Chapter 10- The Slaughter and Luke's Choice
The ride back through the Tatooine desert was quiet. Obi-Wan and Lena couldn't really say anything to Luke. Being Jedi, they both knew what Luke had to do to save Leia and get the droids to Alderaan, but Luke was too closely attached to the life he lived. He wanted to leave, that much the Force was showing Lena, but it would take a huge leap that her brother was too frightened to take. She wondered how Luke would take it if she told him that his fear was a shadow of the dark side.
Lena then felt a rush of anguish. "Luke, stop! There has been a disturbance in the Force. Something terrible has happened," Lena said, closing her eyes heavily.
"Uh, your Highness, could that be it?" Threepio asked, tapping her shoulder. Lena looked at what the protocol droid was looking towards and felt a jolt in her insides. It was the same kind of sand crawler that the Jawas that sold Artoo and Threepio to Owen Lars used.
"This could be it. Luke, stop," Lena said as Luke sped up to the crawler and then parked. The desolation that was there was terrible. The Jawas were all laid out in heaps and from the looks of things it looked as if it was the Sand People that were responsible. Lena, Luke, Obi-Wan, and the droids got out of the speeder. They carefully examined each Jawa. They all were dead.
"It looks like the Sand People did this all right. Look. There's gaffi sticks. Bantha tracks. It's just, I never heard of them hitting anything this big before," Luke said as he threw a gaffi stick to the ground.
"They didn't, brother, but we are meant to think they did. These tracks are side-by-side. What I know of the history of your planet is that Sand People always ride single file to hide their numbers," Lena explained.
Luke looked around. "These are the same Jawas that sold us R2 and Threepio," Luke said. Obi-Wan gripped Luke's shoulder.
"And these blast points, too accurate for Sand People. Only Imperial stormtroopers are so precise," Obi-Wan said, indicating a scorched part of the sandcrawler.
"But why would Imperial troops want to slaughter Jawas?" Luke then looked at the droids and it clicked. "If they traced the robots here, they may have learned who they sold them to and that would lead them back...Home!" Luke exclaimed and jumped for his speeder.
"Wait, Luke! It's too dangerous!" Lena called after her brother belatedly. He jumped into the speeder and sped away. Lena looked at Obi-Wan wordlessly and the two of them proceeded to build a fire. The way of the Jedi was to burn the remains if a person died and didn't become one with the Force by disappearing. The Jawas may not have believed in the Force, but it was still the Jedi way.
Lena looked up as Luke came back to the sand crawler, looking like death. It didn't take a Jedi to see what had happened at Luke's farm. Knowing the stormtroopers as she did, it was obvious that they had killed Owen and Beru.
Obi-Wan and Lena walked up to Luke and Lena wrapped her arms around her brother and a comforting, understanding hug. "There's nothing you could have done, Luke, had you been there. You'd have been killed too and the droids and your sister would now be in the hands of the Empire," Obi-Wan said gently.
"I want to come with you and Lena to Alderaan. There's nothing for me here now. I want to learn the ways of the Force and become a Jedi like my father and Lena," Luke said. Lena smiled and kissed her brother's cheek.
"Of course," Obi-Wan said.
"Yes. I'll help you do it. Me, Obi-Wan, my father, and my kid sister, Cora will help you," Lena said as they got into the speeder and Luke drove off in the direction of Mos Eisley spaceport.
Luke stopped the speeder and they all looked down on a small town in the middle of the desert. Even as far away as Alderaan Lena had heard of Tatooine's spaceports; Mos Espa and Mos Eisley. Mos Espa was famous for the Boonta Eve Classic Podrace. Talon had told Lena that her father, Anakin Skywalker had been a slave on Tatooine and the Boonta podrace was what had won his freedom and the Jedi Knight Qui-Gon Jinn had taken him from here.
"Mos Eisley spaceport. You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious," Obi-Wan said as he got back into the speeder.
Luke started up the speeder and Lena and Obi-Wan pulled the hoods of their cloaks over their faces. Luke stopped at a sentry point and three troopers stopped in front of them. "How long have you had these droids?" The trooper in charge asked.
"About three or four seasons," Luke said casually.
"They're up for sale if you want them," Lena said.
"Let me see your identification," the trooper said.
"You don't need to see his identification," Obi-Wan said, waving his hand briefly. Lena bit her lips, trying not to laugh. The trooper must have been weak-minded for Obi-Wan to use a Jedi-mind trick!
"We don't need to see his identification," the trooper repeated.
"These aren't the droids you're looking for," Obi-Wan said.
"These aren't the droids we're looking for," the trooper repeated.
"He can go about his business," Obi-Wan said.
"You can go about your business," the trooper said.
"Move along," Obi-Wan said, looking down.
"Move along. Move along," the trooper said, shooing Luke away. Luke moved the speeder forward and parked in front of a cantina. A Jawa came up to the speeder, touching the details on it.
"I can't abide those jawas. Disgusting creatures!" Threepio said with disdain as they got out.
"Go on. Go on," Luke said, sending the Jawa away. "I can't understand how we got by those troops. I thought we were dead," Luke said. Lena gave her brother a bare smile as she pulled the hood of her cloak a little further over her eyes.
"The Force can have a strong influence on the weak-minded, Luke. Any Jedi can do that, myself included," Lena said. Luke nodded and looked toward the cantina.
"Do you really think we're gonna find a pilot here that'll take us to Alderaan?" Luke asked.
"Oh, most of the best freighter pilots are to be found here, only watch your step. This place can be a little rough," Obi-Wan said with a brief smile and they walked into the building.
"I'm ready for anything," Lena heard Luke mutter as they entered the dark exterior. Lena hoped Luke wasn't being too cock-sure about this. Being in a place like this would be extremely dangerous if the warnings she was getting through the Force was anything to go by. This was a place a Jedi had to watch his or her step.