Chapter 4
" Some time ago, the last of a highly evolved race of magical beings known as the Senttians arrived on this planet seeking refuge from an unseen enemy. They remained in hiding up until recently when their leader, Rajad, sought me out and told me of you and your friends. She knew your names. She even knew that you would becoming in today, and that you would be accompanied by a younger version of his father. "
" How could she have possibly known that? " Anakin questioned, raising a hand and using the Force to lift a couple of pieces of fruit from the bowl.
Lennton shook his head. " The Senttians are a secretive, mystical race. Not only are they shape-shifters who can take on almost any living form they want, they are also said to possess psychic abilities and magic. Though the true extent of their powers remains unclear, I'd be willing to bet they also have the means necessary for time-travel, as young Anakin's presence would suggest. Anyway, the important detail is that Rajad knew you would all come here, and that your friends would come up missing. She chose me to give you both the message to meet her. I do not know what exactly it's about, but I did get the feeling it was important."
Luke nodded, processing. " Okay. What's the address? "
Lennton scratched the stubble on his chin with one thick finger. " The Senttians generally try to stay hidden. Only the Tusken Raiders knew the safe paths of the remote caves they now inhabit. Of course, the Tuskens are extinct. Well, more or less."
" What do you mean more or less'? " Anakin demanded, thrilled at the aspect of a Tatooine without Tusken Raiders. He managed to float the fruits over Luke's head without Luke noticing.
" It's like this: bounty hunters from all across the galaxy had been coming here and killing them all off. Don't know why--I can't imagine why a dead Tusken would be worth so much money. Some rich big-shot must've wanted them all dead is all I can figure. I'm not saying that's a bad thing--they were a pretty savage race. But the Senttians must've seen some good in them. At least, they saw some good in one of them."
" Good! " Anakin sneered, the horrible memories of his mother's death fresh in his mind, " Those Tuskens are only good dead! " He let the fruit drop on Luke's head.
" Hey! You did that on purpose! " Luke groaned, giving his father an annoyed swat.
" Obviously." Anakin agreed playfully. To Lennton, he said, " I'm sorry, what were you saying? "
" The Tusken Raiders," Lennton went on as if nothing had happened, " the Senttians saved a Tusken child named Onyx using their magic to give her the guise of a human child. The hunters did not recognize her as being prey. Now Onyx is the last of her kind. I'm afraid only she knows where to find Rajad and the others."
Anakin snorted. " If this Rajad was so all-knowing, then she surely must've known that I hate Tusken Raiders. Why didn't she just meet us here herself? "
Lennton shook his head. " I'm afraid I don't have the answer for that. Perhaps you could ask her yourselves once you meet her."
" Do you know where to find Onyx? " Luke asked, putting the fallen fruit back into the bowl and resisting the temptation to splat one in Anakin's face. This wasn't the time for a food-fight.
" I sure do." Lennton nodded, " But first, I must have your word that she will not be harmed."
" Jedi do not harm children." Luke stated simply, as if any moron should know.
Lennton frowned. " You aren't the Jedi I was worried about. Luke. Rajad seemed more concerned about Anakin doing something."
How do they know so much? Anakin swallowed nervously, remembering all too vividly his mother's death and his rampage in the Tusken raider camp. To him, it had happened only hours ago, though over twenty years had passed here.
The pain of losing his mother had simply been too much, and it was because of this that he'd totally lost his head; brutally murdering every Tusken within the camp. Men, women…even children and pets. They'd all gotten what they'd deserved, and after he'd finished he hadn't felt even a twinge of remorse. Guilt, maybe, because Jedi were not supposed to act that way, but not remorse.
Jedi were not supposed to hate. Hate was linked with the Dark Side of the Force, and was not only discouraged but forbidden.
And I hated…still hate them! How could he help it? There was no excuse for what they'd done. He felt both Lennton's and Luke's eyes on him, and it made him uncomfortable.
" Well? " Lennton pressed, sensing Anakin's reluctance.
" Remember, Jedi aren't supposed to hate." Luke supplied tenderly, " Besides, if Onyx is a child then she couldn't possibly have had anything to do with your mother."
" No…no, you're right." Anakin agreed, " Only her sorry species! "
" Da…I mean, Anakin, you have to let go of your hate. It isn't fair to blame Onyx for something that she wasn't a part of. You know this."
Anakin crossed his arms and made a face, not finding any way to argue with Luke's logic.
How am I going to get through to him? Luke wondered, glancing to Lennton as if he held the answer.
" Well, this is a problem." Lennton stated, " Onyx is my friend and has a good heart. Despite Rajad's wishes, I couldn't risk lending her out without a guarantee of her safety. She is, after all, only a child."
" No, never mind, Lennton." Luke replied, aiming his comment as much for Anakin as he was the Truvian, " Darth Vader here would rather waste away and practice the Sith art of hate then find out why he's here or help me rescue my friends; one of which happens to be his own daughter."
Luke had pressed the right buttons. " Ok, I promise not to hurt the Tusken girl." Anakin surrendered, wincing at being referred to as 'Darth Vader' yet again.
" Great! " Luke chirped, " It's not like we're asking you to cuddle her, just tolerate her." he turned to Lennton. " Don't worry, I'll make sure that nothing happens to Onyx."
Anakin clasped a palm over his face. Why me?
" Your son is right you know," Lennton confirmed, " hatred is more Sith than Jedi. Shall I call in Onyx? Or do you need some more time to calm down? "
Anakin straightened. " I am calm. Go ahead." Of all creatures, why did it have to be a Tusken Raider? It was like somebody's idea of a cruel joke.
Rising, Lennton crossed over to the door, opened it, and called out " Onyx! Onyx, I have a job for you! "
" Coming Lennton." A sweet little girl's voice came from off in another room. Moments later, Lennton backed away and a lively nine or ten year old girl with a cute red dress and flowing blonde hair bounced in, looking around eagerly. Her hazel eyes fell first upon the Skywalkers, then drifted down to settle on their lightsabers which were not at all hidden by the folds of their clothes.
" Onyx, this is Luke and Anakin. Luke and Anakin, Onyx."
Onyx curtsied politely. " Pleasure to meet you."
" Hi." Luke held a hand up in greeting, but Anakin remained motionless; staring straight ahead and off into space. His expression wasn't exactly pleasant.
Luke was clearly embarrassed by his father's rude behavior. " Never mind him. He's not the easiest person to get along with. Tends to shut people out." It was a slightly strange experience coming face-to-face with a Tusken child who wasn't wearing the usual attire of head-to-toe tattered rags and a weird-looking mask, and Lennton was right: Onyx looked completely like a normal human child and not like a Tusken Raider at all. Not that Luke had never seen a Tusken minus the mask, but he had been sure they probably wouldn't look too human.
Onyx nodded slightly, and both Jedi could sense her unease.
Good. She should be scared of me. Anakin thought, knowing the whole time that it was wrong to think that way, I probably should try to think more positively though. It's thoughts like these that are going to make me Darth Vader if I'm not careful.
" They need you to guide them through the ancient caves to find Rajad and her people. Think you can do that? " Lennton asked sweetly, careful not to put the young Tusken on the spot.
Despite her apparent anxiety, Onyx nodded. " It would be an honor." She turned her attention to the Skywalkers. " I must warn you though--the caves are full of dangerous pits, deadly traps, and ferocious creatures. I think that's part of the reason the Senttians chose it as a safe haven. They don't normally like company."
" Sounds like fun." Luke said, expecting as much, " What do you think, Anakin? Up for a little action? "
" You bet." Anakin replied truthfully, hoping to see some action very, very soon. It would be worlds better than sitting in the back rooms of bars making small talk with weirdos and Tusken Raiders. Besides, the sooner we find the Senttians, the sooner we won't need the Tusken Raider. " Let's do this."
After saying their thank-yous goodbyes to Lennton, Anakin, Luke, and little Onyx strode out the front door of the station and were greeted by the sight of two uniformed law-officers coming straight at them.
" I'm sorry officers, is there a problem? " Luke asked.
" You bet." Said the first officer, pointing to Anakin, " The dug Janess says he beat her up and then strung her up a sign-post by her under-garments."
" Anakin! " Luke gushed, barely stifling a laugh. Her under-garments? That's rude…and also funny!
Anakin held both hands up in front of the cops in a time-out gesture, " Whoa, hold on. I did not beat anyone up! The sign-post, well…" His guilty grin betrayed him, " It was her fault! She went up and kicked my landspeeder for no reason! "
Luke shook his head. " You mean my landspeeder. Oh great. My insurance on that thing expired weeks ago."
" Ah, really? " The first officer sounded excited.
" Look, it was all just a big accident…"
" Yes, there are always accidents when your species are involved." An all-to-familiar voice that Anakin remembered from the past announced.
An older, withered-up looking dug who had clearly seen better years came up, giving Anakin the evil eye.
Sebulba! Anakin's mind raced, It's Sebulba!
" You! You're going to have a lot to answer for, messing with my granddaughter! " Sebulba sneered, making his feeling on the matter painfully obvious. Then his eyes fell on Anakin's lightsaber, and he changed his tune almost automatically. " I mean…misunderstandings can happen, right? " He was backing away now, much to the Skywalkers' relief, " Forget about it, officers. We'll all just chalk it up to a big misunderstanding."
Now the officers noticed the lightsabers. " What do you know? Jedi. And here I thought I'd seen the last of them."
" We're kinda in a hurry, if you don't mind." Luke revealed, waving his hand slightly and using the Force to plant the suggestion in the first officer's mind, " Why don't you just get back to your duties and we'll pretend none of this ever happened? "
The first officer blinked, then turned to his partner. " He's right. We have more pressing matters to attend."
" Affirmative." With that, the two law-officers turned and headed back to their patrol vehicles, clearly not interested in dealing with Jedi.
By this time Sebulba had completely disappeared from view--probably hiding behind the station.
Luke grinned. " Works like a charm."
" I'll bet they would've ran even faster if they knew who I really was." Anakin mused, " I know that dug. His name is Sebulba. He lost the Boonta Eve Podrace to me when I was just nine. Of course, judging by his reaction just know, I don't think he recognized me."
" For both our sakes, let's hope no one else does."
They reached the landspeeder--still parked by the gas-spigot, and Luke scowled at the dents in the side. " What'd you do to get her so mad? "
" Oh, so you automatically assume I had something to do with it? " Anakin defended.
Luke ran a finger over the dents, frowning. " Well, dugs generally don't go around kicking people's landspeeders unless they think they have a reason. And given your history…"
" I don't know what her problem was." Anakin cut in, " Wait a minute…yes I do. She's Sebulba's granddaughter. That whole family thinks they're the all-time greatest beings to grace the universe."
" At least none of them turned Sith." Luke glanced at the landspeeder, then down to young Onyx who was standing closely by his side, and his worries intensified. He wouldn't feel comfortable driving with Anakin and Onyx right behind him and out of sight. Recipe for disaster. But steering would be next to impossible with her sitting in front of him. Handy as landspeeders were, they were not designed for family commute. It was going to be a crowded situation as it was.
There was only one solution. A scary solution.
" Anakin, why don't you do the driving, and Onyx can sit between us in the middle? "
" You sound nervous. I gave my word that I would not harm her. Don't you trust me? " Anakin purred with an almost evil undercurrent to his voice.
Even though he truly meant to keep his promise, it came off sounding akin to a cat asking to be trusted with a mouse.
" No." Luke said bluntly.
Anakin was not at all offended by his son's lack of trust. " Okay then. I'll drive."
Luke waited until Anakin was seated comfortably in the front, then helped Onyx up behind him before climbing on himself. Now I'll be able to keep an eye on her.
But he was still a little worried--of the few things Obi had told him about his father, his love for speed had been mentioned. More than once. I hope I know what I'm doing.
Anakin turned the motor, and the machine sprang to life.
" Better hold onto something." Luke cautioned Onyx in a low voice, " I've heard he likes to go fast."
Onyx looked around for something to hold, but the only thing available was Anakin's torso. Gently, very gently, she gripped his sides, and the landspeeder took off with a loud 'whoosh'.
" Which way? " Anakin asked, doing his best to ignore Onyx's touch. Buildings and people sped by in a blur as he masterfully wove in and out of traffic and away from the city, breaking every traffic law on the planet.
" Head North," Onyx supplied, coughing a bit as some hot sand flew up into her nose and mouth, " Towards the big gully with the ridge."
Following instructions, Anakin started North and floored the accelerator as if he were in a podrace, scaring the wits out of both Onyx and Luke.
And I thought Han was a crazy driver. " Watch out for the banthas! " Luke warned even as the hearty desert-creatures crossed into their path along a narrow trail.
" Relax, I know what I'm doing." Anakin replied calmly, making a bunch of insane wild swerves around banthas that nearly threw his passengers from their seats.
" Good because I don't! " Luke complained, grasping some support beams at the side of the speeder for dear life, " You're going to get us killed! "
" Aw, come on, you sound like Master Obi. My driving isn't that bad."
An enormous sandworm reared up seemingly out of nowhere just then, forcing Anakin to veer right at such a sharp angle it nearly threw him and his passengers.
" Stupid gravel maggot! " He cursed, " Out of my way! "
Yes, that's good advice, Luke thought, whether you happen to be a gravel maggot, sandworm, bantha, innocent bystander…
" That ridge over there? " Anakin pointed to a ridge a good few miles off in the distance; raising up from the sands like an ominous red-orange temple.
" Yes." Onyx wheezed, struggling to catch her breath. Thank the stars it's not very far away! Any more time riding with Anakin and she was sure she'd go completely crazy.
Much to Luke's relief, nothing else seemed to be stirring out in the open.
They were almost halfway there when the engine started sputtering and slowing down.
" What's wrong? " Luke asked when the engine finally died and the speeder slowed to a complete stop out in the middle of the desert.
Anakin frowned, studying the gauges. " Luke, how much gas did you put in before we left? " He cast an accusing eye over his shoulder to his son.
" Gas? Didn't you put any in? " Luke replied sheepishly. Duh! How could I have been so forgetful!
" Me? I thought you did! "
Luke turned away shame-faced, feeling like the dumbest idiot in Stupidville. " Ah…well I…with everything that was happening, I guess I just forgot. I'm sorry. We'll have to walk the rest of the way."