"We have a real problem. And luckily…I think we have a solution."

Darth Raize had never, ever forgotten about living on Tattooine, and she had not forgotten the one group that everyone seemed to overlook…the Tusken Raiders. The natives of Tattooine, who were seen as…well, frankly…savage tribesmen. The Sand People, as they preferred to be called, had very distinct styles of dress. They wore mouth grilles and eye coverings to keep moisture in and the sand out, and they basically never ever unmasked. Not even in front of one another. They typically wore clothing in shades of brown, with belts that had various pouches filled with vital items, and weaponry in the form of sharp, deadly staffs, or hunting rifles. The women wore very different clothing than the men, with elaborate, jeweled masks and single-eye-slits, with kids having unisex cowls and simple cloaks.

Rey…had been lucky enough to SEE a Tusken without their mask. For she'd been spying on them since she was young. She'd spent many a day out in the Tattooine desert, looking for adventure, using the skills she had to climb and race around, skillfully leaping through the air to land on big rocky ramparts. Unbeknownst to her, her Force skills were bleeding out, adding to her considerable athleticism! And on one day, she'd found a Tusken tribe.

She'd waited, hiding under cover of night and keeping quiet in the bushes…and there! She'd seen them. What a Tusken looked like underneath. She'd assumed they had to be humanoid based off their body shape…and today was the day. It appeared to be a childbirth that was taking place because a woman, in fact, SEVERAL, had been laid down on nice, thick blankets and they had midwives there with water and towels, and when the clothing all came off-

"…ohhhhh."

Tuskens were…complicated. Evidently there was more than one type. The first was…well, human-enough in appearance except for the nose, which was rather…snout-like. Upturned, sort of like a pig's, really. And with…eerily black eyes. Creepily so. The second woman there had greyish skin and big, thick noses and dark eyes, looking sort of like she belonged to a race pouting dog-like humanoids, almost, in her facial design. But what they both had in common…were the VERY distinct, black tribal tattoos on display. Clearly all of the Tuskens loved tribal tattoos.

But they'd figured out she was watching them. Because when Rey went back home…or rather, tried to…she got promptly yanked right off her front step as a speeder bike shot 'round! She found herself angrily pinned to a rock face as a furious masked Sand Person snarled at her. She could barely understand what he said before he FINALLY calmed down enough to speak in Galactic basic and demanded to know why she was spying.

She'd tried to apologize, she hadn't meant to spy on them, she was just surprised by what she saw. On top of that…she was all of 8 years old. The Tusken had gone easy on her and said if he ever caught her again, he'd skin her.

But…she hadn't forgotten him and he hadn't forgotten her. Because she kept sort of…running into him. She would go into the trading pot and he'd be there. She'd see him trading in the market or getting a drink. He would sit alone, obviously scowling at the lonely seat he sat at, looking about at everyone else. Finally she'd gotten enough courage to buy him a drink.

No, the bar did not "card". It was Tattooine. Who gave a shit?

He'd actually accepted it. And then she kept doing it. Soon, they were…talking. She just wanted to know more about the Tusken race, and he was happy to talk about the Sand People. She did, however, want to ask…well, was it OKAY to call them 'Tusken'?

The Tusken name came from a REAL old fort. It had been established in the northern sector of the temperate zone of Tatooine. The settlement was quite successful during its first two years because its extensive moisture vaporator array pulled enough water vapor from the atmosphere to allow the growing of healthy and bountiful crops! Theeeeeen the Sand People showed up. They began to raid during the fort's third growing season, destroying crucial equipment and continuing to attack again and again and again! Three years of work, up in smoke.

The Sand person called himself what sounded like ""McQuarry". So she called him that. And he said the Sand people didn't really mind the "Tusken" name because, for them, it was actually a source of pride. They'd scared off a superior force with what amounted to sharp sticks and out of date rifles. And their tactics worked so well they hadn't lost a SINGLE raider in any of their attacks. They'd taken what could have been an ugly word to smear them and made it into a sign of strength. She liked that. And she liked him.

And luckily for him, many years later, his tribe would luck out beyond anything they could have imagined. Tattooine would come to change when the Tuskens came into wealth and power…upon discovering…

…the OIL.

THE. Oil. Beautiful, gushing, flowing, powerful energy, all from this oil. And THEY'D found it. And only THEY could get at it. And McQuarry's tribe had been the ones to find it first. Naturally, he and his kind had been a bit…well…unsure of how to approach this. They now had a very useful resource. What to do with it?

Their first decision was to use it to make their tribe powerful and well-equipped. It started out small, buying more weaponry and the like from trading posts. More…high powered things. But one at a time, in small doses. Nobody would suspect a thing. But then, within two years, they had all they needed. They'd formally begun building big, huge cities, not just small villages that could be packed up in a moment's notice. And they'd gotten the weapons to defend them. And…more importantly…they'd asked for formal trade relations with other planets.

Once the New Republic AND the Dyad found out about their wealth, they were stunned…but eager to trade. Tattooine was now looking like more than just a sand exporter! Now it was turning into a much wealthier planet. The Hutts were long gone, now the TUSKENS were in charge, and they were basically rubbing it in everyone else's faces how GOOD they now had it.

McQuarry was now the head Tusken, leader of a large alliance of Sand People, and damn proud of it…and he was more than happy to let the Dyad and their people rest there after Darth Raize got in contact with him. Rey was overjoyed to find out that wealth and power hadn't changed him much at all…and she and Furiosa were REALLY glad to check out the extremely nice palace that the Tusken capital had. Gleaming white, with enormous ivory doors, framed by golden banners that waved in the air. The capital had big, enormous circular openings in the roof to let the sun shine on down, with twisting staircases leading to the higher floors.

As Rey and Furiosa entered the palace, being given fine glasses of wine as they did so, they approached the Tusken palace's central hall, where an enormous collection of Sand People were assembled. Many of them were all bowing down, waving their hands in the air as others played instruments nearby. The music had a distinct feel to it, with many a Tusken clapping their hands in perfect rhythm.

The main dancers to this musical tribute that was being performed pointed at the sky, first to the left, then the right.

La ilaha illa Allah, ha la ili, hay yo!

Hili b'Allah, hey, hili bay yo!

Then they shook their hands back and forth, shimmying their bodies about, and Rey could FEEL the sheer, raw joy coming off them. She knew all of them were grinning broadly beneath their masks.

We getting Tusken money! We getting Tusken money!

Hala sheiki, ha lini falla, mili ha lan shi inni mala!

We getting Tusken money! We getting Tusken money!

McQuarry was there, patting his chest as he stood before his people, standing tall on a portable throne, before he held his hands up in the air, and though he too had a mask on, Rey could feel he was beaming beneath it!

"Now, there ain't no way that you can kill this beast dead

We got Tattooine women and Tattooine bread!

Was scrounging in the desert! Now we're playing golf!

New belt, new shoes, fancy silken scarf!

So many diamonds on my clothing, almost makes me wanna cough!

AND we got a fancy 20 million dollar loft!

So we step up in their clubs, and all these idiots are mad as shit,

Cuz we're making all their customers sing this hook in Tuskabic!"

And with that, all of the people began to dance, waving their arms in the air, chanting the hook!

La ilaha illa Allah, ha la ili, hay yo!

Hili b'Allah, hey, hili bay yo!

We getting Tusken money! We getting Tusken money!

Hala sheiki, ha lini falla, mili ha lan shi inni mala!

We getting Tusken money! We getting Tusken money!

"Seven star hotels, so much money it's sick!

Got big bitches, knock-kneed dew-toed groupie shit!

Women walk around while security on dewback!

Club on fire now, and they don't know how to act!

Sittin' in casinos while I'm looking clean,

Money long, I could purchase ALL of Tattooine!

Y'all already know, I got the streets buzzin'

While I make you bow down and make you pray like a Tusken!"

Now even Rey and Furiosa were getting into it, the beat was oddly catchy! "This is fun!" Furiosa laughed as she waved her hands in the air.

"Yeah, I know, right?" Rey laughed.

La ilaha illa Allah, ha la ili, hay yo!

Hili b'Allah, hey, hili bay yo!

We getting Tusken money! We getting Tusken money!

Hala sheiki, ha lini falla, mili ha lan shi inni mala!

We getting Tusken money! We getting Tusken money!

"See, now I take trips to Mos Espa, and how!

Finest rides to get there, they use TUSKEN money now!

I don't need to get fresh, about to grow a beard, duke!

So much cake, and our money looks weird too!

Domestic bread, and I'm broad, I'm tryna eat right!

Got so much power, yes, my tribe is out of sight!

Gonna respect our worth from Naboo, Klatooine,

Vasha, Stroga, all through Tattooine!"

La ilaha illa Allah, ha la ili, hay yo!

Hili b'Allah, hey, hili bay yo!

We getting Tusken money! We getting Tusken money!

Hala sheiki, ha lini falla, mili ha lan shi inni mala!

We getting Tusken money! We getting Tusken money!

"I am SO glad to see you here." McQuarry held his arms up, and gave Rey a gigantic hug as he patted her back. "We've both come so far! And we were both in the right places and the right time to come into our power. Truly, we've been blessed."

"I heard you've finally gotten a family now, too. I'd love to see your children." Rey asked as McQuarry led them through the palace, none of them aware that a nearby Tusken…wasn't…actually a Tusken. No, the female Tusken there closest to them during the dance, who had offered them wine at the front door…was actually none other than Ember. The white-furred, disguised, almost rabbit-like being snuck off, heading for a bathroom, quickly getting out a small communicator.

"They're all really busy with greeting the Dyad and putting on a full performance…and from what I saw…yes. There's…there's a rift here. A rip in time and space JUST like the one on Nar Shadaa. I am dead-set certain of it."

"…thank you for telling me."

Luke Skywalker turned off the communicator as he put on HIS Tusken mask again, and made his way down the hall. Luke was incognito, and here on the planet to do TWO things. The first, was to pay his respects to his family, on the very-force-sensitive planet he'd grown up on. The second was to try and determine something the New Republic had been eager to find out. Just HOW had the Tuskens gotten so wealthy and powerful so quickly? If what Ember had said was true…

It'd been a big surprise when she'd contacted him. "Guess we're both supposed to be dead. Funny, that!" She'd confessed to him when she'd managed to get him alone, while on Tattooine. He'd actually gone to visit his family, his uncle and aunt's home, and she'd been there as well. He'd wanted to know HOW he knew he'd go there…he had never, ever, EVER told anybody where they lived. Not their last names, nothing that could give away the old spot that had been their home. But she'd smiled and said she could explain it if what she thought was true…that a rip in time and space was there on Tattooine.

She and Frequency had gone here to check because they were keeping an eye on these rips. One had opened up on Nar Shadaa, and now another one here? Within just a few years? Could it be a pattern forming? That's what they wanted to know. The question was, where was this portal? That's what Luke was investigating.

He couldn't help but admit he was…very nervous about this. He'd been talking with the people of Mos Eisley, and they had no had good things to say about the Tuskens when he'd been in disguise along with Ember. Ember had been asking about the Tuskens…and it had brought out old grudges.

"They raided my farm FIVE TIMES! They killed all my animals I use for ranching!"

"One of their fucking dewbacks they were riding on ate my dog!"

"Those shitheads killed my mom and dad four years back!"

"They think they can just throw a bunch of cash around and we're all supposed to kiss their asses and just ignore how they were constantly attacking our settlements and raiding our farms and everything. It's in their name! Tusken RAIDERS?! Hellooooo?!"

"It's bad, you know. Real bad. So much…hatred for the Tuskens." Luke had confessed to Ember as they'd sat alone, drinking together in a bar as Frequency joined them, sliding on in, smiling cheerily. "I admit…I don't have a good history with them either, they tried to kill me back in the day and I've kind of always been nervous around them."

"I did some chatting, dudes. Evidently the old timers said it all goes back to this real old story about the first settlers who came here. Mos Eisley was the first non-Tusken settlement, and supposedly they…got the Tusken people mad. Something about…graves?"

"Oh yes." Luke sighed. "I know that story. The Tuskens evidently got furious when the first settlers to Tattooine robbed some Tusken graves. Evidently that's why they attacked the Mos Eisley settlement the very next day, right in the middle of the night!" He shook his head. "Uncle Owen told me that story a lot, they evidently killed a ton of people."

"That seems sort of…harsh…killing people for grave robbing."

"Yeah, I wouldn't have done that either. I know grave robbing is wrong, but that's no reason to try and kill them. I wish they could have talked it out." Luke sighed. "But the Tuskens have always felt this is THEIR planet and nobody else's and they've never really forgiven the settler races who are here for being here at all, and more importantly, not being Tusken."

"And now they're super rubbing it in everyone else's noses that THEY'RE the big cocks on the block, and rubbing all your faces in how much they got. Sucks to be you guys right now." Frequency admitted with a shrug.

"It's not that funny, Frequency. If I'm right…they cheated the same way that the Dyad did. They stole resources that don't belong to them." Ember confessed. "I've analyzed a little of the oil they have. And…it's not FROM this galaxy. The chemical composition makes it clear what it really is."

"…so…then…" Luke looked from Ember to Frequency, surprised. "…tell me. Where IS it from?"

"The same place we are. And if we find that rift…we'll show you exactly where. Well, almost exactly, dude." Frequency remarked as he scratched at the side of his head before grinning with his fanged teeth, the red-lifeguard-cap-having, blue-furred alien chuckling, his yellow/golden eyes a-glinting in the dark light of the bar.

They were closer than ever to finding that rift. Luke had been reaching out with the Force after getting hold of fancy Tusken attire to blend in by…suggesting…to another Tusken to give him a spare. He could FEEL the way the very Force had been torn open, like a scab that was slightly leaking pus. As he made his way down stairs into the basement far, far below, Luke could feel a strange tingle in the air, as if lightning was about to strike. The hairs on the back of his neck were standing up as he approached a set of double doors, seeing a pair of Tusken guards on either side.

"What're you doing down here? We can't just let anybody in." The first said as the second held up his big, VERY fancy-looking vibro-staff as Luke waved his hand in the air.

"I can go on in, can't I?"

It was a simple Force suggestion…and the two Tuskens were very suggestible. Which was good, because, in all honesty, even using this simple technique was…challenging. More so than it should have been. Normally, Luke wouldn't have had to extent this much mental fortitude but…for some strange reason, using his Force powers seemed more difficult on Tattooine.

"…yeah, you know what? Why not? It's not like anybody can hurt the tear." The first guard decided with a hearty nod.

"Yeah, you can't blow it up or nothing. Move on in, but hurry it up." The second one agreed as Luke nodded and his disguised form headed inside, through the double doors and down a very long hallway carved out of natural rock. He could see it, far up ahead, as various Tuskens were moving around, speaking with one another, and carrying big, thick barrels about. The air had torn in two, seemingly, and you could see, as you concentrated…yes. A distinct look into what was obviously NOT Tattooine, but some kind of strange facility of an odd sort of metal with big pumps bringing up what looked like the very oil the Tuskens had gotten hold of.

But the texture of that sand was…so distinctly strange in color. And…Luke could SMELL the air. He could sense it, coming off in waves. The Force was practically screaming it in his head, he could sense the ALIENESS of it. This was beyond being a merely different planet. This was a whole other galaxy. This…was something far, FAR away.

"That…is our home planet." Luke heard Frequency whisper, the distinct, surfer-boy tones softly lilting out of a masked face behind him as Frequency manuevered Luke behind some barrels and they carried them along with the others, acting like they were just there to move the oil. "That…is where we come from. A long time after THIS…in a galaxy far, far away." He murmured to Luke.

"…you're from…the future. Not even just another galaxy, but…the future…" Luke could feel an excited, amazed tingle going up his spine. He felt a sense of childlike wonder invading him, flowing into his body. "…that's…incredible. I knew you two were different, I could sense it off you, but…to think you're from a whole other time period…"

"Hey! CAREFUL!"

They stopped moving, people turned to look. One guy was trying to lift a barrel all by himself and that was when they noticed there was…something on the other workers. ALL of the Tuskens who were bringing barrels of oil out of the tear had…things on their bandoliers they wore. It appeared to be some sort of strange jewel-like talisman, a holy symbol, which looked like a swirling sandpit. But this one didn't, and as he lifted the barrel up, he staggered around and then-

"NO NO NO NO-" It happened. A horrifying, disgusting, WET sound, it was as if he was literally torn in half before their eyes. The barrel dropped and so did the two halves of his body, one on ONE side of the portal, the other on the other side. Several Tuskens ran to him, to clean up the mess, Luke cringing in disgust.

"It would appear, perhaps, that only those who have those talismans can enter the rift. I can sense a faint sort of…" He focused, brow furrowing. "Yes. There's a power coming from them. That must keep them safe."

"Some sort of spells, huh? Guess whomever first found the portal lucked out. Coulda ended up torn in half like that guy." Frequency said as he quietly shook his head back and forth. "…cut in half, dude. You can see, like, all his organs and…oooh, that right there? That's the stomach, man. Sick. But kinda cool. Tuskens really got a ton in common with humans. I think I even see, like, an appendix there!"

Luke decided NOT to ask Frequency why this furry mercenary knew so much about the insides of the human body. They set the barrel down, and then began to head back out, Frequency putting a hand on Luke's shoulder as they kept chatting, keeping their voices low.

"That rip in time and space being there is baaaaaad news, bro. Not supposed to be there. I think it's actually hurting the Force just from it being there." Frequency said. "WE just got here a year ago from a rip in time and space that was on Coruscant. That's three rips in just a handful of years, man. Almost one per year. That can't be good."

"I think you're right. This tear makes my ability to access the Force more difficult. I didn't have a problem as much on Nar Shadaa, but then there was just one tear. With more, it gets harder and harder to use Force powers…" He murmured. "If we get another two or three, using the Force at ALL might become impossible. If I'm having this much trouble with basic Force persuasion…"

"Yeah, major uncool, bro. But luckily, we got ourselves a plan." Frequency said. "And the first thing we're gonna do…is get rid of the Dyad while they're visiting here with their Tusken friends on Tattooine."

"Frequency, I'm sorry. But I will not help you murder them. No matter what they've done. It's not the sort of thing a Jedi should ever do."

"So you'll fight them on, like, a temple grounds but not help me blow them up?"

"No. Of course not. That's not honorable. That's not fair. That's not just." Luke insisted. "I'm not about to just sneak into their bedrooms and stab them in their bed or the like either. I won't fight unarmed opponents and I won't resort to the sort of thing a Sith would. I have to have higher standards."

"But dude…when you go high, they go low." Frequency reasoned. "So why not go low?"

"I don't need to. Not to win." Luke insisted. "You'll find out soon enough. What we need is to isolate the Dyad. Cut them off from everyone else. Make them held accountable and make them alone. And if I can get the Sand People to listen to me…I can do that. If I can negotiate a proper peace with the Tuskens and the Settlers…that! THAT is the Jedi way. You make friends. Not enemies. That's how you win."

"How are you going to do that? McQuarry LIKES Rey."

"Yes."

"And they really hate the settlers."

"When you and your enemy are discussing things, you're not really fighting. I need to go back to the beginning. Find out how it all began. Then we can move forward." Luke told Frequency. "And I believe the Force can help me find the truth here. It freely flows in large sections of this world. It's shown me the past before. Maybe…it can show me what really happened during that first meeting with Tuskens and Settlers."

"Dude, if you did do that and…I dunno, proved that actually, the Tuskens DID totally unfairly attack the Settlers, or that the Settlers, I dunno…started everything by kicking a Tusken kid aside at their graveyard, do you think that would change how they actually feel towards each other?" Frequency asked. "You ain't gonna get rid of CENTURIES of anger and hate."

"Doesn't have to "get rid" of anything. But it does mean the wound can actually start healing…and that's a good first step. I just need to find a place where the Force is strong on this planet…"

…of all the places.

Luke stood quietly in the one place he thought he wouldn't be. He'd been seeking the Force, trying to find a place it flowed freely so he could see into it, and he'd found himself drawn, once more, back to his old home. He stood in the middle of what had been his old room, with dust and sand having long-caked-over everything in it. The bed was broken, cobwebs littered every corner, and what had been a shelf with books on the side was now broken into chunks, every book now rotting and worn away. The curtains on the singular window in the room were a flimsy, moth-infested mess, and the mirror in the room had fallen and broken into tiny pieces.

This entire room was "broken". But there, in this broken mess…the Force flowed freely. He could feel it swelling around him, and he took in a deep, long breath as he focused, whilst Frequency and Ember, meanwhile, were standing guard, hiding outside and making sure nobody came near the ranch, whilst they spoke with one another on their walkie talkies.

"I've been trying to focus on this little trick…you know how I tap into the Living Force to manifest my "ki"?" Ember said over the walkie talkie. "I think I know a way to make my abilities even stronger. To really turn the heat up. The Force is in everything, right? It flows all around us?"

"Yeah, that's what they say, babe." Frequency remarked as he quietly lit up a small cigarette of some kind and smoked it, blowing a single ring in the air as the night sky became filled with softly twinkling stars, one at a time, over his head.

"Imagine if you could tap into the Living Force that's all around you and turn it into, like…a living furnace." Ember confessed. "I've been trying to master THAT idea, and I think I'm actually beginning to really pull it off. I can make the temperature in the area around me, within, like, a five foot radius, really, SUPER hot. If I develop it more…"

"It's getting hot in heeeere! So take off all your clothes!" Frequency sang out, chuckling a bit. "…actually, I kinda almost feel like that, Tattooine is hot even for me, y'know?" He admitted. "The worst part's the sand. Makes rolling around really hard. BUT I did get a bunch of sand in bags to use for dirty tricks."

"Ohhh, you wanna do the whole "glass in the eyes" thing." Ember remarked. "That is one really dark and dirty trick."

"But it works. Real well."

"Yeah. Can't argue with that, I admit. Just…don't waste it on some guard or something who doesn't have eye protection. They're not worth that kinda treatment, okay? They're the enemy's slaves. I don't want to kill the enemy's slaves. It's the Dyad we need to worry about, them and their Sith apprentices."

"Yeah, I know, I know…boy, Luke's sure taking his time. What do you think he's seeing?"

The door to the room opened up, and Luke looked very pale. He dusted himself off, taking in a deep, long sigh, holding his head in one hand as Frequency and Ember dropped from their hiding spots and raced over to him, clear concern on their faces. "What's up? What'd you see?" Frequency asked.

"…the truth. And…it wasn't pretty. The hard part will be convincing the Tuskens…and the settlers. But we need to find a way to get them in the same room."

"…well…" Ember twirled a headband's ribbon around her white, furry finger. "…the Tuskens ARE throwing a really big, huge party for the Dyad in arranging economic relations. They wanna make a big show of singing the paperwork…"

"Mostly to reeeeaaally rub their wealth in the settler's faces. Again." Frequency commented. "They couldn't stop laughing about it when I kept listening in. And I get it. You get treated like crap for years, it's nice being on top when you started from the bottom."

"They are probably NOT going to like what I have to show them…" Luke sighed. "…but we have to if the Settlers and the Tusken race will ever find peace."

"So how're you going to do that?" Frequency asked. "Can you just, like, share what you saw in your mind? Cuz I can help there, dude. In fact, I may be the ONLY guy who can help. I ride all waves!...and your mind's waves, well…that ain't no prob to me." He laughed as he jabbed his blue thumb at himself and gave a big, fanged grin.

Indeed, the party was off the hook. Rey and Furiosa were eagerly chatting it up with McQuarry as they sat together at a big table, munching away at finely-roasted bird dishes, and sipping heartily from big cups of wine. The Tuskens were whooping and hollering in perfect tone with the music being played…with Frequency as DJ. "Woohoo! Yeeeaaaah! Holla! Get down with it, my Sand People! Here's to all my ninjas! Woop woooooop!" He proclaimed, twisting the turntable as he grinned broadly.

Meanwhile, the Settlers glanced about at one another, sitting at random tables, many of them looking down at their plates. They ate quietly, unsure of what to say or do, clearly. A few, however, were glowering darkly at the Tuskens, and YEARNING to say something nasty. One of them tried to take it out on Frequency, and thought he'd use Frequency's own bag he'd left by the DJ studio booth in the middle of the room. But when he tried to pick it up…

"Arrrggghhh!" He flopped on the floor, moaning. "The FUCK is in this, bricks?!" He complained as Frequency smirked and adjusted the faders on the volume level.

"Heh-heh-heh, I am waaaay stronger than you humans. Not nearly as much as my ol' man and HIS ol' man, but you couldn't even carry the peashooter I keep in my pants." He sniggered. "Now…sit down and chill. Gonna get into the "Trap" part of the music schedule, bro!"

"So…so, here's the deal. I had finally decided to make what I called the "Death Snow Star". 426 snowballs at my dispoal. An impenetrable fortress coated with a shield of ice. Escape tunnels. Trip wires. Booby traps. A YEAR of planning and scheming…aaaaand nobody wanted to do the snowball fight with me. What a waste of one of the only times Nar Shadaa gets snow, y'know?" Furiosa sighed as she sipped on a glass of wine, shaking her head back and forth as Rey listened, waiting for her to jump into the story as McQuarry, meanwhile, sipped HIS wine slightly, adjusting his mask so ONLY the lower half was lifted up. "So I tried to convince the head of the guards, and they're like "Oh no, I'm staying inside, miss. I don't care if you order me out, I'm not doing it, I saw the big snow fort you made, you just want to pelt me with snowballs."

"Yep, and Furiosa's like "Oh, it's not a Snow Death Star, it's a peace palace. Come outside and rejoice in this winter wonderland!" And so he's like "Okay, FINE, FINE, just five minutes". Little did he know…about the LAND MINES." Rey began to snigger. "KAAA-BOOOOOM! It was the most hilarious thing! Five minutes outside and he somehow stepped on EVERY SINGLE snow land mine she planted! It was beautiful!"

"With the money I now have, I'd very much like to visit other planets and see this "snow" sometime." McQuarry admitted before a new song began to play, and the music took a strange turn. The music wasn't dance music at all, it was…quiet. Soft. Thoughtful. It sort of sounded…mystic, almost! People picked their heads up, looking at the music booth as their DJ chuckled, and he put his unusual hands upon the large desk he was using. The strange gems embedded in his hands softly glistened in the light as a Tusken in a hood approached him from behind, and then…he put his hand on Frequency's shoulder.

"What's all this about?" McQuarry demanded to know. "Brother, why have you changed the mood of the party?"

"The Sand People have long been mistreated by the non-indigenous folk of Tattooine, and this is wrong. But the issue is that they've overlooked how they, in turn, treated the non-indigenous people too. They weren't exactly welcoming to the settlers that first arrived."

"Oh, give me a break, they're not entitled to share land with anybody." Rey snorted.

"So you don't believe in immigration at all?"

"Wait, n-no, I mean…" Rey stammered. "Look, this was their land, and the Settlers were dicks to them from day one."

"Well, the thing is…that's what's been the issue. Is that true, though?"

And with that, the soft, strange, mystic music began to grow louder, as faint chanting filled the air. The ground around them all seemed to fade away, all growing dark and black. They were passing back, back through the past, and now, all found themselves in the dark, misty confines of a town. A ramshackle collection of huts, with emaciated, starving, devastated settlers.

The settlers clearly had seen better days, some of them had skin that barely stretched over their bodies. They stumbled nervously about in the town, mothers feebly holding starving babies to their breasts, breasts that no longer had milk. People without hope…that was what laid in this village. Yet…a party was leaving the town, desperate in appearance, barely wearing rags, with a few bags clinging to their belts.

These settlers trudged out into the dark recesses of night on Tattooine, feet passing over the sand dunes, a few of them collapsing into death, worn out and tired, too exhausted to move before they came upon…rocks. A rocky outcropping, and beyond that…there it was. They could see a graveyard, with big, stony gravestones carved from the natural rocks of Tattooine. One such grave was being carved even now by a Tusken raider and his wife, as dozens of Tuskens were crowded around multiple graves.

Within each grave, they lowered a body slowly down, wrapped in fine Tusken clothing, the best they could get, and laid a soft flower atop the body, putting down little bags to the side. The bags smelled…good.

REAL good. The zephyr of that night carried the scent downwind, to the hidden settlers as their eyes went wide. Herbs! Herbs in those bags! And…little tiny corns were being laid in the graves as well! And, wrapped up in other bags, a couple pieces of meat, with writing written on top of the bandaging it'd been placed in. At last, the graves were filled, the Tuskens completing their prayers over the grave, as they began to trudge off, heading back to their homes.

The Settlers waited until the Tuskens were well out of sight, and then raced for the graves, digging DESPERATELY, panting and heaving before…at last, out they came! They unwrapped the bags of food, and stuffed their faces…but not too much. The rest, the corn, a few sacks of meat, the herbs, they stuffed into the bags they'd brought in their hopes of finding wild vegetables and fruit in the desert and…well, in a way, they had. They began to race off, heading for their own settlement…unaware that several OTHER Tuskens had made their way towards the graveyard to bury their beloveds…and now saw settlers taking off FROM the graveyard.

What followed next was…unpleasant indeed. The Sand People were furious…and more importantly, better armed than the settlers, despite being fewer in number. They followed after the settlers, far from a distance, watching as the Settlers brought the food into their village, and angrily raced at them. They shouted, they yelled, they held their rifles and their pistols up, shouting almost incomprehensibly.

To the settlers, it WAS incomprehensible, none of them spoke Tusken, and when one settler tried to go for his own weapon, that was when the Tuskens started firing. Settlers bolted, they ducked and dived, trying to escape, people were screaming, the haze of blaster fire filled the air as the Settlers, in turn, returned fire, bodies were dropping all around, several homes were now in FLAMES!

And then…

Then it was over. The music came to an end, as the disguised Luke let go of Frequency, who raised his blue hands off the DJ studio desk, and the room was deathly silent.

"That's…what happened back then. Settlers were truly so desperate to survive, they raided Tusken graves. The Sand People angrily retaliated by following the settlers back, and they killed several innocents who hadn't even DESECRATED the graves until the Settlers finally managed to shoot them down. The Tuskens wouldn't find out those people were gone for months, by then, a fort had finally been established, a proper, and seemingly well-stocked one…"

"Fort Tusken." McQuarry realized.

"And that's…where your people got the Tusken moniker. That's…how it all started. Over grave robbing from tired, hungry, starving off-world settlers trying to make a home for themselves." Luke said in his disguised voice.

The non-Tuskens in the room quietly glanced at one another, murmurs and mutterings filling the air as Luke held a hand up. "I'm NOT saying they treated you well at all. They DIDN'T. They were horrible for years and years, but you've not been kind to them either. You treat them as much of a monolith as they treat you. You need to stop seeing one another as just this faceless…mass…that you can just dismiss or hate. And you also can't just treat them as this…NOTHING you can just ignore, and not care about. You both have a right to live peacefully on Tattooine. There's land enough for everyone."

"…what are we supposed to do?" McQuarry asked, his voice slightly cracking. "…just…just let them into our homes? Go all 'Sorry, our bad'? I…I've had people spitting on me for being a Tusken for years. I can't just…forgive them."

"I'm not asking you for forgiveness. You must endure. Somebody has to stand up and sever the bonds of hatred. If you let your rage control you, you're no better than an animal. And even if the galaxy itself rejects you…the Sand People are PEOPLE. You can't fall to that level. If people just let rage and hate take hold of them, and did everything they felt like under those things, all becomes a storm of hate. If you let them go, and move on, towards more positive emotions, the world can become an oasis of peace…and justice."

"Hatred is an oozing pus, dudes. And pus just oozes and rots…and gets washed down the drain. Leaving nothing behind." Frequency added.

"…you guys aren't gonna LISTEN to this shit, are you?" Rey inquired as she rose up, and immediately activated her lightsaber, before she took aim right at Luke's disguised form, as if to grab him…but before she COULD, that was when Ember hit the lights.

Or rather, turned the spotlights that had been cascading around the room from above ALL onto her. Rey shrieked, reeling back, covering her face as Luke raced off, leaping onto Frequency's back as he rolled down the hall, barreling off! Unlike humans, the back of his feet had…well…a rolling sort of "ball" on it. He could basically skate his way across roads and flat surfaces and make his way out of anywhere that had normal floors, and he was gone in a matter of seconds as Furiosa raced to her wife's side, gently pulling her away.

"Those motherFUCKERS!" Rey yelled, rubbing at her eyes as McQuarry cringed, Rey's eyes now bloodshot as she struggled to see clearly, Furiosa gently patting her on the back. "If I ever see that blue bastard again I'm gonna skin him and use his fur as a TOWEL when I shower!"

"…you didn't even try to talk to them." McQuarry muttered as he looked at Rey and Furiosa, as if…actually, truly seeing them for the first time. "You didn't even TRY to speak to them or rebut anything they said. You just immediately moved to kill them." He said, and though she couldn't see his face, Rey could tell the Sand person was frowning beind his mask. "…what is WRONG with you? They didn't actually attack us or do anything wrong, they just…made a point. One I don't even think I really believe in. And…and you were going to KILL them for that?"

"Well…maybe just carve their hands off or something, I dunno…why not?" Rey asked. "I don't have to listen to bullshit ideas I don't like! They weren't arguing in good faith!" She insisted.

"You immediately moving to kill them makes me think you're the one not acting in good faith, Rey. If you were…you wouldn't have moved to kill them. Maybe they're right about you Sith. It's always violence first. Anger first. Never considering what the other side has to say. Never taking the time to go the diplomatic route. It's always YOUR way or death." McQuarry sighed deeply as he shook his head. "I really thought you were different…I had heard all the rumors, but I didn't want to believe them. But all you've done is prove you won't listen to anybody who disagrees with you. Anybody who thinks differently from you. And you have no problem jumping right to violence just to shut them up."

"…you're TURNING on me?!" Rey asked, as she felt tears springing to her eyes. "B-But…but you can't! McQuarry, how can you do that to me? To ME?! After all we've went through! All the good times we had!" She said, as some snot began to dribble its way out of her nose and she wiped her eyes on her arm. "McQuarry, come on, you can't just toss me away like this! You're my friend! You have to have my back on this!" She said, her voice getting rather high-pitched.

"…I can't follow you where you're going." McQuarry said quietly, as he shook his head, and motioned for his fellow Tuskens to leave. The Tuskens followed after him, the Settlers beginning to clear out of the hall, leaving the teary-eyed Rey alone in the room with Furiosa as she quietly sniffled.

"…Mc…Quarry…" She muttered, covering her face with her hands, and trying to stifle her sobs as Furiosa hung her head. "How…could this get ANY worse?"

… "Oh…wow."

At long last…he had DONE it. Zack grinned as he thought back to that day. His finest moment! He…had gotten an X-Wing fighter levitating in midair. It had taken him literally weeks to finally do it…but after all this time…he'd mastered the telekinetic style of the Force. He could move any type of object about with ease. But there remained…still…one great challenge. Something that L'ezz the Gammorean had learned to do before he had. A talent nobody had seen coming.

"On the count of three."

This time, he was gonna do it. THIS time…he was gonna-

"One…two…three!"

THAA-SCHWOOOSH! It was as if a giant wind had blown through the air in the abandoned airfield they were using to spar. THWAAAKKKK! Kendall groaned, squealing almost like a Gamorrean himself as he flopped to the ground and grabbed his crotch, moaning in agonizing pain as L'ezz held his fists up high and bounced up and down with joyous glee. He'd done what no other student at the Academy had done. He'd mastered, before anybody else in the class…the art of Force Speed. Something even Rey and Furiosa didn't have a good grasp on.

Sure…Jedi and Sith were agile. Yes…they were quicker than the average man. But to truly tap into Force Speed…to reach that swiftness level so that you became a blur…L'ezz had done it. L'EZZ, of all people! The fat pig! Omarosa stood to the side, stunned, Leia covering her face, trying not to laugh as Han was failing miserably at NOT laughing.

"…you of all people…learned how to do super speed with the force. YOU." She told L'ezz as Zack moaned, and writhed on the ground. L'ezz had kicked him in the crotch so hard that even WITH the cup he had on…hot damn, it was like he'd had his balls pressed up against a bell that somebody had just rang!

"OW. OWWWWWW! OWWWWWWWWWWW!" Zack openly moaned. "I know I'll never know the pain of being pregnant, but women like you will NEVER know what it feels like to get hit in the balls!" He sobbed. "DAMN, L'ezz! I keep forgetting you kick hard as a horse!"

"Who da man? I da man!" L'ezz pointed at himself and began to do the "Dance of Joy", picking up his pants and then dancing a very merry jig, hoisting his legs up into the air, one at a time as he shimmied back and forth.

"We are the worst Jedi ever." Zack grumbled as he finally picked himself up. "Okay. Okay. ONE more time. This time I'm ready, this time I'll be-"

SCHAA-THWOOOOSH!

THWAAAAAK!

"…mind if I just…lie down here for a minute?"

THWUMPHF.