Chapter XVIII – Jedi: Back to the Sanctuary Moon
I was the only one awake this particular night. Luke, Tuck, and Fett were belted into bunks in the sleeping quarters of the tanker, deep in slumber. Nightwind occupied what would have been the galley of the ship, legs tucked beneath him and head burrowed under one foreleg, Ash huddled in the crook of his neck with her head under one wing. Jessa reclined in the co-pilot's chair, arms and legs at bizarre angles and head thrown back, the better to issue a metallic snore. Only I remained awake to watch the stars flash by as we glided through hyperspace once again.
Technically, I should have been asleep as well. The autopilot would see us safely to our next destination, and an alarm would awaken us if trouble arose. But I was not tired, and something was bothering me, teasing at the very edges of my mind, restless and anxious. I had tried blocking it out, but none of my meditation techniques could silence it. At last I simply retired to a table in the galley and had a seat, considering.
It had nothing to do with the ring. I knew that much. Except for when speaking to Nightwind, it had lain dormant since leaving Wayland. And seeing as all my Force training had been unable to settle my anxiety, I decided it was safe to assume it was not the work of the Force either.
You are a man of three heritages and, thus, a man of three magics. The Shadow's words returned to trouble me. The power of man, the Force… the power of unicorn, the ring… no, I did not want to think of the third power. Every time I had used it, however unknowingly, the consequences had been devastating. When I had drawn on it to avenge my mother's death, it had set me on the path to the dark side. When I had wielded it during the assault on the Jedi Temple, it had bound me irrevocably to the Emperor's side as a slave. Only once, when I had tapped into it to save my son's life, had I used it for good… and even then, I had killed with the power, I had used it to take a life.
If this was what the power of dragon did, did I really want such a part of it? As far as I could see, it was tied to the dark side, a power of destruction and death and vengeance. I wanted no more part of those things. If it took having myself stripped of it as Tuck wanted done with his Force sensitivity, then so be it.
But the power would not be still. It stirred, restless, in the back of my mind, like a caged animal watching for any sign of escape.
I looked down at the ring, now a smooth ivory circle with a slight iridescent sheen. My birth-mother's legacy was every bit as unpredictable as my father's birthright, but at least its power was one of healing and bonding, not killing and rending. That made me wonder – just as my mother's love had been able to tame, if only temporarily, the wildness of my father, could the power of the ring direct and control the power of the dragon?
It was only a theory, and as I did not know how to consciously use the dragon's magic, I could not test it. Which was probably for the best, as the results could be catastrophic if I were wrong…
"I would not allow your power to grow out of control, Vader."
I looked up, surprised. Ash had awakened and now regarded me serenely from Nightwind's shoulder.
"As a phoenix, I have limited powers," she went on. "But if you miscalculated your control over the dragon's magic – and I don't think you would – then my magic would be enough to keep yours from doing damage. But I repeat, you have more strength than you realize, and I don't believe you would allow your power to get out of hand."
"How long have you been reading my mind?" I asked.
"I haven't. But your thoughts sometimes spill out and touch my own, especially when your emotions are stirred. And before you can catch them back as your own, I can often glimpse their meaning." She cocked her head to one side. "Don't worry, I will not tell the others of this."
I motioned for her to join me at the table. "I cannot sleep. If you do not mind, I could use some company tonight."
"I don't mind at all," she replied, spreading her wings and hop-gliding to the table. "You wouldn't mind getting me a midnight snack, would you? I'm really quite terrible about such things…"
I located a jar of nuts in a cupboard of the galley, and after savoring a handful Ash wiped her beak on one shoulder and gazed at me, cocking her head at an amused angle.
"I find you quite fascinating, Vader," she said in an admiring tone. "In all my millennia, I have never encountered a being quite like you."
"Be glad of that," I retorted. "One of me is too much for this galaxy."
She tilted her head the other way as if to view me from another angle. "Don't put yourself down, Vader. Think about it. You are a truly unique creature in this galaxy – human mother, dragon father, bearer of the ring, Chosen One of the Force, heir of the dragons… all wrapped up in one individual. You are very privileged, son, to have such a legacy."
"I do not feel privileged in the least. Used would be my choice of words. I did not ask for this fate. I did not ask to be the half-blood offspring of an outcast dragon. I did not ask for an immortal power to bind me into the service of the Emperor."
"In a way, you did," Ash reminded me. "When you bargained with him to save your love. But in a sense, you are right. Even if you hadn't struck the deal with him, he would have found a way to obtain power over you eventually. The Shadow had promised him, and she couldn't renege on it… unless and until he broke his end of the bargain."
"Exactly. My life has never been my own. The Shadow and Palpatine had the power of life and death over me in my infancy. As a child, I was a slave, property, a beast of burden. As a Jedi, I was the poster boy of the Order, expected to be an example and follow the Codes to the letter. As a Sith, I belonged to my master, and now…" I held up my left hand. "Even now, my actions are controlled, to some extent, by the ring and by the Shadow." I dropped the hand. "I want the freedom to direct MY life, the ability to take the path of MY choosing."
Ash's golden eyes flashed. "I know you don't want to hear this, but no one has that freedom… not really."
"What do you mean? You are a free creature, Ash. You bow to no one. You are your own master. You choose your own paths, and you have all eternity to make the choice…"
"Immortality itself eliminates certain paths," Ash interrupted. "Great gifts come with great responsibility, and as an immortal, it is my responsibility to see to the affairs of the galaxy, to support the causes of good, and to aid those in dire need. So in a way, though I have eternal life, that life is not mine to do with what I see fit. I must use it for the good of the galaxy."
"But the others, they are free to choose…"
"No more than you or I. For aren't we all controlled, in one way or another, by a greater force? A child by his parents, a worker by his manager, an officer by his superior, a religious adherent by his deity? The Jedi have their Force to serve, and the Sith… the power they so crave can be just as binding, if not more so, than any chains. And for anyone, be they mortal or immortal, there are disasters and crises that they cannot choose or control. If you truly think about it, everyone is subject to the rule of another, no matter what power they hold."
I had never stopped to consider this.
"Not many do," Ash replied, "and doing so excessively will only depress you. You can only learn to accept what you cannot change and, when you find you have a choice in a matter, choose wisely." She pecked my hand. "Any more nuts?"
I sighed inwardly and offered another handful. "I should have learned by now to never engage in a philosophical argument with an immortal."
"Some lessons take time to learn," she replied.
An alarm buzzed in the cockpit, followed by Jessa's grumbling complaint.
"I had better land the ship," I told Ash. "But thank you for listening."
"I did most of the talking," she protested. "I should be thanking YOU for listening."
I returned to the cockpit, having a seat and preparing for landing.
"Where in the galaxy are we now?" asked Tuck, coming to stand behind me.
I checked the navicomputer… and had to smile. The Shadow definitely had a sense of humor in directing us to come here, of all places. For this place marked the beginning of the journey, at least for myself and Luke…
"The moon of Endor," I replied.
Jessa groaned as if in pain.
"What's wrong?" asked Luke.
"Can I stay in the ship?" she asked.
"We face this challenge together," Ash informed her. "It could very well be your turn, you know."
"Ugh," she grumbled.
Once the tanker had landed, we loaded some needed supplies onto Nightwind's back and set off. I relied on the ring as a sort of compass, letting it guide our party forward. The farther we walked, the hotter it burned, so I could only assume that our next quest would be an urgent one.
My last visit to Endor had been brief and fraught with emotion, so I had not had time to explore the surroundings. Now, traveling with our fellowship, I could fully appreciate the wild green beauty of the forest, the stately majesty of the great leafed giants all around, the haunting melody of birds and insects and wind in the branches, the crunch and snap of bracken under our feet. Natural canopies filtered the sunlight and threw indecipherable patterns of shadow and light upon our faces and backs, and the faint wind carried with it the briefest hints of what lay beyond the trees on all sides – the damp tang of a river or lake, the heated must of rock, the murky decay of dead plant and animal life.
Nightwind held his head high and closed his eyes, savoring the air. "This forest smells… different."
"I've never been on Endor either," Tuck replied. "It's different, isn't it?"
"Not what I meant," Nightwind replied. "Smell something strange."
"What is it?" I asked.
"Fear," he replied. "Smells like fear. Don't know how else to describe it. Humans don't know feeling-smells…" He tested again. "Something big has all the animals here on guard. Something strange, something they haven't seen before…"
"We will keep an eye out," I told him.
Nightwind sniffed again. "Something else, too… food."
"Food?" I repeated.
"Fresh meat, just ahead." He lowered his head and pressed forward, ignoring us.
"Nightwind, no!" Luke shouted. "It could be a trap…"
Too late. The carcass of an animal rested in the fork of a small tree, and before any of us could stop him Nightwind had ripped it free. Chaos instantly erupted, and I found myself at once smothered, trampled, hit, kicked, and my sense of direction hopelessly scrambled.
Nightwind gazed up at the net with a bemused expression, the meat still hanging from his jaws. "What are you doing up there?"
"Never mind that," I retorted – a difficult enough task, as somehow I'd ended up at the bottom of the net.
"Nice one," snarled Fett, struggling to free one arm that had been pinned behind his back. "Always thinking with your stomach…"
"All right, who's butt's in my face?" shrieked Jessa.
"You're not one to talk, your knee's in my back," grunted Tuck.
"Ouch!" Ash screeched. "Luke, that's my wing!"
"Sorry, I'm trying to reach my lightsaber," Luke replied. "Father, can you reach it?"
Seeing as I was stuck in a face-down position, the only thing visible to me was the ground below and the acklay, who had miraculously escaped our fate and was whuffing with hysterical laughter. "No! Nightwind, cut us loose!"
"In a minute." The acklay was busy rending and devouring his prize. Impossible creature…
"Hold on, everyone," Ash ordered. "I'll have us down in a moment."
The stench of burning rope… and the wind was knocked from my lungs as we spilled to the ground in a tangle of bodies. Just my luck that Tuck would land hip-first on my stomach…
"Hold still!" barked Nightwind. "Someone's coming." He gave a bark of surprise. "Strange beasts. Why are they carrying sticks?"
I sat up, still trying to regain my breath. Who was coming? Surely the Rebels hadn't remained on Endor after the battle…
"What the stang…" murmured Fett.
I struggled to contain my laughter. We were surrounded… by an army of tiny, furred creatures armed only with spears, bows, and arrows. They snarled and growled as threateningly as they could, but the effect was far less than frightening – rather, it made it all the harder to keep from breaking into laughter.
"Ewoks," whimpered Jessa, hand over her eyes. "Why did it have to be Ewoks?"
Luke struggled in vain to hide an amused smile. "Don't be so critical of them, Jessa," he told her. "These little guys helped us destroy the shield bunker…"
"I know that!" she snapped. "Doesn't mean I have to like it…"
A gray-furred Ewok stepped forward, keeping his double-tipped spear aimed at my chest. He exchanged conversation with a tan comrade, a conversation the ring translated in its entirety.
"This one looks rather sinister. Are you sure he's one of them?"
"He has to be. Logray told us there would be seven. These are the ones."
"Hmph. Don't see much to them… but then, didn't see much to the Rebels, and look what they did…"
"It's the golden-haired one! The one the Princess was looking for! He's back!"
"If he leads the seven, it must be a good sign…"
"What the stang are they saying?" demanded Fett.
I relayed the conversation, adding, "But I have no idea what they are talking about."
"Ask them," Tuck suggested.
I turned to the gray one. "We are visitors to your planet," I told him. "We come in peace and have no wish to harm your people. We want only to aid you in whatever capacity we can." Now where had that last come from?
The Ewok stepped back, startled. "You speak our language! You must be wise indeed!"
"Not wise." On a whim I raised my hand. "I wear a ring that enables me to speak with you."
He leaned forward and squinted, then widened his eyes. "Horned-horse! You wear a piece of a Royal Horse's horn! I thought they no longer walked the forests…"
"I do not know if they do," I replied, puzzled that they knew of the unicorn. "This ring is ancient. It has been passed down through my family for generations. It is the inheritance of my mother."
The Ewok nodded. "A gift from your ancestors. That is something to be honored." He bowed solemnly. "And if the horn of a Royal Horse has chosen you, then you must be the one Logray spoke of."
"Logray?"
"Our shaman, our man of magic," he explained. "He will be most anxious to speak with you and your friends. Come, you must meet him."
I filled the others in as we climbed to our feet and followed our unlikely escort deeper into the forest. They were just as confused as I as to why an Ewok shaman, however powerful he might be, would be expecting us. Luke theorized that this Logray might be Force-sensitive and sensed our coming, while Ash speculated that he could very well be one of the ancient sorcerers, like the Shadow. Of course, that still did not explain why he would be so eager to meet us.
When learning of Logray, Jessa had only one comment: "Oh joy, he exists too. Now all we need are Wechee and Willie and Princess Kneesa and an army of Duloks and a cute shipwrecked family of four who can't act to save their lives…"
"What's her problem?" hissed Tuck.
"Just ignore her," I advised.
The farther we walked, the hotter the ring glowed, and I knew with utmost certainty that our next quest would be centered in the village of the Ewoks. When I extended the Force, however, I could not sense anything dangerous or out of the ordinary. An unusual amount of fear from Ewok and forest creature alike, yes, but nothing to cause that fear. What was going on? Were we being led into a trap?
The trees were beginning to thin, and small huts of bark and thatch and ramshackle pens holding shaggy ponies dotted the ground at the bases of the greater trees. From these giants dangled vines, rope ladders, and a surprisingly elaborate pulley system that I assumed was used for hauling large loads or livestock into the higher levels. I could see the great wooden platforms that made up the bulk of the village over our heads – apparently only the less arboreal beasts and their caregivers lived on the forest floor.
"Up," ordered our guide. "We're waiting for you."
Nightwind barked. "I can't climb!"
"What about the acklay?" I asked.
The gray Ewok looked him up and down appreciatively. "Never seen a beast like that… not suited for climbing…" He nudged a fellow. "Paploo, let the lift workers know we have a load coming up! And you…" He was addressing the acklay now, shockingly enough. "I sure hope you can fit onto that lift…"
Miraculously, he did, though it was a tight squeeze. The rest of us climbed to reach the village…
And were greeted with enthusiastic acclaim.
A great crowd had gathered to witness our arrival, and upon seeing us they erupted, their high-pitched howls and chants thundering through the forest. Several immediately ran forward and attached themselves to our legs, chattered greetings and questions, and reached out wonderingly to touch our clothes and weapons. Children darted between our legs and grabbed at our arms, and the grizzled elders bowed respectfully as we passed. Everyone seemed quite taken with both Ash and Nightwind, speaking to them in reverent tones and draping them with garlands. And Jessa garnered a great deal of curiosity as well, and more than one inquisitive Ewok stepped forward to hesitantly feel her droid body, marveling.
At long last two of the elders of the tribe, one white-furred and carrying himself with an air of dignity, the other gray and hunched and matted with age, stepped forward. The white one bowed regally and addressed us.
"Welcome to our humble village, visitors," he greeted. "I am Chief Chirpa, and this is our village shaman Logray. We have been expecting you."
I introduced the others and myself. "We are honored to be here… sir." How awkward it felt addressing a being hardly taller than my knee as "sir." "But I am not sure what you mean by expecting us. We gave you no word that we were coming…"
"You did not announce your arrival, no," Logray rasped. "I felt you coming for a long time, though until recently I did not know why you would be coming… only that you would come, and that we would need you." His gaze shifted to the overeager crowd. "But perhaps this is best explained away from prying eyes and curious ears."
It was a tight fit inside Logray's hut, but eventually we managed to fit everyone but Nightwind inside, and the acklay made do by inserting his head through a window. Bizarre artifacts of every kind hung from the walls – painted gourds, animal skulls, gemstones in both cut and raw stages, staffs of wood or bone, strings of drying herbs, clay pots, rolls of animal-skin parchment, painted hides stretched over wooden hoops, and items I did not even try to describe. Logray had a seat and invited us to share our story.
By now I had told the tale so many times that it came out like a recording, with all overly personal parts edited out. Logray nodded periodically, and once or twice I saw his eyes flash, as if he knew I were leaving something out, but he did not press it then. Only when I had finished the story did he confront me.
"I sense you have not told me the entire truth," he noted, raising an eyebrow.
"I have told you all that matters," I replied evenly.
"And the fact that the Shadow is aiding and abetting your quest does not matter?"
I jerked back, astonished. "How did you know…"
"The Shadow and I are friends from a long way back," he explained with a smile. "Quite the young lady, if not yet at the greatest extent of her power. Given time, she may very well be the greatest sorceress of them all."
"She's great now," Luke put in once I had translated his remarks.
"Great enough to have left her mark upon your party," Logray replied. He sighed and gazed at us heavily. "I sincerely wish I could see how your adventure played out, my friends, but alas, my presence and energies are needed with my people."
"You said you needed us," Fett put in. "How?"
Logray lifted a roll of hide from a stack nearby and spread it flat before us, revealing text in a language I could not decipher. "Two moon-cycles ago, during my meditations, I saw the seven of you in a vision. I saw that you would come to Endor, led by the power of the Royal Horse of legend – what you call the unicorn. And I saw that you would work a great miracle that would spare our entire village from destruction. At the time there was no threat to our village, so I simply recorded the vision and let the matter rest.
"Then, half a moon-cycle ago, it came." He drew a deep breath and shut his eyes. "It's a monster, unlike anything we have ever seen on Endor. It destroys our trees, devours our game and livestock, kills our children. The fire-weapons we stole from the Empire do not hurt it. Our spears and arrows only annoy it. It has made the forest outside our village its home, and I fear it will depart only when it has slain us to the last Ewok and torn the flesh from our bones.
"And now you are here – the Seven Who Are One, led by the power of the ring. You have come in our most desperate hour. Only you can defeat the monster that holds our entire village in its thrall of terror. Only you can save us all."
"We would be forever indebted to you if you aided us," Chirpa added solemnly. "You are our only hope."
The ring burned approvingly. So this was the next quest – to defeat whatever beast was laying siege to the village. Luke and Jessa shifted uncomfortably on either side of me, not exactly thrilled at the prospect of facing down such a horrific-sounding creature. I did not relish the thought myself…
But how could we turn Chirpa and Logray down? And how could we turn our backs upon a helpless community such as this one?
"We will do what we can," I vowed.
"What kind of creature is it?" asked Luke. "I'd like to know what we're getting into before we act."
"That can be arranged," Chirpa replied. "Wait half a candle-mark, and an army of warriors will be ready to escort you to the beast's lair."
Jessa turned to Fett. "Can I ask you a huge favor?"
"What kind of favor?"
"If this turns out to be my quest, can you please shoot me in the head?"
"Shut up, Jessa."
