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The landspeeder vibrated with a slight aft shimmy as it skimmed over the sand and hurtled through the night. I was over halfway to Mos Espa. I might have been almost there by now, if not for that hunting party I'd sensed and decided to give wide berth to - Tuskan Raiders were notoriously vicious warriors and better left alone if you could help it. I'd had the odd feeling they knew I was there, but I was moving fast enough they never gave chase.
The temptation to skyhop the short distance with my ship had been strong. But that's what the kidnappers would expect me to do. I hoped that making my appearance in a less conspicuous way would give me a slight edge and I had the nagging feeling I was going to need it.
It was pure joy to be flying blind, slipping into the Force's current and following the flow across the vast desert floor to Mos Espa, while the wind whipped over my head and every sense quivered with heightened awareness. Pulling the landspeeder into the night shadows of a building on the outskirts, I vaulted to the ground and couldn't help but pat my hidden lightsaber. As always, its presence was vaguely reassuring. Drawing it out of the pocket, I clipped it to a metal belt loop.
The town was quiet, except for the few cantinas and gambling establishments that stayed open most of the night. And it was cold. I was glad to have the extra warmth of the pilot suit, as the ride had been bordering on frosty. I flexed my fingers. The numbness was fading, leaving tingling in its wake.
I crouched and tapped my teeth as I surveyed the empty marketplace. Where to begin looking? The easiest place to disappear in this town would be the slave quarters, a warren of narrow alleys and stacked, cramped housing. Any odd comings and goings would be studiously ignored in such a place. But if I were hiding in those environs, I'd want to be near an easy escape route. Like the desert.
I glanced over my shoulder in the direction of the landspeeder. Best to leave it there. A vehicle in a place where beasts of burden were the norm would definitely grab someone's attention.
A fine film of dust and sand clung to my hair and clothes. Even my teeth felt gritty. Carrying a liter or two of desert on your person is a great way to blend into a sandstone background. No one would see me, even if they were looking.
Five minutes quick walking brought me to where slave quarters tumbled into the desert. The night transformed them into a haphazard pile of round boulders, strewn carelessly by the cruel hand of fate. How many of the inhabitants of this place had never known freedom? Perhaps it was easier for them than for those few who had worn liberty, only to have it stripped away and replaced by the tattered garments of slavery. Rein's fate - if I failed. I shook the thoughts out of my head. Best to leave waxing eloquent to the loremasters. Action was what was needed here.
Hugging buildings and crouching to slip past low walls, I scoured the perimeter. What was I looking for? I didn't know. I only knew I'd recognize it when I saw it. My only option was to trust my instincts. Unless I wanted to stand up and shout my presence. But that would unnecessarily jeopardize Rein, and so was no option at all.
It didn't take long. I skirted around a building that jutted out at an odd angle and stopped cold. Dropping to a crouch, I stared at the battered old swoop tucked into the corner of the small courtyard formed by ajoining units. The bleached skull of some poor creature was attached to the nose of the vehicle like some sort of trophy. The swoop seemed to be lurking, crouched in the shadows, waiting for its prey. Or for its master. I snatched my tapping thumb down as a smile tugged at my mouth. Perhaps it could be used to draw the hunter out of its lair.
I backtracked a few buildings and borrowed a blanket draped over a stone fence. As I left a small jewel in the cover's stead, the Force brushed my mind - it would be much appreciated. Returning to the swoop, I tied a corner of the blanket to each handlebar and did a quick scan of the controls.
Concealed deep in the darkest shadows, well away from the swoop, I drew on the Force and started the machine. With a flick of my fingers, the throttle jammed wide open. The swoop bucked and shot out of its nook and across the desert, blanket flapping wildly as if some invisible cloaked creature were at the controls.
A cry of rage erupted from a doorway behind my left shoulder. I didn't breathe. I didn't move. I was part of the cool rock pressing against my back. The figure that darted past me, in pursuit of the runaway swoop, was a streak of disembodied, light grey arms and head in the black night. What sort of creature did my father hire? I guessed I'd know soon enough.
Sprinting to the door, I found it unlocked. A sloppy mistake born of anger. I slipped inside and searched the quarters with the Force. It consisted of a large room almost devoid of furniture, with two small, empty side rooms. Someone was bound and laying on a mat in the far corner.
Leaving the room dark, I slipped across the floor and squatted beside the figure. Rein. She was awake and her aura was quivering with fear. I gently brushed her brow. She jerked away.
"Shh," I whispered. "I've come to rescue you. We must leave quickly."
Her voice was weak, trembling. "Who, who are you?"
"I'm your sister. The one our father will not permit anyone in the family to mention."
She gasped spasmodically. "I-It's true? What my sisters whispered? You're the ... the J-J..."
"The Jedi." A cruel female voice spat the phrase from the doorway.
I rose slowly, keeping my back to the kidnapper, unclipping my lightsaber, breathing in calm. The swoop trick had failed. This one was not easily diverted.
The lights blinked on and the voice said, "Perhaps you would like to see the monster your mother birthed."
Rein's gaze met mine and skittered away. But not before I saw dismay and ... revulsion ... in those sea green eyes. I knew I looked rather dirty and dishevelled, but hardly deserving of such obvious loathing. My father had trained his youngest child well.
"So the rumors are true," the voice sneered. "The Nerac family is tainted with Jedi blood. I can sense it, you know."
I did know. The Force, though dark and twisted, was emanating from this creature. It was a disconcerting development.
Pivoting, I met my attacker's silent rush with a flash of blue. My lightsaber blocked the coppery orange blade arcing down at me. The weapons sizzled for a micron before I pushed my foe away. We both assumed defensive stances and assessed each other.
The creature before me was female. Youthful and lithe. With white skin - not grey - and a sleeveless orange bodysuit decorated by assorted weaponry. She was bald with a reddish ponytail spouting from the top of her head that was flanked by an implanted antenna. Her fingers were extra long. Distinctive indeed. Her eyes sent a chill up my spine. Sunken, deeply shadowed, and lifeless - the eyes of a killer.
She lunged. I blocked. She pressed the attack., dark eyes glittering coldly. I held my ground, keeping my body between Rein and this creature. My calm was met with hatred that reigned down on me as violently as my attacker's blows.
Blue and oranged locked, hissing and spitting.
"Why does my father want me dead, after all this time?" I spoke between clenched teeth.
She sneered. "What sensible being wouldn't want you dead?"
"Too bad, for you, he didn't send someone capable of doing the job."
Taking the offensive, I sliced at her legs. She jumped back. I closed the distance, pushing her back. And back. Her face grew angrier. Tighter. I parried. Again. Sidestepped. Forced her to the backhand. Her grip weakened. A quick upper cut sent the orange blade cartwheeling away. I spun and kicked high.
The creature crumpled as my boot whacked her temple. I held my lightsaber to her throat and scanned her with my senses. Out cold. But for how long? The lightsaber was obviously not this killer's weapon of choice. I'd rather not find out what was. The easy path would be to kill her now and be done with it. The blue blade waivered slightly. The Force help me, I couldn't do it. The blade retracted with a hiss. I might live to regret this decision, but at least I could live ... with myself.
I strode over to Rein and pulled her to her feet. She was quivering.
I said,"Hold out your hands."
Alarm stamped her features. "You're going to kill me?"
I know she saw the irritation in my eyes. I couldn't help it. I grabbed her hands and jerked them out, away from her body.
"Don't move," I clipped.
Rein's eyes grew as my lightsaber extended. Her arms shook so violently I had to steady them with one hand while I sliced through the wrist binders with my blade. They fell to the floor with a clunk. I repeated the procedure with her ankle binders. I flicked off the lightsaber and regarded this little sister of mine, so like our father in looks, as she rubbed her wrists and watched me with cringing eyes. Not like our father in temperament. She reminded me of a timid desert rodent, looking for a bolt hole. He would have blustered and dared me to kill him, if I had the courage. Maybe I did take after my father in one regard. Space the thought.
"Let's go before your bodyguard wakes up," I said.
When Rein hesitated I snatched her hand and headed for the door. Half dragging her, I quickly began retracing my steps. The sky was a shade lighter. I picked up the pace. Rein stumbled along beside me, sniffling. Sniffling! Force help me.
My danger sense was awakening, uncurling and snaking up my spine. We didn't have much time.
"Faster," I hissed.
I started to jog, pulling Rein behind me. She wasn't even trying to keep up. Her reluctance was tugging at my shoulder, making it ache.
Halting, I rounded on her, "What is the matter with you? Don't you want to be rescued? Do you want to stay with that creature until you're sold into slavery?"
She sobbed. "Of, of course not. It's just ... it's just ..."
"I see. You want to be rescued. But not by me. Not by a Jedi." I shunted aside the pinprick of sadness and hurt.
"M-My father, I mean our f-father, always says Jedi are t-terrible ..." She hiccupped.
"Yes, I know. Terrible creatures who should be forever banished from Tanaab, if not the whole galaxy." It was hard to feel anything but pity for this trembling young woman, so much a product of our father's twisted Tanaabian logic. "Well, this terrible creature was sent by your mother ..."
Her unbelieving eyes sought out mine in the darkness.
I nodded. "That's right, Rein. Our mother asked me to rescue you. You can look in my face and see her mirrored there. If you can't bring yourself to trust me, at least trust her. Please."
She wiped at her nose with the back of her hand. One more sniffle. A nod.
Thank the Force.
We started out again. Jogging. Then running. In minutes we were back at the landspeeder. Rein leaned against it, breathing hard, holding her ribs.
I hopped over the side and slid behind the controls. "Get in, Rein. It'll be dawn soon."
She crawled into the seat behind me. "Don't you ever get tired?"
"No time right now. I'll be tired later.
As we shot across the flat expanses, I felt the Force drawing me northeast. Away from Mos Eisley. I didn't want to heed it, but your voice popped into my head, Qui-Gon. Always be mindful of the Living Force. Fine. For you, I'd do this. I adjusted our bearings and reopened the throttle to full.
We were racing the dawn as the sky melted from indigo to navy with a hint of yellow and pink along the horizon. An outcropping was growing closer. I scanned it with my senses. Not rocks. Buildings. A moisture farm.
I slowed and swung around the yard, parking the landspeeder by an outbuilding so the hut was between us and far off Mos Espa. It might slow down a ground search. Right. Not likely.
Rein had been dozing, slumped against the outer panel, twitching with cold. When the machine powered down, she bolted upright and fear filled her eyes. I held my finger to my lips. Silence. Someone was coming.
I dropped to the ground and considered my lightsaber. No. I didn't need it.
A figure in a long robe came around the corner. Female human. Late middle aged. She approached boldly, so I moved forward to meet her. In the dim light I could see that her hair was streaked with grey and her brown face lined with wrinkles. Badges of a hard life in a harsh environment. Her eyes were warm.
"Are you hiding from someone?" Her voice was laced with amusement.
I immediately liked her straight-forward approach. "Yes, actually."
"You won't find many places to do it out here on the flats," she pointed out.
I smiled. "I'd noticed that."
"Can I help?"
The audaciousness of her offer surprised me. I paused for a moment.
"No," I replied. "I have no wish to endanger you or your family. I'm not even sure why I came this way, actually."
"Hutts?" she inquired.
"No. The kind of creature a Hutt would hire."
She frowned and glanced at Rein. "I see. Who is the target? You or the girl?"
"I took the girl from them. If I wasn't the target before, I am now."
A thought was growing in my mind. The woman voiced it before I could.
"Leave her here," she said.
I scanned her features. Her gaze dropped from my face to my lightsaber and back up. A smile touched her eyes.
"I would be honored if you'd let me help," she said. "You can lead them away. I'll keep the girl safe while you deal with them ... elsewhere."
"Where?"
She tapped her chin. "You could go north to Beggar's Canyon. Or west to the Jundland Wastes. Lots of places to lose people in either spot. The canyon is closer."
Something about the canyon ... No. I didn't want to go there.
I narrowed my eyes. "Are you sure about this?"
Her aura was open and sincere. She touched my wrist. "Yes. Introduce me to the girl."
We turned together to find Rein on her knees on the seat, gaping at us. I ignored her fearful astonishment and stepped toward her.
"This is Rein. I'm sorry. What is your name?" I asked the woman.
"Lera."
"Rein, you'll be staying with Lera and her family for ... a short time."
"You're leaving me here?" Rein squeaked. "I thought you were rescuing me."
I bit back impatience. "I can't do anything until I deal with that creature."
Rein's reply edged on whining. "But you don't even know if she followed us."
I looked into the fading darkness. "She's hunting us. Right now. I can feel it." I caught Rein's green-eyed gaze. "And I'm the homing beacon. To keep you safe, I have to leave."
"But, but what if you don't come back?" Rein sniffed.
I closed my eyes for a micron, then stared hard at my sister. "Then you'll just have to find a way to contact our mother. She'll send someone for you."
Retrieving another jewel, I place it in her palm and curled her fingers around it. "Republic credits are useless out here. This should buy you a hologram message. And help compensate this kind woman who is willing to take you in."
Fear again. "How do you know I can trust her?"
"You can, Rein. I know." My tone left no room for argument. Just like my father's. I suppressed a shudder. The difference was: I did know. My father only thought he did.
Rein's reluctance was visible in the droop of her shoulders as she climbed out of the landspeeder. Lera moved to her side and placed a protective arm around her. The older woman nodded at me.
I took off across the desert without a backward glance.
The first sun broke over the horizon. But I didn't need the light it provided to know I was being followed. At least I'd gotten well away from Rein before my trail had been picked up. I had expected more than one vehicle, but it was just the swoop. This pale killer must be a loner.
With the Force on my side, I had the edge. Well, at least the odds were slightly in my favor. I hoped. Who was this creature with her Force-sense? And how well trained was she?
Whoever or whatever she was, at least she was keeping her distance. I hadn't even expected her to be able to keep up with this landspeeder. That swoop must be specially modified. Why wasn't she trying to overtake me? Unless I was heading right where she wanted me to.
If so, this hunter liked to toy with her prey.
The swoop was gaining now, ascending a rise to my right. It was almost even with the landspeeder, but still a good 500 meters away. A cliff brought the vehicle to an abrupt halt. She couldn't be that Force-sensitive if she hadn't seen that coming.
Suddenly, the landspeeder was a fireball. I was catapulted forward through the flames. Curling into a ball, I let the blast somersault me through the superheated air. A wall of rock. I tried to cushion the impact with the Force. Still, I bounced off the wall and landed face down in the gravel.
My right side was one huge slab of agony. My head was pounding. Relentlessly. What happened? How could she hit anything from that distance? A groan slipped past my lips and I spit out some blood. Must have bitten my tongue when I landed. Had to get up. Had to move. The hunter was coming. Couldn't let her find me like this.
Turning my head slightly increased the pain bludgeoning my brain. I opened my eyes to see the arm of the blackened pilot suit. Its fireproof material was all that had saved me from incineration. The smell of burned cloth and singed hair filled my nostrils. I flexed my fingers. They felt stiff and hot - like they'd been held too close to an open flame. Which they had.
Clenching my teeth, I pushed myself to my hands and knees and crawled forward. My side protested each tiny movement in waves of pain that radiated outward and threatened to swamp my nervous system. I hesitated to draw on the Force; the hunter would zero in on the disturbance with deadly accuracy. Instead, I swallowed the moans trying to escape from my throat and pressed on in the eerie silence that was settling with the dust of the explosion.
The blast had thrown me into a crevice. Movement loosened my limbs and eased the hurt as my body became accustomed to it. I struggled to my feet and limped toward a crack of light ten meters ahead, focusing all my energy to get there and get through, into the next canyon, before the hunter arrived. I was in no condition to fight. As my body reminded me with every step.
Squeezing through the narrow opening, I slipped on loose rock and tumbled down a short slope. A hiss leaked between my teeth. Nothing like a fall to wake all your aches and pains.
I stared up at the painfully blue sky. It would soon be high noon. One sun was already beating down on me, turning the charred pilot suit into a highly effective heat absorption unit. I lay on the ground, unzipping zippers and undoing fasteners, until I was able to worm out of the suit. Retrieving my lightsaber, I forced myself to stand and blinked down at the blackened and empty corpse at my feet. A shiver rippled across my shoulders.
I fastened my lightsaber to my belt and did my best to cover the suit with loose rocks. Time to move. And move fast. I drew on the Force and shunted aside the throbbing echoes running along my side and clouding my mind. Energy flowed through my veins as the Force burst upon my senses.
I stuck to narrow passages that would be difficult for a swoop to negotiate, darting across wider ravines, jumping fissures. Switchback. Zigzag. On and on. Until sweat was plastering the brown coveralls to my body. Until every running step sent a spike of pain shooting up my calves. Until my breathing was reduced to short gasping puffs. Was it doing any good? Could the hunter sense my every move? Was I, even now, caught in the sights of the weapon that had blasted the landspeeder into so much shrapnel? My focus was waivering. I needed to rest.
The Force urged me right and I veered into a high-walled canyon that was peppered with caves. I stumbled to a halt and bent over, drawing oxygen deeply into my lungs. Why caves? Why not a fortified building? Or a flight-ready ship I could borrow? Blast. Caves. I pulled my thoughts up short and let calm wash over me. What did I expect? I was on a desert planet. I should be thankful for any cover.
I picked my way toward the eastern cliff so the entrance I chose would be in shadows come morning. Light was fading from the sky as I pulled myself over the lip of a cave that dangled four meters above the canyon floor. It was too cramped for standing, so I crawled to the back of the tunnel and hugged my legs against my chest, hoping to preserve as much warmth as I could.
Fingers fumbling, I dug in a belt pouch and retrieved a food pellet. Choking the dry, tastless morsel down my parched throat was a major effort. I was so thirsty. Dehydrated. The desert had claimed me, was shriveling me up from the inside out. The air in the cave was cool, and I breathed through my mouth, hoping to inhale any errant molecule of moisture.
Drifting into a restless sleep, I ran down dream corridors, turned white corners to come face to face, time and again, with the mysterious white hunter. The hallways became stone tunnels that began to collapse on top of me, the stones melting into a swirling black vortex. I fell, calling your name. Did you hear me, Qui-Gon, when I called to you in my dreams? Jedi rarely dream. And never such vibrant night terrors. What did it mean?
I woke in a cold sweat. Something else was touching my consciousness. I swiped at the beads of liquid lining my brow and sucked them off my fingers as I searched through the Force. A being. Outside. High above and pacing. My hunter had tracked me down. I stared sightlessly at the entrance, content to await her move.
What came was her voice, virulent with hate, as it echoed through the canyon and bounced inside my skull.
"Come out and play, Jedi. Did you enjoy your first day of fun and games?"
What spring of hatred did this creature drink from? My arid throat convulsed.
Again the hunter's voice rang out. "I was pleasantly surprised today, spawn of Nerac. The last Jedi I killed died too easily."
She was taunting me. Trying to unnerve me. Had she really killed other Jedi? Force forbid, the words had the ring of truth.
"You're the only reason I took this job, you know," the venomous voice continued. "The chance to kill a Jedi. I will enjoy adding your lightsaber to my collection."
I drew a ragged breath. How many others had died at the hands of this vile creature?
The verbal attack was relentless. "But don't worry, creature of light, I will take care of your mewling sister soon enough. First, I kill you for business. Then, I kill her for pleasure. And she will suffer, Jedi. Of that you can be assured."
Hate always leads to suffering. I will not hate this monster. I will give mercy to the merciless. Pity to the pitiless. How can I help but pity a being so totally consumed by darkness? Force help me. Hate was the easy path. I brought to mind two fathomless blue eyes and immersed myself in their loving depths. I shut out out the voice of hatred, replacing it in my mind with softly murmured endearments. I could almost feel your arms around me, Qui-Gon. Did you send your comfort winging through the Force and across the galaxy, to help me stand firm?
Her words ceased to touch me, until she flung a question into the darkness. "Death has a name on Tatooine. Do you know it, Jedi? Do you know the name that will be your death, Jedi? Do you know the name of Aurra Sing? Tremble, even as your masters tremble, at that name, spawn of Nerac. Soon to be no more. What your father began, I will finish."
I searched my mind. The name meant nothing. Less than nothing. As I was less than nothing to my father. Why would he wish this fate on me? A tiny corner of my mind still longed for him to be my daddy. For him to tell me he was proud of me. Never mind that we would never set eyes on one another. To know that he approved of me, to any degree, would be ... what every child should have. What I had never had. The unfairness of his attitude slammed into me, sucking my thoughts dry.
The hunter had ceased to speak. Tired, perhaps, of the lack of response. The silence was acute, piercing through me, and magnifying the growing emptiness within. No one ever said the galaxy was fair or just. But it should be. It should be.
The Force trickled into the void and slowly filled each and every cell of my being. I could not control the thoughts and actions of my father. But I could control my reactions. Tanaab was only my place of birth. And he was only my biological father. Nothing more. My sense of self sprang from the Force, not from his approval, or lack thereof. Relief and release washed over me and I smiled into the darkness. I may be the spawn of Nerac, but I am also a child of the Force. Nothing will ever change that. I am a Jedi, first and forever.
Though short, my sleep was deep and dreamless.
