ANAKIN AND THE JAWA
Anakin Skywalker sat up on the counter. He was studying the newest customer in Watto's shop.
It was a Jawa. Jawas are short people that wore robes around their bodies so they don't get to hot from Tatooine's twin suns. It also protected them from sandstorms.
The five-year-old saw Jawas a lot. They were always looking for cheap droids or engines for their Sandcrawlers.
The only time Anakin had actually seen a Sandcrawler was a few weeks ago. It was when he had heard that a group of hunters were going to hunt Banthas.
Banthas are massive creatures that live on Tatooine. They have over a hundred pounds of fur draping down from their bodies, and round horns sprouting from their heads.
Anakin had seen the Banthas on the huge dune and started to run up it. He had to scare the Banthas off!
After several hours of falling, gasping, and screaming, he finally reached the top. The Banthas stood at the top. They hadn't moved.
"Go!" Anakin shouted. "Get out of here! They're going to kill you! Run! Can't you see them down there!"
Anakin couldn't see the hunters, but he had heard that Banthas had good eyesight. But he could see something glittering in the distance.
But he had no time to look at it. The Banthas still hadn't left!
Suddenly he heard a shot in the distance. It had come from his town, Mos Espa. He looked down, and could barely see a group of hunters.
He could also see the hole that the blaster rifle had made in one of the Bantha's horn.
"No!" he shouted again. His throat was sore, his eyes would have been watery, but the heat got it first. Every part of his body was in pain.
The Bantha hadn't felt the hole being burnt through it's ear. It couldn't feel anything with it's horns.
"Stop!" Anakin called down to the band of hunters. "Don't shoot!"
They couldn't hear him. He was too far away.
"Chuba!" Anakin said angrily, using a word that was popular on Tatooine. It meant that something had gone wrong.
He grew desperate.
Anakin ran up to one of the Banthas, waving his arms in the furry creatures face. He ran behind another one, pulling it's tail.
He dodged a kick from it's hind legs, and ran to another one.
Then they weren't there anymore. They had ran down the dune, from the small person screaming at them and pulling their tails.
"Yes!" Anakin yelled in triumph. "I did it! Ha ha!" He looked down and saw the group of hunters walk away with no prize.
He had started down the dune when he remembered the glitter in the distance. He looked back and saw a huge vehicle in a square shape: a Sandcrawler.
Anakin came back into the present when the Jawa in Watto's store squealed something at him.
"Um," Anakin said uneasily. He couldn't speak in the Jawa's language, and Watto, who could, was making a sale at Anchorhead.
He pressed a button on the wall, activating a built-in translator droid. The droid started to speak in its harsh voice.
"What language?" it asked. They could have gotten one with a nicer voice, but those had cost more and Watto hated to spend money.
"Jawa," Anakin said, unsure of the language Jawas speak in.
"Language of Jawa program activated." the droid said. "What is the password?"
Anakin leaned over and whispered the password for all of Watto's equipment that he knew of.
"Program engaged." the droid responded the usual way to the password. "Speak Jawa now."
The Jawa, who had started to look very annoyed, repeated his question. The droid replied in basic.
"What is the price of this comlink?" it asked.
"Let's see(" Anakin said, searching his memory for the price. "What type is it? It depends on the brand."
The Jawa paused, looking down at the comlink in its small hands. It replied in a squeal.
"J-978 from Coruscant," the translator droid said for the Jawa. "The battery port is from Correlia, though."
"That's the expensive one," Anakin said, finding the price in the data sheets underneath the counter.
The Jawa's yellow eyes grew wide, then narrow. It said something, but not in a squeal. It was quiet, as if he already knew the answer.
"How much?" the droid asked, repeating the customer exactly, only in basic.
"One hundred and seventy-five credits." Anakin said. He sensed the dismay in the creature. "Sorry."
Without another word, the Jawa turned away, placed the comlink back, and began to look at the engine cores.
"Sorry," Anakin repeated quietly, switching off the translator. He turned around and started to clean a vent switch.
He got so entranced in his work that he barely noticed the Jawa stop next to the comlink that he had wanted.
Anakin looked up and saw the Jawa take the comlink and put it in a pouch on his belt. He was stealing it!
Anakin pretended he didn't see what the Jawa had done. It worked. The Jawa left the store, walking down the sand road.
He didn't look back, which was a good thing, because Anakin was following him. It was easy to follow someone in Mos Espa.
One of the reasons was that there was so many people there. You could just slip behind on of them.
Anakin followed him to another Jawa. The Jawa talked with the new one of his race for a while, than walked down a side alley.
He went into a run down bar and sat down on a rusty seat. He squealed something to the bar tender.
It looked like he would stay there for a while. Once Anakin knew where the bar was, he could easily find it again.
He jogged out of the alley, and went in search of a Mos Espa guard. Although it seemed impossible, Mos Espa did have guards.
Anakin walked past Jira's fruit stand, but wouldn't stop to talk to her. He needed a guard, not a fruit.
He walked past his home, and his friend Kitster's home, but would not stop, even for a minute.
Mos Espa guards are big, strong creatures with vibro-axes. They didn't like anyone, and were always angry at something.
But they never let a criminal go unpunished. That was what made them perfect guards.
Anakin spotted one in the distance. They were hard not to notice, they were so huge.
He walked up to the guard. "Um, sir?" he asked uncertainly.
"What is it, kid?!" the guard nearly yelled, impatiently. "I've got work to do!"
"Well, um, a Jawa stole something from my master's store," Anakin reported. "A comlink. The expensive one..."
"Where is this Jawa?" the guard cried, raising his axe. "I'll throw him behind electro-bars!"
"This way, sir!" Anakin ran threw the throng surrounding them. "Over here!"
"Wait, kid!" the guard couldn't keep up with Anakin. "Don't go so fast!"
Anakin led him to the bar. "He's in there," he whispered up to the guard, who was gasping for breath.
The guard stomped into the bar, vibro-blade ready. A few minutes later he came out clutching a struggling Jawa by it's cloak.
"Is this the one, boy?" he asked, raising up the Jawa further. "There were five or so in there."
"Yeah, that's the one," Anakin said triumphantly. "Look in his belt pouch."
The guard looked in it, and there it was: the comlink. He gave it to Anakin, started to haul the Jawa to the jail, and stopped.
He turned around. "Hey, boy!" he called. "How much does that comlink cost?"
"One hundred and seventy-five credits," Anakin said uncertainly. "Why?"
"I'd like to buy it," the guard said, handing the young boy two hundred credits.
"The rest is reward money," he said. He walked off with the comlink, already calling the jail to report the criminal Jawa.
THE END
Anakin Skywalker sat up on the counter. He was studying the newest customer in Watto's shop.
It was a Jawa. Jawas are short people that wore robes around their bodies so they don't get to hot from Tatooine's twin suns. It also protected them from sandstorms.
The five-year-old saw Jawas a lot. They were always looking for cheap droids or engines for their Sandcrawlers.
The only time Anakin had actually seen a Sandcrawler was a few weeks ago. It was when he had heard that a group of hunters were going to hunt Banthas.
Banthas are massive creatures that live on Tatooine. They have over a hundred pounds of fur draping down from their bodies, and round horns sprouting from their heads.
Anakin had seen the Banthas on the huge dune and started to run up it. He had to scare the Banthas off!
After several hours of falling, gasping, and screaming, he finally reached the top. The Banthas stood at the top. They hadn't moved.
"Go!" Anakin shouted. "Get out of here! They're going to kill you! Run! Can't you see them down there!"
Anakin couldn't see the hunters, but he had heard that Banthas had good eyesight. But he could see something glittering in the distance.
But he had no time to look at it. The Banthas still hadn't left!
Suddenly he heard a shot in the distance. It had come from his town, Mos Espa. He looked down, and could barely see a group of hunters.
He could also see the hole that the blaster rifle had made in one of the Bantha's horn.
"No!" he shouted again. His throat was sore, his eyes would have been watery, but the heat got it first. Every part of his body was in pain.
The Bantha hadn't felt the hole being burnt through it's ear. It couldn't feel anything with it's horns.
"Stop!" Anakin called down to the band of hunters. "Don't shoot!"
They couldn't hear him. He was too far away.
"Chuba!" Anakin said angrily, using a word that was popular on Tatooine. It meant that something had gone wrong.
He grew desperate.
Anakin ran up to one of the Banthas, waving his arms in the furry creatures face. He ran behind another one, pulling it's tail.
He dodged a kick from it's hind legs, and ran to another one.
Then they weren't there anymore. They had ran down the dune, from the small person screaming at them and pulling their tails.
"Yes!" Anakin yelled in triumph. "I did it! Ha ha!" He looked down and saw the group of hunters walk away with no prize.
He had started down the dune when he remembered the glitter in the distance. He looked back and saw a huge vehicle in a square shape: a Sandcrawler.
Anakin came back into the present when the Jawa in Watto's store squealed something at him.
"Um," Anakin said uneasily. He couldn't speak in the Jawa's language, and Watto, who could, was making a sale at Anchorhead.
He pressed a button on the wall, activating a built-in translator droid. The droid started to speak in its harsh voice.
"What language?" it asked. They could have gotten one with a nicer voice, but those had cost more and Watto hated to spend money.
"Jawa," Anakin said, unsure of the language Jawas speak in.
"Language of Jawa program activated." the droid said. "What is the password?"
Anakin leaned over and whispered the password for all of Watto's equipment that he knew of.
"Program engaged." the droid responded the usual way to the password. "Speak Jawa now."
The Jawa, who had started to look very annoyed, repeated his question. The droid replied in basic.
"What is the price of this comlink?" it asked.
"Let's see(" Anakin said, searching his memory for the price. "What type is it? It depends on the brand."
The Jawa paused, looking down at the comlink in its small hands. It replied in a squeal.
"J-978 from Coruscant," the translator droid said for the Jawa. "The battery port is from Correlia, though."
"That's the expensive one," Anakin said, finding the price in the data sheets underneath the counter.
The Jawa's yellow eyes grew wide, then narrow. It said something, but not in a squeal. It was quiet, as if he already knew the answer.
"How much?" the droid asked, repeating the customer exactly, only in basic.
"One hundred and seventy-five credits." Anakin said. He sensed the dismay in the creature. "Sorry."
Without another word, the Jawa turned away, placed the comlink back, and began to look at the engine cores.
"Sorry," Anakin repeated quietly, switching off the translator. He turned around and started to clean a vent switch.
He got so entranced in his work that he barely noticed the Jawa stop next to the comlink that he had wanted.
Anakin looked up and saw the Jawa take the comlink and put it in a pouch on his belt. He was stealing it!
Anakin pretended he didn't see what the Jawa had done. It worked. The Jawa left the store, walking down the sand road.
He didn't look back, which was a good thing, because Anakin was following him. It was easy to follow someone in Mos Espa.
One of the reasons was that there was so many people there. You could just slip behind on of them.
Anakin followed him to another Jawa. The Jawa talked with the new one of his race for a while, than walked down a side alley.
He went into a run down bar and sat down on a rusty seat. He squealed something to the bar tender.
It looked like he would stay there for a while. Once Anakin knew where the bar was, he could easily find it again.
He jogged out of the alley, and went in search of a Mos Espa guard. Although it seemed impossible, Mos Espa did have guards.
Anakin walked past Jira's fruit stand, but wouldn't stop to talk to her. He needed a guard, not a fruit.
He walked past his home, and his friend Kitster's home, but would not stop, even for a minute.
Mos Espa guards are big, strong creatures with vibro-axes. They didn't like anyone, and were always angry at something.
But they never let a criminal go unpunished. That was what made them perfect guards.
Anakin spotted one in the distance. They were hard not to notice, they were so huge.
He walked up to the guard. "Um, sir?" he asked uncertainly.
"What is it, kid?!" the guard nearly yelled, impatiently. "I've got work to do!"
"Well, um, a Jawa stole something from my master's store," Anakin reported. "A comlink. The expensive one..."
"Where is this Jawa?" the guard cried, raising his axe. "I'll throw him behind electro-bars!"
"This way, sir!" Anakin ran threw the throng surrounding them. "Over here!"
"Wait, kid!" the guard couldn't keep up with Anakin. "Don't go so fast!"
Anakin led him to the bar. "He's in there," he whispered up to the guard, who was gasping for breath.
The guard stomped into the bar, vibro-blade ready. A few minutes later he came out clutching a struggling Jawa by it's cloak.
"Is this the one, boy?" he asked, raising up the Jawa further. "There were five or so in there."
"Yeah, that's the one," Anakin said triumphantly. "Look in his belt pouch."
The guard looked in it, and there it was: the comlink. He gave it to Anakin, started to haul the Jawa to the jail, and stopped.
He turned around. "Hey, boy!" he called. "How much does that comlink cost?"
"One hundred and seventy-five credits," Anakin said uncertainly. "Why?"
"I'd like to buy it," the guard said, handing the young boy two hundred credits.
"The rest is reward money," he said. He walked off with the comlink, already calling the jail to report the criminal Jawa.
THE END