Chapter 21
Luke suddenly found himself to be the center of attention. He had realized that, though he felt weak, if he simply allowed the Force to flow through him, the pain was not so bad and he was able to concentrate better on the current situation. Belatedly, he realized that it might not have been such a good idea after all, since the taller of the two figures was now paying more attention to him, almost as if he knew that Luke was able to use the Force and was currently trying to use it to his advantage. Suddenly, the figure summoned a couple of Troopers and spoke to them. Now he would be able to understand at least some of what was going on…
"Bring me a couple of ysalamiri. Do not forget to get a leash for them as well. One is to be tied to our young 'guest'," he stated. Once they had left, he turned to Luke. "What is your name, boy?" he asked.
Luke paused. Should he tell the figure before him who he really was, or should he tell him that his name was Lonny? Would he know, either way? He decided to answer with a question of his own, hoping that it would sidetrack the figure long enough for him to figure out what to tell him, if anything. "Who are you? Tell me first, lest you miss your chance," he boldly declared.
The figure just looked back at him. When there was no further response, he took the time to notice that his prisoner was determined to say nothing further. "Who is your father?" he replied, hoping to get a response.
"Tell me the answer to my own question first, otherwise you will get nothing further out of me," he stubbornly insisted. He was trying to bide his time until the right moment. As it was, his instincts were screaming at him to get out of here, and fast. The problem was, he had no idea why. He wanted his questions answered before he left here, too. Questions such as: who was this person in front of him? Why did he single out Luke? Did he think that Luke was Lonny? What did he mean by 'salamari'? These questions, and more, were driving Luke near to the point of distraction. If he could get some answers, maybe it would help, as the questions kept right on stacking up, with no escape. He had been attempting to hold the pain at bay, as well, by using the Force. If only he knew the answer to his last question, he would have turned and tried his absolute hardest to get away as fast as he could…
Lonny knew that he was slowing. He had not had anything to eat since he had started out that morning, and that was before the attack. He had had very little to drink since then as well, but he could not afford to think about that. He had to get away from the duo that was chasing him. He was getting tired: tired from lack of food; tired from little to drink; tired from inhaling smoke, in his rescue attempts; tired of running in the heat… When he checked behind him once again, he stumbled. He was so close! If he could just reach the right cave, he would be able to lose his pursuers in the tunnels! Just as he reached it, however, his strength began to give out on him. Silently, he lowered himself to the floor of the cave, hoping that he would go unnoticed…
AN:
Solarstorm: Hey. Who do you think you are again? ;) Yeah, when I heard about that species, I thought that it would be a perfect excuse, as far as Luke even being alive at this point...
Anyways, sorry I took so long. (School and all...) I promise it won't be as long on the next one. :)