EXT. SPACE – GEONOSIS

Jango Fett’s ship appears, heading toward the red planet of Geonosis. It is circled by a large asteroid field that forms rings. Obi-Wan’s Starfighter, attached to the hyperspace transport ring, appears in space. The Starfighter disengages from the ring and follows Jango’s ship.

INT. COCKPIT, FETT SHIP – SPACE – GEONOSIS

A small blip shows up on the ship’s scan screen.

BOBA FETT: Dad! I think we’re being tracked.

JANGO FETT: He must have put a homing device on our hull. Hang on, son! We’ll move into the asteroid field. And we’ll have a couple of surprises for him.

Jango’s ships releases a charge which drifts toward Obi-Wan. As the charge approaches Obi-Wan’s Starfighter, Arfour beeps.

OBI-WAN: Seismic charges… Stand by.

The charge explodes, setting off a wide shock wave that destroys many asteroids in its path. Obi-Wan stays ahead of it. Jango releases another charge. Obi-Wan manages to evade this one, as well.

Funky sound effect, considering there’s no sound in space.

JANGO FETT: He doesn’t seem to take a hint, this guy.

Jango flies down a narrow tunnel in one of the larger asteroids. Obi-Wan follows.

BOBA FETT: Watch out!

Jango emerges and flies up and behind another asteroid. Obi-Wan comes out of the tunnel, and Jango falls in behind.

BOBA FETT: Get him, Dad! Get him! Fire!

Annoying as heck, isn’t he?

Jango fires lasers at the Jedi Starfighter. The ship flips, rolls, and turns at incredible speed, dodging laser blasts and oncoming rocks at the same time.

OBI-WAN: Blast! This is why I hate flying.

Jango continues to bombard the Jedi Starfighter with laser fire. One bolt strikes Obi-Wan ship causing a small explosion.

BOBA FETT: We got him!

JANGO FETT: We’ll just have to finish him.

An outer hull door opens and releases a guided torpedo. The torpedo closely follows Obi-Wan’s Starfighter.

IN OBI-WAN’S COCKPIT: his skill is pushed to the limit as he throws the ship from side to side, avoiding great rocks and the torpedo.

OBI-WAN: Arfour, prepare to jettison the spare part canisters. Fire them now!

A rear compartment comes open, spewing out canisters and parts. Obi-Wan flies between two rocks just as the torpedo explodes.

IN JANGO’S COCKPIT: they see a huge explosion as Obi-Wan’s ship disappears from the scopes.

JANGO FETT: Well, we won’t be seeing him again.

Boba laughs. Jango’s ship emerges from the asteroid belt and heads down toward Geonosis.

A huge chunk of rock tumbles slowly through the asteroid belt. CAMERA CLOSES, to discover Obi-Wan Starship clinging to the pitted back side of a large rock.

EXT. GEONOSIS – LANDING FIELD – NIGHT

Jango pilots his ship past a wide area where several spheroid Trade Federation ships are sitting, partially or wholly submerged inside their underground landing pits. Jango maneuvers his ship over a set of landing pit doors, which shortly open. The ship desceneds, and the doors close.

INT. COCKPIT, JEDI FIGHTER, SPACE, GEONOSIS RINGS

Obi-Wan’s ship is sitting on the asteroid.

OBI-WAN: Well, Arfour, I think we’ve waited long enough.

Obi-Wan’s fighter moves out from the back side of the asteroid and heads away from the asteroid field, descending toward Geonosis.

EXT. GEONOSIS – LANDING FIELD – NIGHT

Obi-Wan looks out over the surface and sees the fleet of Trade Federation ships.

OBI-WAN: There’s an unusual concentration of Federation ships over there, Arfour.

EXT. GEONOSIS – NIGHT

Obi-Wan ship skims across the top of a small mesa along the edge of a rocky ridge. He maneuvers under a rock overhang and lands. He gets out of the Fighter and walks onto the mesa. The wind whips at him. He looks around. Geonosis is a red rock planet, featureless apart from buttes and mesas, and occasional tall stalagmites that stand out dramatically on the arid plains.

The night is quiet, except for an occasional WEIRD CRY. Obi-Wan checks his bearings, then heads away.

EXT. SPACE

The Naboo Starship heads toward the desert planet of Tatooine.

EXT. TATOOINE – MOS ESPA STREETS – DAY

The Naboo Starship lands in a large parking lot of spaceships on the outskirts of Mos Espa. Anakin and Padmé ride a rickshaw through the streets. Anakin stares at sights he hasn’t seen for years. Finally, they come to Watto’s shop, and the rickshaw stops. Anakin and Padmé get out.

ANAKIN: (to the droid driver) Wait right there.

DROID DRIVER: Okey-okey.

Sitting on a stool in front of the shop is WATTO. He is using a small electronic screwdriver on the unattached head of pit droid. Another pit droid is chattering away and is trying to help him, but it seem only to make him madder.

WATTO: (yelling, in Huttese) Da wanga!

The pit droid leaves.

ANAKIN: Chut, chut, Watto.

Watto looks his visitor up and down with suspicion.

ANAKIN: (subtitled) Ding mi chasa hopa. (Let me help you with that.)

Anakin picks up the droid part and starts working on it.

WATTO: (subtitled) Ke Booda? Yo baan pee hota. Jo…Jedi! No bata no do do. (What? What do you want? Wait! You’re a Jedi! Whatever it is, I didn’t do it.)

Watto drops his screwdriver on his foot.

WATTO: (grunts) Ai!

Wow, that Lucas sure has a knack for comic relief, doesn’t he?

ANAKIN: (subtitled) Mi boska di Shmi Skywalker. (I’m looking for Shmi Skywalker.)

Watto looks at Anakin.

WATTO: Ani? Little Ani?

Anakin puts the droid part down in front of Watto.

WATTO: Naaahhh. (Looks at droid part) You are Ani! It is you! Ya sure sprouted! Weehoo! A Jedi! Waddya know? Hey, maybe you could help with some deadbeats who owe me a lot of money…

Still all about the money, huh? Some things never change.

ANAKIN: My mother.

WATTO: Oh, yeah. Shmi…uh…she’s not mine no more. I sold her.

ANAKIN: You sold her?

WATTO: Years ago. Sorry, Ani, but you know, business is business. Sold her to a moisture farmer named Lars. Least I think it was Lars. Believe it or not, I heard he freed her and married her. Can ya beat that, eh?

ANAKIN: Do you know where they are now?

WATTO: Oooh…long way from here. Someplace over on the other side of Mos Eisley, I think, mmm.

ANAKIN: I’d like to know.

Anakin’s grim look means business; Watto gets the hint quickly.

That look wouldn’t scare a pit bull.

WATTO: Eh… sure… absolutely. Let’s go look in my records.

Anakin and Watto go into the shop.