CHAPTER 2
A Duel and a Deathtrap
The tension was so thick that you could cut it with a knife. Ewan took two pieces of cloth and wrapped them around his hands and forearms. Just then Dako grabbed him.
"Are you crazy?" he hissed you can't beat that guy!"
"Well then," Said Ewan, "I won't win but it won't be because I didn't try." With that and a firm handshake Ewan turned and walked into the circle. Barto was waiting and he as cocky as ever.
"You might as well give up right now boy!" he jeered.
"I'm not dead yet!" retorted Ewan as they began to circle each other. Ewan's face became the picture of concentration while Barto's remained the picture of arrogance. They circle each other for several seconds when suddenly Barto charged Ewan arms open. At the last possible second Ewan twisted and dodged to the side. Barto complete missed his target and landed face down in the dirt.
Barto jumped to his feet and whirled around to see a smirking Ewan.
"You didn't think it was going to be that easy did you?" Barto howled with rage and unleashed as dizzying volley of punches but to the amazement of the spectators Ewan dodged, ducked or blocked every one of them.
"How is it possible?" said an older man to Kita, "Ewan is but a mere youth and yet he has reflexes that are superior to that of an experienced warrior?"
"The Force is strong with him," said Kita quietly to herself.
Barto had grabbed a steel bar off of the pile that was lying nearby and began to swing it at Ewan; again Ewan dodged the blows successfully.
All at once Ewan found himself by the pile of steel bars. He grabbed one and turned around just in time to block another blow from Barto. Barto drew back to deliver another blow but as he did that Ewan whirled around and caught him in the back of his knees knocking his legs out from under him. Barto hit the ground hard. Further enraged jumped to his feet, but as he came up Ewan swung down and dealt him a blow right in the middle of his forehead. Barto reeled backwards and slumped to the ground unconscious.
Now it was the Dark Riders turn to stand there in stunned silence.
"Pick up your boss and get out of here!" Ewan growled at them, "and don't ever show your faces on Tattooine again!" With that Ewan turned and tossing the bar back on the pile walked towards Kita. He was almost to her when hear and enraged yell.
"NO!" screamed Barto, "I NEVER LOSE!" He turned, grabbed a blaster from one of his men, and leveled it at Ewan's head. Just as he was pulling the trigger Ewan grabbed a silver tray from a waitress who had walked out on her shift to she the fight, Barto fired just as Ewan held up the Tray, the blaster bolt ricocheted off the tray and struck Barto in the arm. Barto yelped and dropped the blaster. Just then Republic troops showed up and took Barto and his henchmen into custody. The Magistrate Gar a tall imposing man shook hands with Ewan.
"Thank you, young man," he said, "I'm not sure how you did it but you kept them here long enough for us to catch them this time." He then handed Ewan Three money clips each filled to the top with gold coins of the highest value.
"This is the bounty that was on Barto's head," he said, "You've earned it." At this point the whole crowd erupted in cheers, and Dako and Chase ran up, lifted Ewan to their shoulders and carried him around the square while people continued to cheer.
That evening Kita found Ewan standing looking out a window at the desert night.
"What's wrong Ewan," she asked.
"What makes you think that anything is wrong?" said Ewan trying to hide his trouble expression. Kita gave Ewan a knowing look.
"I may have only known you for seven of the thirty-five years that I've been alive but that is long enough to know that you always stare off into the desert with you're troubled." Ewan smiled gently,
"I never could fool you," He said, "I was just trying to understand how I did what I did to day," he continued, "fifteen year-old boys don't just go around defeating full grown Baxens! It was like I could see what he would do before he did it!" Kita was silent for a moment before answering,
"Ewan," she said, "what you just described is a Jedi trait it's why your reflexes are so much faster that than the rest of us and I've known for some time that the Force is unusually strong with you."
"I'm a Jedi?" asked Ewan.
"Not yet," said Kita, "you have the potential to be a great Jedi; I think that you should consider going to Dantooine to the Jedi academy or Coruscant the capital planet and try to contact the other Jedi. Maybe one of them can help you understand your gifts better, and perhaps they can even help you find out where you came from."
Meanwhile on a little known moon in the Endor system a dark figure stands staring out into the darkness…
A blonde haired woman in a black cloak walked into the room of the hidden base where the ominous figure stood.
"My lord Lothor," she said bowing.
"What is it, Sokar?" he asked his deep voice even more eerie that his form.
"Our spies have brought is an interesting report of a boy on Tattooine who has exhibit remarkable force power. In fact they say he single handedly defeated a Baxen mercenary."
Lothor's brow furled and he retreated further into the darkness that seemed to pervade his presence.
"I wonder." He said
2 Days later on Tattooine…
A speeder shot across the Tattooine landscape and at the controls was Ewan. He was on his way back to the orphanage after running an errand to the next town to pick up some medicine for Kita's first aid kit. Suddenly he brought the speed to an abrupt halt on the top of a ridge as a distant roar met his ears. Standing up in the seat he pulled his binoculars out and scanned the horizon. In the distance he saw an immense cloud of sand bearing down on his path.
"Sandstorm." He said to himself, "I'd better find some shelter; at the rate that thing is moving it'll be here in half- an- hour!"
Looking around quick, he spotted, much to his relief, an old but sturdy house. Parking the spider behind the natural rock wall that partially obscured the house from view Ewan walked up and knocked on the door. When no one answered he pushed the door open and stepped inside. Immediately it became obvious that no one had lived there for sometime. There were lose clothes scattered about the floor there the bed sheets were tattered and torn and dust was everywhere.
"I wonder who lived here." Ewan thought, "It looks like it was some hermit." Before he got any further with his train of thought the storm hit in all its fury and jarred him out of his thoughts.
Ewan paced around the house as the storm blew outside. As he walked into the kitchen he heard the sound of stone scraping stone under his foot pulling the rug back he found that one of the stones was loose grabbing a stick he pried the stone loose and found a hole underneath it. Reaching into it he pulled out a Lightsaber!
"Wow," he said to himself, "whoever lived here was a Jedi!" He touched the knob and the saber hummed to life its green blade lit up the room. When he deactivated the saber he suddenly realized that the storm had cleared. He walked into the living room toward the door with the saber still in his hand. Suddenly there was a shrill roar and the doors and window were blown out. Ewan shielded his eyes from the glass and when looked again he found himself surrounded by savage Tuskgan raiders!
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