Jacobus by WebRuss
Chapter 1 The Dry River's Mouth
The sunlight was fading away as the last rays of light were slowly replaced by the soft gray sky. It was not quite night but those few minutes in between when the sun has faded and the twin moons were not yet above the horizon. We were a small group of trainees, a padawan, and the Jedi master. Each of us shared a common bond as those able to feel the force as it moved through the universe and coursed around us like an unseen river. We were here on this planet to learn extreme condition survival skills and so far survival was all we were doing.
Several trainees were walking about making preparations for the evening. Some were setting up the shelters, others deploying the water collectors. We all watched as Rider, the padawan, moved about making checks on the sentries. Once she seemed seemed sufficiently satisfied that the sentries were in place, she returned to sit beside Rustafa.
We drew close around the fire feeling the high dessert air cooling quickly. The day was so hot it could kill you in a matter of an hour and then evening was so cold you could freeze to death in about the same amount of time. We all sat around quietly looking at the flames of the fire. I had brought my stones and had expected that we would again play a game or two but some reason we did not begin. Instead we sat silently looking at nothing in particular as though we all shared some unsaid question no one wanted to ask.
Rustafa, the Jedi, sat on the sand with his back against a large rock jutting from the ground at a slight angle making a comfortable back rest for him to sit and survey us. Rustafa was an older man with a soft round face. The salt and pepper hair on his chin was trimmed neatly and his black hair was combed back over his head though the attempts to make it stay in place were obviously losing the battle. Unruly tufts of hair stuck up from his head making him look somewhat unkempt. His eyes were a soft blue and they wore a kind but constant sad expression that made him look as though he was often thinking of times long ago and far away. His old and simple clothes were patched in spots and the hems of his robe were frayed. Some among us had scoffed at his appearance on the first day thinking we were assigned a dottering old fool, but that opinion had changed quickly after our first encounter with some of Mungo's scouts.
Earlier that day we were traveling into the canyon carefully plodding our way along what appeared to be yet another desolate stretch of the old riverbed, long forgotten by the locals and yet things are rarely what they seem. The walls of the canyon were worn smooth by the constant blowing of sand against the outcroppings. No sound penetrated that space except for our own soft footfalls upon the sandy floor.
Suddenly and without any warning of attack, Rustafa went from a slow moving old man to a flying, whirling blur of robes and electric blue light saber. He sensed the presence of the ambush and before it happened he reacted with such speed that he was aloft before most of knew what was coming. Blaster bolts began to shower down upon us as we scattered, yet he had flown up to the ledge of the canyon wall and was already upon them. His saber flashed as it deflected blaster bolts and sliced through the attackers who fell quickly. A few ran off in the desert and we attempted to pursue but Rider called us back. The fight was over moments after it began.
One of the younger trainees finally broke the silence and asked the question that was on all our minds.
"Master" he asked thoughtfully, "how did you know the maurauders were going to ambush us as we passed though the canyon?"
The whole group looked at each other and back at Rustafa as he continued to look into the fire almost as if he had not heard the question. A soft murmur broke out as some of the older trainees began to chastise the younger one for bothering him. Then as though he had heard enough, Rustafa finally raised a weathered hand and the group fell silent once again.
"The answer to your question is a rather lengthy story" he said in a soft voice. His eyes darted back and forth as though they were seeing some epic battle from a distance. "I will tell you what I can, however I do not have all the facts about the group known as 'The Hand'." Rustafa added. "To know the full story would require the presence of one of my former students you would know as Jacobus."