Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars. Also, the concept of Amatakka is from Fialleril's story Double Agent Vader, which I love and can't wait until they continue. Anyways, I've always loved the idea that the Lars family was involved with freeing slaves, and I think the idea of the slaves having their own secret language is just so intriguing. ?
"Luke, what's wrong?" I asked sharply.
"It's nothing, Leia," he whispered.
"Don't tell me that, Luke. I know you're upset about something."
Luke swallowed. "I grew up about half a mile that way," he said softly, pointing to the North. "I buried my family just before taking off to help Ben rescue you."
"Do you want to go see it, Kid?" Han asked.
Luke remained silent, but the longing in his eyes was answer enough. I nodded, and Han started the ship back up.
When we touched down again, I immediately felt uneasy. Luke led us to a spot about 500 yards away from a charred black structure that I knew must have been his home. He kneeled in the sand, his head bowed. Nothing appeared to mark the graves, and, for a moment, I wondered how he could tell that this was where his foster parents had been laid to rest. At that moment, though, I noticed the two rocks partially buried in sand. Each had a tiny symbol carved on it, and they were both tied to a tall pole. Using the Force, Luke moved four feet of sand from above the graves.
Han put his hand on my shoulder. I had never met my Aunt and Uncle, but they were family, in a way, and they had raised my brother. That was enough to make me feel something at their graveside.
"They died for us," Luke whispered. "Did you know that?"
I shook my head, feeling confused. What did he mean, for us?
Luke closed his eyes. "I saw a piece of the message you'd recorded for Ben. To see more, I removed Artoo's restraining bolt. Aunt Beru called me in for dinner, and I forgot to put the bolt back on. When I went back out to finish cleaning the droids, he was long gone. The Stormtroopers attacked when I was out with Threepio looking for him. Ben and I came up on the Jawa transport that had sold us the droids. It had been destroyed. As soon as I realized what had happened, I raced home." He looked up and his tear-filled blue eyes met mine. "I was too late. They'd been tortured for information."
"Luke," Han interrupted, "I'm sure it ended quickly. The Stormtroopers must've known they didn't have any information."
Luke's eyes darkened and he snapped, "I know what Imperial torture looks like, Han. Droids aren't the only thing they could've found on our farm." Instantly, he paled, looking down.
"What do you mean, Luke?"
"Names on Tatooine mean a lot," was all he said before turning back towards our aunt and uncle. "I'm sorry, Aunt Beru, Uncle Owen." A tear fell silently down his cheek. Then, he spoke in a language that neither Leia nor Han had ever heard spoken aloud. With that, he stood up, dusting the sand from his pants and tunic.
"Luke, what language was that? What did you say?" Han asked quietly.
Luke hesitated for only a moment. "It is called Amatakka. I told them that the rain had come."
"I hate to tell ya, Kid, but we're in the desert. There's no rain anywhere near here."
I elbowed Han in the ribs, hard, but Luke chuckled. "That's not what it means, Han. I can't say anything else, though."
"Why not, Luke?" I asked, confused.
His eyes darkened again. "I will not betray my people. You'll know soon enough."
His answer only confused me more, but I followed as he led us to the charred remains of his childhood home.
"Kid, why are we going to the house? There's nothing there but ruins."
"I didn't have time to check the house before I left with Ben. I only had time to bury them." Luke led them to a hidden door in the floor, covered in ash and sand. Quickly, he pulled the door open and ushered them inside.
"Luke, what is this place?" I asked, looking around at the room with shock and a bit of fear. Carved into the sandstone were bunks, twelve of them—four rows of three tall. In the middle of the room was a table, and on a tray at the table edge lay several crude-looking tools, as well as several rolls of bandages. I looked at Han, standing beside Luke with a knowing look on his face.
"There's been a Rebellion going on in the Outer Rim since before the Republic ever fell," Luke said quietly. "One all our own."
"This was a Slave Tunnel, wasn't it?" Han asked.
I drew in a sharp breath as my brother nodded.
"Aunt Beru was a Singer. Every slave has a transmitter implanted somewhere in their body. If they get outside the range, it explodes. It's an effective way to scare slaves into obedience and to keep them from running. Aunt Beru would locate and extract the transmitter. She would give the slaves their freedom. I told you that names have meaning here," Luke whispered. "Skywalker is the name of a slave." Luke swallowed. "I was the first freeborn member of my family. Our grandmother spent most of her life as a slave, as did our father before he won his freedom. Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru loved our grandmother, and they never forgot where she came from. All my life, we were part of the Underground."
"Why did you tell them that the rain had come?" I asked.
"Amatakka is the Language of the Slaves. A way to communicate without Depur—the master—knowing. There was a myth—a prophecy—a hope—that one day, a freed slave—Ekkreth—would return and free the others. Ekkreth means slave. In Basic, it translates as Skywalker. If I had to wager, I'd say that Father named you, Leia."
"Why?" Leia asked, rather sharply. Thinking of Luke as her brother was second nature, but she still found it difficult to think of Vader as her father.
"Because, when he left Tatooine, Anakin Skywalker promised Grandmother Shmi that when he became a Jedi, he would return and free her—that he would free all the slaves. In the legends, Ekkreth's daughter, the warrior princess of the desert, is called Leia." Bending, he drew the symbol for Leia in the sand. "Anyways, saying that the rain has come means that the promise was fulfilled—that Ekkreth has freed the slaves. It means that, though the rain was long ago, the desert does not forget. The Mighty One comes with storm and with fire."
"We will walk free," a deep voice finished.
Luke spun on his heel, igniting his lightsaber, only to recognize the man standing in the doorway. "Mr. Darklighter," he whispered.
"Lukka," the man greeted him warmly, pulling him into a hug.
"I'm sorry, sir," Luke whispered. "Biggs was on my wing and I…"
"Hush, child," Mr. Darklighter whispered gruffly. "Bikkhu knew what he was doing when he joined the Alliance. You have finally brought the rain, Ekkreth. The desert does not forget."