To paraphrase Luke Skywalker, Tatooine was a planet worth very little. He was certain Tatooine, despite its two suns causing it to light up in space almost like it was a small star itself, was farthest from the brightest place in the universe; a mockery to its own self. Yet Luke, a simple farm boy who aspired to soar amongst the stars of adventure with his friends, had little idea of his own importance or the fact he and his sister would become the bright hopes during a dark age. Neither did he have any idea of the prices he would have to pay to get there.

The Lar's homestead laid in ruin. Luke had made quick burial of Owen and Beru not far from, unknowing to him, his grandmother Shimi's unmarked burial site. Smoke still fanned over the horizon signaling curiosity from the neighboring farms. A small green speeder arrived to the decimated farm home, the driver and its passenger exited the speeder and gave inspection of what they found. Huff Darklighter, some called him Huk, who had been piloting the speeder, trekked around the exterior while Nade Sunbar looked through the interior.

Huff kicked at the sand and spat, "Nade! Nade!"

Nade's chambered voice echoed from within the hut, "Yep?"

"Come on out here. Take a look at this."

Nade joined Huff who pointed down at the sand, "Bantha tracks. Looks like a Raider attack."

Nade said, "It's only a couple, maybe three Banthas at best. Never heard of Tusken Raiders hitting a home with so few. Plus what was the provocation here?"

"I don't know. Lar's never had any run ins with them. Mighty brave for Tusken Raiders."

Nade nodded, "I didn't see anything stolen either. Well, at least it didn't look like a robbery from inside. Its ram sacked, but Raider's normally don't steal this way."

Huff nodded also, "Mighty brave."

Nade added, "You know there is that story, you remember, about how Owen's step brother killed an entire clan of Tusken Raiders some twenty years or so ago. Think this could be revenge?"

Huff shook his head, "Hell no. Revenge killing? Tusken Raiders? They kill one another easy enough. Just doesn't sound like Raider behavior at all. None of this."

Nade too kicked at the sand, "Odd." He looked around at the flumes of smoke, "Think they got all three of them?"

"I don't know. My boy Biggs and Luke were good friends. Biggs will hate to hear about this."

Nade said, "We need to find out what happened here. What if this is the start of something?"

"Any damn Sand People dumb enough to come on my farm will get their fool head blown off. I would think you would do the same. This just doesn't add up. But I will be blasted before I just sit around and let something else happen."

"What do we do?"

Huff's brow deepened and he said, "We rally up the other farmers, head out in to the Jundland," Huff pointed to the setting suns, "we track these Bantha down and the Sand People, or whoever did this, and we get some answers or we kick some butt."

RP was applying the finishing touches for the installation of an interpreting communicator inside of Grutex's cowl. The droid backed away and said in human, "Can you understand me?"

Grutex gave a nod and said; which came out in a thick, deep, human voice through the communicator, "I can understand you. Fascinating."

RP said, "It's really quite simple, I programmed a unitary binex of single status dialect into the binding lateral sequence mode. This allowed for faster computations into a real time interpretation with such limited feasibility to a larger data structure…"

Shelia interrupted RP, "Yes, RP. We will read all about it later. Good job." She turned her attention to the Tusken Raider. "So, new friend. My name is Sheila. Who are you?"

"My name is Grutex."

"Glad to meet you Grutex. I am so curious to know how you wound up on Hoth."

Karl said from behind her, "I am so curious to see your face. How about taking that mask off?"

Grutex replied, "I prefer to keep the cowl on. My kind… many find us revolting to look upon. I was exiled from my clan on Tatooine for attempting to expose the corruption of our war lord. I think he wanted to kill me, but instead my life was spared and I was left on the cold planet."

Joel said, "That's sounds like a load of bunk, no offense. I have never seen a Tusken fly a star ship. How did they get you to Hoth?"

"A deal was struck with the Empire, who the war lord was making many deals with. Storm troopers flew me to Hoth and left me there, supposedly to die a slow and bitter death."

Joel pursed his lips, "Well, that makes sense. So what was it about your war lord you didn't like so much?"

Grutex took the stone around his neck and held it in a precious manner, "There was a girl."

Karl smiled and said, "Ah, there always is, there always is. Nothing in the universe can get a man in more trouble than a girl."

Sheila softly touched Grutex's hand, "She gave you this stone?"

Grutex nodded, "Yes, she gave me this. It is all I have of her now."

Joel laughed, "So you're in love? You were freezing to death on Hoth all in the name of love?" Sheila flashed an intensely angry look at Joel, who recoiled a bit, "Which is a good thing to die for, I guess."

"Our people are not allowed to love. But I do love her. I am different from the rest of them, I always have been. I have to go back and find her, take her away, and the two of us can live together apart from them."

Sheila smiled, "How romantic."

Karl said, "You are a true gentle… sand… man."

Sheila said, "Don't worry; we will help you get back."

Joel intervened, "Wait a minute. We have job to do. We can't go detouring over to Tatooine. "

Sheila replied, "Joel, we make our delivery to the Death Star, then we loop back around to Tatooine. Not a big deal."

Grutex attempted to word in, but was spoken over by Joel, "That's a fuel cost, Sheila."

Again Grutex began gesture to speak, but Sheila spoke over him, "It's not that far out of the way."

And an argument progressed between the two until Grutex gave a shout, "Wait! Sorry, pardon me. I just have to know. Are we actually headed to a location with the surname of 'Death'?"

The three humans made a pause at the question, and in a team like fashion gave a shrug and confirmed indeed they were headed to a location with the surname 'Death'. Joel said, "We sell them water all the time, it's what we do."

Grutex said, "And you never get a bad feeling from this?"

Alarms began to blare on the space craft, "What could that be?" asked Joel.

RP replied, "Ship sync line has reported we have encountered an asteroid field."

"Asteroids?" exclaimed Joel. "Sheila, I thought we were using the track code from the Death Star, and it noted we would be coming into the Alderaan system."

"I did," said Sheila.

"There aren't supposed to be any asteroid fields around Alderaan," Joel noted.

RP said, "It also appears that Alderaan is missing."

Grutex said, "Do you have the bad feeling now?"

Joel said, "Yes, as a matter of fact I do."

The cockpit of the cargo craft suddenly became a bustle of urgent activities: reading configurations, flipping switches, announcing panics; but none so more important as steering around asteroids. Suddenly, as alarming as the entry to the asteroid field, they were out.

Joel commanded, "I want another read on our location, we have got to be…"

"I have checked three times, Joel," Sheila said.

"Check again!"

Sheila read the small screen and said, "Alderaan system, Joel. No Alderaan. It's as though it's vanished."

RP said from behind, "If you notice the large amounts of netted energy plus the quantum mass of the asteroid field, I would suggest the asteroids are Alderaan."

Joel said, "You're not suggesting it was blown up?"

There was an ominous silence as Joel and Sheila struggled with the obvious answer to the question. Sheila asked, "How could something like that happen? Perhaps there was a collision with another space mass…"

RP said, "The energy net associated contains the signature of a localized energy beam."

Joel asked, "What could have done this?"

RP stated, "Apparently we are still on course. The Death Star is straight ahead."

Karl busted into the cockpit, "So, I was thinking we should ask for more pay on this water transport since we had to brush an asteroid field."

Joel scowled at Karl, who frowned, "No? Did I miss something?"

Sheila said, "We should turn around. Forget this pay day. We can sell to the fleet Star Destroyers until we are ready for a new pay load."

Joel said, "I agree. Get us out of here. I don't think it's a good day to be landing on the Death Star."

Sheila began the procedure to abort the mission when red signals began flashing all about her console, "What the hell?"

Joel asked, "What's wrong?"

"We're caught in a tractor beam. Looks like we will need to make a sell after all."

The cargo ship was tugged closer and closer to the Death Star, it became an indistinguishable speck, shrinking ever more until swallowed into the beastly space station. The tractor beam lowered it gently to a landing bay floor. A voice sounded over the cockpit com system on the captured star craft, "Your identification has been confirmed. Due to present security situations, prepare to be boarded."

Joel depressed the intercom, "Boarded? I don't understand. We have a delivery…"

The voice from the com said, "Prepare to be boarded."

Joel released the intercom and slumped back in his seat. With great apprehension Karl and Sheila looked at him. He also carried a worried look, and said, "I have no idea. Play it cool. We have nothing to hide."

Storm troopers, a party of six, boarded the craft. Joel met them in the boarding hold, "What's this all about?"

The lead trooper said, "Classified security matters. We have detected four life forms and one droid. Have them meet here please."

"Don't you want to see my manifest…"

"Just the crew for now."

Joel nodded, "Okay. There is only three crew members and a droid."

The trooper looked back at his tablet with the scan results, "We read four humanoid life forms, one droid."

Joel lightly palmed his forehead, "Oh yeah. The fourth. That's not a crew, see…"

"Now, sir."

Joel raised a brow in tension and said, "Sure." He raised the ship com by his head in the passageway, "I need all aboard front to boarding hold. I repeat, all aboard to boarding hold." As they waited Joel said, "I thought you would recognize our ship. We make deliveries and have been in contract with the Empire for almost five months now."

The trooper gave a slight bow type affirmation and said nothing. Soon all aboard the vessel were in the boarding hold. First came Sheila and Karl, followed by RP. Finally, there was Grutex. At the sight of Grutex the lead trooper raised his blaster, and so did the rest of the troopers.

Joel said with great unease, "Hey, wait. What's happening?"

The trooper said, "Hands up, everyone. Keep them in sight."

Joel recognized the timing of their alarm and said, "Oh, the Tusken Raider. He won't hurt us. He's tame."

The trooper spoke into his system intercom, "This is XK3694, we have a ship with evidence it has been to Tatooine and a droid."

Joel interjected, "Look, you have to know…"

The trooper responded to orders through his helmet, "Yes, understood." He embraced his weapon more firmly, "Everyone off board, now!"

Joel said, "We came from Hoth, not Tatooine."

The trooper said, "You have a Tusken Raider aboard, and a protocol droid fitting the profile of a droid we may be looking for. Remove yourselves from this vessel now."

Joel snapped, "You still curious, Karl?" and the crew left the ship.

Inside of a command center aboard the Death Star, a lieutenant spoke into his microphone, "XK694, have the humans placed in a detention cell for questioning. I can't imagine why the Tusken Raider is with them or what it has to do with any of this. Perhaps we are seeing our first Tusken rebel infiltration. Would make some sense, we have some dealings with the Tusken Raiders on Tatooine. I want the droid scanned for the data plans." The lieutenant switched off the microphone and turned to a junior officer, "I want the Tusken Raiders on Tatooine detained until we get this sorted out."

The junior officer issued a salute and briskly headed away to carry out the order. Another junior officer to the lieutenant's left asked, "Do you think it is possible Tusken Raiders could be playing double agents?"

"I always considered them a barbaric and stupid lot. If they are making deals with us, then it is possible they are making deals with the rebels as well." The lieutenant thumped his index finger on the desk before him, "Bring the Raider to me now for inspection."

Grutex sat alone in an empty cell. Inside his mask he wore a most uncomfortable frown. It seemed to him the predicament was beyond his understanding. How could he repair any of the situations before him, and how could he help his new friends also? More so on his mind was the question of how he would ever get back to Tatooine. He never thought he would miss the miserable trappings of the Jundland Wastes, but now he found the idea of the heat and the sand most appealing.

Of course, he longed to see her, most of all…

The door to the cell zipped open and the lieutenant stepped inside. He had a seat across from Grutex. "Curious. A Tusken Raider aboard a cargo vessel. Soon I will have an interpreting droid in here and we will find out what you know."

Grutex spoke, "There is no reason to wait."

The lieutenant started in his seat; he blinked his eyes and rubbed pierced his eyes, "Are you a human underneath those rags?"

"No. I have an interpreting module built into my cowl."

"Clearly odd. How are you affiliated with the Rebel Alliance?"

Grutex said, "I have no affiliation. I was exiled from my clan on Tatooine and placed on Hoth by two of your storm troopers. I was picked up by a space craft and have mistakenly made it here."

"So, you want me to believe that a Tusken Raider which can, amazingly speak, was sent to Hoth and incredibly survived, only to be picked up by random from a planet with little or no visitation, just to make it here during a moment when we are searching for vital information from a craft in this area?"

"It is the truth. I would say you have the wrong ship."

"It's an incredibly weak alibi."

Grutex leaned forward, "I am simply the victim of some very strange circumstance. I only wish to go back to by clan."

"That's too bad. As we speak they are being detained on Tatooine. Besides, Lord Vader's orders are to have them ultimately terminated when this mission is over. Seems he has a personal dislike for Tusken Raiders."

Grutex sat up straight, "You can't do that. They are innocent. Only the war lord has made any dealings with the Empire."

"We can do it. We will do it. Even if we have to destroy the entire planet, just as we did Alderaan. We will have the Rebels one way or the other."

Grutex sat silently for a moment and said, "You are making a mistake."

"I will decide what is and what is not a mistake. If you wish to help your people at all, then you will cooperate."

Grutex replied, "Allow me to speak to my crew mates and I will have an answer for you."

The lieutenant smiled, "Yes, go back to their cell and have chat with your friends. I will be awaiting your confession."

Grutex was shoved into the cell holding his new two friends. Joel asked, "What did they say? What is going on?"

Grutex said, "They are searching for something, and they believe we are Rebel spies and that we may have it."

Joel threw his arms in fury, "I knew we should have left you on that planet."

Sheila softly took Grutex's arm, "Did they say anything else?"

"They did destroy Alderaan," the three humans contorted in shock. Grutex continued, "Whatever they are looking for, they want it bad enough to destroy an entire planet. If I do not give them a confession that I am a Rebel Spy, they are going to kill my people. Perhaps they plan to kill them anyhow. Lord Vader may have already commanded that my people are killed."

Karl said, "Lord Vader. Now that's a mask I would like to take a peek under."

Joel said, "Karl, you really need to stop."

Sheila asked, "What are you going to do?"

"I don't see a way to win. If I confess and we do not have what they are looking for, my people are doomed. If I do not confess, they may still be doomed."