Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.
T W I N S A B E R S
Chapter Two
Composed by, The Nova Scribes
The days in which Aln-Mai Tekmi spent journeying to Malastare were empty. Looking back, Aln-Mai couldn't even remember the conversation that Master Skywalker had tried to engage him in. He didn't remember doing small tasks in the cramped shuttle, or sleeping, or anything. All that Aln-Mai could really remember was that he had been in shock. Utter and complete shock. It only stopped when he walked down the ramp into the spaceport on Malastare. The descending sun lit up the horizon like crimson, and the temperature was growing cooler. His thoughts cleared, and he breathed in the industrial air, remembering the tint of durasteel that lingered in the air. The methane lakes, the rocky landscape.oh, yes, this was his home. Then Aln-Mai remembered why he was here.
Master Skywalker escorted him through the spaceport. Apparently the Jedi Master was not a non-entity, for some patrons were throwing frightened looks at the distinguished man, the man who defeated the Death Star, defeated Darth Vader, and defeated the dark side of the Force. His reputation must have been somewhat exaggerated though, Aln-Mai decided, as some people actually ran at the sight of the lightsaber hanging from Luke Skywalker's belt.
They caught a tram from the spaceport to a small township outside one of the industrial fabrication facilities. Master Skywalker rented a speeder and took them across marked landscape, laughingly dubbed residential, Aln-Mai thought. He motioned for Master Skywalker to stop when they reached a familiar outcropping of rock that overshadowed a beaten path of dirt. Aln-Mai swung out of the speeder, and wound up the path, stopping at the little cottage that he had called home.
Cottage wasn't really the word, Aln-Mai decided. His being away from home for so long had somewhat altered his perception of the small building. Hovel was a better word to describe it. The shabby walls made out of materials that Aln-Mai had never heard of, and the gardens barely stayed alive in the unforgiving climate. Aln-Mai straightened, pulling his tunic smooth. He walked up to the door, took a deep breath, and knocked.
The door opened a crack, and Aln-Mai recognized the drawn face of his father, Geral-Ryn.
"Dad?" Aln-Mai whispered.
The next thing he knew, he was hauled off his feet in a hug, which he returned wholeheartedly. His father whispered something he couldn't hear, but it didn't matter to Aln-Mai. They released each other, and Aln-Mai coughed uncomfortably.
"Father, I would like to introduce you to Jedi Master Luke Skywalker," Aln-Mai addressed his mentor formally.
"I'm sorry for your loss," Master Skywalker said, extending a hand.
"Thank you, Master Jedi," Geral-Ryn replied, and Aln-Mai was surprised at the use of the ancient greeting of the Jedi. 'Master Jedi' was a phrase used back in the time of the Old Republic. Aln-Mai was astonished his father knew about it.
"I think that we'd best talk inside," Master Skywalker said. "Private conversations are most effective inside four walls."
"Yes, yes, come in, come in," Geral-Ryn said, ushering them both inside. They sat around the table in the center of the room, Aln-Mai's father closing and locking the door behind him.
"How, Dad? How did she die?" Aln-Mai asked before he could properly phrase the question.
Geral-Ryn sighed. His face took on a note of anguish. "She was killed in an accident. A line that transported hyperdrive coolant burst, and she inhaled it." The look on his face was growing more grieving by the moment. "She didn't live much longer, and the only thing I could do was comfort her." He hung his head. "I didn't have enough money to pay for medical services, not even an anesthetic."
Aln-Mai was stricken with horror. Hyperdrive coolant was extremely toxic, especially in its gaseous form. When inhaled, it ate away at the brain, causing paralysis, and inflicting damage on nerve tissue, causing pain in all bodily extremities. The only way to cure it was to immediately treat the person with immersion in a bacta tank, but Aln-Mai knew that his father hadn't near enough money for a commodity like that.
"The funeral is supposed to be tomorrow," Geral-Ryn added morosely.
Master Skywalker had absorbed all of this information with a thoughtful expression on his face. Now, he spoke.
"Isn't hyperdrive coolant always handled with extreme safety precautions?" Master Skywalker asked.
Geral-Ryn nodded glumly.
"And isn't the company responsible heavily fined if there is a leak like the one you mentioned?" Master Skywalker asked.
"Yes, and they were. Over a million credits to clean it up," Geral-Ryn said.
"Did they ascertain what the problem was?" Master Skywalker asked.
"Wear on the tubing. It's supposed to be replaced regularly, but it wasn't in this case, and as I understand it, the fellow in charge of maintenance in that section is looking for a new job," Geral-Ryn said, with a slightly satisfied look in his eyes.
"I see," Master Skywalker said. "Well, I'll go look for someplace for me to stay the night while you two . . ."
"No, no, no! Stay with us! I'd rather you would anyway, seeing as this is the time when a lot of the gangs are out," Geral-Ryn said.
"If it's not too much trouble," Master Skywalker said.
"No, none at all," Geral-Ryn insisted.
Aln-Mai slept in his own room that night, and dreamt fitfully of the picture that his father had drawn for him, of the tubing bursting right in his mother's face, of her screams echoing in his mind, and of his father weeping uncontrollably at her side. When the dawn arrived the next day, Aln-Mai was not rested.
The funeral passed much as the trip to Malastare had. Aln-Mai was strangely detached from the proceedings as old friends spoke kind things of his mother. After everyone had left, Aln-Mai took his father to the speeder, and asked Master Skywalker to take him back. He wanted to buy a couple of things in town, and he would catch a taxi. Master Skywalker somberly agreed, and Aln-Mai watched his father disappear into the distance as he headed into the marketplace.
Aln-Mai had really no intention of buying anything, he just wanted to absorb some old memories. He wandered into the shops, exchanged brief words with some older people who recognized him, and bought a couple food items for his father with the small amount of credits Aln-Mai had collected in trading various things at the Jedi Academy. He actually had quite a bit of money, but Aln-Mai had come to look at money as a small thing, just another means of barter.
He stepped into a deserted alley to put his things in a small satchel, and continued down the alley, sticking to side streets. He knew that the gangs didn't come out in daytime, at least rarely. So it was with a false sense of confidence that he continued on his way home.
As he rounded a corner, boys dropped down from the roofs above him, quickly surrounding him. He groaned inwardly; he should have been able to sense them coming. Not only that, he recognized this particular gang: the Dark Nebulon. This gang had harassed him as a child. Their leader, Huldon, had been the biggest of the lot, and therefore took a childish delight in beating him. But, Aln-Mai thought to himself, that was a long time ago.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't the little Tekmi brat," Huldon sneered. "You've gotten quite a bit bigger."
"And you've not gotten any smarter," Aln-Mai retorted, not bothering to let him tease him. He had the Force, and he was not a little brat.
Huldon glared at him. "I think that you've got to be taught a lesson in manners," he said threateningly.
"I don't think that's a good idea, Huldon, especially since you can't touch me," Aln-Mai said, beginning to concentrate on the Force.
"Oh, really? Then what about this?" Huldon cried, as he swung a huge fist at Aln-Mai's face.
The blow never landed.
Aln-Mai, using the Force to increase his speed, had sidestepped the punch. Huldon blinked, wondering where Aln-Mai had gone. He looked around, spotting him standing three feet left of where he had been before.
"How'd...you...?" Huldon stuttered dumbly.
"Don't underestimate the power of the Force," Aln-Mai said simply, concentrating again.
"Force this!" Huldon howled, and rushed Aln-Mai. Aln-Mai made a tremendous vertical leap, landing on the roof of a nearby building. Huldon's expression was now one of disbelief. He stood there with his mouth hanging open in shock. Then he snapped out of it, and pulled a concealed blaster from inside his vest.
Aln-Mai realized the situation had become slightly more serious at that point. He dodged the blast that Huldon sent at him. He used the Force to yank the blaster out of Huldon's hand, and sent it skittering away with a push from the Force.
Now Huldon was hopping mad. "Blast the little freak!" he screamed, his eyes bulging. The rest of the gang drew identical blasters in unison, and Aln-Mai decided it was time to go. With a burst of speed drawn from the Force, he leapt away across the top of the buildings, heading for home as fast as he could go.
When he arrived home, he stopped to catch his breath. That had been close. He had underestimated his enemy. Aln-Mai supposed the bright thing to do would have been to leave the scene immediately, but he couldn't resist the temptation of humiliating Huldon.
As if drawn by his thoughts, the door opened and Master Skywalker looked out at him. He took in his red face and obvious lack of breath with an appraising eye, then folded his arms across his chest.
"Just buying a couple of things, eh?" he said with a small half-smile.
"Well, I suppose I exaggerated just a bit, Master," Aln-Mai said. "I ran into a couple of old friends who were all too happy to see me. I happened to convince them that they really weren't all that happy to see me after all."
"I see," Master Skywalker said, nodding. "Well, why don't you come in and join us? I was just telling your father that we would be going this afternoon."
Aln-Mai's face changed into an expression of dismay. "We're leaving so early? But we just got here!"
"We came for your mother's funeral, Aln-Mai. Now it is time for us to return to Yavin. Come in and say good-bye," Master Skywalker said firmly.
Aln-Mai sighed and trudged in. His father was bustling around, looking for anything he could give Aln-Mai before he left.
"Here, Father," Aln-Mai said, handing him the satchel of food. "I guess I have to go."
His father's face was sad, but he took the satchel nonetheless, and embraced his son.
"I'll write soon. I promise," Aln-Mai said as he hugged his father close. So many memories, and so little time to share them.
"Be good. Don't forget where you came from," his father said, releasing him from the embrace. "And may the Force be with you."
"Thank you, Father," Aln-Mai said. "Good-bye." He turned and walked out the door, and clambered into the speeder with Master Skywalker. Aln-Mai waved at his father as the vehicle picked up speed and the small house disappeared from view.
T W I N S A B E R S
Chapter Two
Composed by, The Nova Scribes
The days in which Aln-Mai Tekmi spent journeying to Malastare were empty. Looking back, Aln-Mai couldn't even remember the conversation that Master Skywalker had tried to engage him in. He didn't remember doing small tasks in the cramped shuttle, or sleeping, or anything. All that Aln-Mai could really remember was that he had been in shock. Utter and complete shock. It only stopped when he walked down the ramp into the spaceport on Malastare. The descending sun lit up the horizon like crimson, and the temperature was growing cooler. His thoughts cleared, and he breathed in the industrial air, remembering the tint of durasteel that lingered in the air. The methane lakes, the rocky landscape.oh, yes, this was his home. Then Aln-Mai remembered why he was here.
Master Skywalker escorted him through the spaceport. Apparently the Jedi Master was not a non-entity, for some patrons were throwing frightened looks at the distinguished man, the man who defeated the Death Star, defeated Darth Vader, and defeated the dark side of the Force. His reputation must have been somewhat exaggerated though, Aln-Mai decided, as some people actually ran at the sight of the lightsaber hanging from Luke Skywalker's belt.
They caught a tram from the spaceport to a small township outside one of the industrial fabrication facilities. Master Skywalker rented a speeder and took them across marked landscape, laughingly dubbed residential, Aln-Mai thought. He motioned for Master Skywalker to stop when they reached a familiar outcropping of rock that overshadowed a beaten path of dirt. Aln-Mai swung out of the speeder, and wound up the path, stopping at the little cottage that he had called home.
Cottage wasn't really the word, Aln-Mai decided. His being away from home for so long had somewhat altered his perception of the small building. Hovel was a better word to describe it. The shabby walls made out of materials that Aln-Mai had never heard of, and the gardens barely stayed alive in the unforgiving climate. Aln-Mai straightened, pulling his tunic smooth. He walked up to the door, took a deep breath, and knocked.
The door opened a crack, and Aln-Mai recognized the drawn face of his father, Geral-Ryn.
"Dad?" Aln-Mai whispered.
The next thing he knew, he was hauled off his feet in a hug, which he returned wholeheartedly. His father whispered something he couldn't hear, but it didn't matter to Aln-Mai. They released each other, and Aln-Mai coughed uncomfortably.
"Father, I would like to introduce you to Jedi Master Luke Skywalker," Aln-Mai addressed his mentor formally.
"I'm sorry for your loss," Master Skywalker said, extending a hand.
"Thank you, Master Jedi," Geral-Ryn replied, and Aln-Mai was surprised at the use of the ancient greeting of the Jedi. 'Master Jedi' was a phrase used back in the time of the Old Republic. Aln-Mai was astonished his father knew about it.
"I think that we'd best talk inside," Master Skywalker said. "Private conversations are most effective inside four walls."
"Yes, yes, come in, come in," Geral-Ryn said, ushering them both inside. They sat around the table in the center of the room, Aln-Mai's father closing and locking the door behind him.
"How, Dad? How did she die?" Aln-Mai asked before he could properly phrase the question.
Geral-Ryn sighed. His face took on a note of anguish. "She was killed in an accident. A line that transported hyperdrive coolant burst, and she inhaled it." The look on his face was growing more grieving by the moment. "She didn't live much longer, and the only thing I could do was comfort her." He hung his head. "I didn't have enough money to pay for medical services, not even an anesthetic."
Aln-Mai was stricken with horror. Hyperdrive coolant was extremely toxic, especially in its gaseous form. When inhaled, it ate away at the brain, causing paralysis, and inflicting damage on nerve tissue, causing pain in all bodily extremities. The only way to cure it was to immediately treat the person with immersion in a bacta tank, but Aln-Mai knew that his father hadn't near enough money for a commodity like that.
"The funeral is supposed to be tomorrow," Geral-Ryn added morosely.
Master Skywalker had absorbed all of this information with a thoughtful expression on his face. Now, he spoke.
"Isn't hyperdrive coolant always handled with extreme safety precautions?" Master Skywalker asked.
Geral-Ryn nodded glumly.
"And isn't the company responsible heavily fined if there is a leak like the one you mentioned?" Master Skywalker asked.
"Yes, and they were. Over a million credits to clean it up," Geral-Ryn said.
"Did they ascertain what the problem was?" Master Skywalker asked.
"Wear on the tubing. It's supposed to be replaced regularly, but it wasn't in this case, and as I understand it, the fellow in charge of maintenance in that section is looking for a new job," Geral-Ryn said, with a slightly satisfied look in his eyes.
"I see," Master Skywalker said. "Well, I'll go look for someplace for me to stay the night while you two . . ."
"No, no, no! Stay with us! I'd rather you would anyway, seeing as this is the time when a lot of the gangs are out," Geral-Ryn said.
"If it's not too much trouble," Master Skywalker said.
"No, none at all," Geral-Ryn insisted.
Aln-Mai slept in his own room that night, and dreamt fitfully of the picture that his father had drawn for him, of the tubing bursting right in his mother's face, of her screams echoing in his mind, and of his father weeping uncontrollably at her side. When the dawn arrived the next day, Aln-Mai was not rested.
The funeral passed much as the trip to Malastare had. Aln-Mai was strangely detached from the proceedings as old friends spoke kind things of his mother. After everyone had left, Aln-Mai took his father to the speeder, and asked Master Skywalker to take him back. He wanted to buy a couple of things in town, and he would catch a taxi. Master Skywalker somberly agreed, and Aln-Mai watched his father disappear into the distance as he headed into the marketplace.
Aln-Mai had really no intention of buying anything, he just wanted to absorb some old memories. He wandered into the shops, exchanged brief words with some older people who recognized him, and bought a couple food items for his father with the small amount of credits Aln-Mai had collected in trading various things at the Jedi Academy. He actually had quite a bit of money, but Aln-Mai had come to look at money as a small thing, just another means of barter.
He stepped into a deserted alley to put his things in a small satchel, and continued down the alley, sticking to side streets. He knew that the gangs didn't come out in daytime, at least rarely. So it was with a false sense of confidence that he continued on his way home.
As he rounded a corner, boys dropped down from the roofs above him, quickly surrounding him. He groaned inwardly; he should have been able to sense them coming. Not only that, he recognized this particular gang: the Dark Nebulon. This gang had harassed him as a child. Their leader, Huldon, had been the biggest of the lot, and therefore took a childish delight in beating him. But, Aln-Mai thought to himself, that was a long time ago.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't the little Tekmi brat," Huldon sneered. "You've gotten quite a bit bigger."
"And you've not gotten any smarter," Aln-Mai retorted, not bothering to let him tease him. He had the Force, and he was not a little brat.
Huldon glared at him. "I think that you've got to be taught a lesson in manners," he said threateningly.
"I don't think that's a good idea, Huldon, especially since you can't touch me," Aln-Mai said, beginning to concentrate on the Force.
"Oh, really? Then what about this?" Huldon cried, as he swung a huge fist at Aln-Mai's face.
The blow never landed.
Aln-Mai, using the Force to increase his speed, had sidestepped the punch. Huldon blinked, wondering where Aln-Mai had gone. He looked around, spotting him standing three feet left of where he had been before.
"How'd...you...?" Huldon stuttered dumbly.
"Don't underestimate the power of the Force," Aln-Mai said simply, concentrating again.
"Force this!" Huldon howled, and rushed Aln-Mai. Aln-Mai made a tremendous vertical leap, landing on the roof of a nearby building. Huldon's expression was now one of disbelief. He stood there with his mouth hanging open in shock. Then he snapped out of it, and pulled a concealed blaster from inside his vest.
Aln-Mai realized the situation had become slightly more serious at that point. He dodged the blast that Huldon sent at him. He used the Force to yank the blaster out of Huldon's hand, and sent it skittering away with a push from the Force.
Now Huldon was hopping mad. "Blast the little freak!" he screamed, his eyes bulging. The rest of the gang drew identical blasters in unison, and Aln-Mai decided it was time to go. With a burst of speed drawn from the Force, he leapt away across the top of the buildings, heading for home as fast as he could go.
When he arrived home, he stopped to catch his breath. That had been close. He had underestimated his enemy. Aln-Mai supposed the bright thing to do would have been to leave the scene immediately, but he couldn't resist the temptation of humiliating Huldon.
As if drawn by his thoughts, the door opened and Master Skywalker looked out at him. He took in his red face and obvious lack of breath with an appraising eye, then folded his arms across his chest.
"Just buying a couple of things, eh?" he said with a small half-smile.
"Well, I suppose I exaggerated just a bit, Master," Aln-Mai said. "I ran into a couple of old friends who were all too happy to see me. I happened to convince them that they really weren't all that happy to see me after all."
"I see," Master Skywalker said, nodding. "Well, why don't you come in and join us? I was just telling your father that we would be going this afternoon."
Aln-Mai's face changed into an expression of dismay. "We're leaving so early? But we just got here!"
"We came for your mother's funeral, Aln-Mai. Now it is time for us to return to Yavin. Come in and say good-bye," Master Skywalker said firmly.
Aln-Mai sighed and trudged in. His father was bustling around, looking for anything he could give Aln-Mai before he left.
"Here, Father," Aln-Mai said, handing him the satchel of food. "I guess I have to go."
His father's face was sad, but he took the satchel nonetheless, and embraced his son.
"I'll write soon. I promise," Aln-Mai said as he hugged his father close. So many memories, and so little time to share them.
"Be good. Don't forget where you came from," his father said, releasing him from the embrace. "And may the Force be with you."
"Thank you, Father," Aln-Mai said. "Good-bye." He turned and walked out the door, and clambered into the speeder with Master Skywalker. Aln-Mai waved at his father as the vehicle picked up speed and the small house disappeared from view.