
9th: Twisty (16)

Ok, both of you guys need to tell me how you plan to pass Quadro, who may have gone wobbly but is going fine again by the point you wish to pas him. He will attempt to passively block each of you in turn

Mah uses the manouvrability of the pod to swing left and right to get Quadro focused on only that, and when there's a turn in the track he swings out so that Quadro does the same and then takes the opportunity to get on the inside of Quadro through the last bit of the turn.

Galder lets the other Mogarian pass and then speedily persues him. He takes the same route. He then uses another boost to get ahead of him.

(Hey, Ush, how come it says I exploded in the Dark-Side thread?)

(Oops! Ignore that question...)

Sorry Gald, your opponent was Quadro, not Mah! Distracted, you have to break hard to avoid Quadro, and lose your rhythm. He blocks you.

But Mah, you and Boring and Orthodox skillfully slip past!

Up front, Dodgy keeps up the pace but now a part of his pod is sparking and giving off puffs of smoke. Looks like the strain is starting to show on his pod!

Speedy skids a little, to his own irritation, but his sheer speed keeps him going fast through the section. He tries to catch Dodgy before the Narrows... but Dodgy JUST edges in ahead and the chance to overtake is lost!

The the slow pods at the back lumber forwards, doing better than they did at the start, but not much.

POSITIONS AND SCORES

1st: Dodgy (28)
2nd: Speedy (27)
3rd: Mah (22)
4th: Orthodox (22)
5th: Boring (22)
6th: Quadro (20)
7th: Galder (20)
8th: Bashy (17)
9th: Twisty (16)

NOW ENTERING: The Narrows (lap 2)

Dodgy sheds debris all over as a part of his pod bursts as he enters the Narrows. A slip-up by the official means the maintenance bots come out early! The Narrows become filled with solid repair bots all over the place! This is going to be harsh!

Your plans, please. No need for anyone to fret, or to be complacent, there is not much in it!

Galder shouts angrily and speeds up. He turns through the Narrows, trying to avoid the annoyance of the salvage bots. Thanks for dying Dodgy... thinks Galder as he watches the Triffian's pod smoke.

(He's still going, actually... just he is getting worse as time goes by)

Hmm...shouldn't he be falling back in the ranks then? I know I would if my pod was a wreck...

The bots in the..narrow narrows is an annoyance, but Mah slides and dodges past them on the relative straight track

His pod isn't a wreck! It's just on fire... a little.

Ok, pretty straight going for everyone at this bit. The bots are the most trouble for Galder and Dodgy, who is trying to keep his pod together, let alone dodge the damn things!

Everyone shoots quickly through the narrows and the pack is becoming VERY tight indeed! It's a great race!

POSITIONS AND SCORES

1st: Dodgy (32)
2nd: Speedy (32)
3rd: Mah (26)
4th: Orthodox (26)
5th: Boring (25)
6th: Quadro (25)
7th: Galder (25)
8th: Bashy (20)
9th: Twisty (20)

Ok, now, as you know, no-one can overtake... BUT... anyone who COULD have overtaken, now gets a chance to try and back-bash the guy in front!

Basically, there are three things that can happen when this does.

1. You will send the other guy out of control for the next section
2. You will scratch some paintwork
3. You will send YOURSELF out of control for the next section.

Now, being out of control in the Twists is very bad for anyone without good traction!

The following people can bash:

Twisty can try and bash Bashy (not going to happen!)
Orthodox can try and bash Mah
Galder can try and bash Quadro (who has BAD traction... oooh!)
Speedy can try and bash Dodgy (but is too small)

So, Mah. Orthodox is comimng to ram you from behind, and your manoeuvrability is no good here! Any plans?

And Galder, if you want to try and shunt Quadro, just say so...

BTW, Galder, Takuan is babbling something at you about taking it slow around some corner...

"Alright, alright, Takuan," Galder says through the comlink. He decides not to bash Quadro and just tries to keep behind him. Damn, I wish I had worked on the traction...

(Speaking of that, I never got the chance because I was gone. Doesn't seem fair...)

Odd that you would rather be in last place, which is where you would be right now without that speed...

The point is that if you do it well you will come out of it fine! It is ONE of those three things that happens!

(Oh, just one of them...I thought it was all three!)

Galder speeds up and rams Quadro's cockpit. "Eat this, slimeball!" he says through the synthesizers.

slow down and position myself behind him, to try and pass him in the next section perhaps?

No good, Mah, you can't get behind him any more than he can get in front, in the Narrows! Orthodox shunts heavly into you... but you both keep control.

Must be said, Galder, the synthisiser makes that sound rather flat and unthreatening... but it is scarier still when you shunt into Quadro at JUST the right place! As you guys enter the Twists he is wobbling out all over the place.! Good shot sir!

NOW ENTERING: The Twists, lap 2.

Halfway point has been reached! Keep it up, guys! Your plans, please.

(Did I pass him or was he spinning around in front of me?)

Galder slows a bit and turns hard on each turn. He angles hard around each turn.

Mah glides through the turns, turning and breaking. He tries to come closer to the leading duo.

You CAN'T pass in the Narrows, Galder!

Things are now getting tense and the adrenaline is flowing. You ty and get into the rhythms of the tight turns that pull nasty g-forces on your frail bodies. Pods zip past you as you turn, sometimes looking as if right next to you and sometimes way, way away, the turns obscuring the true distance.

Quadro wobbles through one turn, barely scrapes a second. He should slow down to get control but refuses to lose a place. It costs him. One of his four engines- the top left- catches a corner dead on. It wrenches free of his pod and explodes, and Quadro's pod collapses onto the ground and spins to a halt.

At the reat, Twisty takes his chance to manoeuvre past Bashy... but he muffs it. Screaming with glee, Bashy gives him a full-on side-shunt, and Twisty flails out of control and plougs head on into a wall. His pad vaporises.

Galder, the pods in front of you are just plain better in these sections, but with Quadro gone the field in front of you is thinning... Mah, you still do not take this section as well as you wanted but you are shaving off the gap between you and Speedy... you have pulled clear of the other Mogarian but the two other dull racers are still right with you!

POSITIONS AND SCORES

1st: Dodgy (36)
2nd: Speedy (34)
3rd: Mah (30)
4th: Orthodox (30)
5th: Boring (30)
6th: Galder (27)
7th: Bashy (25)

No fighting to be done, on we go!

NOW ENTERING: The Lake, lap 2.

Your plans please.

Galder sees he is loosing quite drastically. He maintains a steady speed, but always prepares to use the brakes whenever necessary. He zips around on the slippery lake and through the green mists, trying to keep his distance from Bashy and the walls of the track, and trying to cut down the distance between him and the other racers in front of him.

He watches as Quadro flunks it and spins along on the ground behind him. Sucker...

Err... one more day and I will have to move this on with Mah doing nothing spectacular...

Could you at least send him out of control...?

Mah slide around the corners keeping up the speed, but not doing any wild attempts at anything. He stays well clear of the walls and tries to make sure that the ones in front of him does not get further infront.

POSITIONS AND SCORES (Temporary)

1st: Dodgy (38)
2nd: Speedy (37)
3rd: Orthodox (34) +1
4th: Mah (33) -1
5th: Boring (32)
6th: Bashy (31) +1
7th: Galder (30) -1

In the misty, slippy surfaces of the Lake, both players are the victims of overtake attempts. Galder, Bashy has activated his boost and takes his best section of the race. And when he gets to you, his plan is simply to race straight THROUGH you...

Mah, in your endless tussle with the two other standard pods, you pull ahead of Boring but Orthodox is slipping by you. He takes one of the corners EXCEPTIONALLY tightly and tries to cut you up as you veer back onto the racing line. Trying to stop him could be dangerous for the both of you...

Galder would rather not go out of control or die, and quickly pulls his podracer out of harms way. "I'll get you Bashy..."

Mah stays close to Orthodox, but decides to wait with attempting to pass him. He stays clear of him and concentrates on the course.

Ok, both players let their chasers through... which means things stay as listed above!

POSITIONS AND SCORES

1st: Dodgy (38)
2nd: Speedy (37)
3rd: Orthodox (34)
4th: Mah (33)
5th: Boring (32)
6th: Bashy (31)
7th: Galder (30)

Speedy is now absolutely desperate to catch Dodgy before the Narrows. As far as the audience is concerned it is a two horse race, but as the third lap begins, let's see what the Jedi-powered people can pull off! After all, there are still less than ten points in it!

NOW ENTERING: The Straight, Lap 3

Plan time again! And time for you to make your moves, Rex!

Comms from Gundark, Mah:

"Mah, I have something to tell you, but its important you keep your attention on the race. Do you understand ?"

Mah gives all he's got without boosting, into the third lap, and drives aggressive to close in on the ones in front.

He answers the comm "Yes Master, I understand. What is it?"

Galder hits his boost and shoots towards Bashy. "HEY BASHY!!!" he shouts over the roar of the engines. He uses the Force to focus on one of his linking cables, and attempts to dislodge one.

POSITIONS AND SCORES (Temporary)

1st: Speedy (44) +1
2nd: Dodgy (40) +1
3rd: Orthodox (38)
4th: Galder (38) +3
5th: Mah (37) -1
6th: Boring (33) -1
7th: Bashy (33) -1

Whoa now! Things are hot-hot-hotting! Speedy is chasing Dodgy for the Narrows. But there is another spark from Dodgy's pod, and thick black smoke comes pouring out of it! Speedy is bearing down on him and has a powerful overtake attempt!

Galder, your high speed boost up the straight will shoot you WAY up the field... IF you get past all three pods! First Bashy, then Boring and then Mah will try and stop you on the way!

As you have already mentioned Bashy... this could be nasty, but your discrete (and very cheaty) push has the exact effect! Bashy twitches in confusion as one of his control linkages comes loose! By the the he has it sorted you are soaring into the distance...

Now comes Boring. This guy is tiny, but you aren't huge... he's going to block you!

Galder tries to bash Boring from behind. He slows down a bit so that both pods aren't torn to pieces.

SMASH!

Boring didn't think you would be insane enough for the ram, Galder! He;s too shocked to get out the way! Boring is in terrible trouble, rolling all over the place. Galder, your right-side engine is bent but functional. Still, your way is clear...

... but having slowed down for that you don;t get a chance to overtake Mah. You settle in behind him as you shoot towards the Narrows...

Up front, Speedy is so blinded by all the smoke that he dare not overtake dodgy! But as we enter the narrows, the smoke from Dodgy is obscuring everything! Yikes, that is dangerous...

POSITIONS AND SCORES

1st: Dodgy (40)
2nd: Speedy (40)
3rd: Orthodox (38)
4th: Mah (37)
5th: Galder (36)
6th: Boring (33)
7th: Bashy (33)

NOW ENTERING: The Narrows, lap 3

The crowd is on tenderhooks! Anyone could have the race now! Your plans please!

Mah chooses one of the four routes where he can't see any opponents, so he won't have any problems with them. He concentrates on the track and drives hard to gain speed in the straight areas.

Galder stays hot on the Mogarian's tail, trying to keep as close as he can without hitting a wall or the podracer.

(Things are heating up, aren't they? )

Through the clouds of smoke it is almost impossible to tell anything from anything! But both of perform far better than your opponents, being aboe to FEEL the way on when you cannot see it!

Somewhere in that mess, Speedy is about to ram into Dodgy, and Mah, Galder and Orthodox are all in one big clumpy mess coming out the narrows!

Behiund you, you are not sure what happened, but Bashy and Boring went in and only Bashy came out...

POSITIONS AND SCORES

1st: Dodgy (41)
2nd: Speedy (41)
3rd: Orthodox (40)
4th: Mah (40)
5th: Galder (40)
6th: Bashy (35)

Speedy is going to make a desperate attempt to do in Dodgy with a back ram. Mah, you have the same chance on Orthodox, and Galder, you can shunt Mah if you want!

Galder does a hard shunt to the other Mogarian's side. "Take that!"

(No side shunting in the Narrows, Rex! Back or nothing)

(Okay, the back bash then)

Mah speeds into Orthodox to throw him out of control.

Ok, the result is very simple... all three of you knock each other half out of control for the next section! You will be struggling just to stop flipping over let alone negotiate the Twists!

POSITIONS AND SCORES

1st: Dodgy (41)
2nd: Speedy (41)
3rd: Orthodox (40)
4th: Mah (40)
5th: Galder (40)
6th: Bashy (35)

NOW ENTERING: The Twists, lap 3

Mah, Gundy finished her message to you in the Narrows (she seemed to be busy with some sort of argument beforehand!)

"Mah, we have good reason to believe your pod has a bomb attached to it. If so, it is set to denote on the last lap. It's a remote detonation. We are trying to find the device now."

"Right, should I go on with the race as normal?"

Galder struggles to keep from spinning out of control for the section of the race. "Damn it! This is hard..."

Mah concentrates fully on gaining control of his pod. He needs to get control quickly in the twists to be able to use the advantage he usually has in this section of the race.

Oh, sorry, yeah, it IS plan time... did you have any cunning plans, Rex?

(Well, we are kind of out of control, aren't we??? What can I do?)

Fair enough! Just waiting for your group buddies to move, unless you both want to die in the next section...

Die?!?!

Galder tries to keep control of his pod, and stays away from the walls and the other podracers.

(Well, aren't you worried about what Takuan saw?)

Geez, I feel so special...blasters and walls and out of control podracers...

I thought you ment a different die, like run into walls or crash or somethin...

Oh, well, your friends can't really stop THAT sort of dying, can they?

There is a fiery explosion ahead of you. Speedy had rammed Dodgy, and his temperemental pod finall fell to pieces and exploded!

Both of you are driving like demons. You haven't taken a section so well so far in the entire race. As your pods slip and slide out of control, you manage to twist and turn WITH their erratic movement, instead of desperately fighting against it. And with your manoeuvrable pod, Mah, you are slicing throught the Twists far more effciently than anyone else could have done. Orthodox maintains no such control and Speedy, as ever, cannot handle the Twists. Bashy is too far back now, and you two are the ones with a shot at the lead.

POSITIONS AND SCORES (Temporary)

1st: Mah (45) +2
2nd: Galder (43) +2
3rd: Speedy (42) -2
4th: Orthodox (41) -2
5th: Bashy (38)

Ok, both of you are going past first Orthodox, and then Speedy.

So first, I want to hear how you plan to pass Orthodox. However, just to make things more interesting... you two are racing slow close with the twists (a place that distorts true distance because of all the breaking involved... if you have played racing games you eill know what I mean), you two can both take aggressive action at each OTHER, if you want.

Galder uses a boost to try to pass Orthodox. Galder uses the Force to make Orthodox let him pass and go towards a wall.

Hey, double-boost boy! You've already done that this lap!

Okay, forget the boost then...

What boost?

Hey! Why isn;t that a laughing smiley!

Need to know mah's plan as well, now...

Ok, on one wide area Mah uses the boost to get past Orthodox

With your control problems, you don't think you are going to make it past him, mah... but then he suddenly jerks to one side allowing you through...

Hey! Hang on! That Mogarian behind you just used a force push! What the...?

But you are both through... now you must both take on Speedy!

Galder rams Speedy from behind.

Very well then! Speedy's pod is small and not well built to withstand smashing. You knock him violently to one side... but now that engine of yours is sparking and giving of trace amounts of smoke. And that leaves Mah very little to worry about, so you are both through!

POSITIONS AND SCORES

1st: Mah (45)
2nd: Galder (43)
3rd: Speedy (42)
4th: Orthodox (41)
5th: Bashy (38)

NOW ENTERING: The Lake, lap 3

This is it guys, the last one! Four pods with a shot at victory, only Mah and Orthodox are in perfect working order but it could be anyone's! Your plan please!

"Focus on the race, mah, not the bomb. We're zeroing in on the bounty hunter with the detonation device," says Gundy to you, Mah.

In the lead, Mah uses his knowledge of the course to control himself the best way possible through the slippery lake. He keeps distance to the other Mogarian and Speedy behind, but does not take any other agressive actions.

Much as I hate to, I will leave this one more day then I will move on to finish this with Galder doing nothing spectacular. The game must move on!

Ok, we are all done...

Speedy tried to work up an advantage, but this is not his ground and he is completely afraid to take on Galder again. But Galder cannot make enough ground on Mah. To the roaring approval of the crowd, Mah shoots over the line in the pole, Galder coming seconds later...

... and neither of you are dead! Guess your friends did well!

Poor speedy follows, and a moody Bashy shunts past Orthodox for a fourth he feels is harsh on him (as do I, but then if you take a slow pod...)

FINAL POSITIONS
1st: Mah (49)
2nd: Galder (47)
3rd: Speedy (45)
4th: Bashy (42)
5th: Orthodox (41)

The race is done, and you are now on your victory lap, Mah! The other threads are still a little before this point so you cannot go back there yet.

And in any case, in a little bit I have a small list of 'Awards' for your activities in the pod race...

Meanwhile, enjoy the crowds, who love the both of you! Try to ignore the glaring looks of the gamblers that you two just cost a fortune...

Celebrating the victory Mah decides to yell some bad one-liners at the opponent.
"Taste my exhaust, sleemo!"
"What have you been smoking to drive that bad, pod?"
"Pod off!"
"I won, you loose, congratulate me or run away; you choose!"

..ehem, enough of that methinks.

There goes your Jedi Pride...

If only my parents hadn't grounded me...............

Galder waves happily to the crowd, but give the Mogarian a small shunt as he nears him. "You may have won this race, but I don't think you'll be racing again..." Galder says threateningly through the synthesizers.

He slows down his podracer, having finished the race and doing his victory lap. He flips a few switches and pushes buttons and does a little repair work on his smoking pod that way.

It's a shame that the Mogarians are pacifists... those synthisisers sound so polite!

Ok, while all these celebrations go on- and you guys are due for some kind of quick podium ceremony- here are the 'awards' for the pod race. Mah is the winner, of course, but there are other things to be proud of as well- all unofficial, of course!

BEST SINGLE ROUND- Dodgy

Literally speaking, Speedy's 10 points on the starting line. But the start is too easy. Instead it goes to Dodgy's 9-point run to take the lead at the start of lap 2, that he held until his pod fell apart. Ha-ha! Honourable mention to Galder who made a couple of huge runs as well

MOST VIOLENT RACER- Galder

Bashy will be unhappy to lose this award but it is in fact Galder who eliminated the most competitors, dispatching Quadro and Boring

BIGGEST CHEAT- Galder

Again, Bashy was blatantly breaking the rules for the amount of shunts he got into. However, Galder completely trumps him with his thoroughly unethical use of the Force to pluck Bashy's control cable loose during what could have been a nasty tussle! The Dark Side salutes you!

WORST ERROR- Galder

Three in a row for the man of evil! Going full-power into the sloooww Twists on lap 1 cost him his good start. But he made that loss up later with a stunning round at the start of lap 3.

THE PLAYACTING AWARD- For the player who best kept his cover- Mah

Mah kept his Mogarian cover perfectly and if he had not been told by the means of the game, Takuan would have no idea he was anything dodgy. Galder's antics won him points but led to the Jedi spectators in the audience knowing he is a Force User and far from being a Mogarian!

THE MORALS OF THE STORY- Are twofold

1. Galder is a show-off. Seems reasonable!
2. Watch out for the quiet ones. Mah never went for boom or bust and just went for the same reasonable competence on each section. And so he won. Something maybe to bear in mind if we ever do this sort of thing again!

Soon you will return to your own sections. Please feel free to comment...

You know, I didn't need you to tell me I'm a show off...

Galder happily (though unhappily receives second place) receives the 3 best achievements.

(Well, it's not as if they are ACTUAl awards...)

Ok, there is a certain amount of ceremony and stuff that goes on, which the two of you can easily bluff through with your suits, and then both of you can now return to your threads and rejoin your buddies.